Terms and Conditions for web pages under eso.org/public

v.1.01

The ESO website and its sub-sites (hereinafter the website) provide an extensive range of data, information, imagery and videos on ESO activities and related topics in astronomy to a broad audience comprised of members of the scientific community, media representatives, educators, decision-makers and the general public.

Access to and use of, the website constitutes acceptance of the following terms and conditions. Please note that some of the sub-sites include specific additional terms and conditions.

Unless specified otherwise, all documents published on the website is protected by copyright and owned by ESO or the party credited as the provider of the document. Please note that specific use rights regarding images, videos, music and web texts are granted (https://www.eso.org/public/copyright/).

Access to the website is provided from Garching bei München, Germany, where the ESO Headquarters are located. Additionally, ESO operates observatories in the Atacama Desert in Chile, and offices in Santiago de Chile. ESO operations are shared among all these sites, therefore data that you provide to ESO via the website might be transferred among these locations within the ESO structures.

ESO is an intergovernmental organisation, entrusted with privileges and immunities necessary to fulfil its mission. Nothing in or relating to these terms and conditions or other terms and conditions on the website shall be deemed a waiver of any privileges and immunities of ESO in conformity with the Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, signed on 12 July 1974.

General Disclaimer

Access to and use of the website is at the risk of the users. ESO makes every effort to ensure, but does not guarantee, and makes no warranties as to, the accuracy, accessibility, integrity and timeliness of the information published on the website. Consequently, ESO shall not be liable for any consequences, including direct, incidental, consequential, indirect or punitive damages arising out of the access to or any use of the website. ESO does not warrant that the functional aspects of the website will be uninterrupted or error free or that the website, or the server that makes it available, are free of viruses or other harmful components. Furthermore, ESO does not guarantee the accuracy of information provided by external sources and accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of such data.

The website may contain links and references to websites created and maintained by third parties. These are provided for the convenience and interest of the users, and on the part of ESO this does not imply any responsibility, liability or warranty for, nor approval of or endorsement of those websites. When users follow a link to an outside website, they are leaving the website, and are subject to the terms and conditions of that outside website.

ESO may change material on the website without notice.

ESO would be grateful if users could notify ESO of any errors or inaccuracies they may find on the website.

Personal Data Protection Notice

ESO, within the implementation of its mission that is decided by its member states, is committed to the protection of personal data of the users of its website. As ESO’s privileges and immunities include the inviolability of its premises and archives, personal data protection at/by ESO, including the rights of data subjects, follows some specific rules that are explained below.

The data that users provide on the website will be used only for the purposes established here or provided on the specific notices of the sub-sites of the website. ESO will not collect data for commercial purposes.

Submitting data to ESO via the website is voluntary. By doing so, users grant ESO the permission to use the data for the intended purpose. It is noted that not providing certain data may result in ESO’s inability to provide the information or service requested by the user.

Automatically collected data and cookies

By accessing the ESO website, certain technical information about the users’ visit to the website is automatically collected and temporarily stored on ESO servers for the purpose of website management and security. This information includes the internet protocol (IP) addresses and the internet domain from which users access the website, the type of browser and the operating system, the date and time of access and navigation through the website, and the URL of the referring page. This information is collected anonymously, is not linked, and does not identify the users. The information is collected to measure and analyse user activity on the website (e.g. the number of users, number of pages visited, level of demand for pages, topics of interest, types of technology visitors used), in order to help ESO provide better customer service and statistics. ESO may use a third-party provider for the measurement and analysis of the website usage. The data is collected through the use of various technologies, including cookies. If you do not wish to receive a cookie, or if you wish your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie, you may instruct your web browser to disable cookies. Click on theSettings section of your browser to learn how to change cookie preferences. However, please note that if you disable all cookies you may not be able to take full advantage of all features available on this website.

Matomo cookies

This website uses Matomo (formerly Piwik), an open source software which enables the statistical analysis of website visits. Matomo uses cookies (text files) which are saved on your computer and which allow us to analyze how you use our website. The website user information generated by the cookies will only be saved on the servers of our IT Department. We use this information to analyze www.eso.org visits and to prepare reports on website activities. These data will not be disclosed to third parties.

On behalf of ESO, Matomo will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage.

If you do not wish to receive Matomo cookies, or if you wish your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie, you may instruct your web browser to disable cookies. Click on theSettings section of your browser to learn how to change cookie preferences.

However, please note that if you disable all cookies you may not be able to take full advantage of all features available on this website.

Personal data collected

Users may provide their personal data via the website to subscribe to ESO’s newsletters, publications and event announcements, for recruitment purposes, conference registrations, scientific collaborations; scientific user services; or to process user requests and enquiries, or to interact with ESO via email for scientific, organisational or other purposes. ESO will only use these personal data to provide the requested service, respond to user requests and enquiries, and will treat the data confidentially.

If you choose to view or download images or videos that are made available on the ESO website, your IP address, the type of browser and the operating system, the date and time of access to the requested file, and the URL of the referring page will be disclosed to CDN77, a company located in Czechia, which provides the network to deliver these images and videos.

ESO will hold your personal data for as long as it is considered necessary for the relevant purpose(s) for which the user provided the data.

User rights, individual access and right to correction

Within the limitations arising from ESO’s privileges and immunities, users may ask ESO whether it is keeping personal data about them, and request to receive a copy of that personal data, free of charge by sending an email toinformation@eso.org. As a safeguard against abuse, ESO will ask the user to provide a proof of identity before providing the user with any personal data. If the user is not able to provide a proof of identity, ESO reserves the right to refuse to send the personal data.

Users may request at any time request that ESO corrects the personal data in its record regarding the user by sending an email toinformation@eso.org.

Users may at any time unsubscribe from any newsletters and publications from ESO, by using the link provided at the bottom of the newsletter or by sending an email toinformation@eso.org containing the word “unsubscribe” in the subject line. When you unsubscribe, your data will be deleted.

ESO has implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure a level of security which we deem appropriate by taking into account the categories of data collected and the manner in which it is processed. ESO assumes no responsibility for the security of the personal data provided.

AI Disclaimer

The vast majority of the content (text, images and videos) published on this website is the responsibility of ESO’s Department of Communication. With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and technologies for content production, we strive for transparency so that our audiences have an informed understanding of how our content is created. For a summary of how AI is used in our communication products and the image and video material we make available, please check ourAI Disclaimer.

Notification of changes

ESO reserves the right to change these terms and conditions without prior notice.

If you have any inquiries about ESO’s privacy policy statement, please contactpdpr@eso.org