The coronavirus situation led to more and more conferences and trade fairs being canceled. But in 2021, almost all companies have discovered live streaming for themselves. And rightly so, as live broadcasts of congresses, trade fairs, annual general meetings and staff meetings are becoming increasingly popular. Even press conferences and product presentations are now taking place virtually in online livestreams. This often raises a key question: what about data protection in the stream? Regardless of whether you are planning a hybrid event or a purely digital event, the question of a livestream that meets all data protection requirements and GDPR guidelines always arises. We have therefore written down the three most important points and tips for your livestream data protection.
Livestream server in Germany
You and your company are based in Germany, but where is the livestream server located? Most livestream agencies stream via American providers such as Amazon Web Server. This is out of the question for us: our own servers are located in Nuremberg at Hetzner. Another advantage of a German server is that we have direct contacts and can expand our server capacities quickly and thus react directly to the respective streaming demand of the participants. Thanks to the German location, we can guarantee that no data is tapped by foreign providers.
Streaming channel: Youtube and DSGVO
However, it is not only the choice of server location that is important, but also the channel on which you ultimately want to stream. For a long time, many companies streamed on YouTube or Facebook without hesitation, but more and more companies are now realizing that this also raises data protection issues. The GDPR-compliant solution: your own, individual streaming site such as our agency Stream1.eu with its own player and German servers. Chats can also be integrated there and individual requests can be implemented by our programming team. Many of our customers such as SOS Kinderdorf, Sparkasse and the Goethe Institute rely on this solution.
Livestream software and data forwarding from the EU
We have already talked about the importance of a German server location for your live stream. Then we explained the choice of channel. But there is one more important aspect: what software is used? If you are using a chat program alongside the live stream, for example, it must be ensured that no personal information can be read by the software provider. Many plug-ins that are also used in Germany come from American companies. Therefore, when choosing your livestream service provider, make sure that they only use software from Germany. Or even better: they program it themselves.
What else you should consider for data protection
Have you heard the saying: The greatest source of risk is always people? Believe us, we’ve seen a lot. Participants sharing their screen in live streams – with visible passwords and access data. Of course, this also applies to webcams, so don’t leave any important documents in the visible area of the camera – on your desk, for example. We also often hear speakers reading out questions in the chat and mentioning the questioner by name. In most cases, this is not necessary and in some cases neither desired by the questioner nor permitted under data protection law.
At a hybrid event, you must also ensure that the participants on site agree to any filming. If you are recognizable in the stream, you must obtain the consent of the participants. This applies not only to image recordings, but above all to possible audio recordings. Consider, for example, questions from participants following a presentation. Here, it is sometimes advisable to collect the questions from the participants of the hybrid event in writing and then have an employee ask them.
Are you looking for a data protection-compliant livestream provider?
Welcome to Stream1. We are an experienced livestream agency from Munich with a partner network throughout Germany. We are happy to broadcast your event digitally and virtually on the Internet. We not only attach great importance to excellent technology and highly trained employees, but also pay attention to the consistent implementation of GDPR requirements.
Give us a call: 089 41 41 453 10
