Privacy Policy

Effective Date: July 24, 2025

1. Introduction

Honestli is a platform dedicated to fostering trust and transparency in digital news by enabling citizens to capture and contribute verifiable content, which is then made accessible to journalists and media organizations.

This Privacy Policy explains how Honestli (referred to as "Honestli," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, stores, processes, and protects your personal data when you use our mobile application ("Honestli App") as a citizen contributor, or our web platform ("Honestli Platform") as a journalist or media organization.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data in a transparent and secure manner, in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 ("GDPR"), the Digital Services Act (EU) 2022/2065 ("DSA"), the Digital Markets Act (EU) 2022/1925 ("DMA"), and other applicable data protection laws.

2. Who We Are (Data Controller)

The data controller responsible for your personal data under this Privacy Policy is:

Honestli Private Company
Lamprianidi 40
Drama – 66132- Greece
Contact Email: [email protected]

3. Types of Data We Collect

We collect different types of data depending on how you interact with Honestli:

A. Data Collected from Citizen Contributors (Honestli App Users):

  • Account Information: When you create an account, we collect your email address, and optionally, a username. We do NOT require your real name for basic content contribution.
  • Content Metadata (Verified Provenance): When you capture photos or videos using the Honestli App, the following metadata is automatically embedded into the media file and recorded on a blockchain:
    • Geolocation Data: Precise GPS coordinates of where the content was captured.
    • Timestamp Data: Exact date and time of content capture.
    • Device Information: Technical data about the device used (e.g., device model, operating system version, camera settings).
    • Note: This provenance data is integral to the content's authenticity and, once secured on the blockchain, is immutable.
  • Media Content: The photos and videos you capture and upload through the Honestli App.
  • Optional Content Descriptions: Any text you choose to add to describe your uploaded content. You should not include personal data of yourself or others in these descriptions unless absolutely necessary and with explicit consent.
  • Usage Data: Information about how you interact with the Honestli App, such as features used, app crashes, and diagnostic data. This is typically aggregated and anonymized where possible.

B. Data Collected from Journalists & Media Organizations (Honestli Platform Users):

  • Account and Contact Information: Name, professional email address, organization name, job title, and contact details.
  • Billing and Payment Information: If applicable, payment method details, billing address, and transaction history.
  • Usage Data: Information about your interactions with the Honestli Platform, such as content viewed, searches performed, features used, and API calls.
  • Communication Data: Records of your communications with us (e.g., customer support inquiries).

C. Automatically Collected Data (for both App and Platform users):

  • Technical Data: IP address, browser type and version, time zone setting, operating system and platform, and other technology on the devices you use to access Honestli.
  • Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies and similar technologies (e.g., web beacons) to collect information about your browsing activities, preferences, and to enhance your user experience. For more details, please refer to our Cookie Policy.

4. Purposes and Legal Basis for Processing Your Data

We process your personal data for the following purposes and rely on the following legal bases:

Purpose of Processing Legal Basis (GDPR)
To Provide and Maintain the Honestli Service:
- Account creation and management
- Facilitating content capture and upload (App)
- Providing access to verified content (Platform)
- Billing and payment processing (Platform) 		Contractual Necessity (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR)
To Ensure Security and Prevent Fraud:
- Protecting Honestli systems and users
- Ensuring the security and integrity of our platform 		Legitimate Interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR)
To Improve Honestli Service and Develop New Features:
- Analyzing usage patterns and performance data
- Improving user experience and developing better features 		Legitimate Interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR)
To Communicate with You:
- Responding to inquiries, providing support
- Providing necessary service-related communications 		Contractual Necessity / Legitimate Interest
To Comply with Legal Obligations:
- Fulfilling regulatory requirements
- Responding to lawful requests from public authorities 		Legal Obligation (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR)
For Marketing Purposes (if applicable and consented):
- Sending promotional communications 		Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) (for non-essential marketing)

5. How We Share Your Data

We may share your data in the following circumstances:

  • With Journalists and Media Organizations:
    • The media content (photos/videos) and its embedded provenance metadata (geolocation, timestamp, device info) are the core service of Honestli. This information, by its nature, is intended to be shared publicly with subscribing media organizations to enable verified news reporting.
    • We do NOT share your personal account information (email address, username) with media organizations unless you explicitly choose to include it within the content description or as part of a separate, opt-in communication feature.
  • With Service Providers: We use third-party service providers (e.g., cloud hosting, analytics providers, payment processors) to help us operate Honestli. These providers are contractually bound to protect your data and only process it according to our instructions.
  • For Legal Reasons: We may disclose your data if required by law, court order, or governmental regulation, or if we believe it's necessary to protect our rights, property, or safety, or the rights, property, or safety of others.
  • In Case of Business Transfer: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your data may be transferred as part of the transaction. We will notify you of any such change.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

  • Account Data: Retained for the duration of your account and for a limited period thereafter to facilitate re-activation or for legal compliance.
  • Content Metadata (Blockchain/C2PA): The provenance data embedded in media files and recorded on the blockchain is, by design, immutable and permanent on the public ledger. However, any directly identifiable personal data linked to your internal Honestli account that is not part of this immutable provenance (e.g., your email, username) will be deleted upon request, subject to legal obligations.
  • Usage Data: Retained for analytical purposes, often in an aggregated or anonymized form.

7. Data Security

We implement robust technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures include encryption, access controls, secure server environments, and regular security audits. While we strive to protect your data, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure.

8. Your Data Protection Rights (GDPR)

Under GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Right to Access (Art. 15): Request copies of your personal data.
  • Right to Rectification (Art. 16): Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten") (Art. 17): Request deletion of your personal data, subject to the specific nature of blockchain immutability for content provenance data as explained in Section 6.
  • Right to Restriction of Processing (Art. 18): Request the limitation of processing your data under certain conditions.
  • Right to Data Portability (Art. 20): Request transfer of your data to another organization or directly to you, in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
  • Right to Object (Art. 21): Object to our processing of your personal data based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
  • Right to Withdraw Consent (Art. 7): Withdraw your consent at any time where we rely on consent for processing.
  • Right to Lodge a Complaint (Art. 77): File a complaint with a supervisory authority, particularly in the Member State of your habitual residence, place of work, or place of the alleged infringement. The Hellenic Data Protection Authority (HDPA) is the supervisory authority in Greece.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

9. Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA) Considerations

  • Transparency on Content (DSA): Our primary function is content verification, not moderation. However, we are transparent about the provenance of all content accessed via our platform, allowing users to understand its origin and integrity. Any automated tools used for content filtering/indexing are designed for relevance and not for content censorship or viewpoint discrimination.
  • No Unfair Practices (DMA): As a core platform service, we commit to fair and non-discriminatory access for all professional users (journalists/media organizations). We do not reuse data obtained from our business users for our own competing services.
  • User Complaint Mechanism (DSA): For any concerns regarding our services or content (e.g., if a user believes their content has been misrepresented), you can contact us directly at [email protected].

10. Children's Privacy

Honestli is not intended for individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child under 16 without verifiable parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal reasons. We will notify you of any significant changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Effective Date" at the top. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

[email protected]
Honestli Private Company
Lamprianidi 40 – Drama - Greece

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