Privacy policy
We take data protection and confidentiality very seriously and adhere to the provisions of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as well as current national data protection regulations. Please read this data protection information carefully before submitting a report.
Purpose and legal foundation of the whistleblowing/reporting system
The whistleblowing/reporting system (BKMS® System) serves for securely and confidentially receiving, processing and managing reports concerning violations of the compliance rules of Wieland Electric GmbH and its subsidiaries. The processing of personal data within the framework of BKMS® System is based on the legitimate interest of our company in discovering and preventing abuses and thereby averting damage for the Wieland Division, its employees and customers. The legal basis for the processing of personal data is Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
Responsible parties
The parties responsible for data protection in the whistleblowing/reporting system are
1) Wieland Electric GmbH and
2) its subsidiaries
as parties with mutually autonomous responsibility (hereafter also: “Wieland Division”). It is operated by a specialised company, EQS Group AG, Bayreuther Str. 35, 10789 Berlin, Germany, on behalf of Wieland Electric GmbH.
Personal data and information entered into the system are stored in a database operated by EQS Group AG in a high-security data centre. Only the respective examiners of the Wieland Division can access this data. EQS Group AG and other third parties do not have access to the data. This is ensured in the certified procedure through extensive technical and organisational measures.
All data are stored encrypted with multiple levels of password protection according to a system of permissions so that access is restricted to a very small selection of expressly authorised persons at the Wieland Division.
Wieland Electric GmbH has appointed a data protection officer. Inquiries regarding data protection can be sent to datenschutz@wieland-electric.com.
Type of personal data collected
Use of the whistleblowing/reporting system takes place on a voluntary basis. If you submit a report, we collect the following personal data and information:
- Your name, if you choose to reveal your identity
- Whether you are an employee of the Wieland Division
- The names and other personal data of persons whom you list in your report, if applicable.
Confidential handling of reports
Incoming reports are received by a small selection of expressly authorised and specially trained Wieland Division employees and always handled confidentially. The employees evaluate the matter and carry out any further investigation that may be required by the specific case.
While processing a report or conducting a special investigation, it may be necessary to share reports with additional employees of Wieland Division or employees of other group companies, e.g. if the reports refer to incidents in subsidiaries. The latter may be based in countries outside the European Union or the European Economic Area with different regulations about the protection of personal data. We will always ensure that the applicable data protection regulations are complied with when sharing reports.
All persons who receive access to the data are obligated to maintain confidentiality.
Information about the accused
We are legally obligated to inform accused parties of any reports received against them as soon as the disclosure of this information no longer jeopardises the investigation. Your identity as a whistleblower/reporter will not be disclosed unless we are legally bound to do so.
Rights of the data subjects
Pursuant to European data protection legislation, you and the persons named in the report have a right of access, rectification, erasure and restriction of processing and a right to object to the processing of your personal data. If the right to object to the processing of the personal data is exercised, the necessity of the stored data for the examination of a report will be evaluated immediately. Data that is no longer needed will be deleted at once. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority.
Retention period of personal data
Personal data is retained for as long as necessary to clarify the situation and perform a final assessment or for as long as a legitimate interest exists on the part of the company or retention is required by law. After the report processing is concluded, the data will be deleted in accordance with statutory requirements.
Use of the whistleblowing/reporting system
Communication between your computer and the whistleblowing/reporting system takes place over an encrypted connection (SSL). Your IP address will not be stored during your use of the system. In order to maintain the connection between your computer and BKMS® System, a cookie is stored on your computer that only contains the session ID (session cookie). This cookie is only valid until the end of your session and expires when you close your browser.
It is possible to set up a secured postbox within the whistleblowing/reporting system by individually choosing a pseudonym/ user name and password. This allows you to send reports to the respectively responsible Wieland Division employee either by name or in an anonymous, safe way. This system only stores data inside the whistleblowing/reporting system, which makes it particularly secure. It is not a form of regular email communication.
Note on sending attachments
When submitting a report or an addition, you can simultaneously send attachments to the responsible Wieland Division employee. If you wish to submit an anonymous report, please take note of the following security advice: Files may contain hidden personal data that could jeopardise your anonymity. Please remove all such information before sending a file. If you are unable to remove this data or are uncertain about how to do so, copy the text of your attachment into your report text or send the printed document anonymously to the address listed in the footer, citing the reference number received at the end of the reporting process.
Report submission via telephone
Your anonymity will also be protected by the BKMS® System when you submit your report via telephone. Neither Wieland Electric GmbH nor EQS Group will have access to your telephone number. Your description of the incident will be recorded in the BKMS® Incident Reporting. Afterwards, the encrypted sound file is transcribed by the responsible Wieland Electric GmbH employee. If you have set up a secured postbox at the end of the report submission by telephone, you can receive feedback in the form of a voice recording by the responsible employee of Wieland Electric GmbH, and you can add information to your report, if necessary. Alternatively, you can access your secured postbox via the web application, review feedback, and make additions in written form. To protect the confidentiality of your report or addition, you can neither listen to it on your telephone nor in the web-based secured postbox.
Version: 17/12/2021