Privacy statement
This privacy policy informs you as a visitor to our website about the processing of personal data that is processed within the central websites of Bielefeld University. With this data protection declaration, Bielefeld University fulfils its duty to provide information in accordance with Article 13 of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU-DSGVO).
Internet pages that collect personal data via forms provide separate information there about the processing of the personal data collected there.
GeoLAB-specific information
Updated 1 November 2026. This section describes the current GeoLAB project website, SOEP Variable Finder and GeoDB and GeoLAB Data Explorer. The university statement below is preserved verbatim, including its references to Matomo, YouTube and other university services. Its older finder description is retained as historical text; where it describes different technical behaviour, this current GeoLAB-specific section is the applicable description.
The controller is Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany. For questions about these tools, contact geolab@uni-bielefeld.de. The university’s data protection officer can be reached at datenschutzbeauftragte@uni-bielefeld.de.
Your choices in the finders
The finders offer three independent, voluntary choices, initially switched off. Declining any or all does not prevent searching, filtering, selecting rows, downloading results, changing language or changing the colour scheme. Use Privacy settings in either finder’s footer to change or withdraw your choices. Each finder has its own settings.
| Choice | What is stored | Duration and deletion |
|---|---|---|
| Save recent searches | The latest 12 messages and their metadata results in geolab_history_*, only in your browser. |
Up to 30 days after the last saved search. Clear deletes the saved history; switching this choice off also deletes it. Results already visible in the current tab remain usable. |
| Allow usage analytics | A random, finder-specific browser ID in geolab_visitor_*; on the university server, that ID with the UTC day and numbers of visits and successful searches. No question text, query ID, feedback, IP address or user agent is included in this analytics table. |
The browser ID expires after 90 days without extending on each visit. Server records are deleted by a daily 90-day retention job. Withdrawal stops collection and requests deletion of records for the current ID. |
| Share searches to improve results | Search text, filters, UTC day, duration and top-five result references on the university server, with a separate random quality ID in geolab_quality_*. This ID is not the analytics ID. |
Server records: 90 days, daily deletion. The separate ID remains while this consent is active, with choices expiring after 180 days. Withdrawal deletes the current ID’s queries and associated ratings and blocks delayed searches from recreating them. |
These optional uses are based on consent under Article 6(1)(a) GDPR and, for device storage or access, § 25(1) TDDDG. Consent can be withdrawn at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal. Analytics counts consenting browsers, not verified individual people: different devices, clearing browser storage or an expired ID can change the count. There is no fingerprinting or cross-finder ID.
Your allow/decline choices and their notice version are remembered for 180 days in geolab_privacy_*; this preference record contains no visitor ID. If a withdrawal request cannot reach the server, geolab_withdrawal_* or geolab_qualitywithdrawal_* temporarily holds the relevant ID solely to retry deletion on your next visit, for at most seven days. If browser storage is unavailable, retries can only continue while the current tab remains open. Analytics remains off. You can also contact us about deletion. Minimal ID/day withdrawal records remain on the server for 90 days solely to reject delayed requests for a withdrawn ID; they are not used as usage statistics or retained query history. Expired local entries are removed when the tool is next opened; local storage does not run a deletion task while your browser is closed. Clearing site data removes all local entries.
Search quality and voluntary feedback
The university server processes your question to return search results. Search text is not retained unless you separately opt in to sharing searches for quality evaluation. Existing history or analytics consent does not enable this new purpose. With that choice off, the service retains only a total number of successful searches per finder and UTC day, without questions, filters, result references, query IDs, exact times or browser identifiers. These aggregate totals can be kept for long-term service planning. Search-text logs from before this change were removed; only their daily totals were retained. This does not retroactively treat old searches as consented.
With your explicit consent under Article 6(1)(a) GDPR, the quality store contains the question, filters, day, duration, top-five result references, per-search ID and the independent quality ID described above. It does not contain IP addresses, browser headers or analytics IDs. Nevertheless, free text can contain personal information, so we do not describe these opt-in records as anonymous. Please do not enter personal, sensitive or confidential information.
The useful/not-useful controls submit voluntary relevance feedback about an individual result. The notice beside the search form explains that clicking a rating consents to storing that rating for this purpose under Article 6(1)(a) GDPR; clicking the selected rating again deletes it. The feedback stores the search ID, result reference, rank in the returned list, day and model versions. There is no account, persistent visitor identity or free-text comment attached to a rating. A signed result token verifies that the rating refers to a returned result. Ratings support offline evaluation; they do not automatically change the live search ranking or make decisions about visitors. Query logs and feedback are kept for 90 days, with deletion run daily, and are accessible only to authorised operators. They are excluded from the general server backup.
No unconfirmed public-task legal basis is invoked for retaining raw queries. Consent can be withdrawn in the finder’s privacy settings without restricting search access. You may also contact us to exercise applicable rights; when available, supplying the per-search query ID helps locate a record without collecting further identity information. The ID is included in the search response, and in saved history if you enable it.
Essential operation and display preferences
The finders do not set tracking cookies. Browser local storage is also covered by device-storage rules; saying “no cookies” does not make analytics consent unnecessary. Manually choosing a language stores geolab_lang; manually choosing a finder theme stores geolab_theme for 24 hours. These preferences are used to provide the display you requested, not for analytics. Default finder language and system colour-scheme detection do not create a visitor ID.
On this project website, Quarto’s quarto-color-scheme, geolab-thema-vom-system and geolab-thema-eigene-wahl implement system colour detection and your manual theme choice (which takes precedence for 24 hours). quarto-persistent-tabsets-data remembers opened tabs. These entries stay on your device and are not used to identify or count you. Fonts and branding are served locally. Search models run on the university server; questions are not sent to an external AI provider. The finders publish metadata, not SOEP respondent microdata.
Security logs and external services
The university’s web server retains IP addresses, requested paths, time, response status, volume and timing for troubleshooting and security, separately from the query-quality and analytics stores. Normal access logs are rotated daily and retained for at most approximately six days. From this update, request headers (including user agent and referrer) and URL query strings are removed from new access-log entries. Earlier entries expire through the existing rotation. Incident-specific preservation, if needed, is governed by the university statement below.
The interactive demonstration map on Why Geodata? is now served entirely by the university. Its existing aggregated grid and district boundaries are unchanged. The background uses locally stored, public-domain Natural Earth place and lake data. Loading, zooming and panning this map makes no requests to CARTO or other external tile providers. No CARTO tiles were downloaded, cached or proxied, and no provider contract was accepted on behalf of the university.
The GeoLAB Data Explorer displays only reviewed SOEP-Core v41 regional aggregates. The SOEP Research Data Center completed export review on 22 October 2026; public display was confirmed by the project operator. Only the reviewed indicator estimates are enabled. The application is hosted by the university at /preview/data-explorer/, not on GitHub Pages. Aggregate datasets remain stored outside the public web directory on the university VM. A read-only display service returns the values needed for the current chart or table; full observation files and export downloads are not provided. Values visible in a visualization can still be copied or inspected in the browser. Map boundaries, chart libraries and assets are served locally, without external map tiles, usage analytics or persistent visitor identifiers. For abuse prevention, the display service uses a salted address hash and request counter temporarily in memory. Counters expire after 60 seconds and background cleanup removes expired entries; these are not used for visitor statistics or written to its access log. CSV imports are processed only in your browser and held in memory: the files and their contents are not uploaded, logged or included in share links, and are discarded on reload or when you clear local data. A manual theme choice is stored only on your device for 24 hours in geolab_theme; choosing System removes that preference. The Explorer has no GeoDB search integration and sends no indicator-search text or selections to the separate metadata finders. Filtering the indicator catalogue happens within your browser. Only the display requests needed for the selected visualization are sent to the Explorer’s same-origin service. The university security-log policy above still applies. The separately hosted predecessor application and its datasets have not been changed or republished here. An external data-source link only opens that provider when you follow it; its own privacy notice then applies. No YouTube or Matomo integration is enabled in the two finder interfaces.
Your rights
Subject to the applicable GDPR conditions, you may request access, correction, deletion, restriction and, where applicable, portability, and object to public-task processing. Contact the university or its data protection officer at the addresses above. You also have the right to complain to the competent supervisory authority, including the North Rhine-Westphalia data protection authority.
General application feedback and public video demo
Added 6 October 2026. The applications link to a separate, voluntary feedback form. Submitting it requires an explicit, unticked consent choice under Article 6(1)(a) GDPR. We store the selected application and category, your message, the submission date, consent-notice version and an optional reply email on the researcher’s machine for up to 90 days. Messages are available only to authorised operators; no public feedback list or automatic email forwarding exists. The form does not attach searches, research annotations, uploaded data, browser identifiers or IP addresses. Please do not enter sensitive, confidential information or information about other people. Supplying an email is optional. For withdrawal or deletion, contact geolab@uni-bielefeld.de with the feedback reference shown after submission. Submission is not required to use any application.
The form uses a short-lived, signed request token, without a tracking cookie. Ephemeral IP-derived rate-limit keys remain only in server memory for about a minute, for abuse prevention, not usage tracking. Separate university access/security logs retain the policy described above. Feedback is not used to alter live search ranking automatically.
The unlisted public video-annotation demo serves ten edited, attributed excerpts from the openly licensed film Big Buck Bunny, not any downloaded TikTok corpus videos. Demo answers remain in the current browser tab, are lost on reload and can be downloaded by the visitor as CSV. They are not uploaded, stored by us or added to research annotations. Video playback uses locally hosted files, not social-media embeds or external video players. The actual research annotation applications remain password protected.
The general statement of Bielefeld University
The sections below are the data protection statement of Bielefeld University for its central web pages, reproduced here in full without removing references to other services. They describe services which may be used elsewhere at the university and include an earlier finder description. The current operation of this site and its two finders is described in the GeoLAB-specific section above; preserving this text does not mean that every service it mentions is enabled here.
Responsible for the website is Bielefeld University, a public corporation with legal capacity supported by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is represented by the Rector Prof. Dr. Angelika Epple.
Contact details of the responsible person
Universität Bielefeld
Universitätsstraße 25
33615 Bielefeld
Germany
Tel.: 0521 / 106 - 00
Contact details of the data protection officers
You can contact the data protection officer of Bielefeld University by post at the address of the data controller given above or as follows:
Email: datenschutzbeauftragte@uni-bielefeld.de
Tel.: 0521 / 106 - 5225
Storage of browser data
Generally, when you visit a website, information that your browser transmits to us is automatically stored in server log files for technical reasons. These are:
- IP address
- File names
- Access status (http status code)
- Volume of data retrieved
- Date and time of the server request
- Referrer URL (the previously visited page is only stored in the log in the event of an error (Error 404))
This stored data is used exclusively for the purpose of identifying and tracking unauthorised access attempts and accesses to the web server and cannot be assigned to a specific person. It is not compared with other data or passed on to third parties. The data is stored for a maximum of seven days and deleted after an anonymous statistical evaluation. Data whose further storage is necessary for evidentiary purposes are exempt from deletion until the respective incident has been finally clarified.
Forms and web-based services
In some places, Bielefeld University's website offers the possibility of providing further personal data in the form of forms and the use of web-based services. For example, web forms can be used to request information and subscribe to newsletters. The use of these services by the user is expressly on a voluntary basis. Information on which data is collected and processed in detail is provided on the corresponding forms or web services. The use of these additional options and the associated entry of personal data are exclusively on a voluntary basis. The data is processed exclusively for the purpose stated there. If data is passed on to third parties, this is only done on the basis of legal permission or is explicitly legitimised by informed consent.
Cookies
Your browser also stores so-called cookies. Cookies are files that can be stored by the provider of a website in the directory of the browser programme on the user's computer. These files contain text information and can be read again by the provider when the page is called up again. The provider can use these cookies, for example, to always deliver pages in the language selected by the user.
The saving of cookies can be switched off in the settings of your browser or an expiry time can be set. However, by deactivating cookies, some functions that are controlled via cookies can then only be used to a limited extent or not at all.
The website of Bielefeld University uses cookies for the following purposes:
Recognition of a user during a session in order to be able to assign language selection and other personal settings, e.g. with a session cookie). Anonymous recognition of a user by the web analysis software Matomo (formerly: Piwik). The cookie used, "PIWIK_SESSID" or similar, has a lifespan of 1 week and is then deleted by your browser. When you visit the website again, the cookie is reset to 1 week. Storage of the objection to tracking by the web analysis software Matomo (formerly: Piwik) in the permanent cookie "matamo_ignore".
In addition, individual web applications linked via the websites (learning platform, forums, blogs, etc.) may set further cookies. These are described in the data protection declarations belonging to the respective services, insofar as they deviate from this data protection declaration.
Web analysis using Matomo (formerly Piwik)
Bielefeld University uses the web analytics software of the open source project Matomo to improve its website.
The web analysis software evaluates the following data about the visit of a website for the creation of statistics:
- Web page/address accessed
- anonymised IP address
- Date and time of the page view
- Volume of data retrieved
- Website or search engine from which you accessed a page (referrer)
- Browser type and version / operating system used
This data is stored anonymously (not personalised) and is only used to improve the website. The anonymisation is carried out by shortening the IP address so that it can no longer be assigned to any device or person.
You can object to the recording of tracking information. To do this, a so-called deactivation cookie is stored in your browser. If you delete the deactivation cookie from your browser, you must repeat the process.
You can decide below whether a unique web analysis cookie may be stored in your browser to enable the operator of the website to collect and analyse various statistical data.
If you wish to opt out, click the following link to place the Matomo opt-out cookie in your browser. Your visit to this website is currently collected by Matomo web analytics.
If you delete the opt-out cookie from your browser, you will need to repeat the process.
Use of social networks
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
The website of Bielefeld University does not directly integrate social media plugins (e.g. like buttons) of the social networks Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Thus, no data is transmitted to external social networks when you access the websites. Only when you click on icons/symbols/links of the social networks on the University's web pages and call up the pages linked via them do you leave the web pages that are the responsibility of Bielefeld University, and calls to external web pages are made in accordance with the conditions of the respective provider/social network.
YouTube
Bielefeld University uses the provider YouTube LLC , 901 Cherry Avenue, San Bruno, CA 94066, USA, represented by Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA, to embed videos. Normally, when you call up a page with embedded videos, your IP address is already sent to YouTube and cookies are installed on your computer. However, we have embedded our YouTube videos with the extended data protection mode (in this case, YouTube still contacts Google's Double Klick service, but according to Google's privacy policy, personal data is not evaluated). This means that YouTube no longer stores any information about visitors unless they watch the video. If you click on the video, your IP address is transmitted to YouTube and YouTube learns that you have watched the video. If you are logged in to YouTube, this information is also assigned to your user account (you can prevent this by logging out of YouTube before viewing the video).
Bielefeld University has neither knowledge nor influence over the possible collection and use of your data by YouTube. You can find more information in YouTube's privacy policy at www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy/. For general information on how to handle and deactivate cookies, please refer to the Cookies section on this page.
Panopto
Videos from the video platform Panopto are also embedded on the University's pages. The video platform is offered and operated by the provider Panopto EMEA Limited, Highgate Studios, 53-79 Highgate Road, London NW5 1TL, UK. The data collected when a page with embedded Panopto videos is called up (IP address, content of the Panopto session cookie in your browser) cannot be viewed by Bielefeld University and can only be viewed by Panopto EMEA Limited with the express permission of Bielefeld University. Further general data protection information on Panopto is available in its privacy policies.
Bielefeld University collects and processes the above-mentioned data and log files required for technical operation in order to maintain the technical security of the systems, as well as the data within the scope of web analysis, in order to safeguard the legitimate interests of the University pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. EU-DSGVO. The data is required for the delivery of web pages, for the secure operation of the web servers as well as the improvement of the web offer and is only used for the purposes stated in each case.
The collection of further data in forms and web-based services is based on the consent of the data subjects pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a. EU-DSGVO or is necessary for the fulfilment of tasks of the university pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. e. EU-DSGVO in conjunction with the Higher Education Act of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (HG NRW).
As a matter of principle, we do not transfer personal data processed in the course of using the Bielefeld University website to third parties. In individual cases, this may be done on the basis of a legal permission, for example, a transfer to law enforcement agencies for the investigation of criminal offences within the framework of the regulations of the Code of Criminal Procedure (StPO) or for the purpose of asserting claims for damages in the case of copyright infringements. If technical service providers are given access to personal data, this is done on the basis of a contract in accordance with Art. 28 DSGVO.
As a matter of principle, no personal data is transferred to countries outside the European Economic Area and associated countries (no third country transfer). If this should be necessary, we will inform you separately.
As a data subject, you may exercise the rights granted to you by the EU GDPR at any time, insofar as they apply to the processing:
- the right to information as to whether and which of your data is being processed (Art. 15 DSGVO);
- the right to request that the data concerning you be corrected or completed (Art. 16 DSGVO);
- the right to erasure of the data concerning you in accordance with Art. 17 DSGVO
- the right to request a restriction of the processing of the data in accordance with Art. 18 DSGVO;
- the right to object to future processing of data concerning you in accordance with Art. 21 DSGVO.
The collection of data for the provision of the web offer and the storage of the data in log files is absolutely necessary for the operation of the websites. Consequently, the user has no right to object. Although IP addresses are considered personal data, they are not assigned to any person by the university, so they cannot be assigned to users who request information and therefore cannot be used for information purposes.
In addition to the aforementioned rights, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the data protection supervisory authority (Art. 77 DSGVO).
This section covers the two search tools operated by the project: GeoDB and SOEP Variable Finder. Both are metadata search tools. There are no user accounts, no registration and no login, and no advertising or tracking technology of any kind is used.
Server log
The web server stores the technical access data described above (including the IP address) for a maximum of seven days for the purpose of operational security. This log is not combined with the search log described next.
Anonymous search log
To improve search quality, each search is recorded without any personal data. Stored are: the search text you entered, the filters you selected, the identifiers and scores of the results returned, the number of results, and how long the search took.
Explicitly not stored: IP address, user agent, cookie or session identifier, or any other value that could link two searches to the same person or device. A random identifier is written next to each entry so that individual entries can be told apart; it is never stored anywhere else and never placed in your browser. Please do not enter personal data into the search field, as the search text is stored.
Storage in your browser
The tools store your selected colour theme and your recent searches in the local storage of your browser so that the page looks and behaves consistently when you return. This information stays in your browser, is never transmitted to us, and can be removed at any time by clearing the site data for the respective domain. The tools set no cookies of their own.
Purpose, legal basis and retention
The search log serves the operation and improvement of a research infrastructure of Bielefeld University pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. e EU-GDPR in conjunction with the Higher Education Act of North Rhine-Westphalia, and the legitimate interest of the University pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f EU-GDPR. Because the entries contain no personal data, they are kept for the duration of the project and may be published in aggregated form, for example as a list of frequent search terms.
Data from third parties
The tools display descriptions of data published by other institutions and link to those institutions. Following such a link takes you to an external website whose provider is responsible for its own data processing. The sources are listed under Data sources and attribution.
Validity of this privacy policy
We reserve the right to amend the privacy policy to reflect any changes in relevant laws or regulations or to better meet your needs.