Privacy Policy

Last Updated: July 2026

1. Data Controller

This Privacy Policy outlines how the Institute of Astronomy with National Astronomical Observatory of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IA with NAO – BAS) collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data obtained from visitors of the website https://astro.bas.bg/.

Contact Details of the Data Controller:

Institute of Astronomy with NAO – BAS
72 Tsarigradsko Shose Blvd., 1784 Sofia, Bulgaria
Email: office@astro.bas.bg
Phone: +359 2 974 19 10

2. Legal Basis

IA with NAO – BAS processes personal data in full compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679 - GDPR) and national data protection legislation.

3. Categories of Personal Data Collected

Depending on how you interact with our website, we may collect the following types of information:

• Technical Access Data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URL, date/time stamp, and pages visited.
• Information Provided Voluntarily: Name, email address, and phone number provided when submitting inquiries, contact forms, or observing time proposals / visitation requests for NAO Rozhen.

4. Purposes and Legal Grounds for Processing

We process personal data for the following purposes:

• Ensuring Website Functionality and Security: Based on our legitimate interest in maintaining a secure and functional web platform.
• Responding to Inquiries: Based on steps taken at your request or your explicit consent.
• Managing Observation and Visit Proposals: For tasks carried out in the public interest and scientific research.

5. Cookies

Our website utilizes essential technical cookies required for navigation and system core functionality. We do not use commercial tracking or marketing cookies.

6. Data Retention Period

Personal data is retained only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected or as required by applicable statutory record-keeping periods for public scientific institutions.

7. Data Sharing and Third Parties

IA with NAO – BAS does not sell, trade, or transfer personal data to third parties, except where required by law (e.g., public authorities) or necessary for IT service providers (e.g., web hosting) bound by strict confidentiality obligations.

8. Your Rights Under GDPR

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

• Right of access to your personal data;
• Right to rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data;
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten"), where applicable legally;
• Right to restriction of processing;
• Right to object to data processing;
• Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority: Commission for Personal Data Protection (CPDP), 2 Prof. Tsvetan Lazarov Blvd., Sofia 1592, www.cpdp.bg.

9. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to update this Privacy Policy as needed to reflect statutory or technical changes. Any revisions will be published immediately on this page.

10. Contact Us

To exercise your rights or if you have questions regarding data privacy, please contact us at: office@astro.bas.bg.