Privacy notice - Tampere University elections
The University of Tampere and Tampere University of Technology were merged on 1 January 2019 to create the new Tampere University. Together the new Tampere University (Tampere University Foundation sr) and Tampere University of Applied Sciences Ltd comprise Tampere Universities.
Why we process personal data
We may process personal data in connection with the election of members to Tampere University’s administrative bodies.
What is the lawful basis for processing personal data?
Processing is necessary to comply with the data controller’s legal obligation as set out in the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR 2016/689; article 6, paragraph 1c). Special category data may be processed if a data subject has brought this data to the public domain.
Provisions governing the establishment of administrative bodies in Finnish universities and the appointment of members to these bodies are set out in chapter 3 of the Finnish Universities Act. The University Regulations and Election Rules of Tampere University contain more specific provisions in line with sections 13, 15, 27, 28 and 29 of the Universities Act. In addition, the University holds elections that fall within the scope of the Act on Occupational Safety and Health Enforcement and Cooperation on Occupational Safety and Health at Workplaces.
Main regulations:
- The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR, EU 2016/679)
- Data Protection Act (1050/2018)
- Universities Act (558/2009)
- Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999)
The types of personal data we process
- name;
- email address (for identification purposes);
- username;
- staff number;
- staff group, position, employment contract or research contract;
- announcement of candidacy in the University’s elections or candidate nomination;
- information about a person’s eligibility to vote and stand as a candidate as described in the electoral roll;
- information about a request for the correction of entries in the electoral roll;
- decisions concerning requests for the correction of entries in the electoral roll;
- candidate profiles provided by candidates
- number of votes received by a person;
- information about electoral alliances and their members.
The following types of special category data may be processed as candidates may share this type of data in their candidate profiles:
- political opinions
- trade union membership.
How we collect personal data
We collect personal data from data subjects, the HR system of Tampere Universities, the electoral roll (eligibility) and the voting system of Tampere Universities (number of votes received).
How we process your personal data
Your personal data stored in our information systems will only be processed for the purposes for which the data were initially collected. Personal data may also be used for statistical and research purposes. As a rule, personal data that is used for statistical or research purposes is anonymised so that individuals cannot be identified. All personal data will be stored in compliance with data protection requirements.
Who we may share your data with
We do not share personal data that is collected in connection with elections at the University.
Information about the members elected to the administrative bodies (name and staff group) is published on the public-facing website of Tampere Universities. Election results and information about the members elected to the administrative bodies (name, staff group, number of votes) are published on the intranet of Tampere Universities.
This information may be published because:
- the University has a legal obligation to communicate about its activities and individuals and communities have rights and obligations pertaining to their areas of operation;
- the University has a legal obligation to establish administrative bodies as part of its internal governance.
Transfer of personal data outside of the EU/EEA
As set out in Tampere University’s data protection policy, the University is committed to taking special data protection measures in the event that personal data is transferred outside of the EU or the European Economic Area (EEA) to countries that are not covered by the GDPR. Any transfers of personal data outside of the EU/EEA will be managed in strict compliance with the GDPR.
How long we retain your personal data
Personal data will be stored in accordance with the data management plan of Tampere Universities and deleted one month after election results have been confirmed.
Rights of data subjects
Right of access (GDPR, Article 15)
You have the right to know what personal data we process and hold about you. Many of the University-provided information systems allow you to view the data that we have stored about you when you are logged in.
Right to rectification (Article 16)
You have the right to have any incorrect, inaccurate or incomplete personal details that we hold about you revised or supplemented without undue delay. You are also entitled to have any unnecessary personal data erased from our records.
Right to be forgotten (Article 17)
In certain circumstances, you have the right to have your personal data erased from our records. The right to erasure does not apply, if the processing is necessary for us to comply with our legal obligations or perform tasks carried out in the exercise of official authority.
Right to restrict processing (Article 18)
In certain circumstances, you have the right to request us to restrict processing your personal data until the accuracy of your data, or the lawful basis for processing your data, has been appropriately reviewed and potentially revised or supplemented.
Right to data portability (Article 20)
You have the right to obtain a copy of the personal data that you have submitted to the University in a commonly used, machine-readable format and transfer the data to another data controller. This right applies to situations where data is processed automatically on the basis of consent or contract.
This means that the right to data portability does not apply to data processing that is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or to fulfil legal obligations imposed on the data controller. Consequently, this right does not generally apply to the University’s personal data registers.
Right to object (Article 21)
You may at any time object to the processing of your personal data for special personal reasons, if the basis for processing is a task carried out in the public interest, the exercise of official authority, or the University’s legitimate interests. After receiving such a request, we will no longer process your personal data unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for processing your data.
Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (Article 77)
You have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, if you consider that the processing of your personal data violates the provisions of the GDPR (2016/679). In addition, you may follow other administrative procedures to appeal against a decision made by a supervisory authority or seek a judicial remedy.
Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman
Street address: Lintulahdenkuja 4
Postal address: PO Box 800, FI-00531 Helsinki, Finland
Email: tietosuoja [at] om.fi
Switchboard: +358 2956 66700
Questions about personal data
You can view the personal data we hold about you by logging into many of the information systems owned or maintained by Tampere Universities. You can request to have any inaccurate personal data rectified in connection with the process where the data is generated. With questions about your personal data, please send an email to anne.kivento [at] tuni.fi.
Please deliver all subject access requests to the data protection officer of Tampere Universities (by email at dpo [at] tuni.fi or by post to the following address: Data Protection Officer, Tampere University, FI-33014, Tampere, Finland).
This privacy notice was updated on 3 November 2021.