Bürgerkompass

An independent information resource

Social Policy, Data Protection and Participation in Plain Language

Social policy touches the everyday lives of many people. It stretches from social insurance through the way agencies handle personal data to the chances citizens have to shape public affairs. Bürgerkompass is an independent resource on three areas: social policy, the protection of personal data and citizen participation in Germany. The articles inform in a factual way, without judgment and without taking sides. They are meant for anyone who wants to learn the basic terms.

Begin with social insurance
Aerial view of a stylized city made of cobalt blue building blocks with white streets, small orange dots moving toward an open square in the middle

Four Articles to Get You Started

Four articles offer a general introduction. The first deals with the welfare state and social insurance, the basics of social policy. The second explains the rights of people whose personal data is processed. The third covers how public agencies handle social data, and the fourth looks at forms of citizen participation.

Social Insurance

Five branches, created between 1883 and 1995: structure, history and funding at a glance.

Read the article

Data Subject Rights

Access, correction, erasure: which rights the GDPR provides and which deadlines apply.

Read the article

Social Secrecy

How Section 35 of Book I of the Social Code and Book X protect social data held by agencies.

Read the article

Civic Participation

Petitions, citizen initiatives and local referendums: ways to take part, in brief.

Read the article

Each text gives an overview that makes it easier to find your footing on a topic before you turn to further sources. The articles are no substitute for legal advice. They show which terms and mechanisms matter in each area.

Data Protection: What It Rests On

Data protection in Germany is built on European law. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has applied directly since May 25, 2018. That means its rules can be applied in the member states without a national implementing act of their own.

The article on data subject rights explains what claims people have against companies and agencies. A separate article covers how social data is handled by public offices, because that area raises many questions. In this way data protection can be viewed both in general terms and through one concrete example from social policy.

Facade of a public building with even rows of windows, white wall with a diagonal cobalt blue shadow
  • 5 Branches of statutory social insurance
  • 05/25/2018 The GDPR applies directly
  • 16 Federal states with local referendums in their municipalities

Civic Participation: How to Get Involved

Citizen participation can take several forms. Anyone may write to the responsible offices and to the elected assembly with requests or complaints. The right of petition in the Basic Law guarantees this. In the municipalities of all federal states there are also citizen initiatives and local referendums.

A separate article compares these forms and explains how a citizen initiative differs from a referendum. It shows the routes by which you can bring forward a personal concern and the options that lead to a shared vote on the local level.

How to Use This Resource

The best approach is to choose the article that fits your own question. All texts are general introductions and do not replace legal advice. If a case needs an individual assessment, it makes sense to consult an authorized advice center. If you like, you can read all four articles in turn, since social policy, data protection and participation are closely connected.

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