Privacy Policy for the Use of Connou

Securing your data is our most important mission. For the provision and development of our services, your privacy is a top priority. You can rely on us to protect your data, so you can focus on what matters: building connections with other students and enhancing your student life. Thank you for your trust!

Commitment to Your Privacy

We do not compromise on your data. For the development of our services, experts from product development and the security industry work together to ensure that all decisions are made with your privacy in mind.

We use apps every day, and we know privacy policies are often overly complicated. That's why we aim to use simple language to help you understand your rights and how we protect your data.

This privacy policy applies to the Connou app, the website www.connou.app , and any related services offered by Connou UG that reference this policy.

Short Version

Connou values your privacy and uses your data only to operate the platform and optimize the product. We never share sensitive data (such as your name, profile picture, or email address) with third parties for advertising purposes.

Connou is partly ad-financed. We or our advertising partners use publicly disclosed information (e.g., age, gender, location, and device information) in pseudonymous form for targeted advertising. However, students who attend institutions that financially support Connou will not receive advertising unless otherwise agreed with the institution.

1. Contact / Data Controller

Connou UG, Birkenhof 2, 72144 Dußlingen, Germany ("Connou" or "we/us") operates a platform for chatting, getting to know, and meeting other students under the domain www.connou.app and associated subpages, along with the mobile app Connou, available for various operating systems.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding data privacy, you can contact our Data Protection Officer at:

Email: data-protection@connou.app
Data Protection Officer: Lukas Georg Kromminga, Birkenhof 2, 72144 Dußlingen, Germany

2. Collection, Processing, and Use of Personal Data

Personal data refers to information about an identified or identifiable person (e.g., name, address, phone number, date of birth, or email). Connou collects and processes your personal data only in the following cases:

When you visit our website without being a registered user.
When you install the Connou app.
When you contact us directly.
When you register with Connou, take out a subscription, or use Connou’s services.

Providing personal data is voluntary, but certain features (e.g., chat, matching) require you to provide information such as profile details or location data. This is necessary to use the service fully, and profile information is visible to other Connou users.

3. Data Collected During Registration

When creating a Connou account, you will need to provide:

User name (pseudonym)
Date of birth
Gender
Profile picture
Languages
Interests
Email address or phone number (for authentication)
Password (if not registering via third-party providers)

If you register using third-party providers (e.g., Facebook, Google, Apple), Connou receives authentication data from those providers.

4. Voluntary Data

You can also provide additional voluntary data to enhance your profile (e.g., more profile pictures, personal interests). This information is visible to other Connou users but can be changed or deleted at any time within your account settings.

5. Use of University-Reserved Areas

Connou is generally free to use. However, certain sections are reserved for students of educational institutions that financially support Connou. These university-reserved areas are fully funded by these institutions, and no fees are charged to the users. Additionally, no advertising will be displayed to users in these areas unless otherwise agreed with the institution.

6. Data Processing by Third-Party Providers

When registering or logging in via third-party services (e.g., Facebook, Google, Apple), Connou receives authentication data from these providers. Connou has no control over how these third-party providers process your data, and their respective privacy policies apply.

Facebook Login: Connou receives your email address, profile name, gender, and profile picture.
Google Sign-In: Connou receives the necessary registration data (email address, name, profile picture).
Apple Sign-In: Connou receives the registration data selected by you from Apple (e.g., email address).
Phone Authentication: When registering via phone authentication, Connou verifies your phone number via SMS (through Google’s Firebase service).

7. Location Data

Connou includes location-based services. To connect students based on location, we may collect your location data via GPS (if enabled) or based on your IP address. If you do not want Connou to access your location, you can disable location services within your device’s settings.

8. Communication and Messages

Connou stores communication between users, including messages sent within the platform. All messages are encrypted, and video chats are end-to-end encrypted.

You may also receive messages from Connou’s customer care team, which are also encrypted. Communication with our team is secured using Transport Layer Security (TLS).

9. Promotional Emails and Push Notifications

Connou uses your email address to send promotional emails for free and paid products, as legally allowed. However, students at institutions that financially support Connou will not receive advertising unless agreed with the institution.

Connou may also send push notifications to your mobile device for important updates, matches, or promotional content. You can disable push notifications through your device’s settings or within the Connou app.

10. Data Collected During Website and App Use

When using the Connou website or app, Connou automatically collects usage data, including:

Browser type and Internet service provider
IP address
Device information (e.g., manufacturer, model, operating system)
Page access data (e.g., date, time, referrer URL, amount of data transferred)
Session information and user IDs (for registered users)

Log files store this data, and tracking technologies such as cookies or pseudonymous IDs (e.g., user IDs, ad IDs) may be stored on your device during or after your visit.

11. Legal Basis for Data Processing

Connou processes your personal data based on:

Your consent for location services, matching, or processing special categories of data (e.g., sexual orientation).
Contractual necessity to provide services (e.g., matching, messaging).
Legal obligations for tax or reporting requirements.
Legitimate interest in optimizing Connou’s services, preventing misuse, and improving security.

You can revoke consent at any time, which will not affect the lawfulness of previous processing.

12. Disclosure of Data to Third Parties

Connou does not share your sensitive personal data with third parties for advertising purposes. We share pseudonymous data (e.g., age, gender, location) with advertising partners in compliance with GDPR.

Connou only shares data with service providers to enable services such as email delivery, analytics, or secure storage. All third-party providers comply with GDPR and applicable privacy laws.

13. Data Transfer Outside the EEA

Your data may be transferred to countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA). If this happens, Connou ensures that the recipient provides an adequate level of data protection by following EU-approved mechanisms, such as standard contractual clauses.

14. Data Retention and Security

Connou retains your data for as long as necessary to provide services. Once your data is no longer required, it is deleted unless retention is required by law. Log files are stored for up to 90 days, and communication data (e.g., chat messages) is retained until your account is deleted.

Connou uses encryption, firewalls, and monitoring tools to protect your data from unauthorized access.

15. User Rights

You have the following rights concerning your personal data:

Right to access: Request information about the personal data Connou holds about you.
Right to rectification: Correct any inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to deletion: Request the deletion of your personal data unless legal reasons require its retention.
Right to restrict processing: Limit how your data is processed.
Right to data portability: Receive your personal data in a transferable format or request its transfer to another provider.
Right to object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing purposes.

You can manage your data or exercise these rights by contacting Connou’s Customer Care Team at data-protection@connou.app.

16. Social Media Links

Connou contains links to its accounts on social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. When you click on these links, the respective provider’s privacy policy applies.

17. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Connou uses cookies and other tracking technologies to enhance the user experience and provide personalized services. Detailed information on these technologies is available in our Cookies & Tracking Notice.

18. Data Protection Authority

If you believe your data protection rights have been violated, you can file a complaint with the relevant data protection authority:

The State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information of Baden-Württemberg
Dr. Stefan Brink
Lautenschlagerstrasse 20, 70173 Stuttgart
Phone: 0711 / 61 55 41 - 0
Email: poststelle@lfdi.bwl.de