Terms of use for MATLAB & Simulink Online from MathWorks for students and employees of RWTH Aachen University

RWTH Aachen University offers its employees and students the MATLAB and Simulink online software from MathWorks both as a network licence and as a single-user licence. The use of user-bound single-user licences is possible within a defined framework. Network licences are available via the RWTH Aachen University server; this is not cloud software.

The services offered (MATLAB and Simulink online) as well as the single-user licences are provided on servers that are in the cloud of third-party providers, including AWS. RWTH Aachen University has no physical access to the hardware. However, RWTH Aachen University is responsible for implementing authentication and managing the licences.

In order to technically enable authentication and administration of the services and single-user licences, the status, the RWTH e-mail address (ending in @rwth-aachen.de) and the eduperson target ID must be transmitted by the users via Shibboleth (SSO). The host ID, the activation name and the operating system are also transmitted when you install Matlab on a PC. The following data is transferred or entered by the user to MathWorks:

• Last name, first name (a pseudonym should be used),
• your physical location,
• your job title (selection options),
  • Student,
  • Teacher / researcher in academy,
  • Hobbyist,
  • Engineer / scienticst in government,
  • Engineer / scientist in industry,
• older than 13 years (select yes/no),
• Department: selection options and
• the name of the company is given to RWTH, because the login is done via SSO.

The IT Centre has also implemented the following framework conditions centrally:

• Authentication takes place via the single sign-on service (Shibboleth) of RWTH Aachen University. No access data (user name + password) is passed on to MathWorks.
• No personal data may be processed in Matlab - the tool is only used to solve mathematical problems and for graphical visualisation. Matlab is primarily designed for numerical calculations using matrices.

The following obligations apply to the user. These result directly from MathWorks' licence conditions and measures for compliance with data protection and data security:

• The use of MathWorks software and services is subject to the current version of the Data Protection for Online Services.https://www.mathworks.com/company/aboutus/policies_statements.html
• The software and services are to be used exclusively for academic research and teaching, in compliance with the statutory retention periods and archive law.
• The use of MATLAB and Simulink Online is intended for activities in the context of RWTH Aachen University. Accordingly, use for commercial or private purposes is not permitted.
• When using MATLAB and Simulink Online, the applicable legal provisions and regulations (licence law, data protection law, personnel file law, tax law, copyright law, telemedia law, archive law, US export control law, etc.) must be observed.
• You are only authorised to use the software and services during the licensed period and with a corresponding status (employee or student). All software must be deleted or services may no longer be used if RWTH Aachen University terminates the campus contract or does not submit an accession or renewal order before the end of the licensed period or does not acquire licences for an unlimited period, depending on which event occurs first.
• MathWorks' online tutorials often use MATLAB and Simulink Online for practice. MATLAB and Simulink Online run on servers in the cloud. If you participate in these tutorials, you may only use the examples provided by MathWorks and may not use your own research data.

Strictly confidential data may not be stored in the cloud due to the very high protection requirements. This includes:

1) Data that contains information that could result in damage or liability to the University if published or lost, and personal data for which compliance with data protection regulations or fulfilment of information obligations cannot be ensured. Examples of this are:

• Personal data (attendance lists or lists of participants at an event), in particular data on racial or ethnic origin, political opinions or religious or ideological beliefs
• Travel or salary statements (financial data, social data, data relating to the personnel file)
• Research data that is not intended for the public anyway
• Technical data (construction plans of sensitive rooms, network plans)
• Protected data (sick notes, draft certificates, contracts)
•  Examinations (reports and corrections)

Data containing information that must be prevented from unauthorised access. This includes, in particular, information that must be kept secret due to contractual obligations or information that is subject to a duty of confidentiality.

• No central backup is created by the IT Centre for the data stored online in MATLAB and Simulink. Documents can be synchronised to specific end devices.
• MATLAB and Simulink Online are not systems for permanent storage in the sense of archiving.

Sharing documents in MATLAB and Simulink Online or collaboration with external parties:

• Between universities, the use of MATLAB and Simulink Online is possible for existing contracts or projects.
• Joint use with external companies or research institutions is only possible with existing contracts (e.g. cooperation agreements) that regulate data exchange. If you have any legal queries, please contact Department 9.

By using MATLAB and Simulink Online, you agree to the above regulations.

In addition, we recommend the following actions:

• We recommend that employees and Hiwis use the MATLAB and Simulink network license over the RWTH Aachen server, which is not a cloud-based software.
• Use the option to label the stored data and documents with appropriate categories.
• Please note the existing FDM processes and solutions at RWTH Aachen when processing and storing research data.
• For students, only the use of single-user licenses on private devices is possible. Use of private devices is at your own risk. RWTH Aachen cannot provide any warranty or support in case of data loss on the device.