Privacy Policy

Last updated: 12 January 2026

HackEurope ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting your privacy and complying with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable Irish and EU data protection laws.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share personal data when you apply to or participate in HackEurope, or visit our website.

HackEurope is legally based in Ireland and operates events across multiple European countries, including France and Sweden.

1. Who we are

Data Controller:

  • Legal Entity: PATCH Youth Company Limited by Guarantee
  • Registered Address:
    Dogpatch Labs
    Unit 1
    The CHQ Building
    North Wall Quay
    Dublin 1
    Dublin
    Ireland
    D01 Y6H7
  • Contact Email: team@hackeurope.eu

2. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to:

  • Students aged 18 or over
  • Hackathon applicants and participants
  • Sponsors, partners, mentors, and judges
  • Members of the general public

We do not knowingly collect personal data from individuals under 18. All applicants must confirm they are 18 or older during the application process.

3. What data we collect

a. Application & registration data

When you apply to HackEurope, we collect:

  • Full name
  • Email address
  • School / university
  • Graduation year
  • Gender
  • Nationality
  • Country of residence
  • City of departure
  • Preferred event location
  • Confirmation that you are 18 or older

b. Experience & profile information

  • Internship history (optional)
  • Previous hackathon participation (optional)
  • Project descriptions
  • LinkedIn profile
  • GitHub profile
  • CV / resume links
  • Responses to optional application challenges

c. Accessibility & dietary information

Where provided, we collect:

  • Dietary requirements (to the minimum extent necessary to accommodate you)
  • Accessibility needs (to the minimum extent necessary to accommodate you)

This information may constitute special category data under GDPR and is processed only for the purpose of enabling safe, accessible, and inclusive participation in HackEurope events.

d. Accounts & administration

  • Login and account-related data
  • Application status and administrative notes
  • Account activity (last login date)

e. Website analytics

We use Vercel Analytics, which provides aggregated, privacy-focused analytics and does not use cookies or track users across websites.

4. How we use your data

We use your personal data to:

  • Process and assess applications
  • Select and manage participants
  • Communicate with applicants and attendees
  • Organise and operate hackathon events
  • Facilitate travel, logistics, accessibility, and dietary arrangements
  • Maintain internal records
  • Improve future HackEurope events
  • Enable easy re-application for future events (for account holders)
  • Share participant information with sponsors (see Section 5)

5. Sharing data with sponsors and partners

Important notice regarding sponsor access

HackEurope shares accepted participant data with event sponsors and partners. Our sponsors help make HackEurope possible and are actively seeking to connect with talented participants for recruitment and networking opportunities.

Data shared includes:

  • Name and contact details
  • Education information
  • CVs and portfolio links
  • Application responses
  • Skills and experience data

Only data from successful applicants are shared with sponsors. Rejected applicants' data is not shared.

A full list of sponsors is available on our website at https://hackeurope.com/#sponsors

Sponsors may use this data for:

  • Recruitment and talent identification
  • Event-related communication
  • Post-event follow-up

By submitting an application to HackEurope, you consent to this data sharing if you are accepted as a participant. This data sharing is a necessary part of participating in HackEurope. If you do not wish for your data to be shared with sponsors in the event of acceptance, you should not apply.

6. Third-party service providers

We use the following third-party services to operate HackEurope:

  • Amazon Web Services (AWS) - EU region hosting for our application platform and database
  • SendGrid - Transactional emails (password resets, verification emails, event updates)
  • Vercel - Privacy-focused website analytics (no cookies, no cross-site tracking)

All third-party processors are GDPR-compliant and we maintain Data Processing Agreements with all processors handling personal data.

7. Legal basis for processing

We process personal data under the following GDPR legal bases:

  • Consent - Applications, accessibility data, sponsor data sharing
  • Contractual necessity - Participation in events, account management
  • Legitimate interests - Operating and improving HackEurope, facilitating re-applications
  • Legal obligations - Where applicable under Irish and EU law

Special category data (e.g. accessibility needs, certain dietary requirements) is processed based on your explicit consent.

8. Data retention

HackEurope retains personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy.

For accepted participants with accounts:

  • Data is retained as long as you maintain an active account with us
  • If you stop using your account, your data will be automatically deleted 3 years after your last login
  • This allows you to easily re-apply to future HackEurope events by logging in and reusing your application data

For rejected applicants:

  • Application data is retained for 3 years from your most recent application
  • This allows you to easily re-apply by logging into your account, which will pre-fill your previous application data
  • If you apply multiple times, the 3-year retention period resets with each new application
  • After 3 years from your last application, your data is automatically deleted from our systems

Manual deletion: You may request immediate deletion of your data at any time by contacting us at team@hackeurope.eu.

9. International data processing

HackEurope operates across multiple EU countries, including Ireland, France, and Sweden. All personal data is processed and stored within the European Union on GDPR-compliant infrastructure. We do not transfer personal data outside the EU/EEA.

10. Your rights under GDPR

You have the right to:

  • Access your personal data
  • Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data
  • Request erasure of your personal data
  • Restrict or object to processing
  • Data portability - receive your data in a machine-readable format
  • Withdraw consent at any time (though this will not affect processing that occurred before withdrawal)

To exercise these rights, contact us at team@hackeurope.eu.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) or another EU supervisory authority if you believe your data protection rights have been violated.

Irish Data Protection Commission:

11. Automated decision-making

We do not use automated decision-making or profiling when processing applications. All application reviews and acceptance decisions are made manually by human reviewers.

12. Data security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data, including:

  • Infrastructure hosted on AWS EU regions
  • Access controls and authentication requirements
  • Encrypted data transmission
  • Regular security reviews
  • Limited access to personal data on a need-to-know basis

While we take all reasonable precautions, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data.

13. Data breach notification

In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and the relevant supervisory authority within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach, in accordance with GDPR requirements.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. Updates will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

For significant changes that materially affect your rights, we will notify you via email or through a prominent notice on our website.

15. Contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at: team@hackeurope.eu

This policy is based on best practices for GDPR compliance and Irish data protection law. HackEurope is committed to transparency and protecting participant privacy.