Privacy Policy

Version dated August 31, 2023

In this privacy policy, we, this:matters GmbH (hereinafter referred to as "we" or "us"), explain how we collect and otherwise process personal data.

Personal data refers to all information relating to an identified or identifiable person.

If you provide us with personal data relating to other individuals (e.g., family members, colleagues), please ensure that these individuals are aware of this privacy policy and only share their personal data with us if you are authorized to do so and if this personal data is accurate.

This is not an exhaustive description; other privacy policies or general terms and conditions, conditions of participation, and similar documents may regulate specific circumstances.

This privacy policy is designed to meet the requirements of the EU General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR") and the Swiss Data Protection Act ("DSG"). However, whether and to what extent these laws apply depends on the individual case.

The terms used are not gender-specific.

Who can I contact if I have questions about data protection?

This:matters GmbH, Hasen 64, 6424 Lauerz, is responsible for the data processing described here, unless otherwise specified in individual cases. If you have any concerns regarding data protection, you can contact our data protection advisor in accordance with Art. 10 DSG or 37 GDPR at

Mailing address: this:matters GmbH, Hasen 64, 6424 Lauerz

Email: kevin@thismatters.agency

reach.

What data do we collect?

We primarily process personal data that we receive from our customers and other business partners in the course of our business relationship with them and other persons involved, or that we collect when operating our websites. from their users. To the extent permitted, we also obtain certain data from publicly accessible sources (e.g., debt collection registers, land registers, commercial registers, press, Internet) and from authorities and other third parties (e.g., credit agencies, address brokers).

In addition to the data you provide to us directly, the categories of personal data we receive about you from third parties include, in particular, information from public registers, information we obtain in connection with official and legal proceedings, information in connection with your professional functions and activities (so that we can, for example, conclude and process transactions with your employer with your help), information about you in correspondence and meetings with third parties, credit reports (insofar as we conduct business with you personally), information about you provided to us by people in your environment (family, advisors, legal representatives, etc.) so that we can conclude or process contracts with you or involving you (e.g., references), Your address for deliveries, powers of attorney, information on compliance with legal requirements such as anti-money laundering and export restrictions, information from banks, insurance companies, distributors, and other contractual partners of ours regarding your use of or provision of services (e.g., payments made, purchases made), Information about you from the media and the internet (if appropriate in specific cases, e.g., in the context of a job application, press review, marketing/sales, etc.), etc.), your addresses and, if applicable, interests and other socio-demographic data (for marketing), data in connection with the use of the website (e.g., IP address, MAC address of your smartphone or computer, information about your device and settings, cookies, date and time of your visit, pages and content accessed, functions used, referring website, location information).

What do we use your data for?

We primarily use the personal data we collect to conclude and execute our contracts with our customers and business partners, in particular in the context of the following activities:

the provision of services in the marketing and web sector

As part of this activity, we collect personal data for transactions with our customers and the purchase of products and services from our suppliers and subcontractors, as well as to comply with our legal obligations at home and abroad. If you work for such a customer or business partner, your personal data may of course also be affected in this capacity.

In addition, we process personal data about you and other individuals, to the extent permitted and as we deem appropriate, for the following purposes, in which we (and sometimes third parties) have a legitimate interest:

Offering and further developing our offerings, services, websites, and other platforms on which we are present;
Communication with third parties and processing of their inquiries (e.g., job applications, media inquiries);
Review and optimization of methods for analyzing needs for the purpose of direct customer contact, as well as collection of personal data from publicly available sources for the purpose of customer acquisition;
Advertising and marketing (including the organization of events), provided you have not objected to the use of your data (if we send you advertising as an existing customer, you can object to this at any time, and we will then place you on a block list to prevent further advertising mailings);
Market and opinion research, media monitoring;

Assertion of legal claims and defense in connection with legal disputes and administrative proceedings;
Prevention and investigation of crimes and other misconduct (e.g., conducting internal investigations, data analysis for fraud prevention);
Ensuring the operation of our business, in particular our IT systems, websites, apps, and other platforms;
Purchase and sale of business divisions, companies or parts of companies and other corporate transactions and the associated transfer of personal data, as well as measures for business management and, to the extent necessary, compliance with legal and regulatory obligations and internal regulations of this:matters GmbH.

If you have given us your consent to process your personal data for specific purposes (for example, when you register to receive newsletters or carry out a background check), we will process your personal data within the scope of and based on this consent, unless we have another legal basis and require one. Consent that has been given can be revoked at any time, but this has no effect on data processing that has already taken place.

Cookies/tracking and other technologies related to the use of our website

We typically use"cookies"and similar technologies on our websites to identify your browser or device. A cookie is a small file that is sent to your computer or automatically stored on your computer or mobile device by the web browser you are using when you visit our website. When you visit this website again, we can recognize you, even if we do not know who you are. In addition to cookies that are only used during a session and are deleted after your visit to the website ("session cookies"), cookies can also be used to store user settings and other information for a certain period of time (e.g., two years) ("permanent cookies"). However, you can set your browser to reject cookies, store them only for a session, or delete them prematurely. Most browsers are preset to accept cookies. We use permanent cookies to store user settings (e.g., language, autologin) so that we can better understand how you use our offers and content and so that we can display offers and advertising tailored to you (which may also happen on websites of other companies; however, they will not learn from us who you are, if we even know that ourselves, because they only see that the same user who was on a specific page on our website is also on their website). Some of the cookies are set by us, some by contractual partners with whom we work.

If you block cookies, certain functions (such as language selection, shopping cart, ordering processes) may no longer work.

In our newsletters and other marketing emails , we sometimes include visible and invisible image elements, which we can retrieve from our servers to determine if and when you have opened the email, so that we can measure and better understand how you use our offers and tailor them to you. You can block this in your email program; most are preset to allow you to do so.

By using our websites and agreeing to receive newsletters and other marketing emails, you consent to the use of these techniques. If you do not want this, you must adjust your browser or email program settings accordingly.

We sometimes use Google Analytics or similar services on our websites. This is a service provided by third parties who may be located in any country in the world (in the case of Google Analytics, it is Google Ireland (based in Ireland), which relies on Google LLC (based in the USA) as its processor (both "Google", www.google.com), which we use to measure and evaluate the use of the website (not personally identifiable). Permanent cookies set by the service provider are also used for this purpose. We have configured the service so that the IP addresses of Google visitors in Europe are truncated before being forwarded to the USA and cannot therefore be traced. We have disabled the "Data sharing" and "Signals" settings. Although we can assume that the information we share with Google is not personal data for Google, it is possible that Google may use this data for its own purposes to draw conclusions about the identity of visitors, create personal profiles, and link this data to the Google accounts of these individuals. If you have registered with the service provider yourself, the service provider also knows you. The processing of your personal data by the service provider is then carried out under the responsibility of the service provider in accordance with its data protection regulations. The service provider only informs us about how our respective website is used (no information about you personally).

We also use plug-ins from social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Xing, LinkedIn, and Instagram on our websites. You can see this in each case (typically via corresponding symbols). We have configured these elements so that they are disabled by default. If you activate them (by clicking on them), the operators of the respective social networks can register that you are on our website and where, and can use this information for their own purposes. The processing of your personal data is then the responsibility of this operator in accordance with their data protection regulations. We do not receive any information about you from them.

Who will my data be shared with?

Within the scope of our business activities and the purposes set out in section 3, we also disclose data to third parties, insofar as this is permitted and appears appropriate to us, either because they process it for us or because they wish to use it for their own purposes. This applies in particular to the following entities:

Our service providers (such as banks, insurance companies), including order processors (such as IT providers);
Dealers, suppliers, subcontractors, and other business partners;
Customers;
domestic and foreign authorities, agencies, or courts;
Media;
The public, including visitors to websites and social media;
Competitors, industry organizations, associations, organizations, and other committees;
Purchasers or parties interested in purchasing business divisions;
other parties in potential or actual legal proceedings;

all recipients together.

If we pass on data to third parties, we comply with the legal requirements and, in particular, conclude data processing agreements or similar agreements with the respective recipients for the purpose of protecting your personal data.

Will my data be transferred abroad?

We may disclose data to individuals, authorities, organizations, companies, or other entities abroad. In particular, we may disclose personal data to all countries in which our processors process personal data.

If a recipient is located in a country without adequate legal data protection, we contractually oblige the recipient to comply with the applicable data protection regulations (for this purpose, we use the revised standard contractual clauses of the European Commission, which are available here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?), unless they are already subject to a legally recognized set of rules for ensuring data protection and we cannot rely on an exception provision. An exception may apply in particular in the case of legal proceedings abroad, but also in cases of overriding public interest or if the execution of a contract requires such disclosure, if you have consented to it, or if it concerns data that you have made generally accessible and to the processing of which you have not objected.

How long will my data be stored?

We process and store your personal data for as long as it is necessary to fulfill our contractual and legal obligations or for other purposes related to the processing, i.e., for example, for the duration of the entire business relationship (from the initiation and execution to the termination of a contract) and beyond, in accordance with the statutory retention and documentation obligations. It is possible that personal data may be retained for the period during which claims can be asserted against our company and insofar as we are otherwise legally obliged to do so or legitimate business interests require this (e.g. for evidence and documentation purposes). As soon as your personal data is no longer required for the above-mentioned purposes, it will be deleted or anonymized as a matter of principle and as far as possible. For operational data (e.g., system logs), shorter retention periods of twelve months or less generally apply.

How do we protect your data?

We take appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access and misuse.

These include the following measures:

We take the protection of personal data into account when developing or selecting hardware, software, or procedures by implementing appropriate technical and organizational measures. We also ensure that data protection-friendly default settings are used.

Am I obligated to disclose my data?

Within the scope of our business relationship, you must provide the personal data that is necessary for establishing and conducting a business relationship and fulfilling the associated contractual obligations (you are not generally legally obliged to provide us with data). Without this data, we will generally not be able to conclude or execute a contract with you (or the entity or person you represent). The website cannot be used either if certain information required to secure data traffic (such as your IP address) is not disclosed.

Profiling and automated decision-making

We process your personal data in a partially automated manner with the aim of evaluating certain personal aspects (profiling). We use profiling in particular to provide you with targeted information and advice about products. In doing so, we use evaluation tools that enable us to communicate and advertise in line with your needs, including market and opinion research.

We do not use fully automated decision-making (as regulated in Art. 21 rev or DSG22 GDPR) to establish and conduct business relationships or for any other purpose. If we use such procedures in individual cases, we will inform you separately if this is required by law and explain your rights in this regard.

What are my data protection rights?

You have the following rights under the data protection law applicable to you and to the extent provided for therein (such as in the case of the GDPR):

the right to request information from us about whether and which data we process about you;
the right to have data corrected if it is inaccurate;
the right to request the deletion of data;
the right to request that we provide certain personal data in a commonly used electronic format or transfer it to another controller;
the right to withdraw consent, insofar as our processing is based on your consent;
the right to request further information necessary to exercise these rights;
the right to state your point of view in the case of automated individual decisions (Section 10) and to request that the decision be reviewed by a natural person.

Please note, however, that we reserve the right to assert the restrictions provided for by law, for example if we are obliged to store or process certain data, have an overriding interest in doing so (insofar as we are permitted to invoke this), or need it to assert claims. If you incur any costs, we will inform you in advance. We have already informed you about the possibility of withdrawing your consent in section 3. Please note that exercising these rights may conflict with contractual agreements and may have consequences such as premature termination of the contract or cost implications. In this case, we will inform you in advance if this is not already regulated in the contract.

The exercise of such rights generally requires that you clearly prove your identity (for example, by providing a copy of your ID card if your identity is otherwise unclear or cannot be verified). To assert your rights, you can contact us at the address given in section 1.

Every data subject also has the right to enforce their claims in court or to lodge a complaint with the competent data protection authority. The competent data protection authority in Switzerland is the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (http://www.edoeb.admin.ch).

changes

We may amend this privacy policy at any time without prior notice. The current version published on our website applies. If the privacy policy is part of an agreement with you, we will inform you of any changes by email or other appropriate means in the event of an update.