Data Protection Policy
Privacy Policy of the German Trade Union Confederation (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, DGB)
Updated: July 2025
Below you will find the information to be provided pursuant to Article 13 of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) regarding the processing of your personal data when accessing our websites on dgb.de.
Name and contact details of the controller:
Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund
Keithstr. 1
10787 Berlin, Germany
Responsible department:
DGB Bundesvorstandsverwaltung
Abteilung Kommunikation und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Keithstr. 1
10787 Berlin, Germany
info.bvv@dgb.de
Contact details of the Data Protection Officer:
You can reach our Data Protection Officer at datenschutz@dgb.de
Your data subject rights:
You have the right to obtain information about your personal data (Art. 15 GDPR). You also have the right to rectification (Art. 16 GDPR), erasure (Art. 17 GDPR) or restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR). You have the right to object to processing (Art. 21 GDPR), in particular if the use is based on the legal grounds of legitimate interests. If you wish to exercise your right to withdraw consent, an email to widerruf@dgb.de is sufficient. If you wish to exercise your data subject rights, an email to datenschutz@dgb.de is sufficient. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a competent supervisory authority (Art. 77 GDPR). The supervisory authority responsible for the DGB is the Berliner Beauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit (Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information).
I. General usage data
When you access our websites, we process the information listed below: Log files
Each time our websites are accessed, the following information is collected and processed:
• IP address of the requesting computer shortened by 2 bytes (e.g. 192.168.XXX.XXX)
• Date and time of access
• Pages accessed
• Access status (HTTP status)
• Volume of data transferred
• Referring website
• Browser type/browser version
Legal basis:
This information is processed to ensure the technical functionality of the website and to enable you to visit our web offering. The aforementioned data is collected in anonymised form and stored in so-called log files on our servers. For this purpose, the last one to three digits are removed; IPv6 addresses are also anonymised. This data is not stored together with other personal data.
The legal basis for data processing is Art. 6(1) sentence 1 lit. f GDPR. Our legitimate interest derives from the purposes for data processing listed above.
Statistical website analysis via Matomo
We only record the use of our websites in anonymised form, in order to statistically evaluate how our web offering is used by our visitors. We use the results of these statistical evaluations exclusively to assess and optimise our internet presence. By anonymising the IP address of your end device, it is ensured that no personal data is processed in these evaluations. The statistics contain the anonymised information listed below:
• IP address of the requesting computer shortened by 2 bytes (e.g. 192.168.XXX.XXX)
• Country, region or city
• Device type and model
• Operating system
• Browser, browser language and browser plug-ins
• Pages accessed (URLs)
• Files downloaded
• Date & time and dwell time
Legal basis:
The legal basis for data processing is our legitimate interest pursuant to Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR in evaluating the use of our online presences while ensuring the anonymity of our website visitors.
Recipients:
Recipients of this data are the responsible units within the DGB and the respective DGB bodies as well as the following processors acting for the DGB pursuant to Art. 28 GDPR: THE BRETTINGHAMS GmbH, Leuschnerdamm 13, 10999 Berlin, are responsible for technical development and administration as well as maintenance and support services and hosting of our web system. Hosting is carried out in a data centre of Hetzner Online GmbH, Industriestr. 25, 91710 Gunzenhausen.
II. Third-party services on our websites:
Flockler
We offer you current content from our social media presences for viewing on our websites if you consent. By activating the respective content, a connection to Flockler’s servers is established. In doing so, your IP address is temporarily transmitted to Flockler’s servers. The information is processed in anonymised form in the server logs to ensure technical performance and IT security. Depending on the platform, social networks may store information about you when you access individual content (e.g. play a video or visit the social media profile page). When the content is loaded, data is transmitted to the respective social networks. This also applies if you are not registered with or logged in to the respective provider. It therefore cannot be ruled out that data processing also takes place outside the EU. Further information on data processing on our social media presences can be found in the corresponding chapter of this privacy policy.
The legal basis for data processing is your consent pursuant to Art. 6(1) sentence 1 lit. a GDPR.
Storage period:
The data is automatically deleted or anonymised by Flockler. The anonymised logs are fully deleted after 21 days.
Recipients:
Recipient of this data is Flockler, Oy Rautatienkatu 26 B 32, 33100 Tampere, Finland, which has been commissioned as a processor for the DGB pursuant to Art. 28 GDPR.
Stage
We also offer you content from our social media presences on our websites and on stage.bio/dgb. The content is displayed to you on our websites via a widget without any data being transmitted to the respective social media platform. Your IP address is temporarily transmitted to the servers of our provider Jaimo Solutions GmbH, but is not stored there. Processing of the IP address is technically necessary for the service and for displaying the content on the website to function. The social media content displayed on our websites and stage.bio/dgb contains links to the external websites of the social media platforms. The links are identified by an icon of the respective provider. Only by clicking this link do you leave our websites and switch to the respective platform.
Legal basis:
The legal basis for data processing is Art. 6(1) sentence 1 lit. f GDPR. Our legitimate interest derives from the purposes for data processing listed above.
Storage period:
The IP address is only captured temporarily by our service provider and is not stored.
Recipients:
Recipient of this data is Jaimo Solutions GmbH, Friedrichstraße 52, 76669 Bad Schönborn, which has been commissioned as a processor for the DGB pursuant to Art. 28 GDPR.
Livestreams of our events
When accessing our web streams, the following usage data is automatically processed for the purposes of technical functionality of audio and video processing as well as the provision of the livestream on the website:
• IP address
The IP address is processed only temporarily in the server log files. For the purpose of technical monitoring and statistical evaluation, the following data is collected in anonymised form and stored on the streaming server of our processor:
• Anonymised IP address
• Date and time of access
• Access status (HTTP status)
• Volume of data transferred
• Referring website that linked to the streaming link
• Browser type/browser version
This data is not stored together with data from the server log files.
Legal basis:
The legal basis for data processing is Art. 6(1) sentence 1 lit. f GDPR. Our legitimate interest derives from the purposes for data processing listed above.
Storage period:
The IP address is stored in the server log files for 7 days for technical security-related evaluations, such as the detection of cyber attacks, and then deleted. For the functionality of audio and video processing and the provision of statistical measurements, the IP address is anonymised immediately before storage.
Recipients:
Recipients of this data are the responsible units within the DGB and the following processor within the meaning of Art. 28 GDPR, commissioned by the DGB with tasks of technical event support and video streaming: PIK AG, Rathausstraße 48, 12105 Berlin.
YouTube
Videos on our websites are played using the external service YouTube. If you have consented to the playback of YouTube videos, third-party cookies are set and a connection to YouTube’s servers is established. Via the cookies, data is collected that you have consented to the use for marketing and retargeting purposes by Google, and your usage behaviour is recorded. In doing so, your IP address, a user ID and other usage data are transmitted to Google’s servers.
Further Google services are also loaded, to which your IP address, a user ID and other usage data such as browser type, operating system version and information on the end device you use are transmitted. Google uses this information for its own purposes, e.g. to show you targeted advertising when you visit other websites. If you are logged in with your own YouTube account during your visit, YouTube recognises your profile and links this information.
Legal basis:
The legal basis is your consent pursuant to Art. 6(1) sentence 1 lit. a GDPR.
Storage period:
| Cookie | Duration |
| _Secure-ENID | 13 months |
| NID | 6 months |
| AEC | 6 months |
| SEARCH_SAMESITE | |
| OTZ | 30 days |
| SOCS | |
| CONSENT |
Recipients:
Recipients of this data are Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, and Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. You can find Google’s privacy policy here: policies.google.com/privacy
III. Contact options offered on our websites
Contact form “Mitglied werden”
Under “Mitglied werden” the DGB provides website links to the online membership application forms of its trade unions. If you are unsure which trade union is responsible for your sector, you can send us your enquiry via a contact form with the required basic information. For the purpose of reliably responding to your enquiry, the DGB collects and processes the following categories of personal data:
• Email address
• Company
• Location of the company
• Sector
You can then apply for membership directly via the website of the respective trade union.
Legal basis:
The legal basis for sending the newsletter is your consent pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR.
Storage period:
The data you send us via the contact form will be deleted from the response system once your enquiry has been fully processed. A copy of the email sent to you is retained so that we can provide information should you have follow-up questions. This copy of the reply email is deleted after 90 days.
Recipients of personal data:
Within the DGB Bundesvorstandsverwaltung, only those units that need your data in order to provide information and reply to you generally receive access internally. The DGB does not share the personal data you provide with its member unions or other DGB institutions.
BM – Das Magazin für Beamtinnen und Beamte
Purposes of processing: magazine dispatch and management of your subscription.
Legal basis:
We provide an online order form for subscribing to our “BM – Das Magazin für Beamtinnen und Beamte”. In the context of data collection via the order form and for the purpose of performing the subscription, the DGB processes the following categories of personal data: Name, first name, billing address, if applicable different delivery address, email address, optional: information about the authority/organisation. The mandatory fields marked with an asterisk are required for order notification and for sending the magazines to the address you prefer. You can provide us with information about your authority or organisation if this is relevant for shipping. As soon as we receive your order, we confirm the subscription to the email address you provided.
The legal basis for sending the magazine is the performance of pre-contractual measures and the performance of a contract with you pursuant to Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.
Storage period:
If you exercise the 14-day right of withdrawal, we will delete your data 14 days after sending the withdrawal confirmation to you. If termination occurs at least one month before the end of the contract term, your data will be processed by us and Druckcenter Meckenheim GmbH until the last issue is dispatched. For reasons of verifiability, your data will remain in our database for 21 days after termination. The data will be blocked and completely deleted after 21 days.
Recipients of personal data:
Within the DGB, only those units that require your data to carry out and manage the subscription generally receive access internally. Recipient of this data is also the service company Druckcenter Meckenheim GmbH, Werner-von-Siemens-Str. 13, 53340 Meckenheim, which acts as a processor for the DGB pursuant to Art. 28 GDPR and is commissioned with the production and dispatch of printed materials.
Newsletter
In the context of providing a newsletter, the DGB processes the following categories of personal data:
• Email address
• Name, first name (voluntary)
• Gender (voluntary)
• Log data for subscribing and unsubscribing from newsletters with date and time
For newsletter registration we use the so-called double opt-in process, i.e. you will only receive a newsletter from us once you have confirmed by email that we may activate the newsletter dispatch. After this confirmation, your email address will be processed by us for the purpose of sending the newsletter from us.
Purposes of processing: newsletter dispatch and management of your subscriptions.
Legal basis:
Via the DGB’s email subscription system you can voluntarily provide further personal data (name, first name, gender). If you provide us with this data, you thereby consent to this data being processed for the purpose of personalising the salutation in the newsletters sent to you. Our newsletters may contain interactive elements such as surveys, quizzes or ratings. These are an interactive offering to you; participation in surveys, quizzes and ratings is voluntary. Your responses are recorded and evaluated completely anonymously.
The legal basis for sending the newsletter is your consent pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR, once you have confirmed your registration for the newsletter. Logging for the purpose of demonstrating consent is carried out on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. Our legitimate interest derives from the need to demonstrate that consent has been granted.
Storage period:
If you no longer wish to receive the newsletter from us, you can withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future or object to further receipt of the newsletter. Simply use the unsubscribe link contained in each newsletter or send us a message. If you have subscribed to multiple newsletters, your personal data will only be deleted once you have unsubscribed from the last subscription. For reasons of verifiability, your data will remain in the database for 30 days after you unsubscribe. The data will then be blocked for a further 30 days and will be automatically deleted completely after this period.
Recipients of personal data:
Within the DGB, only those units that require your data for sending the newsletter generally receive access internally. Recipient of this data is also the service company ELAINE technologies GmbH, Zanderstrasse 7, 53177 Bonn, which acts as a processor for the DGB pursuant to Art. 28 GDPR and is commissioned with providing the newsletter system, hosting and technical support.
IV. Notes on our online presences on social networks
The DGB maintains online presences on the following social networks in order to inform there about positions, viewpoints, campaigns and activities of the DGB and its member unions:
• Facebook fan page: Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd., 4 Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2, Ireland
• Instagram profile: Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd., 4 Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2, Ireland
• Twitter profile: Twitter International Company, One Cumberland Place, Fenian Street, Dublin 2, D02 AX07 Ireland
• YouTube profile: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland
• LinkedIn profile: LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland
• TikTok profile: TikTok Information Technologies UK Limited, One London Wall, London, EC2Y 5EB, United Kingdom and TikTok Technology Limited, 10 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin, D02 T380, Ireland
Legal basis:
If you use our online presences on social networks to contact us (e.g. by posting your own contributions, by reacting to one of our posts or by private direct messages to us), the data you provide will be processed by us solely for the purpose of contacting you or staying in contact with you. In this context, your user data (in particular display name, username, profile picture) as well as the content of the comments you make and the related metadata (in particular the time and date the comment was posted) are processed. As operators and moderators of these online presences, we can only view the information stored in your public profiles and only if you contact us via an interaction or direct message.
The legal basis for data processing is our legitimate interest pursuant to Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR in being able to inform interested parties via social media and to communicate with you.
Storage period:
We delete stored data as soon as you request us to delete it, unless we need stored data to comply with legal obligations.
Recipients:
As part of operating our online presences on social networks, we may be able to access information such as statistics on the use of our online presences provided by the operator of the social network. Through these evaluations (so-called “insights”) we receive statistical information about how often our posts have been viewed or interacted with (by sharing, liking, commenting, etc.). We may also use this information to tailor our activities and content to target audiences.
The collection by the operator of the social network and the use of these statistics by us as the operator of the online presence are subject to joint controllership pursuant to Art. 26 GDPR. Further information on joint controllership, on the nature and scope of these statistics and on the contact options of the social network can be found at:
• Facebook and Instagram: https://de-de.facebook.com/legal/terms/information_about_page_insights_data (Information on Page Insights data),
• https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/page_controller_addendum (Page Insights Controller Addendum)
• LinkedIn: https://legal.linkedin.com/pages-joint-controller-addendum (Page Insights Joint Controller Addendum)
• TikTok: https://ads.tiktok.com/i18n/official/policy/jurisdiction-specific-terms (Information on so-called event and analytics data)
Event data are usage data that TikTok processes to provide the DGB with aggregated and anonymised usage statistics. The DGB has no access to the underlying data and cannot identify the data subjects. Which data is collected as part of the event data lies within TikTok’s responsibility.
Legal basis:
The legal basis for this data processing is our legitimate interest pursuant to Art. 6(1) sentence 1 lit. f GDPR in a target group-oriented design of our online presences.
The DGB has no influence over the processing of personal data by the social network, which processes data under its own responsibility in accordance with the applicable terms of use. We therefore point out that when visiting the DGB’s online presences, data about your usage behaviour may be processed by the operator of the social network for its own purposes. The operators of the social network may process this information to create more detailed statistics or for their own market research and advertising purposes. For this purpose, cookies and other user or device identifiers may also be stored on users’ computers. Based on these usage profiles, advertisements are then displayed, for example, within the social network or on third-party websites. For further information, please refer to the privacy notices of the social networks:
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy
• Instagram: https://privacycenter.instagram.com/policy/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/de/privacy
• YouTube: https://policies.google.com/privacy
• LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/legal/page/eea/privacy-policy/de
If we receive personal data from you via our online presences on social networks, you have the rights specified in this privacy policy with respect to that data. In the case of requests for information and the assertion of data subject rights in connection with the technical operation of the platform and the associated data processing, we point out that these can be best asserted directly with the providers of the social networks themselves. The DGB will support you upon request in forwarding your applications or enquiries to the operator of the social network.
Data transfers to third countries
The DGB operates online presences or uses services on its websites whose providers process data in so-called third countries, i.e. in countries whose level of data protection does not correspond to that of the European Union. Where this is the case and the European Commission has not adopted an adequacy decision pursuant to Art. 45 GDPR for these countries, the DGB has taken appropriate measures to ensure an adequate level of data protection for any data transfers. These include, among others, the EU Standard Contractual Clauses or binding corporate rules. Where this is not possible, we base the data transfer on the derogations in Art. 49 GDPR, in particular your explicit and voluntary consent. If a third-country transfer is envisaged and there is no adequacy decision or appropriate safeguards, it is possible and there is a risk that authorities in the respective third country (e.g. intelligence services) may gain access to the transmitted data. There is also a risk that the enforceability of your data subject rights cannot be fully guaranteed. The DGB has no influence over whether and to what extent the social network, within its area of responsibility, transfers and processes personal data in third countries, such as the USA or China.