Privacy policy for the use of Connou
Securing your data is our most important mission to keep your data safe. For the provision and development of our services, the privacy of your data is a top priority. For this reason, you can fully rely on the privacy and focus on what you are here for: Build connections with other students and add the right spice to your studi life. Thank you for your trust! Nice that you are here!
No compromise on your data. For the development of our services, experts from various fields such as product development and security industry work together to ensure that all decisions are made with your privacy in mind.
We use apps every day and the same thing every day: Privacy policies are written in a complicated way. We use simple language to make you aware of the topic and to educate you sufficiently.
Everything for the security of your data. We have teams that take care of the protection of your data, so that the security procedures are always up to date.
This privacy policy applies to App CONNOU, the website www.Connou.app as well as other offers of CONNOU UG, which refer to this privacy policy.
Short version: The short version is that your privacy is very important to CONNOU and we use your complete data only for the operation of the platform and to optimize our product. We therefore never share your sensitive data such as name, profile picture or email address with third parties for advertising purposes. However, CONNOU is partly ad-financed. In order to make the advertisements interesting for you, we or our advertising partners use your publicly disclosed age and gender, your rough location and information about your device or internet connection for the adapted display of advertisements. We only pass on this data in pseudonymous form. Pseudonym means that we do not pass on your data together with your (user) name or your e-mail address or comparable data, but only together with an advertiser ID. It is forbidden by contract and law for all advertising partners to link this data with your real name or comparable data in order to protect our users from misuse. All students who study at an educational institution that financially supports Connou will not receive any advertising content, unless this is agreed with the educational institution.
Connou UG, Birkenhof 2, 72144 Dußlingen, Germany, (hereinafter referred to as "CONNOU UG" or "we/us") operates a platform for chatting, getting to know and meeting other people (hereinafter referred to as "CONNOU") under the domain "www.Connou.app" as well as associated sub-pages (hereinafter referred to as "CONNOU domain") and with the help of the mobile app CONNOU (hereinafter referred to as "CONNOU app"), which is available for download for various operating systems, and is the responsible body.
The offered service is a freemium model, whereby the user of CONNOU (hereinafter: "user" or "you") can create a profile (hereinafter: "user profile") free of charge via the CONNOU domain or CONNOU app, upload pictures and exchange with other users and their user profiles if interested. The user has the possibility to use functions such as the chat and many other functions of CONNOU.
The offer of CONNOU also serves a real get-to-know-you in your own area. Registration is possible from the age of 16.
Your data will be collected, processed and used in accordance with the provisions of the German Telemedia Act (TMG) and data protection law, in particular the German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) and, from 25 May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (DSGVO).
This data protection declaration explains how personal data is handled. Personal data is individual information about personal or factual circumstances of a specific or identifiable natural person. This includes, for example, name, birthday, telephone number, but also e-mail address and usage data, such as the IP address. Furthermore, the privacy policy serves to inform about which data are collected, stored and processed and how CONNOU UG ensures the protection and security of personal data.
The CONNOU UG does not require a clear name. The user can also use a pseudonym instead of a name. For some parts of CONNOU - for example when you receive money from us - it may be necessary for tax reasons that you provide us with your name, address and nationality. In these cases we will point this out to you separately.
Table of Contents
- Contact / Responsible
- Collection, processing and use of personal data
- Processing purposes
- Legal basis for the processing of personal data
- Disclosure of data to third parties and service providers
- How do we protect your data?
- Duration of storage and retention obligations
- Are you obliged to provide us with personal data?
- Data subject rights at a glance
- social media
- cookies and other tracking technologies
- appendix: technical notes
Contact/ Responsible
Unless otherwise stated in this privacy policy or in our https://connou.app/cookie-policy/, the data controller is Connou UG (hereinafter "Connou" or "we" or "us"). If you would like to get in touch with us, you can reach us as follows: Connou UG, Customer Care Team, Birkenhof 2, 72144 Dußlingen, Germany, data-protection@connou.app (email) You can reach our data protection officer at: Lukas Georg Kromminga,data-protection@connou.app (e-mail) Birch yard 2 72144 Dußlingen For information and suggestions on the subject of data protection, we at Connou or our data protection officer are at your disposal.
Collection, processing and use of personal data
Personal data is any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (e.g. name, address, telephone number, date of birth or e-mail address). When we process personal data, this means that we collect, store, use, transmit to others or delete this data, for example. Connou collects and processes your personal data exclusively in the following cases:
- If you visit us on our website without being a user.
- If you install our Connou app.
- If you contact us directly.
- When you register with Connou or take out a subscription with Connou and subsequently use Connou.
The provision of your personal data in the context of the conclusion and existence of the contractual relationship with Connou is voluntary. Some features of Connou may require you to provide special category personal data (e.g. the gender you are looking for, which is a sexual orientation datum) and to answer questions about your Connou profile. Also, the use of the Connou service requires that your profile information is visible to other Connou users.
Please also note that we offer the Connou service in many different countries and the information contained in your profile is visible to other users in all of these countries. Based on your GPS location - if you have agreed to this - and the search settings of the respective users, your profile will be displayed in the respective country. If we cannot access your GPS location, we will use your IP address and country code to set your approximate location to the respective country capital. If you do not wish Connou to process your personal data or any part thereof, Connou will not be able to provide its services as set out in the Terms and Conditions.
Which data Connou collects in detail, you can see in the following explanations.
Data processing by the App Stores
If you install the Connou App via an app store operator as a third-party provider (e.g. Google or Apple), you may have to conclude a usage agreement with the respective app store operator for access to its portal. This access requires a valid account with the app store operator as well as a corresponding end device (e.g. smartphone) and Connou has no influence on the data processing in this context. In this respect, the app store operator of the respective app platform is solely responsible. If necessary, please inform yourself directly with the app store operator (third-party provider) about their data processing. In this case, Connou is only responsible in the context of the use of the Connou app.
What data does Connou collect from users in order to fulfil the contractual relationship?
In order for Connou to provide the services described in more detail in the General Terms and Conditions, it is necessary to process the personal data described below that you (also referred to as the "Connou User") provide during the registration process.
Registration Process:
During the initial free registration process, the user will be asked to provide certain minimum information without which the registration cannot be completed. These data are:
- User name (pseudonym)
- Date of birth
- Gender
- Profile picture
- Languages
- Interests
- Telephone number (if registering by mobile phone)
- Password chosen by the user
If you have chosen a login via third party providers such as Facebook or Apple or even phone authentication, you do not enter an email address or password within the registration process.
The respective access to Connou then takes place via the e-mail address given by the user and the password chosen by him (so-called access data) or alternatively via the login data of the third party provider. When registering via Facebook ("Facebook Login") Connou offers a single sign on through Facebook. Through this, Connou offers you the possibility to register via your Facebook account. If you make use of this function, we receive and process the following authentication data from Facebook for the registration: Your email address stored there, your profile name, gender, date of birth and your profile picture. In this respect, a data transfer takes place. If you use the Facebook login on our website or app, Facebook will also collect data through third-party scripts, process it for Facebook Analytics purposes or pass it on to third parties. Facebook's privacy policy explains what data may be collected through the Facebook login. This includes data about your device, your use of Connou, the websites you have visited and the advertisements you have viewed. Unfortunately, it is not technically possible for Connou to refuse this processing. If you do not want Facebook to collect data about you in connection with your use of our online offer and use it for its own purposes, you should not use the Facebook login.
You can always disconnect your Connou account from your Facebook account on our website. In this case, we need the access data described above from you. Unfortunately, this is not possible within the Connou app. For more information about the purpose and scope of the collection and the further processing and use of your data by Facebook, as well as your rights and settings options for protecting your data, please refer to Facebook's privacy policy: http://www.facebook.com/policy.php. When registering/logging in via Google ("Google Sign in") We offer you the possibility (if you use an android-based device) to register or log in with us via your Google account. If you make use of this, we will receive the data required for registration or login from Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland ("Google") (email address, name, Google Account ID and Google Account profile picture).
We have no influence on the scope of the data collected by Google via the Google login. If you do not want Google to collect data about you in connection with your use of our online offer and use it for its own purposes, you should not use the Google login.
Further information on the purpose and scope of the collection and further processing and use of your data by Google, as well as on your rights and settings options for protecting your data, can be found in Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy. When registering/logging in via Apple Sign-In ("Apple Sign in") We offer you the option (if you use an iOS device) to register or sign in with us through Apple. If you do this, we will receive the data required for the registration or login and selected by you from Apple Inc, One Apple Park Way, Cupertino, California, USA, 95014 ("Apple") (e.g. email address generated by Apple, name). We have no control over the amount of data Apple collects through the Apple login. If you do not want Apple to collect data about you in connection with your use of our online services and use it for its own purposes, you should not use the Apple login.
For more information about the purpose and scope of the collection and the further processing and use of your data by Apple, as well as your rights and settings options for protecting your data, please refer to Apple's privacy policy: https://www.apple.com/de/legal/privacy/data/de/sign-in-with-apple/. When registering/logging in via telephone Authentication We offer you the possibility (if you use a mobile device) to register or log in with us via your mobile phone number. To do this, you must provide us with your mobile phone number. We will then send you an SMS with a verification code that you must enter in the app to complete the registration process. When you want to log in, we will send you an SMS with a code that you can use to log in to your account. In addition, a verification process will take place. This service (Firebase service) is provided by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, in the USA and is only possible if you have given us your prior consent. . Further information about the purpose and scope of the processing of your data by Google can be found in the privacy policy of Google:https://firebase.google.com/support/privacy
Voluntary data
You can also enter a variety of voluntary information in your user account, e.g. upload additional pictures for your profile. These voluntary details are publicly visible to other Connou users logged in to Connou, but can be deleted or changed by the user account holder at any time under the settings within the user account. These data serve in particular the function of Connou to select recommendations for other user accounts according to different criteria for the user and to display them within Connou. Additional information increases the probability of coming into contact with suitable Connou users. Shared content Connou users can share content with other users via the platform, e.g. by sharing content in chat messages. Information on sexual orientation You can provide information about your gender on our platform and for some features within the app, information for your preferred gender is or will be available to matches or other users. If you provide this information, Connou or other users may infer your sexual orientation. This information may be public depending on the setting on the platform. You can withdraw your consent to the processing of your information at any time (see the section "Your right to withdraw consent" below).
Location data processing
This online offer also includes so-called location-based services, such as connecting students who study from home. For this purpose, we collect the location of your mobile device via its GPS function. The prerequisite is that you have expressly requested the corresponding services or consented to the processing of the location data. You can also deactivate our access to location data at any time in the device settings of your mobile device (see appendix Technical notes).
Communication between users, communication with our customer care team and communication via video chat
Connou stores the users'communication that takes place via the Connou platform, as well as the communication with our customer care team. The communication of the users among each other in the logged-in state is encrypted. Please consider the following when communicating with our Customer Care Team: Do you communicate with our Customer Care Via e-mail transmission, the transmission of e-mails is transport-encrypted, provided that your mail provider supports Transport Layer Security (TLS) transport encryption.
If you wish to communicate by email with content encryption, please contact Connou by post instead. You can find our address details under Contact. Please make sure that the communication between Connou and you - for reasons of authentication - only takes place via the e-mail address you have registered with Connou.
You as a user: in can also communicate with a single other Connou user via our video chat feature. This type of communication between two users is end-to-end encrypted.
Promotional emails - Push messages
With the creation of a user account, you provide your email address upon registration or we receive this from Facebook (in the case of registration made through this). This e-mail address or any new e-mail addresses subsequently provided by you will be used - within the scope of what is legally permissible - for sending advertising e-mails for the free and paid products of Connou UG, without any consent on your part being required. Excluded are students who study at an educational institution that financially supports Connou, these receive no advertising content, unless it is agreed with the educational institution. Promotional emails are transport encrypted if your mail provider supports "Transport Layer Security" (TLS) transport encryption.
Push Message
Push messages If your mobile device allows it, you will receive so-called push messages from us when using the Connou app, even if you are not currently using this app. These are messages that we send you as part of the performance of the contract, but also promotional information. You can adjust or opt out of receiving push messages at any time through your mobile device settings or in the Connou app.
What data does Connou collect when I use the Connou website?
Each time the Connous website is accessed, usage data of the respective website visitors - unless otherwise indicated below, even if they are not Connou users - are transmitted by the respective Internet browser and stored in log files, so-called server log files. These data are:
- Information about the browser type and the Internet service provider of the user(s) as well as the operating system used (e.g. Windows 7, Apple OS, etc.)
- IP address (Internet Protocol address) of the accessing computer, tablet or smartphone (Here, the IP address is also compared with a geo-database and the origin or the country, state and city of the user(s) is determined. In this context, Connou uses, among others, MaxMind (see explanations below).
- Name of the page accessed
- Date and time of the retrieval
- the referrer URL (originating URL) from which the user accessed the retrieved page
- Amount of data transferred
- Status message about whether the retrieval was successful.
- session identification number (Session ID)
- If applicable, session participant pseudonym
- User ID (profile ID) on the Connou platform (only from Connou users)
- Screen resolution used
In the so-called login records, the user ID is also stored on the Connou platform each time Connou users log in to Connou. In addition to the aforementioned data, cookies or pseudonymous IDs (such as user ID, ad ID) may be stored on your terminal device during or after your visit to our online offers. You can find more information in this context in our cookies & tracking instructions.
What data does Connou collect when I use the Connou app?
Each time the Connou app is called up by the end device of the user(s), Connou automatically collects data and information from the operating system of the calling device. This includes, among other things, the storage of the IP address. In detail, Connou collects:
Usage data
Each time the Connou app is accessed, usage data of the respective Connou user(s) is transmitted and stored. These data are:
- The operating system used and, if applicable, the browser type
- Current language setting of the smartphone
- information about the Internet service provider of the user(s)
- IP address (Internet Protocol address) of the accessing computer
- Device ID (e.g. UDID, IDFV) to identify your device(s) in the context of secure authentication
- Sensor data (if you use an android based device)
- Device-specific information (e.g. manufacturer, device model)
- User ID on the Connou platform (only from Connou users)
- name of the page accessed and, if applicable, the page from which it originated
- Date and time of the retrieval
- Amount of data transferred
- Status message about whether the retrieval was successful.
- In addition to the aforementioned data, tracking technologies or pseudonymous IDs (such as your advertising ID (e.g. Apple's IDFA (identifier for advertisers), Google's advertising ID) may be retrieved from your terminal device during or after your visit to our app when using the Connou app. You can find more information in this context in our Cookies & Tracking information.
Login data
In the so-called login records, the following usage data is stored each time Connou users log in:
- - Date and time of login
- - User ID on the Connou platform (e-mail address)
- - Password or transfer of Single Sign On login data
- - IP address (Internet Protocol address)
- - Device ID (e.g. UDID) to identify your device(s) in the context of secure authentication.
In addition to the aforementioned data, pseudonymous IDs (such as user ID, ad ID) may be stored on your end device during or after your visit when using the Connou app. You can find more information in this context in ourcookies & tracking instructions.
GPS data when using the Connou app
If you as a Connou user:use the setting options for the radius search, the location data of your device is accessed at this moment (GPS, possibly WLAN information, and device ID). With this information, your location is determined so that you can set a suitable search radius.
Processing purposes
Connou processes the personal data of its users for the following purposes and on the basis of the legal grounds listed below. If the data processing is based on the legal basis of a legitimate interest, we will also explain our legitimate interest in the data processing:
- Making our website available to non-registered users;
- Provision and use of our website and app for registered Connou users;
- Provision of a contact facility and response to enquiries via the platform;
- Enabling the conclusion of a contract, including invoicing;
- Sending emails and/or push messages with matches or other messages relevant to the contract.
- (The legal basis of the processing is the performance of the contract with you. In some cases, the legal basis is also your consent. Legal basis is also our legal obligation and legitimate interest to provide customer service and improve the customer experience).
To provide the Connou Platform and thereby perform the services described in our Terms and Conditions. This includes in particular:
To provide a login via the Connou platform, Facebook login, Google sign in, Apple sign in and registration/login via phone authentication. (Legal basis of the processing is the performance of our contract). - To prevent and prevent abuse (in particular to prevent and combat fake profiles, scamming, illegal activities and spam and to ensure the integrity and stability of the Connou platform). Connou collects, processes and uses personal data as well as geo data, which are collected in connection with your registration and the filling out of the Connou profile, for an automated examination, whether indications or data for an abuse of Connou exist. The data is stored in a database and compared with empirical values. If the automated processing results in a suspicion of misuse, a Connou employee checks the rating and the underlying indications as well as any free text information and the stored profile photos. Connou also provides its users with a function called "Report Profile" and checks profiles by members of the Customer Care Team in the event of breaches of contract reported by other users. Furthermore, Connou users can voluntarily verify themselves or are requested to do so by our Customer Care Team in justified cases (e.g. doubts about identity, suspicion of spam). In case of a successful verification, the profile will be marked as "verified" and this marking may also be visible to other Connou users. (Legal basis is the legitimate interest of Connou and the Connou users that the Connou service is not abused for contractual and / or illegal acts of third parties. Our legitimate interest is also the protection of our own systems to secure the IT of Connou and thus ultimately the protection of personal data of the users of Connou). - Furthermore for purposes of data security (esp. availability according to the obligations of Art. 5 para. 1 lit. f, Art. 32 DSGVO). (Legal basis is the legitimate interest of Connou in ensuring data security and Connou members that the Connou service is not abused for contractual and / or illegal acts of third parties. In doing so, we also comply with our legal obligation in the area of data security to ensure system security and the detection and tracking of unauthorized access attempts or access). - For personalized offers (e.g. automated price determination). In principle, we do not use fully automated decision-making in accordance with Art. 22 DSGVO, but process your data only partially automated with the aim of being able to offer you suitable product offers. The following data is used for this purpose: Country, registration device (app or website / iOS or Android). (The legal basis is the fulfilment of the contractual relationship as well as our legitimate interest in addressing our users in a targeted and individual manner). - For the protection and defence of our rights and the fulfilment of legal obligations. (Legal basis is, in addition to the fulfilment of a legal obligation, our legitimate interest in asserting and defending our rights). - For the operation of our website as well as for the provision of telemedia services expressly requested by the users (legal basis is § 25 para. 2 no. 2 TTDSG) - For self/direct advertising through advertising emails and/or push messages, (user) surveys and individualised guides (exclusively Connou UG products). (Legal basis is the legitimate interest of Connou UG in direct marketing for own products as well as § 7 para. 3 UWG. Legal basis is in some cases also your consent). - For compliance with statutory retention obligations and other legal or statutory obligations and provisions (e.g. in connection with tax audits,official or judicial information and other orders). (Legal basis is the fulfilment of our legal obligations). - For other communication purposes in the context of inquiries. (Legal basis can be a pre-contractual legal relationship or a legal obligation). - Occasionally we use your data for A/B testing purposes. Through this A/B testing, we analyse user behaviour on our website and in the Connou app. We show you modified content with a profile assignment on our website or in the Connou app. This allows us to make our offer on our website and the Connou app even more attractive and user-friendly. Assignment criteria are deleted immediately after the analysis to improve the Connou offer. The legal basis is the legitimate interest. This legitimate interest of ours is to improve the user-friendliness and attractiveness of our website and the Connou app.
The processing purposes and the legal basis for the processing of personal data using "cookies" and other tracking technologies when using Connou can be found in our Cookies & Tracking Notice.
Legal basis for the processing of personal data
Insofar as we obtain the consent of the data subject for processing operations involving personal data, Article 6 (1) sentence 1 lit. a of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (DSGVO) serves as the legal basis. · As far as we process special categories of data according to Art. 9 (1) DSGVO, Art. 9 (2) lit. a DSGVO - your consent - and Art. 9 (2) lit. e) DSGVO, if you have given information about your sexual orientation publicly (e.g. via your profile text or within a life video), serve as legal basis. · When processing personal data that is required for the fulfilment of the contractual relationship of Connou , Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. b DSGVO serves as the legal basis. This also applies to processing operations that are necessary for the implementation of pre-contractual measures. · In the case of processing of personal data for the fulfilment of a legal obligation, Art. 6 (1) sentence 1 lit. c DSGVO serves as the legal basis. · If the processing is necessary to protect a legitimate interest of Connou or a third party such as its users, and if the interests, fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject do not override the former interest, Article 6 (1) sentence 1 lit. f DSGVO serves as the legal basis for the processing. · If we store information in your terminal equipment or access such information that is already stored in your terminal equipment, Section 25 (1) TTDSG serves as the legal basis. · Insofar as the storage of information in your terminal equipment or access to information already stored in your terminal equipment is absolutely necessary, Section 25 (2) No. 2 TTDSG serves as the legal basis. · For further processing, Art. 6 (1) DSGVO applies in its relevant littera depending on the data processing constellation. · For the processing of personal data required for self-promotion (free use and subscriptions), the legal basis is not only Art. 6 (1) p. 1 lit. f DSGVO but also § 7 (3) UWG.
If the legal basis is your consent, you are entitled to revoke your consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of the processing carried out on the basis of the consent until revocation. If the legal basis is the legitimate interest, you are also generally entitled to object to the processing of personal data concerning you at any time for reasons arising from your particular situation. In this respect, Art. 21 DSGVO applies.
Disclosure of data to third parties and service providers
Your personal data will only be passed on to third parties by Connou if this is necessary for the fulfilment of the contract, if we or the third party have a legitimate interest in the transfer, if you have given your consent or if this is necessary for the fulfilment of a legal obligation. If personal data is transferred to third parties on the basis of a legitimate interest, we explain our legitimate interest in this privacy policy.
In addition, personal data may be transferred to third parties, namely:
- to service providers, insofar as the data are necessary for the execution of an order processing contract with us; - if applicable, to providers of marketing tracking technologies and analytics tools (for more information about this, see our Cookies & Tracking Notice);
- if we are obliged to do so by law or by enforceable official or court order in an individual case;
- in connection with legal disputes (vis-à-vis courts or our lawyers), debt collection cases or audits (vis-à-vis auditors);
- in connection with possible criminal acts to the competent investigating authorities;
- in the event of a sale of the business (to the acquirer).
If data may be transferred to other third parties on a regular basis, this will be explained in this privacy policy or in our cookies & tracking information. In the case of a transfer on the basis of consent, the explanation can also be provided when consent is obtained.
Service provider
Connou reserves the right to use service providers for the collection or processing of personal data. Service providers receive from Connou only the personal data that they need for their specific activity. Connou uses - as far as service providers are not already named in this privacy policy or in our cookies & tracking policy - service providers for sending emails and push messages to Connou users. Furthermore, service providers provide Connou with server capacity. If Connou users make in-app purchases via Connou, buy "credits" or conclude subscriptions, this is done via external payment providers. No payment data is collected and processed by Connou UG during a purchase. Depending on which payment method you select in the ordering process, we pass on the data collected for the processing of payments (e.g. bank details or credit card data) to the credit institution commissioned with the payment or to payment service providers commissioned by us.
In some cases, the payment service providers collect this data themselves on their own responsibility. This is the case, for example, when you make so-called in-app purchases via an app store operator. In this respect, the privacy policy of the respective payment service provider or app store operator applies.
Service providers are usually integrated as so-called order processors, which may process personal data of the users of this online offer only according to the instructions of Connou. Within Connou, only those persons receive the personal data that are necessary and required for the fulfilment of the task.
Transfer of data to non-EEA countries
Your personal data may also be disclosed to third parties (jointly or solely with us) responsible parties or processors located in non-EU/EEA countries. In this case, we ensure before the transfer that the recipient either has an adequate level of data protection (e.g. based on an adequacy decision of the EU Commission for the respective country pursuant to Article 45 of the GDPR or the agreement of so-called standard contractual clauses of the European Union with the recipient pursuant to Article 46 of the GDPR with the use of additional technical and organizational protection measures) or that there is sufficient consent from our users.
You can obtain an overview of the specific recipients (processors) in third countries and a copy of the specifically agreed regulations (EU standard contractual clauses) to ensure the appropriate level of data protection. Please use the information in the contact section.
How do we protect your data?
Connou uses various security measures such as state-of-the-art encryption and authentication tools to protect the security, integrity and availability of its users' personal data. In particular, these measures are as follows:
- Strict criteria for authorization to access your data
- Secure transmission through TLS encryption
- Storage of confidential data in encrypted form,
- Firewall protection of IT systems to protect against unauthorized access,
- Permanent monitoring of access to IT systems to detect and prevent misuse of personal data
Specifically, these are the following service providers:
reCaptcha
We use the reCaptcha service from Google, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, to be able to recognize whether the user is a human or an automated bot. This service is used to protect our website and app from bot attacks, abuse and SPAM. For this purpose, information (including your IP address) is transmitted to Google and processed there. We have entered into an order processing agreement with Google Ireland Limited. Hereyou can find information about the data collected by Google reCaptcha.
SendGrid/Twilio
We use Twilio, a third-party service provider, to send emails to our users through their email delivery service, SendGrid and Twilio to send SMS to our users. Twilio processes certain personal data, such as email addresses and names, on our behalf. This data is processed in accordance with GDPR requirements, and we have a data processing agreement in place with Twilio that includes appropriate GDPR safeguards. For more information about how Twilio processes personal data, please see their privacy policy at https://www.twilio.com/legal/privacy.
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics, a third-party web analytics service, to collect and process data about how visitors use our website. Google Analytics may collect certain personal data, such as IP addresses, cookie identifiers, and website activity, on our behalf. This data is processed in accordance with GDPR requirements, and we have a data processing agreement in place with Google that includes appropriate GDPR safeguards. For more information about how Google Analytics processes personal data and how to opt-out of Google Analytics data collection, please see their privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy.
Duration of storage and retention obligations
We store your data for as long as this is necessary for the provision of our online offer (and the associated services) or we have a legitimate interest in the continued storage. In all other cases, we delete your personal data with the exception of data that we must retain in order to comply with contractual or legal (e.g. tax or commercial) retention periods (e.g. invoices). We block data that is subject to a retention period until the expiry of the period. As soon as you revoke your consent or exercise your right to object, we will delete the data immediately. You can delete your profile or account with us yourself at any time in your account in the Connou app. Alternatively, you can contact our Customer Care Team and request the deletion of your data. In such a case, all your data will be deleted, unless legal retention obligations or another reason (e.g. defense or enforcement of claims, preservation of evidence, incidents of abuse, billing purposes, other legitimate interest, etc.) requires the continued storage or processing of your data. Please note that simply uninstalling the Connou app on your device will not delete the data in your profile. Log files are stored by Connou for up to 90 days and then deleted. Log files whose further storage is necessary for evidentiary purposes are exempt from deletion until the final clarification of the respective incident and may be passed on to investigating authorities in individual cases.
In the context of the assertion of data subject rights Connou stores those data, which are necessary for the fulfilment or the proof during the respective period of limitation. Shared content, such as content sent via chat messages (attachments) and the chat messages themselves: Until the account is deleted by a user.
Are you obliged to provide us with personal data?
In principle, you are neither legally nor legally obliged to provide us with your personal data. However, the use of certain services of our online offer may require the provision of personal data, e.g. registration or participation in a competition. If this is the case, we will point this out to you separately (e.g. in the form of separate data protection notices for any competitions). Mandatory data are regularly marked with an *. If you do not wish to provide us with the required data, you will unfortunately not be able to use these services.
Data subject rights at a glance
How can you assert your rights?
To exercise your rights, please use the information in the Contact Us section and allow us to clearly identify you when you exercise your rights. You can also use the settings options in your Connou profile to correct the data you provided during registration or to object to advertising. There are a few exceptions to this, such as changing the date of birth again, revoking the processing of information on sexual orientation and changing the gender, which can only be changed with the help of Customer Care. Please note that your data will generally only be blocked if there are retention obligations that prevent deletion.
Right of access and rectification
You have the right to request information from Connou as to whether we are processing personal data relating to you. In addition, you also have the right to information about this personal data and information about the category of data that is stored, the purpose of processing, any recipients, the storage period and the data subject rights to which you are entitled. If your data is inaccurate or incomplete, you can request that your data is corrected or completed. If we have passed on your data to third parties, we will inform them of the correction, insofar as this is required by law. If you wish to make a claim for information, please use the details in the Contact Us section.
Your right to erasure
If the legal requirements are met, you can demand that we delete your personal data without delay. This is particularly the case if
- your personal data is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected;
- the legal basis for the processing was solely your consent and you have revoked it;
- you have objected to the processing for advertising purposes ("advertising objection");
- you have objected to processing on the legal basis of balancing interests on personal grounds and we cannot demonstrate that there are overriding legitimate grounds for processing;
- your personal data have been processed unlawfully; or
- your personal data must be deleted to comply with legal requirements.
Please note that your right to delete data is subject to restrictions. For example, we do not have to or are not allowed to delete data that we still have to retain due to legal retention periods. Data that we need to assert, exercise or defend legal claims are also excluded from your right of deletion. You can also delete the data in your profile yourself. To do so, log in to your profile on the Connou platform and delete your profile under Settings / My account / "Delete account". Alternatively, you can contact our Customer Care Team and request the deletion of your data. Please use the information under Contact. Please note that your data will initially only be blocked if there are storage obligations that prevent the deletion.
Your right to restrict processing
You may, if the legal requirements are met, request us to restrict processing. This is in particular the case if
- the accuracy of your personal data is disputed by you, and then until we have had the opportunity to verify the accuracy;
- the processing is not lawful and you request restriction of use instead of erasure (see previous section);
- we no longer need your data for the purposes of processing, but you need it to assert, exercise or defend your legal claims;
- you've objected on personal grounds, and then until it's determined whether your interests outweigh them.
Alternatively, you can use the settings options in your profile to correct the data you provided during registration or to object to advertising. Some of the data collected about you can only be changed with the help of the Customer Care Team.
Your right to data portability
You have the right to receive personal data that you have given us for the performance of a contract or on the basis of consent in a transferable format. In this case, you can also request that we transfer this data directly to a third party, insofar as this is technically feasible.
Your right to withdraw consent
If you have given us consent to process your data, you can revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future. The legality of the processing of your data until the revocation remains unaffected. You have provided us with data about your sexual orientation (sex and gender). You can revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future. The lawfulness of the processing of your data until the revocation remains unaffected. From the time of your revocation of the processing of your data relating to your sexual orientation, matches can no longer take place unless you provide renewed consent for the processing of your data relating to your sexual orientation, and Connou can no longer provide its service as described in ourTerms and Conditions due to your revocation. To withdraw your consent to the processing of your data relating to your preferred gender, please contact our Customer Care Team by email at data-protection@connou.app with the subject "Withdrawal of sexual orientation data use".
Your right to object to direct marketing
You can also object at any time to the processing of your personal data for advertising purposes ("advertising objection"), provided that the data processing is carried out on the basis of legitimate interest. Please note that for organisational reasons there may be an overlap between your revocation and the use of your data in the context of an already running campaign.
Alternatively, you can apply for the correction of your data at the registration data or for your advertising objection also the Use the settings options in your profile.
Your right to object on personal grounds
You have the right to object to data processing by us for reasons arising from your particular situation, insofar as this is based on the legal basis of legitimate interest. We will then stop processing your data, unless we can prove - in accordance with the legal requirements - compelling reasons worthy of protection for the further processing, which outweigh your rights.
Right of appeal to the supervisory authority
You have the right to file a complaint with a data protection authority. You can contact the data protection authority responsible for your place of residence or your federal state or the data protection authority responsible for us.
This is:
The State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information of Baden-Württemberg.
Dr. Stefan Brink
Lautenschlagerstrasse 20
70173 Stuttgart
Supporting educational institutions
All students studying at an educational institution that financially supports Connou will not receive promotional content unless this is agreed with the educational institution.
Appendix: Technical notes
Technical notes Android operating system
- Settings > Google > Ads and there "Reset ad ID" and/or "Disable personalized ads".
Information on location settings:
https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/6179507?hl=de and https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/3467281 and generally https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/3118621?hl=de
Technical notes Operating system IOS (Apple):
- Settings > Privacy > Privacy Advertising and there "Reset Ad-ID" and/or "No Ad Tracking".
-Information on data protection and location data also at:
