Last updated: October 2026
At Heribert Hirt, accessible from https://www.heribert-hirt.org/, one of our main priorities is the privacy of our visitors. This Privacy Policy explains which personal data is processed when you visit this website, for which purposes, on which legal basis and which rights you have. It applies only to this website and not to information collected offline or via other channels. This Privacy Policy is based on the template of the Free Privacy Policy Generator and has been supplemented with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
1. Controller
The controller responsible for the processing of personal data on this website within the meaning of the GDPR is:
Prof. Heribert Hirt
4700 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Thuwal 23955-6900
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Email: heribert.hirt@kaust.edu.sa
Phone: +966 12 808 2959
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or about the processing of your data, please contact us at the email address above.
2. Legal bases
We process personal data only where a legal basis under Art. 6(1) GDPR applies, in particular:
- Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) – e.g. for loading embedded content from third parties. You can withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future.
- Performance of a contract or pre-contractual measures (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) – e.g. when you contact us about a collaboration or a position.
- Compliance with a legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR).
- Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) – e.g. the secure and stable operation of this website and answering general enquiries.
3. Hosting and server log files
This website is hosted by World4You Internet Services GmbH, Linz, Austria (www.world4you.com). The servers are located in the European Union. When you visit the website, the hosting provider automatically records information in so-called server log files that your browser transmits: IP address, date and time of the request, the page requested, referring page (referrer), browser type and version, operating system and the amount of data transferred.
This data is required to deliver the website, to ensure its security (e.g. to detect attacks) and to analyse technical problems. It is not combined with other data sources and is deleted as soon as it is no longer required for these purposes. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in the secure and error-free operation of the website (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). The hosting provider processes this data on our behalf as a processor within the meaning of Art. 28 GDPR.
4. Website security
To protect this website against attacks (e.g. repeated failed login attempts), we use the security plugin Solid Security (Kadence Security). It processes the IP address of visitors locally on our server in order to detect and block attacks. The data is not transmitted to third parties. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in protecting the website (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).
5. Cookies and privacy preferences
This website only uses technically necessary cookies. When you visit the website for the first time, a privacy banner is displayed. Your choice (accept or reject) is stored in a cookie on your device (names: uncode_privacy[consent_types] and uncode_privacy[privacy_bar]) so that the banner is not shown again on every page. These cookies do not contain any information that identifies you. The legal basis is § 165(3) of the Austrian Telecommunications Act (TKG 2021) and our legitimate interest in being able to document and respect your choice (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).
You can change or withdraw your consent at any time via the link “Privacy Preferences” in the footer of every page. You can also delete or block cookies in the settings of your browser.
6. Embedded content from third parties
Some pages may contain content from external platforms (videos and posts). Such content is only loaded after you have given your consent in the privacy preferences (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). As long as you have not given your consent, a placeholder or a simple link is shown and no data is transmitted to the provider. Once the content is loaded, the provider receives at least your IP address and information about your browser and may set cookies. Some providers process data in the United States; transfers to the USA are based on the EU–U.S. Data Privacy Framework or on standard contractual clauses of the European Commission.
- Vimeo – Vimeo.com, Inc., 330 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001, USA. Privacy policy: vimeo.com/privacy
- YouTube – Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland. Privacy policy: policies.google.com/privacy
- Facebook – Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, Ireland. Privacy policy: facebook.com/privacy/policy
- X (Twitter) – Twitter International Unlimited Company, One Cumberland Place, Fenian Street, Dublin 2, Ireland. Privacy policy: x.com/privacy
Links to external websites (e.g. publications, partner institutions) are ordinary links. Data is only transmitted to these websites when you click on the link.
7. Fonts
The fonts used on this website are hosted locally on our server. No connection to servers of Google or other font providers is established when you visit the website.
8. Contact form and email
If you contact us via the contact form or by email, we process the data you provide (name, email address, subject, message and any further information you choose to provide) in order to answer your enquiry. The form data is sent to us by email and is not stored in a database on the website. Submitting the form requires that you confirm that you have read this Privacy Policy.
The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR if your enquiry relates to a contract or pre-contractual measures (e.g. a collaboration or a position), and otherwise our legitimate interest in answering enquiries (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). We delete your data once your enquiry has been answered completely, unless statutory retention obligations apply.
9. Your rights
Under the GDPR you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- the right of access (Art. 15 GDPR),
- the right to rectification (Art. 16 GDPR),
- the right to erasure (Art. 17 GDPR),
- the right to restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR),
- the right to data portability (Art. 20 GDPR),
- the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests (Art. 21 GDPR),
- the right to withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future (Art. 7(3) GDPR).
To exercise these rights, please contact us at heribert.hirt@kaust.edu.sa. We will respond within one month. Exercising your rights is free of charge.
Right to lodge a complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority, in particular in the EU member state of your residence, your place of work or the place of the alleged infringement. In Austria, where this website is hosted, the competent authority is the Austrian Data Protection Authority (Österreichische Datenschutzbehörde), Barichgasse 40–42, 1030 Vienna, Austria, www.dsb.gv.at.
10. Children’s information
This website is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under the age of 16. If you believe that your child has provided personal data on this website, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
11. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy when the website or the legal situation changes. The current version is always available on this page.