Matrix - Terms of use

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The English translation of this text is intended solely as a convenience to non-German-reading users. Only the German text is legally binding. In the event of any conflict between the English and German text, its structure, meaning or interpretation, the German text, its structure, meaning or interpretation prevail.

Preliminary remark

The purpose of Matrix Messenger is to allow members and affiliates of the University of Freiburg to communicate synchronously in writing (chat) and to make (video) calls. It thus offers a data protection-compliant alternative to messenger services such as WhatsApp, Telegram or Slack, which are not authorized for official university purposes. Matrix Messenger can be used for communication both between individuals and in groups. At the University of Freiburg, Matrix Messenger is particularly suitable for teaching, for work and research groups, as well as for simple consultations as part of team communication. In the teaching context, it provides a shorter and more direct means of communication for answering teaching-related questions or facilitating discussion compared to established tools such as email. In addition, work groups can use it to create different rooms with different constellations of people in order to bring together and coordinate specific projects or areas of responsibility. Research groups in particular benefit from the federated nature of the system: Matrix Messenger facilitates communication both within the university and across institutions with Matrix users from other scientific organizations, e.g. for project work.

When you first log in to Matrix Messenger, you must acknowledge and accept the current version of these terms of use. We hereby explicitly inform you that you are not anonymous in Matrix Messenger and that violations of these terms of use will be sanctioned. Matters that could lead to criminal charges will be reported to the authorities.

Authorised user groups, purpose

Matrix Messenger is available to all members and affiliates of the University of Freiburg with a valid UniAccount. The use of Matrix is voluntary. For official university contexts, availability can only be expected during working hours.

Matrix Messenger should be used for the purpose of exchanging information and opinions. Declarations, findings, regulations or agreements that are legally binding or of a formal nature must be documented separately and sent via another secure communication channel, e.g. by email, and filed if necessary.

Matrix Messenger is generally intended for internal and external communication in the context of official university activities. Private use is permitted to a minimal and reasonable extent, provided that this does not compromise job performance or other official interests.

Confidential and highly personal information and other sensitive data (e.g. health data) may not be communicated using Matrix Messenger.

Registering and logging in, communication options, status display

By registering, you agree that other internal university users of Matrix Messenger on the same homeserver (matrix.uni-freiburg.de) can search for and write to you under your real name.

However, the invited user must give prior consent (accept/reject invitation) in order for direct communication to occur.

You log in to Matrix Messenger with your UniAccount. As with other central university systems, when you register upon first logging in to the service, your first and last name are transferred and stored along with your UniAccount. In order to ensure that communication actually takes place with the intended person and to minimize the risk of confusion, your first name, last name and UniAccount are visible and searchable for all internal university users of Matrix Messenger. The imported data cannot be changed by users within Matrix, but are instead subject to the established processes for changing personal master data at the University of Freiburg.

Due to the federated nature of the Matrix protocol, it is possible not only to contact members and affiliates of the University of Freiburg and invite them to group rooms, but also to communicate with people outside the university who have an account on another Matrix homeserver connected to the federation. This is particularly relevant for inter-university research groups.

However, external Matrix users on other Matrix homeservers can only find you by entering your full Matrix ID. Your Matrix ID is composed as follows: @<UniAccount>:<server-name>; e.g. @hf1034:matrix.uni-freiburg.de

Communication via Matrix Messenger can take the following forms:

Private rooms for direct conversations between two users.
Private group rooms for conversations between multiple users, where the content is only accessible to the group members (via invite link).
Public group rooms for conversations between multiple users, where other people can enter the rooms at will.

The status display (online/offline) is deactivated on the server side for data protection reasons. The status will therefore always be displayed as “offline”.

User obligations

The users agree

to comply with the terms of use. The limits of permitted use must be observed.
to assume full responsibility for any content they post themselves.
to refrain from doing anything that interferes with proper operation.
to use their automatically transmitted real name or their UniAccount when using Matrix Messenger for official or study-related purposes at the university.
not to share their personal UniAccount or password with third parties and to ensure that no other person obtains knowledge of their personal passwords.
not to obtain or use the user IDs or passwords of other users.
not to record any images or audio of the content transmitted via Matrix Messenger unless all chat participants have explicitly consented to a recording and this consent has been documented.
not to gain unauthorized access to the data of other users and not to share, use or change the data of other users that has become known unless permission is granted.
to protect the national and international copyright, trademark, patent, name and labelling rights as well as other commercial protective rights and personal rights of third parties when using Matrix Messenger. Retrieving, offering, uploading or disseminating illegal content, in particular content that violates criminal law, data protection law, personal rights, licensing rights or copyright regulations, is not permitted.
not to post any criminal, illegal, unethical or otherwise inappropriate content in the chat system. In particular, posting content in the chat system that is pornographic, obscene, defamatory, libellous, offensive, threatening, inciting, racist or that glorifies violence is prohibited.
not to publish content for advertising purposes of any kind or to transmit information that contains harmful software such as viruses, bugs, manipulations or the like. The same applies to posting content that is likely to damage the reputation of the University of Freiburg.
when linking to external websites, to check that these do not contain any unlawful content and that the links do not otherwise violate applicable law, e.g. by circumventing protective measures.

If admins or moderators of the respective chat rooms become aware of illegal content in the chat rooms within the meaning of letters h–j and section 5 of the Netzbenutzungsordnung (Network Usage Regulations, NBO; see final provisions), they must remove the content and report it to the responsible internal office ((matrix-support@rz.uni-freiburg.de).

The University of Freiburg accepts no liability for improper use. The general principles of tiered employee liability apply within the scope of the employment relationship.

Access to Matrix Messenger may be restricted or discontinued at any time for technical or organizational reasons. There is no entitlement to access to Matrix Messenger.

In the event of a violation of the user obligations, we reserve the right to suspend the account of the user in question.

Use on university end devices

For use on university mobile end devices, we recommend using the Element apps in the mobile app stores. For University of Freiburg work computers, the Element desktop client (available e.g. via the manufacturer’s website https://element.io/download) should be installed.

Use on private end devices

When Matrix Messenger is used on private end devices in accordance with the ZUV-IT-Richtlinie (Central University Administration IT directive), we strongly recommend using the browser-based web application at https://matrix.uni-freiburg.de.

No performance monitoring

Users are expressly prohibited from using Matrix Messenger to monitor the behaviour or performance of individuals.

The University of Freiburg does not generally monitor the use of Matrix Messenger for the purpose of monitoring employee performance and behaviour. If there is reasonable suspicion of the unauthorized or improper use of Matrix Messenger or that a criminal offence or any other offence or breach of work duties has occurred, the log data may be analysed and result in consequences under criminal and labour law.

Data security

Communication between users’ end devices and Matrix Messenger is end-to-end encrypted. The chat contents are also encrypted again and stored on restricted-access storage systems at the University of Freiburg’s IT Services. The data is backed up at regular intervals on other restricted-access systems at the University of Freiburg’s IT Services. Encrypted chat content can only be opened or restored with the personal key of the users involved.

Availability

To ensure the secure and long-term operation of the service, updates must be installed regularly. Normal maintenance work should generally not involve an interruption in operation of more than 15 minutes and is therefore carried out without prior notice. More extensive maintenance work as part of major version upgrades will be announced to all users in good time.

A regular backup is performed for this service. The backup is implemented in such a way that the service can be fully restored in the event of a disaster. It is not possible to restore messages or files deleted by users.

Data protection

By agreeing to these terms of use, users also agree to the information on data protection. You can access this information at https://matrix.uni-freiburg.de/privacy_policy .

Deletion of data and access rights

If a personal UniAccount becomes invalid, the right to access Matrix Messenger expires and access is denied. The data assigned to a user are stored for a period of 12 months after access rights expire. They are then deleted. The Matrix ID (@<UniAccount>:<server-name> is retained to prevent it from being reassigned. Active chat histories are stored on the server for a maximum of 12 months.

Copyrights

Contents and works created on this platform may be subject to German copyright law. In addition, the reproduction, editing, distribution and any other form of utilization of content outside the limits of copyright law require the written consent of the creator and are only permitted for official university or study-related use. If users post third-party content, the copyrights of these parties must be observed. The content must also be labelled as third-party content. If you become aware of a copyright infringement, please notify the admins and/or moderators of the respective chat rooms as well as the responsible internal office (matrix-support@rz.uni-freiburg.de).

Licence conditions for client software/apps

The manufacturer's licence conditions apply to the Element web, Element mobile and Element desktop client software: https://element.io/ (Apache Licence 2.0)

Final provisions

The University of Freiburg reserves the right to change the terms of use. This applies in particular if a change is required due to mandatory legal regulations. Users will be informed of this. If changes are made to the terms of use, you will need to renew your consent the next time you log in.

In addition to these terms of use, the following shall apply to the use of Matrix Messenger where applicable: the Network Usage Regulations (NBO) [in German] in conjunction with the Social Media Guidelines the Social Media Netiquette and the Information on the General Act on Equal Treatment (AGG) [in German] of the University of Freiburg.

Change history

First published version, last updated 11 April 2024.

I acknowledge the above binding conditions for the use of Matrix Messenger at the University of Freiburg and agree to observe and adhere to them.

Terms of use for Matrix Messenger at the University of Freiburg