Data Protection Policy

Dear visitors of our website,

The protection of your personal rights when handling your data is important to us. With the following information, we would like to inform you which data are processed during your visit to our website, on the basis of which legal basis the data processing takes place and what your data protection rights are.

Controller
The party responsible for the processing of personal data during your visit to our website is the WZB Berlin Social Science Center:

Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung gGmbH
WZB Berlin Social Science Center
Reichpietschufer 50
D-10785 Berlin
Germany

Phone: +49 30 25491 0
Fax: +49 30 25491 684
E-mail: wzb@wzb.eu

Usage data
When you visit our website, we temporarily store so-called usage data on the basis of Article 6 paragraph 1 letter f of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We use this information to enable you to access our website, to monitor and administer our systems, to improve the design of our website and for statistical and security purposes. These purposes pursued by us also represent the legitimate interest within the meaning of Article 6 paragraph 1 letter f GDPR.

The saved information includes:

• the website from which the file was requested
• the name of the file
• the date and time of the query
• the amount of data transferred
• the access status (file transferred, file not found)
• the description of the type of web browser used
• the IP address of the requesting computer.

We delete the IP addresses after seven days. No personal user profiles are created.

Cookies
„Cookies“ are small files that are stored on the user’s computer. A cookie is primarily used to store information about a user (or the device on which the cookie is stored) during or after the visit to an online service. To manage your visit to our website, we use so-called “session cookies”, which are deleted after you leave our website and close your browser. In the course of website analysis (see section Web analytics with Matomo) we use “permanent” cookies which remain stored on your end device even after closing the browser.

You can prevent the storage of cookies by making the appropriate settings in your browser software; however, you may not be able to use all the functions of the website to their full extent after that.

Web analytics with Matomo
Our website uses the web analytics service Matomo on the basis of Art. 6 paragraph 1 letter f GDPR. Matomo uses so-called “cookies”. They are text files which are stored on your computer and which enable us to analyze the use of the website. For this purpose, the information generated by the cookie about the use of the website is stored on our server, which serves to optimize our website. The IP address is anonymized before it is stored. These purposes pursued by us also represent the legitimate interest in the use of data in the sense of the legal basis.

The information about the use of this website generated by the cookie is not passed on to third parties. You can prevent the storage of cookies by setting your browser software accordingly; however, you may not be able to use all the functions of the website to their full extent after that.

Newsletter
You have the option of subscribing to the RatSWD newsletter by email. For this we need your e-mail address. We evaluate how many recipients have opened the newsletter and how often which link in the newsletter was clicked on. When sending the newsletter, we are supported by a service provider who only has access to your data to the extent necessary. There is a contract with the service provider in accordance with Art. 28 para. 3 GDPR.

The legal basis for data processing is the consent you gave us when you subscribed to the newsletter. You can revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, for example by sending an email to office@ratswd.de. The data processing carried out until the revocation remains lawful. After you withdraw your consent, your data will be deleted.

Registrations for events
If you register for one of our events from this website, we store the data collected from you when you register exclusively for the purpose of event management. If we carry out the event together with another institution or for another institution, we will also forward your data to the cooperation partner so that they can plan and organize the event.

The legal basis for the above data processing are Article 6 paragraph 1 letter b GDPR and Article 6 paragraph 1 letter f GDPR, based on our interest in carrying out the events.

Use of social media services
We maintain online presences within social networks and platforms in order to communicate with interested users active there, and to inform them about our services. We would like to point out that user data may be processed outside the European Union in this context. This may involve risks for the users as it can make it more difficult to enforce their rights.

Furthermore, user data is usually processed for market research and advertising purposes. For example, user profiles can be created on the basis of user behavior and the corresponding interests of users. The user profiles can in turn be used, for example, to place advertisements inside and outside the platforms. For these purposes, cookies in which the user behavior and the user’s interests are stored are usually stored on the user’s computer. Furthermore, data can also be stored in the user profiles independently of the devices employed by the users (especially if the users are members of the respective platforms and are logged in to them).

The processing of the users’ personal data is carried out on the basis of Art. 6 paragraph 1 letter f of the GDPR. We have a legitimate interest in communicating with the users. If the users are asked by the respective providers for their consent to data processing, this consent also establishes the legal basis for the processing.

You will find information on data protection and, if applicable, an opt-out option for the respective providers here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/static?key=privacy_policy
Bluesky: https://blueskyweb.xyz/support/privacy-policy

Contact options
You have the opportunity to contact us by electronic mail or by telephone. The data you provide will only be used to answer your enquiry. Your data will only be passed on to third parties if this is necessary to process your request. The legal basis for the use of your data is Article 6 paragraph 1 letter f of the GDPR. We have a legitimate interest in being in contact with the users of the website and in answering any questions you may have or sending information.

Complaint form
You have the opportunity to contact the German Data Forum’s Complaint Office via a complaint form. The data you provide will only be used to process your enquiry. For this purpose, we collect your first and last name, your e-mail address and information on the subject of the complaint as mandatory data. Further information such as the name of your institution or other remarks can be optionally provided to us. We will only pass this information on to third parties if this is necessary to process your request. The legal basis for the above data processing is Article 6 paragraph 1 letter f GDPR. We have a legitimate interest in offering our support in the event of unresolved problems in the provision of data between data users and the research data centers (FDZ) accredited by the German Data Forum.

Helpdesk Form
We offer support for questions regarding the infrastructure services of the social, behavioral, educational, and economic sciences. You can contact us through the Helpdesk. In connection with your inquiry or question, we process the following data from you: name, email address, and your question. You may voluntarily choose the relevant topic of your inquiry. We use this data to contact you and respond to your inquiry. It may be necessary to forward your inquiry and personal data to other institutions involved in KonsortSWD.

The data will be deleted once the respective conversation and evaluation are completed. The conversation is considered completed when it can be inferred from the circumstances that the respective matter has been resolved, but no later than six months after the last inquiry. The legal basis for data processing is Article 6 (1) lit. b, Article 6 (1) lit. f GDPR, based on the legitimate interest of responding to your inquiry and supporting you with your concern.

Requirement of data provision
The provision of your personal data is not required by law. However, some of the above data is required in order to use our website and the functions, services and contact options it contains. For example, we need your e-mail address in order to send you news from the RatSWD. When you enter data, we will inform you if it is necessary for the respective service or function to be provided. These corresponding entry fields are marked as mandatory. If data is required, the non-provision of this data means that the service or function in question cannot be provided. In the case of optional data, non-provision may mean that we cannot provide our services in full.

Duration of data storage
We only store your data for as long as is necessary for the provision of our services and there are no retention periods to prevent deletion.

Use of service providers
We employ service providers to provide services and process your data (so-called commissioned data processing). The service providers process the data exclusively upon instructions of the WZB and are obliged to comply with the applicable data protection regulations. All processors have been carefully selected and are only granted access to your data to the extent and for the period required that is necessary for the provision of the services.

Processing of data in countries outside the European Economic Area
Some of the service providers employed by us are located in the United States or other countries outside the European Economic Area. Companies in these countries are subject to data protection laws that may not protect personal data to the same extent as is the case in the member states of the European Union. The WZB ensures that your personal data is adequately protected by means of contractual regulations or other recognized instruments.

Data protection rights of users of this website
You have the right to request information about which of your personal data is being stored with us, and for what purpose. In addition, you can have incorrect data corrected or have data deleted if its storage is inadmissible or no longer necessary. You have the right to restriction of processing as well as the right to data portability. Furthermore, you have the right to complain to a supervisory authority about the data processing taking place.

Information on your right to object
You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data. The prerequisite for this is that the data processing takes place on the basis of Art. 6 paragraph 1 letter f of the GDPR (processing for the purposes of legitimate interests).

Data protection officer of the WZB
Our company Data Protection Officer will be available to provide you with further information on the subject of data protection:

Jan-Christoph Thode, datenschutz nord GmbH, office@datenschutz-nord.de