Privacy Policy
1. Name and address of the responsible party
The person responsible within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation and other national data protection laws of the member states as well as other data protection regulations is:
Rector of RWTH Aachen University
Templergraben 55
52062 Aachen (physical address)
52056 Aachen (mailing address)
Phone: +49 241 80 1
Fax: +49 241 80 92312
Email: rektorat@rwth-aachen.de
Website: www.rwth-aachen.de/rectorate
For the implementation of MATLAB and Simulink license management at RWTH Aachen University:
RWTH Aachen University
IT Center RWTH Aachen University
Head of the institution University Professor Matthias S. Müller, Ph.D.
Seffenter Weg 23
52074 Aachen
Phone: +49 241 80 24680
Email: servicedesk@itc.rwth-aachen.de
Website: www.itc.rwth-aachen.de
2. Name and address of the data protection officer
Availability of the officially appointed data protection officer
Data Protection Office of RWTH Aachen University
Templergraben 83
52062 Aachen (physical address
52056 Aachen (mailing address)
Germany
Phone: +49 241 80 94114
Email: dsb@rwth-aachen.de
3. General Information on Data Processing
Subject and Purpose of Processing Personal Data
Creation of an online account for using the MATLAB and Simulink single-user license/user-related license.
By creating the online account, additional services provided by Mathworks within the existing license can also be utilized. This is not recommended by RWTH and cannot be technically prevented.
The services offered by MATLAB in the cloud, as well as user-related licenses, are provided on external servers owned by third parties, including AWS. RWTH Aachen does not have physical access to the hardware. However, RWTH Aachen is responsible for implementing authentication and managing licenses.
To technically enable authentication as well as management of services and single-user licenses during login via Shibboleth Single-Sign-On (SSO), the following data is transmitted:
- Status
- RWTH email address (ending in @rwth-aachen.de or @<abbreviation of institution>.rwth-aachen.de)
- eduperson Target ID
No further data is transferred from RWTH to MathWorks. During the creation of the online account, MathWorks requests additional personal data. This data is not transferred by RWTH but must be provided by users themselves. The following data is requested:
- First and last name (We recommend using a pseudonym instead of your real name)
- Physical location
- Department
- Description of activity
MathWorks uses the personal data transmitted by RWTH primarily for:
- Providing, operating, and continuously improving products
- Services and support (including account/license management, authentication, training/events)
- Handling customer inquiries and communication
- Integration with third-party providers as well as
- Compliance with legal obligations.
The data processing is based on a contract for commissioned processing concluded between RWTH and MathWorks Inc.
A complete assessment of your visibility regarding cloud-based services cannot be conclusively made. Below are some common applications and traceable visibility aspects:
- Your activities may always be visible when you collaborate with other users within these cloud services.
- If files are shared via MATLAB Drive or other cloud services, they may be visible to other users.
- Other users can invite you within the cloud services; your name as well as other data from your MATLAB account may be visible.
- When collaborating on documents, changes made by you or others to shared documents along with metadata such as change timestamps may also be visible.
The following categories of data (1–5) are processed and stored when using MATLAB and Simulink:
- Basic personal and contact details (status, official email address/student email address, and "eduperson Target ID" – transmitted via Shibboleth SSO)
- Profile creation (the data collected from users in their online accounts for MATLAB and Simulink)
- Log files with accesses
- System-generated log data (e.g., change history)
- Documents and files
Affected persons are those with an online account for using the MATLAB and Simulink single-user/user-based license.
When using MATLAB and Simulink, MathWorks' terms of use apply along with RWTH's terms regarding MathWorks products. You can find MathWorks' privacy information regarding MATLAB and Simulink on MathWorks' website.
Data Recipients
Authorized persons are generally employees of the responsible entity who have access to certain relevant data due to their position or function.
Administrators at the IT Center have access to the admin portal for managing licenses and support purposes (visible: first name & last name possibly anonymized from user; email address; host ID).
Other recipients of data include: The MathWorks Inc., for commissioned processing purposes.
MATLAB and Simulink belong to The MathWorks Inc., Natick, Apple Hill Campus 1 Apple Hill Drive Natick, MA 01760-2098 UNITED STATES.
Data transfer occurs based on a contract for commissioned processing under EU-U.S. Data Privacy Frameworks.
Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data
The provision of Matlab and Simulink usage by employees and students at RWTH takes place under the following legal basis:
- Art. 6 para 1 sentence 1 lit e), para 3 in conjunction with § 18 para 1 DSG NRW in conjunction with § 3 para 1 HG NRW - Use of Matlab and Simulink occurs in their role as employees at RWTH to fulfill associated university tasks.
- Art. 6 para 1 sentence 1 lit e), para 3 GDPR in conjunction with § 3 DSG NRW in conjunction with § 3 para 1 HG NRW - Use of Matlab and Simulink occurs in their role as students at RWTH within their studies at RWTH.
Data Deletion and Storage Duration
Deletion of an online account at Mathworks occurs upon manual deletion (e.g., by users or through a deletion request) or upon termination of the licensing agreement by RWTH. In this case:
- MathWorks deletes your data or returns it according to instructions from the responsible entity.
- All copies of your personal data will also be removed.
In case authorization is lost (e.g., exmatriculation or termination of employment), logging into the online account will no longer be possible.
4. Contacting Us
Subject Matter And Purpose Of Processing Personal Data
For contacting IT Center at RWTH for technical assistance (installation, availability, current versions), we offer you an opportunity to reach out to the IT-ServiceDesk. The processing of your personal data takes place solely for addressing your concern such as answering your question or fulfilling rights related to affected individuals’ rights requests. Storage serves further correspondence within IT Center’s activities at RWTH. When contacting us via email or chat, any voluntarily provided information will be stored so that we can respond appropriately to your inquiry.
Users within MathWorks product family also have access to free technical support through MathWorks web portal "MATLAB Help Center" or via phone call if needed; this processing adheres to conditions set forth by MathWorks.
Legal Basis For Processing Personal Data
This processing serves fulfilling university responsibilities under Art .6 para .1 sentence .1 lit e), para .3 GDPR in conjunction with § .3 para .1 DSG NRW i.V.m § .3 Abs .1 HG NRW .
Data Deletion And Storage Duration
Personal information received through emails/contact forms will be deleted once storage is no longer necessary regarding pursued purpose(s) or administrative processes resulting therefrom along applicable retention requirements therein; retention period concerning administrative processes lasts ten years after completion last entry while retaining records linked affected individual rights lasts three years .
5. Rights Of Affected Individuals
If personal data is processed by the data subject, he/she has the following rights vis-à-vis the controller.
Pursuant to Article 15 et seq. GDPR, the data subject has the right to obtain from the controller, under the conditions defined therein, information about the personal data concerned, as well as the right to rectification or erasure or restriction of processing, the right to object to processing, and the right to data portability. He/she also has the right to lodge a complaint with the competent data protection supervisory authority pursuant to Article 77 GDPR if the data subject considers that the processing of personal data concerning him/her infringes this Regulation. If the processing is based on the consent of the data subject (cf. Art. 6 (1) (a), Art. 9 (2) (a) GDPR), he/she also has the right to withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of the processing carried out on the basis of the consent until withdrawal; This withdrawal shall only have effect for the future.
To exercise the above rights, the data subject shall send an email to servicedesk@itc.rwth-aachen.de.
