Data protection information regarding our social media channels

We – Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH - maintain publicly accessible profiles on social networks. We have listed the specific social networks that we use for you below.

Social networks are usually able to analyze user behavior in detail when their sites are visited.

If you are logged into your social media account and you visit our social media sites, the operator of the social media portal can match this visit to your user account. However, in certain circumstances, it may also be possible to capture your personal data even if you are not logged in or you have no account with the relevant social media portal. In this case, such data capture is performed by cookies, for example, which are stored on your device, or by registering your IP address.

Using the data captured in this manner, operators of social media portals can create user profiles in which your preferences and interests are stored. In this way, advertising relating to your interests can be displayed to you inside and outside the relevant social media website. If you have an account with the particular social network, such advertising relating to your interests can be displayed on all devices in which you are or were logged in.

Please also remember that we cannot trace all the processing sequences on social media portals. Depending on the provider, operators of social media portals may therefore be able to carry out further processing. You can find details of such processing in the terms of use and data protection provisions of each social media portal. We have provided the corresponding links in our comments on each provider below.

We have no control over the length of time for which your data are stored by operators of social media portals for their own purposes. For details, please refer again directly to the operators (e.g. in their data privacy policy, see below).

1. Controllers

As operators of social media websites, we are joint controllers with the relevant network operators

• Instagram: Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd, 4 Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2, Ireland
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland

as defined by Art. 4 No. 7 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

As joint controllers of these sites, we have reached agreements with the network operators which, among other things, also govern the terms and conditions for using websites and similar offerings. These include duties to inform data subjects, obligations regarding data security and requirements to report data protection breaches. 

The following agreements are definitive in each case:
Instagram: Data processing Meta
LinkedIn:Data processing agreement LinkedIn

When an individual visits our social media websites, the personal data of the website visitor are processed by the controllers as follows.

2. Insights, analyses and cookies

In operating our Instagram presence, we use the Instagram insights function to obtain anonymized statistical data on visitors to our Instagram profile. You can obtain information on these insights and Instagram sites in Meta’s data protection policies. 

When you visit our own and other Instagram accounts, Instagram will also deploy cookies and other storage technologies. You can obtain further information in Meta’s Data Privacy Policy.

When running our LinkedIn presence, we make use of LinkedIn Page Analytics. In this way, we can obtain information on the use of our content. You can obtain more detailed information on data protection on the LinkedIn platform in LinkedIn’s Data Privacy Policy.

3. Purposes of the processing

The information generated gives us insights into the typical profile and conduct of visitors to our social media sites, thus enabling us to align our offering with your interests. This information is only provided to us in aggregated and anonymized form. We have no access to the underlying personal data in each case.

We also use our social media presence to enter into a dialog with interested users. In this context, we may obtain further information, e.g. due to users’ comments, private messages or because you follow us or share our content. Such data are processed purely for the purpose of communicating and interacting with you.

4. Legal basis

We operate our social media presence to present ourselves to interested parties and to communicate with them. Personal data are therefore processed on the basis of Art. 6 (1) Sentence 1 (f) GDPR to safeguard our legitimate interests.

5. Transfer of data

In the case of Instagram and LinkedIn, there is a possibility that some of the information captured will also be processed outside the European Union in the USA.

If the European Commission has decided that the third country ensures an adequate level of protection (cf. Art. 45 (3) GDPR), no additional steps are required for the transfer of data. If data are transferred to recipients based in the USA, such a transfer will be performed on the basis of the Transatlantic Data Privacy Framework (DPF) dated 07/10/2023 provided the recipient possesses the requisite certification. A list of currently certified companies can be called up here. In other cases and in the case of data transfers to other, unsafe third countries, data will only be transferred if the conditions of Art. 46 ff. GDPR are met.

The social media platforms used here are headquartered in the USA and are certified accordingly. An adequate level of protection, comparable with that of the GDPR, can therefore be assumed.

6. Data subjects’ rights

Every data subject has the right of access pursuant to Art. 15 GDPR. If we are to process your personal data, you have a right to rectification under Article 16 GDPR, a right to erasure under Article 17 GDPR, a right to restrict processing under Article 18 GDPR, a right of objection under Article 21 GDPR as well as a right to data portability under Article 20 GDPR. The restrictions defined in Secs. 34 and 35 of the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) apply to the right of access and right of erasure. In addition, there is a right of complaint to the responsible data protection supervisory authority (Art. 77 GDPR in conjunction with Sec. 19 BDSG).

If you have given your consent to the data processing, you can revoke this consent at any time by the same means you used to give your consent. Revocation of consent will not affect the lawfulness of the data already processed on the basis of such consent.

According to the agreements, the network operators are the first point of contact in safeguarding data subjects’ rights. As providers of the social network, they have the opportunity to access the required information and can thus take the necessary steps and provide you with information. Should you nevertheless require our support, we can also be contacted. You can find our contact details at the end of this data protection policy.

7. Right of objection

You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data carried out on the basis of Art. 6 (1) (e) GDPR (data processing in the public interest) and Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (data processing on the basis of the balance of interests) for reasons arising from your particular situation.

In particular, you have the following opportunities to lodge an objection:

Instagram: Instagram users can control the extent to which their user behavior may be registered when visiting our Instagram profile under Settings for advertising preferences. 

Instagram settings or the form provided by Instagram setting out your right of objection offer further options for lodging an objection.

LinkedIn: You can object to the processing of LinkedIn here. Further settings can be adjusted via the objection form.

Please refer to our Data protection information for comments on social media plug-ins on the website of Salgitter Flachstahl GmbH.