1. Website provision and usage

a. Type and scope of data processing

Whenever you access our website, a log file containing data is automatically created and stored on the server. These data include:

• the website you visited
• the web page from which you accessed our web page (plus the terms entered if this was a search engine)
• date
• time
• the operating system used
• features of the display (resolution in pixels and the pixel ratio for the detection of high-resolution displays) and
• the browser used (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, etc.)

The log file also stores the volume of the transmitted data, an HTTP status code (for example, to identify a successfully transmitted web page), and the IP address of the device used to access the page (e.g., PC or smartphone) – whereby the IP address is immediately anonymized by the erasure of the last octet of the address.

The data stored in the log file is collected and used solely for anonymous evaluation for statistical purposes (for example, an analysis of user behavior, which pages of the website or subdomain are accessed, which browsers are used, etc.) and thereby serves to improve our services. As IP addresses are anonymized in the way described above, they cannot be mapped to a specific user and cannot be traced to a specific IP address.

b. Legal basis

The legal basis for our data processing is Article 6.1.1.e GDPR in conjunction with Section 3 of the Berlin Data Protection Act (BlnDSG) Section 4 of the Berlin Higher Education Act (BerlHG), and Article 6.1.1.c GDPR in conjunction with Section 13.7 of the German Teleservices Act (TMG). The processing of said data is required in order to provide and maintain the website and thus serves Freie Universität Berlin in performing a task carried out in the public interest.

c. Storage period

The log files for the ongoing and previous calendar year are stored for evaluation purposes. In this case, the IP addresses are anonymized. The data are then erased.

2. Data processing and contact requests

a. Type and scope of data processing

On some pages of our website we offer you the opportunity to get in touch with us via a pre-configured contact form. You will be notified of this data protection policy when you are about to submit your data via the contact form. Your email address will be processed if you choose to make use of such a contact form. Submitting your email address to us allows us to properly keep track of your query and to respond to it. The data you have submitted on the contact form will not be disclosed to third parties.

In the event that contact is made via email, the other personal data stated in the message (name, query subject, attachments, date, and time) will be processed along with the sender’s email address.

b. Legal basis

Data processing for the purposes of making contact via the contact form as described above is performed on the basis of your voluntarily given consent pursuant to Article 6.1.a GDPR. The legal basis for the processing of personal data in relation to email queries is based on Article 6.1.e GDPR in conjunction with Section 4 BerlHG.

c. Storage period

As soon as the query you have submitted has been dealt with and the matter resolved, the personal data you provided via the contact form that we processed will be erased. The data will only be stored in exceptional cases, for example, if required by law.