Last updated: 19 October 2026

Protecting your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy explains how we process personal data in connection with the website www.swisspaymentmonitor.ch.

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1. Data Controller

The entity responsible for processing personal data in connection with this website is:

Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW)
Institute of Marketing Management
Theaterstrasse 17
8400 Winterthur
Switzerland
Email: spm.imm@zhaw.ch

The Swiss Payment Monitor is a joint research project of ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences and the University of St. Gallen. Where necessary to respond to your enquiry, your enquiry may be forwarded within the project team.

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2. Personal Data Processed

When you visit our website or contact us, we may process the following personal data in particular:

• Information you provide via the contact form, including your name, email address, message and any other information you choose to provide;

• Communication data when you contact us by email or through other communication channels.

Please do not submit any sensitive personal data via the contact form, such as information concerning your health, religion, political opinions, social assistance measures, or administrative or criminal proceedings and sanctions.

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3. Purposes of Data Processing

We process personal data primarily for the following purposes:

• To receive and handle enquiries submitted via the contact form;

• To respond to questions and communicate with you.

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4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process personal data in accordance with the provisions of the Information and Data Protection Act (IDG) of the Canton of Zurich, the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) and the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), insofar as the respective regulations are applicable.

As the GDPR requires us to specify the legal bases for processing individually, we set out below the legal bases on which we rely where the GDPR applies. Where personal data is processed under the IDG or FADP, we rely on the corresponding legal bases provided for in those laws.

Based on your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR)

Where you have given us consent to process personal data for specific purposes, such processing is lawful on the basis of your consent. You may withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before the withdrawal.

For the performance of contractual obligations (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR)

We process personal data to provide ZHAW services in connection with the performance of our contracts with customers or to take pre-contractual steps at your request. The relevant contractual documents and terms and conditions may contain further details regarding the purposes of data processing.

To comply with legal obligations (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR) or to perform tasks in the public interest (Art. 6(1)(e) GDPR)

As a university of applied sciences, ZHAW is subject not only to higher education legislation but also to other applicable Swiss legal requirements. Personal data may therefore be processed where this is necessary to comply with legal obligations or where processing is carried out in the public interest.

For the purposes of our legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR)

Where necessary, we process your personal data to protect our legitimate interests or those of third parties. Examples include establishing, exercising or defending legal claims, ensuring IT security and the operation of IT systems, analysing website traffic, improving the functionality of our website, and preventing and investigating criminal offences.

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5. Contact Form

When you use the contact form, the information you enter is used to process your enquiry. This information is processed and stored using the website and form infrastructure provided by Wix.

We use this data exclusively to process your enquiry, respond to any follow-up questions and document our communications. The data is retained only for as long as necessary for these purposes or as required by statutory retention obligations.

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6. Data Processing by ZHAW and Third Parties

Within ZHAW, access to your personal data is restricted to employees who require it to perform their duties. These include, in particular, employees of the Institute of Marketing Management involved in the research project.

Your personal data will only be disclosed to third parties (e.g. project partners of the Swiss Payment Monitor or other public authorities) where:

• This is necessary to process your enquiry;

• Disclosure is required to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation; or

• Disclosure is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims or for criminal prosecution.

We do not disclose your personal data to third parties for advertising purposes.

Where necessary, ZHAW engages external service providers to process your data for the purposes described above. These include companies providing hosting, IT and telecommunications services. In such cases, ZHAW takes the necessary measures to ensure compliance with applicable data protection regulations.

This website is operated using the Wix platform, provided by Wix.com Ltd., a company based in Israel. Wix has contractually committed to ZHAW to implement the necessary technical and organisational measures to ensure the security of your data.

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7. International Data Transfers

In connection with the use of this website, your personal data may be processed outside Switzerland and the European Union. As a general rule, such processing takes place only in countries for which the Swiss Federal Council has issued an adequacy decision.

Your data may also be processed in countries without an adequacy decision where data protection is ensured by other means, such as the use of standard contractual clauses.

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8. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website uses only essential cookies that are necessary for the technical operation of the website.

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9. Data Retention Period

We process and store your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil our contractual and legal obligations or for as long as we consider it necessary for the purposes for which the data was collected and processed.

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10. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration or destruction.

Wix has contractually committed to ZHAW to implement the necessary technical and organisational measures to ensure the security of your data. Nevertheless, data transmission over the internet may involve security vulnerabilities, and absolute protection cannot be guaranteed.

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11. Rights of Data Subjects

In addition to the right to withdraw your consent described above, you may have the following data protection rights, depending on the applicable data protection legislation.

Upon request, we will:

• Inform you whether we process personal data relating to you, what data we process and how it is processed (right to confirmation and right of access);

• Correct your personal data if it is inaccurate (right to rectification);

• Delete your personal data if it is inaccurate or if we are no longer permitted to process it (right to erasure).

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at spm.imm@zhaw.ch. If we are unable to comply with your request, we will inform you of the reasons.

If you are dissatisfied with our response to your request, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a competent supervisory authority, particularly in your country or place of residence or at the registered office of ZHAW (right to lodge a complaint).

For further information or questions regarding data protection, please contact:

ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences
Gertrudstrasse 15
8401 Winterthur
Switzerland
Phone: +41 (0)58 934 71 71
Email: datenschutz@zhaw.ch

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12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may amend this Privacy Policy at any time, particularly if we change our data processing activities, introduce new features or services, or become subject to new legal requirements. The current version published on this website shall apply. The date of the most recent update is indicated at the beginning of this Privacy Policy.

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