as part of the EU-funded project “Healthy Sailing”

 

What is this project about, and do I have to take part?

This study aims to inform cruise ship company infection prevention, preparedness and outbreak response measures, including policies, interventions and communications. The information collected through this survey is important to support the implementation of specific interventions before, during and after the cruise. Participation is open to people aged 18 or over, taking part in this cruise voyage and is entirely voluntary.

What are the benefits and risks of taking part?

You may benefit from taking part in the survey by being motivated to look up information about the respective infectious disease prevention measures. We will provide you with reliable and trusted resources at the end of the study. There are no foreseeable risks for you when taking part in the survey, other than time spent on the survey and potential discomfort. Should you feel uncomfortable and want to leave the study, you are free to do so without any consequences.

What will you ask and what will happen to the information I give you?

You will be asked questions about yourself, your knowledge and attitudes about infectious diseases that may occur before, during or after cruise travel, and actions you would likely take to protect yourself and prevent infection spread. As a rule, we will attempt to exclusively collect anonymous data about you. However, due to current and future technological developments, it might be possible for some of your data to be identifiable in the future. For that reason, we will treat all the data included in your survey responses as pseudonymized personal data. You may find detailed information about the processing of your personal data below (chapter “personal data protection information”).

Your data will be collected by the University of Thessaly and analyzed by the Laboratory of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine.  As a result of the scientific analysis, completely anonymous study results and aggregated data will be produced. The anonymous study results and statistics will be shared with relevant researchers and government agencies to assist in the development of infection prevention, preparedness, and outbreak response measures on ships.

Personal Data Protection Information

As mentioned before, the study surveys will be collected anonymously. We have taken measures to ensure that the collected data is minimized, and we do not need to identify you personally to achieve the study results. However, due to current and future technological developments, it might be possible for some of your data to be identifiable in the future. For this reason, we take measures to treat all the information which you will provide us through the survey as personal data and protect them accordingly.

This section will provide you with information regarding the processing of your personal data in the context of your participation to this study.

Who is the Controller?

The University of Thessaly for your personal data in the context of this study. The contact details of the Controller may be found below:

University of Thessaly:

Which of my personal data will you collect?

We collect exclusively the personal data which you provide us with directly by filling in the study survey (indicatively: age group, region of origin, information about passenger experience, survey answers related to hygiene habits and measures).

No special categories of personal data will be collected.

What is the purpose and legal basis for the processing of my data?

Your personal data are processed exclusively for the purposes of this study, namely to contribute to the cross-border prevention, mitigation, and management (PMM) of infectious diseases on cruise ships.

To the extent that you have decided to participate in this study, all personal data processing which will take place is carried out on the basis that the processing is necessary for a task carried by the controllers in the public interest or in the exercise of the official authority vested into them as Academic and Research Institutions (Art.6 par.1e GDPR).

How long will my data be stored for?

In order to ensure the scientific integrity of the study results and to help inform future outbreaks and epidemic preparedness, your survey data will be stored securely for up to 10 years after the end of the research for this study, at which point they will be irrevocably deleted.

Please note that the study results and aggregated statistics, which will be completely anonymized and will include none of your personal data, will be retained for as long as they are scientifically valuable.

Will my personal data be shared?

Your personal data will only be processed by UTH. Anonymized study results and aggregated statistics may be shared as explained in the study participation consent form.

Data Protection Rights

You have the right to request access to and rectification of your personal data. However, please note that if the survey data cannot be attributed to you, due to the survey being fully anonymous, the data therein are not considered personal data and we will not satisfy the abovementioned requests. Also note that your right to erasure of your personal data is restricted in the context of this study, since its exercise could hinder the integrity of the study and its public health related results and benefits (Art.17 par.3c-3d GDPR).

Personal Data Questions/Concerns

If you have any questions about data protection and your rights, please contact us at gdpr@healthysailing.eu.  You may also contact the Data Protection Officers of UTH at the following email addresses: University of Thessaly: dpo@uth.gr

You also have the right to complain, about our processing of your personal data, to a competent Data Protection Authority. If  you wish to do so you may either contact your local/national Data Protection Authority or lodge a complaint with the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (https://www.dpa.gr/en).