Stand: July 2026
The protection of your data is of particular concern to us. With this privacy policy, we want to inform you about the processing of your personal data and how we comply with the requirements of the EU General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), the German Federal Data Protection Act ("BDSG") and the German Telecommunications Telemedia Data Protection Act ("TTDSG") on our website and in the event that you wish to contact us after visiting our website.
If you make use of our services and enter into a contractual relationship with us in this context, the data Privacy Notice for Customers that we make available to you when you conclude a contract with us applies.
"Personal data" within the meaning of this Privacy Notice is all information that can be used to establish a connection to a person. For example, on the basis of certain characteristics that allow conclusions to be drawn about the identity (e.g. the assignment of an IP address to a specific person by querying the connection with an Internet service provider). We use the term "personal data" in this Privacy Notice as it is defined in Art. 4 No. 1 GDPR.
ada Learning GmbH
Graf-Adolf-Platz 15
40213 Düsseldorf
Deutschland
E-Mail: hello@join-ada.com
If you join the Student-Fellowship as a student and have also applied for a scholarship, our cooperation partner is jointly responsible for some data processing activities within the application process. The cooperation partner is:
the RAG-Stiftung (RAG Foundation)
Im Welterbe 10
45141 Essen
The Data Protection Officer of the RAG-Foundation can be reached via the email address datenschutz@rag.de.
We have entered into an agreement with the RAG-Stiftung for the processing of the Student Fellowship scholarship. As part of this agreement, personal data is shared between us and the RAG-Stiftung for billing purposes and for the application process. We have entered into a joint controllership agreement with the RAG-Stiftung pursuant to Art. 26(1) GDPR, in which we have defined our mutual rights and obligations. This agreement stipulates that joint controllership is limited to data processing for billing purposes and for the application process.
Our Data Protection Officer,
datanauts GmbH
Scharn 19-21
32423 Minden
www.datanauts.legal
can be reached via post under the above address or via email under privacy@join-ada.com.
In order for the Platform to work and us being able to fulfil our services via the Platform, some data must necessarily be transmitted to us, such as your IP address. Without this, the provision of websites would not work. In addition, there are a number of processing activities that arise when creating a user account, when using our services, when participating in events, and when consent is given. If you are a Student Fellow and have applied for a scholarship, we also process certain data for the granting of the scholarship.
In detail:
We collect data that is necessarily collected when you visit the Platform (see a.). We also process data that arises when creating your user account (see b.), when using the Fellowship or the Future Lab (see c.), and when participating in events (see d.). We also process data after you have given your consent (see e.). If you are a Student Fellow and have applied for a scholarship, certain data will be processed for the granting of the scholarship (see f.).
a. Data that is necessarily collected when you use the Platform
When you visit the Platform, the following data is collected for technical reasons in order to enable its functionality. Some of this data is personal data. These are then stored for a short time in a server log file:
b. Data that is collected when creating and/or maintaining a user account
When you create a user account on the Platform, we process the following master data:
c. Data that is collected when using the services provided via the Platform
When using the Platform, we process, in addition to the data mentioned under a. and b. above, in particular:
d. Data that is collected when participating in events
When you are invited to and participate in events, we process the details necessary for this purpose, in particular:
Invitations to events are sent via the Platform or the e-mail address made available to you there.
e. Data that is processed when consent is given
Like many other website operators, we would like to compile pseudonymized statistics primarily to measure the access figures and usage time of the Platform so that we can improve the attractiveness of it and make the content interesting for our target group. However, we only use the tools used for this if you give us your consent to do so. For reasons of clarity, we have regulated the topic of cookies and other technologies in a separate section of this Privacy Notice. You can find this below under point 6.
f. Data processed about Student Fellows who have applied for a scholarship
If you have enrolled for the Student Fellowship and applied for a scholarship at the same time, we will also process
in order to review with our co-operation partner, the RAG-Foundation, whether you qualify for a scholarship.
For all data processing that allows the Platform to work properly in the first place, as well as for creating and managing user accounts, we can process the necessary data without asking for your consent. If you are an individual user – ie you have entered into a contract with us yourself, for example as an individual Fellow or as a direct participant in the Future Lab – we are fulfilling a contract with you by making the Platform and the respective service available to you. For users who are sent by their organisations, we can rely on our legitimate interest. For all other data processing beyond this, we must obtain your prior consent.
In detail:
According to the applicable data protection laws, we may only process personal data if there is a legal basis for doing so. In the following, we describe the purposes for which we process the data mentioned in section 3:
a. Data processing based on your consent (Art. 6(1)(a), Art. 7 GDPR)
If you give your consent to all or certain data processing via our Consent Management Tool – for example, if you consent to pseudonymized tracking measures being carried out or third-party technologies being displayed (e.g. a video on a third-party platform) –, you expressly consent to the processing of your personal data. For details, please refer to Section 6 of this Privacy Notice.
b. Data processing based on the fulfillment of a contract (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR)
We provide our contractual services to individual users, i.e. our customers who enter into contracts with us themselves - for example direct participants in the Future Lab - by making the Platform and the respective service available. We can therefore rely on the fulfillment of this contract for all data processing that is necessary for this purpose. This also applies to the creation and management of the user account, as this is a prerequisite for using our services.
The same applies to data processing that is carried out prior to the conclusion of the contract and is aimed at this (e.g. data processing for the selection of students and granting of a scholarship as part of the Student Fellowship).
c. Data processing based on legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR)
For all users who have not entered into a contract with us themselves, but were sent by their organisation – for example as employees participating in the Fellowship or the Future Lab – we provide the Platform primarily to fulfill the contract with your companies. The data processing that is carried out when using the Platform – including the creation of the user account and the organisation of events – is based on our legitimate interest. Otherwise, we would not be able to properly fulfill our contract with your companies.
The fundamental rights and freedoms of the Platform users as data subjects do not prevail here, as the personal data processed are those that are inevitably collected for technical reasons when any website is accessed. It would only be necessary to draw conclusions about specific persons with additional knowledge that is not readily available (e.g. to draw conclusions about a possible user from a specific IP address via an Internet service provider).
We also use service providers as data processors, e.g. our web host and our content delivery network provider. As these are data processors (see section 5 for more details), no separate legal basis is required for this.
The Platform is stored on a server of a professional web hosting provider. In addition, we use a number of further service providers as data processors to deliver our services – including providers for content delivery, collaboration, communication, marketing, and analytics. Your data may also be transferred to countries outside the European Union; however, we have ensured that it is still adequately protected.
In detail:
a. Web hosting and cloud infrastructure providers
We operate the Platform and our technical infrastructure with the help of professional web hosting and cloud infrastructure service providers. These are data processors with whom we have entered into data processing agreements in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR. Parts of the data processing take place in third countries outside the EU/EEA. We have ensured that appropriate safeguards are in place for these transfers, such as certification under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework or the conclusion of EU Standard Contractual Clauses.
b. Content delivery network
We use a content delivery network provider to deliver the content of the Platform more efficiently and to protect it from so-called distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS). This is a data processor with whom we have entered into a data processing agreement in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR. Parts of the data processing take place in the USA. The USA is a third country within the meaning of the GDPR, as it is located outside the European Union and the European Economic Area. The provider we use is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, so that suitable guarantees for a data transfer to the USA are in place.
c. Collaboration, project management, and productivity tools
For the delivery of our services and internal collaboration, we use providers of collaboration, project management, and productivity tools. These are data processors with whom we have entered into data processing agreements in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR. Parts of the data processing take place in third countries outside the EU/EEA. We have ensured that appropriate safeguards are in place for these transfers, such as certification under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework or the conclusion of EU Standard Contractual Clauses.
d. Communication tools
For communicating with you and for conducting online events, we use providers of communication tools (e.g. video conferencing solutions and digital collaboration formats). These are data processors with whom we have entered into data processing agreements in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR. Parts of the data processing take place in third countries outside the EU/EEA. We have ensured that appropriate safeguards are in place for these transfers, such as certification under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework or the conclusion of EU Standard Contractual Clauses.
e. Video and audio content hosting
For embedding videos and audio files (e.g. podcasts) in the Platform, we use specialised providers for video and audio hosting. These are data processors with whom we have entered into data processing agreements in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR. Parts of the data processing take place in third countries outside the EU/EEA. We have ensured that appropriate safeguards are in place for these transfers.
f. Form and survey tools
For creating and evaluating forms and surveys (e.g. in the context of application processes or feedback collection), we use providers of form and survey tools. These are data processors with whom we have entered into data processing agreements in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR. Parts of the data processing take place in third countries outside the EU/EEA. We have ensured that appropriate safeguards are in place for these transfers.
g. Customer relationship management and marketing
For managing user and contact data as well as for marketing activities, we use a CRM and marketing service provider. This is a data processor with whom we have entered into a data processing agreement in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR. Parts of the data processing take place in third countries outside the EU/EEA. We have ensured that appropriate safeguards are in place for these transfers.
h. Analytics and reporting tools
For analysing usage and business data, we use providers of analytics and reporting tools. These are data processors with whom we have entered into data processing agreements in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR. Where data is transferred to third countries, we have ensured that appropriate safeguards are in place.
i. AI-based services
In the delivery of our services, we use AI-based service providers (e.g. for processing and preparing content). These are data processors with whom we have entered into data processing agreements in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR. Parts of the data processing take place in third countries outside the EU/EEA. We have ensured that appropriate safeguards are in place for these transfers, in particular through the conclusion of EU Standard Contractual Clauses.
j. Development infrastructure and application monitoring
For the technical development and operation of the Platform and for monitoring our applications, we use providers of development infrastructure and monitoring services. These are data processors with whom we have entered into data processing agreements in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR. Parts of the data processing take place in third countries outside the EU/EEA. We have ensured that appropriate safeguards are in place for these transfers.
k. Domain and DNS services
For the registration and management of our domains, we use a domain and DNS provider. This is a data processor with whom we have entered into a data processing agreement in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR.
l. Cooperation partner in the context of the Student Fellowship when applying for a scholarship
If you are a Student Fellow and apply for a scholarship at the same time, the recipient of certain personal data is our cooperation partner, the RAG-Stiftung. You can find more information on this above under section 3. f.
Like many other website providers, we use various third-party services, e.g. to collect pseudonymized statistics or to integrate content from these third-party providers on the Platform. For the most part, these are Cookies and Pixels, which we only use with your consent. Some of it is content that is loaded from other sites (e.g. fonts). Information on this can be found in the overview in this section and, with regard to individual Cookies and Pixels, in the settings of our Consent Management Tool.
In the context of our services and events, we will also interact with you outside the Platform via software providers (e.g. digital collaboration tools). These providers may also receive personal data from you.
In detail:
Cookies are files that are stored in the browser environment on your terminal device (e.g. PC, Mac, Android smartphone, iOS smartphone) and in which information about you and the use of the Platform is stored.
We use cookies and pixels for the following purposes:
We use a cookie consent management tool with the help of which we obtain consent for tracking measures.
We also use the following types of other third-party technologies that embed data from other sources on the Platform:
The above-mentioned third-party services are either controlled by the consent management tool (ie only loaded when you give your consent there), or you must confirm that the service is loaded by clicking at the place of integration (e.g. at the place where the Google Maps are to be integrated).
During the course of our services and events, we will also collaborate in other formats, leaving the Platform platform. We will use a number of tools from different providers (see section 5 for details on the categories of these providers). Depending on the type and scope of use, these providers may receive personal data from you. Some of this may only be metadata (e.g. IP addresses), but some may also be content data, e.g. your posts, your photo (e.g. profile picture), your voice (e.g. audio recordings), etc. If you would like further information about these tools, feel free to contact us or take a look at the Privacy Notice of the respective tool that we use for our interaction.
How long your data is retained depends on the legal basis of the data processing.
In detail:
We generally retain data that we process on the basis of your consent for as long as the consent exists. After this, we may retain the documentation of consent for a further period of up to three years in order to be able to defend ourselves against possible claims; during this time, however, consent will of course not be used. However, this does not apply without exception. If we do not make use of the data that we have obtained on the basis of consent for a longer period of time or discontinue the underlying service, we will delete the data without you having to revoke your consent.
Data that is retained on a contractual basis will be retained for three years from the end of the year in which the contract was fulfilled or completed due to the exchange of services.
Data that is necessarily collected when visiting the Platform is deleted 7 days after the log file is created.
Data that we process on the basis of our legitimate interest is generally processed for as long as the legitimate interest exists. This depends on the specific individual case. If you would like more information on this, you are welcome to contact us. As it is unreasonable to check every day for each stored date whether the purpose for storage still exists, we may check this at regular intervals. Therefore, data may be retained for a limited period of time (deletion period), even if the legitimate interest has already ceased to exist. The data will not be processed for other purposes within the deletion period.
As a data subject, you have various rights, which we explain in detail in this section. In particular, you can withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future (ie all past data processing based on consent remains lawful) and you can simply object to data processing that we only carry out on the basis of our legitimate interest (e.g. marketing measures that are permitted without consent in exceptional cases). Please note that in this section we describe all the rights to which you may be entitled as a data subject. This does not definitively determine whether you are actually entitled to a right.
In detail:
According to the GDPR, you are entitled to the following rights as soon as the conditions for exercising the respective right are met in detail:
You also have the right, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to object at any time to processing of personal data concerning you which is (i) necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest, (ii) in the exercise of official authority vested in us, or (iii) which we process on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 21 GDPR: right to object). In this case, we will no longer process the personal data unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override your interests, rights and freedoms, or the processing serves the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims.
If personal data is processed for the purpose of direct marketing (marketing and business development), you have the right to object at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you for the purpose of such marketing. In this case, the personal data will no longer be processed for direct marketing purposes.
If you have given us your consent, you can withdraw this consent at any time. All data processing that we have carried out up to your revocation remains lawful.
You can assert the above-mentioned rights against us using the contact details provided in section 1.
In principle, you are not obliged to provide us with your personal data. However, without the personal data, we will not be able to provide certain services or contact you.
If you browse the Platform, however, you cannot avoid providing the data mentioned under point 3. a), as the operation of the Platform would otherwise not be technically possible. If you take technical precautions to prevent the transmission of this data, you may not be able to access the Platform. However, you are free to disguise this data (e.g. by using a VPN service or masking) so that we cannot draw any conclusions from this technically necessary data (e.g. by using your real IP address to determine your approximate location).
We do not use automated decision-making or profiling.
We have implemented technical and organizational measures to ensure a high standard of data security, data availability and data integrity. All employees are subject to contractual confidentiality obligations and have been informed and instructed accordingly about the confidential handling of personal data.
The following applies with regard to our Instagram account (available at https://www.instagram.com/join_ada/):
If you access the website https://www.instagram.com or the Instagram service via mobile apps, the controller for data processing is
Facebook Ireland Ltd.
4 Grand Canal Square
Grand Canal Harbour
Dublin 2
IRELAND
("Facebook")
If you transmit personal data to us via the instagram.com website (e.g. via the message function) and we alone decide on the purposes and means of data processing, we are the sole data controller under data protection law.
You can find Instagram's Privacy Notice here.
To the extent that Facebook processes personal data in connection with the Instagram account and we contribute to the decision on the purposes and means of processing, Facebook and we are joint controllers of the data processing.
The joint controllership exists in particular for the so-called Insights function. Facebook provides this function for operators of Instagram accounts. This provides us with aggregated user statistics and allows us to recognize, for example, which target groups view our Instagram account and interact with posts and which of the posts receive a particularly large response. These statistics are compiled using information from our account visitors.
The legal basis for this processing is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. Our legitimate interest lies in evaluating the activities on our account and tailoring our offers to the needs of our users. We want to improve our services in this way. As the user data is aggregated and anonymized, we do not believe that the data processing poses any significant risk to the rights and freedoms of the data subjects.
We have entered into a joint controllership agreement with Facebook in accordance with Art. 26 GDPR. This agreement sets out our respective responsibilities and obligations in relation to data subjects and their rights. You can find the agreement here. The essence of this agreement is summarized here.
In addition, as mentioned above, we process personal data from you as an Instagram user that you provide to us via Instagram. These are, for example, messages via Messenger. Insofar as these are aimed at the conclusion of a contract, Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR serves as the legal basis for the processing, otherwise we process this personal data out of our legitimate interest in continuing to contact you.
The following applies with regard to our LinkedIn page (available at https://www.linkedin.com/company/ada-community/):
If you access the website https://www.linkedin.com or the LinkedIn service via mobile apps, the data controller for data processing is
LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company
Wilton Place
Dublin 2
IRELAND
("LinkedIn")
If you transmit personal data to us via the linkedin.com website (e.g. via the message function) and we alone decide on the purposes and means of data processing, we are the sole data controller under data protection law.
You can find Instagram's Privacy Notice here.
Insofar as LinkedIn processes personal data in connection with the LinkedIn page and we contribute to the decision on the purposes and means of processing, LinkedIn and we are joint controllers of the data processing in this respect.
The joint controllership exists in particular for the Page Insights function. LinkedIn provides this function for operators of LinkedIn pages. This provides us with aggregated user statistics and enables us to recognize, for example, which target groups view our LinkedIn account and interact with posts and which of the posts receive a particularly large response. These statistics are compiled using information from our page visitors.
The legal basis for this processing is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. Our legitimate interest lies in evaluating the activities on our account and tailoring our offers to the needs of our users. We want to improve our services in this way. As the user data is aggregated and anonymized, we do not believe that the data processing poses any significant risk to the rights and freedoms of the data subjects.
We have entered into a joint controllership agreement with LinkedIn in accordance with Art. 26 GDPR. This agreement sets out our respective responsibilities and obligations in relation to data subjects and their rights. You can find the agreement here.
We summarize the joint controllership agreement as follows: Views of LinkedIn pages, i.e. also of our page, are recorded statistically. This enables us to filter the page views according to various criteria (e.g. age, professional seniority, region) and to gain insights into our user structure. LinkedIn does not transmit any clear user data to us, i.e. apart from the presentation of the statistics, we have no insight into the underlying data. With regard to the Page Insights function, LinkedIn assumes the data protection obligations under Art. 12-22 and 32-34 GDPR.
In addition, as mentioned above, we process personal data from you as a LinkedIn user that you provide to us via LinkedIn. These are, for example, messages via the Messenger service. Insofar as these are aimed at the conclusion of a contract, Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR serves as the legal basis for the processing, otherwise we process this personal data out of our legitimate interest in continuing to contact you.
