Data Protection Notice

Protecting your privacy is an important concern for us, EQS Group GmbH, Karlstr. 47, 80333 Munich, Germany. That is why we collect, process and use personal data exclusively in accordance with the applicable laws on data protection and data security. The following disclosures are provided for your information. Please note that the website of the EQS Group may contain links to other providers’ websites to which this Data Protection Notice does not extend.

This Data Protection Notice does not apply to data or other content that we process, store or host in EQS Group systems as part of the provision of EQS Group offers to our customers. This is subject to the respective privacy notice of our customers.

 

1. Websites and cookies

Our websites use so-called “cookies,” text files that are stored on your computer and, among other things, ensure optimal use of the website. You can find a list of the cookies we use and their purpose, as well as more detailed information on how you can make individual cookie settings, in our Cookie Policy.

a) The following data are always collected and processed when you visit our websites, as these are necessary for the operation of our website:

• Operating system and version
• Browser type, version and plug-in types
• Set browser language
• End device used
• Display resolution
• Time-zone setting
• Location data: country, timezone
• Date and time of the server request
• http response code
• Cookie consent
• Info on cookie consent status
• IP address (will be anonymized after 24 hours)
• Login information

 

When you visit our websites, we collect and process your personal data on the basis of our legitimate interest for the following purposes:

• For the efficient operation of our online offer and web presence.
• To ensure the operation of IT systems.Ensuring operation includes, inter alia, the following activities:
  • Backup and recovery of data processed in IT systems
  • Incident and problem management for troubleshooting IT systems
  • IT Security as well as detection and defense against unauthorized access or attacks
  • Logging and monitoring of transactions to check the correct functioning of IT systems

 

You can always visit our websites without notifying us of who you are, and without your personal data being processed. Further details and configuration options are described in our Cookie Policy.

b) The following data will be collected and processed during your visit to our website, should you have consented to the use of Marketing cookies:

• Contact details, if you have made these available to us
• Referral URL
• The Marketing activity through which you became aware of us
• Cookie ID
• Pixel ID
• IP address
• Login information
• Information about how you use the website (e.g. for retargeting activities)
  • Time of the visit
  • Number of sessions
  • Retention time
  • Location information
  • Click path
  • visited pages
  • Number of visits
  • Interaction with advertisements, services and products
  • Conversion activities (downloads, requests etc.)
• Whether you open or forward messages from us

 

If you consent to the use of Marketing cookies, we collect and process your personal data when you visit our website for the following purposes:

• To ensure product quality, research and development of new products
• For the optimization and efficient operation of our online services, our web presence and email communications
• To determine the effectiveness of marketing campaigns
• For the creation of user profiles and retargeting measures

 

You can revoke your consent with effect for the future at any time. Further details are described in our Cookie Policy.

c) The following data will be collected and processed during your visit to our website, should you have consented to the use of statistical cookies:

• Information about how you use the website
  • Retention time
  • Number of sessions
  • Referrer URL
  • Click path
  • Click depth
  • IP address (anonymized)
  • Cookie ID
  • Browser information
  • Device information
  • Conversion activities (downloads, requests etc.)

If you consent to the use of statistical cookies, we collect and process your personal data when you visit our website for the following purposes:

• To ensure product quality, research and development of new products
• For the optimization and efficient operation of our online services, our web presence and email communications
• To determine the effectiveness of marketing campaigns

You can revoke your consent with effect for the future at any time. Further details are described in our Cookie Policy.

 

2. Contact forms/newsletter/marketing

We collect and process personal data whenever you submit a request to us or contact us, for example in the context of white papers, newsletters, email marketing, news service, event reminders or webinars. The data includes:

• Name
• Address
• Company
• Telephone number
• Country
• E-mail address
• Job title

 

We collect and process this data for the purposes for which you provide it to us.

Subject to your consent or as permitted by law, we may also collect the above personal information from third party sources. These sources may include the following:

• your employer in the context of its business relationship with EQS Group
• Third parties that you have instructed to share your personal data with EQS Group,
• Third-party sources and publicly available sources such as business-oriented social networks or information brokers.

When collecting personal data from third party sources, we use internal controls to ensure that the third-party provider is authorized to share the information with EQS Group and that we may use the information for this purpose. EQS Group will treat such personal data in accordance with this Data Protection Notice and any additional restrictions imposed on EQS Group by the third party that provided the data to EQS Group or by applicable national laws.

We also use the above-mentioned personal data for direct marketing measures, based on

• your separately given consent for this purpose,
• an existing contractual relationship or the initiation of such a relationship, or
• our legitimate interest to market our products and services.

You can object to the direct marketing measures at any time.

 

3. Events

We collect and process personal data whenever you take part in any of our events. The data you provide us includes

• Name
• Address
• Company
• Telephone number
• Country
• E-mail address
• Job title
• If applicable, any photographs and video recordings made of you at the event

We collect and process your data in order to initiate and fulfill contractual obligations to carry out the event and to enable you to participate. We will share your data with cooperating institutions, as far as this is necessary for the realization of the event and to enable your participation, e.g. external guest management, event locations. This also includes that, if applicable, we make your data (name, company/institution details) available to the event moderators and agencies for the purpose of conducting the event as well as to partners that enable us to conduct the event. In addition, we use this data to provide you with materials relevant to the event after the event.

In addition, photos and/or videos are regularly taken at our events, some of which are published on our homepage, in our social media channels, as part of external and internal reporting or in our newsletters, possibly also together with your names. In addition to the photo and video recordings, metadata such as the place and time of recording and location are also automatically stored in the digital cameras. The legal basis for taking and storing photos and video recordings is our legitimate interest in reporting on the event. The legal basis for publishing the photo and video recordings are §§ 22, 23 of the German Art Copyright Act (KUG) and/or your consent.

You are free to decide whether photographs are taken and/or videos are made from you. Provided that you participate in the event and do not declare any conflicting interest to us, we assume that you agree to the taking and publication of the photographs and/or videos.

You have the right to object to the production and storage of your photos and video recordings with future effect at any time by letting the photographer know or sending an email to dataprotection@eqs.com.

We expressly point out that external reporters might be present at the events who also take photos and videos. However, since we have no influence on the photos and videos taken by the external reporters and their use, we cannot provide any information on the purpose and scope of the processing of your data by these external reporters.

We also use the data for direct marketing, provided that you have given us separate consent for this purpose, or the authorization stems from an existing contractual relationship or the initiation of such a relationship. You can object to the direct marketing measures at any time.

 

4. Services or other performance by the EQS Group

We collect and process such personal data provided as are necessary when initiating, or as part of, providing you with a service or other performance. The data you provide us includes:

• Name
• Address
• Company
• Telephone number
• e-mail address
• Login information
• Master data

 

Your personal data are collected and processed in order to initiate and fulfill contractual obligations, and in the event we have a legitimate interest in the use of your personal data, such as

• to ensure product quality, research and development of new products,
• to fulfill sales, service and administration processes,
• for improvement and economical operation our online offerings, our website and our e-mail communication,
• to furnish you with advertising relative to similar products to those already purchased, unless you have objected to this,
• to determine the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.

 

5. Web beacons and tracking

a) We use web beacons (also referred to as “tracking pixels”) in our email correspondence in relation to webinars, events, newsletters and resources only with your express consent.

For example, we may place web beacons in marketing newsletters/e-mails to provide us with an idea of when you open our e-mail or click a link in the e-mail that redirects you to one of our websites.

The collected data is aggregated and analyzed for the purpose of optimizing our email communication and determining the effectiveness and reach of marketing campaigns by individually measuring, storing and evaluating open and click rates in recipient profiles.

You can revoke your consent to the use of this technology with future effect at any time. Furthermore you have the possibility to prevent our use of this technology by prohibiting HTML emails in the settings of your email client.

b) On our websites we use web beacons (also called tracking pixels) only with your express consent.

Through the tracking used on our websites, contacts you have with advertisements displayed on other websites (visual contacts and clicks on advertising banners) or with our emails are put in relation to interactions on our website.

The data collected is merged and evaluated for the purpose of optimizing and operating our online services, our website, and email communication, as well as for determining the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.

You can revoke your consent to the use of this technology with future effect at any time. Further details are described in our Cookie Policy.

c) For technical implementation we work with the following service providers

(1) In relation to Email and Websites, HubSpot, Inc. 25 First Street, 2nd Floor, Cambridge, MA 02141 USA. The Hubspot Tracking Code uses cookies to track website traffic, create user profiles and improve the presentation of content on our websites. The HubSpot product infrastructure and all data is hosted in AWS datacenters located in in the EU, with the primary located in Frankfurt (Germany) and the secondary in Dublin (Ireland), however, it cannot be excluded that personal data is also processed outside of the EU. By concluded Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the EU Commission with Hubspot, HubSpot agrees to comply with EU data protection requirements even when data is processed in the USA.

(2) In relation to Websites, Google Analytics, a web analysis service and Google Optimize that is provided by Google Inc. (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States). As far as you have your habitual residence in the European Union or Switzerland, Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland) is the responsible party for your data. We use Google Analytics to analyze website usage. The resulting data is used to optimize our website and advertising measures. This data is transferred und saved to a Google server in the USA. Google as well as governmental authorities have access to this data and it is also used by Google for its own purposes, such as profiling and merging it with other data about you. For this purpose, your data such as search history, personal accounts, usage data of other devices and all other data that Google has about you will be linked. In addition, we use the data collected by Google Analytics as part of the Google tool Optimize. Together with an additional cookie, Optimize allows us to test different versions of a website and how users react to these different versions. For example, we can test at which point within the website a particular piece of information is most attractive (A/B testing). The additional cookie is used to determine whether you are participating in a test and sets the end of the test. Further information and Google’s applicable privacy policy can be found at https://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy/ and https://www.google.com/analytics/terms/de.html. Google Analytics is explained in more detail under this link https://www.google.com/intl/de_de/analytics/

(3) We use Universal Event Tracking (UET) through Microsoft Advertising (formerly Bing Ads) from the Microsoft Ireland Operations Ltd., One Microsoft Place, South County Business Park. Leopardstown, Dublin 18, Ireland on our website. With UET, Microsoft saves a cookie in your browser to allow analysis of how our online offering is used.

This only happens if you reach our website via an ad from Microsoft Advertising. This indicates to us and Microsoft that someone clicked on an ad, was directed to our online offering and visited a previously specified web page (a process called conversion measurement). Your web request, IP address, browser type, browser language, the date and time of the request, and one or more cookies that may uniquely identify the browser are collected and processed.

The use of Microsoft Advertising requires your consent. The legal basis for this is Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. You can withdraw your consent at any time by deactivating conversion tracking in the data protection settings.

More information about data protection at Microsoft can be found in Microsoft’s privacy statement at https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-gb/privacystatement.

(4) Microsoft Clarity is a web analytics service provided by Microsoft Ireland Operations Ltd., One Microsoft Place, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, Ireland. Microsoft stores a cookie in your browser to enable an analysis of the usage of our online offering.

We use Microsoft Clarity to capture how you use and interact with our website, utilizing behavioral metrics, heatmaps, and session replays to enhance and market our products and services. For this purpose, we and Microsoft store interaction events (clicks, scrolling, mouse movement, window resizing, selections, input, etc.), diagnostic events (script and image errors, logs, performance events, etc.), page events (document sizes, page visibility, page unload, metrics and dimensions of the page), custom variables/events, position information, layout details, content, and metadata.

The use of Microsoft Clarity is only carried out with your consent. Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR serves as the legal basis. You can revoke your consent at any time in the privacy settings.

For further information on how Microsoft collects and uses your data, please refer to Microsoft’s privacy statement at privacy.microsoft.com/en/privacystatement.

 

6. Re-targeting

We work with some advertising partners on the use of what is referred to as “re-targeting technology.” Under this technology, cookies from these partner companies (also known as “third-party cookies”) are also stored on your hard drive when you visit our website, if you have consented to the use of Marketing cookies.

The service provider collects and processes your usage behavior on websites operated by us. These data are used to address users again after visiting our websites with targeted advertising based on their usage behavior. These advertisements are shown outside of our websites. Your interactions with these features are governed by the privacy policy of the companies that provide them. Please see our Cookie Policy for further details.

You can revoke your consent to the use of this technology on our website with future effect at any time. Further details are described in our Cookie Policy.

For more information on how to opt out of further use by the partner company, please see the partner company’s data privacy policy. We use the following third-party cookies, provided you have expressly consented:

a) LinkedIn InsightTag of LinkedIn Corp., 2029 Stierlin Ct, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA (“LinkedIn”). For privacy matters outside the United States, LinkedIn Ireland, Privacy Policy Issues, Wilton Plaza, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland, is responsible. The LinkedIn InsightTag puts a cookie in the browser that is matched against the LinkedIn database to create anonymous user segments and enable retargeting. You can opt out of LinkedIn retargeting in your LinkedIn settings. You can find the LinkedIn Privacy Statement here: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy

b) Remarketing or “Affinity Audience” function and the “Google Ads” advertising program and, in this context, conversion tracking (visitor activity analysis) of Google LLC (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA; (“Google”). If you are habitually resident in the European Economic Area or Switzerland, Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland) is the data controller.

(1) The Remarketing or “Affinity Audience” feature is designed to analyze visitor behavior and interests. Google uses cookies to perform the analysis of website usage, which forms the basis for the creation of interest-related advertisements. Cookies are used to record visits to the website as well as anonymous data on the use of the website. As part of this technical process, Google obtains knowledge of personal data, such as the IP address or surfing behavior. When you visit another website in the Google Display Network, you will see ads that most likely reflect the product and information areas you have previously viewed. Your data may be transferred to the USA and possible forwarded to third parties. You can revoke your consent at any time with effect for the future. The use of cookies can be disabled on the Google Marketing Platform opt-out page or the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page.

(2) The “Google Ads” advertising program and, in this context, conversion tracking (visitor activity analysis) is used to compile conversion statistics. These statistics tell us the total number of users who have clicked on one of our ads and been redirected to a page with a conversion tracking tag. When you click on an ad served by Google, a conversion tracking cookie is placed on your computer. These cookies are of limited validity, do not contain any personally identifiable information, and are therefore not used to personally identify you. If you visit certain pages on our site and the cookie hasn’t expired, Google and we can tell that you clicked on the ad and were redirected to that page. Each Google Ads customer receives a different cookie. As a result, there is no way that cookies can be tracked across the sites of ads customers. Google receives personal data, including your IP address. However, we do not receive any information that personally identifies users. Your information may be transferred to the USA. You can revoke your consent for the future at any time. To do so, go to https://www.google.de/settings/ads from each of your internet browser that you use and make the desired settings there. You can find further information and the Google data protection declaration at https://www.google.de/policies/privacy/.

 

7. YouTube Videos

We integrate videos from the “YouTube” platform of provider Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. If you are habitually resident in the European Economic Area or Switzerland, Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland) is the data controller. Your interactions with this function are governed by Google’s privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

 

8. Use of SalesViewer® Technology

Exclusively with your consent to marketing cookies, data is collected and stored on this website for marketing, market research and optimization purposes using SalesViewer® technology from SalesViewer® GmbH.

For this purpose, a javascript-based code is used to collect company-related data and the corresponding usage. The data collected using this technology is encrypted using a non-reversible one-way function (known as hashing). The data is immediately pseudonymized and is not used to personally identify the visitor to this website.

The data stored as part of Salesviewer will be deleted as soon as it is no longer required for its intended purpose and the deletion does not conflict with any statutory retention obligations.

You can revoke your consent to the use of this technology at any time with effect for the future. In addition, you can prevent the collection and storage of data at any time with effect for the future by please clicking on this link https://www.salesviewer.com/opt-out to prevent the collection by SalesViewer® within this website in the future. This will place an opt-out cookie for this website on your device. If you delete your cookies in this browser, you must click this link again.

 

9. Use of the Gong Reality Platform™ service

Gong Reality Platform™ is an analytics service provided by Gong.io Inc, 201 Spear St. 13th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105. Gong Reality Platform™ connects to communication tools such as Microsoft Outlook and Teams and records the communication. Gong Reality Platform™ uses artificial intelligence to analyse recorded conversations, meetings and emails to provide insights and recommendations to improve communication as well as service and sales performance. It offers features such as call analysis, deal execution and coaching and training tools for sales teams. We use Gong Reality Platform™ to capture video calls, phone calls, email correspondence, meetings and calendar events, CRM data and digital interaction data. Our purpose is to improve our sales processes and services and to train employees.

The personal data processed includes, for example: Name and business contact details of users and participants; Gong usage data and other technical data about usage; the user’s device and connection to Gong; content of recorded communications; analyses and insights gained based on such communications.

The use of Gong Reality Platform™ only takes place with your consent. Art. 6 para. 1a GDPR serves as the legal basis. You can revoke your consent at any time and request information or deletion of the data collected at any time.

 

10. Fulfillment of legal obligations

We will also process personal data if there is a legal obligation to do so. We are subject to a variety of legal obligations. In order to comply with these obligations, we process your data to the extent necessary and, where indicated, pass these along to the responsible authorities within the framework of statutory reporting obligations. If necessary, we also process your data in the event of a legal dispute, if the legal dispute requires the processing of your data.

 

11. We protect your personal data

The EQS Group uses technical and organizational security measures to protect your data against manipulation, loss, destruction or access by unauthorized persons. These security measures are continuously improved in keeping with technological progress. This includes, for example, access authorizations, authentications, audits, controls, alarm messages, data storage and backups, transmission standards and environmental integrity. For EQS Group employees, there is a Code of Conduct that obliges them to comply with the principles of data protection and data security.

 

12. How long we keep your information

We will only retain your data for as long as necessary for the purposes for which we process your data,

• to provide you with the products and services requested by you or your employer,
• to comply with our legal obligations to retain personal data, including those arising from applicable export, financial, tax or commercial laws,
• to fulfill EQS Group’s legitimate business purposes as set out in this privacy notice, unless you have opted out of EQS Group’s use of your personal data for these purposes,
• until you withdraw the consent you have previously given to EQS Group to process your personal data.

If we process data for multiple purposes, they will automatically be deleted or stored in a format that does not permit direct conclusions to be drawn about you once the last specific purpose has been fulfilled.

EQS Group may retain your personal data for a longer period of time if this is necessary to comply with legal requirements for the processing of your personal data or if EQS Group needs the personal data to assert legal claims or to defend against such claims. In this case, EQS Group will retain your personal data until the relevant retention period has expired or the claims have been settled.

 

13. Whom do we provide with international access to your data, and how do we protect these data in the process?

The EQS Group is a global company. Personal data are processed by employees, by Group companies and by service providers commissioned by us, preferably within the EU. Should data be processed in countries outside the EU, we use suitable measures (e.g. EU standard contractual clauses including appropriate technical and organizational measures) to ensure that your personal data are processed in accordance with European-level data protections.

 

14. Privacy Notice for Shareholders

Our Privacy Notice for Shareholders provides a clear summary of all of the information around the processing of the personal data of our shareholders.  This information is available here for download.

 

15. Contacting us, your privacy rights and your right to lodge a complaint with the data protection authority

If you have granted consent to our processing of your personal data, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. The lawfulness of the processing of your personal data up until this withdrawal is not affected by the withdrawal. Further processing of this data under a different basis in law, for example to fulfill legal obligations, remains unaffected as well.

Do you have any further questions or comments on the subject of data protection, particularly as concerns information on the data stored about you? Do you want information about your data, the data we have stored, or to check, amend or delete your data? You want to limit our processing of your data or object to it? Then contact the EQS Group Data Protection Officer at datenschutz@eqs.com 

We take your concerns and rights very seriously. However, if you believe that we have not adequately addressed your complaints or concerns, you have the right to file a complaint with a competent data protection authority.