Privacy Policy

Effective Date: January 1, 2026
Last Updated: August 25, 2026
Website: https://thewastewater.com
Operated by: Egesis Çevre Teknolojileri ve İnş. San. Tic. A.Ş. (Egesis Environmental Technologies Inc.)

1. Introduction & General Overview

Welcome to The Wastewater (https://thewastewater.com).

This Privacy and Personal Data Protection Policy governs the collection, processing, storage, transfer, and protection of personal data and technical engineering inquiries obtained through this website and related global communication channels operated by Egesis Çevre Teknolojileri ve İnş. San. Tic. A.Ş. (“EGESIS”, “The Wastewater”, “we”, “us”, or “our”).

We are committed to processing your data transparently, securely, and in full compliance with applicable international and national data protection legislations, including:

• The General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (“EU GDPR”) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (“UK GDPR”)
• The Turkish Law on the Protection of Personal Data No. 6698 (“KVKK / LPPD”)
• The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA / CPRA) and global privacy frameworks

This policy applies to international visitors, prospective clients, EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) contractors, industrial plant operators, municipal authorities, equipment buyers, and suppliers interacting with our digital assets.

2. Data Controller Information

For the purposes of the GDPR, KVKK, and international data protection laws, the Data Controller is:

3. Categories of Data We Collect

As an industrial environmental engineering and B2B technology provider, we collect and process only the minimal necessary data required to fulfill engineering, quotation, commercial, and technical communication requirements.

3.1. Data You Provide Directly to Us

• Identity Data: Full name, professional title, job position, organization or company name.
• Corporate Contact Data: Business email address, telephone number, mobile/WhatsApp number, company physical address, country, and city.
• Engineering & Project Parameters (RFQ / RFP Data): Industry sector (e.g., textile dyeing, food & dairy processing, slaughterhouse, pulp & paper, mining, municipal), daily effluent flow rate (m³/day), wastewater characteristics (COD, BOD, TSS, pH, oil & grease), project goals (discharge compliance, water recycling, ZLD, sludge drying), and uploaded technical attachments (lab analysis reports, CAD drawings, tender specifications).
• Commercial & Transactional Data: Contract records, quotation proposals, billing/invoicing details, bank details for cross-border wire transfers, and commercial correspondence.
• Communication Records: Inquiries submitted via online contact forms, direct email correspondence, feedback submissions, and records of technical support discussions.

3.2. Data Collected Automatically (Log & Technical Data)

• Technical & Connection Data: Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser user-agent string, operating system, device type, screen resolution, and time zone settings.
• Navigation & Usage Data: Referring URL, pages visited, time spent per page, click paths, and form interaction logs.
• Cookies & Tracking Identifiers: Strictly necessary, functional, analytical, and marketing cookies (subject to consent preferences).

3.3. Comment & Interactive Form Data

When visitors leave comments or submit forms, we collect the data shown in the respective fields, as well as the visitor’s IP address and browser user-agent to aid automated spam and brute-force threat detection.

An anonymized hash generated from your email address may be provided to the Gravatar service (Automattic Inc.) to verify account usage. Form submissions are verified and protected against malicious bot traffic via Akismet Anti-Spam (Automattic Inc.).

4. Purposes of Data Processing and Legal Bases

We process your personal data strictly in accordance with lawful processing bases set out under Article 6 of the EU/UK GDPR and Article 5 of KVKK:

5. Non-Disclosure & Confidentiality of Industrial Data

We recognize that industrial wastewater parameters, production capacities, flow charts, and facility layouts represent proprietary business secrets.

All project parameters, water analysis lab data, and factory schematics submitted via our RFQ form or direct email channels are treated under strict professional confidentiality.

For custom engineering evaluations and industrial greenfield projects, we routinely execute bilateral Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) before reviewing sensitive plant specifications.

6. International & Cross-Border Data Transfers

Because The Wastewater serves a global audience across Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Americas:

• Server Locations: Data collected through this website is stored on high-security managed cloud infrastructure (Pressable / Automattic data centers) and enterprise servers located in Turkey and the European Union.
• Safeguards for Cross-Border Transfers: When personal data originating from the EU/EEA or the UK is transferred across borders, EGESIS ensures an adequate level of data protection by implementing standard contractual safeguards, including Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) adopted by the European Commission, end-to-end data encryption, and strict role-based access restrictions in accordance with Chapter V of the GDPR and Article 9 of KVKK.

7. Data Sharing and Third-Party Disclosures

EGESIS does not sell, rent, lease, or trade personal data to third parties for commercial advertising. Personal data may only be shared with trusted third parties under strict confidentiality agreements for legitimate operational purposes:

• Infrastructure & Hosting Providers: Managed cloud hosting (Pressable), DNS & web security services (Cloudflare), enterprise email providers, and backup repositories.
• Security & Anti-Spam Services: Automated threat and spam filtering tools (Akismet / Automattic Inc.).
• Logistics & Freight Forwarding Partners: International shipping lines, customs brokers, and freight carriers strictly for the delivery of equipment, spare parts, and documentation.
• Professional & Legal Advisors: Certified public accountants, independent auditors, legal counsel, and banking partners.
• Government & Judicial Authorities: Public authorities, courts, or regulatory agencies when strictly required by mandatory statutory law, judicial order, or official investigation.

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to ensure seamless navigation, enhance security, and analyze aggregated traffic.

• Strictly Necessary Cookies: Essential for core website operations, load balancing, security firewalls, and maintaining user sessions.
• Analytical & Performance Cookies: (e.g., Google Analytics 4) Used to measure page performance, traffic origins, and user interactions to optimize our technical content. These cookies are loaded strictly in compliance with Google Consent Mode v2.
• Managing Cookies: Visitors can modify, block, or delete cookies at any time via our Cookie Settings banner or through their web browser preferences. For comprehensive information and management options, please review our separate Cookie Policy.

9. Data Retention and Disposal Schedule

We retain personal data only for the duration necessary to accomplish the specified collection purpose or to satisfy statutory retention obligations:

10. Your Rights as a Data Subject

Under the GDPR (for EU/EEA and UK residents), the KVKK (under Turkish jurisdiction), and applicable global privacy frameworks, you hold extensive legal rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of Access / Information: Obtain confirmation as to whether your personal data is being processed, and request a copy of the processed data.
• Right to Rectification: Request the prompt correction or completion of inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated personal data.
• Right to Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”): Request the permanent deletion of your personal data when it is no longer necessary for the original purpose, or when consent has been withdrawn.
• Right to Restriction of Processing: Request that we restrict data processing activities under specific contested circumstances (e.g., while data accuracy is being verified).
• Right to Data Portability (GDPR): Receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and have it transmitted to another controller.
• Right to Object: Object at any time to the processing of your data based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw previously granted consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out prior to withdrawal.
• Right to Object to Automated Decision-Making: We do not engage in fully automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal effects on individuals.
• Right to Compensation: Seek statutory compensation for damages suffered due to unlawful data processing under applicable laws.

11. Regional & Jurisdiction-Specific Disclosures

11.1. European Economic Area (EEA) & United Kingdom (UK) Residents

The legal bases for our data processing activities correspond to GDPR Articles 6(1)(a), 6(1)(b), 6(1)(c), and 6(1)(f). You are entitled to lodge a complaint with your local EU Data Protection Authority or the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

11.2. Republic of Türkiye Residents (KVKK Disclosures)

Data is processed in compliance with KVKK Articles 4, 5, and 6. Data subjects may submit their applications in Turkish in accordance with the Communiqué on the Principles and Procedures for the Request to Data Controller.

11.3. California & United States Residents (CCPA / CPRA Notice)

• No Sale of Personal Information: EGESIS / The Wastewater does not sell, trade, or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.
• You hold the right to know, access, delete, and correct your personal information, as well as the right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights.

12. Security and Data Protection Safeguards

We implement rigorous technical, physical, and organizational security controls to protect your data from unauthorized access, accidental loss, destruction, alteration, or disclosure:

• SSL/TLS Encryption: All communications across https://thewastewater.com are protected via 256-bit SSL/TLS cryptographic encryption.
• Web Application Firewall (WAF): Active multi-layer firewalls, brute-force mitigation, and DDoS shields managed via Cloudflare enterprise routing.
• Access Control & Least Privilege: Internal role-based access controls ensuring only authorized engineering and sales personnel can access project submissions.
• Confidentiality Undertakings: Mandatory data confidentiality and information security covenants signed by all employees and subcontractors.

13. Children’s Online Privacy Protection

Our website, products, and engineering services are targeted exclusively at commercial enterprises, industrial facilities, and professional B2B audiences. We do not knowingly solicit or collect personal information from individuals under the age of 18. If we become aware that personal data from a minor has been mistakenly collected, we will promptly delete such records from our databases.

14. How to Exercise Your Privacy Rights & Contact Us

If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise any of your statutory data protection rights, or submit a formal data inquiry, please contact our Data Protection Office:

• By Email: info@thewastewater.com
  (Subject line: “Privacy / Data Subject Request – The Wastewater”)
• By Mail / Postal Address:
  Attn: Data Protection Team
  Egesis Çevre Teknolojileri ve İnş. San. Tic. A.Ş.
  1439 Sok. No:11/B Alsancak, Konak, 35220 Izmir, Turkey
• By Phone: +90 232 464 50 67 (pbx)
• Response Timeline: All verified data subject requests will be evaluated and concluded free of charge within 30 days (or sooner where mandated by local statutory law).

15. Independent Supervisory Authorities Directory

You retain the right to lodge a formal complaint with the competent supervisory authority having jurisdiction over your place of residence, work, or the location of an alleged infringement: