Legal Disclosure
Information pursuant to Section 5 of the German Digital Services Act (DDG)
System Mapping Academy
Gian Wieck
Exerzierstrasse 9
13357 Berlin
Germany
Email: hello@system-mapping.de
Website: https://www.system-mapping.com
Person responsible for data protection enquiries:
Gian Wieck (gian@system-mapping.de)
Liability for content
We prepare the content of this website with reasonable care. However, we cannot guarantee that all information is complete, accurate or up to date. Our liability under applicable law remains unaffected.
External links
This website may contain links to third-party websites. The respective operators are responsible for their content. We had no knowledge of unlawful content when the links were added. If we become aware of an infringement, we will remove the relevant link where reasonably possible.
Copyright
Unless otherwise stated, the content and materials on this website are protected by copyright. Reproduction, editing, distribution or other use beyond the limits of applicable copyright law requires prior permission from the respective rights holder.
Privacy Policy
Last updated: August 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how System Mapping Academy collects and processes personal data through its website, forms, training services, email communications and digital tools.
1. Controller
The controller responsible for the processing described in this Privacy Policy is:
Gian Wieck
System Mapping Academy
Exerzierstrasse 9
13357 Berlin
Germany
Email: gian@system-mapping.de
This email address may also be used to exercise your data-protection rights.
2. Website hosting and technical data
This website is hosted using Squarespace. When you visit the website, technical information may be processed to deliver the website securely and reliably. This may include:
IP address
browser and device information
date and time of access
pages and resources requested
referring website
technical error and security information
The processing of data necessary to provide and secure the website is based on our legitimate interest in operating a secure and functional online service. Squarespace uses necessary cookies and similar technologies to provide essential website functions. Analytics or performance cookies are used only where they are enabled and where the required consent has been obtained. Squarespace documents that necessary cookies may always be required for operating a site, while analytics and performance cookies can collect traffic and activity information. Its cookie banner can be configured to obtain consent for non-essential cookies.
3. Contact enquiries
When you contact us by email or through a form, we process the information you provide, such as:
name
email address
organisation
role or position
message content
any information you voluntarily include
We use this information to respond to your enquiry, prepare requested services and manage our communication with you. The legal basis is the performance of pre-contractual measures, the performance of a contract or our legitimate interest in answering legitimate business enquiries.
Communications sent to hello@system-mapping.de can be accessed by the authorised Academy operators involved in responding to enquiries and delivering services. We retain enquiries for as long as reasonably necessary to respond and to manage the resulting business relationship. Information may be retained longer where required for contractual, legal or evidentiary purposes.
4. Training bookings
When you book a training, we may collect:
title
first and last name
email address
organisation
position or role
billing address
country
participation type
VAT identification number, where applicable
selected training and training date
applicable price
promotion code
workshop-documentation preferences
information about how you heard about us
personal messages or booking notes
We use this data to:
process and confirm your booking
communicate about the training
organise and deliver the training
prepare invoices
process applicable tax information
administer cancellations and contractual requests
document the business transaction
The legal basis is the performance of a contract or steps taken at your request before entering into a contract. Certain billing and tax information is processed to comply with legal obligations.
Booking information is received through Squarespace and is also sent by email to the authorised Academy operators at hello@system-mapping.de. We retain booking, invoice and payment information for the periods required under applicable commercial and tax law. Other booking information is deleted when it is no longer required for the training, contractual claims or legal documentation.
5. Payments
Training fees are paid by bank transfer or through Wise. When you make a payment, banks, payment institutions and Wise may process information such as:
your name
account and transaction information
payment amount
payment date
payment reference
information required for fraud prevention and regulatory compliance
These providers process payment information under their own legal responsibilities and privacy policies. We use payment information to match payments to bookings, manage accounting and comply with legal obligations. Wise states that it processes business and payment information for purposes including payment execution, identity verification, fraud prevention and compliance with financial laws.
6. Photographs, video and screenshots during trainings
Trainings may be documented through photographs, video recordings or screenshots. Identifiable materials may be used for:
the System Mapping Academy website
System Mapping Academy communications
LinkedIn posts relating to the Academy and its activities
Participants are informed about documentation before or at the start of the training. Participants who do not wish to be photographed or recorded can object at the beginning of the training. Where consent is required, identifiable material is used on the basis of that consent. Withdrawing consent does not affect processing that took place lawfully before the withdrawal. We will take reasonable steps to avoid capturing or publishing identifiable images of participants who have objected.
7. Email marketing and free resources
When you subscribe to our email communications, we may process:
first name
last name
email address
subscription source
date and context of the subscription
delivery and unsubscribe status
email opens and link clicks
We use this information to send news, educational content and promotional information about:
System Mapping Academy trainings
workshops
tools and resources
publications and literature relating to system mapping and systemic design
Squarespace Email Campaigns is used to store subscriber information, send messages and measure campaign activity. Squarespace Email Campaigns provides mailing-list management, automated and campaign emails, unsubscribe functionality, and statistics such as link clicks and subscriber activity.
The legal basis for email marketing is your consent. You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the unsubscribe link included in each marketing email or by contacting us. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
8. Email analytics
Our marketing emails may contain technologies that allow us to determine whether an email has been opened and whether links have been clicked. We use this information to understand general engagement with our emails and improve future communications.
Where required, this processing is based on consent. You can object by unsubscribing from marketing communications. Depending on the recipient’s email software and privacy settings, opening statistics may not always be accurate.
9. Marketing-data retention
We retain subscriber information while the marketing subscription remains active. After an unsubscribe request:
no further marketing emails are sent
the subscriber is removed from active mailing lists
profile and campaign-tracking information is deleted when no longer required
a minimal suppression record containing the email address and unsubscribe status may be retained to ensure that the address is not accidentally added again
Squarespace explains that unsubscribed addresses are removed from mailing lists and that unsubscribe information is retained to prevent inappropriate reactivation. You may request deletion of your information, subject to information that must be retained to comply with legal obligations or to document an unsubscribe request.
10. Service providers and recipients
We do not sell personal data or disclose email addresses to third parties for their own marketing purposes. Personal data may be processed by service providers that support our operations, including:
Squarespace for website hosting, forms, contact management and email campaigns
email and communications providers
banks and Wise for payment processing
professional advisers where required
public authorities where disclosure is legally required
These providers receive only the information reasonably necessary for their respective services. Squarespace acts under contractual data-processing terms for customer-controlled data and states that it does not sell or share such data as those terms are defined under applicable US privacy laws.
11. International transfers
Some service providers may process personal data outside the European Economic Area, including in the United States. Where required, providers use recognised transfer mechanisms such as:
adequacy decisions
the EU–US Data Privacy Framework
European Commission Standard Contractual Clauses
Squarespace describes reliance on the Data Privacy Framework and Standard Contractual Clauses for relevant international transfers.
12. Your rights
Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to:
request access to your personal data
correct inaccurate personal data
request deletion
restrict processing
receive certain data in a portable format
object to processing based on legitimate interests
withdraw consent at any time
lodge a complaint with a data-protection supervisory authority
To exercise these rights, contact: gian@system-mapping.de
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information or another competent supervisory authority. The Berlin authority provides an official complaint procedure for individuals.
13. Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration and disclosure.
No transmission or storage system can guarantee absolute security.
14. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy when our services, providers or legal obligations change. The current version is published on this page together with its last-updated date.
15. AI-generated System Mapping Kick-Starter
When you use the System Mapping Kick-Starter, the challenge text you enter is transmitted to our application server and to the OpenAI API to generate a system map. The application does not intentionally store your challenge or generated map in its own database. The generated map is displayed in your browser for the current session. The challenge and generated output are processed by:
Vercel, which hosts and operates the application infrastructure
OpenAI, which provides the AI model used to generate the map
Sharing of API inputs and outputs with OpenAI for model improvement is disabled for our OpenAI organisation. OpenAI states that API inputs and outputs are not used to train its models by default unless the customer opts in. Standard API abuse-monitoring logs may contain inputs and outputs and may generally be retained for up to 30 days, unless longer retention is required by law or needed to protect the services or third parties. Do not enter confidential, personal, sensitive or legally protected information into the challenge field.
AI-generated system maps may be incomplete, inaccurate or biased. They are intended as a starting point for exploration and should be reviewed with people who understand the relevant system. They are not professional, legal, medical, financial or policy advice.