Effective: July 2026
Darkstar is the data controller for the personal data processed through darkstar.ee and futurearmy.camp. We organise defence technology events and related programmes. If you need the registered legal entity behind Darkstar, for example to exercise your rights or to lodge a complaint, contact us at privacy@darkstar.ee and we will provide it.
This policy applies to personal data we collect from applicants to our bootcamp programmes (via futurearmy.camp and darkstar.ee), from visitors to our websites, and from individuals who contact us directly. It does not cover data processing by the startups, end users, investors, or other organisations participating in our events.
When you apply to a bootcamp via our online application form, we collect the information you submit. This typically includes: your name and email address, a secure messaging handle, your company name and role, where it is registered, a description of your product or technology and its stage of development, funding and ownership information, the names, email addresses and roles of the colleagues who would attend with you, and links to any supporting material you choose to share (pitch decks, demos, videos).
The application form runs on our own infrastructure. What you submit is encrypted before it is stored, and it does not pass through a third-party form provider. We email the address on an application to confirm what has been submitted under it, and that message carries a button to tell us if it was not you, which blocks any further application using your address. The form uses an automated check to tell people apart from bots; that check receives your IP address and browser signals, but never your answers.
The form also saves your answers as you go, before you submit anything, so that a refresh or a lost connection does not cost you your work. That part-finished copy is encrypted in the same way and is deleted the moment you submit, or after 90 days if you never come back to it. While an application is unfinished, our review team can see that it was started, along with the name, contact details and how far it got, so that we can offer help or check whether something went wrong. Your longer answers are not shown to them until you submit.
Our websites collect standard web analytics data: IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited, and referring URL. Both darkstar.ee and futurearmy.camp are static sites served from cloud infrastructure located in the EU.
If you email us or contact us through other channels, we process the content of those communications and your contact details.
| Purpose | Data used | Legal basis | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evaluate bootcamp applications | All applicant data submitted via the application form | Legitimate interest | 2 years after the relevant bootcamp |
| Help applicants finish an application they have started | Name, contact details and progress of an unfinished application | Legitimate interest | Deleted on submission, or 90 days after the last edit |
| Communicate with applicants about their application and event logistics | Name, email, phone | Legitimate interest / contract performance | 2 years after the relevant bootcamp |
| Improve our programmes and track ecosystem impact | Aggregated and anonymised application data | Legitimate interest | Indefinitely (anonymised) |
| Website analytics and performance | IP address, browser data, cookies | Legitimate interest / consent (cookies) | Up to 26 months |
| Respond to enquiries | Contact details, message content | Legitimate interest | 1 year after last contact |
We do not use your data for automated decision-making or profiling. We do not sell your data. We do not use your data for advertising or marketing purposes unrelated to our bootcamp programmes unless you have given explicit consent.
We use a small number of third-party service providers to operate our programmes. Each is bound by a data processing agreement, acts only on our instructions, and receives no more data than its function requires. We describe them here by category rather than by name:
| Category | What it is used for |
|---|---|
| Workplace and document tooling | Reviewing and evaluating applications internally |
| Cloud hosting and infrastructure | Serving our websites, storing data, and sending you email about your application |
We do not publish the names of our providers, or which data sits with which one. Naming the services behind our programmes narrows the search for anyone trying to reach the people who take part, and that is the one thing we will not make easy. This changes nothing about your rights. The full list, naming each provider, its role, the data it handles and where it processes it, is available on request: email privacy@darkstar.ee and we will send it to you. We provide it in full, and without needing to be asked, to supervisory authorities and to anyone else legally entitled to it, including the Estonian Data Protection Inspectorate.
Your application is received and stored in the European Union. The record of it is encrypted and held on EU infrastructure, it does not pass through a third-party form service, and any email we send you about it is sent from the EU.
Some of the provider categories above operate from the United States, and each receives only what its function requires. Website analytics receives anonymised visit statistics that are not linked to you or to an application. The automated bot check receives your IP address and browser signals at the moment you submit, and never your answers. Workplace and document tooling, which the selection team uses to read and assess applications, receives your application so that it can be reviewed; access is restricted to that team.
Where a transfer outside the EEA happens, we rely on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework for certified US providers, on Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission otherwise, and on adequacy decisions where they apply. We will confirm which applies to a given provider on request.
We implement technical and organisational measures to protect your data. These include: access controls limiting data access to authorised team members, encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest where supported by our providers, two-factor authentication on all accounts with access to applicant data, and regular review of access permissions.
Our infrastructure is subject to application-level security controls including input validation, secure session management, and protection against common web application vulnerabilities. Network-level protections include firewalled environments, least-privilege access policies, and continuous monitoring of access patterns.
Under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Estonian data protection law, you have the following rights:
To exercise any of these rights, email us at privacy@darkstar.ee. We will respond within 30 days.
If you believe we have not handled your data correctly, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Estonian Data Protection Inspectorate (Andmekaitse Inspektsioon) at aki.ee, or with the supervisory authority in your country of residence.
Both darkstar.ee and futurearmy.camp are static websites served through a content delivery network. We use a third-party analytics service for basic traffic measurement. No third-party advertising or tracking cookies are placed. Where required by law, cookie consent is obtained before non-essential cookies are set.
The application form is served from our own infrastructure and carries no analytics. It keeps your part-finished answers in your own browser's storage, not in a cookie, and a copy on our own servers as described above; this is deleted from your browser as soon as you submit, and you can clear it at any time through your browser settings. The automated bot check may set a cookie from its provider's domain.
Our services are not directed at individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors.
We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be posted on darkstar.ee and futurearmy.camp. The effective date at the top of this document will be updated accordingly.
Darkstar
Email: privacy@darkstar.ee
Web: darkstar.ee