Privacy Policy

General information 

This privacy policy provides you with details of how we collect and process your personal data through your use of our website or any subdomains including any information you may provide to us when you purchase or use a service of us. 

Vera von Flüe operates the website www. speakgermannow . com , is the data controller and is responsible for your personal data (referred to as “we”, “us” or “our” in this privacy policy). If you have any questions, please contact us (Vera von Flüe, Schärenmoosstrasse 77, 8052 Zürich, vera @ speakgermannow . com). 

The protection of your personal data is a high priority for SpeakGermanNow. This document informs you about the data collected and how it is used. You will also learn how you can verify the accuracy of this information and arrange for the deletion of these data from our records. 

Personal data or person-related data (hereinafter also “data”) as referred to below is any information relating to an identified or identifiable person (e.g. name, date of birth, email address, IP address). Information that has been anonymized or aggregated and cannot (or can no longer) be used to identify a specific person is not deemed to be data in this sense.

“Data processing” refers to all handling of personal data including the collection, storage, use, disclosure, altering, archiving, and erasure of data.

The legal basis and purpose of processing your data is primarily the initiation and/or performance of a contract. Furthermore, we base the processing of data on the existence of a legal obligation and/or consent (from you or from a person you have authorized) as well as on overriding or legitimate interest on the part of SpeakGermanNow (i.e., specifically in order to pursue the purposes described and associated objectives as well as implement corresponding measures).

The processing of your personal data is based on the principles of accuracy, lawfulness, transparency, data minimization, proportionality, responsibility, and data security.

The content of this website and the services offered are for adults living in Switzerland. Therefore, this privacy policy is based on the requirements of the Federal Act on Data Protection (FDAP) and, where applicable, other applicable data protection legislation on a case-by-case basis (e.g. GDPR). 

Data collection and categories  

Personal data is collected from you directly, e.g. personal consultation, and through online and application forms.

-          Personal information and contact data: This includes first and last name, gender, date of birth, age, language, nationality, telephone number, email address, customer history. 

-          Application data: This includes information submitted during the application process, e.g. answers to questions about language level and experience. 

-          Customer/contract data: This includes data obtained in connection with the conclusion or processing of a contract, e.g. type and date of chosen program, price of program, subscriptions to newsletters. 

-          Data on behavior and preferences: This includes information about learning preferences and interests, language courses visited. 

-          Financial and payment data: This includes payment details, prices of purchased programs, outstanding payments and reminders. 

-          Technical data: This includes IP address, cookies, metadata, logs or records of the use of our systems, IP packets and other technical identification details, data relating to online/telephone communication. 

Purpose of data processing 

Personal data is processed by us for the purposes set out below and/or purposes associated with them and underlying objectives. Where a legal relationship subject to the GDPR exists, the specified legal basis applies. 

-          Advice, offer of services and contract: We process your data in the context of your request for advice, pre-contractual consultation, provision of an offer, and finally for the processing of contract. 

Processing is permitted on the basis of the contract. 

-          Legal obligations/compliance: We process your data in order to meet regulatory and legal obligations, and to guarantee that laws are complied with. 

Processing is permitted on the basis of statutory obligations. 

-          Customer surveys and marketing: 

We process your data for customer survey and marketing purposes, so that we can inform you about our products and services. You can object to direct marketing measures at any time (see: Your rights). 

Processing is permitted on the basis of our overriding interest in providing you with targeted information about our products and services which could be of interest to you. 

-          Statistics and science: We process your data for statistical analysis and for market research purposes, in order to develop and enhance our products and services, including the website, as well as identify needs and aspirations, thus enabling us to create an optimized offer. If possible, we use anonymized data for our analysis and also anonymize or pseudonymize the data over the course of the statistical process. Processing is permitted due to our overriding legitimate interest in improving our products and services. 

-          Other purposes: Furthermore, we process your information for other purposes including in the context of our internal procedures and for administration, for training and quality assurance purposes, for the protection of our customers, employees, and other persons, and to protect SpeakGermanNow’s data, secrets, and assets, as well as any data, secrets, and assets that have been entrusted to SpeakGermanNow.

Data processing is permitted on the basis of our overriding legitimate interest in expedient business management and development.

-          Legal basis according to GDPR: Where the GDPR applies, we proceed in application of the following legal obligations:

a) Initiation or performance of a contract  

b) Legal obligations

c) Consent from you or a person authorized by you 

d) Overriding or legitimate interests of AXA, examples of which include:  

·         Efficient, effective protection of customers, employees, and other persons as well as protection of SpeakGermanNow’s data, secrets, and assets as well as data, secrets, and assets that have been entrusted to SpeakGermanNow

·         Maintenance and secure organization of business operations, including secure, efficient, and effective operation, and successful development of the website and other IT systems

·         Efficient and effective customer support, contact maintenance, and other communications with customers including outside of contract processing

·         Documentation of customer behavior, activities, preferences, and needs, market studies

·         Efficient and effective improvement of existing products and services as well as development of new products and services

·         Management of advertising and marketing measures

·         Successful sale or purchase of business areas, companies, or parts of companies and other transactions under company law

·         Legal obligations and defence, asserting, exercising, and defending legal entitlements

Disclosure of data

We may have to share your personal data with the parties set out below:

-          Service providers who provide IT and system administration services.

-          Professional advisers including lawyers, bankers, auditors and insurers. 

-          Government bodies that require us to report processing activities.

-          Third parties such as copywriters, customer support and virtual assistants.

-          Third parties to whom we sell, transfer, or merge parts of our business or our assets.

We require all third parties to whom we transfer your data to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with the applicable law. We only allow such third parties to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.

In connection with our business activities, personal data may be disclosed in Switzerland, to EEA countries, and in some circumstances to other countries. 

Whenever we transfer your personal data out of Switzerland / EEA, we take precautions in order to maintain an appropriate degree of data protection. By way of exception, data may be transmitted to a third country with an insufficient degree of data protection if you have given us consent to do so, if required by the contract concluded with you, in the case of legal proceedings abroad, or in the event of overriding public interest. 

Data retention 

We will retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

When deciding what the correct time is to keep the data for we look at its amount, nature and sensitivity, potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure, the processing purposes, if these can be achieved by other means and legal requirements.

Your rights

Depending on the applicable law (e.g., Swiss Privacy Act or GDPR) and circumstances, you have certain data protection rights: 

-          The right to access, update or to delete the information we have on you (please note that a request for deletion may depend on the absence of a legal reason or the existence of a legitimate reason that oblige us to retain your data). 

-          The right of rectification. You have the right to have your information rectified if that information is inaccurate or incomplete.

-          The right to object. You have the right to object to our processing of your Personal Information.

-          The right of restriction. You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your Personal Information.

-          The right to data portability. You have the right to be provided with a copy of your Personal Information in a structured, machine-readable and commonly used format.

-          The right to withdraw consent. You also have the right to withdraw your consent for future processings at any time where we relied on your consent to process your Personal Information.

Please note that we may need to request specific information from you to help us verify your identify before responding to such requests. This is a security measure to ensure that personal data is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it. 

If you wish to exercise any of the rights set out above, please contact us via the address provided in the imprint of this website. 

You have the right to complain to your supervisory authority for data protection issues if you do not agree with the processing of your data. For more information, please contact your local data protection authority. We would be grateful if you would contact us first if you do have a complaint so that we can try to resolve it for you.

Data security

We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. Your Personal Information is contained behind secured networks and is only accessible by a limited number of people who have special access rights to such systems, and are required to keep the information confidential.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

Changes to this Privacy Policy will be published on this website. This is also how you can inform yourself at any time which data we collect and how we are processing them. 

Last update: May 2024