Privacy policy
We take data protection and confidentiality very seriously and adhere to the provisions of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as well as current national data protection regulations. Please read this information on data protection law carefully before submitting a report.
Purpose and legal basis of the whistleblower system
The whistleblower system (BKMS® System) serves the purpose of securely and confidentially receiving, processing and managing reports concerning violations of the compliance rules of Eppendorf SE. The processing of personal data within the framework of BKMS® System is based on the legitimate interest of our company in discovering and preventing abuses and thereby averting harm to Eppendorf SE, its employees and customers. The legal basis for the processing of personal data is Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR.
Controller
The controller responsible for data protection in the whistleblower system is
- Eppendorf SE and
- its subsidiaries: If a report relates to conduct, the investigation of which is the responsibility of an Eppendorf national subsidiary, the latter will process your data jointly with Eppendorf. At your request, the essentials of the underlying agreement will be made available to you.
as parties with mutually autonomous responsibility (hereafter also: ‘Eppendorf’). The whistleblower system is operated by a specialised company, EQS Group GmbH, Bayreuther Str. 35, 10789 Berlin, Germany, on behalf of Eppendorf.
Personal data and information entered into the whistleblower system are stored in a database operated by EQS Group GmbH in a high-security data centre. Only Eppendorf can see the data. EQS Group GmbH and other third parties do not have access to the data. This is ensured in the certified procedure through extensive technical and organisational measures.
All data are stored encrypted with multiple levels of password protection according to a system of permissions so that access is restricted to a very small group of expressly authorised persons at Eppendorf.
Eppendorf has appointed a data protection officer. Inquiries regarding data protection at Eppendorf can be sent to Juliane Dietrich-Schröder (datenschutzbeauftragter@eppendorf.de).
Type of personal data collected
Use of the whistleblower system is voluntary. We collect the following personal data and information when you submit a report using the whistleblower system:
- your name, if you choose to reveal your identity,
- whether you are employed at Eppendorf, and
- the names and other personal data of persons whom you list in your report, if applicable.
Confidential handling of reports
Incoming reports are received by a small group of expressly authorised and specially trained employees of the compliance organisation of Eppendorf and are always handled confidentially. The employees of the Eppendorf compliance organisation evaluate the matter and perform any further investigation required in the specific case.
While processing a report or conducting a special investigation, it may be necessary to share reports with additional employees of Eppendorf or employees of other group companies, e.g. if the reports refer to incidents in subsidiaries. These subsidiaries may be based in countries outside the European Union or the European Economic Area with different regulations concerning the protection of personal data. We always ensure that the applicable data protection regulations are complied with when sharing reports.
All persons who receive access to the data are obligated to maintain confidentiality.
Information about the accused
We are legally obliged to inform accused parties of any reports received against them as soon as the disclosure of this information no longer jeopardises the investigation. Your identity as a whistleblower will not be disclosed unless we are legally bound to do so.
Rights of the data subjects
Pursuant to European data protection legislation, you and the persons named in the report have a right of access, rectification, erasure and restriction of processing and a right to object to the processing of your personal data. If the right to object to the processing of the personal data is exercised, the necessity of the stored data for the examination of a report will be evaluated immediately. Data that are no longer needed will be deleted without undue delay. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority.
Retention period for personal data
Personal data are retained for as long as necessary to clarify the situation and perform a final assessment or for as long as a legitimate interest exists on the part of the company or if retention is required by law. After the report processing is concluded, the data will be erased in accordance with statutory requirements.
Use of the whistleblower system
Communication between your computer and the whistleblower system takes place over an encrypted connection (SSL). Your IP address will not be stored during your use of the whistleblower system. In order to maintain the connection between your computer and BKMS® System, a cookie is stored on your computer that merely contains the session ID (a session cookie). This cookie is only valid until the end of your session and expires when you close your browser.
It is possible to set up a secured postbox within the whistleblower system with an individually chosen pseudonym/user name and password. This allows you to send reports to the respectively responsible Eppendorf employee either by name or in an anonymous, safe way. This system only stores data inside the whistleblower system, which makes it particularly secure. It is not a form of regular email communication.
Note on sending attachments
When submitting a report or an addition, you can simultaneously send attachments to the responsible Eppendorf employee. If you wish to submit an anonymous report, please note the following security advice: Files may contain hidden personal data that could jeopardise your anonymity. Please remove all such information before sending a file. If you are unable to remove such data or are uncertain about how to do so, copy the text of your attachment into your report text or send the printed document anonymously to the address listed in the footer, citing the reference number received at the end of the reporting process.
Version: June 2022
