The following privacy policy informs you about the collection and use of personal data when you use our website. We comply with the data protection laws applicable in Germany. You can access this policy at any time on our website.
The responsible party within the meaning of data protection laws, in particular the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), is:
smart³ e.V.
Edisonstraße 4
02625 Bautzen
Your Rights as a Data Subject
Using the contact details of our data protection officer provided below, you may exercise the following rights at any time:
- Access to your personal data stored by us and information about how it is processed
- Correction of inaccurate personal data,
- Deletion of your personal data stored by us,
- Restriction of data processing where we are not yet permitted to delete your data due to legal obligations,
- Objection to the processing of your data and
- Data portability, where you have consented to data processing or entered into a contract with us.
Where you have given us consent, you may withdraw it at any time with effect for the future.
You may lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority responsible for your place of residence, place of work, or the location of the alleged infringement. A list of supervisory authorities (for the non-public sector) with addresses can be found at: https://www.bfdi.bund.de.
Purposes of Data Processing
We process your personal data only for the purposes stated in this privacy policy. Your personal data will not be transferred to third parties for purposes other than those stated. We share your personal data with third parties only where:
- You have given your express consent,
- Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you,
- Processing is required to fulfil a legal obligation,
- Processing is necessary to protect legitimate interests and there is no reason to assume that you have an overriding interest in not having your data disclosed
Deletion and Blocking of Data
We adhere to the principles of data minimisation and data economy. We therefore store your personal data only for as long as necessary to achieve the purposes stated here, or as required by the retention periods prescribed by law. Once the relevant purpose has ceased or those periods have expired, the corresponding data will be routinely blocked or deleted in accordance with statutory requirements.
Comment Function
When users leave comments on our website, the time of submission and the username chosen by the visitor are stored alongside the comment content. This serves our security interests, as we may be held liable for unlawful content published on our website, even if created by users.
Newsletter
The following information explains the content of our newsletter, the subscription, delivery and statistical analysis process, and your right to object. By subscribing to our newsletter, you agree to receive it in accordance with the procedures described below.
Newsletter Content
We send newsletters, emails, and other electronic communications containing promotional information (collectively "newsletter") only with the recipient's consent or on a legal basis. Where the content of the newsletter is described in detail during the subscription process, that description is binding for the purposes of obtaining consent.
Double Opt-In and Logging
Subscriptions to our newsletter are processed via a double opt-in procedure: after signing up, you will receive an email asking you to confirm your subscription. This confirmation is required to prevent third parties from subscribing using your email address.
Subscriptions are logged in order to demonstrate the sign-up process in accordance with legal requirements. This includes storing the time of sign-up and confirmation, as well as the IP address. Changes to your data stored with MailChimp are also logged.
Use of MailChimp
Newsletters are sent via MailChimp, a newsletter delivery platform operated by Rocket Science Group, LLC, 675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE #5000, Atlanta, GA 30308, USA.
The email addresses of our newsletter recipients, along with other data described in this policy, are stored on MailChimp's servers in the United States. MailChimp uses this information to send and analyse newsletters on our behalf. MailChimp may also use this data to improve its own services, for example through technical optimisation of delivery and display, or for commercial purposes such as determining the geographic origin of recipients. MailChimp does not use our subscribers' data to contact them independently or share it with third parties.
We rely on MailChimp's reliability and IT and data security standards. MailChimp is certified under the EU-US Privacy Shield framework and is thereby committed to complying with EU data protection standards. We have also concluded a Data Processing Agreement with MailChimp, under which MailChimp is obliged to protect our users' data, process it in accordance with its privacy policy on our behalf, and in particular not to pass it on to third parties. MailChimp's privacy policy is available on their website.
Registration Data
To subscribe to the newsletter, your email address is sufficient.
Optionally, we may ask for your first and last name and gender, solely for the purpose of personalising the newsletter.
Statistical Analysis
Our newsletters contain a so-called web beacon — a pixel-sized file that is retrieved from MailChimp's server when the newsletter is opened. This retrieval collects technical information such as browser and system details, your IP address, and the time of access. This information is used to improve the technical quality of the service and to analyse audience reading behaviour based on location (determined via IP address) and access times.
Statistical analysis also includes whether newsletters are opened, when they are opened, and which links are clicked. While this information can technically be attributed to individual recipients, it is neither our intention nor MailChimp's to monitor individual users. The analysis is used solely to understand reader habits and tailor our content accordingly.
Online Access and Data Management
In some cases, we direct newsletter recipients to MailChimp's website — for example, our newsletters may include a link to view the newsletter online (e.g. if it does not display correctly in your email client), or to update your email address. MailChimp's Privacy Policy is also only available on their website.
Please note that MailChimp's website uses cookies, and that personal data may be processed by MailChimp, its partners, and service providers (e.g. Google Analytics). We have no control over this data collection. For further information, please refer to MailChimp's Privacy Policy. You may also opt out of interest-based advertising at http://www.aboutads.info (for the European Economic Area).
Cancellation / Withdrawal
You may cancel your newsletter subscription at any time, thereby withdrawing your consent to receive it and to the associated statistical analysis via MailChimp. A separate withdrawal from MailChimp delivery or statistical analysis alone is not possible.
An unsubscribe link is included at the bottom of every newsletter.
Contact Form
If you contact us by email or via our contact form, you voluntarily provide your personal data for the purpose of making contact. A valid email address is required to assign and respond to your enquiry. Providing further information is optional. The data you submit will be stored for the purpose of processing your enquiry and any follow-up questions. Once your enquiry has been resolved, your personal data will be deleted automatically.
Google Analytics
This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google Inc. ("Google"). Google Analytics uses cookies — text files stored on your device — to help analyse how visitors use the website. The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website is generally transmitted to and stored on a Google server in the United States. However, due to IP anonymisation being enabled on this website, your IP address will be truncated by Google within member states of the European Union or other contracting states to the Agreement on the European Economic Area before transmission. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be transmitted to a Google server in the United States and truncated there. Google will use this information on behalf of the website operator to evaluate your use of the website, compile reports on website activity, and provide other services related to website and internet usage. The IP address transmitted by your browser as part of Google Analytics will not be merged with other data held by Google.
The purposes of data processing are to evaluate website usage and compile activity reports. Further related services are provided on the basis of website and internet usage. Processing is based on the legitimate interests of the website operator.
You may prevent cookies from being stored by adjusting your browser settings; however, please note that doing so may mean you are unable to use all features of this website. You may also prevent Google from collecting and processing the data generated by the cookie relating to your use of the website (including your IP address) by downloading and installing the browser plugin available at: Browser Add-On to Disable Google Analytics.
As an alternative or in addition to the browser add-on, you can prevent tracking by Google Analytics on our pages by clicking this link. An opt-out cookie will be installed on your device, preventing Google Analytics from collecting data from this website in this browser for as long as the cookie remains installed.
Embedded YouTube Videos
Some pages on our website embed YouTube videos. The operator of the relevant plugins is YouTube, LLC, 901 Cherry Ave., San Bruno, CA 94066, USA. When you visit a page containing a YouTube plugin, a connection to YouTube's servers is established and YouTube is informed of which pages you visit. If you are logged into your YouTube account, YouTube may associate your browsing behaviour with your personal profile. You can prevent this by logging out of your YouTube account before visiting our site.
When a YouTube video is started, the provider sets cookies that collect information about user behaviour.
Users who have disabled cookies for the Google Ad programme will not encounter such cookies when watching YouTube videos. YouTube may, however, store non-personal usage information in other cookies. To prevent this, you must block cookies in your browser.
For further information on data protection at YouTube, please refer to the provider's privacy policy at: https://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy/
Changes to Our Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to update this privacy policy as necessary to comply with current legal requirements or to reflect changes to our services, for example when introducing new features. Your next visit will be governed by the updated policy.
Questions to Our Data Protection Officer
If you have any questions about data protection, please send us an email or contact the person responsible for data protection in our organisation directly.
This privacy policy was created using the privacy policy generator provided by activeMind AG.