Privacy Policy
STATEMENT ON PRIVACY AND PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION

1. GENERAL
The website “sotheros.com” is the official online store for selling products via the internet, created by our company. The aforementioned online store (hereinafter “sotheros.com”) recognizes the importance of both the security of personal data provided by its users and the integrity of electronic transactions. As a result, it takes all necessary technical measures and complies with the applicable legislation on Personal Data Protection. Specifically, our employees and representatives adhere to the provisions of the European General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679, applicable Greek legislation, and the decisions of the Hellenic Data Protection Authority.

The purpose of this Privacy and Personal Data Protection Statement (hereinafter “the Statement”) is to inform our customers, partners, and suppliers about the type of information we collect through this website and how we use the information we collect, whether online, through our professional services, or through communication/collaboration with any third party.

Thus, visitors to the sotheros.com website can do so without revealing their identity or any personal information. Optionally, users of our website may voluntarily provide personal data to enable us to offer them information and/or specific services.

We therefore kindly ask that, upon entering the sotheros.com website, you review this Statement to understand how we collect, store, use, transfer, and protect the information/personal data we receive.

DEFINITION OF PERSONAL DATA
Personal data refers to any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (“data subject”). An identifiable natural person is one whose identity can be verified, directly or indirectly, particularly by reference to an identifier such as, for example, a name, postal address, email address, telephone number, or a unique device identification number.

COLLECTION AND PROCESSING OF DATA
The personal data we collect and process are those provided by you as users of our website. For example, you may provide details such as your name, postal or email address, shipping/delivery details, or phone number for us to contact you. If you explicitly consent to the use of your personal data, sotheros.com will inform you about whether and how this data will be used. While browsing our website, you will have the option to indicate that you do not wish us to use this information for further communication beyond fulfilling your requests. In such cases, we will respect your preference.

CATEGORIES OF DATA WE COLLECT
Specifically, the data we collect and process, with your explicit consent, include the following:

  • Personal information, such as first name, last name, email address, residential address, and phone number.
  • Data required for invoicing purposes, such as name, company name, address, and VAT number, which you provide for transaction processing.
  • Online activity data generated during your visit to our website, such as IP address and operating system.

PURPOSES OF PROCESSING
The personal data we collect are intended for the following purposes:

  • Identification upon website login: If you have created a personal account through prior registration, we will process your data when you log into your account.
  • Order processing: If you select products or services for purchase from the sotheros.com website, we will use the information you provide to fulfill your request or process any order.
  • Marketing purposes: The data you provide to sotheros.com through the website may also be used for marketing purposes (e.g., chatbot), only with your explicit consent.
  • Verification of outstanding obligations: Data provided during a transaction may be used to verify compliance with your legal obligations toward us.
  • Request management: We use your data to manage requests related to your customer service or the exercise of your legal rights.
  • Network security: The IP address is a number assigned to your computer each time you access the internet, enabling computers and network servers to identify and communicate with each other. IP addresses from which visitors appear to originate may be recorded for IT security and system diagnostics purposes. This data may also be used in aggregated form to analyze website trends and performance.

DISCLOSURE TO THIRD PARTIES
Sotheros.com does not transfer the personal data you provide to any third parties.

By way of exception, we may share personal data with third parties not affiliated with us only when absolutely necessary for our legitimate business purposes and needs, or when required or permitted by law.

Sotheros.com may also disclose personal data to respond to legitimate requests from law enforcement agencies or when required by applicable legislation or court decisions.

Specifically, for the purpose of payment for products ordered through our website, we inform you that there is an automatic connection to a secure banking environment, where you will be prompted to provide your credit or debit card details, provided you explicitly consent.

SECURITY AND QUALITY OF INFORMATION
Regarding the protection of your personal data, sotheros.com is committed to implementing appropriate measures and procedures for the entire duration that it holds and processes this data to prevent accidental loss, destruction, unauthorized and/or unlawful access, use, modification, or disclosure.

Specifically (indicatively and not exhaustively):

  • We encrypt and anonymize collected data.
  • We provide secure browsing functionality on our website (SSL).
  • We monitor the collection and processing of your data, as well as their subsequent storage, using physical and electronic security measures (firewalls).

All the above actions are carried out by specifically authorized employees and partners who are contractually obligated to comply with the legal requirements for protecting your data. In this way, only individuals (employees or partners) who are appropriately informed to ensure the confidentiality of data collection and processing have access to your personal information. These individuals are also contractually subject to civil and criminal penalties in case of any violation.

SUPPLEMENTING INFORMATION
From time to time, we may supplement the information you provide through the sotheros.com website with data from other sources, such as information verifying your address or other available business-related information. We do this to keep the data we collect accurate and to serve you better.

DATA RETENTION PERIOD
Sotheros.com retains your data only for the time necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected or until you request its deletion (whichever comes first), with the explicit exception of cases where the law or binding contracts stipulate otherwise.

Data retention periods are documented in the processing activity records we maintain.

Certain categories of data may be retained for longer than the specified period to safeguard our rights and exercise our legal claims. In such cases, processing will continue for as long as necessary to cover the statute of limitations for mutual claims, the final completion of judicial or administrative proceedings in which we may be involved, the completion of an out-of-court dispute resolution process between us, or the investigation of an accident or security incident.

YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING YOUR PERSONAL DATA
Every natural person whose data is processed by sotheros.com enjoys the following rights:

  • The right to be informed about how your personal data is used.
  • The right to access the data we hold about you, as you have the right to be aware of and verify the lawfulness of our processing.
  • The right to correct, modify, and update the personal data we hold about you.
  • The right to delete your data. Additionally, you have the right to object to or restrict the processing or collection of your data in certain cases.
  • The right to data portability. You can receive your personal data free of charge in a format that allows you to access, use, and process it using commonly accepted methods. Upon your request, we can also transfer your data directly to another data controller.

All the above rights can be exercised by submitting a request to the Data Controller with the following details:

Nikolaos Kapetanios
Ec Stevia S.A., Korytsas 2-4, P.C. 17778, Tavros
+30210 3300330
info@mrsweet.gr

We are obligated to respond within one (1) month of receiving your request. If the request is particularly complex or there is a high volume of requests, this deadline may be extended by one (1) additional month.

In addition to the above rights, you retain the right to lodge a complaint with the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (www.dpa.gr):

Address: Kifisias 1-3, P.C. 115 23, Athens
Phone: (+30) 210 6475600
Fax: (+30) 210 6475628
Email: contact@dpa.gr

COOKIES AND OTHER TECHNOLOGIES
Sotheros.com collects the information outlined in the previous sections through the use of various technologies, one of which is “cookies” (essential text files) as part of the website’s operation.

Cookies, as a set of data, may be sent from the website to your browser and then stored on your computer as an anonymous trace, through which your computer—but not you—can be identified. When you visit our website, cookies are stored on the user’s computer (typically in web browsers such as Mozilla, Chrome, etc.) and are used to store and retrieve identifiers and other information on computers, mobiles, and other devices.

Each time a user connects to our website, these files are retrieved to provide services related to them, ensuring that the sotheros.com website operates seamlessly without technical issues or damage to computers or stored files. A typical example is recognizing frequent users of the website and their preferences, as expressed through their choices (e.g., selecting specific “buttons,” searches, advertisements, etc.), to facilitate faster access and navigation, better meet their needs, and generally improve and enhance the website’s content.

Specifically, the categorization of cookies used by sotheros.com is as follows:

  • Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for our website to function smoothly and without interruption (related to core e-commerce functions such as adding to the cart, selecting “wishlist” products, etc.).
  • Functionality cookies allow our website to “remember” your actions and preferences for a period of time, so you do not need to reset them on your next visit to the site or its subpages, thus improving your browsing experience and meeting your needs.
  • Analytics cookies, a subset of functionality cookies, help us evaluate the effectiveness of the sotheros.com website’s features to continuously enhance your browsing experience.
  • Advertising cookies provide advertisements on our website relevant to your interests and offers likely to meet your needs based on your typical choices during browsing. These cookies are also used to evaluate the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns over various time periods.
  • Performance cookies collect aggregated and anonymous information without identifying user details. They serve informational purposes related to website navigation (e.g., page traffic, troubleshooting navigation issues, etc.) and aim to improve the operation of the sotheros.com website.
  • We also apply a “web beacon” technique (via Google) to discreetly (usually invisibly) verify that a user has accessed certain content.

You can easily accept or decline the use of cookies by selecting one of the following links: I accept the use of cookies / I do not wish to use cookies. Please review our cookie policy here.

You can also configure your browser to prompt you before accepting a cookie, allowing you to decide each time whether to accept it. You may also completely disable cookies in your browser, but in this case, our website may not function properly.

LINKS TO WEBSITES NOT OWNED BY SOTHEROS.COM
The sotheros.com website may contain links to other websites. Sotheros.com is not responsible for the personal data handling practices of these websites or their content.

COLLECTION AND PROCESSING OF CHILDREN’S PERSONAL DATA
Sotheros.com recognizes the importance of protecting children’s personal data, especially in an online environment. Specifically, our website is not intended for children under 16 years of age. Our policy is to never knowingly collect or retain data about anyone under 16 years of age.

Our company will not collect or process personal data of children under 16 years of age unless parental consent has been provided in accordance with applicable law. If we become aware that a child’s personal data was inadvertently collected on our website, we will promptly delete such data.

NOTIFICATION OF MODIFICATIONS
Sotheros.com continuously updates and improves its website and related products and services, which may lead to modifications to this Statement. Whenever this Statement is materially amended, a relevant notice will be displayed on the sotheros.com homepage for a period of 10 days.

CONTACT
For any clarification or information regarding the above, please contact our Data Controller at:

Nikolaos Kapetanios
Ec Stevia S.A., Korytsas 2-4, P.C. 17778, Tavros
+30210 3300330
info@mrsweet.gr