What is Zoom?

We use the Zoom video conferencing tool from the American software company Zoom Video Communications for our website. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California, 55 Almaden Boulevard, 6th Floor, CA 95113. Thanks to “Zoom”, we can hold a video conference with customers, business partners, clients and also employees very easily and without installing any software. In this privacy statement, we go into more detail about the service and inform you about the most important privacy-related aspects.

Zoom is one of the world’s best-known video conferencing solutions. With the “Zoom Meetings” service, we can hold an online video conference with you, for example, but also with employees or other users via a digital conference room. This makes it very easy for us to get in touch digitally, exchange information on various topics, send text messages or even talk on the phone. Furthermore, Zoom also allows us to share the screen, exchange files and use a whiteboard.

Why do we use Zoom on our website?

It is important for us to be able to communicate with you quickly and easily. And this is exactly what Zoom offers us. The software program also works directly through a browser. This means that we can simply send you a link and start the video conference. Of course, additional functions such as screen sharing or file exchange are also very practical.

What data does Zoom store?

When you use Zoom, data is also collected from you so that Zoom can provide their services. On the one hand, this is data that you consciously provide to the company. This includes, for example, name, telephone number or your e-mail address. However, data is also automatically transmitted to Zoom and stored. This includes, for example, technical data of your browser or your IP address. In the following, we will go into more detail about the data that Zoom may collect from you and store:

If you provide data such as your name, user name, email address or phone number, this data will be stored by Zoom. Content that you upload while using Zoom is also stored. This includes files or chat logs, for example.

In addition to the IP address already mentioned above, the technical data that Zoom automatically stores includes the MAC address, other device IDs, device type, which operating system you are using, which client you are using, camera type, microphone type, and speaker type. Your approximate location is also determined and stored. Furthermore, Zoom also stores information about how you use the service. So, for example, whether you “zoom” via desktop or smartphone, whether you use a phone call or VoIP, whether you participate with or without video, or whether you request a password. Zoom also records so-called metadata such as duration of the meeting/call, start and end of meeting participation, meeting name and chat status.

Zoom mentions in its own privacy policy that it does not use advertising cookies or tracking technologies for its services. Only its own marketing websites, such as www.zoom.us, use these tracking methods. Zoom does not resell personal data or use it for advertising purposes.

How long and where is the data stored?

Zoom does not disclose a specific time frame in this regard, but emphasizes that the collected data is stored for as long as it is necessary to provide the services or for its own purposes. Data is only stored longer if this is required for legal reasons.

In principle, Zoom stores the collected data on American servers, but data can arrive at different data centers around the world.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

If you do not want data to be stored during the Zoom meeting, you must opt out of the meeting. However, you always have the right and option to have all your personal data deleted. If you have a Zoom account, please visit https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201363243-How-Do-I-Delete-Terminate-My-Account for instructions on how to delete your account.

Please note that when using this tool, data about you may be stored and processed outside the EU. Most third countries (including the US) are not considered secure under current European data protection law. Data to insecure third countries may therefore not simply be transferred, stored and processed there unless there are suitable guarantees (such as EU standard contractual clauses) between us and the non-European service provider.

Legal basis

If you have consented that data from you can be processed and stored by the video or streaming solution, this consent is considered the legal basis for the data processing (Art. 6 (1) lit. a DSGVO). In addition, we may also offer a video conference as part of our services if this has been contractually agreed with you in advance (Art. 6 (1) lit. b DSGVO). In principle, your data will also be stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DSGVO) in fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners, but only if you have at least consented to this.

Zoom also processes data from you in the USA, among other places. We would like to point out that according to the opinion of the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for the transfer of data to the USA. This may be associated with various risks to the lawfulness and security of data processing.

As a basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or a data transfer there, Zoom uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. para. 2 and 3 DSGVO). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, Zoom undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the US. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

We hope to have provided you with an overview of data processing by Zoom. Of course, it is always possible that the company’s privacy policy will change. Therefore, for more information about the data processed and the standard contractual clauses, we also recommend that you read Zoom’s privacy policy at https://zoom.us/de-de/privacy.html.