General Data Protection Notice
Last updated on 28.3.2025
1. General Information
The protection of your personal data is of particular concern to Know Center Research GmbH, commercial register number 199685 f, Sandgasse 34, A-8010 Graz, (“we” or “us”). We process your personal data exclusively in accordance with the legal provisions, in particular the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Data Protection Act (DSG), and the Telecommunications Act 2021 (TKG 2021). In this privacy information, we inform you, as the data controller, about how we collect and process your personal data when:
- Using our website
- Subscribing to our newsletter
- Making contact inquiries
- Attending events
The legal basis for the processing is:
- Your consent to the processing for specific purposes (e.g., to receive a newsletter from us),
- Our legitimate interest in processing your data, unless your interests, fundamental rights, and freedoms prevail.
2. Personal Data
According to Article 4(1) of the GDPR, personal data refers to information relating to an identified or identifiable person (e.g., name, contact details, IP address, billing information, data on physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity).
3. Storage Period
We store your personal data until the purpose of the respective processing has been fulfilled or as long as required by legal regulations. Personal data will be deleted after the expiration of the statutory retention period, unless they are still necessary for the fulfillment or initiation of a contract or for the enforcement of legal claims. A longer storage period is only applicable until the expiration of relevant limitation periods, statutory retention periods, or any legal disputes, as well as upon obtaining consent for further processing. You can revoke this consent at any time without stating reasons.
4. How We Process Your Personal Data
4.1. Data Protection When Using Our Website
Processed Personal Data
During your visit to our website, we collect the following data:
- Date and time of accessing a page on our website
- IP address
- Name and version of the web browser
- Website (URL) visited prior to accessing our website
- Information provided by you as a user and/or customer (e.g., within the framework of an inquiry in contact forms)
Your data is not used to personally identify you. If the processing of your personal data is not necessary for the fulfillment of obligations arising from a contract with you, there is no obligation to provide the data that we request on our website.
Purpose of Processing
We process your personal data for the following purposes:
- Provision of the website
- Continuous improvement and development of the website
- Generation of user statistics
- Detection and prevention of attacks on our website
Legal Basis of Processing
The processing of your data is based on our predominant legitimate interest in achieving the aforementioned purposes.
Cookies
A cookie is a text file that can be stored on your computer when you visit a website. Cookies cannot access, read or modify any other data on your computer. We use cookies to optimize our marketing activities.
Technically necessary cookies are required for basic website functions. We use them in the legitimate interest of providing a user-friendly website. You cannot deactivate this type of cookie.
Functional cookies ensure the performance of a website. They are used to provide you with additional functions on our website and to make our offering more user-friendly. For example, to make it easier for you to navigate our website and/or to save your preferences and settings when you visit the website again. Our website does not use functional cookies.
Web Analytics Tools
Our website uses “Matomo” for reach and usage analysis. We use “Matomo” in no-cookie mode, which means that no so-called “cookies” are stored on your computer and transmitted to the server for the purpose of reach and usage analysis. IP Anonymization is enabled in Matomo. This means Matomo stores in the database each new visitor IP address with the last 2 bytes masked (e.g. 192.168.XXX.XXX) to protect user’s privacy.
Links
Please note that this privacy information only applies to services directly offered by us. It does not apply to links that we provide on our website. When using these links, the privacy policies of the linked websites’ providers (e.g., YouTube) apply.
4.2. Data Protection Regarding Newsletter Subscription
Processed personal data
If you subscribe to our newsletter, we process the following personal data:
- First and last name
- Email address
- Company affiliation (if you provide us with this information)
- Date and time of subscription
- IP address
We process your personal data in connection with your newsletter subscription until you revoke your consent to receive the newsletter.
Purpose of processing
We send our newsletter to inform you about interesting news (research projects and content, events, etc.).
Legal basis for processing
You will only receive a newsletter from us if you have given your consent to receive it. You can revoke your consent to receive the newsletter at any time by using the unsubscribe link in your newsletter profile.
4.3. Data Protection Regarding Contact Inquiries
Processed personal data
If you submit a contact inquiry to us, we process the personal data you provide, which typically includes:
- First and last name
- Address
- Email address
- Title (prefix or suffix)
- Phone number
- Company affiliation
- Other content of your inquiry
Purpose of processing
We process your personal data in the context of contact inquiries to be able to respond to your inquiries.
Legal basis for processing
The processing of your personal data is based on your consent, which you give us by submitting your inquiry.
4.4. Data Protection at Events
Processed personal data
In the context of our events, we reserve the right to take photographs and videos as well as maintain visitor lists. For this purpose, we process the following personal data:
- Photographs and videos
- First and last name
- Title
- Email address
- Affiliation with a company
- Position in the company
We publish your photos in print and online media (including LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.). You always have the right to reject individual photos and request their deletion. Please note that it is not possible to obscure images in already issued print media. Deletion from online media will be done within the technical capabilities.
Purpose of processing
The photos and videos taken during our events are used to fulfil reporting obligations to our funding agencies as well as to present our activities and for marketing purposes.
Legal basis for processing
The legal basis for processing is our legitimate interest in fulfilling the aforementioned reporting and marketing purposes as well as your personal consent.
5. International Data Transfer
We use service providers from third countries (e.g., Microsoft – Office 365) and use various social networks (including LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter). Therefore, it is possible that personal data may be processed outside the EU as well. We cannot exclude the risk that authorities in third countries may access the data for security and surveillance purposes without informing you or allowing you to exercise legal remedies, thus making it difficult to enforce your data subject rights.
However, data transfer to third countries (countries outside the European Union – EU or the European Economic Area – EEA) only takes place if it is necessary for the execution of your orders, is legally required, you have given us your consent, or one of the derogations of Articles 44 ff of the GDPR is met. In addition, it is ensured that an adequate level of protection is guaranteed in individual cases, for example, through further security measures. For this purpose, we conclude, for example, standard contractual clauses.
6. Profiling
We do not carry out automated decision-making or profiling.
7. Your Rights Regarding Data Processing
You have the following rights in connection with the processing of your personal data:
- Right to information
- Right to correction, completion or deletion
- Right to restriction of processing
- Right to data portability
- Right to withdraw previously given consent
- Right to object to processing
- Right to be informed of the identity of third parties to whom your personal data are transferred
- Right to file a complaint with the Austrian data protection authority (Barichgasse 40-42, 1030 Vienna, e-mail: dsb@dsb.gv.at) if you believe that the processing of your personal data violates data protection law or that your data protection rights have been violated in any other way. In this regard, we also refer you to the homepage of the data protection authority, which can be accessed under the link https://www.dsb.gv.at.8
8. Our Contact Details
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the processing of your personal data, please contact:
Know Center Research GmbH
A-8010 Graz, Sandgasse 34
Tel.: +43 316 873 30801
Email: datenschutz@know-center.at
Alternatively, you can also contact our data protection officer:
Data Protection Officer of Know Center Research GmbH
A-8010 Graz, Sandgasse 34
Email: dpo@know-center.at