Privacy statement
This privacy statement explains which personal data we process when you use the websites berlin-freedom-week.com and berlin-freedom-conference.com, purchase tickets or take part in Berlin Freedom Week and Berlin Freedom Conference. Personal data means any information relating to an identified or identifiable person.
1. Controller
The controller within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is:
Berlin Freedom Society e. V.
Greifenhagener Straße 17
10437 Berlin
Germany
Represented by the Board: Frank Ebert, Florian Engels and Notker Schweikhardt
Email: info@berlin-freedom-society.com
Phone: +49 176 80307698
Berlin Freedom Week and Berlin Freedom Conference are organised by Berlin Freedom Society e. V. together with partner organisations. Unless expressly stated otherwise, Berlin Freedom Society e. V. is solely responsible for the processing described in this statement.
2. Data protection officer
We are not legally required to appoint a data protection officer. For questions about data protection, please contact info@berlin-freedom-society.com.
3. SSL/TLS encryption
To protect the transmission of personal data and other confidential content, our websites use SSL/TLS encryption. You can recognise an encrypted connection by “https://” and the padlock symbol in your browser’s address bar.
4. Hosting and server log files
Our websites are hosted by Mittwald. The provider processes data on our behalf under a data processing agreement pursuant to Art. 28 GDPR; the servers are located in Germany or the EU.
When you visit our websites, we process data automatically transmitted by your browser that is technically necessary to display the pages and maintain their security:
- page and file accessed
- date and time of access
- amount of data transferred
- referrer URL (previously visited page)
- browser and operating system used
- IP address (truncated where applicable)
The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR; our legitimate interest lies in providing stable and secure websites. Log files are deleted after 14 days unless they are needed for longer to investigate a specific security incident.
5. Cookies, similar technologies and audience measurement
Our websites use cookies and comparable storage technologies only where technically necessary to provide the requested functions, such as managing a session or storing a language setting. Where information is stored on or accessed from your device, this is governed by Section 25(2) no. 2 of the German Telecommunications Digital Services Data Protection Act (TDDDG). Where personal data is processed, we rely on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR; our legitimate interest is to provide secure, functional websites.
We use Matomo without cookies to statistically analyse the use of berlin-freedom-week.com. This analysis helps us understand how the website is used and improve our services. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. We do not use Matomo on this website to create personal advertising profiles.
Additional information about the ticket booking feature embedded directly in the website is provided in Section 7. Quick Event processes technical connection data as soon as the embedded content loads.
6. Contacting us
If you contact us by email or via a contact form, we process the information you provide (such as your name, email address and the content of your message) to handle your enquiry. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR or, for enquiries relating to a contract (such as ticket purchases, partnerships or sponsorships), Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. We delete the data once your enquiry has been fully dealt with unless statutory retention obligations apply.
7. Ticket sales and event registration via Quick Event
For ticket sales and registration for Berlin Freedom Conference and Berlin Freedom Week events, we use Quick Event, a platform operated by ThePlus UG (haftungsbeschränkt), Hüchtingstraße 5, 28816 Stuhr, Germany. The ticket booking and registration feature is embedded directly into our website as an iframe and loads as soon as the relevant page is opened. Your browser therefore connects to Quick Event. Quick Event receives technical connection data even before you register, particularly your IP address, time of access, requested page and information about your browser and operating system.
The integration enables registration and ticket purchases directly on our website. The legal basis for processing technically necessary connection data is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR; our legitimate interest is to offer functional and user-friendly event registration. According to the provider, Quick Event deletes server log data after 30 days. Quick Event also describes cookie-free, server-side usage counting and technically necessary storage of certain settings. Any additional analytics or marketing functions enabled by the event organiser are not covered by this description.
When you register or purchase a ticket, we process the information requested in the form, including your name, contact details, organisation and position where applicable, ticket category, billing and booking details and admission (check-in) data. This processing is necessary to manage registration, issue tickets, organise events, control admission and communicate about the event. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.
Quick Event processes participant data as a processor under Art. 28 GDPR. Payments may be processed via Stripe or PayPal. Data required for the chosen payment method is transmitted to the respective payment service provider on the basis of Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. The payment service providers also process payment information in accordance with their own privacy notices.
Where necessary for an event, we may share names and, where applicable, organisations with the venue or service providers responsible for admission or security. We retain data for as long as necessary to conduct and follow up on the event and to comply with statutory retention obligations. Accounting records are retained in accordance with applicable commercial and tax requirements; other participant data is deleted once it is no longer required for these purposes and no retention obligation applies.
Further information: Quick Event Privacy Policy, Stripe Privacy Policy and PayPal Privacy Statement.
8. Photography, video recording and livestreaming at events
Photographs and videos are taken at Berlin Freedom Conference and Berlin Freedom Week events. The conference is also livestreamed. Recordings may be used for event documentation and for press and public relations on our websites, on social media and in publications of Berlin Freedom Society e. V. and its partner organisations.
The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR; our legitimate interest lies in documenting and publicly presenting the events. We provide information about photography and filming on site and in connection with registration. If you do not wish to be photographed or filmed, please speak to the photography team or organising team. Where the requirements of Art. 21 GDPR are met, you may object to the processing, including by writing to info@berlin-freedom-society.com. Live broadcasts that have already taken place cannot be retrospectively removed.
When you access a livestream, the respective streaming service may also process technical connection data. The relevant privacy information depends on the streaming platform actually used.
9. Information about speakers and partners
On our websites, we publish names, photographs, positions and short biographies of speakers and moderators, as well as information about partner organisations. This is based on the respective agreement with, or consent of, the individuals concerned (Art. 6(1)(b) or (a) GDPR). The information is archived after the event or removed on request.
10. Event map with OpenStreetMap and Leaflet
For the interactive event map on berlin-freedom-week.com, we use the Leaflet JavaScript library and map data from the OpenStreetMap project. When the map loads, your browser may retrieve map tiles and other resources from the servers used to provide the map. This technically involves transmitting data such as your IP address, time of access and browser information. The purpose of this processing is to display event locations and help visitors find their way. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR; our legitimate interest is to make event locations easy to find. More information: OpenStreetMap and the OpenStreetMap Foundation Privacy Policy.
11. Social media
We maintain the Instagram profiles “berlinfreedomweek” and “berlinfreedomconference”. Our websites only link to these profiles; visiting our websites does not, through these links alone, transmit data to Instagram. When you visit our profiles, Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland, processes your data under its own terms; data may also be transferred to the USA. We are jointly responsible with Meta for statistics relating to our profiles (“Insights”) pursuant to Art. 26 GDPR. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in public relations (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). Further information: Instagram Privacy Policy.
12. Recipients and third-country transfers
Your data is shared only with the service providers named in this statement to the extent they need it to provide their services, and with public authorities where we are legally required to do so. Data is transferred to countries outside the EU/EEA only as described in this statement and subject to applicable safeguards, such as an adequacy decision or EU Standard Contractual Clauses. We do not sell personal data and do not use automated decision-making, including profiling.
13. Storage period
We store personal data only for as long as necessary for the respective purpose. Where processing is based on consent, we cease that processing when consent is withdrawn, unless another legal basis requires retention. Where statutory retention obligations apply (in particular under commercial and tax law, in some cases for up to ten years), the data is restricted to the extent required and then deleted when the applicable period expires.
14. Your rights
You have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- access (Art. 15 GDPR)
- rectification (Art. 16 GDPR)
- erasure (Art. 17 GDPR)
- restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR)
- data portability (Art. 20 GDPR)
- withdrawal of consent with effect for the future (Art. 7(3) GDPR)
To exercise your rights, please write to info@berlin-freedom-society.com.
Right to object under Art. 21 GDPR
Where we process your data on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR), you may object to this processing at any time on grounds relating to your particular situation. We will then no longer process the data unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights and freedoms, or the processing serves the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims. You may object to processing for direct marketing purposes at any time without giving reasons.
15. Right to lodge a complaint
You have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority. The authority responsible for us is:
Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (Berliner Beauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit)
Alt-Moabit 59–61, 10555 Berlin, Germany
www.datenschutz-berlin.de
16. Changes
We will update this privacy statement if our services or the legal situation change. The version published here applies.
Last updated: November 2026
