Privacy policy

Name and contact details of the controller pursuant to Article 4(7) GDPR

RheWaTech-Rhein-Waal Institute for Technology, a non-profit limited liability company (UG) based in Kalkar

Schüttschott 5
47546 Kalkar
Phone: +49 (0) 160-2007949
Email: birgit.mosler@rhewatech.eu

Security and Protection of Your Personal Data

We consider it our primary responsibility to maintain the confidentiality of the personal data you provide and to protect it from unauthorized access. Therefore, we apply the utmost care and state-of-the-art security standards to ensure maximum protection of your personal data.

As a private company, we are subject to the provisions of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the regulations of the German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG). We have implemented technical and organizational measures to ensure that data protection regulations are observed by both us and our external service providers.

Definitions

The law requires that personal data be processed lawfully, fairly, and in a transparent manner in relation to the data subject (“lawfulness, fairness, and transparency”). To ensure this, we inform you about the individual legal definitions used in this privacy policy:

Personal Data

“Personal data” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter referred to as “data subject”); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier, or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural, or social identity of that natural person.

Processing

“Processing” means any operation or set of operations which is performed on personal data or on sets of personal data, whether or not by automated means, such as collection, recording, organization, structuring, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, restriction, erasure or destruction.

Restriction of processing

“Restriction of processing” means the marking of stored personal data with the aim of limiting their processing in the future.

Profiling

“Profiling” means any type of automated processing of personal data consisting of the use of personal data to evaluate certain personal aspects relating to a natural person, in particular to analyze or predict aspects concerning that natural person’s performance at work, economic situation, health, personal preferences, interests, reliability, behavior, location or movements.

Pseudonymization

“Pseudonymization” means the processing of personal data in such a manner that the personal data can no longer be attributed to a specific data subject without the use of additional information, provided that such additional information is kept separately and is subject to technical and organizational measures to ensure that the personal data cannot be attributed to an identified or identifiable natural person.

Filing system

“Filing system” means any structured set of personal data which are accessible according to specific criteria, whether centralized, decentralized, or dispersed on a functional or geographical basis.

Controller

“Controller” means a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data; where the purposes and means of such processing are determined by Union or Member State law, the controller or the specific criteria for its designation may be provided for by Union or Member State law.

Porocessor

“Processor” means a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which processes personal data on behalf of the controller.

Recipient

“Recipient” means a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or another body, to which personal data are disclosed, whether a third party or not. However, public authorities which may receive personal data in the framework of a particular inquiry in accordance with Union or Member State law shall not be regarded as recipients; the processing of those data by those public authorities shall be in compliance with the applicable data protection rules according to the purposes of the processing.

Third Party

“Third party” means a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or body other than the data subject, the controller, the processor and persons who, under the direct authority of the controller or processor, are authorized to process personal data.

Consent

“Consent” of the data subject means any freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous indication of the data subject’s wishes by which he or she, by a statement or by a clear affirmative action, signifies agreement to the processing of personal data relating to him or her.

Lawfulness of processing

The processing of personal data is only lawful if there is a legal basis for the processing. According to Article 6(1)(a) to (f) GDPR, the legal basis for processing may be, in particular:

The data subject has given consent to the processing of their personal data for one or more specific purposes;
processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is a party or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract;
processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject;
processing is necessary in order to protect the vital interests of the data subject or of another natural person;
processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller;
The processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require protection of personal data, in particular where the data subject is a child.

Information on the Collection of Personal Data

(1) Below, we inform you about the collection of personal data when you use our website. Personal data includes, for example, your name, address, email address, and user behavior.

(2) When you contact us by email or via a contact form, the data you provide (your email address, and, if applicable, your name and telephone number) will be stored by us in order to answer your questions. We will delete the data collected in this context once storage is no longer necessary, or restrict its processing if there are statutory retention obligations.

Collection of personal data when visiting our website

When you use our website for purely informational purposes, i.e., if you do not register or otherwise provide us with information, we only collect the personal data that your browser transmits to our server. If you wish to view our website, we collect the following data, which is technically necessary for us to display our website to you and to ensure its stability and security (legal basis is Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f GDPR):

IP address
Date and time of the request
Time zone difference to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
Content of the request (specific page)
Access status/HTTP status code
Amount of data transferred
Website from which the request originated
Browser
Operating system and its interface
Language and version of the browser software.

Use of Cookies

(1) In addition to the data mentioned above, cookies are stored on your computer when you use our website. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your hard drive and assigned to the browser you are using. They allow the entity that sets the cookie to receive certain information. Cookies cannot run programs or transmit viruses to your computer. They serve to make the overall internet experience more user-friendly and effective.

(2) This website uses the following types of cookies, the scope and function of which are explained below:

Transient Cookies

Transient cookies are automatically deleted when you close your browser. These include session cookies. Session cookies store a session ID, which allows different requests from your browser to be associated with the same session. This allows your computer to be recognized when you return to our website. Session cookies are deleted when you log out or close your browser.

You can configure your browser settings according to your preferences and for example, reject third-party cookies or all cookies. “Third-party cookies” are cookies that are set by a third party, and therefore not by the website you are currently visiting. Please note that disabling cookies may prevent you from using all the features of this website.

Further Functions and Services on Our Website

(1) In addition to the purely informational use of our website, we offer various services that you can use if you are interested. To use these services, you will generally need to provide further personal data, which we use to provide the respective service and for which the aforementioned data processing principles apply.

(2) In some cases, we use external service providers to process your data. These providers have been carefully selected and commissioned by us, are bound by our instructions, and are regularly monitored.

(3) Furthermore, we may share your personal data with third parties if participation in promotions, contests, contract conclusions, or similar services are offered by us jointly with partners. You will receive more detailed information about this when you provide your personal data or below in the description of the offer.

(4) If our service providers or partners are located in a country outside the European Economic Area (EEA), we will inform you about the consequences of this in the description of the offer.

Children

Our services are generally intended for adults. Individuals under 18 years of age should not submit any personal data to us without the consent of their parents or legal guardians.

Rights of the Data Subject

(1) Right to Withdraw Consent

If the processing of your personal data is based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. The withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

You can contact us at any time to exercise your right to withdraw consent.

(2) Right to Confirmation

You have the right to obtain confirmation from the controller as to whether or not personal data concerning you are being processed. You can request this confirmation at any time using the contact details provided above.

(3) Right of Access

If personal data are being processed, you have the right to request access to this personal data and the following information at any time:

the purposes of the processing;
the categories of personal data being processed;
the recipients or categories of recipients to whom the personal data have been or will be disclosed, in particular recipients in third countries or international organizations;
where possible, the envisaged period for which the personal data will be stored, or, if not possible, the criteria used to determine that period;
the existence of the right to request from the controller rectification or erasure of personal data or restriction of processing of personal data concerning the data subject or to object to such processing;
the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority;
where the personal data are not collected from the data subject, any available information as to their source;
the existence of automated decision-making, including profiling, referred to in Article 22(1) and (4) of the GDPR and, at least in those cases, meaningful information about the logic involved, as well as the significance and the envisaged consequences of such processing for the data subject.

If personal data is transferred to a third country or to an international organization, you have the right to be informed of the appropriate safeguards pursuant to Article 46 GDPR relating to the transfer. We will provide a copy of the personal data undergoing processing. For any further copies you request, we may charge a reasonable fee based on administrative costs. If you make the request electronically, the information will be provided in a commonly used electronic format, unless you specify otherwise. The right to obtain a copy pursuant to paragraph 3 must not adversely affect the rights and freedoms of others.

(4) Right to rectification

You have the right to request that we rectify any inaccurate personal data concerning you without undue delay. Taking into account the purposes of the processing, you have the right to have incomplete personal data completed, including by means of providing a supplementary statement.

(5) Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”)

You have the right to request that the controller erase personal data concerning you without undue delay, and we are obligated to erase personal data without undue delay where one of the following grounds applies:

The personal data are no longer necessary for the purposes for which they were collected or otherwise processed.
The data subject withdraws their consent on which the processing was based according to Article 6(1)(a) or Article 9(2)(a) GDPR, and there is no other legal basis for the processing.
The data subject objects to the processing pursuant to Article 21(1) GDPR and there are no overriding legitimate grounds for the processing, or the data subject objects to the processing pursuant to Article 21(2) GDPR.
The personal data have been unlawfully processed.
The erasure of the personal data is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation under Union or Member State law to which the controller is subject.
The personal data have been collected in relation to the offer of information society services referred to in Article 8(1) GDPR.

Where the controller has made the personal data public and is obliged pursuant to paragraph 1 to erase them, the controller, taking account of available technology and the cost of implementation, shall take reasonable steps, including technical measures, to inform controllers which are processing the personal data that the data subject has requested the erasure by such controllers of any links to, or copies or replications of, those personal data.

The right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”) does not apply to the extent that processing is necessary:

for exercising the right to freedom of expression and information;
for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject under Union or Member State law, or for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller;
for reasons of public interest in the area of public health, in accordance with Article 9(2)(h) and (i) and Article 9(3) of the GDPR;
for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes, or statistical purposes in accordance with Article 89(1) of the GDPR, insofar as the right referred to in paragraph 1 is likely to render impossible or seriously impair the achievement of the objectives of that processing; or
for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims.

(6) Right to restriction of processing

You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data if one of the following conditions applies:

The accuracy of the personal data is contested by the data subject, for a period enabling the controller to verify the accuracy of the personal data;
the processing is unlawful and the data subject opposes the erasure of the personal data and requests the restriction of their use instead;
the controller no longer needs the personal data for the purposes of the processing, but they are required by the data subject for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims; or
the data subject has objected to processing pursuant to Article 21(1) GDPR pending the verification of whether the legitimate grounds of the controller override those of the data subject.

If processing has been restricted in accordance with the aforementioned conditions, these personal data will – apart from being stored – only be processed with the data subject’s consent, or for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims, or for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person, or for reasons of important public interest of the Union or of a Member State.

To exercise the right to restriction of processing, the data subject may contact us at any time using the contact details provided above.

(7) Right to data portability

You have the right to receive the personal data concerning you, which you have provided to us, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, and you have the right to transmit those data to another controller without hindrance from the controller to whom the personal data have been provided, where:

The processing is based on consent pursuant to Article 6(1)(a) or Article 9(2)(a) or on a contract pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) GDPR, and

the processing is carried out by automated means.

When exercising your right to data portability pursuant to paragraph 1, you have the right to have your personal data transmitted directly from one controller to another, where technically feasible. The exercise of the right to data portability is without prejudice to the right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”). This right does not apply to processing necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.

(8) Right to object

You have the right to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, at any time to processing of personal data concerning you which is based on point (e) or (f) of Article 6(1) of the GDPR, including profiling based on those provisions. The controller will no longer process the personal data unless the controller demonstrates compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override your interests, rights and freedoms, or the processing serves the purpose of establishing, exercising or defending legal claims.

Where personal data are processed for direct marketing purposes, you have the right to object at any time to processing of personal data concerning you for such marketing, which includes profiling to the extent that it is related to such direct marketing. If you object to processing for direct marketing purposes, the personal data will no longer be processed for such purposes.

In connection with the use of information society services, you may exercise your right to object by automated means using technical specifications, notwithstanding Directive 2002/58/EC.

You have the right to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to the processing of personal data concerning you which is carried out for scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes pursuant to Article 89(1), unless the processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest.

You may exercise your right to object at any time by contacting the relevant data controller.

(9) Automated individual decision-making, including profiling

You have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you. This does not apply if the decision:

is necessary for the conclusion or performance of a contract between the data subject and the controller,

is authorized by Union or Member State law to which the controller is subject and which also lays down suitable measures to safeguard the data subject’s rights and freedoms and legitimate interests, or

is carried out with the data subject’s explicit consent.

The controller shall implement suitable measures to safeguard the data subject’s rights and freedoms and legitimate interests, at least the right to obtain human intervention on the part of the controller, to express his or her point of view and to contest the decision.

The data subject may exercise this right at any time by contacting the controller.

(10) Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

Without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your habitual residence, your place of work, or the place of the alleged infringement, if you consider that the processing of personal data relating to you infringes this Regulation.

(11) Right to an effective judicial remedy

Without prejudice to any available administrative or non-judicial remedy, including the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority pursuant to Article 77 GDPR, you have the right to an effective judicial remedy if you consider that your rights under this Regulation have been infringed as a result of the processing of your personal data in non-compliance with this Regulation.