Privacy Policy

1. Introduction & Statutory Framework

Showusmeastoryscope Botanical Station Lda (“Showusmeastoryscope”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) operates the scientific research portal located at showusmeastoryscope.rest. We are fully committed to respecting and protecting the privacy of visitors, botanists, academic researchers, and nature enthusiasts. This Privacy Policy is constructed in strict adherence with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council (General Data Protection Regulation or “GDPR”), the Portuguese Data Protection Act (Lei n.º 58/2019), and international standards including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA).

By accessing or interacting with our digital botanical library, online field identification keys, or inquiry interfaces, you acknowledge and agree to the data collection and processing methodologies described within this policy.

2. Data Controller Identification

The legal entity responsible as Data Controller for your personal information is:

Showusmeastoryscope Botanical Station Lda
Company Registration No.: PT-509823144
Quinta Botânica dos Cedros, Estrada da Serra 142
2710-501 Sintra, Portugal
Designated Data Protection Contact: [email protected]

3. Categories of Personal Data Collected

We strictly adhere to data minimization principles, collecting only information necessary to maintain scientific integrity and user experience:

• Directly Provided Information: When you submit a field sighting report, request herbarium access, or contact our curators, we collect your full name, academic or institutional affiliation, email address, physical coordinates of reported specimens, and any textual communications.
• Automatically Collected Telemetry: Whenever you browse our pages, our servers temporarily register your Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser classification, operating system, referring URL, time spent per botanical monograph, and general geographical location (country/city level).
• Aggregated Analytical Markers: We aggregate navigation metrics across taxonomic plates to identify which botanical guides require structural expansion or clarified diagnostic photography.

4. Lawful Bases for Data Processing

In compliance with Article 6 of the GDPR, we process personal data under the following legitimate grounds:

• Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): For non-essential analytics and persistent functional preferences, granted through our smart cookie consent interface.
• Legitimate Interests (Art. 6(1)(f)): For monitoring server load, preventing malicious DDoS cyberattacks, preserving website security, and curating scientific flora archives.
• Performance of a Contract or Inquiries (Art. 6(1)(b)): To review and fulfill academic access requests or respond directly to botanical field dispatches submitted by users.

5. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We employ strictly necessary cookies to ensure technical stability, as well as optional analytics cookies to assess site traffic. Technical cookies maintain security tokens and store your cookie consent preferences in local browser storage (`showusmeastoryscope_cookie_consent`), preventing intrusive banner re-appearance on return visits. Full details, categories, and opt-out methodologies are detailed in our dedicated Cookie Policy.

6. Third-Party Data Processors & Transfers

We do not sell, lease, monetize, or commercially broker your personal data to advertisers or data aggregators. Data transfers are limited exclusively to vetted technical service providers acting under binding Data Processing Agreements (DPAs):

• Hosting Infrastructure: Dedicated secure servers located within the European Economic Area (EEA), ensuring high physical security and automated encryption standards.
• Font & Style Distribution: Google Fonts CDN utilized under strict privacy-preserving protocols where IP addresses are obfuscated and not associated with consumer profiles.

7. Data Retention Protocols

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the scientific and administrative objectives for which it was gathered. Contact and inquiry logs are maintained for a maximum of 24 months following the resolution of the matter. Automated server security logs are purged on a rolling 90-day cycle. Sighting data contributing to national biodiversity atlases is fully anonymized before permanent archival.

8. Your Rights Under European & Global Data Laws

Under the GDPR and CCPA/CPRA, you possess comprehensive legal rights concerning your personal information:

• Right of Access (Art. 15): Request a copy of all personal records maintained by our station.
• Right to Rectification (Art. 16): Correct inaccurate, outdated, or incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure / Right to be Forgotten (Art. 17): Request permanent deletion of your data when retention is no longer justified.
• Right to Restriction of Processing (Art. 18): Pause processing while disputing accuracy.
• Right to Data Portability (Art. 20): Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to Object (Art. 21): Object to data processing based on legitimate interests.

To exercise any of these statutory rights, please send an electronic request to our Data Protection Officer at [email protected]. We respond to all verified requests within thirty (30) calendar days at zero cost to the applicant.

9. Supervisory Authority & Complaints

If you believe our processing of your personal data infringes European data protection legislation, you hold the legal right to file a formal complaint with the competent national supervisory authority. In Portugal, this is the Comissão Nacional de Protecção de Dados (CNPD), Av. D. Carlos I, 134 - 1.º, 1200-651 Lisboa, Portugal (www.cnpd.pt).