Privacy Policy Statement
By accessing to and browsing our website (hereinafter "Site"), you accept without limitation or reservation our privacy policy herein. Your access to and use of this Site is subject to the following terms, and all applicable laws, rules and regulations.
We are committed to ensuring the privacy of your personal information. This Privacy Policy Statement applies only to this Site. We respect the privacy of users of this Site and believe that such information should be used responsibly and appropriately.
We are a ´controller´ of the personal data you provide on Site. In general, all users may visit this Site anonymously and without revealing any additional personal information. There are times, however, when we may need information from you. This is usually required in order for us to promptly respond to your requests for information or to answer your questions. You might also provide some of personal data directly, if for instance you register on our website, subscribe to our newsletter, apply for membership or register for an event.
1. Personal Data We Collect
The data we collect depends on the context of your interactions with us, the choices you make, including your privacy settings, and the features of the website you use. The data we collect can include the following:
- Name and contact data: We can collect your first and last name, email address, postal address, phone number, and other similar contact data
- Credentials: We collect occasionally passwords, password hints, and similar security information used for authentication and account access
- Demographic data: Very rarely we collect data about you such as your age, gender, country, or preferred language
- Location data: We can collect data about your imprecise location data, for example, a location derived from your IP address or data that indicates where you are located with less precision, such as at a city or postal code level
1.1 Registration on our website
During the registration on the website, some personal information will be collected, such as name, address or contact details such as telephone number and e-mail address. The registration allows a user to access content and services that are offered only to the registered users. Registered users have the option of changing or deleting the data specified during registration at any time. Upon your request, we provide you with information about the personal data we hold about you. Furthermore, upon your request we rectify or delete your personal data, as far as no statutory storage requirements apply.
1.2 Newsletter
When you sign up to receive our newsletter, the data you provide will be used exclusively for this purpose. Subscribers may also be notified by email about circumstances relevant to the service or registration (such as changes to the newsletter offer or technical conditions).
For an effective registration we need your name and a valid e-mail address. In order to verify that an application is actually made by the owner of an e-mail address, we use the "double-opt-in" procedure. For this purpose, we store the information about the subscription to the newsletter, the confirmation mail and the receipt of the requested answer. The data will be used exclusively for newsletter distribution and will not be passed on to third parties.
The consent to the storage of your personal data and their use for the newsletter can be revoked at any time, by clicking a corresponding link in the newsletter. You can also withdraw your consent and unsubscribe from this website at any time or provide us with your request via the contact details provided at this page.
1.3 Use of Google Analytics
This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google Inc. ("Google"). Google Analytics uses "cookies", which are text files that are stored on your computer and that allow an analysis of the use of the website by you. The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website is usually transmitted to a Google server in the United States and stored there. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google will use this information to evaluate your use of the website, to compile reports on website activity and to provide other services related to website activity and internet usage to the website operator. The IP address provided by Google Analytics as part of Google Analytics will not be merged with other Google data. You can view our website without cookies. You can refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings (“do not accept cookies”) on your browser. Please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website.
1.4 Social plugins
Our websites use social plugins of the providers listed below. The plugins can be recognized by the fact that they are marked with the appropriate logo.
These plug-ins may be used to send information, which may include personal information, to the service provider and may be used by the service provider. We prevent the unconscious and unwanted collection and transmission of data to the service provider through a 2-click solution. To activate a desired social plugin, you must click on the corresponding button. Only through this activation of the plugin is the detection of information and its transmission to the service provider triggered. We do not collect personally identifiable information by means of social plugins or their use.
We have no control over what data an enabled plugin collects and how it is used by the provider. At present, it must be assumed that a direct connection to the services of the provider will be developed and at least the IP address and device-related information will be collected and used. It is also possible that the service providers try to save cookies on the computer used. Please refer to the privacy policy of the respective service provider to see which specific data is collected here and how it is used. Note: If you are logged in to Facebook at the same time, Facebook may identify you as a visitor to a particular page.
We have integrated the social media buttons of the following companies on our website:
- Facebook Inc. (1601 S. California Ave - Palo Alto - CA 94304 - USA)
- Twitter Inc. (795 Folsom St. - Suite 600 - San Francisco - CA 94107 - USA)
- Google Plus / Google Inc. (1600 Amphitheater Parkway - Mountain View - CA 94043 – USA)
- Pinterest Inc. (808 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA 94103)
- LinkedIn (Gardner House, 2 Wilton Pl, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin, Ireland)
- Email plugin
1.5 Cookies
Like many other websites, we also use "cookies". Cookies are text files placed on your computer, to help the website analyze how users use the site. This automatically gives us certain data, such as IP address, browser used, operating system from your computer and your connection to the Internet. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your anonymized IP address) will be transmitted and stored on our servers in Germany and France. We will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Unless the law requires so, in no case will the data collected by us be passed on to third parties or a link with personal data will be established without your consent, unless the law requires so.
You can view our website without cookies. You can refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings (“do not accept cookies”) on your browser. Please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website. By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by us in the manner and for the purposes set above.
2. Why we need personal data?
We need to know your basic personal data in order to provide you with the information and services you request from us. We will not collect any personal data from you that we do not need in order to provide and oversee this service to you.
3. How we use personal data?
All the personal data we process is processed by our staff and affiliates, however for the purposes of IT hosting and maintenance this information is located on servers in Strasburg in France and Cologne in Germany.
We would nevertheless like to use your name and email address to inform you of (consultations, events or opportunities to participate in our work). You can unsubscribe at any time via email or our website.
4. How long we keep it?
This would depend on the service you are receiving from us. We may have a legal obligation to retain your data for a number of years. However, as a minimum, we shall keep your data for 5 years following the termination of your business relationship with us. In some cases, we may be legally obliged to keep your data for 10 years. Any information we use for marketing purposes might be kept with us until you notify us that you no longer wish to receive this information.
5. What are your rights?
- The right to be informed
- The right of access
- The right to rectification
- The right to erasure
- The right to restrict processing
- The right to data portability
- The right to object
- Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling.
By law, you have 8 fundamental data subject rights:
As a consequence, you can make changes or revoke your consent by notifying us with effect for the future.
6. You can complain
If you have a complaint about our use of your information, please contact our responsible staff members directly in the first instance so that we can address your complaint.However, you can also contact the national supervisory authority for data protection.
7. Changes in our privacy policy
We reserve the right to change this Privacy Policy Statement from time to time to ensure that it complies with current legal requirements or to implement changes to our services in the Privacy Policy Statement, for example, when introducing new services. In this case your further visit will be subject to the new privacy policy.
This Privacy Policy Statement does not extend to anything that is inherent in the operation of the Internet, and beyond the control of us and is not to be applied in any manner contrary to applicable laws, rules or regulations.
You can send your request or any further questions to our general email or postal address.
Last updated: May 25, 2018
