Header

Search
AI Buddy

Privacy Policy

Important note: This is a translation of the original statement in German. The translation is provided for information purposes only and has no legal bearing. Only the German document is legally binding.

Welcome to AI Buddy, the Personal Study Assistant, a service of the University of Zurich (UZH). UZH takes data protection seriously, and as part of UZH, so do we.

In this statement, we explain what data is collected, processed, and stored when using AI Buddy, for what purpose, and what measures we have taken to ensure the security of this data. All measures are in accordance with the applicable data protection regulations. This statement refers to details that are specific to UZH AI Buddy. UZH's data protection guidelines can be found here.

By using the AI ​​Buddy, you acknowledge that you accept this privacy policy.

1. Principles and Subject Matter of Data Protection

Data protection serves to protect your personal rights. We are committed to acting lawfully and adhere strictly to the following principles when processing data:

  • Purpose limitation: Data is collected and processed only for the purposes stated in this declaration. Under no circumstances will your data be sold to third parties or used for commercial advertising.
  • Privacy by design: We use user data sparingly (privacy by design). We take care to ensure that no unnecessary data is collected in order to protect the privacy of each user as best as possible.
  • Data location Switzerland and EU: We store and process your data on the Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure in Switzerland and the EU.

According to § 3 of the Information and Data Protection Act of the Canton of Zurich (IDG ZH), personal data is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable person. This includes information such as your name, email address, or even a user ID in connection with the content you generate.

2. Type, scope, and purpose of data processing

We process the personal data necessary to provide and improve AI Buddy in a permanent, user-friendly, secure, and reliable manner.

2.1 Data collected during direct use of AI Buddy

In order to ensure the core functionality of AI Buddy, we process the following data, which is directly linked to your personal user ID:

Data Element Comment
Questions and Prompts

Receipt and processing of your input in order to generate a suitable response.
AI Buddy Answers Provision of the generated responses and storage as part of the conversation history.
Conversation history

Enabling context-related foolow-up questions.
Memory Optional: Storing study-related information to enable a personalized user experience.
User ID and UZH e-mail address Assigning conversations and feedback to your user profile for the purpose of providing the solution.
User feedback (Thumb up / down) Anonymized analysis of response quality for continuous improvement of the service.
Feedback-Kommentare Anonymized analysis of response quality for continuous improvement of the service.

By entering and submitting this data, you consent to its processing for the purposes specified in section 2.2 below.

2.2 Aggregated and pseudonymized evaluations

The data mentioned in 2.1 (in particular questions, answers, and feedback) may be evaluated in aggregated and pseudonymized form for the following purposes:

  • Improvement of the service: Identification of patterns, frequent errors, or knowledge gaps in the application and the AI model.
  • Research purposes: Analysis of interaction patterns with AI systems in an academic context.
  • Statistical surveys: Creation of usage statistics (e.g., number of requests per day).

In this state, no conclusions can be drawn about your person.

2.3 Server Log Files

Each time AI Buddy is accessed, the following access data may be recorded in server log files to ensure technical administration and network security:

  • IP ​​address of the requesting computer
  • Date and time of access
  • URL accessed
  • Amount of data transferred and access status (HTTP status code)
  • Information about the browser and operating system used

These log files are automatically deleted after a period of 6 months, unless a detected attack on our network infrastructure leads to civil or criminal prosecution of the attacker, thus necessitating continued storage.

3. Hosting and service providers

AI Buddy is operated on the Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure.

  • Data location: All your data is processed and stored exclusively in Microsoft data centers in Switzerland (applications and database) and the EU (AI infrastructure).
  • Order processing: We have entered into agreements with Microsoft via UZH that ensure data protection in accordance with Swiss legal requirements. Microsoft acts as our processor and only processes data in accordance with our instructions.

4. Disclosure of personal data to third parties

Your personal data will not be sold to third parties or passed on for other purposes. Disclosure to third parties (e.g., to other authorities) will only occur if:

  • This is required by mandatory law (e.g., court orders or official requests).
  • It is necessary for legal or criminal prosecution (e.g., in the event of attacks on our IT infrastructure).

5. Tracking settings

In order to better adapt the content structures and navigation mechanisms of the AI Buddy website to the needs of users, page views and clicked elements within the pages are logged and analyzed. The Matomo software is used for this purpose. Matomo uses cookies (for information on the use and prevention of such cookies, see point 6 below). The usage information generated by the cookies, including your truncated IP address, is not forwarded to third parties but is stored on UZH servers for the purpose of usage analysis and website optimization. The IP addresses are immediately anonymized during this process.

6. Cookie

When you access the AI-Buddy website, so-called temporary cookies may be used. These are small files that are stored on your computer by the website you are visiting to enable optimal use of the website. These temporary cookies are automatically deleted when you close your web browser. You can generally prevent the use of such cookies by making the appropriate settings in your web browser. However, we would like to point out that rejecting, blocking, or deactivating cookies may limit the functionality of the websites you visit.

7. Querverweise (Links) zu Webseiten anderer Anbieter

Die vorliegende Datenschutzerklärung gilt nur für die AI Buddy Webseiten. Soweit über Links der Zugang zu Inhalten anderer Anbieter vermittelt wird, möchten wir Sie bitten, deren Datenschutzerklärungen zu beachten. Wir sind weder für den Inhalt noch die Datenschutzpraxis dieser anderen Anbieter verantwortlich. Insbesondere können wir nicht gewährleisten, dass die Inhalte anderer Anbieter frei von Malware sind.

8. Service providers for notifications and communications

We send notifications and messages with the help of a specialized service provider:

CleverReach: Email marketing platform; provider: CleverReach GmbH & Co. KG (Germany); information on data protection: Data protection and security, Privacy policy, information on data protection: Data security.

9. Handling of particularly sensitive personal data

Please refrain from entering particularly sensitive personal data when using AI Buddy. This includes, in particular, data relating to:

  • Religious, ideological, or political views,
  • Health, privacy, or ethnic origin,
  • Genetic or biometric data,
  • Administrative and criminal prosecutions or sanctions.

Questions about support services:

If you need information about support services (e.g., disability accommodations) or a referral to the Office for Students with Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses, you should only tell AI Buddy that you have a chronic illness that affects your studies. Do not mention any specific diagnosis or other health details.

Providing this information is voluntary and serves only to provide you with the right information and contact points. AI Buddy is not designed to store or process health data.

10. Data security

We use technical and organizational security measures to ensure that the personal data we collect and process:

  • Remains confidential and is protected against accidental or unlawful access, alteration, or disclosure, as well as against loss and destruction; and
  • Access to the data is granted exclusively on a need-to-know basis to those persons who, due to their function and task, need to access the personal data.

The measures to be taken depend on the type of information, the nature and purpose of its use, and the current state of the art.

11. Rights of data subjects

In accordance with applicable data protection law, you have the following rights with regard to your personal data:

  • Information: You may request information about whether and which personal data we process about you.
  • Correction: You may request the correction of inaccurate personal data or the completion of incomplete personal data.
  • Deletion: You may request the deletion of your personal data (“right to be forgotten”) unless there are legal retention obligations or other legal reasons that prevent this.
  • Restriction of processing: You may request that the processing of your data be restricted.
  • Objection: You may object to the processing of your data with effect for the future.
  • Data transfer: You may request the disclosure of your personal data in a common, machine-readable format.

To exercise your rights, please contact the address listed in section 13.

12. Changes to the privacy policy

AI Buddy reserves the right to change the privacy policy with future effect if the implementation of new technologies or the legal situation requires such an adjustment. We therefore recommend that you review the privacy policy regularly.

13. Contact addresses

If you have any questions about data protection, require information, or wish to request the deletion of your data, please contact:

Responsibility for the processing of personal data:

UZH Digital Society Initiative (DSI)
Office
Rämistrasse 69
CH-8001 Zürich
ai-buddy@dsi.uzh.ch

Data Protection Department:

University of Zürich Legal Services and Data Protection
Hirschengraben 60
CH-8001 Zürich
privacy@rud.uzh.ch