Data protection
Personal data is any data that makes it possible to identify a person. The processing of personal data is an operation carried out with personal data. Below you will find information about the principles governing the processing of personal data at the State Forest Management Centre (RMK) and the rights of a person to access their own data.
Personal data and their processing
In the course of its work, RMK collects personal data, including sensitive and private information. On the basis of the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union and the Estonian Personal Data Protection Act, RMK processes personal data only to the extent necessary for the performance of the public duties assigned to it. Personal data are processed at RMK in a manner that ensures that the possibility of disclosing the private data of persons is minimised.
Below is an overview of how personal data is collected and stored at RMK. The explanations do not cover the data of legal persons, nor the processing of personal data on the pages referred to on RMK’s website (external links).
Request for clarification, letter of formal notice, request for information and other correspondence
Personal data will be used to respond to queries. If this requires enquiries from a third party, the personal data will be disclosed to a minimum extent, i.e. to the extent strictly necessary. If you have sent us a request for explanation, a memorandum or a request for information, the reply to which is within the competence of another authority, we will forward the document to the correct addressee and inform you thereof.
Correspondence with private persons is subject to a general access restriction. The register details of correspondence can be found in our online public document register. We do not disclose the name of a private person in the public document register. Instead of the name, we use the entry ‘natural person’ and restrict access to the content of the document.
If a person wishes to examine your correspondence and submits a request for information, the restriction on access means that upon receipt of the request for information, we will review in advance whether the requested document can be issued and whether it can be issued in part or in full. Your contact details, such as address, e-mail address and telephone number, will be deleted from the document when issued (unless you are writing as a representative of a legal entity or institution). Otherwise, the restriction on access depends on the content of the document. Possible grounds for a restriction on access are provided in § 35 of the Public Information Act.
Regardless of the restriction on access, we issue the document to an institution or a person who has a direct legal right to request it (e.g. an investigative body, a body conducting extra-judicial proceedings or a court).
We retain correspondence with private persons for 5-10 years. Documents that have exceeded the deadline shall be destroyed.
Last updated: 30.10.2024
Proceedings concerning the transfer, release for use or encumbrance of state assets with a real right
We use your personal data to provide you with information relevant to the proceedings and to inform you of decisions, as well as when it is necessary for the resolution of the matter (e.g. for the assessment of your rights and obligations related to immovable property and your property).
When communicating procedural documents, we generally use your address data that you have disclosed to us. In the cases provided by law, we forward notices and documents to the address of your place of residence or registered office in the population or commercial register (e.g. auction notices for entitled persons). Letters and procedural information are generally sent to you by unregistered letter or e-mail, administrative decisions (orders, decisions, etc.) are usually sent by e-mail.
We use the data of transactions with immovable property belonging to you and with state land (e.g. ownership of immovable property, which by law grants a preferential right at the auction; contracts concluded by you with regard to state land, etc.) in proceedings concerning state-owned land in order to ascertain your rights and obligations in these proceedings. The data used in the course of the proceedings are generally not disclosed to third parties. As an exception, in cases arising from law, data on transactions with state assets (e.g. the transfer of state immovable property) are published in the publication Ametlikud Teadaanded and in the state real estate register (publicly available information on the Internet). By way of exception, personal data which must be indicated in decisions made in the course of proceedings pursuant to law or a regulation (e.g. the name, personal identification code or registry code of the participant in proceedings, the amount of the bid submitted by the person in the auction documents, the details of the immovable property belonging to the person which are relevant for making the decision, etc.) are also subject to publication. The address of the private recipient used to deliver the decision will not be published elsewhere.
Applications, petitions and contracts, invoices, notifications and other correspondence submitted by private persons in the course of the proceedings are subject to a general restriction on access. In the course of the proceedings, correspondence with persons and administrative decisions (incl. directives) that create rights or obligations for persons are published in our online public document register and on RMK’s website.
In the public register of documents, we do not disclose the names of private persons; instead of the name, we use the entry ‘natural person’. The title of the document and, in the case of administrative acts, its content, shall be disclosed.
Regardless of the restriction on access, we issue a document to an agency or a person who has a direct legal right to apply for it (e.g. a body conducting pre-trial proceedings, a court, the National Audit Office).
RMK shall preserve the documents prepared in the procedures for the transfer, acquisition and grant of use of state assets on a permanent basis.
Last updated: 30.10.2024
RMK’s research activities
We collect data through various forms in order to enter into contracts with the persons representing the university who received the funding decision, to finance applied research on demand and to monitor the performance of the tasks agreed upon in the contracts.
When conducting competitions and granting funding, the works submitted to the competition, the name of the person, contact details, data on documents and, if necessary, financial data are processed.
Such data shall be processed for the performance of an obligation arising from law and for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest, as well as if a contract is entered into in connection with the activity.
If a contract is concluded between the parties, it also defines the intellectual property right and the protection of that right. RMK does not disclose data protected by intellectual property rights. The publication of the results obtained on the basis of the data and the data shall also take into account the restrictions set in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Raw data obtained from projects shall be made public by agreement between the parties.
As a rule, the data processed in the course of competitions are stored for one year.
Applications sent in the call for proposals and their documentation will be kept for one year after the end of the call for proposals.
Applications for financing decisions and their documentation (applications, contracts, interim reports, etc.) shall be kept for 10 years.
The minutes of the Research Council and the final reports of the projects have been declared of archival value by the National Archives of Estonia with the notation AV/H on the basis of Decision HO No 66 of 27 June 2016 and are preserved permanently.
Last updated: 30.10.2024
RMK web forms
When filling in the online form, we ask for data related to specific forms. For example, if you want to order firewood from us, in addition to personal data, we ask for data that is necessary for billing and delivering firewood.
In accordance with the purpose of data transmission, RMK stores the data transmitted through the forms as follows:
| Form | Storage period | Legal basis | Purpose of data collection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sale of forest tree seeds | 7 years | Performance of the contract | Your personal data is collected so that we can make you an offer on the basis of which you can pay for the ordered products and delivery. |
| Sale of firewood | 7 years | Performance of the contract | We collect the data necessary for making a sales offer, entering into a contract and delivering goods. RMK uses the Land Board’s In.ADS service in the address box. When you enter text in an address box, you will be offered address options from In.ADS. When you save an address, In.ADS will ask for an address ID, which will be stored in that box. |
| For the sale of cutting rights and cuttings | 7 years | Performance of the contract | We collect the data necessary for making a sales offer, entering into a contract and issuing an invoice. |
| For processing a fish re-catch notification | Transmitter data 7 years, catch data of labelled fish permanently | Performance of the contract | We collect the personal data accompanying a fish re-catch notification in order to pay the payers of the information to the bank account indicated in the re-catch notification. For the purpose of scientific research, RMK permanently preserves fish recapture notices. |
| RMK forest work map | – | RMK does not process | With the help of RMK’s forest work map, data about you is collected by a third party, which is the Land Board. |
| Application for rental interest in semi-natural biotic communities KATRI | 5 years | Fulfilment of legal obligations | With the help of the KATRI application, data about you is collected by a third party, which is the Land Board. The Land Board forwards applications to RMK, on the basis of which RMK organises an auction for renting semi-natural biotic communities. |
| Use of forest roads, targets and storage areas | 7 years | Performance of the contract | Your personal data is collected in order to identify and distinguish applicants in the system, to process their requests and, if necessary, to contact the user in order to clarify the details of the request. |
| Issue of hunting permits | 3 years | Performance of the contract | Your personal data is collected in order to conclude an agreement with the applicant and to issue a hunting permit in the hunting districts of RMK. |
| Scientific forms | Applications and contracts for 10 years, minutes and final reports on a permanent basis | Performance of the contract | The data collected in the forms is used to order and carry out RMK’s applied research. |
| Event registration form | 6 months | Consent | Your personal data is collected only for the purpose of contacting you. Having the right data ensures the quality of the service during the event. |
| RMK Nature Programmes Order Form | 7 years, 1 year | Performance of the contract | Your personal data is collected only for the purpose of sending an invoice, carrying out the programme and contacting you, and receiving feedback related to carrying out the programme. |
| Forest quizzes | Results are stored for 1 year, user account data is stored until the account is closed | Performance of the contract | In order to use the forest quiz environment, the user needs to create an account under which it is possible to add students to the quiz questionnaire. The contact details collected will not be made public. Only the results of the quizzes, together with the names of the student and teachers, will be made public. |
| Competitions | The results will be stored on the website for 1 year | Consent | Your personal data is collected for the purpose of conducting the competition. RMK publishes the works of those who participated in the competitions on its website, and a set of postcards is printed out of the best works. |
| Hiking diary | Permanently or until consent is withdrawn | Consent | The data of the registrant will not be published on the trip diary page. |
| Reservation of RMK forest houses | Invoice 7 years, classification scheme 2 years | Performance of the contract | RMK is the person responsible for the processing of personal data and OÜ Soumnium is the authorised processor of personal data. Your personal data is collected for billing purposes and contact details in order to contact you. |
| Request for information | 5 years | Fulfilment of legal obligations | Your contact details are collected only to respond to your request for information. |
Last updated: 30.10.2024
When using RMK applications
‘RMK Loodusega koos’ application
In order to use the application, the user is not personalised and no user data is collected.
When the application is first used, the user’s choice of language is saved (to display information in a language that the person understands).
The application asks for permission to determine the user’s location using GPS. Granting permission allows the user to position himself/herself in relation to the objects visited and to find the path to the objects using navigation applications. When using the app with GPS, location data is not stored.
The application requires access to the network when the data is first loaded and used to update the data. The IP address is not stored.
The Christmas Tree Campaign
RMK processes the user’s personal data in the app only within the framework of the Christmas Tree campaign.
When participating in the Christmas Tree campaign, the location of the user is displayed on the map, which allows the user to position himself or herself in relation to the state forest. Location data is not stored.
If payment for the spruce is made via mobile payment, the user’s mobile phone number, the selected paid phone number and the amount paid, the time of the call and the time of sending the automatic response message are forwarded to the user’s telephone service provider for inclusion in next month’s phone bill.
If the payment for the spruce is made by bank transfer, the name of the payer and the amount paid for the spruce or spruces are saved for transmission to the bank. These records shall be kept for a period of 7 years.
Last updated: 30.10.2024
Social media channels
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
When you visit our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, data about you is collected by a third party and cannot be controlled by us. Visitor data can only be obtained in non-personalised form. Further information can be found in the data policy and cookie policy of the respective page.
Privacy Policy and Cookie Management: Facebook and Instagram, LinkedIn
Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn pages are visible to everyone and our activities can be followed through them.
Video platform YouTube
RMK uses the YouTube web platform in accordance with the data protection terms and conditions of this service provider.
When you visit a YouTube channel, data about you is collected by a third party and cannot be verified by us. We only receive information about visits in a non-personalised form. For more information, please refer to the YouTube Data Policy and Cookie Policy.
Privacy Policy and Cookie Management: Google
Last updated: 27.11.2024
Applying for a job or internship at RMK
When recruiting, RMK proceeds from the principles agreed upon in RMK’s guidelines for the recruitment of employees.
Information on jobs and internships offered through open competitions is available on RMK’s website and/or in other public recruitment channels.
RMK preserves the data collected about the candidate for one year as of the date of making the decision on the candidate’s selection or non-selection to the position. The data will be stored for one year for the purpose of resolving any disputes that may arise between the candidate and RMK with regard to this decision.
RMK will ask for written consent if it wishes to preserve the data of the candidate in order to offer work to the unsuccessful candidate at a later date. We will inform the candidate of what data we collect and for how long (usually one year) we intend to retain it. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. For this purpose, a written request must be submitted to the email address cv@rmk.ee.
RMK may not release the data collected about candidates to third parties (including other candidates), unless the transfer is required by law or the candidate has given his or her consent.
Last updated: 30.10.2024
Processing of personal data by RMK in the case of video and images
When recording persons, RMK proceeds from the Personal Data Protection Act.
When participating in public events organised by RMK, participants must take into account that the event may be recorded as sound or image material for publicity purposes by RMK itself as well as by other participants.
Surveillance cameras have been installed on RMK’s buildings for the protection of persons and property. RMK processes data solely for the purpose of installing cameras. Recordings shall be automatically overwritten within one month at the latest.
Last updated: 30.10.2024
Subscription to RMK newsletters
It is possible to subscribe to sector-specific newsletters at RMK.
To subscribe to the newsletter, you must enter an e-mail address, which we use only for the purpose of sending newsletters.
Subscription to newsletters is subject to consent. Consent to subscribe to the newsletter can always be withdrawn. To do this, click on the link ‘UNSUBSCRIBE’ under the newsletter, after which your data will be deleted from the list of recipients.
In addition, it is possible to submit a written request to the e-mail address andmekaitse@rmk.ee
Please specify in your application sent by e-mail:
- which newsletter subscription you wish to unsubscribe from
- e-mail address to be deleted
Your e-mail address will be stored until you withdraw your consent, after which your data will be deleted from the recipients list.
Last updated: 30.10.2024
Right to access your own data. Right to request the correction of incorrect data
Every person has the right to receive information about his or her data and how RMK processes it. In order to receive information, a person must prove his or her identity and submit a digitally signed application to RMK.
The request shall be answered within a reasonable time, but not later than within 30 calendar days of the calendar day following that on which the request was registered.
RMK has the possibility to extend the deadline for replying by 60 days on the basis of Article 12(3) of the General Data Protection Regulation, taking into account the complexity of replying to the request and the volume of data requested. RMK shall notify the person who submitted the request of the extension of the deadline for replying and the reasons for the delay within 30 days as of the receipt of the request. If RMK refuses to respond to the request, it will explain the grounds and reasons for the refusal.
If possible, the data will be issued in the manner indicated in the application (paper or digital). When issuing data on paper, RMK may demand up to EUR 0.19 for each page issued starting from the 21st to cover the reproduction costs.
If personal data are processed on the basis of the person’s consent, the person has the right to withdraw the consent at any time. To withdraw your consent, please submit an application to RMK. RMK will stop processing personal data as soon as it becomes aware of the withdrawal of consent.
Every person has the right to request the erasure of personal data if his or her data is processed on the basis of his or her prior consent and he or she has withdrawn his or her consent or if the data retention period has expired and no archiving is required. The withdrawal of consent shall not affect the lawfulness of the processing of personal data carried out before the withdrawal.
Every person has the right to have his or her data rectified if it has changed or is otherwise inadequate, incomplete or incorrect.
If RMK intends to further process personal data for purposes other than the one for which they were initially collected, it will provide the person with information about the purposes of further processing of the data in advance.
If a person finds that RMK has no legal basis for the use of personal data, the person has the right to object to the use of his or her personal data and demand the termination of the use thereof and deletion or restriction of processing.
If a person finds that RMK violates his or her rights when processing data, he or she has the right to contact the Data Protection Inspectorate (e-mail address: info@aki.ee, phone number 5620 2341 or address Tatari 39, 103134 Tallinn) or a court.
RMK’s data protection specialist can be contacted by writing to andmekaitse@rmk.ee.
Last updated: 30.10.2024