TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY OF PHOTONET


Last updated: May 9, 2025

Who we are

Our website address is: https://photonet.uva.es.

Introduction

Welcome to PHOTONET, the website of the Architectural Photogrammetry Laboratory (LFA) of the ETS Architecture at the University of Valladolid, located at Avda. Salamanca 18, 47014, Valladolid, Spain. This document details the Terms of Use of the website as well as our Privacy Policy, in compliance with the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable international and Spanish data protection laws.

By accessing and using PHOTONET, you agree to these Terms of Use and consent to the processing of your personal data as described in this Privacy Policy. We recommend that you read this document carefully. If you disagree with any part of it, please refrain from using the site.

TERMS OF USE

Use of the Website

PHOTONET is a site dedicated to the dissemination and exchange of information related to architectural photogrammetry and related fields. You agree to use this website responsibly, lawfully, and in accordance with its intended purpose, refraining from engaging in unlawful activities, posting offensive or malicious content, introducing malware, or attempting unauthorized access to restricted areas. Violation of these conditions may result in suspension or termination of your access to the site, as well as the removal of any content you have submitted.

User Registration and Password

To access certain sections or functionalities of PHOTONET, you must create a user account. During registration, you will be required to provide accurate and up-to-date information. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and for all activities that occur under your account. In the event of any unauthorized use, you must notify us immediately. PHOTONET reserves the right to suspend or cancel accounts that violate these terms or exhibit suspicious activities.

User-Generated Content

By submitting content (comments, images, texts, etc.) on PHOTONET, you retain ownership of your rights over that content but grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, and royalty-free license to display it on the site and associated platforms in order to promote the community. You warrant that the content is either your original work or that you have the necessary permissions to publish it. We reserve the right to review, moderate, hide, or remove any content that violates these rules.

Intellectual Property

All original content on PHOTONET (texts, images, graphics, logos, design, software, etc.) is the property of the LFA or its collaborators and is protected by intellectual property laws. Content may be viewed and downloaded for personal, academic, or non-commercial use only, provided that copyright notices remain intact. Any other use requires prior written permission.

Limitation of Liability

PHOTONET strives to keep information and services up-to-date and secure, but does not guarantee the complete accuracy or uninterrupted availability of the site. The LFA is not liable for any damages arising from the use of the information provided, technical issues, or user-generated content by third parties. We shall not be held responsible for indirect damages or lost profits, except as required by law.

Third-Party Links

PHOTONET may include links to third-party websites or embed third-party content (videos, images, etc.). We do not control these external sites and assume no responsibility for their content, policies, or practices. Accessing external sites is at your own risk.

Modifications

The LFA reserves the right to modify or update these Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy at any time without prior notice. Changes will take effect upon publication on the website. You are encouraged to review this document periodically. Continued use of the site constitutes acceptance of the changes.

Applicable Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms shall be governed by Spanish law. In the event of any dispute arising from the use of PHOTONET or the interpretation of these terms, the parties submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of Valladolid, Spain, unless otherwise required by law.

PRIVACY POLICY

Data Collected and Purpose

We collect personal data that you voluntarily provide when interacting with the site (for example, when registering, completing your profile, or leaving comments). This includes your name, email address, institution, position, country, specialization in photogrammetry, interests, potential contributions, academic profile, and links to professional networks.
We use this data to manage your account, facilitate your participation in the community, send you informational communications, and analyze site usage. We also collect technical data (IP address, browser type, etc.) via cookies and similar technologies to ensure proper functioning of the site and to prevent spam.
The legal basis for processing is your explicit consent (Article 6.1.a GDPR), and where applicable, the legitimate interests of the controller (Article 6.1.f GDPR).

When you submit messages through any of our contact forms, the information you provide (including your name, email address, and message content) is not only processed for communication purposes but also stored in our database using the Flamingo plugin. These messages are retained for a period of 12 months to facilitate follow-up communications, maintain a record of inquiries, and improve our response quality. After this period, messages are automatically deleted unless retention is required for legal compliance or legitimate business purposes.

Our contact forms are protected by Contact Form 7 Honeypot, which implements invisible anti-spam measures that do not require user interaction but may process technical data such as input timing and behavior patterns to distinguish between human users and automated bots. This processing occurs without storing additional personal data and serves the legitimate interest of protecting our website from spam submissions.

Comments

When you leave a comment, we collect the data entered in the comment form as well as your IP address and browser user agent to help detect spam. An anonymized hash may be generated from your email address to check if you use Gravatar. Once your comment is approved, your Gravatar profile picture (if applicable) will be publicly displayed alongside your comment.

User Registration and Profile

Data you provide during registration (name, email, password, etc.) is used to create and manage your user account. Some of this information may be public (such as your username and profile picture) to facilitate contact and interaction among users. Our system, powered by Ultimate Member, helps us manage these data securely. You may update or delete most of this information through your profile.

Media (Images)

If you upload images to the site, please avoid including embedded location data (EXIF GPS metadata). Images may be downloaded by other users, so we recommend removing such data if you do not wish to share your location.

Cookies

PHOTONET uses cookies to enhance your experience, facilitate navigation, and perform necessary functions (such as keeping you logged in). For example, if you leave a comment, a cookie may save your name, email, and website for one year for convenience. When you log in, cookies are set to maintain your session (lasting two days, or two weeks if you select “Remember Me”) and to remember your display preferences (lasting one year). A temporary cookie is also set on the login page to verify cookie acceptance.
If third-party tools (such as Google Analytics) are used for analysis, you will be informed and asked for your consent. You can configure your browser to reject or delete cookies, although this may affect site functionality.

Our site uses the following types of cookies:

  • Necessary cookies: These are essential for the proper functioning of our website and cannot be disabled in our systems. They are typically set in response to actions made by you such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or filling in forms. These include cookies set by plugins like Contact Form 7, Ultimate Member, and our spam protection tools.
  • Functional cookies: These cookies allow our website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization, such as remembering your language preferences set through GTranslate.

You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site may not function properly. Our cookies typically store information for periods ranging from a session to one year, depending on their purpose.

These cookies are classified as necessary for the basic functioning of the website and to provide you with the services you have explicitly requested.

Embedded Content from Other Sites

Some pages on PHOTONET may include embedded content from external websites (videos, images, etc.). Such content behaves as if you visited the external site, which may collect data, use cookies, or engage in additional tracking. We recommend reviewing the privacy policies of those external services for more information.

With Whom We Share Your Data

We do not share your personal data with third parties outside of the University of Valladolid or the direct operation of the site, except in the following cases:

  • With service providers acting as data processors (e.g., hosting services, technical maintenance, analytics) under strict confidentiality obligations.
  • When required by law, court order, or governmental request.
  • For internal site functions, such as spam detection (for instance, your IP may be included in a password reset email).

Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account remains active and as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected. Comments are kept indefinitely to maintain conversation history. User account data is kept until you request deletion, at which point it will be removed or anonymized, except where retention is required by law. Technical logs (such as security or access logs) are kept for a limited period depending on our security policies.

Your Rights

In accordance with the GDPR and applicable law, you have the right to:

  • Access: Request confirmation of whether we are processing your personal data and, if so, to receive a copy of the data along with details on its processing.
  • Rectification: Ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Erasure: Request that we delete your personal data (the “right to be forgotten”), subject to legal obligations.
  • Objection: Object to certain data processing based on our legitimate interests.
  • Restriction: Request that we limit the processing of your data in certain circumstances.
  • Portability: Receive your data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and have it transferred to another data controller.
  • Withdraw Consent: For data processing based on your consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

If you have submitted messages through our contact forms and wish to review, modify, or delete them from our database, you can submit a request specifying the approximate dates and email address used for those communications.

If you believe your rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the appropriate supervisory authority, such as the Spanish Data Protection Agency.
To exercise your rights, please contact us through the means provided in this policy. We may ask you to verify your identity by providing a copy of a valid identification document. All requests will be answered within one month, in accordance with Article 12 of the GDPR.

Where Your Data Is Sent

Generally, your data remains within PHOTONET on servers located in the European Union. Exceptions include:

  • Spam detection services, where some information (e.g., IP address, email) may be sent to specialized external services.
  • Third-party analytics tools (if enabled) which process data according to their own policies. Our user management system (Ultimate Member) does not send your personal data outside our site by default.

GTranslate: When you use our website translation feature powered by GTranslate, your browser may send the text to be translated to GTranslate’s servers. While this typically does not include personal data, please be aware that any information you enter into translatable fields could potentially be processed by GTranslate’s services. Their privacy policy governs this processing and can be reviewed on their official website.

Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These include using secure (HTTPS) connections, encrypted storage of passwords, regular updates of our software, security tools, access limitations to authorized personnel only, and regular data backups.

Minors

Our services are not directed to children under the age of 14. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors without parental consent. If we discover that data from a minor under 14 has been collected without proper consent, we will remove it.

Changes to the Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated to reflect changes in legislation or the operation of PHOTONET. Any updates will be posted on this page along with the last updated date. Continued use of the site after any changes constitutes acceptance of the new terms. For significant changes requiring new consent, we will inform you accordingly.

Consent Records and Data Subject Requests

PHOTONET securely stores users’ consent to this Privacy Policy and the use of cookies, in accordance with the accountability principle of the GDPR. These consent records are retained safely and may be requested by the data subject through the contact channels provided in this policy.

To exercise your rights, you must clearly identify your request. We may require a copy of an official identification document. PHOTONET will respond to all requests within a maximum period of one month, as established by Article 12 of the GDPR.

Contact

If you have any questions, suggestions, or wish to exercise your rights regarding your personal data, please contact us at:

Laboratory of Architectural Photogrammetry (LFA)
ETS Architecture, University of Valladolid
Avda. Salamanca 18, 47014 Valladolid, Spain
(Or via the contact form/email address provided on the site.)

Acceptance

Using PHOTONET implies that you have read, understood, and accepted these Terms of Use and Privacy Policy in full.

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