Privacy policy for our website

The following policy provides an overview of how the State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg guarantees the protection of your data when you use our website and which type of data is processed for which purpose and to what extent within our website and its associated pages, functions and contents. We would also like to inform you about your rights as person concerned.

The privacy policy applies irrespective of the domains, systems, platforms and devices (whether desktop or mobile) that are used on which the website is displayed.

We use terminology such as "personal data" or its "processing" in accordance with the definitions in Article 4 of the GDPR. In addition to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) the State Data Protection Act (SDPA) is legal basis.

It may become necessary to make changes to this privacy policy while further developing our website and the technologies that are used. We therefore recommend that you read through the privacy policy from time to time.

We reserve the right to change the privacy policy to adapt it to any changes to legal situations, or if there are any changes to our service or data processing. If consent from users is required, or if parts of the privacy policy contain provisions of the contractual relationship with the user, these changes shall be made only with the users’ consent.

The State Ministry shall process data in the context of this website

• so that you can access its pages
• for sending newsletters
• for using the contact form
• for placing orders in the online shop
• for statistical analysis

The personal data that is processed in the context of this website includes inventory data (such as e-mail addresses for newsletters and contact forms, names and addresses and e-mail addresses for orders in the online shop), usage data (such as the pages of our website that are visited) and content data (such as entries in the contact form).

We collect this data to this extent on the basis of Article 6 Paragraph 1 (b) and (e) GDPR in conjunction with Section 4 SDPA with the intention of providing this website so we can perform our tasks in the public interest (PR work of the State Government’s Press Office) and in the contract to which you are a party if you place orders in our online shop. The legal basis for processing your personal data for which we obtain consent is Article 6 Paragraph 1 (a) GDPR.

We shall process personal data only in the context of statutory data protection provisions. This means that we will process your data only where this is legally permitted, especially if the processing of this data is required or required by law or permitted, or if the user has given his or consent to this, for the provision of our services (such as the processing of orders) and online services.

Each time a website is visited, data is collected and exchanged between your browser and our server. The State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg automatically collects and stores the data (log file information) that your browser transmits to our server. This is:

• the type and version of your Internet browser
• the operating system used
• the page that was accessed
• the page that was visited previously (referrer URL)
• the date and time of the server query.

The State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg analyses the above-mentioned data for statistical purposes purely to measure demand for its website. The State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg does not have any way of allocating this data to a specific person. This data is not merged with other data sources.

IP numbers are recorded for the duration of the visit for answering queries and they are stored for seven days. We collect this data to this extent on the basis of Article 6 Paragraph 1 (e) GDPR in conjunction with Section 4 SDPA with the intention of providing this website so we can perform our tasks in the public interest (PR work of the State Government’s Press Office).

Data that was logged when you accessed the website will be transmitted to third parties only to the extent that we are obligated to by law or by a court decision, or if forwarding this data is required in the event of attacks on the Internet infrastructure of the State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg to pursue legal rights or support criminal investigations. The data will not be forwarded in other cases.

Voluntary personal information

You have the option of entering personal information on a voluntary basis at certain points on our website: in contact forms or when you register for our newsletter, for example. We store and use the (personal) data that is provided to us exclusively for the purpose for which it was provided. This data will not be forwarded to third parties unless this is expressly mentioned.

All information that you receive at these points (such as the newsletter) is also publicly available elsewhere without you having to specify your data. For example, you can view newsletter contents directly from Press Releases. Similarly, you can contact us in a different way instead of using electronic options (such as via e-mail or the contact form). To this extent, the voluntary nature of your personal data is protected at all times. You will not be disadvantaged if you do not provide your data. If need be, you may have to resort to obtaining the information in a different way.

Cookies

We use what are known as session cookies so you can use our login function and order publications. Session cookies are small units of information that a provider stores in the RAM of the visitor’s computer. A randomly generated unique ID number is stored in a session cookie, known as a session ID. A cookie also contains information about its origin and the storage period. These cookies cannot store any other data. Your orders are combined into a shopping cart with the session ID. The session cookies are stored only for the duration of your visit to our website. They are deleted once you have finished using our website and if you sign out or close the browser, for example. We also process your personal data only for the provision of our website on the basis of Article 6 Paragraph 1 (e) GDPR in conjunction with Section 4 SDPA. If you use our website for placing orders in our online shop, we process your personal data at the initiation of the contract to which you are a party on the legal basis of Article 6 Paragraph 1 (a) GDPR.

Handling cookies

Cookies can be controlled with all Internet browsers. Most browsers are configured in such a way that all cookies are accepted without asking users. If you want to use the full functional scope of our website, you should configure your browsers in such a way that session cookies are accepted. If you do not want cookies to be stored on your computer, you should deactivate the corresponding option in your browser’s system settings.
If you reject all cookies,

• you cannot send any messages via the contact form
• you cannot use the shopping cart for collecting various publications
• you cannot use the login function and, accordingly, you cannot submit any comments regarding contents.

We use cookies for pseudonymised range measurement. You can object to the use of cookies that serve for range measurement and promotional purposes in general by using the deactivation page of the Network Advertising Initiative and also the American website or the European website.

Use of Cookies

Via the cookie banner or the settings for individual elements, the user can give his or her consent to the cookies used. Cookies are divided into the following two categories with the associated cookies:

Technically necessary cookies

Third Party cookies

The cookie settings are deleted after closing the browser.

Data for sending the newsletter

Our newsletter informs you on a daily basis and as a weekly summary about the latest information on the State Government. It is curated and sent by the State Ministry’s online editorial team. The newsletter will be sent to you only if you register for it.

To register for the newsletter, you simply need to submit your e-mail address. This e-mail address and the newsletter list(s) you selected are stored on a server. We use this data exclusively for sending the newsletter. The data records are used for statistical analyses to analyse system performance. We do not forward your data to third parties and we do not use it for any other purposes of our own.

Registering for our newsletter uses what is called the double opt-in procedure. This means that after registration, you receive an e-mail in which you are asked to confirm your registration. This confirmation is necessary to ensure nobody can register by using an unknown e-mail address. Registrations for the newsletter are logged so that we can demonstrate that our registration process complies with legal requirements. This includes the storage of the time of registration and confirmation.

By subscribing to our newsletter, you declare that you agree to receiving the newsletter and with the procedures described.

You can withdraw this consent at any time. You can also delete your address at any time by using the "Delete Newsletter" form on the website, or unsubscribe from this service by using the link at the end of each newsletter. Your data will then be automatically and immediately deleted.

We analyse access figures to the newsletter for statistical purposes. Data relating to clicking and reading behaviour (access time, opening of the newsletter, access duration, clicks on articles etc.) may be transmitted. It is not possible to assign this data to specific recipients. We merely receive aggregated reports (x people read article y). No profiles are created either. The information is used for making technical and editorial amendments to our services.

The statistical collection and analyses of the data and the logging of the registration procedure are based on Article 6 Paragraph 1 (e) GDPR in conjunction with Section 4 SDPA to perform our tasks that lie in the public interest. The legal basis for the storage of your personal data after registration for the newsletter, once consent has been obtained, is Article 6 Paragraph 1 (a) GDPR, and for proving that consent was given, is Article 7 Paragraph 1 GDPR in conjunction with Article 5 Paragraph 1 (b).

Online shop

If our customers use third-party payment services (such as PayPal), the business terms and the notes on data protection from the respective third-party providers shall apply; these are available from their respective websites or transaction applications.

Check your data

You can use any Internet browser at any time to see if cookies are set and what they contain. The virtual data protection office of the Federal and State Data Protection Officer in Germany provides more detailed information.

Web tracking

To design this website to meet the needs of users and for improving the website on an ongoing basis, this website uses Matomo, open source software for statistically analysing user access. We use Matomo based on our legitimate interests (in other words, interest in the analysis, optimisation and economical operation of our website within the meaning of Article 6 Paragraph 1 (e) GDPR). The information relating to your use of this website is stored on the web servers of the State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg in Germany and is not forwarded to third parties. The IP address will be anonymised immediately after the data has been processed and before it is stored. You can prevent the installation of cookies by selecting the relevant settings in your browser software; please note, however, that you may not be able to use all functions of this website in full in this case.

Security measures

We take organisational, contractual – for instance with hosting service providers – and technical security measures in accordance with the best available technology to ensure that the data protection law guidelines are complied with and so we can protect the data that is processed by us from accidental or intentional manipulation, loss, destruction, or from access by unauthorised persons.

These security measures include the encrypted transmission of data between your browser and our server.

Once it has been actively approved by the visitor, our website uses a social plug-in from the social network facebook.com. You can find the latest data protection provisions from Facebook here.  

You can prevent your IP address from being transmitted by not activating the Facebook box, or by using the data protection button to prevent the social plug-in once it has been activated.

We use the Facebook plug-in to inform the public about the State Government’s work. It is operated by Facebook Ireland Ltd., 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland. The plug-in can display interaction elements or contents (such as videos, graphics or text contributions); these can be identified by one of the Facebook logos (a white "f" on a blue tile, the terms "Like" or a "thumbs up" icon). The list and appearance of the Facebook social plug-ins is available here (Facebook).

Facebook is certified under the Privacy Shield agreement and thereby guarantees compliance with European data protection law.

If you access a function provided by this website that contains such a plug-in, we will ask for your consent (two click solution). Only then will your device connect directly to the Facebook servers. The content of the plug-in is transmitted directly to your device by Facebook and from there to the website. This means that usage profiles can be created from the data that is processed. We therefore have no influence over the scope of the data that Facebook collects with the help of this plug-in and we are informing you about this according to our level of knowledge.

Through the integration of the plug-ins, Facebook is given the information that you have called up the corresponding page of the website. If you are signed in to Facebook, Facebook can allocate the visit to your Facebook account. If you interact with the plug-ins, by pressing the Like button or submitting a comment, for example, the corresponding information will be transmitted from your device directly to Facebook, where it is stored. If you are not a member of Facebook, it is still possible for Facebook to find out your IP address and to store it. According to Facebook, only anonymised IP addresses are stored in Germany.

If you are a Facebook member and do not want Facebook to collect data about you via this website, or to link it with your membership data that is stored with Facebook, you have to sign out of Facebook before using our website and delete your cookies. You will be asked to provide your consent (two click solution) at all points where offers of this website use the service of Facebook or other social networks. Additional settings and objections to the use of data for advertising purposes are possible within the Facebook profile settings or via the American site or the EU site. The settings are platform-independent, which means that they apply to all devices such as desktop computers or mobile devices.

Twitter feeds are displayed without any data being transmitted to Twitter.

Functions of the Instagram service (on storytelling pages) are integrated in our website. These become active only if you give your consent (two click solution). These functions are offered by Instagram Inc., 1601 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA. If you are signed in to your Instagram account, you can click on the Instagram button to link the contents of our pages with your Instagram profile. This enables Instagram to allocate the visit to our pages to your user account. Please note that as a provider of the pages, we are not aware of the content of the data that is transmitted and its use by Instagram. Privacy policy from Instagram. The Instagram teaser is a passive module and does not transmit any data.

Our website integrates videos of the "YouTube" platform from third party provider Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. If you view video contents on our website, information about your usage behaviour (such as the opening of the video and the amount of time for which it was watched) will be transmitted. Google’s privacy policy. The opt-out option.

When you order publications, the data that is necessary for processing and sending them is collected (name, address, contact e-mail address). The data is stored and used exclusively for processing the orders. The publications are sent by each issuing Ministry. The data that is entered on the order form will be forwarded to the responsible Ministry for this purpose. The data is not forwarded to third parties otherwise. The personal data will be deleted after 90 days; only statistics relating to the publications that were ordered remain.

If you are invited to an event held by the State Ministry (press event, reception etc.) for which you can register by using a form on this website, we need some information from you for your registration. Depending on the type of event, your first name and last name will be sufficient for this, or else additional information is required such as your date of birth, address, the medium for whom you work or, in the event of increased safety precautions, your ID card number. We use this data exclusively for holding the event, such as for security checks. We may forward this data to third parties (to a security service, reception etc.) if this is necessary for holding the event. All data will be deleted after the event, although you can withdraw your consent at any time. However, you will not be able to attend the event as a result.

1. Right to information: You have the right to obtain information about the data that is stored relating to your person at any time, informally and without justification. This applies to its origin and recipients as well as to the purpose of its storage. You obtain this information free of charge (Article 15 GDPR). The State Ministry’s online editorial team can inform you about the data that is stored: internet@stm.bwl.de
2. Right to correction, right of withdrawal and other rights: Additionally, you have the right to the correction of incorrect data, the restriction of processing and the deletion of your personal data (Article 16 GDPR, Article 17 GDPR, Article 18 GDPR). If you have reason to believe that your data is being processed unlawfully, you can submit a complaint to the supervisory authority responsible for us, the State Officer for Data Protection. If you have given us your consent, you are entitled to withdraw this with effect for the future (Article 7 GDPR).
3. Right to object: If we do not process your personal data based on your consent but owing to a statutory criminal offence such as Article 6 Paragraph 1 (e) GDPR, you can object to the future processing of your personal data at any time for reasons resulting from your particular situation (Article 21 GDPR).
4. Deletion of data: The data that is stored by us will be deleted as soon as it is no longer required for the specific purpose and provided its deletion does not conflict with any statutory retention obligations. If user data is not deleted because it is required for other and legally permissible purposes, the processing of this data will be restricted. In other words, the data will be blocked and not processed for other purposes. This applies to the data belonging to the users of the online shop, for example, which has to be retained for commercial or tax law obligations.

When you contact us (via our contact form or by e-mail), your information is processed with the aim of processing and handling contact requests and thus to perform the tasks assigned to us that lie in the public interest in accordance with Article 6 Paragraph 1 (e) of the GDPR in conjunction with Section 4 SDPA. If you use the contact form for an order, in accordance with Article 6 Paragraph 1 (b) GDPR is the legal basis.

If you send us an e-mail, this e-mail and your e-mail address are used exclusively for correspondence with you. In case of requests concerning other ministries, your given personal data and contents of your request can be passed on for processing to the responsible ministry. The legal basis for that is Section 4 SDPA. If you don´t wish transferring, please inform us. If you place any orders, the personal data that you specify is forwarded only for processing the order (shipping company, where applicable other authorities or institutions if these send the material that was ordered). Once the request has been fulfilled or answered, your data will be deleted or, where applicable, stored for record keeping in the event of transactions whose records must be kept in accordance with the applicable data protection provisions.