Data Processing Agreement

Article 1 - Purpose and Scope

1.1 This DPA governs the processing of personal data by ExValu on behalf of the Controller in connection with the services described in the Agreement, specifically where ExValu processes personal data belonging to the Controller's business (including Controller's customers, employees, prospects, and other data subjects).

1.2 This DPA implements the requirements of GDPR Article 28 and constitutes the written contract required between controller and processor under EU data protection law. The Annexes to this DPA form part of and are incorporated into it.

1.3 Processing details, including the subject matter, duration, nature, purposes, types of personal data, and categories of data subjects, are set out in Annex I. Technical and organisational security measures are set out in Annex II. Authorised sub-processors are listed in Annex III.

1.4 This DPA covers the processor relationship under GDPR Article 28 only. For processing activities in which ExValu and the Controller jointly determine the purposes and means of processing - in particular, research and enrichment of data relating to the Controller's key personnel from external public or licensed firmographic sources - a separate Joint Controllership Agreement (JCA) under GDPR Article 26 applies. The JCA is incorporated into the engagement proposal or signed as a separate instrument. Where this DPA and the JCA overlap, each instrument applies to the processing activities within its own scope.

Article 2 - Instructions and Processing Boundaries

2.1 ExValu shall process personal data only on documented instructions from the Controller, including as set out in this DPA, the Agreement, and any written instructions provided during the engagement. ExValu shall not process personal data for any other purpose.

2.2 If ExValu is required by EU or German law to process personal data beyond the Controller's instructions, ExValu shall inform the Controller before such processing unless the law prohibits such notification on grounds of public interest.

2.3 ExValu shall immediately notify the Controller if, in ExValu's opinion, an instruction from the Controller violates applicable data protection law. In such cases, ExValu is entitled to suspend the relevant processing until the Controller provides clarified instructions.

2.4 The Controller remains the data controller for all personal data it provides to ExValu and retains full responsibility for the lawfulness of processing, the lawfulness of the instructions given to ExValu, and for ensuring data subjects have been appropriately informed about the processing.

Article 3 - Confidentiality

3.1 ExValu shall ensure that all personnel authorised to process personal data under this DPA are subject to a binding duty of confidentiality with respect to that data, either by statute or by contractual obligation.

3.2 ExValu shall limit access to personal data to those personnel who need access to perform the services under the Agreement, applying the principle of least privilege.

3.3 The confidentiality obligation survives termination of this DPA and the Agreement.

Article 4 - Security of Processing

4.1 ExValu shall implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk, taking into account the state of the art, the costs of implementation, the nature, scope, context, and purposes of processing, and the risk of varying likelihood and severity for the rights and freedoms of natural persons, as required by GDPR Article 32.

4.2 The specific technical and organisational measures ExValu implements are described in Annex II. ExValu shall review and update these measures as necessary to maintain appropriate security.

4.3 ExValu shall take appropriate steps to ensure that any natural person acting under its authority who has access to personal data does not process it except on the Controller's instructions.

Article 5 - Sub-processors

5.1 The Controller grants ExValu general written authorisation to engage the sub-processors listed in Annex III for the processing activities described in this DPA.

5.2 ExValu shall notify the Controller of any intended additions or replacements to the sub-processors listed in Annex III with at least 14 days written notice prior to engaging the new sub-processor. The Controller may object to a new sub-processor within that notice period on reasonable data protection grounds by written notice to ExValu.

5.3 If the Controller objects and the parties cannot resolve the objection within 14 days, the Controller may terminate the affected service on written notice without penalty, provided the objection relates specifically to the new sub-processor and not to the services generally.

5.4 Where ExValu engages a sub-processor, it shall impose equivalent data protection obligations on that sub-processor by written contract, including all requirements of GDPR Article 28(3). ExValu remains fully liable to the Controller for the performance of the sub-processor's obligations under this DPA.

5.5 ExValu shall make the list of current sub-processors available to the Controller on request. The current list is published in Annex III of this DPA.

Article 6 - Data Subject Rights Assistance

6.1 ExValu shall, taking into account the nature of the processing, assist the Controller by appropriate technical and organisational measures where possible in fulfilling the Controller's obligation to respond to data subject rights requests under GDPR Chapter III (including rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability, and objection).

6.2 Upon receiving a data subject rights request directly from a data subject that relates to personal data processed under this DPA, ExValu shall promptly forward the request to the Controller and shall not respond to the data subject directly unless instructed to do so by the Controller or required to by applicable law.

6.3 ExValu shall assist the Controller in ensuring compliance with its obligations regarding security of processing (GDPR Article 32), notification of personal data breaches (Articles 33-34), and, where applicable, data protection impact assessments (Article 35) and prior consultation with supervisory authorities (Article 36).

Article 7 - Data Breach Notification

7.1 ExValu shall notify the Controller without undue delay, and in any event within 48 hours of becoming aware, of any personal data breach affecting personal data processed under this DPA.

7.2 The breach notification shall include, to the extent available at the time of notification: a description of the nature of the breach including the categories and approximate number of data subjects and personal data records affected; the contact details of the ExValu privacy contact; the likely consequences of the breach; and the measures taken or proposed to address the breach and mitigate its effects.

7.3 Where all required information cannot be provided at the same time, ExValu may provide it in phases without undue further delay.

7.4 ExValu shall maintain records of all personal data breaches, including those that do not require notification to supervisory authorities, in accordance with GDPR Article 33(5).

7.5 ExValu's competent supervisory authority is the Bayerisches Landesamt für Datenschutzaufsicht (BayLDA), Promenade 18, 91522 Ansbach, Germany. Where breach notification to a supervisory authority is required under GDPR Article 33, and where the breach affects personal data processed on behalf of the Controller, ExValu will cooperate with the Controller on any notification the Controller is required to make to its own lead supervisory authority.

Article 8 - Audit Rights

8.1 ExValu shall make available to the Controller all information reasonably necessary to demonstrate compliance with this DPA and GDPR Article 28, and shall allow and contribute to audits and inspections conducted by the Controller or an auditor appointed by the Controller.

8.2 Audits shall be conducted with reasonable prior written notice (at least 14 days unless urgency requires otherwise), during normal business hours, and in a manner that minimises disruption to ExValu's operations.

8.3 The parties shall bear their own costs for audits unless the audit reveals material non-compliance by ExValu, in which case ExValu shall bear the reasonable costs of the audit.

8.4 Where the Controller requests audit information that ExValu provides by way of third-party certification, audit reports, or security attestations, these shall satisfy the audit right to the extent they cover the relevant processing activities.

Article 9 - International Data Transfers

9.1 ExValu shall not transfer personal data processed under this DPA to a country or international organisation outside the EU/EEA without the Controller's prior written authorisation and without ensuring appropriate safeguards under GDPR Chapter V are in place.

9.2 Where sub-processors listed in Annex III are located outside the EU/EEA, ExValu implements one or more of the following transfer mechanisms as applicable: (a) an adequacy decision under GDPR Article 45 (for example, the United Kingdom and Switzerland); (b) certification under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF), the UK Extension, or the Swiss-US DPF; (c) Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission under Decision 2021/914; or (d) other valid Article 46 safeguards. The specific mechanism applied to each sub-processor is recorded in Annex III.

9.3 For each transfer to a country outside the EU/EEA that does not benefit from an adequacy decision, ExValu conducts a Transfer Impact Assessment (TIA) consistent with EDPB Recommendations 01/2020. The TIA evaluates the law and practice of the destination country and identifies any supplementary technical, organisational, or contractual measures necessary to ensure an essentially equivalent level of protection. Completed TIAs are held on file and made available to the Controller on reasoned request.

9.4 ExValu re-verifies the DPF certification status of US sub-processors quarterly at dataprivacyframework.gov and takes immediate action in the event of any lapse or change in certification status.

9.5 Where the Controller requests details of the transfer mechanisms in place for a specific sub-processor, ExValu shall provide this information within 14 days.

Article 10 - Return and Deletion of Data

10.1 Upon termination or expiry of the Agreement, or upon the Controller's request at any time, ExValu shall, at the Controller's choice: return all personal data to the Controller in a commonly used, machine-readable format; or securely delete and destroy all personal data processed under this DPA.

10.2 ExValu shall complete the return or deletion within 30 days of the relevant event and shall provide the Controller with written confirmation of completion.

10.3 ExValu may retain personal data beyond this period only where required by applicable EU or German law, and only to the minimum extent required. ExValu shall notify the Controller of any such retention obligation at the time of the deletion request, specifying the legal basis and retention period.

10.4 Specifically, German commercial and tax law (HGB §257, AO §147) requires ExValu to retain accounting books and invoices for 10 years and business correspondence for 6 years from the end of the calendar year in which the record arose. Where a document processed under this DPA falls within these statutory retention categories, ExValu retains the minimum version necessary to satisfy the statutory obligation. Retained documents are held with restricted access and are deleted once the statutory retention period expires.

10.5 This Article survives termination of the Agreement.

Article 11 - Liability and Indemnity

11.1 Each party shall be liable to the other and to data subjects for damage caused by processing that violates GDPR in accordance with GDPR Articles 82 and 83 and applicable German law.

11.2 ExValu shall be exempt from liability under GDPR Article 82(3) if it demonstrates that it is not in any way responsible for the event giving rise to the damage, including where the damage results from the Controller's instructions or the Controller's failure to fulfil its own GDPR obligations.

11.3 Liability between the parties for breach of this DPA is subject to the limitations set out in the Terms of Service, except where GDPR mandatory provisions apply.

Article 12 - Duration and Termination

12.1 This DPA takes effect on the date it is signed by both parties and remains in force for as long as ExValu processes personal data on behalf of the Controller under the Agreement.

12.2 Obligations under Articles 3 (Confidentiality), 10 (Return and Deletion), and 11 (Liability) survive termination.

12.3 In the event of a conflict between this DPA and the Agreement, this DPA shall prevail to the extent the conflict relates to data protection obligations.

Article 13 - Governing Law and Disputes

13.1 This DPA is governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany. The parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Munich, Germany for all disputes arising under this DPA, subject to mandatory provisions of applicable data protection law.

13.2 Nothing in this DPA restricts a data subject's right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority or to seek judicial remedy against either party in accordance with GDPR Articles 77 and 79.