Legal Information

Imprint (Legal Notice)

Information according to § 5 TMG (German Telemedia Act):

Purpose: This website is operated for educational, organizational, and research purposes to facilitate group discussions and identify diverse viewpoints within organizations, classrooms, and communities.

Disclaimer: Despite careful content control, we assume no liability for the content of external links. The operators of linked pages are solely responsible for their content.

Cookie Policy

What cookies do we use?

This website uses only essential cookies required for basic functionality:

• Session cookies - To maintain your survey progress and identify your submission
• Authentication cookies - To keep educators and administrators logged into the backoffice (2-hour duration)
• Security cookies - To protect against malicious attacks and duplicate submissions

Why do we use cookies?

We only use cookies that are strictly necessary for the website to function properly. These include:

• Maintaining your survey session (survey code and provided name)
• Keeping educators and administrators logged into the backoffice securely
• Preventing duplicate survey submissions
• Protecting the website and your data from security threats

No tracking: We do not use analytics, advertising, or tracking cookies. We do not share data with third parties for marketing purposes.

Your rights

You can disable cookies in your browser settings, but this may prevent the website from functioning properly. Since we only use essential cookies, no consent banner is required under GDPR Article 6(1)(f).

Privacy Policy (Data Protection)

What data do we collect?

Why do we collect this data?

• Survey functionality - To generate controversy pairings and identify participants with differing viewpoints
• Educational/organizational purpose - To facilitate constructive discussions and team-building exercises
• Research - For anonymous academic or organizational research on opinion diversity
• Security - To prevent duplicate submissions and protect against malicious activity
• Technical operation - To ensure the website functions properly and securely

Legal basis: GDPR Article 6(1)(f) legitimate interest for educational, organizational, and research purposes.

How do we protect your data?

• Data is stored securely on servers in Germany
• All data transmission is encrypted using HTTPS/SSL
• Passwords are hashed using bcrypt (cannot be reversed)
• Access is restricted to authorized educators and administrators only
• Database connections are secured and pooled
• No data is shared with third parties
• Login attempts are rate-limited to prevent brute-force attacks

Data retention and deletion

• Active surveys: Data is retained while the survey is open or closed
• Deleted surveys: When an educator or administrator deletes a survey, all associated participant responses are permanently deleted
• Individual answers: Educators and administrators can delete specific participant submissions
• Email addresses: Can be removed while preserving anonymous response data for analysis
• Server logs: Automatically deleted after 7 days
• Inactive accounts: Survey data is retained until explicitly deleted by educators or administrators

Who has access to your data?

• Educators - Can view participant names, emails (if provided), and responses for their own surveys
• System administrator - Has technical access for maintenance and security purposes
• No third parties - Your data is never sold, shared, or transferred to third parties

Your rights under GDPR

You have the right to:

• Access - Request a copy of your data
• Correction - Correct inaccurate data
• Deletion - Request deletion of your data (contact the survey administrator or us)
• Portability - Receive your data in a standard format
• Objection - Object to processing based on legitimate interest
• Restriction - Request restricted processing in certain situations

To exercise these rights for a specific survey, contact the educator. For general data protection inquiries, contact us at admin(at)controversygenerator.org.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your data protection authority (in Germany: your local Landesdatenschutzbehörde).

Data anonymization

Educators and administrators have the option to:

• Delete specific participant submissions
• Anonymize data by removing names and email addresses while retaining response patterns
• Export results for aggregate analysis without personal identifiers

Terms of Use

Permitted use

• This website is for educational, organizational, and research purposes
• Participants must use the service honestly and not attempt to manipulate results
• Each participant may only submit once per survey round
• Educators and administrators must use the backoffice responsibly and respect participant privacy
• Misuse of the system (spam, harassment, unauthorized access) is prohibited

User responsibilities

Intellectual property

The Controversy Generator concept, website design, pairing algorithms, and educational materials are protected by copyright. Use for commercial purposes or redistribution is prohibited without permission.

Service availability

• We strive for high availability but do not guarantee uninterrupted service
• We may perform maintenance with or without notice
• We reserve the right to modify or discontinue features

Limitation of liability

This website is provided "as is" for educational and organizational purposes. We make reasonable efforts to ensure data accuracy and security, but we are not liable for:

• Data loss due to technical failures
• Decisions made based on survey results
• Conflicts arising from controversy pairings
• Third-party access due to security breaches beyond our control

Survey results are intended to facilitate discussion, not to make personnel decisions or discriminate against individuals.

Account termination

We reserve the right to:

• Suspend or terminate administrator accounts for misuse
• Delete surveys that violate these terms
• Remove content that is illegal or harmful

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms occasionally. Continued use constitutes acceptance of updated terms. Major changes will be communicated via email to registered administrators.

Governing law

These terms are governed by German law. Place of jurisdiction is Berlin, Germany.

Contact for Legal & Data Protection Matters

For any questions about your data, to exercise your rights, or for legal inquiries:

Email: admin(at)controversygenerator.org
Response time: We aim to respond within 5 business days.

Data Protection Authority:

For complaints, you may contact your local data protection authority or:

Berliner Beauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit
https://www.datenschutz-berlin.de