Privacy policy (sample)

I. What do we do?

The municipality of Berlikon, acting through the municipal council, Kanzleistrasse 1, 8282 Berlikon, operates the website www. berlikon.ch (hereinafter referred to as "we"). On this website you can, among other things, find out about our activities, contact us or use our online services.

II. What do we inform you about?

1. What data we process via www.berlikon.ch.
2. What data we collect on www.berlikon.ch.
3. The basis on which we process your data and for what purpose.
4. How we process your data.
5. Under which conditions your data may be transferred to third parties.
6. How long we may keep your data and how we protect it.
7. What rights you have and who you can contact to exercise your rights. 

III. General Principles

1. On what basis and for what purpose do we process your data?

We process your personal data if there is a legal basis for doing so or if it serves a task/service that we are obliged to fulfill/provide by law. We process your data in a transparent manner and only to the extent that is suitable and necessary for the fulfillment of our statutory responsibilities. 
Data we collect while operating this website is used to:

• Ensure the security of our systems;
• anonymously evaluate user behavior in order to improve our services, including information services.

Data that you transmit to us via contact forms, e-mail or when using our services is used to:

• process your request;
• provide you with the services that result from our statutory responsibilities.

2. In which cases may we share your data with third parties?

a. Processing of data by third parties

We may need to use the services of third parties in order to design our website, analyze user behavior, display content (e.g. videos, location) or communicate with you (e.g. via e-mail, newsletter). 
We ensure that these third parties comply with the requirements of data protection, either by contract or by order. 
Under certain circumstances, these third parties may be international companies. We only transfer data if an adequate level of data protection is guaranteed. [Addition for Canton ZH and St. Gallen] If the level of data protection is not adequate, we will contractually ensure that the same level of protection is guaranteed as in Switzerland or the EU. 

b. Disclosure of data

Under certain circumstances, we are obliged to disclose your data to other authorities. Such disclosures are made within the framework of administrative assistance, unless the law provides another legal basis for such disclosure. 

3. How long do we store your data?

We store personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which the data was collected. Subsequently, your data will be deleted or anonymized unless cantonal law demands archiving.
We save IP addresses and other device identifiers for up to 12 months. 
Messages that you send us via contact form or by e-mail will be stored for up to [number] months.

4. How do we protect your data?

a. On our systems

We will keep your data secure and take all reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your data from: 

• loss;
• theft;
• unauthorized processing; or
• unauthorized disclosure or access.

Our employees who have access to your data are subject to the official secret and are obliged to comply with the Cantonal Data Protection Act. 

b. On the website

We use the SSL (Secure Socket Layer) procedure in connection with the highest encryption level supported by your browser.

c. Disclaimer for electronic communication and social media

We cannot guarantee confidential or reliable transmission for data that you send to us via contact form, e-mail or via our social media sites. This also applies in the event that we reply to you via an electronic channel, unless we use special encryption techniques. We urge you not to send us any confidential or sensitive data through these channels. This applies in particular to our social media sites. 
If you contact us via social media, please note that the terms of use and data protection policy of the social media provider apply. 

5. What rights do you have?

a. Access

You can exercise your right to access your personal data at any time in accordance with the Cantonal Data Protection Act. Access to your personal data is generally free of charge, except in the case of considerable administrative effort. 
We may restrict or, in extreme cases, refuse requests for access on the grounds of conflicting public or private interests or in the event of disproportionately great expenses. 
When filing your request, we kindly ask you to specify exactly which data collections or data you would like to access. Please send the request together with a proof of identity to [e-mail address / postal address].

b. Correction, omission, removal, blocking and detection

You may request at any time that:

• your personal data will be corrected;
• unlawful processing of your personal data is omitted or stopped;
• unlawfully collected personal data is deleted and the consequences of the unlawful processing are remediated;
• the disclosure of certain personal data is blocked;
• unlawful processing of your personal data is formally established.

We ask you to justify your request and send it, together with a proof of identity, to [e-mail address / postal address].

c. Legal action

You may appeal against decisions or rulings concerning a request you have submitted using the legal remedy provided for in the Cantonal Data Protection Act. You may also file a report or, where provided, a complaint before the competent authorities. The competent authority is the data protection commissioner of the canton [name].

IV. Individual data processing operations

1. Providing the website and creating of log files

What information do we receive and how do we use it?

By visiting www.berlikon.ch, certain data is automatically stored on our servers or on servers of services that we obtain and / or have installed for system administration purposes, for statistical or backup purposes or for tracking purposes. These are:

• the name of your internet service provider;
• the IP address;
• the version of your browser software;
• the operating system of the computer with which our website is accessed;
• the date and time of access;
• the website from which you visit our website;
• the search words you used to find our website.

Why do we collect your data?
The temporary storage of log files is mandatory for the operation of the website to guarantee its functionality and to ensure the security of our systems. 

2. Cookies

How do cookies work?

Our website uses cookies. Cookies are text files that are stored on the operating system of your device using the browser when you visit our website. Cookies do not cause any damage to your computer and do not contain viruses.

What information do we receive and how do we use it?

Most of the cookies we use are so-called "session cookies". They are automatically deleted after the end of your visit. Other cookies remain stored on your terminal device until you delete them. These cookies allow us to recognize your browser on your next visit. This allows us to save certain settings (such as language settings or location information) so that you do not have to re-enter them when you revisit the website.

Why do we use cookies?

We use cookies to make our website more user-friendly, effective and secure. 

How can you prevent data collection via cookies?

The cookies are stored on your computer. You therefore have full control over the use of the cookies. You can delete them, disable them, or restrict the transfer by changing the settings in your browser. However, if you deactivate the cookies for our website, you may no longer be able to make full use of all the functions on this website.

3. Contact

a. Contact form

What information do we receive and how do we use it?

On www.berlikon.ch you can contact us via an electronic contact form. In doing so, the data you enter, such as name, e-mail address, etc., will be transmitted and stored. The data you transmit is used to process your inquiry. 

b. E-mail

What information do we receive and how do we use it?

You have the possibility to contact us by e-mail. If you contact us by e-mail, the following data will be processed:

• e-mail address;
• content, subject and date of your e-mail;
• contact data provided by you (e.g. name, telephone number, address, if applicable).

Your information will be stored to process your inquiry and in case of follow-up questions. 

4. Newsletter

How does the newsletter work?

Through our website, you have the opportunity to sign up for our free newsletter. The newsletter enables you to receive our articles as well as information about our events and services.
You will only receive the newsletter if you have registered for it. You may unsubscribe at any time using the link in the newsletter. 

What information do we receive and how do we use it?

When you register for the newsletter, we collect your e-mail address and other contact information. We need this information for distribution and verification purposes. 
We are entitled to pass on your data to third parties:

• for the purpose of technical processing; and, where applicable
• to evaluate your usage behavior for the purpose of optimizing the newsletter.

We store your data for the duration of your newsletter-registration. If you unsubscribe, your data will remain stored for as long as it takes to unsubscribe your registration.

5. Matomo

How does Matomo work?

We use Matomo on our website, an open source web analytics software (www.matomo.org). The hosting of the software and the analysis take place exclusively in Switzerland. Matomo creates and evaluates anonymized usage profiles. For this purpose, Cookies can be used. 

What information do we receive and how do we use it?

Among other things, the cookies enable the recognition of the internet browser. Your IP address is anonymized immediately. 
The information generated by the cookie is stored in an anonymous user profile. We do not use this information to identify you personally. We do not combine the data collected using Matomo technology with your other personal data. Matomo statistically analyses user behavior so that we can continuously improve our offer for website-visitors.

How can you prevent data collection?

If you do not wish to be tracked, you can prevent an analysis by Matomo here: [Toggle].
[OR]
If you do not wish to be tracked, you can prevent the storage of cookies and thus the analysis by Matomo by changing your browser settings. 

6. Incorporating content on the website

We incorporate the following content from the providers listed below on our website:

• Location information via Search.ch, operated by Swisscom Directories AG;
• Videos via YouTube, operated by Google LLC, USA and Google Ireland Limited, Ireland;

How does the integration work? 

• Location information

Your IP address is stored when using the Search Map functions. Usually, the IP address is transmitted to a Search.ch server. We have no influence on this data transmission. For more information, see the Search.ch privacy policy.

• Videos

When you visit our website, no direct contact is established with the third-party provider. This only happens when you click on the content and confirm your click (so-called 2-click solution). We have no knowledge of what data the third-party provider collects about you once you have agreed to be redirected to their website. The data processing is subject to the data protection provisions of the third-party provider.

What information do you share with providers?

If you are logged into a user account of a provider, you enable this provider to assign your surfing behavior directly to your personal profile. We would like to point out that we have no knowledge of the specific content of the transmitted data or its use.
If you do not want these providers to be able to assign your visit to one of our websites to your user account, please log out of your respective user account before using our websites.

7. Social media 

We use social media plug-ins from:

• Facebook 
  (For more information, see Facebook's data policy and the following overview of plug-ins).
• Twitter 
  (For more information, see the Twitter privacy policy).

When you visit our website, no direct connection is established with the social media provider. This only happens when you click on the "Share" / "Like" icon and confirm the redirection-process (so-called 2-click solution). 
We would like to point out that we do not receive any information concerning the contents of the transmitted data and we do not know how it is used by the social media provider once you have clicked on the icon. 

How can you prevent data collection?

If you do not want the social media provider to be able to assign your visit to our website to your user account, please log out of your respective user account.
You can also completely prevent the loading of the plug-ins with add-ons for your browser, for example with the script blocker "No-Script". 

V. How can you get in touch with us?

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the protection of your personal data, please contact us at any time by e-mail at [e-mail address].
The data controller / data protection officer of the municipality is: [specify name]

VI. Does our privacy policy always stay the same?

We may change this privacy policy at any time. The changes will be published on www. berlikon.ch, no individual notification is given.  

This privacy policy was created in cooperation with the experts of Domenig & Partner Rechtsanwälte AG, who operates www.datenschutz.law.