University of Tübingen Data Privacy Statement

Dear users of our website,

Thank you for visiting our web pages. We appreciate your interest in the University of Tübingen and the information we provide on studies and research.

This privacy statement is to inform you about the processing of your personal data (hereinafter referred to as "data") resulting from your visiting or using our website functions.

We ask you to read this privacy statement carefully before you continue to visit our website or use the functions contained on the website.

By visiting our website, you consent to the processing and use of your data as described below.

Our privacy statement is valid for our website only and not for the webpages of third parties.

Data privacy and security

The protection of your privacy is important to us. To protect your data, the University of Tübingen takes a variety of technical and organizational measures to effectively prevent unauthorized access and disclosure, manipulation, loss and unauthorized deletion.

The measures we take are subject to constant updating. We are guided by legal requirements, best practice approaches and technical developments.

In the following, we provide information about the type, scope and purpose of the collection, processing and use of your data by the University of Tübingen, insofar as they result from your visit to or use of the functions of our website.

Responsible for the data privacy statement and this website

Public Relations Department
Christfried Dornis
Doblerstraße 21
72074 Tübingen
Email: ordspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de 
Phone  +49 7071 29-77854

Contact for data privacy

Data Protection Officer
Geschwister-Scholl-Platz
72074 Tübingen
Email: datenschutzspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de 
Phone: +49 70 71 29-76480
Data protection officer’s webpage

Scope of data collection, processing and use

We pursue the goal of limiting the collection, processing and use of personal data during your visit to our webpages to the minimum necessary. We also generally only collect the data from you that we absolutely need to fulfill the purpose.

Also, we do not knowingly collect any personal data from minors (= persons under the age of 18). In cases where we determine that personal data has been provided to us by minors, we delete this data immediately if no downstream process follows. We recommend that legal guardians keep an eye on the internet activities of minors in their care.

Personal data

According to article 4 of the GDPR, personal data is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable natural person. This includes, for example, information such as first and last names, addresses, e-mail addresses, telephone or mobile phone numbers, and usually also the IP address.

Purpose of data processing

If you voluntarily provide us with your data for the purposes listed below, we will process and use this data exclusively for the purposes for which you provided us with your data. This currently includes the following:

Newsletter

If you wish to receive our newsletter, you can provide us with your data, for example, by registering for the newsletter (link: https://listserv.uni-tuebingen.de/mailman/listinfo/newsletter or https://listserv.uni-tuebingen.de/mailman/listinfo/Name_der_Mailingliste for other newsletters) on our webpages voluntarily. We will then use this data exclusively to send you the newsletter you requested. Please understand that we use the double opt-in procedure for your security when ordering the newsletter and that you will be asked to confirm receipt of the newsletter via e-mail. Without your express consent, we will not send you our newsletter. If you no longer wish to receive the newsletter in the future, you are free at any time and without giving reasons to revoke your consent to receive our newsletter; you may unsubscribe from our newsletter free of charge for the future (link: https://listserv.uni-tuebingen.de/mailman/listinfo/newsletter or listserv.uni-tuebingen.de/mailman/listinfo/Name_der_Mailingliste for other newsletters). You can unsubscribe via the unsubscribe link in each newsletter sent, under the heading "Newsletter" on our webpage (https://uni-tuebingen.de/de/202438 on the webpage of the respective newsletter), by sending an email to the following address: newsletterspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de or by regular letter to the following address: University of Tübingen, Hochschulkommunikation, Onlineredaktion, Doblerstraße 21, 72074 Tübingen, Germany (or to the address given on the webpage of the respective newsletter)

Online applications

If you make an application to the University of Tübingen and send us your application documents in electronic form, we will process and use this data, which you have voluntarily provided to us, solely for the application procedure and possibly to initiate an employment relationship at the University of Tübingen. Your data will only be passed on to third parties if you expressly authorize us to do so in writing, stating the recipients.

Online contact forms

If you send us your data as part of an inquiry, feedback or message, or fill out the online contact form available on our website and send it to us, we will process and use this data exclusively to process your request or to respond to your inquiry.

Alumni

You have the opportunity to become a member of UT Community (Link: https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/10), the University of Tübingen alumni network. For this purpose, we provide an online registration form. The information provided will be stored and used in a database exclusively for the purpose of community management. By registering with UT Community, the user expressly agrees to be contacted by e-mail and/or post for the purpose of maintaining contact with the University of Tübingen, to be informed about events and activities of the respective alumni network and the University of Tübingen, and to be approached for projects and surveys. The data will only be viewed, changed or deleted upon notification by the member. Data will be passed on to external third parties only with the express consent of the alumni member. There shall be no consolidation with other data sources.

For communication and the administration of alumni data, the Alumni team in the Public Relations Department uses the online marketing tool Brevo, a service provided by Brevo GmbH, Köpenicker Straße 126, 10179 Berlin. For this purpose, the alumni data are transmitted via a secure connection to the database of Brevo and stored as a distribution list, which is accessible only to the Public Relations Department. Brevo does not pass on the data to third parties. Further information at https://www.brevo.com/features/data-security/

Membership of UT Community – and the consequent consent to the storage and use of personal data – may be revoked in writing at any time with effect for the future. To do so, please contact the Alumni Office https://www.uni-tuebingen.de/en/10. Your data will then be deleted without delay. The revocation of consent shall not affect the lawfulness of the processing carried out on the basis of the consent until the revocation.

Online orders

If you register with our alumni network (link: https://cas-alu.uni-tuebingen.de/EventOnline/Event.aspx?contextId=90175B3C3D6370A3DF874483CAF5BC2C&event=0x62AC3402693D4AC98D4A236A46CCDD99) and order the research magazine attempto! free of charge, we will also use your data to process your order and for shipping. This also includes the forwarding of contact data to our print shop for the purpose of shipment. The magazine is published three times a year. You can cancel your subscription at any time by contacting the Alumni Office (https://www.uni-tuebingen.de/en/10).

If, as part of a registration in our Alumni Network (link: https://cas-alu.uni-tuebingen.de/EventOnline/Event.aspx?contextId=90175B3C3D6370A3DF874483CAF5BC2C&event=0x62AC3402693D4AC98D4A236A46CCDD99) you order the online newsletter of the University of Tübingen, we will use your e-mail address to process your order and to send it. In this case, the double opt-in procedure normally used for the online newsletter does not apply. Information on how to unsubscribe from the newsletter can be found under "Online newsletter" in this privacy policy.

If you register with our alumni network (link: https://cas-alu.uni-tuebingen.de/EventOnline/Event.aspx?contextId=90175B3C3D6370A3DF874483CAF5BC2C&event=0x62AC3402693D4AC98D4A236A46CCDD99) for English-language circular mails to research alumni, we use this data to process and send your order. The English-language circulars to research alumni are sent out by the Alumni Office using the online marketing tool Brevo. Information on this can be found under "Alumni" in this privacy policy.

Portals and platforms for data exchange

If you make available or provide us with your data via portals or platforms accessible via our website, we will process and use the data provided by you exclusively for the purposes for which you have provided us with the data. We point out that if the portals or platforms are operated by external website providers, other data protection rules may apply. Please inform yourself about this in advance and also read "Linked websites" in this data protection notice.

Improvement of our website

In order to improve the design and content of our webpages, the functions of our online presence and the user-friendliness of our pages, we collect, process and use the following data:

• IP address of the computer accessing the page
• Date and time of access
• URL path of the requested page/file and desired access method
• Access status of the web server (e.g. file transferred, file not found)
• Transferred data volume
• Information about the software used for access (usually browser type and version, operating system of the accessing computer)
• URL from which the page/file was accessed

The University of Tübingen uses the stored access log data to identify and track unauthorized access attempts and accessing of the website. The server log files are stored for a period of 14 days and then deleted. For the purpose of optimizing the website, the stored access log data is evaluated in anonymized form. Persons are then no longer identifiable with this data.

We collect, process and use this data exclusively for the aforementioned statistical and non-commercial purposes in anonymized or pseudonymized form, so that any inference to your person is prevented.

Use of the web analytics service Matomo

We use Matomo (Piwik), an open-source software for statistical analysis of visitor access. Matomo enables an anonymized analysis of your use of the website. Cookies are only used for the opt-out option. Matomo is configured so that no tracking cookies are set. It is not possible to draw conclusions about a specific person, as your IP address is anonymized immediately after processing and before storage.

You may lodge an objection to the storage and analysis of this data by Matomo at any time (link: https://vitruv.uni-tuebingen.de/piwik/index.php?module=CoreAdminHome&action=optOut&language=de&backgroundColor=&fontColor=&fontSize=&fontFamily=). In this case, an “opt-out cookie” is permanently stored in your browser, which causes Matomo not to collect any data for storage and evaluation. However, if you delete this cookie intentionally or unintentionally, the objection to data storage and evaluation will also be lifted and can be renewed via the above link.

Alternatively, most modern browsers have a "Do Not Track" option, with which you tell websites not to track your user activities. Matomo respects this option.

Use of cookies and comparable technologies: The University of Tübingen website uses cookies and comparable technologies (e.g. local storage). Cookies do not cause any damage to your computer and do not contain viruses. Cookies are used to ensure the website functions properly, to make our services more user-friendly, effective, and secure, and - with your consent - to analyze your usage behavior and integrate external content. Cookies are small text files that get saved on your device. Some cookies are technically necessary to enable the website to function (“essential cookies”). Other cookies serve additional purposes, particularly for analytics, the delivery of external content, or marketing.

The following cookies get saved:

• Server cookies enabling you to use the website. They are automatically deleted after you leave the website ("session cookies").
• Google cookies: in accordance with Google policy - See http://www.google.com/intl/de/policies/privacy

You can set your browser so that you are informed about the saving of cookies and to allow cookies in individual cases only, to prevent the acceptance of cookies either in certain cases or in general, and to activate the automatic deletion of cookies when you close the browser. If cookies are deactivated, the functionality of our website may be limited.

Cookies help us

• to identify the frequency of visits to the various parts of our website
• to recognize the preferences of those visiting our website and thus to optimally design the web pages accordingly
• to facilitate navigation on our website and thus to increase the site’s user-friendliness
• To keep information for a certain period of time and to identify the devices used by visitors to the website as soon as they return to the site. This enables us, e.g., to apply the settings you have previously selected so that you do not have to choose the settings again (e.g. language settings, log-in information).

Unless the use of cookies and comparable technologies is strictly necessary, they are saved only if you consent.

Consent-based data processing: Your personal data shall be processed in connection with non-essential cookies and external services only if you consent to this. You can give this consent via the consent banner displayed when you first visit the website.  Consent is voluntary and is not required for the use of the website, unless it concerns technically necessary functions. Consent specifically includes the storage of information on your device, as well as access to information already stored and the subsequent processing of personal data, including by third-party providers

Withdrawing your consent: You can withdraw or modify your consent at any time, effective for the future but not retroactively. Withdrawing your consent is just as easy as giving it. Simply open the cookie settings again at any time by clicking the button below, then change your selection. The withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of the data processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

Our website includes videos from the YouTube platform. YouTube is a service provided by Google Ireland Limited. These videos are embedded in what is known as “enhanced privacy mode” (“youtube-nocookie”). When you visit a page with an embedded video, no personal data is initially transmitted to YouTube. Only when you actively start playing a video is a connection established to YouTube’s servers.  In the process, information about your usage behavior (e.g., IP address, technical information about the device, interaction data) is processed and cookies are saved.

When you play a video, the following processing activities in particular may occur:

• Storage and reading of cookies on your device
• Processing of usage and interaction data
• Merging with existing user profiles (if you are logged in to Google/YouTube)
• Processing for analysis, marketing, and personalization purposes

We have no influence over the specific manner in which YouTube carries out this processing.

If you are logged into your YouTube account while visiting our websites that contain a YouTube video, it is possible for YouTube to associate your visit to our website with your YouTube account.

If you are logged into your YouTube account during your visit to one of our web pages that contains a YouTube video and you activate a video on our web pages or leave a comment on our video uploaded to YouTube, YouTube will assign this information to your YouTube account.

If you do not want YouTube to collect, process or use data about your visit to our website and link it to your user account, you must log out of YouTube before visiting our website and block the setting of cookies by YouTube in your browser or delete cookies set by YouTube in the past from your computer.

For more information on the purposes and scope of the collection, processing and use of your data by YouTube, please see Google's Privacy Policy & Terms of Use (https://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy/).

Data transfer to third countries: It cannot be ruled out that data may be transferred to countries outside the European Union, particularly to the United States. Data protection standards in those countries may not be in line with that of the European Union.

Legal notice: The inclusion and playback of YouTube videos goes ahead only if you consent.

Withdrawing consent: You can withdraw your consent at any time, effective for the future but not retroactively (see “Withdrawing your consent” above).

Note regarding third-party cookies: Please note that enabling external content (e.g., YouTube videos) may also result in the placement of cookies that go beyond merely technically providing the content and are used specifically for analytical or marketing purposes.

Ecosia search

You may search the contents of the website via our search function. For this, we use the service provided by the search engine Ecosia.

As a matter of principle, no data is transferred to the search service provider when accessing official web pages of the University of Tübingen in which the Ecosia search function is integrated. Data is only transferred to Ecosia after the user has activated the search box, started a full-text search and called up the search results page. Use of the search function within the search results page leads to the transfer of user data to Ecosia.

Ecosia uses cookies to save your settings, such as country and language settings. Ecosia does not store any personal information in the cookies.

By using the full-text search and thus calling up the search results page, you consent to the use of the Ecosia search service and thus also to the transfer of data to it. Ecosia only collects absolutely necessary data, and that data is anonymized. Search requests with Ecosia are forwarded to Bing. Please note that different data protection standards apply to Ecosia than to the University of Tübingen's Internet services. We expressly point out that the processing, in particular the storage, deletion and use of possibly transmitted personal data is the responsibility of the provider of the search service, and that the University of Tübingen, as the operator of its website, has no influence on the type or scope of the transmitted data or on its further processing.

For more information from Ecosia about the handling of user data (privacy policy), please visit: https://info.ecosia.org/privacy

Location maps (OpenStreetMap)

We use the OpenStreetMap service to display the locations of university buildings. The privacy policy of the OpenStreetMap Foundation is available here: http://wiki.osmfoundation.org/wiki/Privacy_Policy 

Linked websites

Our webpages have links to external websites. We have no influence on the content of these websites and therefore accept no responsibility or liability for the permissibility, accuracy, presentation and completeness of the content published, displayed or retrievable there.

We hereby inform you that when you access these external websites, your IP address may be logged by the relevant website operator.

When you leave our website, we recommend that you check the privacy policy of the external website operators before you access the website or use the functions there.

Transmission or sharing of your data

There shall be no transfer to third parties or sharing with our business partners of your data collected, processed or used by us without your express consent, unless this is:

• necessary for the processing of our contractually guaranteed services.
• necessary for the enforcement of our claims.
• legitimate by a legal authorization or we are required by law to disclose the data.
• necessary for the purposes of law enforcement, security or protection of our webpages.
• necessary to enforce the rights of third parties or in the context of the legal obligations to provide information or a court order to provide the information.

Right to information

In accordance with article 15 GDPR, visitors to our website have the right to request information about their personal data processed at the University of Tübingen at any time, free of charge. The scope of the information is set out in article 15 GDPR.

Please send your request for information via e-mail to the following address (datenschutzspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de) or by post to the following address: University of Tübingen, Data Protection Officer, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz, 72074 Tübingen, Germany

Right to correction of your data

In accordance with article 16 GDPR, you have the right to request the correction or completion of incorrect or incomplete information about you. We will examine such requests and take the necessary measures in justified cases.

Right to deletion and blocking of your data

Under article 17 GDPR, you have the right to deletion of your data. The data we store about you will be destroyed or deleted in accordance with data protection law if 

• the legal retention periods have expired, or
• the collection or processing is or was unlawful, or
• the data is no longer required to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or
• if you have revoked your consent to the processing and use
• provided you object to the processing of your data in accordance with article 21 GDPR and there are no overriding legitimate grounds for the processing.

We inform you that a complete deletion will only take place after the expiry of the corresponding deadlines under tax and commercial law. Until the expiry of these periods and until final deletion, your data will be blocked accordingly and will not be further processed by us.

Right to restriction of data processing

Under article 18 of the GDPR, you have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your data in the cases, and to the extent, specified in article 18 of the GDPR. We will examine such requests and take the necessary measures in justified cases.

Right to data portability

In accordance with article 20 GDPR, you have the right to receive your data processed by us in a structured, common and machine-readable format. At your express request, we will transfer your data to the bodies clearly designated by you, insofar as we can technically do so and this is permissible under data protection law.

Right of revocation and objection

You have the right to revoke your consent to the collection, processing and use of your data for the future at any time and free of charge and without giving reasons, or in accordance with article 21 GDPR to object to the processing of your data. Please send your revocation of your consent or objection via e-mail to the following address (datenschutzspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de) or by post to the following address: University of Tübingen, Data Protection Officer, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz, 72074 Tübingen, Germany

Right to complain to a supervisory authority

You have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority under article 14 in conjunction with article 77 GDPR if you believe that the processing of your data violates the GDPR. The responsible authority is the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts.

Right to an effective judicial remedy against the controller

In accordance with article 79 GDPR, you have the right to an effective judicial remedy if you believe that your rights as listed above have been violated as a result of processing of your data by us or by a processor engaged by us that does not comply with the requirements of the GDPR.

Liability and right to damages

Under article 82 of the GDPR, you have the right to claim damages against us or the processors commissioned by us if you have suffered material or immaterial damage due to a breach of the GDPR.

Updates to Data Privacy Statement

This data privacy statement will be updated with effect for the future in the event of new legal requirements or significant changes to the functional scope of our webpages. We therefore recommend that you read through our data privacy statement at regular intervals.

Last updated: 21.05.2026