LEGAL NOTICE eCAT PLATFORM
- What is it?
eCAT Platform is a discussion, research and information-management platform for creating contacts between people from a particular sector who share objectives and interests, and providing them with tools for developing, organising and exchanging knowledge and experiences. e-Catalunya integrates networking technology with open source collaboration tools such as wikis and blogs. The platform is designed to be compatible with artificial intelligence and web conferencing. Although PC-based, the platform is designed to interface with portable hardware devices, especially those used for SMS and MMS messaging.
- What does it provide?
The Platform provides a range of collaboration tools for finding and posting information in a virtual community formed by professionals from a particular sector or interest group.
The tools – including file containers, discussion forums, blogs, wikis, survey questionnaires and calendars – allow users to work in groups, develop and organise shared knowledge, make contacts, introduce themselves to and communicate with the rest of the network.
In addition, there are personal tools – individual user blogs for posting and editing news – and a social network map, a graphical representation of personal contacts, colleagues, close friends and so on.
Another design feature of the Platform aims to identify trends, reach consensus, and initiate and consolidate projects.
- How does it work?
The structure of the eCAT Platform is based around portals (each portal being the virtual space of a community), which can be divided into groups and subgroups (for work groups attached to each community).
When users sign up as members of a portal or group, they are granted permission to access content in that space and to make active contributions using the available tools. They can send emails to the other members (distribution list), post messages to forums and blogs, and comment on others’ messages, collaborate in editing a document using wikis, share documents in repositories and pictures in the photo albums, announce activities in the calendars, respond to surveys, etc. They may also be invited to participate in other groups or portals by the Administrators of the latter.
Platform management includes two types of users or roles who have additional rights: administrators and moderators of a particular portal or group.
Only administrators have access to the administration area. This allows them to assign or to cancel membership, and to decide member privileges for portals and groups, to manage portals (defining and editing basic details like usernames, or whether membership is to be public or private), groups (creating groups and defining their properties, registering or eliminating members from the group, etc.), and tools (assigning tools to groups and portals). Administrators may also eliminate and edit user contributions which do not comply with the terms of use described below, and to monitor Platform statistics.
Users with moderator rights also have the ability to remove and to edit contributions. This user role has the job of stimulating the Platform’s activity.
Only the Platform’s global administrator can create portals or assign moderating and administrative rights to users.
Conditions for access and use
Rights to access and use the Platform (including its services and content) depends on acceptance of the conditions established in this legal notice.
It is therefore recommended that users carefully read the conditions established in this legal notice.
Active platform portals, groups and subgroups may be either public (free of access) or private (restricted to registered users). User membership may be either open (self-registration) or restricted (only upon invitation by the administrators).
Non-registered users (guests) may access the basic public services (determined by the administrators of each portal or group). They may browse the introduction pages, read documentation, and consult personal information and news items exclusively for tools marked for public use.
Registered users have additional access to private services such as the personal area (where they can modify their personal details), the social network map (graphic representation of user contacts), and access to and ability to use work and discussion tools designated for private use.
When membership is granted, users receive an e-mail containing the automatically generated password and the URL for platform access. Users then only have to click on the URL and enter the identification e-mail address and password before being able to avail themselves of private services. From this point on, users are free to edit personal details which are displayed on their personal area or change their password. The ID and password are the same for the entire Platform and are used to access all portals, groups and tools for which the user has been granted privileges.
eCAT Platform reserves the right to alter without consultation the Platform’s appearance, configuration, services and content at any time, as well as the terms and conditions of platform access and use.
Correct use of the Platform and its services. User obligations
Platform access and use is forbidden to minors.
Whenever required, users must provide genuine, accurate and relevant personal and/or company information, and keep such information updated on a regular basis. The DGAC otherwise reserves the unconditional right to withdraw access or use.
Users agree on a general basis to use of the platform (including its services and contents) in accordance with the law, these general conditions, and the special conditions relating to specific services, and not to use them, without limitation, for any of the following ends:-
- To carry out illicit or illegal activities, or those that breach obligations of good faith, social customs or public order.
- To carry out activities, in particular by spreading information, which infringe the rights of third parties, such as intellectual and industrial property rights, privacy, good name or reputation, confidential communications or institutional information, personal data protection, or any other right, in accordance with the legislation in force at the time.;
- To destroy, alter or misuse the platform, or of the public authorities in general and third-party users.
- To transfer their username and password to third parties without authorisation, or to substitute the identity of another, of any public authorities or any third party.
- To spread content of a nature that is discriminatory as to race, sex, ideology, health, religion, belief, or for whatever other reason.
- To spam or, generally, distribute advertisements which are neither wanted nor authorised; or to spread publicity material, junk mail, chain e-mails or material from any other information media.
- To expose confidential information which, by reason of having access to the platform, the user becomes aware of.
- To infringe basic public rights and freedoms as enshrined in the Spanish Constitution, international treaties and other legislation.
- To enter data that is either specially protected or that reveals personal profiles; that is, personal information which requires medium or high levels of security.
Without prejudice to applicable terms, eCAT Platform reserves the right to prevent the transmission, use or spread of information which contravenes any of the provisions of this legal notice.
Intellectual and industrial property
The design, organisation and assembly of the Platform are the exclusive property of eCAT Platform and are protected by laws governing industrial and intellectual property. However, programmes and applications involved in the use and operation of the Platform, as well as their content, remain the property of their respective authors, as indicated in each. By default, they are understood to be the exclusive property of eCAT Platform.
Users have an obligation not to use any programmes or applications outside the terms intended by the rights’ holders, and in particular those set out in the corresponding notice and licence which indicate the use of same. In this regard, users are recommended to indicate the licence conditions which will govern the content which they contribute to the Platform.
Unless where otherwise stated, it is understood that the user may not reproduce, copy, sell, publish, exhibit, make available, broadcast, distribute, transform or alter the Platform or its content without the express permission of the owners of the corresponding intellectual or industrial property rights.
Confidentiality of personal details
eCAT Platfform guarantees the confidentiality of information relating to users of the Platform under the terms of Organic Law 15/1999 of 13 December on the protection of personal information (hereinafter, LOPD), and implements such security measures as may be necessary and appropriate depending on the kind of personal information, in accordance with Royal Decree 994/1999 of 11 June approving the security measures applicable to automated files containing personal information. eCAT Platform may reveal to the relevant public authorities personal information relating to users and any other information within its power only when required by law and regulations applicable in each case.
The Platform collects personal information which may be processed and incorporated in a file. eCAT Platform is responsible for this file and will implement the relevant security measures corresponding to the type of information that is collected in order to protect confidentiality.
As the party responsible for its files, eCAT Platform considers that when a user agrees to send personal information through the various forms contained within the Platform, the user thus gives express permission and consent for this information to be incorporated into our files. This consent may however be revoked without having retroactive effect. The user likewise accepts the following conditions as to processing:
What kind of information is sought and for what purpose?
Information is requested whenever strictly necessary, appropriate and relevant for the purpose for which it is sought, and under no circumstances is the user obliged to provide such information. Nevertheless, it is obligatory to complete certain fields in order to become a Platform user (name, surname and e-mail address).
The purpose of the platform is to create general and topic-related virtual communities, the object of which is to develop online content using virtual collaboration tools. Information making up the basic user profile consists of name and surname, e-mail, sex, date of birth, identity-card number, spoken language and photograph. However, in order to participate in distinct Platform portals, the relevant administrators may require other data.
Data processing is intended for the purposes of managing, administrating, provision, performance, improvement and review of the services of the Platform, sending forms, surveys, e-mails, updates, exchanging technical and administrative information relating to services of the Platform.
E-mail addresses may not be altered as they constitute the identifier associated to each user. The other data may be modified by users or made visible or invisible for the whole portal or platform at any time.
Rights to access, rectify or cancel information
Users have the right, at any time, to access, rectify or cancel information entered on the Platform.
Users also have the option to access, correct and decide on the visibility of their personal information (whether it can be viewed by all, only by the registered users of a portal or only by personal contacts) through their personal space within the Platform.
Data transfer or communication.
The data is processed on a confidential basis and is solely and exclusively used internally for the aforementioned purposes, and may be transferred to other users having access to or using the Platform, and to other public authorities, solely for statistical purposes.
Guarantees and responsibilities
Relevant security measures have been taken with regard to the levels of protection and confidentiality required for the data entered on this platform, pursuant to the restrictions set out herein. In accordance with the levels set out in the aforementioned Regulation on Security Measures, basic-level technical and organisational measures have been adopted.
For the purpose of the portal itself, eCAT Platform does not provide any guarantees in relation to, nor in any event would it be appropriate for it to place prior control on, information, opinions, statements and other content voluntarily provided by the user in the forums or to third parties and which may relate to the user or to other persons. For this reason, pursuant to Law 34/2002 on e-Commerce and Information Society Services, the person responsible for this platform is exempt from any and all liability arising from use by members which contravenes the terms set out herein.
Virus, fault, and continuous service liability
Within the limits set out in mandatory regulations, eCAT Platform provides no guarantee as to the following:-
- the continuity and availability of the Platform;
- the absence of viruses and similar elements capable of damaging or altering the user’s IT system, whether through access to or use of the Platform, services or content;
- the suitability or legality of actions performed on the basis of third-party information or content provided by the Platform; and
- the suitability or legality of the information behind links included on the Platform to other, third-party websites.
Whosoever uses this Platform does so at his own responsibility and risk. To the extent permitted by law, the Generalitat of Catalonia takes no responsibility for loss or damage caused. The user assumes liability for ensuring that the Platform and its contents are suitable and free of viruses and other such damaging elements.
Technical information and cookies
When the user logs on to the Platform, the server automatically recognises his or her IP address, log-on date and time, and the Platform pages browsed, with the aim of responding to the user’s interests and to requests that may be made at any stage of the services. Moreover cookies, which are automatically installed on the user’s computer, are used in order to provide personalised communications services. None of the cookies will be used to store personal information, only such technical data as is necessary to provide Platform services.
