Privacy Notice

Virtual Fly Brain Privacy Notice

Last updated: February 2026

The Virtual Fly Brain (VFB) project is committed to protecting your privacy and keeping you informed about how your personal information is used. This privacy notice explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal data when you visit our website.

What information do we collect?

We collect information about your visit to our website through Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. This includes:

• Your IP address (anonymized)
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Referring website
• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• Geographic location (country/city level only)

We do not collect any personally identifiable information such as names, email addresses, or contact details unless you voluntarily provide them (for example, through our contact forms or feedback mechanisms).

How do we use this information?

The information collected helps us:

• Understand how our website is used
• Improve the user experience and content
• Identify technical issues
• Analyze website traffic patterns
• Support our research by understanding user interests in neuroanatomical data

Cookies and Website Privacy

We use Google Analytics cookies to collect this information. These are small text files stored on your device. You can control cookies through your browser settings, and you can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by visiting Google Analytics Opt-out.

For more information about Google’s privacy practices, please see Google’s Privacy Policy.

Legal Basis for Processing

Our processing of your personal data is based on:

• Legitimate interests: To improve our website and research services
• Consent: Where you have provided it for specific purposes

Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. Information collected by Google Analytics may be processed by Google on servers located in the United States. Google is committed to complying with the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework.

Data Retention

Analytics data is retained for up to 26 months, after which it is automatically deleted.

Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have rights including:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Rectification: Correct inaccurate data
• Erasure: Request deletion of your data
• Restriction: Limit how we process your data
• Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Portability: Receive your data in a structured format

Contact Us

If you have questions about this privacy notice or wish to exercise your rights, please contact:

Data Protection Officer
University of Edinburgh
Old College
South Bridge
Edinburgh EH8 9YL
Email: dpo@ed.ac.uk

VFB Project Team
Email: data@virtualflybrain.org

Changes to this Privacy Notice

We may update this privacy notice from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date.

This privacy notice is supported by the University of Edinburgh’s wider privacy policies. For more information, visit the University Data Protection webpages.