Social Media Privacy Policy.

Polyteia GmbH operates its own social media pages together with the operator of the respective social media platform. We would therefore like to inform you below in accordance with Art. 13 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) about the handling of your data and your rights resulting from this.

1. Responsible person

We, Polyteia GmbH, operate the following social media pages. You can find our contact details in the legal notice at https://www.polyteia.com/imprint

  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/polyteia/
  • X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/Polyteia
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Polyteia  

In addition to us, the respective operator of the social media platform (hereinafter "provider") is also responsible for data processing on our social media site. In detail, these are

LinkedIn:

  • (if you are located within the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Plaza, Wilton Place, Dublin 2 Ireland)
  • (if you are located outside the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland LinkedIn Corporation, 1000 W. Maude Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94085, USA)

X (Twitter):

  • Twitter International Company, One Cumberland Place, Fenian Street, Dublin 2, D02 AX07, Ireland

YouTube:

  • Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland
2. General information on social media platforms

We would like to point out that you use our social media pages and their functions, as well as the social media platforms as a whole, at your own risk. This applies in particular to the use of interactive functions (e.g. liking, following, commenting, sharing, rating). Further information on use can be found in the terms of use and privacy policies of the social media platforms.We expressly draw your attention to the fact that the providers also store data of registered users (hereinafter "users") and other interested visitors to the social media platform (hereinafter "visitors"), e.g. personal information, IP address, cookies, etc., outside the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA) and use them for their own business purposes.

We generally have no influence on the collection of data and its further use by the provider. To what extent, where and for how long the data is stored, to what extent the provider complies with existing deletion obligations, which evaluations and links are made with the data and to whom the data is passed on is neither recognizable nor influenceable for us. We therefore ask you to carefully check which personal data you disclose as a user on the social media platform.

If you want to find out more about our company without using the social media platform, you can alternatively view much of the information offered via our social media page on our website.

3. Type, scope, purposes, and legal bases of data processing

We operate our social media page to inform users and visitors about our company and to engage with them. The processing of your data, unless stated otherwise below, is based on our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR) in the economic operation, optimization, and usage analysis of our social media page, as well as to communicate with you as a user/visitor and to carry out advertising activities on the social media platform. The use of our social media page is possible in part without registration with the social media platform. Even if you use the social media platform without registration, personal data can be processed. Below, you will find an overview of the type, scope, purposes, and, where applicable, specific legal bases of data processing in the context of using our social media page.

a. Usage Analysis
In connection with the operation of our social media page, we use the "Insights" or "Analytics" feature of the social media platform, through which the provider provides us with statistical data on the use of our social media page, which are anonymous to us, i.e., we cannot view the personal data of individual users or visitors. We are not specifically aware of which data the provider uses for usage analysis in connection with our social media page. From LinkedIn, we receive, in particular, aggregated data in the following areas: Reach (impressions, page views, unique users, access to sub-pages), audience (demographic information), interaction (impressions, reactions, click rate, likes, shares, comments, (link) clicks, engagement rate), audience (demographic/geographic information). From Twitter, we receive, in particular, aggregated data in the following areas: Reach (e.g., active viewers, video thumbnail impressions), interactions (e.g., clicking, sharing), audience (e.g., demographic/geographic information, previously visited pages or videos, viewer retention). From YouTube, we receive, in particular, aggregated data in the following areas: Number of so-called impressions, profile visits, and followers (including increases and developments over time).

b. Cookies
The providers of the social media platforms use cookies as well as cookie-like technologies, i.e., typically small files that are stored on your end device (hereinafter referred to as "cookies"), among other things, to offer you a comprehensive range of functions, to make the use more comfortable, and to optimize their offerings. The data obtained via cookies are directly stored and processed by the provider. We have no access to and no influence on how the provider uses these cookies. The information obtained via cookies can be used by the provider within the social media platform as well as in additional provider services and in services of third parties that use the provider's services, to create usage profiles for market research and advertising purposes. In particular, your usage behavior and the interests derived from it are taken into account. The provider may, for example, allow partners or even third parties to use this data to display advertising within and outside the social media platform. If you use the social media platform on multiple end devices, the collection and evaluation can also take place across devices, especially if you are logged in as a user. For more detailed information on the type, scope, purposes, legal bases, and opt-out options (opt-out) when using cookies by the respective provider, please refer to the cookie policies of the respective social media platforms. If you do not wish the use of cookies and/or cookie-like technologies, you can also prevent their storage on your end device by making the appropriate settings on your end device and/or internet browser or use separate opt-out options. Please note that the functionality and range of functions of our social media pages may be limited as a result.

c. Direct Contact
If you contact us directly via our social media page (e.g., via personal message, messenger, or a pre-filled form), the processing of data provided therein (e.g., name, email address, information about your vehicle) is only for the purpose of responding to your customer/inquiry. These data are not transferred into our internal systems. To the extent that it concerns the initiation of a contractual relationship, the processing of data transmitted in the context of direct contact via the social media platform is based on Article 6(1)(b) GDPR. If we ask you for consent to process your data, for example, with the help of a checkbox in connection with forms provided by us, the legal basis for the data processing is, where applicable, Article 6(1)(a) GDPR. Since we are particularly unaware of the confidentiality of the information you provide during direct contact and its use by the provider itself, please refrain from transmitting sensitive data or other confidential information, such as application documents or bank or credit card data, through this channel. We recommend using a more secure method of transmission for this purpose.

d. Other user interactions
Due to the functionality of a social media platform, it is possible for us to become aware of users who like our social media page as well as our posts, those who subscribe to, rate, comment on, or share them, provided you have made your interaction public on the social media platform and have not explicitly marked it as "private" through the platform's settings. We evaluate this information in aggregate form to provide our users and visitors with more relevant content that may be of greater interest to them. The information gained in this way does not allow for any conclusion to be drawn about an individual. As a user in your respective social media profile, you have the option, for example, to actively hide your "posts", "tweets", "rated videos", "subscriptions", "followers", or other profile information, or to no longer follow our social media page or unsubscribe from it. Then, you will no longer appear in the list of followers or subscribers of this social media page.

e. Interest-based advertising
We are able to use demographic and geographic evaluations of our target groups provided by the provider to specifically place interest-based advertisements on our social media page or to highlight our posts without directly knowing the identity of the user or visitor to whom the advertisements are displayed. The placement of advertising or highlighting of posts on our social media page in this case is based on an analysis of previous usage behavior by the provider, whereby we only have access to anonymized or pseudonymized information that regularly does not allow us to identify your person and at no time is merged with personal data that may be stored by us.

4. Recipients of personal data

Internal: Within Polyteia GmbH, only those individuals who need access for the purposes mentioned have access to personal data.

External: We only transfer your personal data to external recipients outside of Polyteia GmbH when it is necessary for processing or handling your concerns, another legal permission exists, or we have your consent.

5. Data processing in third countries

The processing of data by the respective provider also regularly takes place in third countries outside of the EU/EEA, such as the USA. For more detailed information on data processing by the provider of the social media platform, options for configuring the protection of your privacy, further objections, and agreements concluded according to Article 26 GDPR, please refer to the provider's privacy policy:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/static?key=privacy_policy, https://legal.linkedin.com/pages-joint-controller-addendum
Twitter: https://developer.twitter.com/en/developer-terms/agreement-and-policy
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/privacy

6. Right of the data subject

As a data subject affected by the processing of personal data, you have the following rights, which arise from the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation and are presented here in a simplified form.

a. Right to access

According to Article 15 of the GDPR, you have the right to request confirmation from us as to whether personal data concerning you is being processed. If this is the case, you have the right to access this personal data and the information specified in Article 15(1) GDPR. This includes, in particular, the purpose of the processing, the categories of processed data, the recipients to whom the data has been or will be disclosed, if possible, the planned duration of storage or the criteria used to determine that duration.

b. Right to rectification
Under Article 16 of the GDPR, you have the right to demand that we immediately correct any incorrect personal data concerning you. Taking into account the purposes of the processing, you have the right to request the completion of incomplete personal data – also by means of a supplementary statement.

c. Right to erasure
According to Article 17 of the GDPR, you have the right to demand that personal data concerning you be erased immediately. We are obligated to erase personal data immediately if one of the reasons listed in Article 17(1) GDPR applies, such as if the data are no longer necessary for the purposes for which they were collected or otherwise processed.

d. Right to restriction of processing
Under Article 18 of the GDPR, you have the right to request the restriction of processing of your personal data if one of the conditions listed in Article 18 GDPR applies. This includes, for example, if you contest the accuracy of the personal data. In that case, we may only process the data to a limited extent while verifying the accuracy of the personal data.

e. Right to data portability
In certain cases, under Article 20 of the GDPR, you have the right to receive the personal data concerning you, which you have provided to us, in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format. You have the right to transmit these data to another controller without hindrance from us, provided that the processing was based on consent or was necessary for the performance of a contract.

f. Right to object
According to Article 21 of the GDPR, you have the right to object at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you based on Article 6(1)(e) or (f) GDPR, including profiling based on those provisions, for reasons arising from your particular situation. You can object to the processing of data for direct marketing purposes at any time; in such a case, the personal data shall no longer be processed for such purposes. The right to object can be exercised by an informal declaration. A written statement or, optionally, an email to the contact address mentioned above suffices.

g. Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority
Under Article 77 of the GDPR, without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, particularly in the Member State of your residence, place of work, or place of the alleged infringement if you believe that the processing of personal data relating to you infringes the GDPR.
In this case, the competent supervisory authority is:

Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information
Alt-Moabit 59-61
10555 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 13889-0
Email: mailbox@datenschutz-berlin.de

We recommend directing requests for information and the assertion of further data subject rights concerning our social media page directly to the provider. As the operator of the social media platform, only the provider has direct access to the necessary information and can take any necessary actions and provide information. Please refer to the privacy policy of the respective social media platform provider to exercise your rights as a data subject.

Furthermore, we recommend that you regularly check the privacy settings on the social media platform to protect your privacy.

7. Data protection officer

Our external data protection officer will be happy to provide you with information on the subject of data protection under the following contact details:

Ali Tschakari, LL.M.
Bitkom Servicegesellschaft mbH
Albrechtstraße 10
10117 Berlin
E-Mail: datenschutz@bitkom-consult.de

If you contact our data protection officer, please state the responsible office named in the imprint.

8. Final provisions

Polyteia GmbH reserves the right to adapt this data protection declaration at any time so that it always complies with the current legal requirements or in order to implement changes to the services in the data protection declaration, e.g. when introducing new services or changes to the website. The new data protection declaration will then apply for a renewed access to this website.

January 2024