Privacy Policy

Data protection is an important concern for the Technical University of Munich. We want you to know when we store which data and how we use it. Personal data is only collected on this central university web server (www.tum.de) to the extent that is technically necessary. Data processing is subject to the applicable data protection regulations, in particular the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Bavarian Data Protection Act (BayDSG) and the Telemedia Act (TMG). 
  
Below we inform you about the type, scope and purpose of the collection and use of personal data. This information can be accessed at any time from our website. 

Technical realisation 

The web servers of the Technical University of Munich are operated by the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ). 
  
Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ) 
Boltzmannstraße 1 
85748 Garching near Munich 

Logging 

When you access this or other Internet pages, you transmit data to our web server via your Internet browser. The following data is temporarily recorded in a log file during an ongoing connection for communication between your Internet browser and our web server: 

  • IP address of the requesting computer 
  • Date and time of access 
  • Name, URL and transferred data volume of the retrieved file 
  • Access status (requested file transferred, not found, etc.) 
  • Identification data of the browser and operating system used (if transmitted by the requesting web browser) 
  • Website from which the access was made (if transmitted by the requesting web browser) 

The data in this log file is processed as follows: 

  • The log entries are continuously and automatically analysed in order to detect attacks on the web servers and to be able to react accordingly. 
  • In individual cases, i.e. reported malfunctions, errors and security incidents, a manual analysis is carried out. 
  • Log entries that are older than seven days are anonymised by shortening the IP address. 
  • The anonymised logs are used to create access statistics. The software used for this is operated locally by the LRZ. 

The IP addresses contained in the log entries are not merged by the LRZ with other databases, so that the LRZ cannot draw any conclusions about individual persons. 

Evaluation of user behaviour (web tracking) 

This website uses the web analysis service software Matomo (www.matomo.org), a service provided by InnoCraft Ltd, 150 Willis St, 6011 Wellington, New Zealand, (“Matomo”) to collect and store data on the basis of our legitimate interest in the statistical analysis of user behaviour for optimisation and marketing purposes in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. Pseudonymised user profiles can be created and evaluated from this data for the same purpose. Cookies can be used for this purpose. Cookies are small text files that are stored locally in the cache of the website visitor’s Internet browser. Among other things, cookies make it possible to recognise the Internet browser. The data collected using Matomo technology (including your pseudonymised IP address) is processed on LRZ servers. 
  
The information generated by the cookie in the pseudonymised user profile is not used to personally identify the visitor to this website and is not merged with personal data about the bearer of the pseudonym. 
  
You can prevent the installation of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings in your browser. However, we would like to point out that in this case you may not be able to use all functions of this website to their full extent. 
  
We recommend that you read Matomo’s entire privacy policy: https://matomo.org/privacy-policy/.

Deactivation of Matomo tracking (opt-out) 

If you do not agree to Matomo storing and analysing this data from your visit, you can object to its storage and use at any time by clicking below. In this case, a so-called opt-out cookie will be stored in your browser, which means that Matomo will not collect any session data. 

You may choose to prevent this website from aggregating and analyzing the actions you take here. Doing so will protect your privacy, but will also prevent the owner from learning from your actions and creating a better experience for you and other users.

Unsubscribe Matomo 

Attention: If you delete your cookies, the opt-out cookie will also be deleted and may have to be reactivated by you. 

Newsletter

In the following information, we inform you about the registration, dispatch and statistical evaluation procedures as well as your rights of objection.

Double opt-in and logging

Registration for our newsletter takes place in a so-called double opt-in procedure. This means that after registering, you will receive an email asking you to confirm your registration. This confirmation is necessary to ensure that no-one can register using other people’s e-mail addresses.
Subscriptions to the newsletter are logged in order to be able to prove the registration process in accordance with legal requirements. This includes storing the time of registration and confirmation as well as the IP address. Changes to your data stored with MailChimp are also logged.

Use of the mailing service provider ‘Rapidmail’

The newsletter is sent by means of ‘Rapidmail’, a newsletter dispatch platform of the German provider rapidmail GmbH, Wentzingerstraße 21, 79106 Freiburg, Germany. The data you enter for the purpose of subscribing to the newsletter is stored on rapidmail’s servers in Germany. The data will not be transferred to third countries. The legal basis for the processing of data after registration for the newsletter by the user is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a) GDPR if the user has given consent. The legal basis for sending the newsletter as a result of the sale of goods or services is Section 7 (3) UWG.

The data stored by us as part of your consent for the purpose of the newsletter will be stored by us until you unsubscribe from the newsletter and deleted from both our servers and the servers of rapidmail after you unsubscribe from the newsletter. Data stored by us for other purposes (e.g. e-mail addresses for the member area) remain unaffected by this.

For more information, please refer to rapidmail’s data security information at: https://www.rapidmail.de/datensicherheit. For more information on rapidmail’s analysis functions, please see the following link: https://www.rapidmail.de/wissen-und-hilfe

Registration data

To subscribe to the newsletter, it is sufficient to enter your e-mail address. If you register for our newsletter with your e-mail address, we will use your e-mail address and all other voluntary information about you exclusively for the transmission of our newsletter until you unsubscribe. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link provided in the newsletter, by e-mail or in any other way. Subscribers to the newsletter can cancel their subscription themselves at any time.
Optionally, we ask you to enter your first name and surname. This information is only used to personalise the newsletter. You also have the option of providing your title and the name of your institution. We only use this information for internal information purposes.

Online access and data management

There are cases in which we direct newsletter recipients to MailChimp websites. For example, our newsletters contain a link that newsletter recipients can use to access the newsletter online (e.g. in the event of display problems in the email programme). Newsletter recipients can also correct their data, such as their email address, at a later date. MailChimp’s privacy policy is also only available on their website.
In this context, we would like to point out that cookies are used on MailChimp’s websites and that personal data is therefore processed by MailChimp, its partners and the service providers used (e.g. Google Analytics). We have no influence on this data collection. Further information can be found in MailChimp’s privacy policy. We would also like to draw your attention to the options for objecting to the collection of data for advertising purposes on the websites http://www.aboutads.info/choices/ and http://www.youronlinechoices.com/ (for the European area).

Cancellation/revocation

You can cancel the receipt of our newsletter at any time, i.e. revoke your consent. Your consent to receive the newsletter via Rapidmail and the statistical analyses will expire at the same time.
You will find a link to cancel the newsletter at the end of each newsletter.

The results of this website’s search function are provided by Google Inc. (“Google”) (“Google Custom Search”). You acknowledge and agree that Google’s privacy policy (at https://policies.google.com/privacy?gl=de) applies to your use of the search box and that by using the search box you undertake to Google to use your personal data in accordance with its privacy policy. 
  
If you do not wish to give this consent, please refrain from using the search box. Data will only be transmitted to Google when the form is submitted. 

Google Maps 

This website uses the “Google Maps and Route Planner” function of Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States (“Google”) to display or calculate geographical information and directions. Through Google Maps, data about your use of this website can be transmitted to Google, collected and used by Google. You can prevent such data transmission by deactivating “Javascript” in your browser. In this case, however, no maps can be displayed. By using this website and not deactivating “Javascript”, you declare your consent to the processing of your data by Google for the above purpose. Further information about how “Google Maps” and the route planner use your data and Google’s privacy policy can be found at: https://www.google.com/intl/de_de/help/terms_maps/ 

BayernAtlas 

This website also uses the BayernAtlas to display aerial photographs and views of buildings. This service is provided by the State Office for Digitisation, Broadband and Surveying, Alexandrastraße 4, 80538 Munich, postal address: Postfach 22 14 28, 80504 Munich. By using this website, you agree to its terms of use and to the collection and processing of the data and the data entered by you. The terms of use and the privacy policy can be found on the Geoportal Bayern website. 
Cookies 
  
In order to extend the functionality of our website and to make it more convenient for you to use, we sometimes use so-called “cookies”. With the help of these cookies, data can be stored on your computer when you visit our website. However, you can deactivate the storage of cookies or set your browser so that cookies are only stored for the duration of the respective connection to the Internet. However, this may limit the functionality of our website. 

Online forms 

Personal data that you may send to us via contact forms, registration forms and similar websites on our web servers will only be accepted with your consent and will only be used for the purpose stated in the forms. Please note the corresponding information on the forms. 
  
In all forms, only the necessary personal data is collected. The personal data is usually stored in a database of the Leibnitz Computing Centre and is accessible to the relevant TUM employees. If the purpose of the data collection is to make the data accessible to other members of TUM, the principle of data minimisation is observed. Your data will not be passed on to third parties unless this is explicitly stated in the form. 
  
Your personal data will be deleted after the purpose has been fulfilled unless you have given your consent to further contact. 
  
You can revoke your consent at any time in the future. To do so, please contact it-support@tum.de. Your data will then be deleted immediately. 

Electronic mail (e-mail) 

Information that you send to us unencrypted by electronic mail (e-mail) may be read by third parties during transmission. As a rule, we are also unable to verify your identity and do not know who is behind an e-mail address. Legally secure communication by simple e-mail is therefore not guaranteed. Like many e-mail providers, we use filters against unwanted advertising (“SPAM filters”), which in rare cases automatically categorise normal e-mails as unwanted advertising and delete them. E-mails containing harmful programmes (“viruses”) are automatically deleted by us in all cases. 

Use of Facebook social plugins 

Our website uses social plugins (“plugins”) from the social network facebook.com, which is operated by Facebook Inc, 1601 S. California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA (“Facebook”). The plugins are labelled with a Facebook logo or the addition “Facebook Social Plugin”. 
  
When you visit a page on our website that contains such a plugin, your browser establishes a direct connection to the Facebook servers. The content of the plugin is transmitted by Facebook directly to your browser, which integrates it into the website. 
  
By integrating the plugin, Facebook receives the information that you have accessed the corresponding page of our website. If you are logged in to Facebook, Facebook can assign the visit to your Facebook account, even if you have not confirmed the “Like” button. If you interact with the plugins, for example by clicking the “Like” button or leaving a comment, the corresponding information is transmitted directly from your browser to Facebook and stored there. 
  
Even if you do not have a Facebook account, Facebook can collect data about you, such as your IP address. The purpose and scope of the data collection and the further processing and use of the data by Facebook as well as your rights in this regard and setting options to protect your privacy can be found in Facebook’s data protection information. 
  
If you do not want Facebook to collect data about you via our website, you must log out of Facebook before visiting our website. You can also install appropriate blockers for your browser using add-ons. 

Use of Twitter 

You will find functions of the provider Twitter on our website. These are offered by Twitter Inc, 795 Folsom St., Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA. By using Twitter and the “Re-Tweet” function, the websites you visit are linked to your Twitter account and made known to other users. Data is also transmitted to Twitter in the process. 
  
We would like to point out that, as the provider of the pages, we have no knowledge of the content of the transmitted data or its use by Twitter. Further information on this can be found in Twitter’s privacy policy at https://twitter.com/privacy. 

Use of YouTube plugins (videos) 

Plugins from www.youtube.com, which is operated by Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States (“Google”), are integrated into our website. 
  
When you access pages of our website that are equipped with such a plugin, a connection to the YouTube servers is established and the plugin is displayed on the website by notifying your browser. This tells the YouTube server which of our web pages you have visited. If you are logged in as a member of YouTube, YouTube assigns this information to your personal user accounts on these platforms. When using these plugins, such as clicking/starting a video or sending a comment, this information is assigned to your YouTube user account, for example, which you can only prevent by logging out before using the plugin. Further information on the collection and use of data by the platform or plugins can be found in YouTube’s privacy policy at the following link https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de. 
  
We use embedded YouTube videos in extended data protection mode. This means that YouTube does not store cookies for a user who views a website with an embedded YouTube video player but does not click on the video to start playback. 

Use of Vimeo plugins (videos) 

Plugins from the Vimeo video portal of Vimeo, LLC, 555 West 18th Street, New York, New York 10011, USA are integrated into our website. Each time you access a page that offers one or more Vimeo video clips, a direct connection is established between your browser and a Vimeo server in the USA. Information about your visit and your IP address is stored there. By interacting with the Vimeo plugins (e.g. clicking the start button), this information is also transmitted to Vimeo and stored there. 
  
If you have a Vimeo user account and do not want Vimeo to collect data about you via this website and link it to your membership data stored with Vimeo, you must log out of Vimeo before visiting this website. 
  
The privacy policy for Vimeo with more detailed information on the collection and use of your data by Vimeo can be found at https://vimeo.com/privacy. 

Issuu 

This website uses the web service of Issuu, Inc, 131 Lytton Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301, USA. Issuu uses so-called “cookies”, text files that are stored on your computer and enable your use of the website to be analysed. The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website is usually transferred to an Issuu server in the USA and stored there. We have no knowledge of the content of the transmitted data or its use by Issuu. The use of Issuu is not recommended for users under the age of 13. For details on the use of cookies, please refer to Issuu’s privacy policy. 

Two clicks for more data protection 

Only when you click on a social network button does it become active and your browser establishes a direct connection with the respective servers. The first click on the button therefore means that you give your consent to the transfer of data to the corresponding provider. 
  
By activating the button, the provider receives the information that you have accessed the corresponding page of our website. If you are logged in to the respective social network, the visit can be assigned to your account from this moment on, even if you do not confirm the button a second time. If you interact with the plugins, for example by leaving a comment by clicking the button a second time, the corresponding information is transmitted directly from your browser to the provider and stored there. 

Changes to the data protection provisions 

We reserve the right to amend our privacy policy from time to time to ensure that it always complies with current legal requirements or to implement changes to our services in the privacy policy. We recommend that you read this privacy policy regularly to keep up to date with the protection of the personal data we collect. By continuing to use the service, you agree to this privacy policy and its updates. 

Data protection officer 

You can contact the data protection officer of the Technical University of Munich by e-mail beauftragter(at)datenschutz.tum.de or via www.datenschutz.tum.de.

Information and correction 

You have the right, upon written request and free of charge, to receive information about the personal data stored about you. You also have the right to have incorrect data corrected, blocked or deleted.