Questions and answers about data protection

For voice telephony, we store and process contract and traffic data. Contract data helps us establish contractual relationships and maintain customer relationships. This includes data such as customers' names and addresses, as well as information about the products, services, and plans they use. Traffic data helps establish and manage telecommunications connections. We process it to generate bills and store it as proof of service. At your request, we can use it to create an itemized call record. You can find details about how Telekom collects and processes customer data in the relevant privacy policies for the products you have selected.

For voice telephony, we store and process contract and traffic data. Contract data helps us establish contractual relationships and maintain customer relationships. This includes data such as customers' names and addresses, as well as information about the products, services, and plans they use. Traffic data helps establish and manage telecommunications connections. We process it to generate bills and store it as proof of service. At your request, we can use it to create an itemized call record. You can find details about how Telekom collects and processes customer data in the relevant privacy policies for the products you have selected.

Under Section 34 of the Federal Data Protection Act, any affected individual may request information about the data Deutsche Telekom stores about them. However, this right of access belongs solely to the individual concerned and cannot, for example, be exercised by their spouse. Affected individuals can contact Deutsche Telekom AG, Group Privacy, Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 140, 53113 Bonn by mail or use the email address  datenschutz@telekom.de.

At its meeting on October 16, 2015, the German Bundestag approved the reintroduction of data retention. The legislative process for the „Gesetz zur Einführung einer Speicherpflicht und einer Höchstspeicherfrist für Verkehrsdaten“ was completed when it was promulgated in the Bundesgesetzblatt on December 17, 2015. Taking the transitional periods into account, we do not expect final implementation of the reintroduction of data retention until sometime in 2017. By then, the necessary technical requirements will also be in place to enable data storage under the new legal framework.

Nothing changes now or until the end of the transition period: We store only the data we need for our business operations (e.g., for invoices) and minimize the data we store wherever possible and permitted.
Our promise: Now and in the future, we comply with legal requirements and recommendations from the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI) regarding retention periods.
Transparency matters to us: That is why we have published our retention periods and much more information about data protection online at www.telekom.com/datenschutz.

Deutsche Telekom has established comprehensive internal rules and measures to protect customer data as effectively as possible. For systems that process data, we develop detailed plans that document data protection, authorizations, and data security. Before a system can be put into operation, compliance with data protection and security requirements must be confirmed. Customer data may only be handled in accordance with the requirements defined there once the required plans are in place and the appropriate approval has been granted. In general, a strict "need-to-know" principle applies when handling customer data.

In addition, Deutsche Telekom employees receive training on data protection and security topics and are required to comply with them. This training places particular emphasis on the importance of confidentiality when handling customer data. Both this obligation and the training are repeated at regular intervals. To meet company-specific requirements, particularly for protecting customer data, tailored training plans help ensure compliance with data secrecy and telecommunications secrecy.

Deutsche Telekom provides so-called "Regionalstellen für Staatliche Auflagen" as points of contact for investigative authorities. These offices are staffed by highly qualified personnel who receive specialized training in data protection. Their activities are logged and documented and monitored by the Federal Network Agency to ensure compliance with statutory provisions and that legal requirements are met.

Telecommunications and data protection laws establish clear requirements for the use and processing of customer data. Deutsche Telekom's Group Data Protection Officer, Dr. Claus Dieter Ulmer, and his team promote compliance with these laws through internal company policies, data protection consulting, training, and audits. The responsible supervisory authorities—the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, the responsible state authorities, and the Federal Network Agency—also regularly review compliance with data protection requirements. Specific systems, such as those for preventing misuse, have been submitted to the data protection authorities. In addition, IT security measures are regularly reviewed internally and certified by independent auditors. Deutsche Telekom conducts an annual, standardized, Group-wide data protection audit of its employees. It includes questions about implementing personnel, technical, and organizational data protection measures