Privacy Policy

The following privacy policy applies to the use of our online offer www.cotsoes.org (hereinafter referred to as “website”).

We attach great importance to data protection. Personal data (hereinafter usually referred to as “data”) are collected, stored, processed, and used in compliance with the applicable data protection regulations, in particular Regulation (EU) 2016/679, i. e. General Data Protection Regulation (hereinafter referred to as “GDPR”).

Under Art. 4(2) of the GDPR, “processing” refers to any operation or set of operations such as collection, recording, organization, structuring, storage, adaptation, alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination, or otherwise making available, alignment, or combination, restriction, erasure, or destruction performed on personal data, whether by automated means or not.

The following privacy policy is intended to inform you in particular about the type, scope, purpose, duration, and legal basis for the processing of such data either under our own control or in conjunction with others. We also inform you below about the third-party components we use to optimize our website and improve the user experience which may result in said third parties also processing data they collect and control.

1 Responsibilities

Responsible for the collection, storage, processing and usage of your personal data in compliance with Art. 4(7) of the GDPR are

Federal Foreign Office
Referat 105 - Language Services Division
Werderscher Markt 1
D-10117 Berlin

and

Federal Office of Languages
Horbeller Str. 52
D-50354 Hürth

on behalf of the Conference of Translation Services of European States (COTSOES).

If you wish to object in whole or in part to the collection, storage, processing and usage of your personal data according to this data protection policy, please send your objection by email to those responsible. To do this, please submit your objection at any time  to the following email address: admin@cotsoes.info.

You can save and print this data protection policy at any time.

2 General Purpose of the Data Processing

We use personal data exclusively for the purpose of operating the website.

3 Which Data Do We Use and Why?

3.1 Hosting

The web hosting services we use ensure the provision of the following services: infrastructure and platform services, computing capacity, storage space and database services, security services, and technical maintenance services that we use to operate the website.

Thereby we or our web hosting provider process inventory data, contact information, content data, contract data, usage data, meta data; and communications data from visitors and interested parties on the basis of our legitimate interests in providing an efficient and secure website in accordance with Art. 6(3)(f) of the GDPR in conjunction with Art. 28 of the GDPR.

3.2 Access Data

We collect information about you when you use this website. We and the web hosting provider automatically collect information about your usage behaviour and your interaction with us and register data on your computer or mobile device. We collect, store and use data about every access to our website (so-called server log files). Access data include:

  • name and URL of retrieved file
  • date and time of retrieval
  • data volume transferred
  • notification of successful retrieval (HTTP response code)
  • type and version of browser
  • operating system
  • referrer URL (i. e. the previously visited page)
  • websites accessed by the user’s system via our website
  • internet service provider of the user
  • IP address (anonymized by removing the last two digits) and requesting provider

These logged data are used for statistical evaluations for the purpose of operating, securing, and optimizing the website but also for anonymously recording the number of visitors who access our website as well as the extent and type of use of our website and services without any allocation to your person or other profiling. On the basis of this information we can provide personalized and location-based content as well as analyze data traffic, localize and eliminate faults, and improve our services.

This is based on our legitimate interests in accordance with Art. 6(1)(f) of the GDPR.

We reserve the right to check the log files retrospectively if there is a justified suspicion of illegal use based on concrete evidence. In our log files, IP addresses are stored for a limited period of time if this is necessary for security purposes. We delete IP addresses when they are no longer required for security purposes. We also store IP addresses if we have a concrete suspicion of a criminal offence in connection with the use of our website. In addition, we store the date of your last visit as part of your account (e.g. when registering, logging in, clicking on links, etc.)

3.3 Cookies

We use so-called session cookies to optimize our website. A session cookie is a small text file that is sent by the respective servers when you visit a website and is temporarily stored on your hard drive. They support the display of our website and help you navigate. Cookies collect data about your IP address, browser, operating system or internet connection. We do not associate this information to personal data and do not pass it on to third parties. Under no circumstances are cookies used by us to bring malware or spyware onto your computer. You can also visit our website without the use of cookies, which may limit the display and some functions of our website. You can prevent the use of cookies by changing special settings on your browser. Please use the help function of your browser to change the respective settings.

Our legitimate interest in using cookies lies in improving the functionality, efficiency and security of our website. The legal basis is then Art. 6(1)(f) of the GDPR.

3.4 User Account

When you visit our website you can register for a user account. If you want to do so, you need to transmit the personal data required for the login procedure. When logging onto the website you only need your user name and a password.

For first-time-registration, we gather some basic data (e.g. name, address), communication data (e.g. email address), and login data (user name and password).

To ensure proper registration and to prevent unauthorized registration by third parties, you will receive an email with your user name and password after your request. Your data is only permanently stored in our system after this process. You may access and change the entries within your user account at any time by using your user name and password. You can change your password at any time in your user account.

You can cancel your user account at any time and with that delete your data from our system. In this regard, a written notification (e.g. email) made to the addresses listed in paragraph 1 is sufficient. Your stored personal data will then be deleted, unless continued storage is required in order to fulfil legal retention periods.

The legal basis for the processing of this data is your consent in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR.

3.5 User Content

We offer you the opportunity to publish content on our website. If you make use of this opportunity, we will process and publish your post, the date and time you submitted it, and your user name.

The legal basis for this is Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR.  You may revoke your prior consent under Art. 7(3) of the GDPR with future effect. All you need to do is inform us that you are revoking your consent.

3.6 Personal Data

We only collect personal data in the framework of data avoidance and minimisation to the extent and for as long as this is necessary for the operation of the website provided that legal regulations do not stipulate otherwise. We take the protection of your personal data very seriously and strictly adhere to all relevant legal provisions and regulations as well as to this privacy policy when collecting and processing personal data. If the purpose of the collection is no longer valid or if the end of the legal storage period has been reached, the data collected will be blocked or deleted. Our website can be used without passing on personal data but this limits the use of the website. If we collect personal data - such as your name, office address, or office email address - this data is collected voluntarily. This data will not be disclosed to third parties without your express consent. Please note that transmitting data on the internet is generally not always secure. Data protection cannot be guaranteed specifically with reagard to email traffic.

3.7 Email Contact

If you contact us (e.g. by email), we will use your data to process your request and should follow-up questions arise.

We will only further process personal data if you give your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR) or if we have a legitimate interest in processing your data (Art. 6(1)(f) of the GDPR). Our legitimate interest, for example, lies in replying to your email.

4 Storage Period

Unless specifically stated, we only retain personal data for as long as it is necessary to fulfill the intended purpose.

In some cases, the storage of personal data is required by law. In such cases, the data will only be stored by us for these legal purposes, but will not be processed in any other way and will be deleted after the expiration of the legal retention period.

5 Information, Deletion, Blocking

You can request information at any time and free of charge about the personal data we have stored about you as well as the origin, the recipient and purpose of data collection and data processing. You also have the right to request the correction, blocking or deletion of your data. This does not apply to data retained due to legal regulations or required for proper processing of transactions. In order to ensure that data can be locked at any time, it is stored in a lock file for control purposes. If data is not collected by a legal archiving obligation, we delete your data at your request. If the archiving obligation applies, we block your data. For all questions and concerns regarding the correction, blocking or deletion of personal data, please contact those responsible under the contact data mentioned in this privacy policy.