Standard Contractual Clauses

SECTION I – GOVERNANCE

Clause 1. Purpose and Scope

(a) The purpose of these Clauses is to ensure compliance with the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, known as the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) for the transfer of Personal Data to a third country.

(b) Each Party transferring the Personal Data (each “Data Exporter”), and each entity in a third country receiving the Personal Data from the Data Exporter, directly or indirectly via another entity also Party to these Clauses (each “Data Importer’) has agreed to these Clauses.

(c) These Clauses apply with respect to the transfer of Personal Data as part of the Services provided as per the Principal Agreement.

Clause 2. Effect and Invariability of the Clauses

(a) These Clauses set out appropriate safeguards, including enforceable Data Subjects rights and effective legal remedies, pursuant to Article 46(1) and Article 46 (2)(c) of GDPR and, with respect to data transfers from controllers to processors and/or processors to processors, standard contractual clauses pursuant to Article 28(7) of GDPR, provided they are not modified, except to select the appropriate Module(s) or to add or update information in the Schedule. This does not prevent the Parties from including the standard contractual clauses laid down in these Clauses in a wider contract and/or to add other clauses or additional safeguards, provided that they do not contradict, directly or indirectly, these Clauses or prejudice the fundamental rights or freedoms of Data Subjects.

(b) These Clauses are without prejudice to obligations to which the Data Exporter is subject by virtue of GDPR.

Clause 3. Third-Party Beneficiaries

(a) Data Subjects may invoke and enforce these Clauses, as third-party beneficiaries, against the Data Exporter and/or Data Importer, with the following exceptions:

Clause 1, Clause 2, Clause 3, Clause 6;
Clause 8.5 (e) and Clause 8.9(b)
N.A.
Clause 12(a) and (d)
Clause 13;
Clause 15. 1 (c) and (d);
Clause 16(d);
Clause 18 (a) and (b)

(b) The above being without prejudice to rights of data subjects under GDPR.

Clause 4. Interpretation

(a) Where these Clauses use terms that are defined in GDPR, those terms shall have the same meaning as in that Regulation.

(b) These Clauses shall be read and interpreted in the light of the provisions of GDPR.

Clause 5. Hierarchy

In the event of a contradiction between these Clauses and the provisions of related agreements between the Parties, existing at the time these Clauses are agreed or entered into thereafter, these Clauses shall prevail.

Clause 6. Description of the Transfer(s)

The details of the transfer(s), and in particular the categories of personal data that are transferred and the purpose(s) for which they are transferred, are specified in the Schedule.

Clause 7. Docking Clause

(a) An entity that is not a Party to these Clauses may, with the agreement of the Parties, accede to these Clauses at any time, either as a data exporter or as a data importer, by completing and signing the Data Processing Addendum (“DPA”).

(b) Once it has completed and signed the DPA, the acceding entity shall become a Party to these Clauses and have the rights and obligations of a data exporter or data importer in accordance with its designation in the DPA.

(c) The acceding entity shall have no rights or obligations arising under these Clauses from the period prior to becoming a Party.

SECTION II – OBLIGATIONS OF THE PARTIES

Clause 8. Data Protection Safeguards

The Data Exporter has used reasonable efforts to determine that the Data Importer is in measure, through the implementation of appropriate technical and organizational measures, to satisfy its obligations under these Clauses.

Purpose Limitation

The Data Importer shall process the Personal Data only for the specific purpose(s) of the transfer, as set out in the Schedule. It may only process the Personal Data for another purpose where:

it has obtained the Data Subject’s prior consent;
necessary for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims in the context of specific administrative, regulatory or judicial proceedings; or
necessary in order to protect the vital interests of the Data Subject or of another natural person.

Transparency

(a) In order to enable Data Subjects to effectively exercise their rights pursuant to Clause 10, the Data Importer shall inform them, either directly or through the Data Exporter:

of its identity and contact details;
of the categories of Personal Data processed;
of the right to obtain a copy of these Clauses;
where it intends to onward transfer the Personal Data to any third party/ies, of the recipient or categories of recipients (as appropriate with a view to providing meaningful information), the purpose of such onward transfer and the ground therefore pursuant to Clause 8.7.

(b) The above Paragraph (a) shall not apply where Data Subjects already have the information, including when such information has already been provided by the Data Exporter, or providing the information proves impossible or would involve a disproportionate effort for the Data Importer. In the latter case, the Data Importer shall, to the extent possible, make the information publicly available.

(c) On request, the Parties shall make a copy of these Clauses, available to Data Subjects free of charge. To the extent necessary to protect business secrets or other confidential information, including Personal Data, the Parties shall provide a meaningful summary where Data Subjects would otherwise not be able to understand its content or exercise their rights.

(d) The above Paragraphs (a) to (c) are without prejudice to the obligations of the Data Exporter under Articles 13 and 14 of GDPR.

Accuracy and Data Minimization

(a) Each Party shall ensure that the Personal Data is accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date. The Data Importer shall take every reasonable step to ensure that Personal Data that is inaccurate, having regard to the purpose(s) of processing, is erased or rectified without delay.

(b) If one of the Parties becomes aware that the Personal Data it has transferred or received is inaccurate, or has become outdated, it shall inform the other Party without undue delay.

(c) The Data Importer shall ensure that the Personal Data is adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purpose(s) of processing.

Storage Limitation

The Data Importer shall retain the Personal Data for no longer than necessary for the purpose(s) for which it is processed. It shall put in place appropriate technical or organizational measures to ensure compliance with this obligation, including erasure or anonymization of the data and all back-ups at the end of the retention period.

Security of Processing

(a) The Data Importer and, during transmission, also the Data Exporter shall implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure the security of the Personal Data, including protection against a breach of security leading to accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorized disclosure or access (“Personal Data Breach”). In assessing the appropriate level of security, they shall take due account of the state of the art, the costs of implementation, the nature, scope, context and purpose(s) of processing and the risks involved in the processing for the data subject. The Parties shall in particular consider having recourse to encryption or pseudonymization, including during transmission, where the purpose of processing can be fulfilled in that manner.

(b) The Parties have agreed on the technical and organizational measures set out in the Schedule. The Data Importer shall carry out regular checks to ensure that these measures continue to provide an appropriate level of security.

(c) The Data Importer shall ensure that persons authorized to process the Personal Data have committed themselves to confidentiality or are under an appropriate statutory obligation of confidentiality.

(d) In the event of a Personal Data Breach concerning Personal Data processed by the Data Importer under these Clauses, the Data Importer shall take appropriate measures to address the Personal Data breach, including measures to mitigate its possible adverse effects.

(e) In case of a Personal Data Breach that is likely to result in a risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons, the Data Importer shall without undue delay notify both the Data Exporter and the competent Supervisory Authority pursuant to Clause 13. Such notification shall contain:

a description of the nature of the breach (including, where possible, categories and approximate number of Data Subjects and Personal Data records concerned),
its likely consequences,
the measures taken or proposed to address the breach, and
the details of a contact point from whom more information can be obtained. To the extent it is not possible for the Data Importer to provide all the information at the same time, it may do so in phases without undue further delay.

(f) In case of a Personal Data Breach that is likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons, the Data Importer shall also notify without undue delay the Data Subjects concerned of the Personal Data Breach and its nature, if necessary in cooperation with the Data Exporter, together with the information referred to in paragraph (e), points ii) to iv), unless the Data Importer has implemented measures to significantly reduce the risk to the rights or freedoms of natural persons, or notification would involve disproportionate efforts. In the latter case, the Data Importer shall instead issue a public communication or take a similar measure to inform the public of the Personal Data Breach.

(g) The Data Importer shall document all relevant facts relating to the Personal Data Breach, including its effects and any remedial action taken, and keep a record thereof.

Sensitive Data

Where the transfer involves Personal Data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, genetic data, or biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person, data concerning health or a person’s sex life or sexual orientation, or data relating to criminal convictions or offenses (“Sensitive Data”), the Data Importer shall apply specific restrictions and/or additional safeguards adapted to the specific nature of the data and the risks involved. This may include restricting the personnel permitted to access the Personal Data, additional security measures (such as pseudonymization) and/or additional restrictions with respect to further disclosure.

Onward Transfers

The Data Importer shall not disclose the Personal Data to a third party located outside the European Union internal market as per the Agreement on the European Economic Area (“EEA”), hence extended to Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway (in the same country as the Data Importer or in another third country, “onward transfer”) unless the third party is or agrees to be bound by these Clauses, under the appropriate Module. Otherwise, an onward transfer by the Data Importer may only take place if:

it is to a country benefitting from an adequacy decision pursuant to Article 45 of GDPR that covers the onward transfer;
the third party otherwise ensures appropriate safeguards pursuant to Articles 46 or 47 of GDPR with respect to the processing in question;
the third party enters into a binding instrument with the Data Importer ensuring the same level of data protection as under these Clauses, and the Data Importer provides a copy of these safeguards to the Data Exporter;
it is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims in the context of specific administrative, regulatory or judicial proceedings;
it is necessary in order to protect the vital interests of the Data Subject or of another natural person; or
where none of the other conditions apply, the Data Importer has obtained the explicit consent of the Data Subject for an onward transfer in a specific situation, after having informed them of its purpose(s), the identity of the recipient and the possible risks of such transfer to them due to the lack of appropriate data protection safeguards. In this case, the Data Importer shall inform the Data Exporter and, at the request of the latter, shall transmit to it a copy of the information provided to the Data Subject.
Any onward transfer is subject to compliance by the Data Importer with all the other safeguards under these Clauses, in particular purpose limitation.

Processing under the Authority of the Data Importer

The Data Importer shall ensure that any person acting under its authority, including a processor, processes the data only on its instructions.

Documentation and Compliance

(a) Each Party shall be able to demonstrate compliance with its obligations under these Clauses. In particular, the Data Importer shall keep appropriate documentation of the processing activities carried out under its responsibility.

(b) The Data Importer shall make such documentation available to the competent supervisory authority on request.

Clause 9. Use of sub-processors

N/A

Clause 10. Data Subject Rights

(a) The Data Importer, where relevant with the assistance of the Data Exporter, shall deal with any enquiries and requests it receives from a Data Subject relating to the processing of their Personal Data and the exercise of their rights under these Clauses without undue delay and at the latest within one month of the receipt of the enquiry or request; period that may be extended by up to 2 more months depending on the complexity and number of requests. The Data Importer shall take appropriate measures to facilitate such enquiries, requests and the exercise of Data Subject Rights. Any information provided to the Data Subject shall be in an intelligible and easily accessible form, using clear and plain language.

(b) In particular, upon request by the Data Subject the Data Importer shall, free of charge:

provide confirmation to the Data Subject as to whether Personal Data concerning them is being processed and, where this is the case, a copy of the data relating to them and the information in the Schedule; if Personal Data has been or will be onward transferred, provide information on recipients or categories of recipients (as appropriate with a view to providing meaningful information) to which the Personal Data has been or will be onward transferred, the purpose of such onward transfers and their ground pursuant to Clause 8.7;
rectify inaccurate or incomplete data concerning the Data Subject;
erase Personal Data concerning the Data Subject if such data is being or has been processed in violation of any of these Clauses ensuring third-party beneficiary rights, or if the Data Subject withdraws the consent on which the processing is based.

(c) Where the Data Importer processes the Personal Data for direct marketing purposes, it shall cease processing for such purposes if the Data Subject objects to it.

(d) The Data Importer shall not make a decision based solely on the automated processing of the Personal Data transferred (“automated decision”), which would produce legal effects concerning the Data Subject or similarly significantly affect them, unless with the explicit consent of the Data Subject or if authorized to do so under the laws of the country of destination, provided that such laws lays down suitable measures to safeguard the Data Subject’s rights and legitimate interests. In this case, the Data Importer shall, where necessary in cooperation with the Data Exporter:

inform the Data Subject about the envisaged automated decision, the envisaged consequences and the logic involved; and
implement suitable safeguards, at least by enabling the Data Subject to contest the decision, express their point of view and obtain review by a human being.

(e) Where requests from a Data Subject are excessive, in particular because of their repetitive character, the Data Importer may either charge a reasonable fee taking into account the administrative costs of granting the request or refuse to act on the request.

(f) The Data Importer may refuse a Data Subject’s request if such refusal is allowed under the laws of the country of destination and is necessary and proportionate in a democratic society to protect one of the objectives listed in Article 23(1) of GDPR.

(g) If the Data Importer intends to refuse a Data Subject’s request, it shall inform the Data Subject of the reasons for the refusal and the possibility of lodging a complaint with the competent supervisory authority and/or seeking judicial redress.

Clause 11. Redress

(a) The Data Importer shall inform Data Subjects in a transparent and easily accessible format, through individual notice or on its website, of a contact point authorized to handle complaints. It shall deal promptly with any complaints it receives from a Data Subject.

(b) In case of a dispute between a Data Subject and one of the Parties as regards compliance with these Clauses, that Party shall use its best efforts to resolve the issue amicably in a timely fashion. The Parties shall keep each other informed about such disputes and, where appropriate, cooperate in resolving them.

(c) Where the Data Subject invokes a third-party beneficiary right pursuant to Clause 3, the Data Importer shall accept the decision of the Data Subject to:

lodge a complaint with the Supervisory Authority in the Member State of their habitual residence or place of work, or the competent Supervisory Authority pursuant to Clause 13;
refer the dispute to the competent courts within the meaning of Clause 18.

(d) The Parties accept that the Data Subject may be represented by a not-for-profit body, organisation or association under the conditions set out in Article 80(1) of GDPR.

(e) The Data Importer shall abide by a decision that is binding under the applicable EU or Member State law.

(f) The Data Importer agrees that the choice made by the Data Subject will not prejudice their substantive and procedural rights to seek remedies in accordance with applicable laws.

Clause 12. Liability

(a) Each Party shall be liable to the other Party/ies for any damages it causes the other Party/ies by any breach of these Clauses.

(b) Each Party shall be liable to the Data Subject, and the Data Subject shall be entitled to receive compensation, for any material or non-material damages that the Party causes the Data Subject by breaching the third-party beneficiary rights under these Clauses. This is without prejudice to the liability of the Data Exporter under GDPR.

(c) Where more than one Party is responsible for any damage caused to the Data Subject as a result of a breach of these Clauses, all responsible Parties shall be jointly and severally liable, and the Data Subject is entitled to bring an action in court against any of these Parties.

(d) The Parties agree that if one Party is held liable under the above paragraph (c), it shall be entitled to claim back from the other Party/ies that part of the compensation corresponding to their responsibility for the damage.

(e) The Data Importer may not invoke the conduct of a processor or sub-processor to avoid its own liability.

Clause 13. Supervision

(a) The Supervisory Authority with responsibility for ensuring compliance by the Data Exporter with GDPR regarding the data transfer, shall act as competent supervisory authority.

(b) The Data Importer agrees to submit itself to the jurisdiction of and cooperate with the competent Supervisory Authority in any procedures aimed at ensuring compliance with these Clauses. In particular, the Data Importer agrees to respond to enquiries, submit to audits and comply with the measures adopted by the Supervisory Authority, including remedial and compensatory measures. It shall provide the Supervisory Authority with written confirmation that the necessary actions have been taken.

SECTION III – LOCAL LAWS AND OBLIGATIONS IN CASE OF ACCESS BY PUBLIC AUTHORITIES

Clause 14. Local Laws and Practices Affecting Compliance with the Clauses

(a) The Parties warrant that they have no reason to believe that the laws and practices in the third country of destination applicable to the processing of the Personal Data by the Data Importer, including any requirements to disclose Personal Data or measures authorizing access by public authorities, prevent the Data Importer from fulfilling its obligations under these Clauses. This is based on the understanding that laws and practices that respect the essence of the fundamental rights and freedoms and do not exceed what is necessary and proportionate in a democratic society to safeguard one of the objectives listed in Article 23(1) of GDPR are not in contradiction with these Clauses.

(b) The Parties declare that in providing the warranty in the above paragraph (a), they have taken due account in particular of the following elements:

the specific circumstances of the transfer, including the length of the processing chain, the number of actors involved and the transmission channels used; intended onward transfers; the type of recipient; the purpose of processing; the categories and format of the transferred Personal Data; the economic sector in which the transfer occurs; the storage location of the data transferred;
the laws and practices of the third country of destination – including those requiring the disclosure of data to public authorities or authorizing access by such authorities – relevant in light of the specific circumstances of the transfer, and the applicable limitations and safeguards;
any relevant contractual, technical or organizational safeguards put in place to supplement the safeguards under these Clauses, including measures applied during transmission and to the processing of the Personal Data in the country of destination.

(c) The Data Importer warrants that, in carrying out the assessment under paragraph (b), it has made its best efforts to provide the Data Exporter with relevant information and agrees that it will continue to cooperate with the Data Exporter in ensuring compliance with these Clauses.

(d) The Parties agree to document the assessment under paragraph (b) and make it available to the competent supervisory authority on request.

(e) The Data Importer agrees to notify the Data Exporter promptly if, after having agreed to these Clauses and for the duration of the contract, it has reason to believe that it is or has become subject to laws or practices not in line with the requirements under paragraph (a), including following a change in the laws of the third country or a measure (such as a disclosure request) indicating an application of such laws in practice that is not in line with the requirements in paragraph (a).

(f) following a notification pursuant to paragraph (e), or if the Data Exporter otherwise has reason to believe that the Data Importer can no longer fulfill its obligations under these Clauses, the Data Exporter shall promptly identify appropriate measures (e.g. technical or organizational measures to ensure security and confidentiality) to be adopted by the Data Exporter and/or Data Importer to address the situation. The Data Exporter shall suspend the data transfer if it considers that no appropriate safeguards for such transfer can be ensured, or if instructed by the competent Supervisory Authority to do so.

Clause 15. Obligations of the data importer in case of access by public authorities

Notification

(a) To the extent possible, the Data Importer agrees to notify the Data Exporter and, where possible, the Data Subject promptly, and if necessary with the help of the Data Exporter, in such situations where the Data Importer:

receives a legally binding request from a public authority, including judicial authorities, under the laws of the country of destination for the disclosure of Personal Data transferred pursuant to these Clauses; such notification shall include information about the Personal Data requested, the requesting authority, the legal basis for the request and the response provided; or
becomes aware of any direct access by public authorities to Personal Data transferred pursuant to these Clauses in accordance with the laws of the country of destination;

Such notification shall include all information available to the Data Importer.

(b) If the Data Importer is prohibited from notifying the Data Exporter and/or the Data Subject under the laws of the country of destination, the Data Importer agrees to use its reasonable efforts to obtain a waiver of the prohibition, with a view to communicating as much information as possible, as soon as possible.

(c) Where permissible under the laws of the country of destination, the Data Importer agrees to provide the Data Exporter, at regular intervals for the duration of the Principal Agreement, with as much relevant information as possible on the requests received (in particular, number of requests, type of data requested, requesting authority/ies, whether requests have been challenged and the outcome of such challenges, etc.).

(d) The Data Importer agrees to preserve the information pursuant to paragraphs (a) to (c) for the duration of the Principal Agreement and make it available to the competent Supervisory Authority on request.

Review of Legality and Data Minimization

(f) The Data Importer agrees to review the legality of the request for disclosure, in particular whether it remains within the powers granted to the requesting public authority, and to challenge the request if, after careful assessment, it concludes that there are reasonable grounds to consider that the request is unlawful under the laws of the country of destination, applicable obligations under international law and principles of international comity. The Data Importer shall, under the same conditions, pursue possibilities of appeal. When challenging a request, the Data Importer shall do its best to seek interim measures with a view to suspending the effects of the request until the competent judicial authority has decided on its merits. It shall not disclose the Personal Data requested until required to do so under the applicable procedural rules. These requirements are without prejudice to the obligations of the Data Importer under Clause 14(e).

(g) To the extent possible, the Data Importer agrees to document its legal assessment and any challenge to the request for disclosure and, to the extent permissible under the laws of the country of destination, make the documentation available to the Data Exporter. It shall also make it available to the competent Supervisory Authority on request.

(h) The Data Importer agrees to provide the minimum amount of information permissible when responding to a request for disclosure, based on a reasonable interpretation of the request.

SECTION IV – FINAL PROVISIONS

Clause 16. Non-Compliance with the Clauses and Suspension of Transfer

(a) The Data Importer shall take reasonable efforts to inform the Data Exporter if it is unable to comply with these Clauses, for whatever reason.

(b) In the event that the Data Importer is in breach of these Clauses or unable to comply with these Clauses, the Data Exporter may decide to suspend the transfer of Personal Data to the Data Importer until compliance is again ensured or until the Principal Contract is terminated. This is without prejudice to Clause 14(f).

(c) Personal Data that has been transferred prior to the suspension of transfer pursuant to paragraph (b) shall at the choice of the Data Exporter immediately be returned to the Data Exporter or deleted in its entirety. The same shall apply to any copies of such data. The Data Importer shall certify the deletion of the data to the Data Exporter. Until such data is deleted or returned, the Data Importer shall continue to ensure compliance with these Clauses. In case of local laws applicable to the Data Importer that prohibit the return or deletion of the transferred Personal Data, the Data Importer shall do its best to continue to ensure compliance with these Clauses and will only process the data to the extent and for as long as required under that local law.

(d) Either Party may revoke its agreement to be bound by these Clauses where

the European Commission adopts a decision pursuant to Article 45(3) of GDPR that covers the transfer of Personal Data to which these Clauses apply; or
GDPR becomes part of the legal framework of the country to which the Personal Data is transferred. This is without prejudice to other obligations applying to the processing in question under GDPR.

Clause 17. Governing Law

These Clauses shall be governed by the law of one of the EU Member States, provided that such law allows for third-party beneficiary rights. The Parties agree that this shall be the law of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Clause 18: Choice of forum and jurisdiction

(a) Any dispute arising from these Clauses shall be resolved by the courts of an EU Member State.

(b) The Parties agree that those shall be the courts of the Federal Republic of Germany.

(c) A Data Subject may also bring legal proceedings against the Data Exporter and/or Data Importer before the courts of the Member State in which they have their habitual residence.

(d) The Parties agree to submit themselves to the jurisdiction of such courts.

Schedule. Description of Transfers

Categories of Data Subjects	Client’s team members, contractors, agents, representatives, and specifically including the Client’s Professional(s): who is/are natural person(s) hired by the Provider as part of the Services delivered to the Client, as per the Principal Agreement
Categories of Personal Data	As described in the Data Processing Addendum
Special categories of Personal Data (if applicable)	As described in the Data Processing Addendum
Relevant restrictions or safeguards	Technical & Organizational Measures (TOMs): Technical safeguards: 256-bit encryption technology to protect all information, at rest and in transit Data transmission encryption with TLS 1.3 Least-privilege principles in provisioning access (segregation) Next-generation firewalls to protect our systems and networks HSTS to impose HTTPS connections Data loss prevention and traffic monitoring Multi-factor authentication to log onto Horizons platform Database and platform activities audit trail to prevent and identify malicious or other unauthorized activities and behaviors Backups to off-site locations Customizable User Privileges Organizational safeguards: Strong password policy Access management upon least-privilege and role-based principles Employees training Information confidentiality classification Users recommendations Restrictions as described in the Data Processing Addendum
Frequency of transfer	Continuous basis for the duration of the Principal Agreement.
Nature and purpose(s) of the processing	As necessary to provide the Services as described in the Principal Agreement, including but not limited to the following nature of processing: collection, storage, retention, consultation, use, retrieval, and disclosure by transmission. No Personal Data should be processed or sold for any purpose other that the one(s) strictly necessary to provide the Services.
Period for which Personal Data are retained	As described in the Data Processing Addendum