Privacy notice

Who is responsible

EcoBot supports the Netherlands Plant Eco-phenotyping Centre (NPEC) Ecotron infrastructure at Utrecht University. Utrecht University is responsible for institutional processing of personal data. This notice explains the app-specific processing; Utrecht University’s broader privacy information is available at uu.nl.

Information EcoBot handles

• Identity and authorization: an issued client identifier, experiment or fleet role, and display/operator name.
• Notification recipients: fleet administrators may save operational-alert and experiment-digest email addresses for an experiment.
• User content: maintenance notes and text entered into experiment-assistance features.
• Operational interactions: requested previews, confirmed commands, maintenance actions, safety results, controller readbacks, timestamps, and audit records.
• Technical records: security, connectivity, and service logs needed to operate and protect the private service.

The optional read-only demo uses bundled synthetic sample data. Entering the demo does not contact the EcoBot Server or submit personal information.

Research telemetry, plant images, time-lapses, 3D scans, and experiment results may be displayed in EcoBot according to the user’s authorization. EcoBot does not use those materials for advertising or cross-app tracking.

Why the information is used

Information is processed to authenticate authorized users, display assigned experiments, provide telemetry and research media, coordinate maintenance, review and execute guarded controller operations, investigate reliability or safety events, and protect the service from unauthorized access.

Storage and security

The iPhone stores the server-issued mobile credential in the protected iOS Keychain. Pairing links are exchanged over certificate-pinned HTTPS and are not retained by the app after exchange. Operational access requires a separately issued OpenVPN profile. Server records are access-controlled and retained according to the applicable experiment, security, research, and Utrecht University records-management requirements.

Sharing and automated services

Information is available only to authorized NPEC/Utrecht University personnel, approved experiment participants, and service providers acting for the institution where required to provide a requested feature. EcoBot does not sell data and does not share data with advertising networks or data brokers. If an experiment-assistance feature uses a model service, the submitted text and necessary experiment context are processed only to return that requested result under the institution’s configured service arrangement.

Your choices and rights

Removing pairing in EcoBot deletes the mobile credential from that iPhone. An NPEC administrator can revoke the corresponding server credential. Requests concerning access, correction, retention, revocation, or deletion should be made through the experiment contact or NPEC administrator. Privacy questions may be sent to privacy@uu.nl; Utrecht University’s Data Protection Officer can be reached at fg@uu.nl.

Changes

This notice may be updated when EcoBot functionality or institutional processing changes. The effective date above identifies the current version.