Information on data protection

Helvetia may use your personal data for the following reasons:

• Consent by you or a person authorized by you
• Existence of a contract with Helvetia
• For legitimate interests of Helvetia
  

Legitimate interests can be:

• Acquisition
• needs-based advice and support
• Carrying out application or application processes
• Feedback on making contact via forms
• Analysis and evaluation of the use of Helvetia websites
• Risk assessment of applications
• Compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and internal rules
• Combating misconduct, abuse, misconduct and crime
  
• Protection against insurance fraud
• Conduct of legal proceedings or cooperation
• Cooperation with authorities
• Customer management as well as contact management also outside of contract processing
• Improvement and new development of products, services and services
• Answering questions and concerns as well as evaluation
• providing protection for persons, systems and buildings (e.g. video surveillance)
• Security and protection of data, secrets and assets
• Maintenance and organization of business operations
• Carrying out advertising
• Product and company development
• Exchange of information between Helvetia Group companies
• Market studies, such as tracking customer behaviour, activities, preferences and needs
• customer satisfaction surveys
• Evaluate data and keep statistics
• Creating customer profiles

It is essential to process your personal data in order to provide advice tailored to your insurance, pension and/or financial needs. It is not possible to conclude or execute an insurance contract without processing your data. Your data will only  ever be used for the purpose you consent to when they were collected, which is apparent from the circumstances or provided for by law.

Helvetia processes personal data in particular to the extent required for the following business processes:

• Acquisition
• needs-based advice and support
• Execution of application or application processes
• Provision of services
• processing offers and contracts,
• Management of the contractual relationship
• Invoicing
• Compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and internal rules
• Combating misconduct, abuse, wrongdoing and crime
• Conduct legal proceedings or participation
• Cooperation with authorities
• Improvement and redevelopment of products, services and services
• Answering questions and concerns
• Evaluation, improvement and redevelopment of products, services and services
• Maintaining and organizing business operations
• Security and protection of data, secrets and assets
• Advertising for products of the lender
• Product and Corporate Development
• Market studies, such as tracing customer behaviour, activities, preferences and needs
• customer satisfaction surveys
• Evaluate data and keep statistics
• Creating customer profiles
  

Profiling refers to any kind of automated processing of personal data to analyse specific personal aspects, such as economic situation, health, interests, reliability, behaviour, or relocation.

Helvetia uses profiling to set up customer segments to offer you customized advertising or offers that are tailored more closely to your needs. The use of data analysis processes enables Helvetia to compile additional statistical information.

Should decisions be made based on the fully automated processing of personal data (such as your details when applying) which are associated with a legal consequence for you, Helvetia will inform you accordingly and you have the opportunity to contact Helvetia so that corresponding decisions are reviewed.

Examples of such decisions include the conclusion or termination of a contract, possible risk exclusions or the amount of the insurance premium to be paid. This also allows Helvetia to make a fully automated decision on its obligation to pay based on your information on an insurance claim. Fully automated decisions are based on pre-determined rules for weighing the information.

The personal data processed by Helvetia include data provided by the policyholder as well as publicly available data. Data categories include:

• Customer data (such as name, address, date of birth, gender, nationality, creditworthiness data, etc.)
• Data from applications, including the associated supplementary questionnaires (such as information from the applicant about the insured risk, answers to questions, expert reports, information from the previous insurer about previous claims history etc.) 
• Data from contracts (such as contract term, insured risks, benefits, data from existing contracts etc.) 
• Collection data (such as date and amount of premium payments, outstanding payments, reminders, assets, payment connection data etc.) 
• Any claims data (such as claim notifications, assessment reports, invoices, data relating to injured third-parties etc.)

Data about prospective or existing customers may be collected by third-parties to provide optimum processing of the above-mentioned business processes and ensure the accuracy of data, to optimize the performance of business and/or customer needs, as well as to detect or prevent insurance fraud. As a results, the following information (e.g. from information centres and other third-parties) may be collected:

• Contact details
  
• Size and type of household
  
• Income class and purchasing power
  
• Shopping behaviour
  
• Vehicle class
  
• Motorcycle owner
  
• Building size
  
• Language region of your place of residence

Your personal data may be passed on to third-parties ("processors") for the aforementioned purposes and/or to ensure the legal and regulatory provisions are met. Helvetia may also outsource divisions, individual value-creating steps of divisions and/or services (e.g. benefits settlement, IT, contract administration, and product development) in part or in full to third-parties in Switzerland or abroad. In this case, this will also affect the processing of personal data. Helvetia takes great care to ensure that your data is protected from unauthorized access, loss or misuse.

The data may be passed on to the following categories of third-parties both within Switzerland and abroad:

• Service providers (both internal and external), including contract processors
  
• Insurance brokers and other contractual partners
  
• Pension funds
  
• Experts and lawyers
  
• Previous insurers, co-insurers and reinsurers
  
• Social insurers
  
• Cooperation partners of Helvetia
  
• Other customers of Helvetia (e.g. in the case of a claim)
  
• Local, national and foreign authorities and official bodies
  
• Industry organizations, associations, organizations and other committees
  
• Acquirer or interested party in the acquisition of business units, companies or other parts of Helvetia
  
• Other parties in possible or actual legal proceedings
  
• Other Helvetia Group companies

If necessary, Helvetia or the processors will consult third-parties – with your consent – depending on the insurance cover to be reviewed (e.g. with your physician, therapist or hospital, with a previous insurance company or with the authorities responsible for administrative measures in road traffic). Based on your consent for the purpose of checking insurance coverage, these persons are explicitly released from their duty to observe confidentiality in respect of Helvetia and the processor.

Your personal data is only passed on to processors abroad if they are subject to adequate data protection laws. If data is transmitted to a country without adequate data protection laws, Helvetia guarantees adequate protection by means of sufficient contractual guarantees or relies on the exception of consent, contract performance or the establishment, exercise and enforcement of legal rights. Contractual guarantees are based on a standard data protection clause accepted by the supervisory institutions.

Data may also be passed on for the purpose of detecting or preventing insurance fraud, especially to insurance companies both within Switzerland and abroad, as well as to law enforcement institutions.

Helvetia processes personal data as long as this is necessary for fulfilling the above-mentioned purposes. Your data will be deleted as soon as they are no longer required for the above-mentioned purposes. Helvetia stores your data due to statutory storage obligations and stores your data for the time period in which claims against Helvetia companies can be made.

The policyholder or beneficiary is obliged to provide the data required to assess the risk, execute the contract and handle claims. If this obligation will not be followed, Helvetia may refuse to conclude the contract or parts thereof or to pay all or part of the claim.

With regard to processing personal data, Helvetia takes adequate technical and organizational measures to prevent unauthorized access and otherwise unauthorized processing. These are based on the international standards in this area and are checked regularly and adjusted when necessary.

Helvetia would like to remind you that the Internet is an open, global network that is accessible to everyone.

Please note that communication via e-mail is not usually encrypted and only takes place during regular office hours. It is possible that data can be lost or intercepted and/or manipulated by third parties, for example, to make it appear authentic.

Helvetia takes appropriate technical and organizational security measures to prevent this from happening within the Helvetia system. Nevertheless, the confidentiality of data transmitted by e-mail cannot be guaranteed. Please note this information, particularly with regard to the transmission of particularly sensitive personal data (such as health data). E-mails can be delayed, deleted, misrouted or shortened during transmission due to transmission errors, technical defects or other malfunctions.

Your access device (PC, smartphone etc.) and the infrastructure used for transmission between you and Helvetia are located outside of the secure area over which Helvetia has control. As an Internet user, it is your responsibility to find out about the necessary security precautions and to take appropriate measures (e.g. up-to-date virus scanner). Please note that Helvetia takes no responsibility for any damage or consequences arising from the electronic exchange of information, particularly from the misuse of the e-mail system, that it did not cause itself.

Helvetia reserves the right in individual cases not to reply by e-mail or to additionally require a different form (e.g. form with signature) for orders or instructions received by e-mail.

If you contact Helvetia using the online contact form, the data you enter into this form are transmitted to Helvetia from your PC in an encrypted format in accordance with internationally recognized security standards, in order to protect them from being misused by third-parties.

You can contact your insurance advisor via live chat or video for Helvetia services, allowing Helvetia to provide you with flexible advice, without having to visit you at home.

To grant this service, Helvetia relies on the following providers:

When contacting Helvetia via the live chat or video advice service, all of the data that you transmit will be collected and processed by the respective service provider. The selected providers grant you the data protection you are entitled to. When using the corresponding applications, data is processed in a pseudonymized form for advertising and optimization purposes. Cookies, which allow the respective Internet browser to be recognized again, are used for this purpose. The data collected during the live chat are not used to personally identify the visitors of the website, unless personal data is voluntarily provided to Helvetia while using the live chat. You will generally be advised of the data processing by these providers before using the service by way of specific information on data protection.

When contacting Helvetia via Meta (Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook), data from each conversation may be collected and used by Meta. Helvetia has no influence on the processing of data by Meta. You will find the conditions for use and more information about Meta here:

• Instagram data protection
• WhatsApp data protection
• Facebook data protection

By contacting Helvetia via Meta you agree that Helvetia may reply to you via Meta (Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook). However, Helvetia cannot provide certain information via Meta (Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook). In such cases, it wlil use traditional communication channels (e.g. the postal service). For sending messages Helvetia also uses third-party services. Further information can be found in the section on text messages.

For Helvetia services, you can contact the Helvetia Service Center by SMS.

The services of the following provider are used to provide this service:

In order to send the SMS, the specified mobile phone number and the information specified in the SMS text are transmitted to the provider. The provider uses binding internal data protection provisions and standard data protection clauses to transfer data to the USA and complies with the current data protection legislation. The data processed for SMS dispatch will be deleted 90 days after notification.

SMS messages are sent via the mobile network of one or more network providers. There is usually no end-to-end encryption or other additional security actions. It is possible that data may be lost or intercepted and/or manipulated by third parties. Therefore, do not share sensitive information (e.g. health data) via SMS.

If you contact Helvetia via SMS, we assume that Helvetia may reply to you via SMS. Please note, however, that Helvetia does not or cannot send you certain information via SMS and reserves the right to use traditional communication channels (e.g. by post) for this purpose.

With Co-Browsing you share the content of your browser window with a person from Customer Support who can advise you as needed. In order to use the service you must first be connected by telephone with a person in the Customer Service unit. This person will give you a personal connection ID which you should enter in the co-browsing window. After pressing the “Accept & Start” button, your browser content will be shared with the person with whom you are connected by telephone.

This person only has reader rights, i.e. he/she can see and read the content of the browser window. If this content includes sensitive information (e.g. details of exclusions of cover or risk surcharges on account of illness), these will be shown to the person in the browser window too while the information is being displayed. By pressing the “Accept & start” button you give your explicit consent to this information being shared during the co-browsing session.

The data communication takes place exclusively in encrypted form. A status bar at the top of the window shows you if you are still sharing your browser content. You can end the sharing at any time by pressing the “Leave session” button.

The contact data you enter to start a co-browsing session and the shared screen content are processed in accordance with data privacy provisions and in the EU area by a partner company in order to offer the co-browsing service. The shared screen content is not recorded or saved beyond the duration of the co-browsing session.

For statistical purposes, the topic (e.g. type of malfunction or assistance), time and duration of the communication are saved. No information is forwarded to third parties.

Co-browsing requires, a session cookie to be placed on your computer.

The services of the following provider are used to enable this facility:

For information on the purpose of processing, categories of data that are processed, sharing of data with third parties and cookies, please refer to the relevant explanatory remarks.

For certain claims and services you can use the “Helvetia Chatbot Services” on our website. The chatbot interprets and answers your chat messages autonomously and round the clock. Communication takes place solely in encrypted format.

For some claims and services, the chatbot might ask you for personal or contractual details for the purpose of identification, such as your first name, last name, date of birth or policy number. If it is possible to clearly identify you in these cases, the communication with the Helvetia chatbot can continue. In the event of claims in particular, an authorized employee of the Helvetia Claims Centre will handle and check the payment process. These employees can also view the chat.

For certain claims and services, the chatbot will ask you to upload files, such as pictures in the event of a claim. Your data will be transmitted via a secure HTTPS connection, saved by Helvetia and protected against unauthorized access using state-of-the-art technology.

Please see the corresponding statement for information about the following: Legal basis for processing personal data, Processing purposes, Category of the processed data, Forwarding of data to third parties, Storage period, Data security, Cookies and Your rights as an affected person.

Helvetia websites use cookies. These are small files which are stored on your access device (PC, smartphone, etc.) when you visit a Helvetia website.

Cookies collect information about the use of websites. Each time you visit the website, the system collects data and information from your access device system.

Certain cookies are automatically deleted at the end of your browsing session (known as session cookies), whereas others are stored for a specified time or permanently in the user's browser and then delete themselves (known as temporary or permanent cookies).

The user data collected in this way are pseudonymized and reference to data subjects is not possible. The data is not stored together with other personal data.

When accessing Helvetia websites, you will be notified about the use of cookies for analytical purposes and be prompted for your consent to the processing of data used in this context.

The cookies stored on your access device may also come from other Helvetia companies, or third-parties such as advertising partners (known as third-Party cookies). They provide personalized advertising and measure its effect.

When accessing Helvetia websites, third-parties simply receive access to data based on an identification number, known as the cookie ID. No personal data will be transmitted.

You can change your browser settings to specify for yourself how cookies are used. However, restricting or preventing the use and functionality of cookies can limit the use of certain websites.

You can manage many online advertisement cookies from companies via the EU website http://www.youronlinechoices.com/uk/your-ad-choices/ or the US website http://www.aboutads.info/choices/.

You can completely prevent third-party cookies and the loading of plugins with specialized add-ons for your browser, such as NoScript and Ghostery.

The providers of Helvetia's websites collect and store data in log files when you access the websites. This includes the following data:

• IP address of the website user 
• User name (user ID) when using the customer portal
• Date and time of access to the Helvetia website
• Designation of the websites accessed
• Definition of the files accessed (downloads)
• Notification of successful access
• Previously visited sites

This data is not stored together with other personal user data. Furthermore, this data is only collected for statistical purposes relating to website use, security and optimization of the offering and the website and are not passed on to third-parties for any other purpose.

This data is deleted as soon as it is no longer required for fulfilling the purpose for which they were collected, or if there is no legal basis for their storage.

As this access data is absolutely necessary for providing the website, it is not possible to object to this data processing.

Services from third-parties are shown in some parts of the Helvetia websites. The functionality of these services requires the service provider to store your IP address. It is of the utmost importance to Helvetia that only such services are used whose providers use the IP address simply for providing the service in question. Your IP address is processed by third-parties in accordance with their data protection provisions.

Advertising partners

The data transmitted to Helvetia by accessing this website may be processed for advertising purposes and made accessible to advertising partners on the basis of a pseudonymized identification number without reference to individuals (known as a cookie ID) for the purpose providing target-group-based advertising. Helvetia does not provide your identity to either advertising partners or partners of advertising and marketing networks. Those involved are obliged to refrain from and prevent the creation of reference to individuals.

The advertising partners are only provided with information about you in anonymized form, such as age group, gender and the region you live in, as well as personal information and household information provided by third-parties.

The services of the following advertising partners are used:

• Adobe Audience Manager
  
• Adobe Target
  
• Adobe Optimizer
  
• Custom Audience Pixel (Facebook)
  
• DoubleClick by Google
  
• Google AdWords Conversion
  
• Google Remarketing
  
• ShareThis

You can object to the processing of data by these providers at any time. You will find the links required to do this in the section on Restricting third-party services under "Advertising partners".

Data analysis and tracking

Data analysis and tracking tools are used to obtain information about the use of Helvetia websites and to optimize offerings. These tools are provided by third-parties. In general, the information about the use of a website will be transmitted to the provider's server through the use of cookies. Your IP address is transferred by the service provider before being anonymized stored so that it can no longer be associated with you.

The following tools may be used on Helvetia websites for the purposes mentioned:

• Adobe Audience Manager
  
• Adobe Analytics
  
• Adobe Target
  
• Adobe Media Optimizer
  
• Google Analytics
• Capture Media
  

You can object to the processing of data by these providers at any time. You will find the links required to do this in the section on Restricting third-party services under "Tracking".

Retargeting

By means of "retargeting" tags, users of Helvetia websites can be made aware of Helvetia again on third-party websites through Helvetia advertisements.

To do this, services from the following providers may be used on Helvetia websites:

• Adobe Media Optimizer
  
• Custom Audience Pixel (Facebook)
  
• Google Remarketing

You can object to the processing of data by these providers at any time. You will find the links required to do this in the section on Restricting third-party services under "Advertising partners".

Social Plugins

Helvetia websites use "social plugins". These are additional programs which are integrated into the Helvetia websites and enhance their range of functions. They can be recognized by their respective logos. Please refer to the providers' privacy policies to find out more about the purpose and scope of data collection.

Helvetia websites generally use the following social plugins:

When you access a Helvetia website that contains an activated plugin (for example, an activated YouTube video), your browser creates a direct connection to the social plugin server. Through this plugin connection, certain information is transmitted to and stored by the provider.

Advertising partners

You can deactivate (opt out of) the services of the following advertising partners used on Helvetia websites under the respective links.

Data analysis and tracking

You can deactivate (opt out of) the services of the following providers of data analysis and tracking services used on Helvetia websites under the respective links.

Retargeting

You can deactivate (opt out of) the services of the following providers of retargeting services used on Helvetia websites under the respective links.

Social plugins

All of the social plugins on Helvetia websites are activated via a 2-click process. This means that a plugin is only activated when you click on the respective provider's icon.

You can usually subscribe to newsletters via Helvetia websites and apps. In addition to the personal data you enter into the input screen, the following information is collected when registering:

• Pseudonymized IP address of the device used to access the website
• Date and time of registration

This data is not passed on to third-parties for any other purpose in connection with sending the newsletter, except for entry into competitions, where you will be explicitly notified of this. When the newsletter is sent, anonymized link tracking is performed for statistical purposes.

You can unsubscribe from Helvetia newsletters using the links in them specially provided for this purpose.

When you register with the Helvetia customer portal, your use of the portal and the webpages is recorded by Helvetia by placing a cookie on your computer. Your actions on these webpages can be compared with data from the Helvetia Customer portal (e.g. your age group, the area where you live and your gender) to offer products that are suited to you. There is no automated decision-making on individual cases.

In order to complete the registration and log-on process and to ensure operation of the customer portal we need the following data: salutation (gender), first name, last name, telephone number, e-mail address, password for portal access and IP address.

As a user of Helvetia’s Customer portal, you can change the customer data on file for you at Helvetia at any time. For information on the purpose of processing, categories of data that are processed, sharing of data with third parties, cookies and communication via co-browsing, please refer to the relevant explanatory remarks.

After registering, the user behaviour with regard to ImmoWorld and the Internet pages is marked with a cookie and rated, in order to provide user-specific services. In order to complete the registration and log-on process and to ensure operation of ImmoWorld, we process the following data: first name, last name, mobile phone number, e-mail address, password for access to ImmoWorld and IP address. In addition, address data, real estate data or financial data may be needed for individual functions. Users of ImmoWorld can change data entered at Helvetia themselves at any time and re-use them in various services on the portal. For operation of the portal, service providers and cooperation partners that are contractually linked to Helvetia are used to whom the data are forwarded in anonymous fashion after registration and from the portal and by whom the data are evaluated. This is done in order to provide the promised services with the related support and expertise, to maintain related services in operation and to improve algorithms by means of anonymized data enrichment. The storage duration of the data is based on the purpose and is limited to the absolute necessary. Data are deleted if not used within the corresponding period (5 years).

You have the right to receive information about your personal data processed by Helvetia. You may submit your request for information in writing, providing a copy of your identity card or passport, to Helvetia's contact address.

If, despite Helvetia's best efforts to ensure the accuracy of data, false information is stored about you, this will be amended at your request. You will be notified once this has been amended. If you are a customer of Helvetia and have registered in the customer portal, you can also amend certain information yourself.

You are entitled to have your data erased from the Helvetia system, as long as Helvetia is not obliged or entitled to store some of your personal data owing to prevailing laws and regulations.

You may object to your data being processed at any time and with effect for the future, if this is not necessary for performing a contract or if Helvetia is not obliged or entitled to it owing to prevailing laws and regulations.

If your rights are violated, you may submit a complaint to the responsible data protection authority.