Privacy Policy & Terms and Conditions

COPEF – Council of Political & Economical Future – Association
Last updated: May 2026
 

PRIVACY POLICY
 

1. Who We Are

COPEF – Council of Political & Economical Future – Association ("COPEF", "we", "us", "our") is an Austrian association (Verein) registered in Vienna, Austria. Our website is located at copef.at.

For all privacy-related inquiries, contact us at: contact@copef.at

Data Controller: COPEF – Council of Political & Economical Future – Association Cobenzlgasse 101, 1190 Vienna, Austria Represented by: Noah D. Schuster (President)
 

2. What Data We Collect and Why
 

2.1 Application Form

When you submit a membership application, we collect:

• First name and last name

• Email address

• Phone number

• Date of birth

• Portfolio (uploaded file)

• Cover letter (uploaded file)

• Optional message

Purpose: To evaluate your membership application and contact you regarding the outcome. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR – processing necessary for pre-contractual measures.
 

2.2 General Contact Form

When you use our general contact form, we collect:​

• Email address

• Your message

Purpose: To respond to your inquiry. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR – our legitimate interest in responding to communications directed to us.
 

2.3 Member Area (copef.at/members)

Access to the COPEF member area requires a Wix account. When you register and are granted the "COPEF Member" role by an administrator, the following data is processed:

• Email address (used for account creation and role assignment)

• Login activity and session data

Purpose: To provide access-controlled member content and verify membership status. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR – performance of the membership agreement.
 

2.4 Payment Processing (Events and Services)

When you make a payment through our website, we accept: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, UnionPay, JCB, Diners Club, Discover, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

Payment data (card details, transaction information) is processed exclusively by Wix Payments and the respective card networks. COPEF does not store card details. Please refer to Wix's privacy policy for details on their data handling.

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR – performance of a contract.
 

2.5 Technical Data (Website Operation)

Our website is hosted on Wix. When you visit copef.at, Wix automatically collects standard technical data such as IP address, browser type, operating system, and timestamps for the purpose of operating and securing the website.

We do not use Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, or any other third-party tracking or analytics tools. We do not use advertising cookies.

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR – legitimate interest in operating a secure website.
 

3. Cookies

Our website uses only technically necessary cookies required for core functionality (e.g. session management, login status, language preferences). These are set by Wix as part of the platform infrastructure.

We do not use analytics cookies, advertising cookies, or any third-party tracking cookies.

No cookie consent banner is required for technically necessary cookies under §96(3) of the Austrian Telecommunications Act (TKG) and the applicable EU framework.
 

4. Third Parties and Data Processors

We share your data only to the extent necessary and only with the following parties:

Recipient: Wix.com Ltd.
Purpose: Website hosting, member login, payment processing
Basis: Art. 28 GDPR – Data Processing Agreement

Recipient: Card networks / payment providers
Purpose: Transaction processing (Visa, Mastercard, etc.)
Basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR – contract performance

Recipient: Austrian authorities
Purpose: Legal obligations (e.g. ZVR, tax authorities)
Basis: Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR – legal obligation

We do not sell your data. We do not share your data with advertisers or third parties for marketing purposes.
 

5. Data Transfers Outside the EU/EEA

Wix.com Ltd. is headquartered in Israel, which holds an EU adequacy decision under Art. 45 GDPR. Data processed by Wix on servers within the EU/EEA remains subject to GDPR protections. Where transfers to non-adequate countries occur (e.g. USA), Wix relies on Standard Contractual Clauses (Art. 46 GDPR) and the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework where applicable.
 

6. How Long We Keep Your Data

Data: Application data (accepted members)
Retention Period: Duration of membership + 3 years

Data: Application data (rejected applicants)
Retention Period: 6 months after rejection

Data: Contact form inquiries
Retention Period: 3 years

Data: Payment records
Retention Period: 7 years (Austrian BAO accounting obligation)

DAta: Member account data
Retention Period: Duration of membership + 3 years
 

7. Minors

COPEF accepts members from the age of 15. For applicants under the age of 18, written consent from a parent or legal guardian is required before membership is granted and before personal data is processed for membership purposes. We do not knowingly collect data from persons under 15.
 

8. Your Rights

Under the GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access (Art. 15) – request a copy of the data we hold about you

• Right to rectification (Art. 16) – request correction of inaccurate data

• Right to erasure (Art. 17) – request deletion of your data, subject to legal retention obligations

• Right to restriction (Art. 18) – request that we limit processing of your data

• Right to data portability (Art. 20) – receive your data in a machine-readable format

• Right to object (Art. 21) – object to processing based on legitimate interest

• Right to withdraw consent (Art. 7(3)) – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw at any time

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at contact@copef.at. We will respond within 30 days.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Austrian Data Protection Authority (Datenschutzbehörde): Barichgasse 40–42, 1030 Vienna | dsb@dsb.gv.at
 

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in law, technology, or our operations. The current version is always available at copef.at. For material changes, we will notify members by email.

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