American Council on Germany

Privacy Policy

Hereinafter we inform you about the nature, scope, and purpose of the processing of your personal data when using our ACG Community platform on mycommunity.acgusa.org website. Personal data is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable natural person.

1. Controller

The person responsible (“Controller”) within the meaning of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the natural or legal person which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data. Controller within the meaning of the GDPR for the personal data processed by this web site is the American Council on Germany, 60 East 56^th Street, 10^th Floor, New York, NY 10022 USA, phone +1-212-826-3636, e-mail [email protected] (hereinafter “we”).

2. When You Visit Our Website

When you visit our website, we collect various pieces of information. Cookies are pieces of information that a website transfers to an individual’s hard drive to identify your previous visits to the site. Cookies and related technologies may involve the transmission of information regarding your access to, and use of, this website either directly to us or to another party authorized by us to collect information on our behalf. We may use cookies to store information about your visit to this website in order to enhance your experience. We may also use cookies and tracking technologies to: (a) track user visits, including individual page visits; and (b) save your password so you do not have to provide it each time you visit this website (if we should ever ask you to create a password). The information we gather automatically through cookies, web beacons, and related technologies may include, but is not limited to, records from server logs found on your browser, your IP address, the type of web browser you are using to access the website, the type of operating system you are using, the name of the domain and host from which you access the internet, the date and time you access the website, and the internet address of the site from which you have linked directly to the website. Cookies are text files that can be rejected, disabled, or deleted by you at any time. You may be able to disable or delete cookies using your internet browser settings. However, by disabling, deleting, or rejecting cookies, you may potentially inhibit part of the user experience on this website and other websites. Server logs are digital files that automatically record activity on a server. The ACG uses server logs to track usage of this website. Those server logs are used by a third‐party provider to collect information on behalf of the ACG. The collected information could potentially be used to understand more about the use of this website.

We collect and process this data in order to ensure the trouble-free operation of our website and to detect, fend off and prosecute a misuse of our services. Furthermore, we use the collected data for statistical purposes to evaluate, for example, by which devices and browsers our web site is accessed in order to improve and adapt our offer to our visitors’ needs on an ongoing basis.

We will not sell, rent, loan, trade, or lease any personal information collected online or offline to any third party.

We will delete the aforementioned data no later than twelve months after they have been collected.

3. Registering with the ACG Community

If you want to register for participation in the ACG Community, we need your first and last name, your e-mail address, and the title of the program you have participated in. Without these details we cannot process your registration request. In case your last name has changed since you participated in the program, you can provide your former last name for clarification.

We will use your information to check whether you have participated in one of our previous programs.

When our check confirms your data, you will receive an e-mail from us containing an activation link. Only when you follow this link can we grant access to the ACG Community for you. If you have not followed the activation link within four weeks, we will delete all the data you entered and terminate the process.

When our check cannot confirm your data, we will inform you by e-mail. If you do not respond to this notification within two weeks (e.g. if you provide us with corrected or additional information that could help us to identify you as a former participant in one of our programs), we will delete all data you entered and terminated the process.

This processing is based on our legitimate interest in admitting only those users who are alumni according to our statutes. We keep your data stored as long as your user account exists. You can cancel your user account at any time without notice.

4. Additional information in the User Account

In order to actively use your user account after registration, we need to know your current location, indication of a country is sufficient. With this information, we can bring users located in the same region to each other's attention. This process is based on our legitimate interest in promoting personal contacts between users and establishing personal networks. You can update the information on your current location at any time. We delete this information as soon as the user account is deleted.

In your user account, you can also add some further information about yourself, such as a photo, or skills and interests. All this information is voluntary, and you can change or delete it at any time. This processing is based on your consent. We will keep this data until you delete it yourself, but no longer than your user account exists.

5. What Information Other Users See About You

The purpose of the ACG Community is to enable its users to get to know each other and share information.

Therefore, other logged-in Network users can always see the following information from you:

First name, last name, home location, participation in program of the American Council on Germany.

The following additional information about you can be seen by other logged-in users, as far as you have chosen to release the information in your account settings:

Contact details (e.g. e-mail-address, address, phone number), master data (e.g. place of birth, nationality, gender), data on education and professional qualification (e.g. Experience, Professional Fields), links to social media accounts, information on interests and skills (e.g. Regional Competencies, Language Competencies, Sharing Skills, Impact Fields).

6. Messaging Function

Users of the ACG Community can write messages to each other via the platform. When using this function, the recipient will receive your message together with your first and last name in their inbox within their user account.

This processing is based on your consent. Messages sent by you remain stored in your user account and in the recipient‘s user account as long as your user account exists. Irrespective of this, you can delete messages that are in your user account mailbox at any time.

7. Contributions in Groups

If you contribute to a topic or user group in the ACG Community, your contribution, together with your first and last name, will be made available to all other participants of the respective group.

This processing is based on your consent. We will keep this data until you delete it yourself, as far as the function used in each case provides for this, but no longer than your user account exists.

8. Contacting Us

If you send us a message via the contact form on our website, we will process the data input in the form fields, in particular your name, your e-mail address and your message.

If you send us a message by e-mail, we will save your message along with the sender details (your name, e-mail address, and any additional information added by your e-mail program) in order to be able to answer it and also to respond to possible subsequent questions.

This data processing is based on our legitimate interest to answer your request and handle possible follow-up requests from you. We will erase the information collected from your message no later than twelve months after the last communication with you on your request, subject to the provision in the following paragraph.

9. Your Rights

With regard to your personal data we process, you have the following rights:

You have the right to obtain a confirmation from us as to whether we process personal data concerning you. If this is the case, we will inform you about the personal data stored about you and the further information in accordance with Article 15 par. 1 and 2 GDPR.

You have the right to have your inaccurate personal data rectified without undue delay. Taking into account the purposes of processing, you also have the right to request the completion of incomplete personal data, including by means of providing a supplementary statement.

You can demand the erasure of your personal data concerning you under the conditions of Article 17 par. 1 GDPR without undue delay, as far as their processing is not necessary according to Article 17 par. 3 GDPR.

You may demand that we restrict the processing of your data if one of the requirements of Article 18 par. 1 GDPR applies. In particular, you can request the restriction instead of an erasure.

We will communicate any rectification or erasure of your personal data and a restriction of processing to all recipients to whom we have disclosed your personal data, unless this proves impossible or involves a disproportionate effort. We will also inform you about these recipients if you request it.

You have the right to receive the personal data which you provide to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format. You may also request that we transmit the data to another controller without hindrance, where technically feasible.

As far as a data processing is based on your given consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. The withdrawal of consent shall not affect the lawfulness of the data processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

RIGHT TO OBJECT: ON GROUNDS RELATING TO YOUR PARTICULAR SITUATION, YOU MAY, AT ANY TIME, OBJECT TO PROCESSING OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA; this right applies to a processing necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by us or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by your interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require protection of personal data, in particular where the data subject is a child.

If you exercise your right to object, we will no longer process the personal data in question unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for processing that override the interests, rights and freedoms of you, or for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims.

IN CASE WE PROCESS PERSONAL DATA FOR DIRECT MARKETING PURPOSES (E.G. NEWSLETTER), YOU MAY, AT ANY TIME, OBJECT TO PROCESSING OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA FOR THE PURPOSE OF SUCH ADVERTISING, WITH THE RESULT THAT WE WILL NO LONGER PROCESS YOUR DATA FOR THESE PURPOSES.

If you believe that the processing of your personal data is in breach of the GDPR, you may lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your habitual residence, place of work or place of the alleged infringement. This does not exclude other administrative or judicial remedies.

10. Legal Disclaimer

Though we take industry standard measures and other efforts to preserve user privacy, the ACG may need to disclose personal information (including personally identifiable information) to a third party if the ACG is required by law to do so. For example, the ACG may be required to disclose your personal information in response to a subpoena, court order, or other legal process. We may also disclose personal information in response to a verified law enforcement agency’s request, or where we believe it is necessary to investigate or address unlawful acts that may endanger the health or safety of a consumer or the general public, to verify or enforce compliance with the terms of use and policies that govern this website, or as otherwise required or permitted by law.