Data Protection Information

 

General
Thank you for your interest in our company. Your privacy is important to us and you should always feel safe and comfortable when visiting our website. That is why we have put both technical and organizational measures in place to ensure we observe the relevant legislation at all times. This document describes the information we may collect and how we handle it.

I. Controller and data protection officer
RWE Aktiengesellschaft
RWE Platz 1
45141 Essen
P +49 (0) 201-51790
F +49 (0) 201-51795005
e-mail to RWE Aktiengesellschaft

You can reach our data protection officer at:

RWE Aktiengesellschaft
Data Protection Officer
RWE Platz 6
45141 Essen
e-mail to dataprotection@rwe.com

II. Provision of the website and logfiles
In the following, we will inform you how we process your personal data in connection with the provision of the website and creation of log files.

1. Which of your personal data do we use?
Each time you access our website, our system automatically collects data and information from the operating system of the accessing device. In addition to non-personal data (e. g. the domain name of the website which you came from; the websites from our offering you have visited; the names of the files accessed; the date and time of an access; the name of your internet service provider; as well as, if applicable, the operating system and browser version of your device; host name of the accessing device; language settings), your IP address is processed in the process.

2. What are the sources of the data?
The data is collected from you by being automatically transmitted by your computer to our system.

3. What do we process your data for (purpose of processing) and on what legal basis?
The data is initially collected to be able to provide the website in technical terms. In this case, the legal basis is our legitimate interest. In addition, we store the data - in pseudonymized form in log files - for security purposes, in particular to detect and counteract attacks on our website, for statistical purposes and to optimize our internet presence. In these cases, the processing is based on our legitimate interest to ensure the purposes stated above.

4. Who will your data be passed on to?
In certain cases, the data may be passed on to other Group companies. In addition, we use external service providers who also receive personal data in certain cases as part of the performance of their duties. In these cases, we ensure that your personal data is processed in accordance with the provisions of the GDPR and the German Federal Data Protection Act or the respective national data protection laws. 

As a matter of principle, your data will not be passed on to other third parties unless we are obliged to do so due to legal or official orders.

5. How long will your data be stored?
We store the data for a period of 30 days.

6. Is there an obligation to provide your data?
There is no legal or contractual obligation to provide the data. If you do not provide the data, it is not possible to use the website to its full extent.

III. Web analysis and web optimization through cookies 
We use cookies on our website. Cookies are text files that contain a characteristic string of signs and enable a unique identification of the computer. They are stored in the Internet browser or by the Internet browser on the user's operating system when the website is accessed. When the website is opened again, the operating system can be identified in this way and certain information can be transferred automatically. 
The information that is stored via cookies fulfils various functions. We categorize them as follows:

  • Required Cookies
  • Analytical Cookies

1. Which of your personal data is used by us?
Depending on the cookie used, we collect different personal data. You can find a list of which data is involved in individual cases here.

2. What are the sources of the data?
All data that we collect in the form of cookies originate from you.

3. What do we process your data for and on what legal basis?
Depending on the cookie used, we pursue different purposes with the use of cookies. The first time you visit our website, you will be asked to select which cookies you wish to allow. Here you have the possibility to view and change your selection.

a. Required Cookies
Required cookies serve to safeguard a flawless operation of our website and to ensure its stability. When you access our websites, you will be informed by the info banner about the use of cookies and referred to this data protection information. The legal basis for this processing is our legitimate interest, which consists of being able to guarantee the aforementioned purposes. 
The data collected from you in this way is pseudonymized by technical precautions and not stored together with other personal data from you. In this way, we can no longer assign the data to you personally.

b. Analytical Cookies
Analytical cookies enable us to analyze your surfing behaviour on our website so that we can measure and improve the performance of our pages. In doing so, we create statistical profiles that are not attributable to individuals but only to groups. These profiles are used to analyze visitor and click behaviour as well as demographic characteristics of the website visitors. 
When you visit our websites, our info banner informs you about the use of analysis cookies by referring to this data protection information. If you agree to the processing, you click on this cookie category and thereby grant your consent, which serves as a legal basis. 
The data collected from you in this way is pseudonymized by technical precautions and is not stored together with other personal data of yours. Hence we can no longer assign the data to you personally.

4. Who will your data be passed on to?
In certain cases, the data may be passed on to other Group companies. In addition, in certain cases, third-party companies that offer the respective cookie also receive your data as part of the processing on our behalf.

5. How long will your data be stored?
We use two types of cookies: persistent cookies and session cookies. A persistent cookie lasts beyond the current session and will stay on your browser until they expire or you delete them. Session cookies last only as long as the session (usually the current visit to a website or a browser session). Third parties, such as our customers, partners and service providers may also use cookies in connection with our Services. The list will inform you in detail about the storage.

6. Is there an obligation to provide your data?
There is no obligation to provide the data. However, the essential cookies are necessary for the website to function properly.

7. Your rights with regard to cookies
In addition to the rights mentioned under point IX, you have the right:

  • to object to the use of the essential cookies at any time.
  • to revoke/withdraw your consent here regarding the analytical cookies used by us.

IV. Contact Form
On our website you have the possibility to contact us via a form. In the following we explain to you how we process your data in this context.

1. Which of your personal data do we use?
We process the data you provide in the respective form. These are: 

  • Salutation/Title
  • Name, 
  • Title, 
  • E-Mail, 
  • Address, 
  • Phone number, 
  • Company.

In the contact form, you have the option of selecting the method in which we can contact you. Besides that, In addition, you have the possibility to provide us with further data via a free text.

2. What are the sources of the data?
You enter the data into the form yourself.

3. What do we process your data for (purpose of processing) and on what legal basis?
We need the data so that we know who has sent us the inquiry and to answer this inquiry. The legal basis of the processing is your consent, which you grant by sending the request. 

4. Who will your data be passed on to?
We will pass on your data to the Group company responsible for your request. In addition, we use service providers in certain cases who may also receive your data.

5. How long will your data be stored?
The data will be stored as long as necessary to answer your request. In addition, your data will be stored within the legal retention periods.

6. Is there an obligation to provide your data?
There is no obligation to provide the data. Without the data, we are not able to answer your inquiry.

7. Right to withdraw your consent
Within the scope of using the contact form you have the rights mentioned under point IX.

V. Corporate presence in social media
We use various social media to actively communicate with you. For this purpose, we have set up company websites in various social networks. Furthermore, we have included third party plug-ins on our website, especially social networks or other IT service providers. These plug-ins are forwarding or recommendation functions, display functions with which information that RWE shares about itself in social networks can also be displayed on our website and other third-party IT services that help to display information in a more understandable way. In order such plug-ins to work, their provider requires certain personal data about you (e.g. your IP address) and processes it.

In order to protect your privacy, this processing only takes place if you agree to it. Accordingly, you will not have access to the Plug-In until you agree to it. You declare your consent by allowing comfort cookies. The plug-in will only be loaded and data will only be passed on to the social network if you wish to do so by agreeing to the comfort cookies in the cookie banner.

To display the social media content in the newsroom we use the service "Flockler" from Flockler Oy Rautatienkatu 26 B 32, 33100 Tampere, Finland, which aggregates relevant social media channels and displays them on our website. By interacting with the respective content a connection to the Flockler servers is established. Your IP address will be transmitted. The legal basis is your consent, which you have granted when registering with the social network or by accepting our convenience cookies. The privacy policy and further information about this service provider can be found at https://flockler.com/privacy-policy.

In certain cases we process your data with the provider of the social medium or plug-in on the basis of a joint controllership in accordance with Art. 26 GDPR. We would like to point out, that we have no influence on all data and data processing procedures collected by the provider of the respective social medium or plug-in, nor are we aware of the full scope of data processing, its purposes or storage periods. We also do not have any information about the deletion of the collected data by the respective provider. Therefore, in certain cases we have to forward inquiries addressed to us to the respective provider. 

Below you will find a list of the social networks where we maintain a company presence or whose plug-ins we use. In addition, under the respective keywords you will find, if available, the agreement on joint controllership in terms of Art. 26 GDPR. We recommend reading the data protection information of the respective networks.

As far as we have information about the data processing procedures that concern you, we will inform you about it in the following:

1. Which of your personal data do we use?
In the following a listing of the data which may are processed: inventory data (e. g. names, addresses), contact data (e. g. e-mail, telephone numbers), content data (e. g. entries in online forms), usage data (e. g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e. g. device information, IP addresses),
We would also like to point out that social media providers generally collect data about your usage behavior and interests.

2. What are the sources of the data?
The data usually comes from you. Whether and in which cases the social media also process your data from other sources is beyond our knowledge.

3. What do we process your data for (purpose of processing) and on what legal basis?
By presenting our company in social media, we would like to actively communicate with you and offer you the opportunity to inform yourself about our products and services in this way. 

The plug-in providers will also use your data for market research and advertising purposes.

The legal basis is your consent, which you have granted when registering with the social network or by accepting our convenience cookies.

4. Who will your data be passed on to?
We pass the data on to other Group companies within the Group. We do not pass on data to third parties. However, we do not have any information about who the respective social network is passing on your personal data to.

5. How long will your data be stored?
How long the social media store your data for their purposes is beyond our knowledge.

6. Is there an obligation to provide your data?
There are no obligations to provide the data. However, if you do not provide the data, you may in certain cases not be able to take full advantage of our offer on social media or not use the simplified presentation of information by the plug-in.

7. Right to withdraw your consent
To exercise rights, please use the contact details mentioned under point 1.

VI. Usercentrics
We use the consent management service Usercentrics, of Usercentrics GmbH, Sendlinger Str. 7, 80331 Munich, Germany (Usercentrics). This allows us to obtain and manage the consent of website users for data processing. The processing is necessary for the fulfillment of a legal obligation (Art. 7 para. 1DSGVO) to which we are subject (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. c DSGVO). The following data is processed for this purpose:

Date and time of access Browser information Device information Geographic location Cookie preferences URL of the visited page.
Usercentrics is a recipient of your personal data and acts as a processor for us.

The processing takes place in the European Union. For more information on objection and removal options vis-à-vis Usercentrics, please visit: https://usercentrics.com/de/datenschutzerklaerung/.

The data will be deleted after 3 years.

VII. Links to other Websites
The RWE websites contain links to other websites. As the provider of our websites, we are solely responsible for the content of our own online presence. A distinction must be made between our own content and the content provided by other providers, for which we cannot accept any responsibility and do not adopt their content as our own. We have no influence on whether the website operators linked to us adhere to the relevant data protection regulations. This declaration on data protection therefore does not apply to the websites of other providers, even if you access them via links on our website. Please therefore observe the respective data protection regulations of the other providers. We therefore accept no liability for the content of other websites. In the event that you should notice a relevant violation, we thank you for informing us. We will then remove the link after checking it, if necessary.

VIII. Does automated decision-making, including profiling take place?
No automated decision-making, including profiling takes place.

IX. Is your data transferred to third countries?
We also use carefully selected service providers based outside the European Union and the European Economic Area (in so-called "third countries") to process your data. In these cases, a third-country transfer of your personal data takes place. Such transfers will always be in accordance with Chapter V of the GDPR or the respective national data protection laws. In the absence of an adequacy decision by the European Commission pursuant to Art. 45 GDPR, adequate safeguards are provided to ensure an adequate level of data protection. As a standard practice, we enter into contracts with data recipients that contain standard data protection clauses, also referred to as "standard contractual clauses", to the extent that personal data is transferred outside the EEA. 
You have the possibility to request further information as well as to receive copies of corresponding agreements at any time. You can reach us at the contact details mentioned under point 1.

X. What rights do you have in connection with the processing of your data?

1. Right of access
You may request confirmation from the controller as to whether personal data concerning you is being processed by the controller.

2. Right to rectification
You have a right of rectification and/or completion vis-à-vis the controller if the personal data processed concerning you is inaccurate or incomplete. The controller shall carry out the rectification without undue delay.

3. Right to erasure
You may request the controller to delete the personal data concerning you without undue delay and the controller is obliged to delete such data without undue delay, unless an exception provided by law applies.

4. Right to restriction of processing
Under the conditions regulated by law, you may request the restriction of the processing of personal data concerning you.

5. Right to data portability
You have the right to receive the personal data concerning you, which you have provided to the controller and the processing of which is based on consent or on a contract with you, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format. You also have the right, under the conditions stipulated by law, to have your personal data transmitted to another controller without hindrance from the controller to whom the personal data was provided.

6. Right to withdraw the declaration of consent under data protection law
You have the right to withdraw your declaration of consent under data protection law at any time. The withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of the processing carried out on the basis of the consent until the withdrawal. All personal data stored on the basis of the consent granted in each case will be deleted in this case, unless there is another legal basis for further storage according to the law.

7. Right to object
You have the right to object at any time, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to the processing of personal data concerning you which is carried out for the purposes of the legitimate interests of the controller or of a third party or which is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority; this also applies to profiling based on these provisions. 

If you object, we will no longer process your personal data unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override your interests, rights and freedoms, or the processing serves to assert, exercise or defend legal claims.

8. How to exercise your rights
To exercise your above rights, please use the contact details mentioned under point 1.  
If you want to withdraw your consent regarding the Google services, you can change this setting here.
If you wish to withdraw your consent to receive the newsletter, please use the unsubscribe link at the end of each newsletter.

9. Right to complain to a supervisory authority
Without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your residence, place of work or the place of the alleged infringement, if you consider that the processing of personal data concerning you infringes relevant data protection rules. 

An overview of the data protection supervisory authorities with their contact information is available on the following website of the European Data Protection Board.