Privacy policy

„Like“- or Share buttons have become a popular website item, that many social networks offer. But they are not only a convenient tool for internet users to share their interests. The buttons are also a powerful instrument for companies such as Facebook, Twitter or Google to track and collect user data.


What a lot of users don’t know: Share buttons transfer data such as user's IP adress the providers of social networks even without an active activation. This enables Facebook and the likes to monitor their users’ surfing habits and create surf profiles. This new practice of collecting data is frequently criticized by privacy activists and data-protection authorities around the world.


To prevent that information is shared through “Like”-buttons without a user’s permission, the Heinrich Böll Foundation is using a “2 click” data protection system developed by expert of IT magazine c’t in September 2011. The share buttons embedded on our website are disabled and need to be activated before use. After clicking the buttons the user has to agree that his data is shared in this specific case and only to a specific company. With a second click the recommendation is shared. Buttons on other pages of the website will stay deactivated.


Frequent users of social networks can use activate “Like” buttons on the website permanently. This setting can be changed at any time.