LMU Chat

Messages in LMU chat are managed in so-called channels. A distinction is made between three types of channels:

• Public Channels
  Flag: hashtag. These channels can be viewed by all LMU Chat users. All participants can usually read and write posts here.
• Private Channels
  Flag: lock. Separate meeting rooms that require an invitation from the room owner. By default, all allowed participants can read and write posts.
• Private messages
  Flag: none, the status of the interlocutor is displayed instead. Information is only exchanged between two people.
• In order to enter into a dialogue with a specific user, you do not have to join a channel or create your own channel, just click on the avatar or icon of the desired interlocutor.

• Hide room: the room disappears from the list of channels. The command can be useful when the list becomes cluttered with too many rarely used channels. Otherwise nothing changes and the channel can be added to the list again, e.g. via the search function.
• Mark as unread: Forces behavior analogous to emails. The channel in question will be treated as if you had not read all the posts in it. Depending on the view setting, this may affect the order of the channels.
• Favourite: This promotes the channel in question to your favourite, which can also have an impact on the ranking.
• Leave room: Self-explanatory, you withdraw from the room. As the owner of a room, you can only leave it once you have determined a new owner.

• Search: Here you can search for people or channels accessible to you.
• Directory: Here all accessible channels and all participants are presented in a searchable list view.
• View mode: Here you can control how the overview of the channels is displayed.
• Type: The channels can be grouped here and their order can be set.

• In the upper left corner there is an icon with the initial of your family name or your avatar. Clicking on it opens the corresponding menu.
• You can configure everything related to your account via the [My Account] item. The default settings are generally acceptable. You should only make changes after you have been working with the program for a while.
• Here you can set up an avatar, set notifications, activate a spell check and configure your status etc.

You can set up your own channels and invite users to join them as needed. When you create a channel, you are automatically the owner of this channel and can administrate everything in it. You can identify your role by posting the title "owner" after your name.

The following roles are distinguished in a channel:

• Owner (owner): can invite and uninvite people, assign roles, edit other people's posts and customize the room, including deleting it.
• Moderator (moderator): can invite and uninvite people and edit other people's posts.
• Discussion leader (leader): acts like a normal user, but the avatar is prominently displayed as a contact person in the room title.

• The "Message" field at the bottom of the right side of the screen is used for input. After typing the first character, the symbol of a paper airplane appears at the end. Clicking on this icon (or pressing Enter) puts your message in the channel.
• For simple formatting, the most necessary things such as bold, italics and strikethrough are available under the input field. With the KaTeX extension, however, more complex structures such as mathematical formulas can also be created.
• If you click on the smiley symbol at the beginning of the input line, the dialog for entering emoticons opens. To compose a multi-line text, press the key combination SHIFT + ENTER to add a new line.
• Addressing participants: To address a participant in a channel specifically, type the @ sign in your text, followed by the participant's name, e.g. @mustermann. After a few letters, the name is automatically added. This type of mention ensures that the participant in question is informed via the notification function that their name has been mentioned in a conversation.
• Info and editing: As usual, most options are available via the three dots (at the end of the line of each post). The menu includes features like About, Direct Reply, Edit, Permalink, etc.

• Quoting vs. replying: Quoting is similar to replying, except that the originator of the original message is not notified.
• It may happen that image elements are no longer displayed or the display is generally faulty. In this case, the command View – Current Server – Reload or the key combination CTRL + R will help.

LMU-Chat is a messaging service that can be used by all employees and students of LMU. The open source software Rocket.Chat serves as the platform. This service can either be used via a browser or the client software.

To use the service requires an LMU user account, for which you will have to perform a one-time activation in your user account for the usage of the service. The service is linked to the central identity management system. Without an LMU user account, usage of LMU-Chat is neither possible nor permissible.

LMU-Chat is run by the Leibniz Supercomputing Center (LRZ). An order processing agreement has been signed with the LRZ. By activating your LMU user account, you consent to the data processing necessary for operation of the chat based on the prevailing usage guidelines of the LRZ and must confirm that you acknowledge the usage policy and data protection information of the LMU.

LMU-Chat serves as a tool for collaboration, communication, networking and the informal exchange of information between members of LMU. The option of creating private and public channels exists for this purpose. The functions are simple, intuitive to use and allow information, files, images, and videos to be shared. LMU-Chat is not intended for the exchange of large volumes of data, the processing of particularly sensitive data as defined in Article 9 (1) GDPR (e.g. health data) or for the exchange of business secrets, and is not to be used for these purposes. Furthermore, use is permitted exclusively for permissible and lawful data processing.

There is no data processing for purposes other than the indicated or statutory ones (e.g. for internally checking security systems and ensuring the internal network and information security in accordance with Article 6 (1) BayDSG [Bavarian Data Protection Act]).

We process only personal data that you have provided us with and that we have received from you in a permissible way linked to your membership of LMU (Article 4 (2) BayDSG) and/or which you yourself provide as part of usage (e.g. photos). No monitoring of performance or conduct shall take place based on your use of LMU-Chat. The Staff Council of LMU has approved the use of LMU-chat.

Your user profile will initially only contain information on your given name and surname, and the LMU email address saved in your LMU user account. This is sufficient for use. You may also voluntarily add a photo or enter, edit, or delete additional profile information, e.g. on your availability. For reasons of data protection, it is recommended that the principles of data minimization and purpose limitation be observed when information is added, and information should only be added if and to the extent this is absolutely necessary for using LMU-Chat.

Findability of users and visibility of your activities and/or readability of your messages in LMU-Chat

Communications are encrypted, i.e. only end users are able to view the content – especially on private channels.

Your user profile is discoverable, visible and searchable for all other users in LMU-Chat via your given name and surname and, if applicable, the additional image or profile information you have added. If you do not consent to the display of your online status, you can hide it (“hidden”).

Any user can create chat channels or be invited to join them. Chat content itself is only visible to the members of each chat. Messages in group or (public) channels are visible for all members of the respective groups or channels.

Data processing takes place in accordance with and on the basis of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Bavarian Data Protection Act (BayDSG) and the other applicable data protection regulations.

The processing of personal data for the use of LMU-Chat takes place pursuant to Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent). The use of LMU-Chat is voluntary. There is no obligation to use it.

Processing of personal data

The following personal data is processed in LMU-Chat:

• Surname
• Given name
• LMU user account
• Time of initial registration for LMU-Chat
• Each time you log in the following information is logged: time of login and online status (if activated)

Data transmission

In order to use LMU-Chat in accordance with the aforementioned purposes, personal data must be transmitted to other institutions:

• LRZ
• Rocket.Chat push gateway

Cookies

LMU-Chat uses cookies (text files), which are stored on your computer and a technical requirement for the use of the service. It uses a session cookie, so that you do not have to re-enter your login data each time you access the service. Session cookies are automatically deleted when the browser is closed. The information generated by the cookie is stored exclusively on LRZ servers and will not be transmitted to third parties.

Deletion of the LMU-Chat account and of content

All content, messages and files are automatically deleted permanently and irreversibly no later than after one year. You can delete all of your own messages and the LMU-Chat account itself at any time.

Deletion of the LMU-Chat account

By default, your LMU-Chat account will be saved until your LMU user account becomes inactive. This occurs after the 90-day grace period once you leave LMU. As soon as your LMU user account becomes inactive, your LMU-Chat account will be deleted. This will delete all direct chats as well, and anonymize all posts in channels.

You can delete your LMU-Chat account on your own at any time by going to the “My Account – Profile” menu. Doing this will cause all private chats to be deleted, and all messages you have written in shared channels will be changed to “Removed User” (anonymized). This process cannot be undone.

Deletion of content

You can (individually) delete your own content at any time. Every channel can be deleted by its owner at any time, including all its content. Owners of a channel have the option to delete messages and sent files within a certain period of time, e.g. all messages that are older than three months.

Data backup

LMU-Chat is hosted on a virtual server at the LRZ. The data does not leave the LRZ servers. A snapshot of the virtual machine and the database content is taken automatically at regular intervals.

For push messages on mobile devices, the Rocket.chat gateway is used. This gateway transmits the message via the internal operating system push services of Apple and Google to the client. No content, chat, or personal data is transmitted via these gateways. The mobile client merely receives the information that it is to re-establish a connection with the LRZ system. Every instance of data exchange with mobile devices and other clients is secured using TLS transport encryption.

Controller for data processing

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich
Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1
80539 Munich

Responsible department for data processing

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich
Division VI - IT Services
Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1
80539 Munich
VI@verwaltung.uni-muenchen.de

General questions and support

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich
Division VI - IT Services
IT Service Desk
Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1
80539 Munich
it-servicedesk@lmu.de

Contact data of the official Data Protection Officer of LMU

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich
-- Official Data Protection Officer --
Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1
80539 Munich
Tel.: 089-2180-2414
https://www.lmu.de/datenschutz

Bavarian Data Protection Commissioner (in German).

If you wish to exercise your rights or have questions, please contact the responsible department for data processing (see above). It will check whether the statutory requirements have been met for this and will adopt the necessary measures.

The usage policy and data protection information in the respective applicable version at the time of use of LMU-Chat shall apply.

Updated: August 2021