Data Protection Statement for WU Social Media Pages

WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business) is committed to protecting your personal data. Your personal data are kept confidential and processed in accordance with the provisions of the applicable data protection laws. In fulfillment of the regulations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), in particular Articles 13 and 14, we would like to inform you about the types of personal data that are processed and also about the purposes for which these data are processed.

Contact Information

You can contact us at:

If you have any questions or requests related to data protection, please don’t hesitate to contact datenschutz@wu.ac.at.

We, WU, operate social media pages on:

• Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/wu.wirtschaftsuniversitaet.wien

• Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/wuvienna/

• Twitter, https://twitter.com/wu_vienna

• YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/user/wuvienna

• LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/school/wu-wirtschaftsuniversitaet-wien/

• TikTok, https://www.tiktok.com/@wuvienna

For some parts of the data processing activities specified below, the controller is WU, and for other parts, the controller is the provider of the respective social networking service. For certain processing operations, we and the providers of the social networking services also act as joint controllers within the meaning of Art. 26 of the GDPR.

Please note that despite our joint responsibility with the providers of the social networking services according to Art. 26 of the GDPR, we do not have full control over the data processing carried out by the individual social networking services. In the event that data subjects want to assert their rights, we can only forward these requests to the provider of the respective social networking service.

We expressly declare that we have no knowledge of how and to what extent the social networking service providers use data from visits to WU’s social media pages for their own purposes, how long they store this data, and whether the data is linked to individual users or passed on to third parties. This is not communicated clearly and conclusively by the providers and we cannot influence it. We also do not have any effective control options in this respect.

Which types of personal data are processed?

Facebook:

Facebook Ireland Ltd., 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland
Public information (information in a public profile) is visible to anyone in the world on or off Facebook, including people who do not have a Facebook account.

It is always possible to visit our Facebook page without leaving any comments or likes.
If you use certain interactive functions on Facebook (e.g. comment function, “like” buttons, or stories), these comments and/or likes are visible to us as well as to all other users.

If you are registered on Facebook, you can send us a message using the “Send Message” function. We exclusively use the personal data you provide in such messages to respond to your message. We delete your message when your request has been answered, resolved, and documented.
We also use the “Facebook Insights” function, a tool for obtaining usage statistics for WU’s Facebook page. Facebook makes these statistics available to the page operator in anonymized form via the Facebook Insights function. When you visit the WU Facebook page, Facebook collects information related to the visit through the use of cookies.

We also use the Facebook Ads Manager to create and manage ads. We receive statistical information about the reach and performance of our ads in anonymized form. Facebook provides us with reports on the types of people who see our ads and the performance of the ads, but does not provide any information that identifies individual users (only general demographic information and information about the users’ interests).
Facebook also processes additional personal data about your account, your IP address, the devices you use, your activities, etc.; in a data policy, Facebook describes which data it collects and how the data are used. In this policy, you can also find information about how to contact Facebook, the objection options, and the advertisement settings.

Every time you visit a Facebook page, Facebook sets cookies. This happens regardless of whether you are logged in to Facebook or not. You can find Facebook’s cookie policy at: https://www.facebook.com/policies/cookies/

Facebook and Instagram share infrastructure, systems, and technologies with other Facebook companies (including WhatsApp). For this purpose, Facebook processes information about you across different Facebook companies. For example, Facebook processes information from WhatsApp regarding accounts that send spam via the service so that it can take appropriate action against such accounts on Facebook, Instagram, or Messenger. In addition, Facebook tries to find out how people use and interact with the products of the Facebook companies, for example to gain insights into the numbers of individual users associated with different products of the Facebook companies.

Instagram:

Facebook Ireland Ltd. 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland
Public information is visible to anyone around the world on or off Instagram, including people who do not have an Instagram account.

It is always possible to visit our Instagram page without leaving any comments or likes.
If you use certain interactive functions on Instagram (e.g. comment function, “like” button, or Instastories), these comments and/or likes are visible to us as well as to all other users.

If you are registered on Instagram, you can send us a private message. In this case, in particular your Instagram username, the text of the message, and, if applicable, other personal data that you share with us will be transmitted to us. We use the personal data you provide in such messages solely to respond to your request. We delete your message when your request has been answered, resolved, and documented.

We also use the Instagram Insights function, a tool for obtaining usage statistics for WU’s Instagram page. Instagram Insights allows us to find out more about our subscribers’ trends, how our content is received, and how users interact with it. We also receive insights on specific posts, stories, IGTV videos, reels, and live videos, among other things. Facebook makes these statistics available to the page operator in anonymized form via Instagram Insights function.

We also use the Facebook Ads Manager to create and manage ads. We receive statistical information about the reach and performance of our ads in anonymized form. Facebook provides us with reports on the types of people who see our ads and the performance of the ads, but does not provide any information that identifies individual users (only general demographic information and information about the users’ interests).
Facebook also processes additional personal data about your account, your IP address, the devices you use, your activities, etc.; see the Facebook data policy for details about what information Facebook collects about Instagram users and how these data are used.

Facebook and Instagram share infrastructure, systems, and technologies with other Facebook companies (including WhatsApp). For this purpose, Facebook processes information about you across different Facebook companies. For example, Facebook processes information from WhatsApp regarding accounts that send spam via the service so that it can take appropriate action against such accounts on Facebook, Instagram, or Messenger. In addition, Facebook tries to find out how people use and interact with the products of the Facebook companies, for example to gain insights into the numbers of individual users associated with different products of the Facebook companies.

X:

Twitter International Company, One Cumberland Place, Fenian Street, Dublin 2 D02 AX07, Ireland.
By default, profile data and tweets are public and visible to everyone worldwide. Tweets can be protected so that only your followers can see your tweets. However, this also means that any reactions (such as comments or likes) you send to an account that does not follow you cannot be seen by that account. You can set these preferences in your account settings.

When using X, even if you only view tweets, X receives individual personal information from you, such as the type of device you are using and your IP address.

In addition to the information you share with X, X also uses your tweets, any content you read, mark with a like, or retweet, and other information to determine what topics you are interested in, how old you are, what languages you speak, and other indicators to show you more relevant content.
You can find out what data is processed by X and for what purposes it is used in X’s privacy policy: https://x.com/en/privacy.

You do not need to create a X account to use some of the features, such as searching for and viewing public X profiles or watching a live video on the Periscope website. However, X will still process information about you in such cases. These so-called log data involve, for example, the processing of data linked to the browser, the app, or the device that you are using. This includes, for example, IP address, browser type, operating system, information about the previously visited website and the pages you visited, your location, your mobile network operator, terminal device (including device ID and application ID), the search terms you used, and cookie information.

We ourselves do not collect any data via your X account. However, the data you enter on X, in particular your username and the content published under your account, will be processed by us insofar as we may retweet or reply to your tweets, if applicable, or also write our own tweets that refer to your account, or if you mention us in your tweets or send us a private message. In this way, we may include the data that you freely publish and disseminate on X in our own communications and make it available to our followers.
We receive anonymous statistics and reports from X that do not contain any personal information. The following anonymous information is provided to us:
Followers: Number of people who follow our X account.
Tweet interactions: all clicks on a tweet (including hashtags, links, avatar, username, and extended tweets), retweets, replies, follows, and likes.

These statistics are used to further develop and optimize our X content and to better respond to the interests of our users. It is not possible for us to link the statistical data to the profiles of our followers or individual users.

YouTube:

Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, 4 Barrow St, Dublin, D04 E5W5, Ireland

If you have a Google account, are logged in, and decide to subscribe to our page, you will be displayed to us as a subscriber. We then process the personal data contained in your username and profile. We process the same data when you like, comment on, or share one of our posts, even if you have not subscribed to our site.

We also process the same data if you send us a message via the contact function. In such cases, we additionally also process the data that you voluntarily provide in your messages. We delete data from messages as soon as the correspondence with you has ended and your request has been resolved and documented.

We also receive anonymous statistics and reports from YouTube about how our social media channel is used, but these do not contain any personal data. The following anonymous information is provided to us:

Views and playback time: information about how many people watch our videos, and for how long.
Dwell time: information about how intensively people watch the videos and when they stop.
Demographics: age, gender, and region.
Traffic source types: information about where the users found the videos.
Devices: information about the percentages of visits from desktop computers, mobile devices, or other devices.
Subscribers: information about the number of users subscribed to our account.
Likes and dislikes, comments, and shared videos.

These statistics are used to further develop and optimize our YouTube content and to better respond to the interests of our users. It is not possible for us to link the statistical data to the accounts of individual users.
Details about the types of data that are processed by Google when using Google services and the purposes for which the data are processed can be found in Google’s privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en&gl=en#infocollect

If you are not signed in to a Google account, Google stores the collected data with unique identifiers (ID) associated with the browser, app, or device you are using.

If you are logged in to a Google Account, Google also collects data that Google stores in your Google account and regards as personal data. This includes your name, password, phone number or payment information, photo, activity data, and content you create, upload, or receive from others when using Google’s services, etc.

However, you can make choices about the information Google collects and how it is used by managing your privacy settings in Google services or by using Privacy Checkup to review and adjust important privacy settings.
The information Google collects and how it is used depends on how you use these services and how you manage your privacy settings.

LinkedIn:

LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland

If you contact us via our LinkedIn presence, for example in the form of messages, comments, mentions, or “likes” that contain personal data (e.g. your account data, name, date of birth, or email address), this data is transmitted to us by LinkedIn.

We also receive anonymous statistics and reports from LinkedIn about the use of our social media profile, which do not contain any personal data. The following anonymous information is provided to us:

Followers: information about the number of people following our LinkedIn profile – including the growth and development of the follower base over a given period of time.
Reach: Number of people who see a specific post. Number of interactions with a specific post and profile visits.
Advertising impact: information about how many people saw an ad or article and interacted with that ad
Demographics: position, industry, company size, location, length of service, country, employment status

These statistics are used to further develop and optimize our LinkedIn content and to better respond to the interests of our users. It is not possible for us to link the statistical data to the profiles of our followers or individual users.

What information you choose to publish on your profile, for example education, work experience, skills, photo, location or region, certificates, etc. is up to you. It is also up to you whether you publish confidential information on your profile or not and whether you make this information publicly available. To a large degree, you can manage these choices yourself via your LinkedIn account settings under “Privacy.”

What data LinkedIn collects and how the data are used depends on how you use these services and how you manage your privacy settings. For more information, please see LinkedIn’s privacy policy at https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy?trk=homepage-basic_footer-privacy-policy and https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/privacy.

The content and data of some LinkedIn services can also be viewed by non-members, who are referred to as “visitors.” LinkedIn also processes data from visitors in connection with the use of its services. Among other data, this includes the URL of the website from which you access LinkedIn and the website to which you navigate next, the time of your visit, information about your network and your device (e.g. your IP address, your proxy server, your operating system, your web browser and add-ons, your device identifier and functions, your cookie IDs and/or your internet provider or mobile operator). If you access the services from a mobile device, that device will transmit data about your location based on your phone settings.
The privacy policy mentioned above applies both to account holders and to visitors who use LinkedIn’s services.

TikTok:

TikTok Technology Limited, 10 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin, D02 T380, Ireland.

You do not need to create a TikTok account to use some of the features, such as searching for and viewing public profiles or watching their videos. Even in such cases, however, TikTok will process your technical data. This includes your IP address, instance IDs, mobile carrier, time zone settings, identifiers for advertising purposes, the version of the app you use, and data about your device (device system, network type, device ID, display resolution, operating system, audio settings, and connected audio devices). If you use the Platform on a mobile device, TikTok also collects data about your location.

If you have a TikTok account, are logged in, and decide to follow our site, you will be displayed to us as a follower. We then process the personal data contained in your username and profile. We process the same data when you like, comment on, or share one of our posts or mention our channel, even if you are not following our site. You can contact us through our TikTok presence, for example in the form of messages, comments, mentions, or likes. Any personal data you provide in such messages will be transmitted to us by TikTok.

We will use this data solely to respond to your request. We delete your message when your request has been answered, resolved, and documented. We receive anonymous statistics and reports from TikTok about the use of our social media profile, which do not contain any personal data. The following anonymous information is provided to us:

Total play time: cumulative total of how long users watched all of the channel’s videos
Average watch time: information about how intensively people watch the videos and when they stop
Watched full video: number of people who watched the entire video
Demographics: age, gender, follower activity, and regions
Traffic source types: information about where the users found the videos.
Followers: information about the number of users following our account
Likes, removed likes, “not interested” ratings, comments, and video sharesProfile views: Persons who viewed our profile during the last 30 days

These statistics are used to further develop and optimize our TikTok content and to better respond to the interests of our users. It is not possible for us to link the statistical data to the accounts of individual users.

Details about the types of data that are processed by TikTok when using the service and about the purposes for which the data are processed can be found in TikTok’s privacy policy: https://www.tiktok.com/legal/privacy-policy-eea?lang=en

The information TikTok collects and how it is used also depends on how you use these services and how you manage your privacy settings.

Swat.io:

We use swat.io for managing our social media channels. The provider is “Die Socialisten” Social Software Development GmbH, Andreasgasse 6, Top 1, 1070 Vienna.

Swat.io allows us to manage multiple social media accounts. It allows us to prepare, schedule, publish, like, and share posts.

For which purposes do we process your data?

We operate our social media pages to inform the public about the fulfillment of the university’s responsibilities (public relations) in connection with the tasks entrusted to it by law, as well as for communication (responding to relevant inquiries).

This is an additional service in addition to WU’s existing information and communication services, making it possible for users to communicate with WU.

What is the legal basis for processing your data?

• Art. 6 (1) item e of the GDPR – processing for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller (public relations pursuant to § 3 [11] of the Universities Act 2002 [Universitätsgesetz])

• Art. 6 (1) item e of the GDPR – processing for the purposes of the following legitimate interests of WU or third parties: public relations, communication, information, presenting the university, documentation, and statistics

Does the processing involve any automated decision-making (including profiling)?

The processing of the personal data does not involve any automated decision-making.

Are you obligated to provide your personal data?

In many instances, we cannot influence the data processing carried out by the providers of the social networking services and do not know exactly what data they process.

If you communicate with us via our social media channels, it will be necessary for you to provide certain data so that we can process your request.

To which other parties do we pass on your data?

We do not pass on data that you send us in private messages to any third parties.

The data entered by you on our social media pages, e.g. comments, videos, images, likes, public messages, etc., are published by the social networking service and are not used or processed by us for any other purposes at any time. We merely reserve the right to delete unlawful content in the event that this should be necessary (posts that violate any applicable rights or legal regulations, hate speech, violations of copyrights or personality rights, etc.)
We use a social media management tool by the provider Swat.io. Swat.io GmbH, based in Vienna, acts as a processor in this connection.

How long do we store your data?

The periods for which the social networking services store personal data depend on the respective platform providers. We have no access to the data that the social networking service providers process and we have no possibility of deleting these data.

We process your data only as long as it is necessary and as long as legal data retention periods apply. If you send us private messages, we store such messages only for as long as it takes to respond to your request. Public posts that you publish on our social media pages remain on the timelines indefinitely, unless we delete them, for example due to a violation of legal regulations or our guidelines, or unless you delete the post yourself.

What are your rights as a data subject?

As a data subject affected by these data processing activities, you have the following rights vis-a-vis the controller pursuant to the GDPR:

• Right to information and access to the data

• Right to correction of data

• Right to deletion of the data

• Right to restrict the data processing

• Right to data portability

• Right to object to the data processing

As a data subject, you also have the right to file a complaint with the Austrian Data Protection Authority. Further information on your rights as a data subject is available at https://www.wu.ac.at/en/data-protection-at-wu/your-rights-as-a-data-subject.

To exercise any of these rights, please use the contact information provided above.