Program Areas

Program Areas

Privacy Policy

This website is operated by Democracy Without Borders e.V., Pariser Platz 6, 10117 Berlin, Germany (“DWB“, “we” or “us”) in collaboration with DWB chapters in Germany, Ghana, Greece, Kenya, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom that are identified in the top menu.

DWB and these chapters may collect, process and use (collectively “process” or “processing“) personal data. The protection of this data and compliance with relevant regulations, in particular the provisions of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), is important to us.

“Personal Data” in the sense of this privacy policy is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable natural person. This is, for example, a name, an email address or an IP address.

Unless you interact directly with one of our chapters, which may have a separate privacy policy, DWB is responsible for the processing of Personal Data as set out below.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach us by email at hello (at) democracywithoutborders (dot) org or by phone at +49 30 221876-26.

1. For what purposes, for how long and on what legal basis do we process which Personal Data?

We process Personal Data in particular when our website at www.democracywithoutborders.org (“website“) is used, to manage and process memberships, newsletter subscriptions, personal enquiries, donations, and support of petitions.

1.1. Use of the website

The following data on the use of the website may be collected to ensure proper operation and IT security (“usage data“): Browser type, browser version, operating system, referrer URL, host name of the accessing computer, time of server request, IP address.

We process this usage data on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in making the website available in a functional and secure manner.

This usage data is automatically deleted immediately after the usage process is completed or as soon as it is no longer required for IT security purposes. In addition, we may only process this usage data in the event of the assertion of or defense against legal claims or for the fulfillment of legal record-keeping obligations.

Information on data processing by cookies can be found in section 1.7 of this privacy policy.

1.2. Membership

If applicable, we may process the following Personal Data in order to process an application for a membership in a given chapter (“membership data“): title, first name, last name, street, ZIP code, city, email address and, if provided, a phone number, as well as the amount of the annual membership fee and required payment data (e.g. IBAN and name of the bank). If a membership is applied for online, we process the data provided in the corresponding online form as membership data.

We process the membership data to implement an underlying legal contract (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR). The relevant basis is the application for membership accepted by us. If an application is not accepted, the membership data will be deleted.

The membership data may be transmitted to and processed by the chapter in question depending on the online form and the language and country version of the website that is used. 

In addition, we process membership data only for the assertion of or defense against legal claims or for the fulfillment of legal record-keeping and documentation obligations, in particular with regard to tax-deductible donations and membership fees.

1.3. Newsletters

When you sign up for an email newsletter, we process the following Personal Data (“newsletter data“): email address, type of newsletter, and other information provided in the newsletter form. This data may vary depending on the language and country version of the website. The newsletter data may include, in particular, first name and last name, if provided, in order to address you personally in the newsletter.

We use the so-called double opt-in procedure. This means that you will only be registered for a newsletter if you have previously confirmed your email address. After submitting the subscription form, you will receive a notification email in which you are asked to confirm that you would like to receive the newsletter by clicking on a link included in this email. In doing so, we process the email address and the time of verification. The double opt-in process excludes the possibility of unauthorized email addresses being added to the newsletter. If applicable, you will be informed about the terms of use and privacy policy of a specific newsletter service provider during the subscription process, in particular in connection with the opt-in procedure, and you will be asked to confirm your consent.

When receiving a newsletter, it may be recorded whether a newsletter is opened and links included therein are clicked on for the purpose of determining the reach, effectiveness and improvements of the content of future newsletters. We process this data and the newsletter data on the basis of consent (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). The consent can be withdrawn at any time with effect for the future by unsubscribing from the newsletter. For this purpose, each newsletter contains a link for simple unsubscription from the specific newsletter. The withdrawal of consent can, if it is not made via the unsubscribe link in the newsletter, be submitted by email to hello (at) democracywithoutborders (dot) org. For clear identification and to exclude unauthorized unsubscriptions, the e-mail address that was specified and confirmed during registration must be used as the sender address in this case.

We only process newsletter data until you have withdrawn your consent by unsubscribing. Beyond that, we only process newsletter data for the assertion of or defence against legal claims or for the fulfilment of legal record-keeping obligations.

1.4. Personal enquiries

When you contact us with a personal enquiry, we receive information from you. Depending on the type of contact (e.g. email, online form or phone) and depending on the language and country version of our website, this may include in particular the following Personal Data (“communication data“): first name, last name, e-mail address, phone number and the content and subject of the enquiry.

We generally process your communication data to respond to your enquiry (Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR). As far as the assertion of data subject rights under the GDPR is concerned, we process your communication data in order to comply with legal obligations and to answer your request satisfactorily (Art. 6 (1) (c) GDPR). We process other information you provide on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) to process your enquiry.

It is important to us that your enquiry can be dealt with in a satisfactory and appropriate manner. If we are unable to help you directly, we may pass on your communication data to a relevant chapter as identified above and – if applicable and should no chapter exist – to carefully selected associates who have been committed to non-disclosure and data protection by us.

If we are not represented by a chapter or an associate in the country that concerns your enquiry, we may transmit your enquiry to a suitable partner for further processing only with your prior consent. We will inform you about the details of the specific partner in each individual case.

We process your communication data until we have answered your enquiry and a reasonable period of time has elapsed. Depending on the subject of the enquiry, in particular in order to be able to provide satisfactory additional responses and relevant information in the event of possible additional (follow-up) queries and contacts, it may be necessary for us to store your communication data beyond our initial response. Beyond that, we only process your communication data for the assertion of or defence against legal claims or for the fulfilment of legal record-keeping obligations.

1.5. Donations

When you support us with a donation, we process Personal Data. Depending on the payment method (e.g. wire transfer, credit card, SEPA direct debit, Paypal etc.) and language or country version of our website, this may include the following data in particular (“donation data“): amount, currency, time and purpose of the donation as well as first name, last name, email address, country, address, information on the payment method you have chosen (if applicable) as well as, in the case of multiple individual donations within a given period, the total amount and frequency.

We process this donation data to process your donation and issue a donation receipt if applicable (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR). As part of the processing, you may receive an individual confirmation by email or mail, if applicable. Insofar as consent is given, you may receive special newsletters based on your donation(s) (see 1.3.).

We transmit the payment data provided via a donation form to the “payment service provider” selected by you, who is to carry out the donation payment. This may involve intermediate service providers. For payment, you may be redirected to the website of the appropriate payment service provider. The terms of use and privacy policy of the payment service providers apply. After the payment has been made, we receive a confirmation of a successful payment from the respective payment service provider. The payment service provider may provide us with details about your payment (e.g. a few digits of your credit card number).

We process donation data until a donation has been completed and a donation receipt has been issued. Beyond that, we process your donation data to assert or defend against legal claims or to comply with legal record-keeping obligations.

1.6. Support of petitions

We may invite you via the website or a newsletter to endorse political actions, public statements or petitions (“petitions“) that we may organise or support with partner organisations. If you participate in a petition organised by us (i.e. sign up to a supporters list via an online form on our website or a campaign website operated by us), we will receive Personal Data from you. Depending on the type of petition, this may include in particular the following Personal Data (“petition data“): first name, last name, email address, country and other information that you provide via the online form or express through your support, including information about your political opinion or ideological beliefs.

We process your petition data to carry out the petition on the basis of your express consent (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR or – if special categories of Personal Data within the meaning of Art. 9 para. 1 GDPR, such as your political opinion or ideological conviction, are processed – Art. 9 para. 2 lit. a GDPR). As a rule, this consent includes adding petition data on a supporters list and a publication on our and possibly other websites and in separate documents of the first name, last name, country and information submitted optionally by the respective signatory (e.g. via a field “about me”). If a petition is signed on behalf of an organization by an authorized representative, consent is given to publish the organization’s logo on webpages or separate documents that list endorsements together with the organization’s name or separately. 

We may transmit the petition data to partners specified by us in the context of the respective petition (e.g. organizations with which we jointly carry out the petition) and communicate the data components intended for publication (which excludes email addresses or other personal contact data), to third parties (e.g. authorities and other public bodies). For the further processing of your petition data by these third parties, the privacy policy of the third parties applies.

If you wish us to delete your petition data from a supporters list, you can withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future. Your data will then be deleted from the websites, lists, databases and documents accessible to us. Please note that a supporters list published on the internet can be copied, redistributed and published by third parties. There are also automated archiving services whose aim it is to permanently document the state of certain websites at certain points in time. This means that usually petition data published on the internet at some point may still be found on third-party websites and databases even after it has been deleted on those accessible to us.

We process the petition data until the petition is considered carried out and the aim of the petition has been achieved. This period may vary depending on the type and duration of the petition. If there is a fixed time period for a petition from the outset, we will inform you of this in connection with the specific petition. Even if a petition is considered carried out, published supporters lists usually will remain published and not be deleted. Beyond this, we only process your support data to assert or defend against legal claims or to comply with legal record-keeping obligations. 

1.7. Use of cookies on the website

Text files, so-called cookies, may be used on our website to track how the website is used, to make it conveniently available, to adapt it to given interests or to evaluate system security and stability (“cookies“). In the process, certain user-related data, actions and preferences will be recorded or stored.

Cookies collect data on the end device that is then transmitted to us or service providers. Therefore, as a user and data subject, you have full control over the use of cookies within the meaning of the GDPR. Cookies are only used with your express consent when you visit our website. A cookie banner is implemented for this purpose. With the exception of technically necessary cookies, you can decide in which categories cookies are permitted by means of the settings you have chosen on the page www.democracywithoutborders.org/#cookiesAndContentPolicySettings. In addition, you can activate, deactivate or restrict cookies in general or for specific website by changing the settings in your internet browser.

2. To whom do we transfer Personal Data?

We may disclose Personal Data in the cases specifically mentioned above in relation to individual data processing operations. In addition, we will only disclose your Personal Data to third parties in rare cases as described below:

2.1. Service providers

We transfer Personal Data to service providers with whom we cooperate to provide the website or other services (e.g. newsletter service providers). We have carefully selected these service providers and concluded data processing agreements where required by law. In order to save costs, to better provide desired services or for other reasons, the selection of service providers may change.

2.2. Partners

We disclose Personal Data to other data controllers who process Personal Data for their own purposes to the extent necessary for the performance of a contract or service. Our partners may use the Personal Data thus transmitted exclusively for the purpose for which we have collected and transmitted it. The transmission of this Personal Data takes place for the fulfilment of the contract (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR) or due to our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR) to design our operations efficiently.

2.3. Legal obligation or law enforcement 

We may disclose Personal Data to third parties when required by law and to help investigate or prevent suspected or actual illegal activities at the request of law enforcement authorities. Such requests are considered very carefully.

Some of the recipients of Personal Data mentioned above may be located in countries outside the EU/EEA that do not have the same level of protection with regard to Personal Data as required in the EU/EEA and lack an adequacy decision by the European Commission. In this case, DWB ensures an adequate level of data protection through appropriate safeguards, e.g. EU standard contractual clauses.

3. What are your rights?

You have the following legal rights in respect to Personal Data relating to you, provided that the relevant conditions are met:

3.1. Right to information

You have the right to obtain information about the processing of Personal Data relating to you, as well as further information, e.g. the purposes of processing, the recipients and the planned duration of storage.

3.2. Right to rectification and completion

You have the right to request the rectification of inaccurate Personal Data without undue delay. Taking into account the purposes of the processing, you have the right to request the completion of incomplete Personal Data.

3.3. Right to deletion

Under certain circumstances, you have a right of deletion. This is the case, for example, if your Personal Data is no longer necessary for the original purposes, you have revoked your declaration of consent under data protection law or the Personal Data was processed unlawfully.

3.4. Right to restrict processing

You have a right to restrict processing in the cases prescribed by law.

3.5. Right to data portability

You have the right to receive Personal Data concerning you in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format. The right to data transfer includes the right to transfer the data to another controller.

3.6. Right to object

You have the right to object at any time, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to the processing of certain Personal Data concerning you.

In the case of direct marketing, you as the data subject have the right to object at any time to processing of Personal Data concerning you for the purposes of such marketing.

3.7. Right to withdraw your consent

You can withdraw your consent to the processing of your Personal Data at any time with effect for the future. However, the lawfulness of the processing carried out until the withdrawal is not affected by this.

3.8. Right to complain to a data protection authority

You can also file a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you feel that we are not providing you with sufficient assistance with regard to your rights. 

3.9. Is there automated decision making?

We do not use automated decision-making including profiling in accordance with Art. 22 GDPR to provide our respective services.

Last change: 8 September 2023