Data protection at TÜV SÜD Akademie GmbH

We process your data for the purpose of providing services in connection with the execution of the respective legal transaction and for invoicing (Art. 6 section 1 b DSGVO, Art. 6 section 1 f DSGVO). In addition, we process your personal data in order to inform you by post about products, services and specialist events for training and further education and personal certification as well as due examinations from these areas and for customer analyses (Art. 6 section 1 f DSGVO).

With your consent, which can be revoked at any time, we will also inform you about these topics by e-mail (§7 section 2 no. 3 UWG, Art. 6 section 1 a GDPR). We also inform our business customers about this by telephone (§ 7 section 2 no. 2 UC).

In the case of in-house training courses (closed company events), certificates/certificates issued by the TÜV SÜD Academy as well as examination results ("passed/failed") are usually transmitted to your employer/HR department. The same applies if you do not have a personalized e-mail address and the order was placed through your employer/HR department.In individual cases, your personal data is transmitted to licensing and examination bodies (e.g. public authorities, accreditation bodies, Federal Employment Agency) as part of examinations conducted by TÜV SÜD Akademie GmbH.

For bookings / purchases in the TÜV SÜD Business Assurance Store - depending on the product – personal contact details may be transmitted to the TÜV SÜD company providing the service.
We carry out practice audits during auditor training courses and record them on local storage media as temporary video files (Art. 6 section 1 f DSGVO). In order to improve your learning success, these recorded videos are used in debriefings and discussed with the trainers and the other participants. Afterwards, at the latest at the end of the training, these video recording files will be deleted.

We use service providers by way of order processing in the provision of services within the EU, in particular for the provision, maintenance and servicing of IT systems.

We store your contract data and the associated documents for 10 years after termination of the business relationship (§ 147 section 3 General Fiscal Law), other trade and business letters for 6 years (§ 257 section 4 German Commercial Code), unless other legal provisions or regulations apply.

When conducting online training courses or digital events (events) in which you participate, the information above under 2. Privacy notice according to Art. 13 and Art. 14 GDPR also applies to customers and seminar participants (open, in-house and online) in addition to the following information. As a matter of principle, there is no recording of such events.

In the context of events, we process your registration data (first name, last name, e-mail address). If you activate the camera and/or microphone of your device, we also process the data transmitted via it. If you participate in chats, whiteboards or polls, this data will also be processed.

The legal basis for the processing of your data is Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR, provided that a contractual relationship exists between you and us. If there is no contractual relationship with you, the legal basis is Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR. Our legitimate interest lies in the effective implementation of the event. 

In order to run our events we use the video conferencing service Zoom (Zoom Communications, Inc., USA) or Microsoft Teams (Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, Ireland). A contract for order processing has been concluded with both providers in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR.

When using Zoom, personal data may be transferred to the USA as well as to other third countries outside the EU/EEA.

When using Microsoft Teams, the processing of personal data is generally carried out within the European Union. In individual cases, personal data may be transferred to the USA or other third countries, for example if certain services or support services require it.

For the transfer of personal data to the USA, both providers have an adequacy decision of the European Commission within the framework of the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. To the extent that data is also transferred to other third countries where there is no adequate level of data protection, this is done on the basis of the EU Commission's standard contractual clauses in accordance with Art. 46 (2) (c) GDPR.

We use service providers by way of order processing in the provision of services, in particular for the provision, maintenance and care of IT systems.

The personal data processed in the course of participation will be deleted after the event has been held and processed, provided that there are no statutory retention obligations.

We process your personal data for the purposes of trainer accreditation and trainer management as part of the implementation of contractual or pre-contractual measures (Art. 6(1b) GDPR, Art. 6(1f) GDPR).

Further we process your data to inform you by mail about products, services, subject specific events and due examinations regarding training, professional development and personnel certification as well as for customer analysis purposes (Art. 6(1f) GDPR).

With your consent, which is revocable at any time, we additionally inform you about this topics via email (section 7 (2.3) of the Law against unfair Competition [UWG], Art. 6(1a) GDPR). Our business clients are additionally informed by telephone (section 7 (2.2) of the Law against unfair Competition [UWG]).

If you order products or services from us, or when you attend subject specific events organised by us, our service providers and we will process your personal data in order to carry out the respective transaction and for the purposes of invoicing (Article 6 (1b) GDPR).

In individual cases, as part of checks carried out by TÜV SÜD Akademie GmbH, your personal data will be passed on to accreditation and review bodies (e.g. authorities, accreditation bodies, German Federal Labour Office).

We use processors (service providers) in particular for the provision, maintenance and care of IT systems.

Personal data is not transfered to third countries.

We will store your contract data and any related documents for a period of 8 years (section 147 (3) of the German General Tax Code [AO]) and other trade and business correspondence for a period of 6 years (section 257 (4) of the German Commercial Code [HGB]), unless there are other statutory provisions or regulations that apply.

In addition, in the event of a cancellation in the course of trainer applications, the following storage period applies: Your submitted application documents such as curriculum vitae, proof of vocational training, professional experience, proof of further training, etc. will be deleted no later than six months after the date of rejection. This storage period enables us to examine and take into account any legal claims, in particular from the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG), within the statutory deadlines.

When conducting online training courses or digital events, the following information also applies:

The processed data is your registration data (last name, first name, email address) from the event. If you activate the camera and / or the microphone of your device, we also process the transmitted data transmitted. If you take part in chats, whiteboards or voting, this data will also be processed. Such events are generally not recorded.

Online surveys by TÜV SÜD Akademie GmbH are always anonymous, i. e. without personal reference. Exceptions are voluntary information provided by the participants, which allows personal reference (e.g. personal data such as naming in free text fields).

In the context of online surveys, personal data is processed by the service provider Microsoft using the Microsoft Forms application. Please note that this privacy information only informs you about the processing of your personal data by TÜV SÜD Akademie GmbH. If you require information about the processing by Microsoft, please refer to the relevant statement.

Microsoft Privacy Statement: https://privacy.microsoft.com/de-de/privacystatement

The legal basis for possible data processing in third countries when using Microsoft Forms is your consent (Art. 6 section 1 a GDPR). In the USA there is no data protection level comparable to the requirements of the GDPR. It is possible for government agencies to access personal data without us or you knowing about it. An effective enforcement of your rights is probably not possible in the USA.
By joining the online survey, the participant consents to the processing of his or her personal data.

We use processors (service providers) in particular for the provision, maintenance and care of IT systems.

We offer you the opportunity to subscribe to our newsletter on our website. With your consent to email advertising, which can be revoked at any time, we will inform you about our products, services and specialist events for training and further education and personal certification by email. Information we receive when you purchase and use one of our products or services may be linked to your profile and used for direct marketing purposes to alert you to news about the products or services you have purchased or related.

We are always striving to improve our offer. For this purpose, evaluations of the newsletters sent are created, e.g. whether e-mail addresses are accessible, which e-mails are opened, which links within the e-mail are clicked, etc. These evaluations are processed exclusively within TÜV SÜD. The data will not be transmitted to other companies. Personal data that we collect, e.g. The information we collect on our websites and that helps us understand your interests may be used for personalisation purposes in order to provide you with content and information that is relevant to them. Automated decision-making based on this collected data does not take place. 

The aforementioned data processing is carried out on the legal basis of consent in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR. 

We use Marketo, a service of Marketo EMEA Ltd. (Red Oak North, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, Ireland ("Marketo")), to collect anonymized statistical data about the use of our website and to optimize our offer accordingly, to provide system-related emails, information about individual surfing behavior, downloads of white papers and similar materials, and to conduct email marketing. For this purpose, cookies are stored on your computer, with the help of which data is collected for marketing and optimization purposes (e.g. browser type, referrer URL, IP address) and stored and further processed on Marketo's servers. The data collected may be combined with the personal data you voluntarily provide on the website for profiling. You can technically prevent web tracking by deactivating the cookie function in your browser. 

Your personal data will not be transferred to third countries. We will process your data collected for advertising purposes until you withdraw your consent. 

Your right of withdrawal: If you revoke your consent, a short message by email to [email protected] or by post to TÜV SÜD Business Services GmbH, AKD Datenschutz, Westendstraße 199, 80686 Munich, D-80686 is sufficient at any time. Or you can use the option to end your newsletter subscription by clicking on the unsubscribe link in one of the TÜV SÜD Akademie newsletters you have already received.

The Learners’ Hub is the portal for participants of online training courses and trainers of the TÜV SÜD Academy. On this platform you will find all the information required for the implementation of the training (e.g. training documents, event links, final documents). 

In order to enable the use of the Learner's Hub, we process your personal data, such as your TÜV SÜD ID, surname and first name, e-mail address and final documents for training courses and examinations that you have completed.  
The legal basis for processing your personal data is the performance of a contract or the implementation of pre-contractual measures with you in accordance with Article 6 (1) (b) and Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR. 

We will only transfer your personal data processed through the Learner's Hub to other recipients or provide access to your personal data to other recipients if this is necessary for the respective purposes of processing such personal data or if we have entrusted other recipients with the performance of individual tasks or services and access to such personal data is necessary or not is to be ruled out. The categories of recipients of personal data processed through our website are: 

·        Internal entities involved in the execution of the respective business processes 

·        Service provider for operation, hosting, maintenance and administration of our website and databases, currently:
TÜV SÜD Business Services GmbH, Westendstr. 199, 80686 Munich 

·        External service providers for direct independent support of the respective business processes (e.g. courier or delivery service providers, tax consultants, auditors) 

Your personal data processed by TÜV SÜD Academy via the Learner's Hub will not be transferred to a recipient in a third country or to an international organisation. 

In order to make the website user-friendly for you and to optimally tailor it to your needs, we use cookies. A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that your browser stores on your device at the direction of a website you visit in order to "remember" information about you, such as your language preferences or login information.  
The cookies used in the Learners’ Hub can be found in the Cookie Policy.  

The legislator has enacted a wide range of retention periods and obligations. After these periods have expired, the relevant data will be routinely deleted. If data is not affected by this, it will be deleted or anonymized if the purposes specified in this privacy policy cease to apply. 

Further information can be found in this data protection information, in particular in chapters 2, 3 and 4. 

The user account in the Learners’ Hub is mandatory for participants in online training courses and is technically required to use the services booked by TÜV SÜD Academy. User accounts will be automatically closed after a period of 393 days of inactivity (i.e., 2 years + 28 days after the last login to the Learners’ Hub). As an affected user, you will be reminded by e-mail of the upcoming deadline for account closure and will have the opportunity to log in again and thus prevent the account closure. 

Your personal data in TÜV SÜD Academy will not be deleted when the account is closed, as it is subject to statutory retention periods (see above). A new account can be set up within these retention periods. 

After completing all booked events, you also have the option of closing your user account yourself in the "Edit profile" area at any time. 

The processing of your personal data (name, e-mail address, acquired qualification, date of issue and validity period of the certificate) is carried out for the purpose of 

1. Creation, management and provision of the paid digital personal badge

2. Online publication of verification data on app.certif-id.com 

3. Payment processing and invoicing

4. Proof and documentation of the qualification acquired

The legal basis is Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR (performance of a contract).

For the technical provision and administration of the online badge, we use a German service provider as a processor in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR:

Certif-ID GmbH. A data processing agreement has been concluded with this service provider, which ensures compliance with the data protection requirements.

The service provider processes your data exclusively in accordance with our instructions and is contractually obliged to take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data.

Your data will only be passed on to third parties if this is necessary for the fulfilment of the contract or due to legal obligations.

The online badge is published on a publicly accessible platform (app.certif-id.com).

Your personal data will only be stored for as long as is necessary for the aforementioned purposes or as long as there are statutory retention periods.

The TÜV SÜD Academy Shop Assistant Clara is designed to answer your questions about products in our webshop. The use of the chatbot is voluntary.

The processing is carried out on the basis of Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interest) in order to offer efficient and user-friendly customer service.

Only the  questions/content you enter in Clara will be processed.

As part of the design and functioning of Clara , no personal data is collected, stored or processed unless personal data is entered by the user himself. 

In the course of processing, group companies are used as processors within the meaning of Art. 28 GDPR.

There are no other recipients. There will be no transfer to countries outside the EU/EEA.

The content entered and Clara's  answers will be automatically deleted no later than 365 days after they have been collected.

There will be no transfer to countries outside the EU/EEA.

There is no individual profiling and no automated decision-making.

Note: This use of the chatbot is voluntary. You can also visit and use the webshop without using Clara. Please do not enter any personal data when using Clara.

In our online shop we offer payment by credit card. The provider of this payment service is PAYONE GmbH, Lyoner Straße 15, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. 

If you choose to pay by credit card, the payment data you enter will be transmitted to PAYONE GmbH. You have the option of paying for your order by VISA or Mastercard credit card.

Payment processing is handled securely via an external page of PAYONE in order to fully protect your data. After the transaction is completed, your account will be conveniently and securely debited with the invoice amount. PAYONE processes your data as an independent controller within the meaning of the GDPR. The payment data you enter will not be stored by TÜV SÜD Akademie GmbH.

Detailed information about data processing by PAYONE and its contact information can be found here.

The ‘Unterweisungsportal’ is technically provided and operated by TÜV SÜD Akademie GmbH, Westendstrasse 160, 80339 Munich.

We, TÜV SÜD Akademie GmbH, operate the ‘Unterweisungsportal’ on behalf of the organisation that uses the portal. We process personal data strictly according to their specifications - not for our own purposes. We act exclusively as a processor in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR and have concluded a data processing agreement with the controller. 

The organisation that provides you with access to the ‘Unterweisungsportal’, e.g. your employer, is responsible for data processing in its role as the controller according to GDPR. Please contact this organisation directly if you have any questions about data processing, would like to exercise your rights as a data subject or have other concerns about data protection in connection with the ‘Unterweisungsportal’.

In the following, we will provide you with some information on the processing of personal data in the ‘Unterweisungsportal’.

As part of its operations, TÜV SÜD Akademie GmbH processes the following categories of personal data in particular:

• User data: e.g. name, email address

• Instruction and verification data: e.g. assignment to instructions, processing/participation status, time of completion/confirmation, test results/acknowledgements if applicable (if applicable)

• Technical usage and log data: e.g. time of use, system events, technical access and device information such as IP address, browser, error messages.

The data processing serves exclusively the operation and provision of the instruction portal, in particular:

• Provision and technical administration of the ‘Unterweisungsportal’

• Setup and management of user access and authorizations

• Implementation, organisation and documentation of instructions

• Providing evidence of completed instructions to the controller

1. Ensuring technical operations and IT security, including maintenance, troubleshooting and support

The legal basis for the processing of personal data in the ‘Unterweisungsportal’ is determined by the respective controller. 

TÜV SÜD Akademie GmbH processes personal data in the context of the ‘Unterweisungsportal’ exclusively as a processor on the basis of a contract for order processing in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR and in accordance with documented instructions from the controller.

For further information on data processing, in particular on recipients and the storage period, as well as on the assertion of your rights as a data subject, please contact your organisation, which is responsible for data processing.