Privacy

Dear Visitors to the Polarstern Website,
To ensure you feel safe while visiting our website, we would like to inform you about the handling of your data. We neither publish your data nor pass it on to unauthorized third parties. Below, we explain which data we collect during your visit to our website and how exactly this data is used:

A. General Information
1. Scope of Data Processing
We generally collect and use personal user data only to the extent necessary to provide a functional website as well as our content and services. The collection and use of personal data from our users are usually carried out with their consent. Exceptions apply in cases where data processing is permitted by legal regulations.

2. Legal Basis for Data Processing
If we obtain the consent of the data subject for processing operations involving personal data, Article 6(1)(a) of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) serves as the legal basis.

For the processing of personal data required to fulfill a contract to which the data subject is a party, Article 6(1)(b) GDPR serves as the legal basis. This also applies to processing operations necessary for carrying out pre-contractual measures.
If processing is required to safeguard a legitimate interest of AWI or a third party and if the interests, fundamental rights, and freedoms of the data subject do not outweigh the former interest, Article 6(1)(f) GDPR serves as the legal basis for processing.

3. Data Deletion and Retention Period
Personal data of the data subject will be deleted, anonymized, or blocked as soon as the purpose of storage ceases to exist. Storage may also take place if required by European or national legislation in EU regulations, laws, or other provisions to which AWI is subject. Data will also be blocked, anonymized, or deleted when a statutory retention period expires, unless further storage is necessary for concluding or fulfilling a contract.

4. Contact Details of the Controller
The controller as defined by the General Data Protection Regulation and other national data protection laws, as well as other data protection regulations, is:
Alfred Wegener Institute

Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
Am Handelshafen 12
27570 Bremerhaven

The Data Protection Officer of the controller is:
Christoph Wagner
Tel.: +49 (471) 4831-1637
Email: datenschut z(at)awi.de

B. Provision of the Website and Creation of Log Files
To improve the quality of our website, we store data related to individual visits for statistical purposes. This data set includes:

User agent,
Path,File name,
Date and time of the request,
Transferred data volume,
Access status (file transferred, file not found),
Description of the type of web browser used,
Anonymized IP address of the requesting computer.

The data is stored in the log files of our systems. These data are not stored together with other personal data of the user.

The legal basis for the temporary storage of data and log files is Article 6(1)(e) GDPR. The storage of log files is necessary to ensure the functionality of the website. Furthermore, the data help us to optimize the website, resolve issues, and ensure the security of our IT systems. These purposes also constitute our legitimate interest in data processing under Article 6(1)(e) GDPR.

The data will be deleted as soon as they are no longer required to achieve the purpose for which they were collected. For data collected to provide the website, this occurs when the respective session ends. For data stored in log files, this occurs no later than seven days after collection. Longer storage is possible, but in this case, IP addresses are anonymized so that they can no longer be linked to the requesting client.

Collecting data for the provision of the website and storing the data in log files is essential for the operation of the website. Therefore, the user has no option to object.

C. Use of Cookies
Our website uses cookies. Cookies are text files stored in or by the Internet browser on the user’s computer system. When a user visits a website, a cookie may be stored on their operating system. This cookie contains a distinctive character string that allows the browser to be uniquely identified the next time the website is visited.
We use cookies to make our website more user-friendly.
The legal basis for processing personal data using cookies is Article 6(1)(e) GDPR. The purpose of using technically necessary cookies is to simplify the use of websites for users. Some features of our website cannot be offered without the use of cookies. For these, it is necessary that the browser can be recognized even after a page change.
We use cookies for the following purposes:

Retaining the browser’s language setting,
Automatic selection of the start page and spell checking.

The user data collected through technically necessary cookies are not used to create user profiles. These purposes also constitute our legitimate interest in processing personal data under Article 6(1)(e) GDPR.
Cookies are stored on the user’s computer and transmitted to our website. As a user, you have full control over the use of cookies. You can deactivate or restrict the transmission of cookies by changing the settings in your Internet browser. Stored cookies can be deleted at any time. This can also be done automatically. However, if cookies are deactivated for our website, some functions of the website may no longer be fully usable.

D. Social Media
Two-Click Solution for Enhanced Privacy
To protect the data and privacy of our users, we use the proven two-click solution (Shariff solution) for sharing content on social networks. This process ensures that our websites are delivered with inactive buttons that do not transmit any data to social networks. Users can manually activate these buttons to connect to their preferred network (first click). In a second step, users can then share their recommendations (second click). Activating one of the buttons in the first step implies that the user consents to data transmission to the respective social network provider for that specific page and service.

Privacy Policy for the Use of Facebook
Some of our websites integrate components from the company Facebook. Facebook is a social network. A social network is an online meeting place, a virtual community that typically allows users to communicate and interact with each other. Facebook enables users of the social network to create private profiles, upload photos, and connect through friend requests.

The operating company of Facebook is Facebook, Inc., 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA. For individuals residing outside the USA or Canada, the data controller is Facebook Ireland Ltd., 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland.

Each time one of the individual pages operated by the data controller and featuring a Facebook component (Facebook plugin) is accessed, the web browser on the user’s device is automatically prompted by the respective Facebook component to download a representation of the corresponding Facebook component from Facebook. An overview of all Facebook plugins can be found at:
https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins/?locale=de_DE.

As part of this technical process, Facebook receives information about which specific subpage of our website the user has visited. If the user is logged into Facebook at the same time, Facebook detects, with every visit to our website and during the entire duration of the visit, which specific subpage of our website the user visits. These details are collected through the Facebook component and assigned by Facebook to the user’s Facebook account.
If the user does not want Facebook to collect this data, they can prevent this by logging out of their Facebook account before visiting our website.
For more information about Facebook’s data protection guidelines, please visit:
https://facebook.com/about/privacy/.

Privacy Policy for the Use of Twitter
Some of our websites integrate components from Twitter. Twitter is a multilingual, publicly accessible microblogging service that allows users to publish and share tweets—short messages limited to 280 characters. These tweets are accessible to everyone, including non-registered users. Twitter enables broad audience engagement through hashtags, links, and retweets.

The operating company of Twitter is Twitter, Inc., 1355 Market Street, Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA.
Each time one of the individual pages operated by the data controller and featuring a Twitter component is accessed, the web browser on the user’s device is automatically prompted by the respective Twitter component to download a representation of the corresponding Twitter component from Twitter. Additional information about Twitter’s embedded features can be found here:
https://help.twitter.com/using-twitter/embed-twitter-feed.

If the user is logged into Twitter at the same time, Twitter detects with every visit to our website which specific subpage the user visits. This information is collected by Twitter and associated with the user’s Twitter account.
If the user does not want Twitter to collect this data, they can prevent this by logging out of their Twitter account before visiting our website.

For more information about Twitter’s data protection guidelines, please visit:
https://twitter.com/privacy