Privacy Policy

The Municipality of Morcote is committed to handling all personal data (hereinafter referred to as "personal data") collected through the websites www.morcote.ch and www.visitmorcote.ch in accordance with applicable data protection regulations and to implementing appropriate security measures to protect such data from unauthorized access.

In this privacy policy, we specifically inform you about what personal data is collected and processed in relation to the use of the portal, for what purposes it is used, to whom it may be disclosed, and what your rights are regarding the use of your personal data by the Municipality.

Any questions related to this privacy statement can be addressed at any time via email to municipio@morcote.ch.

1. Data Controller

The data controller responsible for the processing of your personal data under the applicable data protection laws is the Municipality of Morcote, municipio@morcote.ch.

Municipality of Morcote
Riva da Sant Antoni 10
6922 Morcote

The Municipality determines the purposes and means of processing your personal data and is therefore the data controller responsible for processing and using your personal data in accordance with this privacy policy.
For any questions or concerns about this privacy policy or the processing of your personal data, please contact us at any time by email at municipio@morcote.ch.

2. Data Processing

All personal data collected through the websites is processed in accordance with applicable law. We collect and process personal data carefully and for the purposes described in this privacy policy. In compliance with applicable laws, we may also use your personal data for purposes other than those described in this privacy policy. In such cases, we will provide you with specific privacy notices at the time of collection and may ask for your consent.

3. Collection of Personal Data and Purpose of Data Processing
3.1 Automatically Transmitted Personal Data through Portal Use

The Municipality automatically collects and stores the information your browser transmits to us in "server log files" when you visit our website. This automatically collected personal data includes, for example:

• IP address used (anonymized and shortened if necessary), date and time, web browser and operating system used, language and version of the browser software, visited websites, and amount of personal data transferred in each case.

The Municipality uses the automatically collected personal data for the following purposes:

• Enable the display, operation, and functionality of the portal,
• Ensure the stability and security of the system,
• Improve and protect our services,
• Statistical purposes in case of attacks on the network infrastructure on which the website is hosted.

3.2 Personal Data Provided by the User or Third Parties via Portals or Email Addresses

The Municipality collects and processes personal data voluntarily transmitted by users to the Municipality, such as name, surname, date of birth, address, email, and other necessary data for fulfilling requests.

The Municipality uses the personal data you provide to us for the following purposes:

• Provide, maintain, protect, and optimize the offered services and information,
• Communicate with users and citizens,
• Comply with legal or regulatory requirements and internal regulations,
• For the establishment, exercise, and/or defense of legal claims, investigations, or similar proceedings, actual or potential,
• For other legitimate purposes where such processing results from the circumstances or is indicated at the time of collection.

If the processing of personal data is based on consent, you may revoke such consent or object to the processing at any time by contacting us directly at municipio@morcote.ch. However, please note that the withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent prior to withdrawal.

4. Recipients of Personal Data

The Municipality takes measures to ensure that only authorized personnel and third parties have access to your personal data to fulfill the purposes for which they were collected.
The Municipality may also provide your data to:

• Service providers processing personal data on behalf of and under the instruction of the Municipality (so-called data processors, e.g., in IT, hosting, and support),
• Service providers, other partners, and auxiliary persons (e.g., lawyers, trustees, etc.),
• Authorities, public agencies, courts, or other public institutions.

5. Transfer of Personal Data Outside Switzerland and the EU/EEA

The personal data collected through our websites is, in principle, stored in Switzerland. However, we may transfer, store, and process your personal data abroad, such as with our third-party providers or partners. Therefore, we may transfer the user's personal data outside the European Economic Area (EEA) if necessary for the data processing described in this privacy policy, in compliance with applicable law.

6. Duration of personal data retention

In principle, personal data is deleted as soon as it is no longer necessary to achieve the purpose for which it was collected, unless longer retention is required to fulfill legal obligations (e.g., retention and documentation obligations), contractual or pre-contractual obligations, or legitimate administrative interests.

7. Cookies

7.1 What are cookies
A cookie is a text file stored on a computer, tablet, smartphone, or any other device used to browse the internet, which can store the user’s browsing information. Some cookies are used to make navigation easier and to personalize the experience on our website by recognizing users when they visit our pages. The purpose of using cookies is to personalize access to the website, optimizing navigation and the site’s functionality to improve our services.

7.2 What cookies we use
For our websites, we use proprietary technical cookies. These cookies are essential for the proper functioning of our websites and to improve the browsing experience on the site.
They are not used for other purposes and are usually installed directly by the website owner or manager. They are divided into navigation or session cookies and ensure the normal navigation and use of the website (e.g., allowing a purchase or authentication to access reserved areas).

8. E-mails and newsletter

If you subscribe to our newsletter, we will use your email address to send you information about our services and other communications related to the municipality's activities or public notifications, such as event announcements, competitions, and press releases that may be of interest to you, provided you have been added to the email distribution list. You can unsubscribe from these emails at any time by contacting us directly via email at municipio@morcote.ch.

9. Security

The Municipality has implemented and continues to implement organizational and technical measures to maintain an adequate level of security for personal data and to protect it from unauthorized or illegal processing, accidental loss, and alteration. However, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted via our websites or by email; any transmission is at your own risk. For this reason, users are always free to send us their personal data through other means, such as in writing.

10. Third-party privacy statements

Please note that when you click on a link to a third-party website (e.g., Google or social media or other websites), you will be redirected to a website that we do not control, and our privacy policy will no longer apply. Browsing and interaction on another website are subject to the terms of use and privacy policies of those third-party websites. Furthermore, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of these links.

We encourage you to carefully read the terms of use and the privacy policies and notices of other websites before submitting personal data through these websites. We are not responsible for the informational content or data processing of such third-party websites.

11. Your rights

You can assert your data protection rights at any time and, upon proof of your identity, obtain information about your stored personal data, correct or supplement it, object to its processing, or request its deletion. To do so, contact us via email at municipio@morcote.ch.

Please note that even after a request to delete your personal data, we may need to retain it in whole or in part as part of legal and contractual retention obligations. Deleting your personal data may result in an inability to use our services.

12. Changes to the privacy policy

The Municipality reserves the right to adjust, supplement, or otherwise modify this privacy statement at any time and without providing reasons.

Last updated: Morcote: October 22, 2024