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Privacy Policy of the EUniTa Platform

Last updated: 12.05.2026

1. General Information

The EUniTa platform is a digital platform for facilitating language tandems between students of participating partner universities.

In order to use the platform, registration with a valid university email address from a partner university is required. During registration, users create a personal profile containing information about language skills, field of study, interests, and additional voluntary information.

The platform processes personal data in particular for the following purposes:

  • providing and technically operating the platform,
  • facilitating language tandem matching,
  • enabling communication between matched users,
  • statistical evaluation and optimization of the platform within the EUniTa partner network.

If a match is established, the profiles of the matched users are mutually unlocked. This means that personal information such as name, university email address, profile picture, language profile, interests, biography, and voluntarily provided phone numbers may become visible to the matched users.

Personal data is processed exclusively within the EUniTa university partner network and is not shared with external third parties or used for commercial purposes.

This privacy policy fulfills the information obligations pursuant to Article 13 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

2. Controller

Controller within the meaning of the GDPR

Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1
60323 Frankfurt am Main
Germany

Postal address:
60629 Frankfurt am Main
Germany

Technical and Administrative Management

Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
studiumdigitale – Central eLearning Institution of Goethe University Frankfurt am Main

Eschersheimer Landstraße 155–157
60322 Frankfurt am Main
Germany

Phone: +49 69 798-24600
Fax: +49 69 798-24619

studiumdigitale at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main

Email: info@studiumdigitale.uni-frankfurt.de

3. Data Protection Officers

Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
Official Data Protection Officers

Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1
60323 Frankfurt am Main
Germany

Email: dsb@uni-frankfurt.de

Data Protection Officers of Goethe University Frankfurt am Main

4. Purposes and Legal Bases of Processing

Personal data is processed only insofar as this is:

  • necessary for providing and operating the EUniTa platform,
  • legally permitted, or
  • based on the consent of the data subject.

The legal bases for processing include in particular:

  • Article 6(1)(a) GDPR (consent)
  • Article 6(1)(b) GDPR (provision and use of the platform)
  • Article 6(1)(c) GDPR (legal obligations)
  • Article 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in security and technical operation)

The processing of students’ personal data is based in particular on the Hessian Higher Education Act and related university regulations.

5. Categories of Personal Data, Purposes, and Retention Periods

5.1 Registration and Profile Data

Mandatory Information

The following personal data is processed for registration and use of the platform:

  • first and last name
  • university email address
  • password
  • affiliation with a partner university
  • language settings
  • native language(s) and other spoken languages

Use of the EUniTa platform is restricted to students of partner universities. Registration without a valid university email address from a partner university is not possible.

The platform is currently available in the following languages:

  • German
  • English
  • French
  • Italian
  • Portuguese
  • Spanish

Additional languages may be provided in the future. There is no entitlement to the availability or display of all languages.

Optional Information

Users may voluntarily provide additional data, including:

  • profile picture
  • phone number
  • biography
  • personal interests

This data is processed on the basis of consent pursuant to Article 6(1)(a) GDPR.

Matching and Tandem Data

For the purpose of language tandem matching, the following additional data may be processed:

  • date of birth
  • gender
  • field of study
  • language skills including proficiency level (A1–C2)
  • desired target language
  • desired tandem frequency
  • optional search filters

If a successful match is established, the profiles of the matched users are mutually unlocked. As a result, matched tandem partners may view personal information of the respective other person.

This may include in particular:

  • first and last name
  • university email address
  • profile picture
  • field of study
  • language profile and language skills
  • interests
  • biography or profile description
  • phone number, if voluntarily provided

The visibility of this information is limited to the purpose of organizing and conducting the language tandem within the EUniTa platform.

Activity Data

The platform additionally processes the following usage-related data:

  • active tandem searches
  • existing matches
  • dashboard usage
  • number of active users
  • statistical usage data

5.2 Data Collected When Visiting the Website

When accessing the website, technically necessary data (“server log files”) is processed automatically:

  • IP address
  • browser type and version
  • operating system
  • date and time of access
  • accessed URL
  • referrer URL
  • amount of transferred data

Processing is carried out to ensure functionality, security, and abuse prevention pursuant to Article 6(1)(f) GDPR.

Log files are deleted after a maximum of 7 days unless longer retention is required for legal or security-related reasons.

5.3 Retention Periods

  • User accounts and associated data are permanently deleted 30 days after account deletion.
  • Server log files are deleted after a maximum of 7 days.
  • Backups may be retained for up to 12 months.
  • Anonymized statistical data (Matomo) is stored for a maximum of 13 months.

6. Cookies and Tracking

Essential Cookies

The platform uses technically necessary cookies:

  • pp_box_cookie
    Stores privacy settings for 1 year
  • CAKEPHP
    Session cookie for login management; deleted when the browser is closed

Analytics Cookies (Matomo)

Matomo analytics cookies are used only with user consent. Processing is anonymized. Storage duration is limited to 13 months.

Consent may be withdrawn at any time.

Google reCAPTCHA

The platform uses Google reCAPTCHA to protect against spam and abusive use. Personal data, particularly IP addresses and technical usage information, may be transferred to Google LLC in the United States.

The legal basis is Article 6(1)(f) GDPR in conjunction with the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.

Despite contractual and technical safeguards, residual risks associated with data transfers to the United States cannot be fully excluded.

Users may block or delete cookies in their browser settings. This may limit the functionality of the platform.

7. Recipients of Personal Data

Other Students

Personal data is made visible only in the context of a successful match between tandem partners.

Partner Universities and Internal Evaluations

Participating EUniTa partner universities may process platform usage data for internal organizational, statistical, and evaluative purposes.

This may include in particular:

  • number of active users
  • number of active tandem searches
  • number of existing matches
  • usage of platform functions
  • statistical evaluations for the improvement and further development of the platform

For these purposes, authorized units of partner universities may, where necessary, access personal information of users from other partner universities in connection with platform support, matching procedures, internal reporting, or platform optimization.

Such access is limited to authorized institutions within the EUniTa university partner network.

Central Administration

The technical and organizational management of the platform is carried out by:

  • studiumdigitale – Central eLearning Institution of Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
  • International Study and Language Center (ISZ) of Goethe University Frankfurt am Main

These institutions may have system-wide access where necessary to ensure proper operation of the platform.

No Disclosure to External Third Parties

Personal data of users is not disclosed to external third parties outside the EUniTa partner network. This also applies to anonymized or pseudonymized datasets.

Personal data is not used or shared for commercial, advertising, or unrelated third-party purposes.

All processing takes place exclusively within the participating partner universities and the university institutions responsible for operating the platform.

8. International Data Transfers

Except for the use of Google reCAPTCHA, no personal data is transferred to countries outside the European Union or the European Economic Area.

All other data is processed on servers located in Germany.

9. Automated Decision-Making and Profiling

Language tandem matching is carried out algorithmically based on the provided language profiles and search criteria.

This does not constitute automated decision-making with legal effects within the meaning of Article 22 GDPR.

10. Rights of Data Subjects

Under the GDPR, data subjects have the following rights in particular:

  • right of access pursuant to Article 15 GDPR
  • right to rectification pursuant to Article 16 GDPR
  • right to erasure pursuant to Article 17 GDPR
  • right to restriction of processing pursuant to Article 18 GDPR
  • right to data portability pursuant to Article 20 GDPR
  • right to object pursuant to Article 21 GDPR
  • right to withdraw consent pursuant to Article 7(3) GDPR

Withdrawal of consent only applies to future processing. The lawfulness of processing carried out prior to withdrawal remains unaffected.

To exercise these rights, data subjects may contact:

Email: datenschutz@studiumdigitale.uni-frankfurt.de

11. Right to Lodge a Complaint

Data subjects have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.

The Hessian Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information
Postfach 3163
65021 Wiesbaden
Germany

Phone: +49 611 1408-0
Fax: +49 611 1408-611

Hessian Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information

12. Technical and Organizational Measures

The following technical and organizational measures are implemented to protect personal data:

  • hosting of systems in Germany
  • SSL/TLS encryption
  • role and permission management
  • access restricted to authorized administrators
  • regular security updates
  • regular backups

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

Goethe University Frankfurt am Main reserves the right to amend this privacy policy where necessary.

The current version is available at all times via the EUniTa platform.