Privacy Policy
In accordance with the legal requirements of data protection law (in particular the German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) as amended and the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)), we provide the following information regarding the nature, scope, and purpose of the processing of personal data by our company. This Privacy Policy also applies to our websites and social media profiles. For the definitions of terms such as “personal data” or “processing,” please refer to Article 4 of the GDPR.

Name and Contact Information of the Data Controller
Our data controller (hereinafter “Data Controller”) within the meaning of Article 4(7) of the GDPR is:

IFSI Institut für soziale Infrastruktur gGmbH
Kasseler Str. 1a
60486 Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland
Management: Jana Eckert und Jesper Schulze
Commercial Register No.: B 98947
Register Court: Frankfurt am Main
Email Adress: info@ifsi-sozialforschung.de

Name and Adress of the Data Protection Officer
Jana Eckert
Kasseler Str. 1a
60486 Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland
Phone: 069-264865-0
Email: info@ifsi-sozialforschung.de
Website: www.ifsi-sozialforschung.de

Types of Data, Purposes of Processing, and Categories of Data Subjects
Below, we provide information regarding the nature, scope, and purpose of the collection, processing, and use of personal data.
1. Types of data we process (Master data (name, address, etc.), contact data (phone number, email, fax, etc.), communication data (IP address, etc.).)
2. Purposes of processing pursuant to Art. 13(1)(c) of the GDPR
(Fulfillment of contractual obligations, customer service and customer care, handling contact requests.)
3. Categories of data subjects pursuant to Article 13(1)(e) of the GDPR. Data subjects are collectively referred to as “users.”

Legal Bases for the Processing of Personal Data
Below, we provide information regarding the legal bases for the processing of personal data:

1. If we have obtained your consent to process personal data, the legal basis is Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR.
2. If processing is necessary for the performance of a contract or for the implementation of precontractual measures taken at your request, the legal basis is Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR.
3. If the processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject (e.g., statutory retention requirements), the legal basis is Article 6(1), sentence 1, subparagraph (c) of the GDPR.
4. If the processing is necessary to protect the vital interests of the data subject or another natural person, the legal basis is Article 6(1), first sentence, subparagraph (d) of the GDPR.
5. If processing is necessary to protect our legitimate interests or those of a third party, and your interests or fundamental rights and freedoms do not override those interests, the legal basis is Article 6(1), first sentence, subparagraph (f) of the GDPR.

Disclosure of Personal Data to Third Parties and Data Processors
As a general rule, we do not disclose any data to third parties without your consent. Should this nevertheless occur, the disclosure is based on the legal grounds mentioned above – for example, due to a court order or a legal obligation to disclose the data for the purposes of criminal prosecution, to prevent danger, or to enforce intellectual property rights.

We also engage data processors (external service providers, e.g., for the web hosting of our websites and databases) to process your data. If data is transferred to data processors within the framework of a data processing agreement, this is always done in accordance with Article 28 of the GDPR. We carefully select our data processors, monitor them regularly, and have secured the right to issue instructions regarding the data. In addition, the data processors must have implemented appropriate technical and organizational measures and must comply with data protection regulations in accordance with the BDSG (as amended) and the GDPR.

Data Transfer to Third Countries
The adoption of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) established a uniform framework for data protection in Europe. Your data is therefore primarily processed by companies to which the GDPR applies. Should processing, however, be carried out by third-party services outside the European Union or the European Economic Area, these services must meet the specific requirements of Articles 44 et seq. of the GDPR. This means that processing is based on specific safeguards, such as the EU Commission’s official recognition that a country provides a level of data protection equivalent to that of the EU, or compliance with officially recognized specific contractual obligations, known as “Standard Contractual Clauses.” For U.S. companies, compliance with the so-called “Privacy Shield” – the data protection agreement between the EU and the U.S. – meets these requirements.

Deletion of Data and Retention Period
Unless expressly stated in this Privacy Policy, your personal data will be deleted or blocked as soon as the purpose for which it was stored no longer applies, unless further retention is necessary for evidentiary purposes or is precluded by statutory retention obligations. This includes, for example, commercial law retention obligations for business correspondence under Section 257(1) of the German Commercial Code (HGB) (6 years) as well as tax law retention obligations under Section 147(1) of the German Fiscal Code (AO) for supporting documents (10 years). Once the prescribed retention period expires, your data will be blocked or deleted, unless storage is still required for the conclusion or fulfillment of a contract.

Automated Decision-Making
We do not use automated decision-making or profiling.

Provision of Our Website and Creation of Log Files
1. We do not use cookies for analytics, tracking, or advertising purposes. Our website is hosted by IONOS. For the purpose of providing and securing the website, the provider processes personal data within the scope of so-called server log files.
When you visit our website, IONOS collects the following data:

• IP address;
• User’s Internet service provider;
• Date and time of the request;
• Browser type;
• Language and browser version;
• Content of the request;
• Time zone;
• Access status/HTTP status code;
• Data volume;
• Websites from which the request originates;
• Operating system.

This data is not stored together with any other personal data you provide.
2. This data is used to provide you with a user-friendly, functional, and secure website experience, including features and content, as well as to optimize and statistically analyze the site.
3. The legal basis for this is our legitimate interest in data processing pursuant to Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR, which is also based on the purposes outlined above.
4. For security reasons, IONOS stores this data in server log files for a period of 30 days. After this period expires, the data is automatically deleted, unless IONOS needs to retain it for evidentiary purposes in the event of attacks on the server infrastructure or other legal violations.

Contact via Email / Fax / Mail
1. When you contact us via fax, mail, or email, your information is processed for the purpose of handling your inquiry.
The legal basis for processing the data, provided you have given your consent, is Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR. 
2. The legal basis for processing the data transmitted in the course of a contact request, email, letter, or fax is Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR. The data controller has a legitimate interest in processing and storing the data in order to respond to user inquiries, to preserve evidence for liability purposes, and, where applicable, to comply with its statutory retention obligations regarding business correspondence. If the contact is intended to lead to the conclusion of a contract, the additional legal basis for processing is Article 6(1), sentence 1, subparagraph (b) of the GDPR.
3. We may store your information and contact request in our Customer Relationship Management system (“CRM system”) or a comparable system.
4. The data will be deleted as soon as it is no longer necessary to achieve the purpose for which it was collected. For personal data entered via the contact form and data sent by email, this is the case once the respective conversation with you has ended. The conversation is considered concluded when it is clear from the circumstances that the matter in question has been definitively resolved. We store inquiries from users who have an account or contract with us until two years after the contract has ended. In the case of statutory archiving requirements, the data will be deleted after those requirements have expired: the end of the retention periods under commercial law (6 years) and tax law (10 years).
5. You have the option at any time to withdraw your consent under Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR to the processing of your personal data. If you contact us via email, you may object to the storage of your personal data at any time.

Contacting Us by Phone
1. When you contact us by phone, your phone number is processed to handle your inquiry and is temporarily stored in the RAM or cache of the phone device or displayed on the screen. This storage is carried out for liability and security reasons—to provide proof of the call—as well as for business reasons, to enable us to call you back. In the case of unauthorized marketing calls, we block the phone numbers.
2. The legal basis for processing the phone number is Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR. If the contact is intended to lead to the conclusion of a contract, the additional legal basis for processing is Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR.
3. The device cache stores calls for 30 days and successively overwrites or deletes old data; when the device is disposed of, all data is deleted and the storage medium is destroyed if necessary. Blocked phone numbers are reviewed annually to determine whether the block is still necessary.
4. You can prevent your phone number from being displayed by calling with your number suppressed.

Newsletter
As part of individual projects, we send emails to individuals and organizations interested in information about the respective projects. Depending on the contractual obligations of the respective projects, these are sent approximately 1–2 times a year; they serve exclusively to convey information (for example, about project results that are of general public interest), contain no advertising, and do not pursue any commercial interests.

Social Media Presence
1.  We maintain social media profiles to communicate with users who are connected to and registered on those platforms and to provide information about our products, offers, and services. The U.S. providers are certified under the so-called Privacy Shield and are therefore obligated to comply with European data protection regulations. When you use or access our profile on the respective network, the respective privacy policy and terms of use of that network apply.
2. We process the data you send us via these networks to communicate with you and to respond to your messages there.
3. The legal basis for the processing of personal data is our legitimate interest in communicating with users and in our public image for advertising purposes, in accordance with Article 6(1), sentence 1, letter f) of the GDPR. If you have given your consent to the social network operator for the processing of your personal data, the legal basis is Article 6(1), first sentence, (a) and Article 7 of the GDPR.
4. The privacy policies, options for accessing your data, and opt-out options for the respective networks can be found here:
LinkedIn – Service Provider: LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland – Privacy Policy: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy, Cookie Policy and Opt-Out: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/cookie-policy.

Data Protection for Job Applications and the Hiring Process
1. Job applications sent to the data controller electronically or by mail are processed electronically or manually for the purpose of conducting the hiring process.
2. We expressly note that application materials containing “special categories of personal data” as defined in Article 9 of the GDPR (e.g., a photo that reveals your ethnic origin, religion, or marital status) are not desired, with the exception of any severe disability that you choose to disclose of your own free will. You should submit your application without including this information. This will not affect your chances of being selected.
3. The legal basis for processing is Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR and Section 26 of the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG), as amended.
4. If an employment relationship is established with the applicant* following the conclusion of the application process, the applicant’s data will be stored in compliance with applicable data protection regulations. If you are not offered a position after the application process is completed, your submitted application letter and supporting documents will be deleted 6 months after the rejection notice is sent in order to comply with any claims and obligations to provide evidence under the AGG.

Rights of the Data Subject

Objection or Withdrawal of Consent to the Processing of Your Data

To the extent that the processing is based on your consent pursuant to Art. 6(1), sentence 1, lit. a) and Art. 7 of the GDPR, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. The lawfulness of the processing carried out on the basis of your consent until its withdrawal remains unaffected.
To the extent that we base the processing of your personal data on a balancing of interests pursuant to Article 6(1), sentence 1, letter f) of the GDPR, you may object to the processing. This is the case, in particular, if the processing is not necessary for the performance of a contract with you, as we will explain in each instance in the following description of the functions. If you exercise such a right to object, we ask that you explain the reasons why we should not process your personal data as we currently do. In the event of a justified objection, we will review the situation and either cease or adjust the data processing, or explain to you our compelling legitimate grounds on the basis of which we will continue the processing.
You may object at any time to the processing of your personal data for the purposes of advertising and data analysis. You may exercise this right to object free of charge. You can notify us of your objection to advertising using the following contact information:

IFSI Institut für soziale Infrastruktur gGmbH
Kasseler Str. 1a
60486 Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland
Management: Jana Eckert und Jesper Schulze
Commercial Register No.: B 98947
Register Court: Frankfurt am Main 
Email-Adress: info@ifsi-sozialforschung.de

1. Right of Access
You have the right to access your personal data stored by us pursuant to Article 15 of the GDPR. This includes, in particular, information regarding the purposes of processing, the categories of personal data, the categories of recipients to whom your data has been or will be disclosed, the intended retention period, and the source of your data, provided it was not collected directly from you.
2. Right to Rectification
You have the right to have inaccurate data rectified or accurate data completed in accordance with Article 16 of the GDPR.
3. Right to erasure
You have the right to have your data stored by us erased in accordance with Article 17 of the GDPR, unless statutory or contractual retention periods or other legal obligations or rights to further storage preclude this.
4. Right to Restriction of Processing
You have the right to request a restriction on the processing of your personal data if any of the conditions set forth in Article 18(1)(a) through (d) of the GDPR are met:

• If you contest the accuracy of the personal data concerning you for a period that allows the controller to verify the accuracy of the personal data;
• the processing is unlawful and you oppose the erasure of the personal data and instead request the restriction of its use;
• the controller no longer needs the personal data for the purposes of processing, but you need it to assert, exercise, or defend legal claims; or
• if you have objected to the processing pursuant to Article 21(1) of the GDPR and it has not yet been determined whether the controller’s legitimate grounds override your grounds.

5. Right to Data Portability
You have the right to file a complaint with a supervisory authority. As a general rule, you may contact the supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your habitual residence, your place of work, or the place where the alleged infringement occurred.
6. Right to File a Complaint
You have the right to file a complaint with a supervisory authority. As a general rule, you may contact the supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your habitual residence, your place of work, or the place where the alleged infringement occurred.

Data Security
To protect all personal data transmitted to us and to ensure that data protection regulations are complied with not only by us but also by our external service providers, we have implemented appropriate technical and organizational security measures. For this reason, among other things, all data is transmitted between your browser and our server via a secure SSL connection.

Effective: 02.06.2026
Source: Sample Privacy Policy from JuraForum.de. Since we do not send out commercial newsletters, we have added paragraph 1 to the “Newsletter” section and removed the passages from this section suggested by JuraForum.de that did not apply to us.