Privacy notice
Scientific Research Privacy Statement
Energy-themed Citizens’ Assembly
FLAIRE Research Project
Basic information about the research
Research title: Energy-themed Citizens’ Assembly
This research is part of the FLAIRE project – Fair, flexible, and resilient energy system
Duration of the research: 15th November 2024 – 31st March 2025
Research website: https://sites.utu.fi/kansalaiskokous/
1.Research data controller
University of Turku
20014 University of Turku
2.Contact person for research data matters
Name: Mikko Leino
Address: Faculty of Social Sciences / Department of Philosophy, Political History, and Political Science, Assistentinkatu 7, 20500 University of Turku
Email: molein@utu.fi
3.Responsible leader of research
Name: Maija Setälä
Address: Faculty of Social Sciences/ Department of Philosophy, Political History, and Political Science, Assistentinkatu 7, 20500 University of Turku
Email: maiset@utu.fi
4.Contact information for the data protection officer
The contact address for the University of Turku’s data protection officer: dpo@utu.fi
5.Research conductors
The researchers conducting the study are listed on the FLAIRE project website in the Experts section under University of Turku at https://flaire.fi/asiantuntijat/. Personal data collected for the study may only be processed by researchers from the University of Turku participating in the FACTOR project, as well as the authorized data processors mentioned in section 11.
6.Name of the research register
FLAIRE project research data
7.Purpose of processing personal data
Personal data obtained from the digital and population data services agency and provided by the respondent will be used for sending research invitations, contacting participants regarding the citizen discussions, and conducting the research. The study aims to explore citizens’ experiences and views on energy efficiency, demand response, and energy poverty in Finland.
8.Legal basis for processing personal data
The legal basis for personal data processing is article 6(1)(e) of the EU general data protection regulation, which permits processing for the purpose of scientific research in the public interest, in accordance with section 4(3) of the Finnish data protection act. The legal basis for processing sensitive personal data is article 9(2)(j) of the EU general data protection regulation, which allows processing for scientific research in the public interest.
9.What personal data does the research data include
The personal data collected in the study include name, gender, mother tongue, street address, postal code, city, municipality of residence, year of birth, email address, phone number, level of education, and employment status. Additionally, the research material includes information about a person’s opinions and attitudes, which are considered personal data to the extent that the person can be identified by combining this information with other data.
Furthermore, the study will record a person’s voice and video during the citizen discussion if the participants consent to the recording. Other personal data may also emerge during the collection of the research material, such as hobbies or profession.
The sensitive personal data collected in the study are the respondent’s political opinions.
10.Sources of personal data
The name, year of birth, mother tongue, home address, postal code, city, and municipality of residence of the person invited to the study have been obtained from the digital and population data services agency with a data permit in accordance with the act on the population information system and the certificate services of the digital and population data services agency (661/2009). Other personal data are collected from the respondent themselves via electronic forms or are recorded during the recording of citizen discussions and interviews.
11.Transfer or disclosure of data outside the research group
For the payment of participant incentives in the citizen discussion, the name and email address collected during the study may be processed by the payroll departments of the responsible organizations of the data controller, to the extent necessary for the payment of the incentive.
Regarding the invitation to the study, name and address details obtained from the digital and population data services agency may be processed by authorized parties (e.g., a printing house) for the purpose of mailing the invitations, to the extent necessary.
Electronic survey responses are collected using the survey tool provided by Qualtrics, where the data is stored during the survey. Qualtrics does not participate in the analysis of the data.
Recordings of the citizen discussion, which include the participant’s voice and possibly a video image, may be shared with an external party for transcription purposes related to the study. Transcription refers to the process of converting audio content into written form.
Notes made during the citizen discussion may be edited or summarized using an AI-based language model. The notes will not be used for training or developing the AI.
All the aforementioned parties are required to maintain absolute confidentiality, responsibility, and adherence to data protection principles when processing personal data. The data will not be disclosed to third parties.
12.Data transfer or disclosure outside the EU or the European economic area
Data will not be transferred outside the EU/EEA
13.Automated decision-making
Personal data will not be used for automated decision-making or profiling
14.Principles of personal data protection
The data is confidential
The study does not produce manual material containing personal data. The electronically obtained and collected data are stored in the storage services and systems used by the data controller, which are protected by a username and password.
Direct identifiers, such as the person’s name, address, email address, and any voice or image recordings, will be separated from the research data during the analysis phase.
15.Processing of personal data after the completion of the study
Contact details and direct identifiers used for study-related communication will be destroyed when further communication with participants is no longer necessary for the implementation of the study, and no later than at the end of the study.
The survey data from the study will be archived anonymized in the social science data archive, where it will be made openly available to other researchers one year after the project’s completion.
Video and audio recordings are stored in the storage services used by the data controller of the study until the end of the research project, after which they are destroyed. Transcripts made from the recordings are anonymized and stored for a maximum of ten years in the electronic storage services used by the data controllers. The transcripts will not be published.
16.Rights of the data subject and possible limitations
You have the right to request access to personal data concerning yourself from the data controller, as well as the right to request correction, deletion, or restriction of processing of such data, and to object to the processing.
You have the right to lodge a complaint with the data protection ombudsman if you believe that the processing of your personal data has violated applicable data protection legislation.
Office of the data protection ombudsman
Visiting address: Lintulahdenkuja 4, 00530 Helsinki
Postal address: PL 800, 00531 Helsinki
Email: tietosuoja(at)om.fi
Phone switchboard: +358 29 566 6700
The rights of the data subject under the EU general data protection regulation may be deviated from in scientific research with the following safeguards:
– The processing of personal data is based on the research plan
– The research has a responsible person or a group in charge of it
– Personal data is used and disclosed only for historical or scientific research purposes or other compatible purposes, and in such a way that information concerning a specific individual is not disclosed to outsiders.
-If the research involves personal data as referred to in article 9(1) (special categories of personal data) and article 10 (personal data related to criminal convictions and offenses) of the data protection regulation, in addition to complying with points 1-3 above, a data protection impact assessment must be carried out in accordance with article 35 of data protection regulation and submitted to the office of the data protection ombudsman 30 days before the research begins.