Data Protection Information (as of 2023-11-22)
Data Protection Information
The Federation of German Industries (BDI) as operator of this website takes the protection of the personal data of users and interested individuals very seriously. We comply with the regulations of the German Telemedia Act, the Federal Data Protection Act, the General Data Protection Regulation, and the ePrivacy Regulation. If you have any questions regarding data protection at BDI, please feel free to contact our external data protection officer Roman Maczkowsky.
If you would like to get into touch with us by email, please note that the confidentiality of the transmitted information cannot be guaranteed. The contents of emails can be viewed by third parties. We therefore recommend that you send us confidential information exclusively via post.
Respect for Do Not Track and Information on Opt-Out
We respect the activation of the Do Not Track feature in your browser. If Do Not Track is activated in the browser, third-party tracking is deactivated and no web font from external resources is integrated.
Please be advised that general deactivation of cookies may cause malfunctions in the use of our website and, in addition, does not reliably prevent transmission of data to Google Analytics. We therefore recommend using the “Do Not Track” option (DNT) of your Internet browser. Depending on the browser, this is either a button in the program settings or an add-in or plugin module that has to be installed retroactively. If this option is activated, your browser signals to our web server that you do not wish any tracking to be performed without your explicit consent. Then all tracking functions will be automatically disabled by us on the server side. This also means that our websites will be delivered without code for Google Analytics. This assures the best possible data protection, and you do not have to take any further measures with regard to our website.
Depending on which Internet browser you are using, the process for activating the “Do Not Track” option varies. Follow the links below to find out how to do it:
- Mozilla Firefox – Instructions for activating “Do Not Track” in the program options
- Microsoft Internet Explorer – Instructions for activating “Do Not Track” in the program options
- Google Chrome – Instructions for activating “Do Not Track” in the program options
- Apple Safari – Instructions for activating “Do Not Track” in the program options
Analysis of Our Users’ Website Activities and Information about Embedded Third-Party Offers
Use of Cookies
This website uses a pseudonymous cookie to offer a more user-friendly website, particularly for managing the article collection (“collection-uuid-de”). This cookie is not used for other purposes.
If you have activated the Do Not Track feature in your browser, your consent will be requested via a pop-up. If you confirm this, the cookie is placed with a validity of 1 month; otherwise, you will be shown this message again on future visits.
You may object to the use of this cookie at any time by deleting it. Unfortunately, the selections of the article collection cannot be stored in that case.
The tracking measures we use are performed on the basis of Art. 6 Para. 1 Sentence 1 lit. f GDPR. Thereby we want to ensure needs-oriented design and continuous optimization of our website. After weighing the interests, the tracking measures are only used for visitors of our website who do not transmit the browser feature “DoNotTrack” (DNT=1) or who have expressly consented to this measure. The purpose of the measures is to statistically record the usage of our website and to optimize our offers. These interests are to be regarded as legitimate within the meaning of the aforementioned regulation.
Matomo
For the statistical analysis of user activity this website uses Matomo, a service byInnoCraft Ltd., 7 Waterloo Quay PO625, 6140 Wellington, New Zealand, NZBN 6106769. Information about the usage of this website is transferred to our own server and is captured in pseudonymized profiles. We use this information to optimize our website for the users.
IP addresses are captured anonymously, therefore they cannot be attached to other data of the user (so-called “IP Masking”). If the Do Not Track feature is activated in your browser, no information will be captured by Matomo. You can find further information on Matomo and its data protection regulations here: https://matomo.org/privacy/.
Opt-Out for Matomo Tracking
Data Protection Information
Google Maps
This website uses the Google Maps API, a map service of Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), for displaying an interactive map. If Google Maps is used, information about your usage of this website (including your IP address) may be transmitted to a Google server in the USA and may be stored there.
Google may also transmit the information obtained through Maps to third parties if this is stipulated by law or if third parties process these data on behalf of Google. In no case will Google connect your IP address with other data from Google. Nevertheless, it would be technically possible for Google to identify at least individual users based on the data received. It would be possible for personal data and personality profiles of users of this website to be processed by Google for other purposes that we do not and cannot influence. Further information on the usage conditions and data protection of Google can be found https://www.google.com/help/terms_maps/ and https://safety.google/privacy/.
If the Do Not Track feature is activated in your browser, no external Google Maps content will be loaded without your consent.
Issuu
On our website, a Flash application (Flash plugin) of the company Issuu Inc., 131 Lytton Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301, USA (hereafter: Issuu) is integrated via JavaScript code, which enables you to access BDI publications as e-papers.
To do so, Issuu uses cookies that allow your usage of the website to be analysed. In this way, Issuu elicits and stores personal data such as the IP address and information about the time and duration of the usage. Transmission takes place if you have activated JavaScript in your browser. Further information on the usage conditions and data protection of Issuu can be found at https://issuu.com/legal/privacy.
If the Do Not Track feature is activated in your browser, no external Issuu plugins will be loaded without your consent; instead, only a message indicating this option will be displayed.
YouTube
For the integration of videos, we use, among others, the provider YouTube. YouTube is operated by YouTube LLC headquartered at 901 Cherry Avenue, San Bruno, CA 94066, USA. YouTube is represented by Google Ireland Limited.
If you access the subpages of our website that have a YouTube plugin, a connection will be established to the YouTube servers and the plugin will be displayed. By doing so, information about which of our subpages you have visited will be transmitted to the YouTube server. If, while doing so, you are logged in to YouTube as a member, YouTube will associate this information with your personal user account. If you use the plugin, e.g., by clicking on the start button of a video, this information will also be associated with your user account. Further information on data processing and information on data protection by YouTube (Google) can be found at https://google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/.
If the Do Not Track feature is activated in your browser, no external YouTube content will be loaded without your consent; instead, only an indication of this option (play button) will be displayed.
Social Media and News Feeds
Use of Social Plugins of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin Using the Shariff Solution
Social plugins (hereafter called “plugins”) of social networks are used on our website.
In order to increase the protection of your data when you visit our website, these plugins are not integrated into the site unreservedly, but rather only via an HTML link (so-called “Shariff solution” by c‘t). This integration guarantees that when you access a page of our website that contains such plugins, no connection is established yet to the servers of the provider of the respective social network. If you click on one of the buttons, a new window will open in your browser and will access the site of the respective service provider where you can (possibly after entering your login data) press, e.g., the Like or Share button.
For more information about the purpose and extent of the data elicitation and the further processing and use of the data by the providers on their sites, as well as about your rights in this regard and setting options to protect your privacy, please check the data protection information of the respective providers:
Hootsuite
We manage our social media channels with Hootsuite, HootSuite Media Inc, 37 Dunlevy Ave., Vancouver, BC, Canada V6A 3A3 Hootsuite allows us to manage social media channels, plan, publish and analyze posts. Hootsuite processes data uploaded by users on social media channels or shared and made public by sharing and likening posts. Further information and Hootsuite's current privacy policy can be found at hootsuite.com/de/legal/privacy and hootsuite.com/de/legal/general-data-protection-regulation.
Newsletter
Information on Newsletter and on the Double-Opt-In Process
We use the so-called double-opt-in process for mailing newsletters. After you have ordered a newsletter, you will receive an email from us. Once you activate the link it contains, the subscription to the newsletter starts.
Please be advised that your personal data will be stored, analysed and used to improve our service offers. You may unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time. To do so, use the Unsubscribe link in the newsletter, the form on the website or send an email to newsletter@bdi.eu.
Video and Audio Conferences
Microsoft Teams
We use platforms from other providers (hereinafter referred to as "third-party providers") for internal video and audio conferences and in communication with external partners.
We currently work with Microsoft Teams, a messenger and conferencing software from Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399 USA. You can view the provider's data protection information at https://privacy.microsoft.com/de-de/privacystatement.
In this context, data of the communication participants are processed and stored on the servers of the third-party providers, insofar as they are part of communication processes with us. This data may include, in particular, inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers), content data (e.g. text entries, photographs, videos), usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), and meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
Occasionally, the third-party providers may process usage data and metadata for security, service optimisation or marketing purposes. Please consult the data protection notices of the respective third-party providers if necessary. We have entered into the necessary agreements with the third-party providers commissioned by us, which also include the contractual stipulation of data processing exclusively within the European Economic Area (EEA).
Where we ask for your consent to use the third-party providers or certain features (e.g. consent to a recording of calls), the legal basis for the processing is consent. Furthermore, their use may be a component of our (pre-)contractual services, provided that the use of the third-party providers has been agreed within this framework. Otherwise, your data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests in efficient and secure communication. Please also note the information on the use of cookies in this data protection notice.
Live Streaming with comment function (e.g. for remote events)
We use the technical platform of a service provider to transmit live videos. Here, log data of the streaming visitors are transmitted to the service provider. This data is used for the statistical evaluation of the access and the optimization of the transmission of the stream.
Furthermore, viewers have the option to submit questions and comments live during a streaming transmission via chat function. These questions are also transmitted to us through the streaming service provider. The use of this function is voluntary. It is possible to post under a pseudonym, however, additional meta data will be transmitted (e.g. the IP address of the accessing computer). The data processing connected to the live streaming and the chat function takes place exclusively within the European Economic Area (EEA). The collected chat data will be deleted or anonymized at the end of the streaming session. Against the background of the voluntary use of the chat function, the legal basis of the processing is your consent. Otherwise, your data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests in efficient and secure communication.
Purpose of processing: providing a live stream with comment function
Used service provider: Content Flow GmbH, Berlin; provision of live streaming with comment function, privacy notice of the provider: https://contentflow.de/datenschutzerklaerung/
Processed data: meta data (e.g. IP address), communication data (chat content), names or pseudonyms
Person affected: users of the streaming offer and the chat function
Legal basis: consent, legitimate interests of the data controller
Use of the Interaction Tool Slido (e.g. for events):
As part of our video streams at digital events, we offer participants the opportunity to take part in surveys or ask questions and make comments via a chat function using an interaction tool. For this purpose, we use the technical platform of a service provider.
The usage is optional and the event can also be followed without Slido. If the interaction tool is used, this requires the consent of the participants to process data by Slido s. r. o. The associated privacy policy can be found on the Slido s. r. o. homepage (www.sli.do/terms#privacy-policy).
The request for consent is made on the event page of the service provider. Personal data will be transmitted only after your consent. In addition, it is possible to use the interaction tool anonymously after consenting to the use of data by Slido, so that, besides the IP address, no further personal data is transmitted. This option can be determined in the settings of the interaction tool. Anonymization is explicitly recommended.
Please note: Slido is a service that may commission subcontractors in the USA to process your personal data. Thus, processing of personal data may also take place in a third country that does not have a level of data protection that corresponds to the European standard. By participating, you consent at the same time pursuant to Art. 49 (1) lit. a DSGVO that your data may be processed in the USA, with the risk of secret access by US authorities and use for monitoring purposes, possibly also without any legal remedy.
Purpose of processing: providing an interaction tool for Q&As, audience polls and comments
Service provider used: sli.do s. r. o., Bratislava, Slovakia; provision of an interactive platform for Q&A and audience surveys, provider's privacy notice available at www.sli.do/terms#privacy-policy
Processed data: Meta data (e.g., IP address), communication data (chat content, Q&A content, survey results, comments), names or pseudonyms
Person affected: users of the interaction platform
Legal basis: consent, legitimate interests of the data controller
Your Rights as an Affected Person
Your Rights to Revoke and Object
Regardless of the above, you may (pursuant to Art. 7 Para. 3 and Art. 21 GDPR) object to the use of your data at any time: you may also, at any time, revoke any additional consent you may have given to the use of your data.
If you revoke your consent to data processing, resp. object to the use of your data, the legality of the data processing until the time of revocation is not affected.
Your Right to Rectification, Erasure, Blocking and Restriction
In addition, you may have us rectify, block or erase at any time the data we have elicited and stored (Art. 16, Art. 17 and Art. 18 GDPR). We expressly point out that there may be legal requirements to continue storing your data; in such cases, the data can only be blocked.
Your Right to Data Portability and Your Right to Lodge a Complaint with a Supervisory Authority
Since May 25th, 2018, you also have the right to data portability pursuant to Art. 20 GDPR as well as the right to lodge a complaint with the responsible supervisory authority within the meaning of Art. 77 GDPR.
Point of Contact for Exercising Your Rights as an Affected Person
Pursuant to Art. 15 GDPR, you have the right to learn which data concerning you is stored by us (right of access).
The controller is BDI. To exercise the aforementioned rights, send an email to auskunft@bdi.eu.
Changes / Version
Last update: 2021-03-11
For legal and/or organizational reasons, changes, resp. modifications of our data protection information will be necessary from time to time. If any changes to this data protection declaration should occur, they will be published on this site with the respective date. We continue to provide older versions for your perusal.