Privacy notice
FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS
EU General Data Protection Regulation, Art. 13 and 14. Date: 19.2.2026
Information for Research Participants
You are taking part in a scientific study organized by the University of Oulu. This notice describes how your personal data will be processed in the study.
Participation in the study is voluntary. There will be no negative consequences for you if you choose not to participate in the study or if you withdraw from the study. However, if you withdraw from the study, data collected prior to your withdrawal may still be used in the study. For more information on your rights and how you can affect the processing of your personal data, please see section 17 of this notice.
1. Data controller
University of Oulu
Address: PL 8000 90014 Oulun yliopisto (Pentti Kaiteran katu 1, Linnanmaa)
Contact person in matters concerning the project:
Name: Charles Der Boghossian
Address: PL 8000 90014 Oulun yliopisto (Pentti Kaiteran katu 1, Linnanmaa)
Tel.: +358 46 521 9106
E-mail: charles.derboghossian@oulu.fi
2. Description of the study and the purposes of processing personal data
The purpose of the study is to conduct a pilot test of an online information platform related to demand-side management (DSM) solutions for households. The platform is called Sähköjälki, and it is being developed in the Flaire project WP1 at the University of Oulu.
The study consists of the following phases:
Phase 1: Registration
An advertisement for the pilot includes a QR code linking to a registration form. Individuals who wish to participate voluntarily, may submit the form.
The registration form collects personal data, including:
- Name
- Email address
- Background information related to dwelling characteristics (e.g., housing type or heating type)
No precise home address or other sensitive data is collected.
The purpose of collecting this data is:
- To identify potential participants,
- To assess eligibility and ensure a heterogeneous participant group,
- To enable further contact regarding participation.
Registration does not guarantee participation in the pilot study.
Phase 2: Selection of participants
After the registration period ends, the research team (as described in Section 6) will review the registration information to select a heterogeneous group of participants for the pilot phase.
Selected participants will receive:
- An email invitation to access the online platform, and
- A follow-up survey for additional research-related information.
If an individual is not selected for participation, their personal data will be deleted after the selection process has been completed.
Phase 3: Pilot trial period
- During the one-month pilot period, participants’ email addresses will be used to:
- Provide access information
- Communicate important updates
- Share technical notices or relevant study-related information.
The shared information is anonymous throughout the survey, and your data, including your name and email address, will not be shared with the other participants.
Part 4: Final feedback survey
At the end of the pilot period, participants will receive a final survey to collect feedback regarding:
- Technical functionality
- User experience
- Perceived usefulness
- Preferences related to the platform.
The survey responses will be used for scientific research purposes and analysis of the pilot results, but there will be no publishing of the data. An anonymous webinar will be held at the end of the trial for feedback, Q&A, and chat. The webinar will be held using Zoom.
The Sähköjälki page will be using Google Analytics to track technical metadata after enabling cookies. The version of google analytics used abides by the EU GDPR and does not save or collect any personally identifiable data. https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/12017362?hl=en&sjid=5918564803436449792-EU&authuser=4
3. Parties and their responsibilities in research collaboration
The University of Oulu acts as the sole controller for the processing of personal data described in this privacy notice.
4. Principal investigator or responsible research group
Name: Eva Pongrácz
Address: PL 8000 90014 Oulun yliopisto (Pentti Kaiteran katu 1, Linnanmaa)
Tel: +358 294 48 7417
E-mail: eva.pongracz@oulu.fi
5. Contact details of the Data Protection Officer
You can contact the Data Protection Officer of the University at dpo@oulu.fi.
6. Persons processing personal data in the study
Charles Der Boghossian, charles.derboghossian@oulu.fi
Eva Pongrácz, eva.pongracz@oulu.fi
Ville Kivelä, ville.kivela@oulu.fi
7. Name, nature, and duration of the study
Name of the study: Sähköjälki pilot
☒ One-time research ☐ Monitoring study/longitudinal study
Duration of the study – how long your personal data will be processed for this study:
The data is stored until the end of the first phase of the Flaire project, that being 31.09.2026.
8. Lawful basis of processing
Personal data is processed on the following basis, which is based on Article 6(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation:
☒ participant’s consent
☐ compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject
☐ performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller:
☐ scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes
☐ archiving of research materials or cultural heritage materials
☐ legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party
description of the legitimate interest:
9. Personal data included in the research materials
Personal data included in the research materials are the name and email address.
10. Sensitive personal data
No sensitive personal data will be processed in the study.
11. Sources of personal data
Personal data is collected from the persons themselves through the registration for which is filled in at the beginning of the pilot, consenting to participate.
12. Transfer and disclosure of the personal data to third parties
Personal data will not be transferred or disclosed to recipients outside the research group.
13. Transfer or disclosure of personal data to countries outside the EU/European Economic Area
Personal data will not be transferred or disclosed to recipients outside the EU/EEA.
14. Automated decisions
No automated decisions are made.
15. Safeguards to protect the personal data
☒ The data is confidential.
Protection of manual material:
Personal data processed in IT systems:
☐ username ☐ password ☐ logging ☐ access control
☐ other:
Processing of direct identifiers:
☒ Direct identifiers will be removed in the analysis phase
☐ The material to be analyzed includes direct identifiers. Reason:
16. Processing of personal data after the completion of the study
☒ The research material will be deleted
☐ The research material will be archived:
☐ without identifiers ☐ with identifiers
17. Your rights as a data subject, and exceptions to these rights
The contact person in matters concerning the rights of the participant is the person mentioned in section 1 of this notice.
Withdrawing consent (GDPR Article 7)
You have the right to withdraw your consent, provided that the processing of the personal data is based on consent. The withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
Right of access (GDPR Article 15)
You have the right to obtain information on whether or not personal data concerning you are being processed in the project, as well as the data being processed. You can also request a copy of the personal data undergoing processing.
Right to rectification (GDPR Article 16)
If there are inaccuracies or errors in your personal data undergoing processing, you have the right to request their rectification or supplementation.
Right to erasure (GDPR Article 17)
You have the right to request the erasure of your personal data on the following grounds:
The personal data are no longer necessary for the purposes for which they were collected or otherwise processed.
You withdraw the consent on which the processing was based, and there are no other legal grounds for the processing.
You object to the processing (the right to object is described below), and there are no justified grounds for the processing.
The personal data have been unlawfully processed, or
The personal data must be erased to comply with a legal obligation in Union or Member State law to which the controller is subject.
The right to erasure does not apply if the erasure of data renders impossible or seriously impairs the achievement of the objectives of the processing in scientific research.
Right to restriction of processing (GDPR Article 18)
You have the right to restrict the processing of your personal data on the following grounds:
You contest the accuracy of the personal data, whereupon the processing will be restricted for a period enabling the University to verify their accuracy.
The processing is unlawful and you oppose the erasure of the personal data, requesting the restriction of their use instead.
The University no longer needs the personal data for the purposes of the processing, but you need them for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.
You have objected to processing (see details below) pending verification of whether the legitimate grounds of the controller override those of the data subject.
Right to data portability (GDPR Article 20)
You have the right to request to receive the personal data you have submitted to the University in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and have the right to transmit these data to another controller without hindrance from the University, provided that the processing is based on consent or a contract, and the processing is carried out by automated means.
When exercising your right to data portability, you have the right to have your personal data transmitted from one controller to another, where technically feasible.
Right to object (GDPR Article 21)
You have the right to object to processing your personal data, provided that the processing is based on the public interest or legitimate interests. The University will no longer have the right to process your personal data unless it can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing that override the interests, rights and freedoms of the data subject, or unless it is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims. The University can continue processing your personal data also when necessary for the performance of a task carried out for reasons of the public interest.
Derogating from rights
In certain individual cases, derogations from the rights described above in this section “Your rights as a data subject”, and exceptions to these rights may be made on the basis of the GDPR and the Finnish Data Protection Act, insofar as the rights render impossible or seriously impair the achievement of scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes. The need for derogations will always be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Right to lodge a complaint
You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Ombudsman’s Office if you think your personal data has been processed in violation of applicable data protection laws.
Contact details:
Data Protection Ombudsman’s Office (Tietosuojavaltuutetun toimisto)
Address: Ratapihantie 9, 6th floor, 00520 Helsinki
Postal address: B.O. Box 800, 00521 Helsinki
Tel. (switchboard): 029 56 66700
Fax: 029 56 66735
E-mail: tietosuoja(at)om.fi