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1. What do companies do with my data?

For companies, the personal data of private individuals is worth money. Often, the user of internet de facto "pays" with his data. This is the case, for example, at Facebook. Using the data, companies are able to create extensive profiles of people.

With the help of the collected data, the companies can, among other things, forecast the purchasing behavior of potential customers. The data can also be used for so-called scoring (from a few collected data a risk assessment is determined by means of experience values). Scoring can, for example, decide whether a person is classified as creditworthy or not.

It is also important that data are collected by means of so-called tracking if you do not log on or log in to a website. For example, the company Google not only records who searched for what directly on the Google website but also which result websites were then actually visited. Rather, it is also documented, for example, when and how often on YouTube's video platform films have been viewed.

2. What do authorities and offices do with my data?

The question cannot be answered in one sentence. On the one hand, the data are needed for a functioning state (for reporting purposes, for the payment of social benefits, for tax administration, etc.). Public authorities also need data to prevent and prosecute crime. A complex problem is the extent to which the state should be allowed to collect data from innocent persons without concrete facts. In this context, the discussion about the legality of the so-called data retention is worth mentioning. In addition, the state itself is trading some of its own data. In Germany, for example, registration offices sell data to private companies.

3. What is serious about the use of WhatsApp from data protection aspects?

The Hamburg data protection commissioner Johannes Caspar recommends to all ~ 35 million WhatsApp users in Germany, in the future, to choose alternative messenger services, which protect the user data better than the service taken by Facebook. In August 2016, WhatsApp was updated, enabling users to share phone numbers with Facebook, and share Facebook information on the frequency of WhatsApp usage. (Hamburg, October 2016)

If you are looking for a service other than WhatsApp, you can check out the following messaging services: Threema (mainly for privacy) or Telegram (focus on security).

4. What is an IP number and what is it used for?

An IP address is based on the Internet protocol. It makes devices (computer, smartphone, tablet) addressable and accessible. It is therefore, so to speak, the business card, with which one surfs in the net.

5. What are cookies and do I agree to use them?

Cookies are small data packets which your browser saves, so that the visited website is designed according to your interests/last visit. For example, the online shop knows that you before searched for TVs of the brand X and shows you specific offers. Using cookies, the pages you visit knows on what pages you were before and what you were looking for. You can decide whether to allow the use of cookies or not. An article discussing the fore and against of using cookies can be found for example here: wikipedia.org

6. How do I make a screenshot for proofing?

In certain situations, it may be important that you create a screenshot (a photo of your computer's screen, mobile phone, etc.) for security purposes. This can be the case, for example, when an infringement has taken place on the Internet: copyright infringement, trademark infringement or violation of personality rights.

Capture screenshot / screenshot of whole screen:

a. On a MAC:

Press the Shift key (⌘)-3.
The photo is saved as a PNG file on your desktop.

b. On a PC / Windows:

Method 1
Shortcut key combination: Windows key + Print key
Or FN key + Windows key + Print key
→ Screenshots are saved as finished images in the Screenshots folder (located in the Pictures folder)

Method 2
Press the Print button → Screenshots are copied to the clipboard
To edit or save: you have to insert the screenshot into an image editor such as Paint, Photoshop or GIMP (key combination to insert: CTRL + V)

Method 3
Windows 10 has the so-called snipping tool
→ All Apps → Windows Accessories → Snipping Tool
Here, screenshots can be created, edited and edited directly.

c. Auf iPhone:

Press the "On / Off" button and the "Home button" simultaneously. The display lights up briefly.
The current screen will be photographed and stored in your Pictures / Photo folder.

d. On other smartphones with Android system:

To create a screenshot with Huawei, HTC and most other mobile phones: hold down the "Power" button as well as the "Quieter" button for a few seconds.
To create screenshots with Galaxy-S6, -S7 and other Samsung phones: press the Power and Home buttons simultaneously.
There are also providers who offer a screenshot button in the menu bar.
With some smartphones, you can take a screenshot by dragging your hand edge from one side to the other of your smartphone, for example with the Samsung Galaxy S3 and later.
Depending on the settings, the screenshots are stored either on the SD card or in the phone memory, usually in the "Screenshot" folder.