Data protection declaration
This data protection declaration clarifies the type, scope and purpose of the processing of personal data (hereinafter referred to as "data") in the context of the provision of our services and within our online offering and the websites, functions and content associated with it as well as external online presences, such as our Social Media Profile (hereinafter jointly referred to as "online offering"). With regard to the terms used, such as "processing" or "person responsible", we refer you to the definitions in Art. 5 of the Swiss Datenschutzgesetz (DSG) Art. 4 of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Person responsible
Dr. h.c. Robert Mathys Stiftung / RMS Foundation
Bischmattstrasse 12
CH - 2544 Bettlach
E-mail contact
Manging Director: Dr. Aart Molenberg
Legal notice: https://www.rms-foundation.ch/en/service/legal-notice.html
Types of data processed
- Inventory data (e.g., personal master data, names or 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).
- Meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses).
Categories of data subjects
Visitors and users of the online offer (hereinafter referred to collectively as "users").
Purpose of processing
- Provision of the online offer, its functions and contents.
- Answering contact requests and communicating with users.
- Security measures.
- Range measurement/Marketing
Terms used
"Personal data" means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter "data subject"); a natural person who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, online identifier (e.g. a cookie) or to one or more specific characteristics which express the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person, is regarded as identifiable.
"processing" means any operation carried out with or without the aid of automated processes, or set of operations, involving personal data. The term is broad and covers practically every handling of data.
"Pseudonymisation" means the processing of personal data in such a way that the personal data can no longer be attributed to a specific data subject without the provision of additional information, provided that such additional information is kept separately and is subject to technical and organisational measures ensuring that the personal data are not attributed to an identified or identifiable natural person.
"Profiling" means any automated processing of personal data consisting of the use of such personal data to evaluate certain personal aspects relating to a natural person, in particular to analyse or predict aspects relating to the work performance, economic situation, health, personal preferences, interests, reliability, conduct, whereabouts or movements of that natural person.
The "controller" is the natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which alone or jointly with others determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data.
"processor" means a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which processes personal data on behalf of the controller.
Applicable legal bases
If we process data of users, the Swiss DSG regulations apply in each case. If relevant, the GDPR apply additionally.
In accordance with Art. 13 GDPR, we will inform you of the legal basis of our data processing. For users from the area of application of the data protection basic regulation (GDPR), i.e. the EU and the EEC, the following applies if the legal basis is not mentioned in the data protection declaration:
The legal basis for obtaining consent is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a and Art. 7 GDPR;
The legal basis for the processing for the fulfilment of our services and the implementation of contractual measures as well as the answering of inquiries is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR;
The legal basis for the processing to fulfil our legal obligations is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c GDPR;
Art. 6 para. 1 lit. d GDPR serves as the legal basis in the event that vital interests of the data subject or another natural person necessitate the processing of personal data.
The legal basis for the processing necessary for the performance of a task which is in the public interest or is carried out in the exercise of official authority entrusted to the data controller is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. e GDPR.
The legal basis for the processing to safeguard our legitimate interests is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR.
The processing of data for purposes other than those for which they were collected is governed by the provisions of Art. 6 (4) GDPR.
The processing of special categories of data (pursuant to Art. 9 para. 1 GDPR) is governed by the provisions of Art. 9 para. 2 GDPR.
Safety precautions
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures in accordance with the statutory requirements, taking into account the state of the art, the implementation costs and the type, extent, circumstances and purposes of the processing as well as the different probability of occurrence and severity of the risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons, in order to ensure a level of protection appropriate to the risk.
In particular, these measures include safeguarding the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data by controlling physical access to the data as well as access to, inputting, forwarding, securing and separating the data. In addition, we have established procedures to ensure the exercise of data subjects' rights, the deletion of data and the response to data threats. Furthermore, we take the protection of personal data into account as early as the development or selection of hardware, software and processes, in accordance with the principle of data protection through technology design and data protection-friendly default settings.
Cooperation with contract processors, jointly responsible persons and third parties
Insofar as we disclose data to other persons and companies (contract processors, jointly responsible persons or third parties) within the scope of our processing, transfer them to them or otherwise grant them access to the data, this shall only take place on the basis of legal permission (e.g. if a transfer of the data to third parties, such as payment service providers, is necessary for the fulfilment of the contract), users have consented, a legal obligation provides for this or on the basis of our legitimate interests (e.g. when using agents, web hosts, etc.).
Insofar as we disclose, transmit or otherwise grant access to data to other companies of our group of companies, this is done in particular for administrative purposes as a legitimate interest and beyond that on a basis corresponding to the legal requirements.
Transfers to third countries
If we process data in a third country (i.e. outside the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or the Swiss Confederation) or if this is done in the context of the use of third party services or disclosure or transfer of data to other persons or companies, this only occurs if it is done to fulfil our (pre)contractual obligations, on the basis of your consent, a legal obligation or on the basis of our legitimate interests. Subject to legal or contractual permissions, we process or leave the data in a third country only if the legal requirements are met. I.e. the processing takes place e.g. on the basis of special guarantees, like the officially recognized statement of a data protection level corresponding to the EU (e.g. for the USA by the "Privacy Shield") or observance of officially recognized special contractual obligations.
Rights of users
You have the right to obtain confirmation as to whether the data in question will be processed and to be informed of such data and to obtain further information and a copy of the data in accordance with the provisions of the law.
You have the right, in accordance with the statutory provisions, to request the completion of the data concerning you or the correction of the incorrect data concerning you.
In accordance with the statutory provisions, you have the right to demand that the data concerned be deleted immediately or, alternatively, to demand that the processing of the data be restricted in accordance with the statutory provisions.
You have the right to demand that the data concerning you which you have made available to us be received in accordance with the statutory provisions and that it be transferred to other persons responsible.
You also have the right to file a complaint with the competent supervisory authority in accordance with the statutory provisions.
Right of withdrawal
You have the right to revoke your consent with effect for the future.
Right of objection
You may object at any time to the future processing of the data concerning you in accordance with the statutory provisions. In particular, you may object to the processing of your data for the purposes of direct marketing.
Cookies and right to object to direct advertising
Cookies" are small files that are stored on the user's computer. Different data can be stored within the cookies. A cookie is primarily used to store information about a user (or the device on which the cookie is stored) during or after the user's visit to an online service. Temporary cookies, or "session cookies" or "transient cookies", are cookies that are deleted after a user leaves an online offer and closes his browser. The content of a shopping basket in an online shop or a login status, for example, can be stored in such a cookie. Cookies are referred to as "permanent" or "persistent" and remain stored even after the browser has been closed. For example, the login status can be saved if users visit it after several days. The interests of the users can also be stored in such a cookie, which are used for range measurement or marketing purposes. Third party cookies" are cookies that are offered by providers other than the person responsible for operating the online service (otherwise, if they are only the latter's cookies, they are referred to as "first party cookies").
We may use temporary and permanent cookies and explain this in the context of our data protection declaration.
If users do not wish cookies to be stored on their computer, they are asked to deactivate the corresponding option in the system settings of their browser. Stored cookies can be deleted in the system settings of the browser. The exclusion of cookies can lead to functional restrictions of this online offer.
A general objection to the use of cookies used for online marketing purposes can be raised for a large number of services, particularly in the case of tracking, via the US website http://www.aboutads.info/choices/ or the EU website http://www.youronlinechoices.com/. In addition, cookies can be stored by switching them off in the browser settings. Please note that in this case not all functions of this online offer can be used.
Deletion of data
The data processed by us will be deleted in accordance with legal requirements or their processing will be restricted. Unless expressly stated in this data protection declaration, the data stored by us will be deleted as soon as they are no longer required for their intended purpose and there are no legal obligations to retain them.
If the data are not deleted because they are required for other and legally permissible purposes, their processing will be restricted. This means that the data is blocked and not processed for other purposes. This applies, for example, to data that must be stored for commercial or tax reasons.
Changes and Updates to the Data Protection Declaration
We ask you to inform yourself regularly about the content of our data protection declaration. We will adapt the data protection declaration as soon as the changes to the data processing carried out by us make this necessary. We will inform you as soon as the changes require your cooperation (e.g. consent) or other individual notification.
Contractual services
We process the data of our contractual partners and interested parties as well as other clients, customers, or contractual partners (uniformly referred to as "contractual partners") in accordance with Art. 6 DSG and Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b. of the GDPR in order to provide them with our contractual or pre-contractual services. The data processed, the type, scope and purpose and the necessity of their processing are determined by the underlying contractual relationship.
The processed data includes the master data of our contractual partners (e.g., names and addresses), contact data (e.g. e-mail addresses and telephone numbers) as well as contract data (e.g., services used, contract contents, contractual communication, names of contact persons) and payment data (e.g., bank details, payment history).
We do not process any special categories of personal data, unless they are part of a commissioned or contractual processing.
We process data which are necessary for the justification and fulfilment of the contractual services and point out the necessity of their indication, if this is not evident for the contracting parties. Disclosure to external persons or companies shall only take place if it is necessary within the framework of a contract. When processing the data provided to us within the framework of an order, we act in accordance with the instructions of the client and the legal requirements.
Within the scope of using our online services, we can store the IP address and the time of the respective user action. The storage takes place on the basis of our justified interests, as well as the interests of the users in the protection from abuse and other unauthorized use. This data will not be passed on to third parties unless it is necessary to pursue our claims or there is a legal obligation to do so.
The data will be deleted when the data is no longer required for the fulfilment of contractual or statutory welfare obligations and for the handling of any warranty and comparable obligations, whereby the necessity of storing the data is reviewed every three years; otherwise the statutory storage obligations apply.
Administration, financial accounting, office organisation, contact management
We process data in the context of administrative tasks as well as the organisation of our business, financial accounting and compliance with legal obligations, such as archiving. Here we process the same data that we process within the scope of providing our contractual services. Customers, interested parties, business partners and website visitors are affected by the processing. The purpose and our interest in the processing lies in the administration, financial accounting, office organization, archiving of data, i.e. tasks which serve the maintenance of our business activities, performance of our tasks and provision of our services. The deletion of the data with regard to contractual services and contractual communication corresponds to the data specified in these processing activities.
We disclose or transmit data to the tax authorities, consultants, such as tax consultants or auditors, as well as other fee offices and payment service providers.
Furthermore, on the basis of our business interests, we store information on suppliers, organisers and other business partners, e.g. for the purpose of establishing contact at a later date. This data, which is mainly company-related, is stored permanently.
Economic analyses and market research
In order to run our business economically, to be able to recognise market trends, wishes of contractual partners and users, we analyse the data available to us on business transactions, contracts, enquiries, etc. We process inventory data, communication data, contract data, payment data, usage data, metadata, whereby the persons concerned include contractual partners, interested parties, customers, visitors and users of our online services.
The analyses are carried out for the purpose of economic evaluations, marketing and market research. We can consider the profiles of registered users with information, e.g. on the services they have used. The analyses serve us to increase the user friendliness, the optimization of our offer and the business economy. The analyses serve us alone and are not disclosed externally unless they are anonymous analyses with summarized values.
If these analyses or profiles are person-related, they will be deleted or anonymised upon termination by the user, otherwise after two years from the conclusion of the contract. In all other respects, the macroeconomic analyses and general trend determinations are prepared anonymously wherever possible.
Contacting us
When contacting us (e.g. via contact form, e-mail, telephone or via social media), the user's details are used to process the contact enquiry and to process it. The data of the users can be stored in a customer relationship management system ("CRM system") or comparable inquiry organization.
We delete the requests if they are no longer necessary. We check the necessity every two years; furthermore, the legal archiving obligations apply.
Newsletter
With the following information we inform you about the contents of our newsletter as well as the registration, dispatch and statistical evaluation procedures and your rights of objection. By subscribing to our newsletter, you declare your agreement with the receipt and the described procedures.
Content of the newsletter: We send newsletters, e-mails and other electronic notifications containing advertising information (hereinafter referred to as "newsletter") only with the consent of the recipient or legal permission. If the contents of the newsletter are specifically described within the scope of registration, they are decisive for the consent of the user. In addition, our newsletters contain information about our services and us.
Double-Opt-In and logging: The registration to our newsletter takes place in a so-called Double-Opt-In procedure. I.e. after registration you will receive an e-mail in which you will be asked to confirm your registration. This confirmation is necessary so that nobody can register with external e-mail addresses. The registrations for the newsletter are logged in order to be able to prove the registration process according to the legal requirements. This includes the storage of the registration and confirmation time, as well as the IP address. Likewise the changes of your data stored with the dispatch service provider are logged.
Registration data: To subscribe to the newsletter, it is sufficient to submit your e-mail address and to enter a name for the purpose of addressing you personally.
The dispatch of the newsletter and the performance measurement associated with it are based on the consent of the recipients or, if consent is not required, on our legitimate interests in direct marketing.
The registration procedure is recorded on the basis of our legitimate interests. Our interest is directed towards the use of a user-friendly and secure newsletter system which serves our business interests as well as the expectations of the users and furthermore allows us to provide proof of consent.
Cancellation/revocation - You can cancel the receipt of our newsletter at any time, i.e. revoke your consent. You will find a link to cancel the newsletter at the end of each newsletter. We may store the unsubscribed e-mail addresses for up to three years on the basis of our legitimate interests before deleting them in order to be able to prove that we have previously given our consent. The processing of this data is limited to the purpose of a possible defence against claims. An individual request for deletion is possible at any time, provided that the former existence of a consent is confirmed at the same time.
Newsletter - Mailchimp
The newsletters are sent by the mail service "MailChimp", a newsletter dispatch platform of the US provider Rocket Science Group, LLC, 675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE #5000, Atlanta, GA 30308, USA. You can view the privacy policy of the shipping service provider here: https://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy/. The Rocket Science Group LLC d/b/a MailChimp is certified under the Privacy Shield Agreement and thus offers a guarantee to comply with the European data protection level (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000TO6hAAG&status=Active). The shipping service provider is appointed on the basis of our legitimate interests and an order processing contract.
The dispatch service provider can use the recipient's data in pseudonymous form, i.e. without allocation to a user, to optimise or improve its own services, e.g. for technical optimisation of dispatch and the presentation of the newsletter or for statistical purposes. However, the dispatch service provider does not use the data of our newsletter recipients to write to them itself or to pass the data on to third parties.
Newsletter - Success Measurement
The newsletters contain a so-called "web-beacon", i.e. a file the size of a pixel, which is retrieved from our server when the newsletter is opened or, if we use a dispatch service provider, from its server. In the course 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 first collected.
This information is used for the technical improvement of the services on the basis of the technical data or the target groups and their reading behaviour on the basis of their retrieval locations (which can be determined with the help of the IP address) or the access times. 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 endeavour nor, if used, that of the mail-order service provider to observe individual users. The evaluations serve us much more to recognize the reading habits of our users and to adapt our contents to them or to send different contents according to the interests of our users.
A separate cancellation of the performance measurement is unfortunately not possible, in which case the entire newsletter subscription must be cancelled.
Hosting and e-mailing
The hosting services used by us serve the provision of the following services: Infrastructure and platform services, computing capacity, storage space and database services, e-mail dispatch, security services and technical maintenance services which we use for the purpose of operating this online service.
Here we, or our hosting provider, process inventory data, contact data, content data, contract data, usage data, meta and communication data of customers, interested parties and visitors to this online service on the basis of our legitimate interests in the efficient and secure provision of this online service (conclusion of an order processing contract).
Collection of access data and log files
We, or our hosting provider, collect data about each access to the server on which this service is located (so-called server log files) on the basis of our legitimate interests data about each access to the server on which this service is located (so-called server log files). Access data includes the name of the website accessed, the file, the date and time of access, the amount of data transferred, notification of successful access, browser type and version, the user's operating system, referrer URL (the previously visited page), IP address and the requesting provider.
Log file information is stored for security reasons (e.g. to clarify abuse or fraud actions) for a maximum period of 7 days and then deleted. Data, the further storage of which is necessary for evidence purposes, are excluded from deletion until the respective incident has been finally clarified.
Online presences in social media
We maintain online presences within social networks and platforms in order to communicate with customers, interested parties and users active there and to inform them about our services.
We would like to point out that user data may be processed outside of the European Union. This can result in risks for users, as it could, for example, make it more difficult to enforce the rights of users. With regard to US providers that are certified under the Privacy Shield, we would like to point out that by doing so they commit themselves to comply with the data protection standards of the EU.
In addition, user data is generally processed for market research and advertising purposes. For example, user profiles can be created on the basis of user behaviour and the resulting interests of users. The user profiles can in turn be used, for example, to place advertisements inside and outside the platforms which are presumed to correspond to the interests of the users. For these purposes, cookies are usually stored on the computers of the users in which the user behaviour and the interests of the users are stored. Furthermore, data can also be stored in the user profiles independently of the devices used by the users (in particular if the users are members of the respective platforms and are logged in to them).
The processing of users' personal data is carried out on the basis of our legitimate interests in effective information for users and communication with users. If the users are asked by the respective providers for their consent to data processing (i.e. declare their consent e.g. by ticking a checkbox or confirming a button), the legal basis for processing is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a., Art. 7 GDPR.
For a detailed description of the respective processing operations and the opt-out options, please refer to the following linked information provided by the providers.
Also in the case of requests for information and the assertion of user rights, we point out that these can be asserted most effectively with the providers. Only the providers have access to the data of the users and can directly take appropriate measures and give information. Should you nevertheless need help, you can contact us.
- Google/ YouTube (Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA) - Privacy Statement: https://policies.google.com/privacy, Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated, Privacy Shield: https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI&status=Active.
- LinkedIn (LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland) - Privacy Statement https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy, Opt-Out: https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/guest-controls/retargeting-opt-out, Privacy Shield: https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000L0UZAA0&status=Active.
- Xing (XING AG, Dammtorstraße 29-32, 20354 Hamburg, Germany) - Privacy Statement / Opt-Out: https://privacy.xing.com/de/datenschutzerklaerung.
Integration of third-party services and content
Within our online offer, we use content or service offers from third parties on the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in the analysis, optimisation and economic operation of our online offer content or service offers from third parties in order to integrate their content and services, such as videos or fonts (hereinafter uniformly referred to as "content").
This always presupposes that the third-party providers of this content perceive the IP address of the user, since they would not be able to send the content to their browser without the IP address. The IP address is therefore required for the presentation of this content. We make every effort to use only those contents whose respective providers only use the IP address to deliver the contents. Third party providers may also use so-called pixel tags (invisible graphics, also known as "web beacons") for statistical or marketing purposes. Pixel tags" can be used to evaluate information such as visitor traffic on the pages of this website. The pseudonymous information may also be stored in cookies on the user's device and may contain, among other things, technical information about the browser and operating system, referring web pages, visit times and other information about the use of our online services, as well as may be linked to such information from other sources.
Google Fonts
We incorporate the fonts ("Google Fonts") of the provider Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Privacy Policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.
Google Maps
We integrate maps of the "Google Maps" service of the third party provider Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre, Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Privacy Policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://www.google.com/settings/ads/.
Functions and contents of the Xing service offered by XING AG, Dammtorstraße 29-32, 20354 Hamburg, Germany, can be integrated into our online offering. This may include, for example, content such as images, videos or texts and buttons with which users can share content from this online service within Xing. If the users are members of the Xing platform, Xing can assign the access to the above-mentioned contents and functions to the profiles of the users there. Privacy policy of Xing: https://privacy.xing.com/de/datenschutzerklaerung.
Within our online offer functions and contents of the service LinkedIn, offered by the LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland, can be integrated. This may include, for example, content such as images, videos or texts and buttons with which users can share content of this online offer within LinkedIn. If the users are members of the platform LinkedIn, LinkedIn can assign the call of the above-mentioned contents and functions to the profiles of the users there. Privacy policy of LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy. LinkedIn is certified under the Privacy Shield Agreement and thus offers a guarantee to comply with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000L0UZAA0&status=Active). Privacy Policy: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy, Opt-Out: https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/guest-controls/retargeting-opt-out.