Terms and Conditions
Forums.Group - Privacy policy
When you access a forums.group website or subdomain ("https://forums.group" referred to collectively as Forums.Group), a contract is concluded between you and the operator with the following provisions:
Processing of personal data on the Forums.Group Platform
Forums.Group is a brand of Peter Walker Systems in Germany that provides a platform on https://forums.group for the provision of phpBB based online communities. Peter Walker Systems creates the framework within which users registered on a Forums.Group forum can create posts and messages and exchange information with each other. The legal responsibility for the respective posts is borne by the users who create them and the respective moderators.
Reading access to the posts is - with exceptions as per forum policy - available to everyone without registration. For the creation of posts and the use of further functions of the board, however, registration is necessary, in which context we collect and process personal data. Furthermore, we also collect certain information in the case of anonymous access in order to offer the functions available on our website and forums to be able to exclude or trace illegal use of the service.
In the following we will inform you about the data collected and how we handle it. Furthermore, we provide you with further information about the operator and your rights.
Personal Data during Registration on forums.group and its subdomains
In the course of registration, we collect your e-mail address. Furthermore, you have to choose a user name (pseudonym), which provides access to all your contributions. While your username is visible to everyone, only we as the operator of Forums.Group and the respective moderator(s) have access to your email address.
In addition, you can enter further data in your profile, such as your website, your place of residence or other contact details. You can also set up a signature (free text) which, depending on what you enter, may contain personal information. This information is voluntary, so you can decide for yourself what information you want to write and publish. The data you enter is freely accessible on the Internet in the context of your contributions.
In the context of registration and the agreement to the terms of use including these notes on the processing of personal data, we also record the IP address and the time stamp as proof.
By entering the data during registration or in your profile, you agree that we may process this data and publish it as described above (Article 6 paragraph 1 letter a DSGVO - Translation: "The affected person has given his/her consent to the processing of personal data concerning him/her for one or more specific purposes"). Your e-mail address and the IP address and timestamp recorded are also necessary to fulfil the usage contract (Article 6 paragraph 1 letter b DSGVO - Translation: "The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract.").
You can revoke the consent you have given at any time or change the data you have entered in your profile at any time.
Personal Data when using forums.group
When using a forums.group website, personal data is collected at various points:
- When you use the contact form, your name and e-mail address are collected and stored unless you are logged in.
- When creating and deleting posts (this includes private messages and participation in surveys), the IP address from which the contribution was created or deleted is stored for documentation purposes and to prevent misuse.
- When changing central data of your user profile (e-mail address, account activation, user password) as well as in case of failed login attempts, the IP address is also stored for documentation purposes and to prevent misuse.
- When you visit forums.group, log files on the use of the server are recorded, which also contain the IP address of the access.
Data is collected on the contact form to enable us to contact you and to archive correspondence that occurs during the operation of phpBB.de. It is carried out in accordance with Article 6 paragraph 1 letter b (fulfilment of contract), c (legal obligation) and f (legitimate interests of the person responsible) DSGVO. Other data will be stored in accordance with Article 6(1)(f) DSGVO to prevent misuse of the services offered on forums.group and to allow third parties to take action against any violations of the law.
Note: According to article 21 DSGVO, you have the right to object to the data storage, provided that this is based on article 6 paragraph 1 letter f DSGVO and there are reasons arising from your particular situation. As a precautionary measure, we would like to point out that the collection of this data is necessary for the assertion, exercise or defence of legal claims.
Managment of Blacklists
We reserve the right to maintain blacklists of email addresses, domains or IP addresses if the address in question has been used as the basis for an abusive use of forums.group or if a house ban has been issued. The basis for storage is also here Article 6 paragraph 1 letter f DSGVO. As a precautionary measure, we would like to point out that, especially when domains or IP addresses are blocked, it is usually impossible or only possible with a disproportionate amount of effort to inform the persons concerned (Article 14 paragraph 5 letter b DSGVO).
Use of Cookies
When you visit a forums.group subdomain, various cookies are created to ensure that you have a consistent user experience across all forums.group pages. In particular, the following cookies can be created:
- A cookie (ending in _sid) stores a unique, random ID. This is a parenthesis for all page views and ensures that your settings etc. are retained when you visit a new page.
- Another cookie (ending in _u) stores your internal User-ID - if you are logged in. If you are not logged in, the ID of the guest user (usually 1) is stored here.
- A cookie (ending in _k) stores a key which is used for automatic login if you have enabled this feature.
- A cookie (ending in _track) can be used to store which forums, topics and posts you have already read.
- Under certain circumstances, a cookie (ending in _long) is created to store a language setting you have chosen.
- If you have taken part in a vote without registering, another cookie (ending in _poll_) will be created to save your vote and ensure that no multiple votes are taken.
These cookies are stored by your browser for a maximum of one year and are transmitted to us each time you visit the site. You can delete them at any time using the function "Delete all board cookies" offered in the forum or use a similar function of your browser.
Information according to the German Basic Data Protection Regulation and the Telemedia Act:
Name and Contact Details of the Responsible Person:
Peter Walker Systems
c/o Peter Walker
Freiburger Str. 17
50859 Cologne (Köln)
Germany
Phone +49 2234 3896505 (no technical support available via telephone)
E-mail: Click here
Internet: https://forums.group
Authorised representative of the board: Peter Walker
Legal court of juristiction: Köln, Germany
A separate data protection officer has not been appointed.
Purpose of the processing of personal data and its legal base:
The personal data provided upon registration on Forums.Group (see above) will be stored and processed for the purpose of fulfilling the concluded user agreement and with your consent (Article 6 paragraph 1 letters a and b DSGVO). The personal data collected when you use Forums.Group and the blacklists (see above) are stored to prevent misuse of the services offered on Forums.Group and at the same time to enable third parties to take action against any legal infringements (Article 6(1)(f) of the DPA). The data transmitted via the contact form will be stored to enable contact to be established and to archive the correspondence that takes place as part of the operation of Forums.Group (Article 6(1)(b), (c) and (f) DSGVO).
Passing on of Data
Peter Walker Systems and its brand Forums.Group will not pass on to third parties any data that is not intended for public disclosure. This does not include disclosure to law enforcement or judicial bodies, to pursue legitimate legal interests or due to legal obligations.
The operation of Forums.Group requires that we commission third parties to process personal data or that third parties may gain access to such data in the course of their activities (so-called processors). This applies, for example, to the operation of the server on which Forums.Group runs. These processors may only process personal data on the basis of our instructions or legal obligations. These obligations are governed by a contract or other legal instrument. The involvement of processors is based on the provisions of Art. 28 f. DSGVO. Otherwise, Forums.Group and the commissioned processors will not pass on to third parties any data not intended for public provision. This does not include disclosure to law enforcement agencies or jurisdictional bodies, to pursue legitimate legal interests or due to legal obligations.
Duration of Storage
The data collected during registration will be stored until the end of the contract of use. After a revocation, we will store the central data of your profile (e-mail address, user name as well as recorded IP addresses and time stamps (see above)) for a maximum of 13 months in order to fulfil obligations of proof and to prevent misuse of the forum.
The IP addresses recorded when creating a post (including private messages and participation in surveys) as well as when making central changes to your user profile will be deleted after 13 months at the latest.
The failed registration attempts and the personal data (IP addresses) stored in the server log files will be deleted after 4 months at the latest.
Right of Information
You have the right to receive information about whether personal data about you is being processed. If this is the case, you also have the right to receive information about this data and other information in accordance with Art. 15 DSGVO.
For a request for information please contact the person responsible (see above) or use the contact form.
Right to Revove Consent
You have the right to revoke your consent to store and process your data at any time. In this case we will terminate the contract of use and remove any accounts you have with us.
Right of Appeal
If you believe that the processing of your data on Forums.Group is not in compliance with the law, you may contact a regulatory authority. The responsible supervisory authority for Forums.Group is
State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information North-Rhein Westphalia
Kavalleriestr. 2-4
40213 Düsseldorf
Telefon: 0211/38424-0
Fax: 0211/38424-10
E-Mail: poststelle@ldi.nrw.de
Internet: https://www.ldi.nrw.de/
However, you can also submit the complaint to any other supervisory authority responsible under Art. 77 DSGVO or § 40 BDSG.
Requirements for the Provision of Data
To register on Forums.Group and to use the features available to registered users only (in particular, to post messages, use private messaging and other features of the forum software), an email address is required. Without this information, registration is not possible.
Automated Decision Making
There is no automated decision making at Forums.Group
