Data Privacy Statement (Datenschutzerklärung)

I. Name and Address of Controller

The controller as per the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other national data protection laws is:

II. Rights of the Data Subject

If your personal data is being processed, you are a data subject as per the GDPR and have the following rights:

• Right to Information (Art. 15 GDPR): You may request confirmation as to whether your personal data is being processed and obtain information about the purposes, recipients, and storage duration.
• Right to Rectification (Art. 16 GDPR): You may request the correction of inaccurate personal data or the completion of incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten" Art. 17 GDPR): You may request the deletion of your personal data if you revoke your consent or if the data is no longer necessary.
• Right to Restriction of Processing (Art. 18 GDPR): You may request that we restrict the processing of your data under certain conditions.
• Right to Data Portability (Art. 20 GDPR): You have the right to receive your data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
• Right to Object (Art. 21 GDPR): You may object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Right to Revoke Consent (Art. 7(3) GDPR): You may revoke your consent at any time with future effect.
• Right to Lodge a Complaint (Art. 77 GDPR): You have the right to complain to a supervisory authority (e.g., Der Landesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit Baden-Württemberg).

III. General Data Processing

Scope: We process personal data only to the extent necessary to provide our website and platform, to manage user accounts, to run our talent pool and job matching, and to organize our events.

Legal Basis: Our primary processing is based on Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) or the necessity to fulfill our contract with you (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR).

Storage: Personal data is deleted as soon as the purpose for storage no longer applies or you revoke your consent, unless statutory retention obligations require us to keep it for longer.

IV. Job Matching & Talent Pool

Description: To connect you with potential employers and include you in the five degrees community, we collect data such as your name, contact details, CV/Resume, and job preferences. We collect this data in two ways: (1) through the application and profile forms on our own website, and (2) through the registrations you submit on the third-party event platform we use for our events, which we import into our talent pool.

Obligation to Provide Data (Art. 13(2)(e) GDPR): The provision of your personal data via our application forms is a requirement to become part of the five degrees community and to access our associated products and events. Consequence of failure to provide: If you do not provide this data, we cannot include you in the community, nor can we propose you for job vacancies or grant you access to our events.

Legal Basis: The processing and distribution of your profile are based on your Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) and the performance of our service (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR).

Automated Decision-Making: We do not use automated decision-making or profiling (as defined in Art. 22 GDPR). Your profile is reviewed by our team before being shared with potential employers.

Revocation: You can revoke your consent at any time by contacting us. Upon revocation, we will delete your data from our active pool, provided no statutory retention obligations exist.

V. User Accounts & Login

Description: If you create an account on our platform, we process your email address, your name, your role (e.g., talent or company), your authentication and session data, and the profile information you choose to provide.

Purpose: To authenticate you, to give you access to the dashboard and the features associated with your role, and to secure our platform against unauthorized access.

Legal Basis: Performance of our contract with you (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) and our legitimate interest in a secure service (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

Deletion: Account data is deleted when you delete your account or request its deletion, unless statutory retention obligations apply.

VI. CV & Document Uploads

Description: When you upload a CV/Resume, portfolio, or other documents, we store these files together with your profile.

Purpose & Recipients: Your documents are reviewed by our team and, with your consent, shared with the companies you are matched with or that take part in our events. They are not published and are not made available to anyone else.

Legal Basis: Your Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) and the performance of our service (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR).

Deletion: Uploaded documents are deleted when you revoke your consent, when you delete them yourself, or upon request.

VII. Service Providers & Third Parties

We use specialized service providers to operate our platform. In accordance with Art. 13(1)(e) GDPR, we disclose the categories of recipients below.

Website & Application Hosting: A cloud hosting and content delivery provider. Function: technical delivery and operation of our website and application. Location: European Union and USA. Transfer Safeguard: EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (DPF) and/or Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs).

Data Storage: A managed database and file storage provider hosting our data in the European Union. Function: secure storage of accounts, profiles, applications, and uploaded documents. Transfer Safeguard: primary storage takes place within the EU; where sub-processors outside the EU are involved, Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) apply.

Email Delivery: A transactional email provider. Function: sending account, application, invitation, and reminder emails on our behalf. Transfer Safeguard: Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and/or the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (DPF).

Event Management: A third-party event platform. Function: managing event registrations, guest lists, and event notifications. Transfer Safeguard: Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and/or the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (DPF).

All of these providers process personal data on our behalf as processors under data processing agreements pursuant to Art. 28 GDPR. A complete and up-to-date list of the individual processors we use is available free of charge on request at global@joinfivedegrees.com.

VIII. Cookies

We do not use tracking or advertising cookies and we do not integrate third-party analytics or advertising services. We only use technically necessary cookies and comparable technologies that are required for the basic functionality of the website, in particular for session management, login/authentication, and security.

Legal Basis: Storage of and access to information on your device is strictly necessary to provide the service you requested (§ 25(2) no. 2 TDDDG). The associated processing of personal data is based on our legitimate interest in a functional and secure website (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) and, where you are logged in, on the performance of our contract with you (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR).

IX. Contact

When you contact us via email, the data provided is stored to process your inquiry.

Legal Basis: Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR).