Data Protection Information

When you use this website, we process your personal data as data controllers and save them for the duration required to fulfill the defined purposes and legal obligations. The sections below provide further details about the data this involves, how they will be processed and which rights you have in this regard.

Personal data, as defined by Article 4 (1) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) include all information related to an identified or identifiable natural person.

1. Name and Contact Information of Controller and Corporate Data Protection Officer

This data protection information applies to data processing on all websites of the Fraunhofer Institute for Cognitive Systems IKS that refer to this data protection information. The controller is:

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
Hansastraße 27 c
80686 München

on behalf of its

Fraunhofer Institut for Cognitive Systems IKS
(hereinafter referred to as Fraunhofer IKS)

E-Mail: presse@iks.fraunhofer.de
Phone: +49 89 547 088-0
Fax: +49 89 547 088-220

The Data Protection Officer at Fraunhofer may be reached at the above-mentioned address in Munich, attention of Data Protection Officer or at datenschutz@zv.fraunhofer.de. In case you have any questions about data protection law or your rights as the data subject, you may directly contact our Data Protection Officer.

2. Personal Data Processing and Purposes of Data Processing

a) When visiting the website

You may access our website without having to disclose any details on your identity. The browser installed on your device merely transmits information automatically to the server of our website (e.g., browser type and version, date and time of access) to enable a connection with the website. This includes the IP address of your requesting device. This information is temporarily stored in a so-called log file and will be deleted after 4 days.

Your IP address is processed for technical and administrative purposes regarding connection set-up and stability, to guarantee the security and functioning of our website and, if necessary, to be able to track any illegal attacks on the website.
The legal basis for processing the IP address is Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR. Our legitimate interest ensues from said security interest and the necessity of the unobstructed availability of our website.
We cannot draw any direct conclusions about your identity from processing the IP address and other information in the log file.
Moreover, we use cookies and analytics services when you visit our website. Further details can be found below in this data protection information.

b) When registering for events

We regularly offer a variety of events through our website, for which you can register online.
In order to register online, our website’s visitors have to provide some mandatory data, which generally include:

  • First and last name
  • Address
  • Email address
  • Payment information (only for events that require payment and depending on the method of payment you select)

Any other mandatory data are marked as such (e.g., with *). Often, additional information can be provided voluntarily.

The purpose of processing the mandatory data is to identify you as event participant, to reserve a spot for you as well as to establish and implement a contractual relationship regarding your participation, and to provide you before, during and after the event with information that will optimize your participation, and to help us plan and ensure a smooth event experience. If we collect your payment information for events that require payment, those data are needed to process the registration fee. Voluntary data allow us to plan and conduct the event based on participants’ interest.

We process data at your request, and it is mandatory pursuant to Article 6 (1) lit. b GDPR for the purposes named to fulfill the obligations of the participant agreement and implement precontractual measures.
We store the data we collect in the context of event registrations for 6 months unless you have consented to a longer storage period under Art. 6 (1) lit. a GDPR.
Photos and videos will be taken to document the event in pictures. Since you can possibly be identified in these images, either directly or indirectly, they constitute personal data.
The images are created for Fraunhofer and will be used for news reporting directly associated with the event as well as for internal and external reporting by Fraunhofer.
Furthermore, the images will be published for the purpose of post-event reporting on our media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or on our website. This processing is required in particular to document our event and promote future events.
The legal basis for data processing is Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR. The purposes mentioned are legitimate interests within the meaning of the aforementioned provision.
The images will be stored for 3 years.

c) Participation in an online event

If the event in which you participate is not on-site, but rather online (e.g., via video- and/or audioconference), the following instructions shall also apply.
To conduct the online event we use a technical service provider as processor, which processes the data according to our instructions.
In connection with participation in the online event the following data may be collected:

  • Access data: e.g., an individualized link through which you dial into the online event
  • Content data: Contents of your contributions, e.g., in chats or in votes or files released by you. Image or sound recordings of you will be made only if and to the extent that you have separately consented to this in advance (Art. 6 (1) lit. a GDPR). The purpose as well as your consent to recording will be documented within the recording.
  • Profile data: Data about yourself that you have voluntarily released in connection with the online event; for example, your name or your profile photo. Profile data are used for personalization, for tailoring contents to the interests of the public and for a more personal style of communication.
  • Dial-in data: This includes, for example, the date and time of your dial-in to the conference and the time you leave it.
  • Support /Feedback data: Information in connection with the handling of any troubleshooting tickets or feedback.
  • Telemetry data: These include diagnostic data in connection with the use of the service, including the transmission quality. These data serve to improve troubleshooting, securing and updating technical service and its monitoring. The legal basis is Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR. Our legitimate interests are the provision of a secure and error-free service for online events.

Unless otherwise specified, the processing of the data is done for the technical and content-related execution of the online event, i.e., for the performance of the contract (Art. 6 (1) lit. b GDPR) and we delete the data after 90 days at the latest.
During the conference, the following information is visible to other participants who are not the organizer: Your name, profile photo and your chat contributions.
We do not record whether you participated attentively in the event (e.g., whether you opened windows other than that of the online event, during the event).
If the online event takes place using the “Microsoft Teams” service, the following shall also apply:
The technical service provider is Microsoft Ireland Operations Ltd. in Dublin, Ireland (Microsoft), which works for us as a processor. Data storage takes place in the Microsoft Cloud, specifically in computing centers in the European geographic space. It is not anticipated to transmit personal data to a third country for reasons related to the operation of Microsoft Teams. Should you dial in from a third country, the processing ordered by us will be done using European computer centers in this case as well.
In providing the service Microsoft captures certain diagnostic and service data and uses these on its own authority for its own purposes. To the extent that Microsoft processes personal data in connection with its own legitimate business processes, Microsoft is the independent controller within the meaning of the GDPR for such processing. Particulars concerning the processing by Microsoft may be found at https://docs.microsoft.com/de-de/microsoftteams/teams-privacy
You may also participate in an online event based on Microsoft Teams even without your own Microsoft user account. If you do use your own Microsoft user account to participate, then additional data pursuant to the provisions of your Microsoft user account may be processed.

d) When subscribing to a newsletter or other email list

Once you have given your explicit consent pursuant to Art. 6 (1) lit. a GDPR, we will use your email address to regularly send you selected information about the work in our Institute as well as on other institutions and/or events of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. To receive our newsletter, we collect the following mandatory data from you:

  • Email address

You may voluntarily provide additional personal data (e.g. name, title and language). We use this data to address you personally in our newsletter.
Once you have subscribed, you will receive a registration notification by email, which you need to confirm to receive the newsletter (so-called double opt-in). Your email response serves as confirmation that you are in fact the person who initiated the subscription.

You may unsubscribe at any time, e.g., via a link at the end of each newsletter. Alternatively, you may also unsubscribe by email safe-intelligence@iks.fraunhofer.de or by using the following link: https://www.iks.fraunhofer.de/en/unsubscribe.html.

Once we have received your cancellation of the newsletter subscription, we will immediately delete your email address.
Our service provider, Mailingwork GmbH, Birkenweg 7, 09569 Oederan (»Mailingwork«), sends out our newsletter on our behalf. Mailingwork stores the email addresses of our newsletter recipients on their servers in Germany on our behalf.
Mailingwork uses this information for the purpose of sending and analyzing newsletters on our behalf. For this purpose, we entered into a data processing agreement with Mailingwork. By signing this agreement, Mailingwork undertakes to process the subscriber data in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and to ensure that the rights of data subjects are protected.
Mailingwork has assured us that personal data are comprehensively protected against unauthorized access. Mailingwork is barred from using the data provided by our newsletter subscribers to contact the subscribers itself and is not authorized to transfer the subscriber data to third parties. As a reputable email sending service, Mailingwork is also certified by the Certified Senders Alliance.

3. Transfer of Data

There will be no further transmission of your personal data to third parties for purposes other than those listed below.

a) For contract processing
To the extent permitted by law and in accordance with Art. 6 Para. 1 p. 1 lit. b DSGVO for the processing of contractual relation with you, your personal data will be disclosed to third parties. This includes in particular the transfer to event partners for the purpose of conducting the online event as well as the processing of payment data by our payment service provider eveeno or credit institutions in order to process the payment of the participant fees. The data passed on may be used by the third party exclusively for the purposes mentioned.

b) For further purposes
In addition, we only pass on your personal data to third parties if:

  • you have given your express consent in accordance with Art. 6 Para. 1 p. 1 lit. b DSGVO or
  • in the event that there is a legal obligation to pass on the data pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 p. 1 lit. c DSGVO.

4. Web Analysis/Tracking

LeadLab (Wiredminds GmbH)

Our website uses the Leadlab service by Wiredminds GmbH and its tracking pixel technology to analyze user behavior and optimize our site accordingly. The service particularly allows us to identify which companies have visited our site. In so doing we do not obtain any information that may identify you directly.

The use of Leadlab involves cookies and tracking pixels which allow statistical analysis of the use of this website based on your visits. Information, including personal information, about your visiting behavior is stored in the cookie and sent to Wiredminds or is directly obtained by Wiredminds. Wiredminds uses a pseudonym to process the information in a usage profile for the purpose of analysis. The data are anonymized to the extent possible.

Without your specific permission, we neither use the data collected to identify you personally nor will we match the data with personal data pertaining to the pseudonym associated with you.

If IP addresses are collected, they are immediately anonymized after collection by deleting the last number block.

For more information about data protection at Wiredminds, please visit the company’s website.

We process statistical data based on our legitimate interest pursuant to Article 6 (1) lit. f GDPR for optimizing our online offering and our web presence. Wiredminds processes the data on our behalf based on a data processing agreement between us and Wiredminds. This agreement ensures that the data processing on our behalf is consistent with the General Data Protection Regulation and guarantees the protection of the data subjects’ rights.

If you do not want your usage behavior to be recorded and analyzed, you may object by means of an opt-out cookie. It will be set to prevent the future collection of your data when you visit this website. The opt-out cookie works only in this browser and only for our website. It is stored on your device. If you delete the cookies for this browser, you will have to set the opt-out cookie again.

5. Rights of the data subject

You have the right:

•    pursuant to Article 7(3) GDPR, to withdraw the consent given to us at any time. This means that in future we may no longer continue to process the data as based on this consent;
•    pursuant to Article 15 GDPR, to obtain information about your personal data processed by us. More particularly, you may obtain information about the purpose of processing, the category of the personal data, the categories of recipients, to whom your data has been or is disclosed to, the storage period planned, the existence of a right to request from the controller rectification , erasure, restriction of processing or objection, the existence of a right to lodge a complaint, the source of your data if it has not been collected by us, as well as about the existence of automated decision-making including profiling and, if applicable, significant information about its details;
•   pursuant to Article 16 GDPR, to obtain the rectification of inaccurate personal data without undue delay or the completion of your personal data stored with us;
•   pursuant to Article 17 GDPR, to obtain the erasure of your personal data stored with us unless processing is necessary to exercise the right to freedom of expression and information, for compliance with a legal obligation , for reasons of public interest, or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims;
•   pursuant to Article 18 GDPR, to obtain the restriction of the processing of your personal data if you contest the accuracy of the data, the processing is unlawful but you deny its erasure and we no longer need the data while you still require it for establishing, exercising or defending legal claims or if you have objected to processing pursuant to Article 21 GDPR;
•    pursuant to Article 20 GDPR, to receive your personal data that you have provided to us, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format or to obtain the transmission to another data controller and
•    pursuant to Article 77 GDPR, to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. For this, you may normally contact the supervisory authority of your habitual residence or workplace or our company headquarters.

6. Information on Your Right to Object Pursuant to Art. 21 GDPR

If you would like to assert your right to object, please send an email

You have the right to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, at any time to processing of your personal data pursuant to Art. 6 (1) lit. e GDPR (data processing carried out in the public interest) and Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR (data processing for purposes of legitimate interests). This also applies to any profiling as defined in Art. 4 (4) GDPR that is based on said provision in Art. 6.

If you file an objection, we will no longer process your personal data unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for processing that override your interests, rights and freedoms, or unless the processing serves the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims.

If your objection is directed against the processing of data for the purpose of direct advertising, we will stop the processing immediately. In this case, citing a special situation is not necessary. This includes profiling to the extent that it is related to such direct advertising.

If you would like to assert your right to object, simply send an email to datenschutzkoordination@zv.fraunhofer.de.

7. Data Security

All your personal data are transmitted in encrypted format, using the widely used and secure TLS (Transport Layer Security) standard. TLS is a secure and proven standard that is also used, for instance, in online banking. You will recognize a secure TLS connection by the additional s after http (i.e., https://..) in the address bar of your browser or by the lock icon in the lower part of your browser.

In all other regards, we use suitable technical and organizational security measures to protect your data against accidental or intentional manipulations, partial or complete loss, destruction, or the unauthorized access of third parties. We continuously improve our security measures in accordance with the state of the art.

8. Timeliness and Amendments to this Data Protection Information

This data protection information as amended in January 2022 is currently applicable.

The further development of our website and the products and services offered or changed due to statutory or regulatory requirements, respectively, may make it necessary to amend this data protection information. You may access and print out the latest data protection information at any time from our website at https://www.iks.fraunhofer.de/en/data_protection.html.