Privacy Policy

1. Data controller

Sabrina Wendt
Hermann-Nordmann-Straße 7
26871 Papenburg
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: +49-174-1802087

2. Hosting and server log files

This website is hosted on Cloudflare Pages Hosted on (EU-Edge). When the site is accessed, technically necessary connection data is processed:

• IP address (truncated/anonymised)
• Date and time of access
• URL accessed
• Browser information (user agent)
• Referrer URL (if provided)

The legal basis is Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR (legitimate interest in the stability and security of the service). The data will be deleted or anonymised after a maximum of 30 days.

3. Getting in touch (email and contact form)

If you contact us by email or via the contact form, your details (name, email address, message) will be processed in order to deal with your enquiry. The legal basis for this is Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR (pre-contractual measures) or (f) (legitimate interest in responding).

We will not pass on your data without your consent. Data will be deleted as soon as your enquiry has been fully processed and there are no longer any legal obligations to retain it.

4. Newsletter

Newsletter distribution via Resend (EU region) using the double opt-in procedure. Your email address and (optionally) your first name will be processed. Legal basis: Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR (consent). You can unsubscribe at any time with a single click – the link is included in every newsletter.

5. Referendum

Votes are stored with an IP hash, cookie ID and (optionally) email verification to prevent multiple voting. Anonymous votes are given a lower weighting; it is not possible to identify the individual from them. Legal basis: Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR (legitimate interest in ensuring that public participation is free from manipulation). To protect against automated submissions, we use Cloudflare Turnstile (Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR); in the process, a technical token is set which is not used for tracking. We send confirmation and notification emails (double opt-in, deletion confirmation) via Resend (EU region). You may request the deletion of your voting data at any time.

6. Cookies

We only use cookies that are technically necessary. There is no tracking . No Google Analytics, no Meta Pixel, no third-party advertising networks. We access only technically necessary storage information within the meaning of Section 25(2)(2) of the TDDDG; the Cloudflare Turnstile bot protection may set a necessary token for this purpose, which is not used for recognition for advertising purposes.

7. External links and social media profiles

This website contains links to external profiles (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn). When you click on a link, your request is forwarded to the relevant provider, which has its own data processing policies. We have no control over what data is processed there.

8. Fonts and assets

We do not reload third-party fonts or assets every time a page is viewed. Fonts are served directly from our server (no Google Fonts embedding with tracking).

9. Recipients and transfers to third countries

If you submit a photo, a voice or video message, or free-form text via the citizens’ vote, or use the creative postcard, we will transfer this content to AI service providers in the USA for automatic text recognition and linguistic processing: Anthropic PBC (image and text recognition) and OpenAI (transcription of voice recordings). Your data will not be transferred to any third countries outside the EU/EEA beyond this. The transfer to the USA is carried out on the basis of EU Standard Contractual Clauses and, where necessary, your consent in accordance with Article 49(1)(a) of the GDPR. We use the following data processors in accordance with Article 28 of the GDPR: Cloudflare (hosting and Bürgervotum backend, Turnstile bot protection, EU region), Resend (email dispatch, EU region), Anthropic PBC (AI image and text recognition, USA), OpenAI (AI speech transcription, USA) and Google (exclusively for internal team login in the moderation area; no access to visitor data). Data processing agreements are in place with all data processors.

10. Retention period

Personal data is only stored for as long as is necessary for the respective purpose or as required by statutory retention obligations. Server log files: max. 30 days. Enquiries: until resolved. Newsletter data: until unsubscribed. Citizens’ referendum: IP hashes are anonymised after 30 days at the latest; voting data is retained until a deletion request is received. Submitted entries will be deleted after polling day on 13 September 2026.

11. ‘Papenburg Mitmachen’ citizens’ referendum

When you submit a contribution via the participation page, we process the following data in order to review your contribution, display it publicly and enable voting:

• Content of your post: text, photo, video and audio recording.
• Optional details: Name, email address and neighbourhood. Your name and email address will not be published; they are used solely for internal processing and in the event of any queries.
• For voting: a pseudonymous device identifier and an anonymised IP hash, to prevent multiple votes.
• Optional: your location: If you tap ‘Add location’ in the form and your device allows it, we’ll save the coordinates associated with your post so that we can pinpoint the location of your enquiry. No location data will be processed without your consent.

Legal basis: your consent (Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR), which you actively give when submitting the form and which you may withdraw at any time.

Publication: Once we have reviewed your submission, we will publish it on the ‘Get Involved’ page, complete with automatic subtitles for the audio and video. If any people are recognisable or can be heard, we will require your consent.

Automatic captioning: Voice messages and videos are automatically converted into text, and images are described, to ensure that posts are accessible and searchable. To this end, the content is processed by technical service providers.

Location: Data is stored within the European Union.

Retention period: We will store the posts until the end of the election campaign and delete them after polling day on 13 September 2026. We will delete them earlier if you withdraw your consent or request us to do so.

12. Your rights

You have the right at any time to:

• Right of access (Article 15 of the GDPR)
• Correction (Art. 16)
• Deletion (Art. 17)
• Restriction of processing (Art. 18)
• Data portability (Art. 20)
• Objection (Art. 21)

Please send any enquiries in an informal manner to: [email protected]

13. Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

You have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority. The competent authority for Lower Saxony is: State Data Protection Commissioner for Lower Saxony, Prinzenstraße 5, 30159 Hanover, lfd.niedersachsen.de.

14. ‘Mia’, the AI chat assistant

On our website, we offer the AI chat assistant ‘Mia’, which answers questions about Sabrina Wendt and Papenburg. When you use the chat, your input is transmitted to our service provider rainmaker (operator of the ‘Atlas’ assistant) and processed there using an AI language model from Anthropic (USA) in order to answer your question. The legal basis for this is our legitimate interest in providing visitors with information in a straightforward manner (Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR). Please do not enter any sensitive personal data in the chat. Your input will be processed solely for the purpose of answering your query and will not be used for advertising or profiling. Data is transferred to the USA on the basis of EU Standard Contractual Clauses. Use of the chat is voluntary; none of this data will be processed if you do not use the chat.