Privacy policy
We take data protection and confidentiality very seriously and adhere to the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as well as current national data protection regulations. Please read this information on data protection law carefully before submitting a report.
Purpose and legal basis of the whistleblowing system
The whistleblowing system (BKMS® System) serves for securely and confidentially receiving, processing and managing reports concerning violations of the compliance rules of ABUS August Bremicker Söhne KG. The processing of personal data within the framework of the BKMS® System is based on the legitimate interest of our company in discovering and preventing abuses and thereby averting damage to ABUS, its employees and customers. The legal basis for this processing of personal data is Article 6 (1) lit. c) GDPR in conjunction with section 12 (1) HinSchG (German Whistleblower Protection Act) § 8 LkSG (German Supply Chain Act).
Controller
The controller responsible for data protection in the whistleblowing system is
1) ABUS August Bremicker Söhne KG and
2) its subsidiaries
as parties with mutually autonomous responsibility (hereafter also: “ABUS”). The whistleblowing system is operated by a specialised company, EQS Group AG, Bayreuther Str. 35, 10789 Berlin, Germany, on behalf of ABUS.
Personal data and information entered into the whistleblowing system are stored in a database operated by EQS Group AG in a high-security data centre. Only ABUS employees can see the 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 ABUS.
ABUS has appointed a data protection officer. Inquiries regarding data protection at ABUS can be sent to ABUS, datenschutz@abus.de.
Type of collected personal data
Use of the whistleblowing system is voluntary. We collect the following personal data and information when you submit a report using the whistleblowing system:
- your name, if you choose to reveal your identity,
- whether you are employed at ABUS, and
- 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 employees of the compliance organisation of ABUS and are always handled confidentially. The employees of the ABUS compliance organisation evaluate the matter and perform any further investigation 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 ABUS or employees of other group companies, e. g. if the reports refer to incidents in subsidiaries. These subsidiaries may be based in countries outside the European Union or the European Economic Area with different regulations concerning the protection of personal data. We 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 party
We are legally obliged 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 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 are no longer needed will be erased without undue delay. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority.
Retention period for personal data
Personal data are 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 erased in accordance with statutory requirements.
Use of the whistleblowing system
Communication between your computer and the whistleblowing system takes place over an encrypted connection (SSL). Your IP address will not be stored during your use of the whistleblowing system. To maintain the connection between your computer and the BKMS® System, a cookie is stored on your computer that merely contains the session ID (a 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 system by individually choosing a pseudonym/ user name and password. This allows you to send reports to the respectively responsible ABUS employee either by name or in an anonymous, safe way. This system only stores data inside the whistleblowing 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 ABUS 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 such 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.
Version: 28.06.2023