Privacy policy

Effective Date: 03.10.2024

1. Introduction

At BuddyTalk, we are committed to safeguarding your privacy and ensuring that your personal data is handled securely and transparently. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and the rights you have regarding your personal information. Our practices comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable German law.

By using BuddyTalk, you consent to the practices described in this policy. For questions or concerns, you can reach our Data Protection Officer (DPO) at dpo@buddytalk.org.

2. Data We Collect

BuddyTalk collects and processes only the data that is necessary to provide our services, ensure their functionality, and enhance your user experience. We do not track specific page views or store detailed browsing histories. The types of data we collect include:

  • Personal Information: This includes information you provide when registering, such as your username, email address, and profile details (e.g., name, birthdate).
  • Location Data: If you opt to use location-sharing features, we may collect and process your real-time location to help connect you with nearby users.
  • Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies to remember your preferences, maintain session information, and analyze site performance. You can control cookie settings through your browser.
  • Device and Usage Data: This includes basic information about your device (e.g., IP address, browser type) for security and service improvement purposes. We do not track the specific pages you view within BuddyTalk.

3. Use of Your Data

The data we collect is used for the following purposes:

  • Service Provision: To enable you to access BuddyTalk and its features (e.g., connecting with friends, sharing locations).
  • Security and Fraud Prevention: To protect your account and ensure the security of our platform.
  • Improvement of Services: To analyze and optimize our services and fix any technical issues.
  • Communication: To keep you informed of updates, new features, or changes to our services.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process personal data on several legal grounds, including:

  • Consent: When you voluntarily provide information, such as when creating an account or enabling location services.
  • Contractual Obligations: When processing is required to provide the services you signed up for (e.g., maintaining your account).
  • Legal Compliance: When necessary to comply with legal obligations, including valid law enforcement requests.
  • Legitimate Interests: Where necessary for our legitimate business interests (e.g., improving user experience), without overriding your rights.

5. Law Enforcement and Legal Requests

BuddyTalk is committed to respecting your privacy while complying with legal obligations. Under certain circumstances, we may be required to share your personal information with law enforcement agencies or authorities, but only under the following conditions:

  • Legal Requests: We will only disclose data in response to valid legal requests, such as court orders, search warrants, or official legal processes.
  • Proportionality and Necessity: Any disclosure will be assessed to ensure it meets the principle of proportionality and necessity, in compliance with German law (e.g., Bundesdatenschutzgesetz, BDSG) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
  • User Notification: Where permitted, we will notify users of any law enforcement requests involving their data unless prohibited by law or if doing so would compromise an investigation.

Law enforcement agencies may submit data requests by contacting us at lawenforcement@budt.org.

6. Your Rights Under GDPR

As a user of BuddyTalk, you have the following rights under the GDPR:

  • Right to Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to Rectification: You can request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete information.
  • Right to Erasure: You can request the deletion of your personal data when it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.
  • Right to Restriction of Processing: You can request that we limit the processing of your data in certain situations.
  • Right to Data Portability: You can request that your data be transferred to another platform or service provider.
  • Right to Object: You can object to the processing of your data under certain conditions, particularly in relation to direct marketing.

To exercise any of these rights, you can contact our Data Protection Officer at dpo@buddytalk.org.

7. Complaints and Disputes

If you have concerns about how your personal data has been handled, you have the right to file a complaint. We encourage you to contact us first at dpo@buddytalk.org to resolve the issue. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a formal complaint with GlobalComplaint, our designated dispute resolution service, at globalcomplaint.org.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only as long as necessary to provide our services or as required by law. When your data is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymize it in accordance with our retention policies.

9. Changes to This Policy

BuddyTalk may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services or legal obligations. We will notify users of any significant changes through our platform or via email.

10. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, please contact our Data Protection Officer:

Data Protection Officer (DPO)
Email: dpo@buddytalk.org
Website: www.buddytalk.org

For complaints or further assistance, please contact GlobalComplaint at:

GlobalComplaint
Website: www.globalcomplaint.org

Scroll to Top