Privacy Policy

1. Data Controller

German Industry Hub
c/o Arshiya Sabaghi
Herengracht 100
1015 BW Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Email: info@germanindustryhub.com

2. Overview

German Industry Hub ("we", "our", "us") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website germanindustryhub.com.

We process data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (EU) 2016/679 and the Dutch GDPR Implementation Act (UAVG).

3. Data We Collect

3.1 Information You Provide

• Contact form: name, email address, phone number, company name, industry sector, and message content when you submit an inquiry.
• Communication: any additional information you share via email or other direct communication.

3.2 Automatically Collected Data

• Server logs: IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages visited, and timestamps. This data is stored by our hosting provider (Vercel Inc.) for operational security and performance monitoring.
• Analytics: We do not currently use Google Analytics, cookies, or third-party tracking scripts. If this changes, we will update this policy and provide opt-in consent where required.

4. Purpose of Processing

We process personal data solely for the following purposes:

• To respond to your inquiries and provide industrial sourcing assistance
• To match you with relevant German manufacturers
• To improve our website and services
• To comply with legal obligations (e.g., commercial record-keeping)

5. Legal Basis (GDPR Art. 6)

• Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): When you submit a contact form, you explicitly consent to us processing your data to respond to your inquiry.
• Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)): Server logs and operational data are processed for website security, maintenance, and improvement.
• Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)): We may retain certain data to comply with Dutch and EU commercial record-keeping requirements.

6. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties.

We may share your data only in these limited circumstances:

• With your explicit consent: If you request an introduction to a specific manufacturer, we may share your name, company, and contact details with that manufacturer.
• Service providers: Our hosting provider (Vercel Inc., US) processes server logs. Vercel is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.
• Legal requirement: If required by law or to protect our legal rights.

7. Data Retention

• Contact form submissions: Retained for 24 months after last contact, then permanently deleted.
• Server logs: Retained for 90 days by Vercel, then anonymized or deleted.
• Business correspondence: Retained as required by Dutch commercial law (7 years for accounting records).

8. Your Rights (GDPR)

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access (Art. 15): Request a copy of your personal data.
• Right to rectification (Art. 16): Correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure (Art. 17): Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten").
• Right to restriction (Art. 18): Limit how we process your data.
• Right to data portability (Art. 20): Receive your data in a machine-readable format.
• Right to object (Art. 21): Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Right to withdraw consent (Art. 7(3)): Withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@germanindustryhub.com. We will respond within 30 days.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP), the Dutch data protection authority.

9. Cookies

We do not use cookies or similar tracking technologies on this website. No consent banner is required because no non-essential cookies are set.

If we introduce cookies or analytics in the future, we will update this policy and implement appropriate consent mechanisms.

10. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction:

• All data transmitted via SSL/TLS encryption (HTTPS)
• Contact form submissions are transmitted securely and stored with restricted access
• Access to personal data is limited to the data controller on a need-to-know basis

11. International Transfers

Our website is hosted by Vercel Inc. (United States). Vercel is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF), which the European Commission has deemed to provide an adequate level of protection (adequacy decision).

12. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external sites (manufacturer websites, government resources, etc.). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing personal data.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Material changes will be notified via a notice on our website.

14. Contact

For questions, concerns, or requests regarding your data, contact:

Arshiya Sabaghi
Data Controller
info@germanindustryhub.com
Herengracht 100, 1015 BW Amsterdam, The Netherlands

This privacy policy was last updated on May 12, 2025. It complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Dutch UAVG.