Data Protection Statement

1. Information and legal basis for processing personal data

1.1 This data protection statement provides you with information about the processing of your personal data and your data protection rights when using our website. The object of data protection is personal data. Personal data means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (a so-called data subject). This includes, for example, details such as the name, postal address, email address and phone number, though other details are also necessarily created while using our website, such as the beginning, end and extent of use.

1.2 The Data Processor as defined in data protection legislation is Stiftung Ordnungspolitik, Kaiser-Joseph-Str. 266, 79098 Freiburg, Germany (see  Imprint). Contact details of our commissioner for data protection Christoph Ehlers, ehlers(at)cep.eu.

1.3 When you contact us by e-mail, the provided data (your e-mail address as well as your first and last name and any other voluntary information) will be stored by us in order to answer your enquiries. The data collected in this context will be deleted after storage is no longer required, or the processing will be restricted if there are legal storage obligations.

2. Rights of data subjects

2.1 As a data subject you are entitled to the following rights:

  • Right to information
  • Right to rectification and erasure
  • Restriction of processing
  • Data portability
  • Objection to cookies
  • Revocation of consent

2.2 You can also lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority if you believe that the processing of your data has breached the latest applicable law.

3. Collection of personal data on our website

3.1 If you only use the website for information 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 guarantee stability and security (legal basis is Art. 6 Para. 1 Page 1 lit. f DS-GVO):

  • referral website
  • requested website or document
  • type of browser and version of browser
  • used operating system
  • type of device
  • time of use
  • anonymised IP-address

3.2 In addition to the aforementioned data, cookies are stored on your computer when you use our website. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your hard drive assigned to the browser you are using and through which certain information flows to the location that sets the cookie (here by us). Cookies cannot execute programs or transmit viruses to your computer. They serve to make the website more user-friendly and effective.

3.3 Use of cookies:

3.3.1 This website uses the following types of cookies, the scope and functionality of which are explained below:

  • Transient Cookies
  • Persistent Cookies

3.3.2 You can configure your browser settings according to your wishes and, for example, refuse the acceptance of third-party cookies or all cookies. We would like to point out that you may not be able to use all the functions of this website.

4. Newsletter and Publications

4.1 With your consent, you can subscribe to our newsletter and/or our weekly publications. The Newsletter informs you about dates and planned policies in the European Union and gives an update on the work of the cep.

4.2 To subscribe to our newsletter and/or publications, we use a double opt-in process. This means that after your registration we will send you an e-mail to the specified e-mail address in which we will ask you to confirm that you wish to receive the newsletter or our mailings. If you do not confirm your registration, your information will be blocked and automatically deleted. In addition, we save the IP addresses you use and the dates of your registration and confirmation. The purpose of the procedure is to prove your registration and, if necessary, to clarify any possible misuse of your personal data.

4.3 Your first name, name e-mail address are the only required information for receiving the newsletter or our publications. After your confirmation we will save your e-mail address for the purpose of sending you the newsletter. The legal basis is Art. 6 Para. 1 Page 1 lit. a DS-GVO.

4.4 You can revoke your consent to receive the newsletter at any time and unsubscribe from the newsletter. You can withdraw your consent by clicking on the link provided in every newsletter or by sending an e-mail to newsletter(at)cep.eu.

You can revoke your consent to receive the publications at any time and unsubscribe from the publication’s mailing list. You can withdraw your consent by clicking on the link provided in every mail or by sending an e-mail to presse(at)cep.eu.

4.5 The newsletter is sent via "rapidmail", a newsletter distribution platform of rapidmail GmbH, Augustinerplatz 2, 79098 Freiburg i. Br., Germany. Rapidmail is a German certified newsletter software provider which was carefully selected according to the requirements of the GDPR and the German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG). Rapidmail, according to its own information, offers the highest level of data security and data protection as well as consistently DSGVO-compliant newsletter marketing.

The newsletter is sent via "Cobra News & Mail Service“/”mynewsletter.rocks“, a newsletter distribution platform of  cobra computer’s brainware GmbH, Weberinnenstraße 7, 78467 Konstanz, Germany. "Cobra News & Mail Service“/”mynewsletter.rocks“ is a German certified email marketing provider which was carefully selected according to the requirements of the DSGVO. "Cobra News & Mail Service“/”mynewsletter.rocks“, according to its own information, offers the highest level of data security and data protection as well as consistently DSGVO-compliant mail marketing.

4.6 The e-mail addresses of our newsletter recipients are stored on servers of rapidmail in Germany. Rapidmail uses this information to send and evaluate newsletters on our behalf within the meaning of Art. 28 DS-GVO. Furthermore, rapidmail may use this information for its own information to optimize or improve its own services, e.g. for the technical optimization of the dispatch and display of the newsletters or for economic purposes to determine from which countries the recipients come. Rapidmail is prohibited from using the data of our newsletter recipients for purposes other than sending the newsletters. Except in cases permitted by law, rapidmail is not entitled to pass the data of our newsletter recipients on to third parties.

The e-mail addresses of our publication recipients are stored on cep servers in Germany. "Cobra News & Mail Service“/”mynewsletter.rocks“ uses this information to send and evaluate newsletters on our behalf within the meaning of Art. 28 DS-GVO. Furthermore, "Cobra News & Mail Service“/”mynewsletter.rocks“ may use this information for its own information to optimize or improve its own services, e.g. for the technical optimization of the dispatch and display of the newsletters or for economic purposes to determine from which countries the recipients come. "Cobra News & Mail Service“/”mynewsletter.rocks“  is prohibited from using the data of our newsletter recipients for purposes other than sending the newsletters. Except in cases permitted by law, "Cobra News & Mail Service“/”mynewsletter.rocks“ is not entitled to pass the data of our newsletter recipients on to third parties.

4.7 You can find rapidmail’s Privacy Policy here https://www.rapidmail.de/datenschutz

You can find „Cobra News & Mail Service”/„mynewsletter.rocks“ Privacy Policy here:   https://www.mynewsletter.rocks/datenschutz/

4.8 The newsletters contains a so-called "web-beacon", i.e. a file the size of a pixel, which is retrieved from the rapidmail server when the newsletter is opened. Within the scope of this retrieval, technical information, such as information about the browser and your system, as well as your IP address and time of retrieval are collected. These data are used for the purpose of the improvement of the product. For example, the reading behaviour, the retrieval location and the access time can be determined. In addition, it is recorded whether the newsletter was opened, when it was opened and which links to other pages from the newsletter were clicked on.

4.9 Statistical surveys also include determining whether newsletters are opened, when they are opened and which links are clicked. For technical reasons, this information can be assigned to the individual newsletter recipients. It is, however, neither our aim nor that of rapidmail to observe individual users. The evaluations serve us much more to recognize the reading habits of our users and to adapt our content to them or to send different content according to the interests of our users.

4.10 On the website of rapidmail cookies are used and thus personal data are processed by rapidmail, its partners and service providers (e.g. Google Analytics). A newsletter may also contain links to the pages of rapidmail. We have no influence on this data processing. Additional information can be found in rapidmail’s privacy policy.

4.11 The legal basis for the use of rapidmail and "Cobra News & Mail Service“/”mynewsletter.rocks“ is Art. 6 Para. 1 Page 1 lit. a DS-GVO. With revocation of the consent according to 4.4, the use of rapidmail and "Cobra News & Mail Service“/”mynewsletter.rocks“ is also cancelled.

5. Statement on Data Privacy for the Use of Matomo

5.1 What is Matomo?

Matomo is an open-source web analysis tool with which companies can examine user behaviour on their website. For this purpose, the software creates detailed statistics on search engines used, search terms, browsers and user origin, among other things. Matomo - formerly Piwik - is considered the data protection-sensitive version of Google Analytics.

5.2 Scope of the processing of personal data

We use the open source software tool Matomo (formerly PIWIK) on our website to analyse the surfing behaviour of our users. This is an open source tool for web analysis. Matomo does not transmit data to servers that are outside the control of the cep. Matomo does not collect session data without your consent.

Matomo uses cookies. These text files are stored on your computer and enable the cep to analyse the use of its website. For this purpose, the usage information obtained through the cookie is transmitted to the cep's server and stored so that usage behaviour can be evaluated. Your IP address is an anonymous identifier for us; we have no technical means of identifying you as a registered user. You remain anonymous as a user.

The cep sees this analysis as part of its Internet service. It wants to use it to further improve the website and adapt it even more to the needs of the users.

If you agree to web analysis using Matomo, the following data is collected when individual pages of our website are called up:

  • 2 bytes of the IP address of the user's calling system.
  • The web page called up
  • The website from which the user accessed the website (referrer)
  • The sub-pages that are called up from the called-up website
  • The time spent on the website
  • The frequency with which the website is accessed

The software runs exclusively on the servers of Matomo (formerly Piwik) in the EU. Personal user data is only stored there. The data is not passed on to third parties.

You can decide here whether a web analysis cookie may be stored in your browser to enable the Federal Press Office to collect and analyse statistical data.

5.3 Legal basis for the processing of personal data

The legal basis for the processing of users' personal data is Art. 6 (1) a DSGVO.

5.4 Purpose of the data processing

The processing of the users' personal data enables us to analyse the surfing behaviour of our users. By evaluating the data obtained, we are able to compile information on the use of the individual components of our website. This helps us to continuously improve our website and its user-friendliness. By anonymising the IP address, the interest of users in the protection of their personal data is adequately taken into account.

5.5 Duration of storage

The data is deleted as soon as it is no longer required for our recording purposes. The statistics generated and underlying data are not deleted.

5.6 Possibility of objection and removal

Cookies are stored on the user's computer and transmitted to our site by the user. Therefore, you as a user also have full control over the use of cookies. By changing the settings in your internet browser, you can deactivate or restrict the transmission of cookies. Cookies that have already been stored can be deleted at any time. This can also be done automatically. If cookies are deactivated for our website, it may no longer be possible to use all the functions of the website to their full extent.

You can find more information on the privacy settings of the Matomo software at the following link: matomo.org/docs/privacy/.

6. Google Maps

6.1 This website uses the map service Google Maps, which allows the display of interactive maps and the use of the map feature directly on our website.

6.2 When you visit the website, Google receives the information that you have accessed the corresponding subpage of our website. In addition, the data mentioned under Para. 3 of this statement will be transmitted. This occurs regardless of whether Google provides a user account that you are logged in to or whether there is no user account. If you are logged in to Google, your data will be assigned directly to your account. If you do not want your profile to be associated with Google, you must log out before activating the button. Google stores your data as user profiles and uses them for advertising, market research and/or the design of its website to meet your needs. Such evaluation is carried out in particular (even for users who are not logged in) to provide demand-oriented advertising and to inform other users of the social network about your activities on our website. You have the right to object to the creation of these user profiles, and you must contact Google to exercise this right.

6.3 Further information on the purpose and scope of data collection and processing by the plug-in provider can be found in the provider's privacy policy. There you will also find further information on your rights in this regard and setting options to protect your privacy: https://policies.google.com/privacy. Google also processes your personal data in the USA and relies on the EU standard contractual clauses for the data transfers, https://policies.google.com/privacy/frameworks.