Fellowship applicant privacy statement

AaltoAI / Safety Fellowship Applicant Register.

Questions and requests concerning this register should be sent to safety@aaltoai.com.

We collect the following information directly from applicants:

• first and last name;
• email address;
• confirmation of sufficient English-language proficiency;
• career stage and major;
• optional links to professional profiles, websites or other online presence;
• prior experience in AI, related fields and AI safety;
• interests and concerns related to AI development;
• motivation for applying and what the applicant hopes to gain;
• optional discussion-group placement preference;
• how the applicant heard about the Fellowship;
• optional additional information; and
• an optional recommendation of another person who may be interested, including that person's name and email address.

We do not ask for special-category personal data. Please do not include sensitive personal data in free-text responses.

We process application data to:

• receive and review applications;
• make selection decisions;
• communicate decisions and essential onboarding information;
• form suitable discussion groups;
• understand how applicants heard about the Fellowship;
• contact people recommended by applicants about the Fellowship; and
• respond to questions or complaints about the selection process.

The legal basis is AaltoAI ry's legitimate interest in organising and administering the Fellowship application and selection process, understanding its outreach, and inviting people recommended by applicants to apply, under Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation. You may object to this processing as described in section 9.

Application data are not used for general marketing, automated decision-making or profiling.

Identifiable application data are deleted or anonymised no later than six months after selection decisions have been communicated. This period allows us to complete immediate administration and respond to questions or complaints about the application process. We may delete the data sooner when they are no longer needed.

If you are selected, the name, contact details and other information needed to administer your participation may be moved to the Fellowship's participant records. Aggregated statistics that no longer identify any applicant may be retained for longer.

Access is restricted to authorised members of the AaltoAI / Safety organising and selection team who need the data for the purposes described above.

We use Google Forms, provided through Google services, to collect and store application responses. Google processes the information on our behalf under its applicable data-processing terms and may use affiliates and subprocessors to provide the service. You can read the Google Privacy Policy and Google Workspace data-processing terms.

We do not otherwise disclose personal data unless required to do so by law.

Google or its subprocessors may process personal data outside the European Union or European Economic Area. Where this occurs, transfers are protected by a European Commission adequacy decision or appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses. Further information about the safeguards is available from us on request.

Application data are transmitted to Google Forms over an encrypted connection and stored in protected accounts. Access is limited to authorised people and is removed when it is no longer required. We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect the data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, loss or destruction.

Applicant information is provided directly by the applicant. Applying is voluntary, but we cannot assess an application if the required information is not provided. Information marked optional in the form is not required to apply.

If an applicant recommends another person, that person's name and email address are obtained from the applicant. We use those details only to contact the recommended person about the Fellowship. In that first contact, we will identify the applicant who made the recommendation and provide a link to this statement.

Subject to the conditions in data-protection law, you may:

• request access to your personal data;
• request correction or completion of inaccurate data;
• request erasure or restriction of processing;
• object to processing based on legitimate interests; and
• request data portability where the legal conditions are met.

Send requests to safety@aaltoai.com. We may ask you to verify your identity. We will respond without undue delay and normally within one month.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with Finland's Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman. The Office recommends contacting the controller first. Contact the Data Protection Ombudsman.

If we make a material change while an application round is active, we will publish the updated statement with a new effective date and notify affected applicants by email where appropriate.