Terms of Service

These Terms of Service govern the use of the digital participation platform operated by the association (Verein) Decidim Switzerland. The platform serves as a space for knowledge exchange, coordination and engagement within the Swiss Decidim community — including implementation partners, user municipalities and cantons, civic-tech actors and individuals interested in participatory democracy. By using the platform you accept the terms set out below.

Operator and Operating Model

The platform is operated by the association Decidim Switzerland (hereinafter "the Operator"), a non-profit association registered in Switzerland. The Operator is the controller within the meaning of the applicable data protection law for all data processed via the platform.

Hosting and parts of the technical operation are provided through the product «Voca» (voca.city), operated by octree Sàrl (octree.ch) as a specialised Decidim partner.

The platform is built on the open-source software Decidim.

Data Storage

All data collected via the platform is stored by octree Sàrl, as part of the Voca product, in data centres located exclusively in Switzerland. Data storage is carried out in accordance with Swiss data protection law and — where applicable — with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Daily backups are performed. The Decidim instance is updated at least once a year, and security-relevant updates are applied in a timely manner.

The platform may also embed software and services from third parties (for example map or video services). Content and data transmitted via such embeds are not stored on the servers of this platform but are collected directly by the respective third-party providers, where their own terms apply.

A special case is e-mail correspondence sent to or from contact addresses associated with the platform. Such e-mails are processed and stored on servers in Switzerland under Swiss law via the Operator's mail provider. The following data is processed:

• e-mail address

• e-mail content

• e-mail subject

• date

• contact details provided by you (e.g. first name, last name, where applicable phone number, postal address)

This information is stored for the purpose of handling your request and any follow-up questions, and is deleted once the matter has been resolved.

Users: Account, Data, Content

As soon as you access the platform, you are a user. Users are natural and legal persons who view, comment on, like or contribute to content on the platform. We distinguish two levels of use:

1. Without registration: You can access the platform freely and anonymously and read its content. Depending on the project, you may participate anonymously in certain features such as surveys or idea submissions.

2. With an account: If you wish to engage more actively — for example to comment on or like contributions from others — you need to register and create an account. Some projects depend on knowing who you are.

Account

When you register on the platform you receive an account. To do so, you must provide a name or pseudonym, a nickname, an e-mail address and a password.

Registration follows a double opt-in process: after submitting the registration form, you receive a confirmation e-mail to verify your e-mail address. You must also accept these Terms of Service. Only then is your account active.

You may complete your account with a profile picture and additional information, which will then be visible to all users. The e-mail address used for registration is not visible on the platform.

You may delete your account at any time via your profile settings. This will irrevocably delete all stored personal data, including your profile picture and other profile information. Content generated through your use of the platform (comments, proposals, survey responses, etc.) will remain in anonymised form for reasons of transparency and traceability of the projects, and will be reassigned to an anonymous account. You can only participate again after creating a new account.

Please note: Personal references contained in the text of a contribution or comment cannot be anonymised. Such references will remain even after deletion of your account. We therefore recommend that you carefully consider what information you wish to disclose publicly.

Personal Data

By personal data we mean the information stored in your profile or account. It can be edited via your profile settings and includes information such as your e-mail address or password. This data is stored in encrypted form and is never accessible from outside.

User-Generated Content

When you participate on the platform, you create content on it — including comments, proposals, survey responses and similar contributions. The following terms apply to such content:

• Public visibility: As a rule, this content concerns matters of public interest and is therefore publicly visible. The exception is closed processes, which can only be created and viewed on invitation.

• Publication and dissemination: Content created by users may be published by the Operator on the platform itself and through other channels the Operator considers suitable to communicate about the platform and its projects (for example in press releases, reports or blog posts).

• User-generated content is not deleted, but where applicable reassigned to an anonymous account (see above).

• Intellectual property: Unless stated otherwise, content protected by intellectual property rights is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Access to Your Data

You may at any time request an export of your data via your account. The export contains all data linked to your account (personal data and user-generated content). This serves to provide transparency about which data the platform collects and stores.

For the export, a password-protected compressed file is created for download. You will receive the download link and the password by e-mail. As the data is sensitive, it is encrypted. The file can only be opened with open-source compression software such as 7-Zip (Windows), Keka (macOS) or PeaZip (Linux).

Code of Conduct

When you use the platform, you must do so in good faith and in accordance with the following ground rules:

• Provide constructive feedback.

• Suggest alternatives.

• Maintain mutual respect.

• Do not use racist, antisemitic, sexist or otherwise discriminatory language.

• Do not spread misinformation ("fake news").

• Do not infringe the rights of third parties, for example copyright in photographs.

All users are responsible for the proper use of the platform and for the lawfulness of the content and opinions they share. Any user can report a violation. The relevant content can be reported via the small flag icon or by e-mail to the Operator. The Operator reviews the report and takes any necessary steps.

We reserve the right to remove from the platform any opinions, information, comments, proposals, images or media that violate these Terms of Service. We further reserve the right to temporarily suspend the activities of users — in particular in the event of a violation of applicable law and/or these Terms of Service — by:

1. making the generated content invisible,

2. deactivating the account.

Availability and Liability

Uninterrupted availability of the platform at all times cannot be guaranteed, due to necessary maintenance, security-relevant updates or services provided by third parties. Interruptions caused by maintenance, security updates or by the services of third parties (in particular hosting providers or software suppliers), insofar as these are outside the direct sphere of influence of the Operator, do not constitute a breach of these terms, provided they remain within industry-standard parameters.

To the extent permitted by law, the Operator's liability for damages arising in connection with the use of the platform is limited. Liability for indirect damages, consequential damages or loss of profit is excluded.

Data Protection

The processing of personal data collected in connection with the operation of the platform is subject to Swiss data protection law, in particular the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) and — where applicable — the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The data collected at registration and the content generated by you are used solely for participation in projects and activities in the context of the platform. Your e-mail address may be used to send platform newsletters or process-related notifications, provided you have given your consent at registration or in your profile settings. You may withdraw such consent at any time.

The Operator is the controller for the data generated within projects on the platform (surveys, idea collections, comments).

You have the right to access the personal data concerning you and, where applicable, to have it corrected or deleted. To exercise these rights, please contact us using the address below.

We may amend these Terms of Service, including the data protection provisions, at any time without prior notice. The version published on this website at the relevant time shall apply.

Contact

For data protection requests, reports of violations or any other matters concerning the platform, please contact:

Decidim Switzerland

[Verein address]

[contact e-mail]

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