In the following, we provide information about the processing of personal data (hereinafter referred to as "data") in the context of visiting the website, contacting us and the LIFE Initiative's social counseling service and your rights in this regard. The German version of the policy is legally binding, the English version is provided for information purposes only.
1. Responsible person:
LIFE Initiative e.V., Oranienstraße 203, 10999 Berlin, represented by Ramin Goo (Board)
Website: www.life-initiative.org
E-mail: info@life-initiative.org
Phone: +49 30 233 213 00
If you have any questions about our privacy policy, the processing of your data and the processing processes, please contact us using the contact details above.
2. Why do we process your data?
For a better understanding, we will explain a few of the key terms:
- Personal data: Personal data is all information that relates to an identified or identifiable natural person. In other words, all information that can be used to establish a reference to you as a person.
- Processing: Processing is any operation relating to personal data. This can be, for example, the collection, storage, organization, modification or transmission.
- Responsible party: The responsible party is the natural person, public authority or body that decides on the means and purposes of processing personal data.
- Consent: Consent is the voluntary declaration made by the data subject to agree to the processing of personal data in a specific case.
The LIFE Initiative offers you digital contact with our volunteers, who will support you with bureaucratic matters. To make this possible, we process the necessary data. If you do not wish to provide us with the necessary data, we will not be able to provide our services. We only process your data insofar as this is possible for us in accordance with the applicable data protection regulations. Accordingly, we only process your data insofar as this is necessary to provide the consulting services you have requested, you have consented to the processing or we are otherwise authorized to do so under data protection laws.
3. Which data is processed by us and on what legal basis?
3.1 Registration for our newsletter
It is possible to subscribe to our newsletter via our website. This requires you to enter your e-mail address. We will only use your e-mail address to send you our newsletter on a regular basis. You can unsubscribe at any time, for example via a link at the end of each newsletter. Alternatively, you can send your unsubscribe request to info@life-initiative.org at any time. The legal basis for the data processing for this is your consent in accordance with Art. 6 (1) a) GDPR. You can withdraw your consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
3.2 Enquiries to us and use of our advisory services
If you contact us with an inquiry, we collect and process your personal data to the extent necessary in order to be able to process the inquiry you have sent us or the advice you have requested from us in the event of bureaucratic difficulties. We only process data that you send us as part of the inquiry or consultation or that is directly related to it. This may include personal data (name, address, contact details, etc.), data relating to the matter in question (e.g. copy of passport, official letters, court letters, information on your residence status or social benefits) and any other data that you send us in connection with your request. This may also involve particularly sensitive data, such as health data, or data revealing your ethnic origin or religious beliefs. When contacting us via our contact form, it is only necessary to provide your telephone number so that we can call you back. The provision of all other personal data is voluntary. The data that we receive from you by post, email, SMS or WhatsApp message when you contact us is also provided voluntarily. The legal basis for data processing in the context of establishing contact and providing our consulting services is Art. 6 para. 1 b) GDPR, as the provision and processing of certain data is necessary in order to provide our consulting services, and in all other cases your consent pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 a) and Art. 9 para. 2 a) GDPR. You can withdraw your consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal. In some cases, we also have a legitimate interest in processing your data (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 f) GDPR), for example to respond to your email.
We share your personal data within our organization only with (volunteer) staff who need it to successfully provide the consulting service. We may transfer your personal data to persons contractually associated with the LIFE Initiative, insofar as this is legally permissible within the framework of the purposes and legal bases set out.
We store your data for as long as we need it for the consultation. Personal data will be deleted no later than 3 years after the last consultation. You have the right to object to the storage and processing of your personal data by us at any time. It may then not be possible to continue the consultation.
3.3 Visiting the website
When you visit our website https://life-initiative.org, your browser automatically sends information to our website server. This information is temporarily stored in a log file. The following information is collected without any action on your part and stored until it is automatically deleted:
- IP address of the requesting computer
- Date and time of access
Name and URL of the retrieved file
- Website from which the access is made (referrer URL)
- Browser used
- the operating system of your computer, if applicable
The aforementioned data is used by us for the purposes of ensuring a smooth connection setup and convenient use of our website, for evaluating system security and stability and for other administrative purposes. This website is hosted externally. The personal data collected on this website is stored on the servers of the hoster NetConcept GmbH, Hansestr. 26, 29525 Uelzen, Germany.
The legal basis for data processing is Art. 6 paragraph 1 sentence 1 f) GDPR. Our legitimate interest follows from the purposes for data collection listed above. Under no circumstances do we use the data collected for the purpose of drawing conclusions about your person.
For security reasons, our website uses SSL or TLS encryption. This means that data you transmit via this website cannot be read by third parties. You can recognize an encrypted connection by the "https://" address line of your browser and the lock symbol in the browser line. We also use appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your data against accidental or intentional manipulation, partial or complete loss, destruction or against unauthorized access by third parties.
3.4 Use of cookies
Our website uses so-called "cookies". Cookies are small data packets and do not cause any damage to your end device. They are stored on your device either temporarily for the duration of a session (session cookies) or permanently (permanent cookies). Session cookies are automatically deleted at the end of your visit. Permanent cookies remain stored on your device until you delete them yourself or they are automatically deleted by your web browser. In some cases, cookies from third-party companies may also be stored on your device when you visit our website (third-party cookies). These enable us or you to use certain services of the third-party company. As such third-party cookies, we use Google Analytics to analyze the use of our website. Google Analytics is provided by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland. When you visit our website, Google processes the following data, for example:
- pages viewed
- Your behavior on the pages (dwell time, clicks, scrolling behavior)
- Approximate location
- IP address
- Technical information such as browser, internet provider, end device
The legal basis for this data processing is your consent pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 a) GDPR. You can select this consent via the consent tool displayed on your first visit to our website. Your consent can be revoked at any time. Revocation does not affect the legality of the data processing carried out up to the time of revocation. It cannot be ruled out that your data will also be processed by Google on servers in the USA. We have no influence on these processing activities. For data transfers to the USA, there is an adequacy decision by the EU Commission in accordance with Art. 45 GDPR. The company Google LLC is certified in accordance with the Data Privacy Framework and thus guarantees a level of data protection comparable to that in the EU. Further information on Google Analytics can be found in Google's privacy policy at https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=de .
Many cookies are technically necessary, as certain website functions would not work without them (necessary cookies). Other cookies are used to evaluate user behavior or to display advertising (optional cookies). Necessary cookies, which are required to carry out the electronic communication process, are stored on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 f) GDPR. We have a legitimate interest in the storage of necessary cookies for the technically error-free and optimized provision of our services. We only use optional cookies after you have given your consent. You can select these on your first visit to our website using the cookie consent tool. If you have given your consent to the storage of cookies, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of this consent (Art. 6 para. 1 a) GDPR and § 25 para. 1 TTDSG). You can withdraw your consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
3.5 reCAPTCHA
We use Google reCAPTCHA on this website. The provider is Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland. The purpose of reCAPTCHA is to check whether data is entered on this website (e.g., in the contact form) by a human or by an automated program. For this purpose, reCAPTCHA analyzes the behavior of the website visitor. This analysis begins automatically as soon as the website visitor enters the website. For the analysis, reCAPTCHA evaluates various information (e.g., IP address, length of stay of the website visitor or mouse movements made). The data collected during the analysis is forwarded to Google. The reCAPTCHA analyses run completely in the background. The data is stored and analyzed on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 f) GDPR. The use of Google reCAPTCHA enables us to protect our website from misuse and spam. We have a legitimate interest in protecting our website from abusive automated spying. In addition, a corresponding consent is requested via our cookie consent tool. If a corresponding consent has been given, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 a) GDPR. Consent can be withdrawn at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal. For more information about Google reCAPTCHA, please refer to the Google Privacy Policy and the Google Terms of Service at the following links: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de and https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=de.
The company Google is based in the USA. If Google tools are active, it cannot be ruled out that your personal data will be transferred to the USA and processed there. We have no influence on these processing activities. For data transfers to the USA, there is an adequacy decision by the EU Commission in accordance with Art. 45 GDPR. The company Google LLC is certified in accordance with the Data Privacy Framework and thus guarantees a level of data protection comparable to that in the EU.
3.6 WhatsApp Business
We also use WhatsApp as a means of communication with you for our consulting services. WhatsApp Inc. is a subsidiary of Meta Platforms. The pesponsible party for the European region is WhatsApp Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, Ireland. We use this service because it is the most widely used messaging tool in the world and allows us to communicate with you in the simplest and most familiar way. We use WhatsApp exclusively on the basis of your consent in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 a) GDPR. Consent can be withdrawn at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal. Further information can be found in WhatsApp's privacy policy: https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/privacy-policy-eea?lang=de_DE. As WhatsApp is a subsidiary of Meta Platforms based in the USA, it cannot be ruled out that your data will also be processed on servers in the USA. We have no influence on WhatsApp's processing activities. For data transfers to the USA, there is an adequacy decision by the EU Commission in accordance with Art. 45 GDPR. Both WhatsApp LLC and Meta Platforms Inc. are certified companies under the Data Privacy Framework and therefore guarantee a level of data protection comparable to that in the EU.
3.7 Data processing by volunteers assigned by us
After you have sent us your consultation request via one of the possible communication channels (contact form, e-mail, telephone, SMS, WhatsApp), you will be assigned one of our volunteers. The consultation will then be carried out by this volunteer. You provide and pass on your data to our volunteer during the consultation process on a voluntary basis. A protocol prepared by the responsible volunteer with the central information regarding the consultation and with the most important documents is forwarded to us by the volunteer and stored by us. We are only responsible under data protection law for the information and personal data forwarded to us by the volunteer. Beyond that, we are not responsible for the information you provide to the volunteer. The legal basis for data processing is your consent in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 a) or Art. 9 para. 2 a) GDPR. You may withdraw your consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
4. What rights do you have with regard to your data?
4.1 Withdrawal of consent - Art. 7 para. 3 GDPR
If we process your data on the basis of your consent, you can withdraw your consent at any time without this affecting the lawfulness of processing prior to withdrawal. We will continue to provide our services insofar as they are not dependent on the revoked consent. To exercise your right of withdrawal, you must inform us of your decision to withdraw your consent by means of a clear statement (e.g., a letter sent by post, text message, WhatsApp or email) to the contacts listed above. If you make use of this option, we will immediately send you a confirmation of receipt of such a revocation (e.g., by e-mail).
If you withdraw your consent, the processing of your data up to that point remains lawful. After revocation, your personal data may continue to be processed insofar as this is legally permissible, e.g. within the framework of statutory retention periods or in the event of legal disputes before courts or authorities.
4.2 Information, rectification and restriction - Art. 15, 16, 18 GDPR
Every data subject has the right to request information about the processing of their personal data. To do so, please contact us at any time at info@life-initiative.org.
The right to information includes information about the purposes of processing, categories of data and recipients, storage duration, any origin of your data, the existence of automated decision-making including profiling, as well as your rights under data protection regulations. You will find all of this information in this privacy policy and we will be happy to provide it to you in electronic format on request.
If it turns out that some of your personal data is incorrect, you can request that your data be corrected or completed at any time. For the duration of any review of your request, you also have the right to restrict data processing.
4.3 Erasure ("right to be forgotten") - Art. 17 GDPR
Every data subject has the right to request the deletion of their personal data. To do so, please contact us at any time at info@life-initiative.org.
4.4 Data portability - Art. 20 GDPR
Finally, every data subject has the right to request that we transmit an overview of their personal data to another responsible party, insofar as this is technically feasible.
4.5 Complaints
If you believe that we are not adequately protecting your data protection rights, please contact us at any time at info@life-initiative.org.
We will take care of your request immediately.
Otherwise, every data subject has the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority responsible for the LIFE Initiative.
Contact State Commissioner for Data Protection: Berliner Beauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit
Alt-Moabit 59-61, 10555 Berlin
Tel: +49 30 13889-0
E-mail: mailbox@datenschutz-berlin.de
5. What else you should know with regard to the processing of your data
5.1 Earmarking and security
We use your personal data exclusively for the purposes specified in this privacy policy and in the respective consents. In doing so, we ensure that any processing is limited to what is necessary for its purposes.
All processing is carried out in a manner that ensures appropriate security and confidentiality of your personal data. This includes protection against unauthorized and unlawful processing, as well as against accidental loss, destruction or damage through appropriate technical and organizational measures. To this end, we use strict internal procedures and security features, taking into account the state of the art and implementation costs.
5.2 Storage and deletion
Your data is stored on your end device and on our servers. We only use systems that meet the requirements of the GDPR. Our servers are located exclusively in Europe.
We will delete your data if it is no longer required for the purpose for which it was collected or if you have withdrawn your consent to the corresponding processing. We will also delete your data no later than 3 years after the last consultation. To withdraw your consent, please contact us at any time at info@life-initiative.org. We will delete your data immediately, i.e., in this context taking into account a reasonable period of time to review the situation, which also includes a comprehensive inventory of your data. In exceptional cases, longer storage may be necessary in order to fulfill post-contractual obligations or statutory retention or information obligations, or to assert, exercise or defend legal claims (limitation periods).
5.3 Changes
As technology and procedures on the Internet as well as data protection legislation are constantly evolving, we have to make adjustments from time to time. We will announce adjustments in an appropriate manner and with a reasonable period of notice in advance and, if necessary, obtain new consents.
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