Privacy Policy
Last updated: October 2026 · Version 1.5
This is a translation for your convenience. In case of any discrepancy, the German version prevails.
Protecting your personal data matters to us. This privacy policy explains which personal data we process on hatwer.ch, what we need it for and what rights you have. It is based on the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP).
1. Controller
The party responsible for processing personal data on hatwer.ch is:
Arina Man
Frohburgweg 11
6340 Baar
Switzerland
Email: was@hatwer.ch
2. Which personal data we process
- Account: first name, optionally last name, email address, password (stored only as an encrypted hash), chosen type of use (borrowing/lending), optionally postcode and town.
- Distance display (optional): only if you switch on “Entfernung anzeigen” in your account, we convert the address you entered there into an approximate location (rounded to about 250 m) using the address search of the Swiss Federal Office of Topography swisstopo (geo.admin.ch). Other members who have also switched it on then see the approximate distance to you, for example “ca. 400 m”. Your address and location are never shown. You can switch this off at any time in your account.
- Phone number confirmation (optional): if you choose “Telefon bestätigen” in your account, our service provider Didit sends you a code by SMS. For this we pass your phone number to Didit. We only store whether your number is confirmed.
- Identity check (optional): if you choose “Identität bestätigen” in your account, our service provider Didit checks your ID document, a selfie and a document showing your address (for example a recent bill). We only receive and store the result (identity and address confirmed or not), the date and your first and last name as shown on the ID. Your name from the ID then appears in your profile; other members see that your identity and address have been confirmed, but never your documents or your address.
- Listings: title, description, category, price, condition, photos as well as the postcode and town of the item. Listings are publicly visible together with your first name. We do not show your exact address.
- Requests: name, email address and message when you send a request about an item. This information goes to the person offering the item. To protect against misuse, we also store a short technical value (hash) of your IP address from which the IP address cannot be read directly.
- Searches: search terms, location and time period that you enter on the platform. We use them to improve the offering.
- Handover and return records: details of the agreement (item, parties, period, price, deposit, accessories, description of condition), uploaded photos, confirmations from both sides with a timestamp, and reported problems. When a handover or return is confirmed on site with a code, we also store how it was confirmed (with code or without meeting). If you let someone else pick up or return an item for you, we store the name you enter for that person; the link you send them gives access only to this one booking and stops working after the return or when you revoke it.
- Technical data: when you visit the website, data is generated automatically, for example IP address, date and time, page visited, browser and operating system. This data is recorded by the hosting provider in server logs.
- Messages to us: if you write to us by email, we process your details in order to reply to you.
3. What we use the data for
- to provide your account and log you in;
- to publish listings, pass on requests and enable communication between users;
- to create handover and return records and make them accessible to both sides;
- to send you notifications by email, for example about new requests or about a return;
- to operate the platform securely, prevent misuse and fix errors;
- to evaluate use of the website statistically and develop the platform further.
We process personal data to the extent necessary to provide use of the platform, where you have given your consent, or where we have an overriding legitimate interest, for example in operating the platform securely.
4. Disclosure to other users
When you send a request, the person offering the item receives your name, your email address and your message. In a handover and return record, both parties can see the details, photos and history of that record. We do not pass on personal data to third parties in order to sell it.
5. Service providers and transfers abroad
Hosting: The website is hosted by METANET AG in Switzerland. The platform’s data is stored on this provider’s servers.
swisstopo: To calculate the approximate location, the address you enter in your account is sent, only if you have switched on the distance display, to the address search of the Swiss Federal Office of Topography swisstopo (geo.admin.ch) in Switzerland.
Didit: For the phone number confirmation, Didit receives your number and sends the SMS. For the optional identity check, your ID document, selfie and proof of address are captured and checked directly by Didit (Spain, EU), including a comparison of your face with the photo in the ID. hatwer.ch does not receive copies of these documents or photos. Didit keeps them only as long as needed for the check and legal obligations. You can find more information in Didit's privacy policy.
Google Analytics: If you agree in the privacy settings, we use Google Analytics 4, a web analytics service provided by Google. Only then is information about your use (for example pages viewed, approximate location, device, browser and time of visit) transmitted to Google and may end up in countries outside Switzerland, such as the USA. We use the results only in aggregated form to improve the platform. Without your consent, Google Analytics is not loaded. You can change your choice at any time in the cookie settings. You can find more information in Google's privacy policy.
Where data is transferred to countries without an adequate level of data protection, this only happens to the extent permitted by law, for example on the basis of recognised standard contractual clauses.
6. Cookies and similar technologies
We use a technically necessary session cookie so that you stay logged in, and we store your chosen language and your privacy settings in your browser. Only if you agree, Google Analytics sets its own cookies (_ga, _ga_*) to measure reach. You can change your choice at any time in the cookie settings. You can delete or block cookies in your browser at any time. Some parts of the platform, for example logging in, may then no longer work.
7. Retention
- Account: until you have it deleted.
- Identity check result: until your account is deleted.
- Listings: until you remove them or your account is deleted.
- Requests: up to 12 months after the last activity, after which we delete them.
- Handover and return records: up to 2 years after completion. After that we delete them, unless we need to keep them longer to protect legal claims or meet legal obligations.
- Searches: up to 12 months.
- Server logs: only for a short time, as far as necessary for operation and security.
8. Data security
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data, for example encrypted transmission (HTTPS), hashed passwords and access restrictions. However, we cannot guarantee absolute security for data transmitted over the internet.
9. Your rights
You can ask us for information about the personal data we hold about you and have it corrected or deleted. You can object to the processing, withdraw any consent you have given and, where the law provides for it, request that your data be handed over in a common format. To do so, write to was@hatwer.ch. To protect your data, we may ask for proof of identity. If you do not agree with our response, you can contact the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC).
10. Changes
We may amend this privacy policy, for example when we introduce new features. The version published on hatwer.ch at the time applies.