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Privacy policy

Privacy policy

The protection of your privacy and your personal data is very important to the German Ministry of Finance. This protection is guaranteed by the legal conditions set out by the Europe-wide, uniform norms of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which became applicable on 25 May 2018. For further information on the GDPR, please consult the FAQs on the website of the German Ministry of the Interior.

European Commission FAQs on the General Data Protection Regulation

You have the right to know what data we collect, when we collect it, and how we use it. We have taken technical and organisational measures to ensure that the relevant data protection regulations are observed, both by us and by our external service providers.

Changes to this privacy policy may become necessary as we continue to update our online services and deploy new technologies. We would therefore recommend that you re-read this policy from time to time.

In general, the website of the German Ministry of Finance may be used without visitors having to provide personal data. Personal data is collected on thiswebsite only where it is necessary for technical reasons, when you order something, when you subscribe to a newsletter or when you register for a Finance Ministry event.

The information below provides a comprehensive overview of how the German Finance Ministry guarantees the protection of your data as well as what type of data is collected and for what purpose. This notice also outlines the technology and data protection measures used on the portals and websites of the German Finance Ministry.

How your data is processed on this website

Data is collected and exchanged every time you visit a website. The German Finance Ministry or its service provider automatically store data in log files, which your browser transmits to our server. This includes:

  • your IP address,
  • the type and version of your internet browser,
  • the operating system you are using,
  • the webpage you have requested,
  • the time of the server request.

The German Finance Ministry analyses this data, which are first rendered anonymous, for purely statistical purposes in order to measure interest in the Ministry websites and improve them. It is not possible for the German Finance Ministry to trace this data back to specific individuals.

This data is not collated with other sources of data (e.g. contact details provided for brochure orders or newsletter subscriptions). Our service provider stores IP addresses for a 30-day period and then automatically deletes them. Data logged during visits to the German Finance Ministry websites is only shared with third parties if we are obliged to do so by legal provisions or by court decisions, or if it is necessary to provide the data for the purposes of legal or criminal proceedings in the event of attacks on the internet infrastructure used by the German Finance Ministry. These are the only cases in which data is shared.

Cookies

Session cookies are used when individual webpages are consulted, but these temporary cookies do not contain any personal data.

We do not use technologies such as Java applets or ActiveX controls, through which users’ access behaviour can be traced.

Cookies can be managed using all internet browsers. Most browsers are set up in such a way as to accept all cookies, without asking the user. However, you can also block individual or all cookies.

We use cookies for the following purposes:

Load balancer

Another session cookie is used to assign visitors a specific load balancer. The load balancer ensures that visitors to the website always remain on the same server during a particular session, instead of being redirected between different servers.

Web analytics platforms

We use the web analytics platform Matomo to carry out statistical analysis and to optimise our website. If you provide your consent, we will record your browsing activities on our website and we will access technical data about your device, strictly for the above-mentioned purposes.

Matomo
Recording metrics for the purpose of web analysis
After you provide your consent, the script “matomo.js” will be run. The following device information will be recorded: device type, device brand, device model (not usually required for desktop devices), screen resolution, operating system version, browser/browser engines and browser plugins.
No Matomo cookies are stored on your device.
In addition to the information about your device, data about your usage of our website is also stored: your shortened/modified IP address; accessed URLs; the website from which you accessed the current page (referrer site); length of visit; downloaded PDFs; search terms entered. The raw data is stored for days and then automatically deleted.
Your full IP address is not stored. The final two octets are omitted/modified at the earliest possible stage (example: 183.172.xxx.xxx). Other personal data is not collected.
Using Matomo enables us to analyse users’ browsing behaviour. This helps us to constantly improve our website and make it more user-friendly. No user profiles are created. The processing of your data helps to ensure that targeted information about the ministry’s work is made available to the public. The legal basis for the processing is section 3 (1) of the E-Government Act (E-Government-Gesetz) in conjunction with section 3 of the Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz). Modifying IP addresses at the earliest possible stage adequately addresses users’ interests in having their personal data protected. Access to your device data is carried out on the basis of your consent pursuant to Article 25 (1) of the Act on Data Protection and the Protection of the Private Sphere in Telecommunications and Telemedia (Gesetz über den Datenschutz und den Schutz der Privatsphäre in der Telekommunikation und bei Telemedien).
The Matomo software is operated locally on the servers of our service provider in Germany. No data is shared with Matomo or any other third parties.

If you do not agree to the storage and analysis of the data from your visit, you can object any time, below, with a single click: If you object, an opt-out cookie will be enabled on your browser and Matomo will not collect any session data.

Please note: If you delete your cookies, this will also delete the opt-out cookie and you will have to enable it again.

Disable cookies

You can choose to prevent this website from analysing and linking your browsing activities here. This will protect your privacy, but will also prevent the owner of this website from learning from your browsing activities and improving usability for you and other users. If you have rejected the tracking in the cookie banner, your visit to this website will not be recorded by Matomo web analysis for this session. The next time you visit this website, you will be asked again, unless you manage your settings permanently by activating the switch below.

Right of access and right to object

You always have the right to access information regarding the personal data which has been collected concerning you. You also have the right to access information as to their source, the recipient and the purpose of storing your data. You also have the right to rectification, the right to erasure and the right to restriction of processing. In addition, you have the right to object to the processing of your data. Please contact the Ministry’s web team if you require further information about how stored data is processed (internetredaktion@bmf.bund.de):

If you require further information about how the German Finance Ministry handles personal data, or if you have questions or complaints, please contact our data protection officer directly:

E-mail: datenschutz@bmf.bund.de
Telephone : +49 (0)30 18 682 3208

Use of personal data for Finance Ministry events

We use an internal address book to send out invitations to events. You can ask us at any time whether we have stored any of your personal data – and, if so, which – and ask for it to be changed or deleted. We use such personal data for the sole purpose of inviting you to upcoming events. We do not pass them on to third parties.

You can register for events via an online registration form. We use event marketing software by Eyepin. As stipulated by law, we have concluded an agreement with Eyepin on the processing of personal data. The link to the online form can be found on the invitation to the event. Data collected in the course of registration for a given event will be deleted after the event is over. If you simply register for one event you will not receive invitations to further events.

You can enter your details in our address book at http://www.bundesfinanzministerium.de/Web/DE/Ministerium/Veranstaltungen/veranstaltungen.html. We use Eyepin’s event marketing tool to collect this data as well. By registering, you consent to your personal data being saved in our address book and used for the purpose of inviting you to Finance Ministry events.

To register and participate in guided tours or informational talks, please contact the Finance Ministry’s visitors’ service

Data protection requirements will be observed in full for the contact details you submit to register and participate in informational talks and guided tours offered by the Finance Ministry’s visitors’ service. You can ask us at any time whether we have stored any of your personal data – and, if so, which – and ask for it to be changed or deleted. Your personal data is used for the sole purpose of allowing you to register and participate in these talks or guided tours. We do not pass them on to third parties.

Details on the German Finance Ministry’s visitor service

Protection of minors

If you are under 18 years of age, please do not send us any personal data without the consent of your parent or guardian. We do not request any personal data from children or juveniles, nor do we knowingly collect such data.

Check your data

Please click here (only in German) to review the data stored for your newsletter subscription. You will need the e-mail address which you used to subscribe to the newsletter.

Please click here (only in German) to find out where to check on any internet browser whether cookies are being used, and what they contain. You can find detailed information on data protection on the website of the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (only in German) and on the website of the Federal Office for Information Security.