Last Updated: December 31, 2021
e-Studies IKE (“easyStudies.io,” “easyStudies”, “we,” “us,” or “our”) provides users with the ability to search and investigate the process of becoming a potential student at certain colleges and universities around the world, including information regarding specific programs, country guides, and visa requirements. We also provide the ability to apply for admission to certain programs of such institutions through our website and to access ancillary services and products related to the international student journey (collectively, the “Services”).
In order to do the above, easyStudies.io collects your personal data. This Privacy Policy sets out the manner in which easyStudies.io collects, uses, and manages your personal data.
The changes made to this Privacy Policy go into effect as at the date listed above and your continued use of easyStudies.io’s services and/or website after this date will be subject to our updated Privacy Policy.
Introduction
In this privacy & cookies policy (“Policy”), we describe:
- the information that we collect and process about you (that you provide directly to us);
- the purposes for which we collect and process information about you;
- and the basis on which we collect and process information about you, when you use this website located at https://www.easyStudies.io (our “Website”) and the services available through this Website, provided to our registered users (collectively, our “Services”).
In this Policy, the term “personal data” or “personal information” means personal data or data that relates to an identified or identifiable person.
We recommend that you read this Policy carefully in order to understand what easyStudies.io and any affiliates and/or subsidiaries does with your personal data. Your use of our Website and Services and any dispute over privacy, is subject to this Policy and any of our applicable Terms and Conditions for use of our Services, including their applicable limitations on damages and the resolution of disputes. By visiting our Website, you are consenting to the practices described in this Policy.
Our contact details
Name: Dr. Antony Michail
Address: 16 Kifissias Street, Marousi, Athens, Greece
Phone Number: +30 211 411 3235
E-mail: dpo@easystudies.io
The type of personal information we collect
We collect personal data directly from you, about you from third parties such as our marketing affiliates and service providers used to verify your identity and prevent fraudulent activity, other easyStudies.io users and other easyStudies.io clients or customers for the purpose of providing the easyStudies.io Services to you or as part of a customer referral program, and automatically as you use our Website and the Services. At this time, use of our Services is only available to users who register for our Services.
We receive personal data about you from third parties, such as banking references, credit reporting agencies, affiliates, other easyStudies.io users, events vendors, and other third parties (e.g., entities that assist us in validating your identity, for risk assessment purposes, for fraud prevention, etc.). We may combine this information with other information that we collect about you.
We, and our third party service providers, automatically collect the following information about your use of our Website and our online Services through cookies, web beacons, log files and other technologies (subject to your consent where required by applicable law): your domain name, your browser type and operating system, web pages you view, links you click, your IP address, the length of time you visit our Website or use our Services, your activities on our Website, and the referring URL or the webpage that led you to our Website. Please refer to the section below regarding “Our Use of Cookies”.
What personal data does easyStudies.io collect
The types of personal data we collect about you depends on your particular interaction with our Website and our Services, and generally includes, where permitted by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):
| Categories of Personal Data Collected | Specific Personal Data | Source of Personal Data |
|---|---|---|
| Identifiers | Name, email address, phone number, billing or mailing address, IP address, date of birth, national identification numbers and documents that may include your photograph and/or government identifier. | Directly from you, third parties on your behalf and as instructed by you, other easyStudies.io users and customers, our service providers and affiliates. |
| Financial Information | Bank and credit account information, credit history as applicable, details of any transactions carried out using any of the Services | Directly from you, third parties on your behalf and as instructed by you, recruitment partners, counsellors, other easyStudies.io users and customers, our service providers and affiliates. |
| Internet or Other Similar Network Activity | Other information collected through Cookies and other tracking technologies as listed above and as described in the section below entitled “Our Use of Cookies” | From you directly and our third party analytic tools and cookies usage (Refer to the section below “Our Use of Cookies”). |
| Commercial Information | Information about your business | Directly from you, third parties on your behalf and as instructed by you, other easyStudies.io users and customers, our service providers and affiliates. |
| Geolocation Data | Geolocation | Directly from you and/or [through your use of the Mobile Application] and/or our third party analytic tools and cookies usage (refer to the section below “Our Use of Cookies”). |
| Professional or Employment Information | Name and contact information, professional credentials and skills, educational and work history, salary, evaluations, references, interviews, certifications, disciplinary matters and other information of the type included on a resume, curriculum vitae or cover letter. | Directly from you or when another party, such as a recruiter, counsellor, or external website, provides it to us. |
| Other categories | Any other information that you choose to provide to us (e.g., when you send us an email/otherwise contact us). | Directly from you, third parties on your behalf and as instructed or permitted by you. |
When We Collect Your Information and How We Use It
easyStudies.io collects your personal data whenever you do any of the following and uses it as described:
Create an Account: To access certain features on the Website, you are required to create an account and provide your email address and password or sign in with Facebook or Google or other social media. Your login information is used to create your account, and otherwise provide and administer the service you requested.
Explore University Programs and compare your skills with their entry requirements: You do not have to create an account to visit and browse certain features of our Website, such as to browse various schools and programs, or read other content portions of the Website. If you choose to use our Website to discover programs you are eligible to apply for, we collect personal data such as your nationality, country of education, highest education, grading scheme, grade average, language exam score(s) and the programs and level of education that you are interested in pursuing. easyStudies.io uses this information to create a list of programs and schools in which you could be eligible to apply.
Create a Student Profile and/or Apply to a University Program: In order to apply to a program, you (or the counsellor acting as your legal representative or your parent) are required to create a student profile on our Website. The personal data we collect in your student profile helps us match you with universities and programmes that fit your preferences and qualifications. This information may also be required by the university for the purposes of processing your application. This information may include your first and last name, email address, gender, date of birth, home and mailing address, passport details, marital status, emergency contact information, language test score(s), educational preferences, education history and achievements, volunteer experience, and other related educational information.
We may use your profile information and other information about your use of the Website (such as search queries or other links you click on) to provide you with tailored university recommendations through the Website.
Post On Our Website or Social Media Channels (including direct messages): You have the ability to post information (e.g. questions, comments and opinions) through easyStudies.io’s services or on social media platforms, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram, as well as send us direct messages via these platforms. Please be advised that any personal data that you voluntarily post to any public forum will be available to other individuals and you should exercise caution when posting any personal data. Content you post on sites owned by third parties (such as social media platforms) is subject to the privacy policies of those third parties.
Communicate with Us: When you contact us with a comment, question or complaint, you may be asked for information that identifies you (such as your name, address and a phone number) along with additional information we need to help us promptly answer your question or respond to your comment or complaint. We may also retain this information to assist you in the future and to improve our customer service, products, service offerings, events and promotions.
Payment Processing and transaction tracking: easyStudies.io uses, with your consent, third party PCI certified payment service providers including Stripe. When you directly make a payment using these payment service providers, you are subject to their privacy policies. They are independent of easyStudies.io and easyStudies.io is not responsible for their privacy practices.
Our applications are designed to directly connect our users securely, transparently and cryptographically to the PCI certified payment processor. This helps ensure we maintain the privacy of your financial transactions. The payment processor provides easyStudies.io with a transaction number and status. This information is often required as proof of program payment as well as a demonstration of student commitment to their selected program. easyStudies.io maintains a list of payment processors that we may use to process payments to independent service providers and/or third party contractors in connection with the Services.
Sign Up for Marketing Email and Other Communications: We may offer you the ability to sign up to receive easyStudies.io marketing and promotional communications through the Website, on third party websites (including through social media sites), or educational events and information sessions. In these circumstances, we collect certain personal data (such as first and last name, email address or mobile phone number) which we use to send you email and other communications containing easyStudies.io updates, tips, and other content that may be of interest to you. You can opt out of receiving promotional email from us by following the “opt-out” or “unsubscribe” instructions provided in your email or text message, or by contacting us as set out below. Please note that you may continue to receive messages from us regarding your application or other transactional and account-related electronic messages from us.
Participate in Our Surveys and Customer Research: From time to time, we may offer you the opportunity to participate in one of our surveys or other customer research. The information obtained through our surveys and customer research is used in an aggregated, non-personally identifiable format. We use this information to help us understand our customers and to enhance our product and service offerings, promotions, and events.
Sign Up for Contests and Promotions: When you participate in a contest or promotion, we may collect your name, address, phone number, email address, and other information you provide. We use this information to administer your participation in the contest or promotion.
Apply for Employment at easyStudies.io: In connection with a job application or related enquiry regarding potential employment with easyStudies.io, you may provide us with certain personal data about yourself (such as that contained in a resume/CV, cover letter, or similar employment and education-related materials). We use this information for the purpose of processing and responding to your application for current and future career opportunities.
You are responsible for providing accurate and up-to-date information.
When Do We Share Your Information
We share your personal data with third parties, including service providers, regulated institutions (e.g., financial institutions), affiliated entities, and business partners as set out in the table below.
In the section below, we also list the reasons why we share information.
| With whom we share your personal data | Reason |
|---|---|
| Universities | We share the information in your application with the universities that you are applying to (either directly or through a third party on your behalf). Once easyStudies.io has provided your information to these universities for your application for admittance, easyStudies.io does not have any control over the use of such information by these universities and recommends that you contact them directly if you have any questions about the manner in which your personal data is treated. |
| Partners | From time to time, we may partner with third parties to provide benefits to registered members of the Website. We may provide certain personal data to third parties so that they can contact you with information about the benefits and/or we may share aggregated, non-identifiable profile and usage data with third party partners for marketing and analytics purposes.We may use Facebook’s Custom Audiences to deliver advertisements to our subscribers on Facebook. Your personal information is not shared with Facebook; your email address is converted to a unique number that is matched with another unique number to identify you within Facebook. You can opt out of Facebook Audience ads. |
| Service Providers | We may transfer (or otherwise make available) your personal data to third parties who provide services on our behalf. For example, we may use service providers such as cloud providers to send our emails, host the Website and data (including cloud providers) and operate certain of its features. Other service providers may assist us with the provision of the services, help us verify your identity, prevent, detect and protect against fraudulent activity or abuse of our services, conduct internal research and analytical assessments, process your transactions, maintain your account(s) and provide you with customer care services. These service providers include internet service providers, data and cyber security services, banks, financial institutions, payment processors, financial services providers, remote access services, service providers that help us verify your identity and help us comply with our legal and regulatory obligations; and our business, legal, tax, financial and other advisors, on a confidential basis.Your personal data may be maintained and processed by third party service providers in Greece or other jurisdictions. Our service providers are given the information they need to perform their designated functions, and we do not authorize them to use or disclose personal data for their own marketing or other purposes. |
| Parties to and those involved in a business transaction with easyStudies.io | We may transfer any information we have about you as an asset in connection with a proposed or completed merger or sale (including transfers made as part of insolvency or bankruptcy proceedings) involving all or part of easyStudies.io or as part of a corporate reorganization or other change in corporate control. |
| Lawyers, courts and law enforcement | easyStudies.io and our service providers may provide your personal data in response to a search warrant or other legally valid inquiry or order, or to an organisation in the case of a breach of an agreement or contravention of law, or as otherwise required or permitted by applicable Greek or other law. We may also disclose personal data where necessary for the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims, to detect, suppress or prevent fraud, and to investigate or prevent actual or suspected loss or harm to persons or property. |
We do not sell your personal data.
Legal Bases For Processing Your Personal Data
We process your personal data based on the following legal bases, as recognised by and in compliance with the applicable data protection laws:
- the processing is necessary to perform our contract with you (i.e. the Terms and Conditions that apply as applicable with respect to easyStudies.io Services, for the provision of our Services), or to take steps requested by you before entering into said contract;
- you are obliged to provide us with personal data as it is necessary to enter into and perform our contractual agreements. In the event that you do not wish to provide us with your personal data we will not be able to perform our contractual agreement with you;
- the processing is in easyStudies.io’s or someone else’s legitimate interests, and these interests are not overridden by your interests or rights in the protection of your personal data. This may include processing your data for prevention of fraudulent activity, internal research and analytics assessments, for purposes of communication with you, and informing you about new products and services we are offering or to promote new products and services of other parties which we think may be of interest to you, etc.;
- before we process your personal data to pursue our legitimate interests, we determine if such processing is necessary and we carefully consider the impact of our processing activities on your fundamental rights and freedoms. On balance, we have determined that such processing is necessary for our legitimate interests and that the processing which we conduct does not adversely impact on these rights and freedoms.
- you have given your consent to the processing of your data;
- the processing is necessary to meet a legal obligation which applies to easyStudies.io
Sometimes we process data about you which the law considers to fall within special categories, in which case, we use one of the following grounds:
- the processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims;
- you have freely given your informed, specific consent to the processing;
- or the processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, based on applicable law.
If you would like more information about the legal grounds used to process your information, or about the legitimate interests referred to above, please contact us.
In cases where we have asked for, and you have given, your consent to our processing of your personal data, you have the right to withdraw such consent at any time. You can do this by contacting our DPO at dpo@easystudies.io
How we store your personal information
All information you provide to us is stored on our secure servers. Any payment transactions will be encrypted using SSL technology. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of our site, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share a password with anyone.
Our servers are predominantly located in Greece or within Europe. Many of our service providers are also located outside of Europe. While we use appropriate safeguards to keep your information secure, the laws in other places may differ from those in Greece and authorities in those jurisdictions may access your information in accordance with their local laws.
easyStudies.io takes the safeguarding of your information very seriously. We have implemented reasonable administrative, technical and physical safeguards in an effort to protect against unauthorized access, use, modification and disclosure of personal data in our custody and control, including limiting access to our database to legitimate users and employing device encryption and version tracking.
Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to our Website; any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorized access.
easyStudies.io also has a Data Breach policy and process in place.
Your data protection rights
Under data protection law, you have rights including:
Your right of access – You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.
Your right to rectification – You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.
Your right to erasure – You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to restriction of processing – You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to object to processing – You have the the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to data portability – You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.
You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you.
Please contact us at dpo@easystudies.io if you wish to make a request.
How Long Do We Keep Your Personal Data?
easyStudies.io will only retain your personal data while it is needed to fulfill the intended purpose for which it was collected or as otherwise permitted or required by law or contract (which may extend beyond the termination of our relationship with you).
Typically, personal data is maintained during the time you are engaged in the institutional program you applied to, or for up to a year following our last contact with you.
We may retain certain data as necessary for:
- legitimate business purposes, such as auditing, account recovery;
- if required by applicable state laws;
- to prevent fraud or future abuse, or
- by contract with an institution.
All retained personal data is treated in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
If you request that your personal data be removed from our databases and/or systems, it may not be possible to completely delete all your personal data due to technological and legal constraints. However, we will take such steps as are reasonable to securely destroy the information or to ensure that the information is de‑identified and/or anonymised as necessary.
Should you request additional services from easyStudies.io which are subject to this Privacy Policy, you will be authorising the extension of the data collection and/or processing purpose as a result.
The entity, student or institutional partner which has uploaded the document(s) for verification may request premature deletion of uploaded files. This is most likely to occur in the case where a content correction or update is required.
Your Rights Under Gdpr
You have several rights in relation to your personal data and you can exercise your rights at any time by contacting us at dpo@easyStudies.io
Accessing your data
You can ask us to:
- Confirm whether we are processing your personal data.
- Give you a copy of that personal data.
- Provide you with other information about your personal data such as what data we have, what we use it for, who we disclose it to, whether we transfer it outside of the EEA and how we protect it, how long we keep it for, what rights you have, how you can make a complaint, where we got your data from and whether we carry out any automated decision making or profiling. We aim to give you all this information in this Policy, although if anything is unclear, please contact our Data Protection Officer at dpo@easyStudies.io.
You do not have to pay a fee for a copy of your personal data unless your request is unfounded, repetitive or excessive, in which case we will charge a reasonable amount in the circumstances. We will let you know of any charges before completing your request.
How to complain
If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to us at dpo@easyStudies.io.
You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data.
The Greek Data Protection Authority (DPA) address:
- 1-3, Kifisias, P.C. 115 23, Athens, Greece.
- Please make a note on the envelope “To the attention of the Data Protection Officer”.
- Or via email: dpo@dpa.gr
Greek DPA website: https://www.dpa.gr