1. Introduction

Macroscopic Ventures (“we”, “us”, or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you visit our website, become a member, donate to our cause, or interact with us in other ways.

This policy complies with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) and, where applicable, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for visitors from the European Union.

2. Data controller information

Macroscopic Ventures
Innere Margarethenstrasse 5
4051 Basel
Switzerland

Email: privacy@macroscopic.org
Commercial register number: CHE-455.562.321

3. What personal data we collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

3.1 Information you provide directly:

  • Identity data: First name, last name, title, date of birth
  • Contact data: Postal address, email address, telephone number
  • Membership data: Membership type, joining date
  • Financial data: Bank account details
  • Marketing preferences: Your preferences in receiving information from us
  • Application data: Areas of interest, availability, CV/résumé, cover letter, work history
  • Event participation: Registration details, dietary requirements, accessibility needs

3.2 Information collected automatically:

  • Technical data: IP address, browser type and version, time zone setting, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform
  • Usage data: Information about how you use our website, including pages visited, time spent, click patterns
  • Cookie data: Information collected through cookies and similar technologies

3.3 Special categories of data:

We generally do not collect special categories of personal data (such as health data, religious beliefs, or political opinions) unless:

  • You volunteer this information in connection with specific programs
  • It is necessary for event accommodations (e.g., dietary restrictions, accessibility needs)
  • Required by law for certain positions

4. How and why we use your data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

4.1 Membership management

  • Purpose: Process membership applications and maintain member records
  • Legal basis: Contract performance
  • Data categories: Identity, contact, membership data

4.2 Donation processing

  • Purpose: Process donations, issue tax receipts, acknowledge contributions
  • Legal basis: Contract performance, legal obligations (tax reporting)
  • Data categories: Identity, contact, financial data

4.3 Communications

  • Purpose: Send newsletters, event invitations, impact reports, fundraising appeals
  • Legal basis: Legitimate interests (for members/donors), consent (for others)
  • Data categories: Identity, contact, marketing preferences

4.4 Event management

  • Purpose: Register participants, manage logistics, ensure safety and accessibility
  • Legal basis: Contract performance, legitimate interests
  • Data categories: Identity, contact, event participation data

4.5 Website operations

  • Purpose: Provide and improve our website, ensure security, analyze usage
  • Legal basis: Legitimate interests
  • Data categories: Technical data, usage data

4.6 Legal compliance

  • Purpose: Comply with legal obligations, including financial reporting, member list maintenance (for registered associations)
  • Legal basis: Legal obligation
  • Data categories: As required by applicable law

5. Data recipients and sharing

We may share your personal data with:

5.1 Internal recipients

  • Board members and authorized staff who need the information to perform their duties
  • Volunteers involved in specific programs (limited to necessary information)

5.2 External service providers

  • Payment processors for donation and membership fee processing
  • Email service providers for newsletter distribution
  • Event management platforms for registration
  • Cloud storage providers for data backup
  • IT support providers for system maintenance
  • Accounting firms for financial audits (where required)

5.3 Legal and regulatory authorities

  • Tax authorities for donation receipts and financial reporting
  • Commercial Register (for registered associations maintaining member lists)
  • Other authorities as required by law

5.4 Other third parties

  • Partner organizations for joint programs (with your consent)

We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and treat it in accordance with the law. We do not allow third-party service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes.

6. International data transfers

Your personal data may be transferred outside Switzerland in the following circumstances:

  • Cloud services: We use Google Workspace for data storage and processing
  • Email services: We use Google Workspace for email communications
  • CRM: We use Coda for customer relationship management

If we transfer your data outside Switzerland or the European Economic Area, we will rely on:

  • an adequacy decision by the Federal Council or European Commission, or
  • Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent safeguards.

7. Data retention

We retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected:

  • Member data: Duration of membership plus 5 years for historical records
  • Donor data: 10 years after last donation (for tax and accounting purposes)
  • Event participants: 3 years after the event (unless you become a member/donor)
  • Newsletter subscribers: Until you unsubscribe
  • Financial records: 10 years as required by Swiss law
  • Website analytics: 26 months

8. Your rights

Under data protection law, you have the following rights:

8.1 Swiss FADP Rights

  • Right to information: Request confirmation of whether we process your data and receive information about the processing
  • Right to access: Obtain a copy of your personal data
  • Right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
  • Right to deletion: Request deletion of your data (subject to legal retention requirements)
  • Right to restriction: Request limitation of processing in certain circumstances
  • Right to data portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
  • Right to object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests

8.2 Additional GDPR rights (for EU residents)

  • Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent
  • Right to lodge a complaint: With your local data protection authority
  • Right to object to direct marketing: Including profiling for marketing purposes

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 2.

9. Data security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data, including:

  • Encryption of data in transit and at rest
  • Access controls and authentication measures
  • Regular security assessments and updates
  • Staff training on data protection
  • Incident response procedures
  • Regular backups and disaster recovery plans

While we strive to protect your personal data, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure.

10. Cookies and tracking technologies

Essential cookies required for website functionality do not require consent under Swiss law. For analytics and marketing cookies, we request your consent through our cookie banner.

11. Children’s privacy

Our website and services are not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16 without parental consent. If you believe we have collected such data, please contact us immediately.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The latest version will always be available at macroscopic.org/privacy-policy. We will indicate the revision date at the top and, where appropriate, notify you in a prominent way.

13. Contact us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or our data protection practices, please contact us:

  • By email: privacy@macroscopic.org
  • By post: Macroscopic Ventures, Innere Margarethenstrasse 5, 4051 Basel, Switzerland

14. Supervisory authority

If you are not satisfied with our response to your data protection concerns, you have the right to lodge a complaint with:

For Swiss residents:
Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC)
Feldeggweg 1
CH-3003 Bern
Switzerland
Website: www.edoeb.admin.ch

For EU residents:
Your local data protection authority in your country of residence.