Product · Anonymity & privacy
Anonymity and privacy that fit together – technically and contractually
robin mood combines integrity, intuitiveness and anonymity with clear GDPR processing on behalf of the controller. Anonymity rules are technically enforced – privacy is secured by contract and organization.
- Hosted in Austria
- GDPR-focused
- Science-based
Three principles: integrity, intuitiveness, anonymity
Reliable employee surveys need more than an anonymity promise. robin mood combines three principles that work together technically and cannot be played off against each other:
- Integrity: results stay consistent and reliable – each person can answer a survey only once
- Intuitiveness: enforcing integrity and anonymity does not make participation harder – it stays as easy as other systems (or easier)
- Anonymity: departments are evaluated, never individuals – with a technically enforced minimum group size
Integrity: reliable results, one response per person
Integrity in robin mood means survey results are technically consistent and reliable. The system ensures each person can take part in a survey only once – duplicate submissions and distorted response rates are prevented technically.
That keeps evaluations trustworthy: trends, mood and themes reflect real participation – not multiple answers from the same person. This integrity is technically secured and cannot be bypassed.
Intuitiveness: protection without friction for respondents
Integrity and anonymity must not make participation harder. Intuitiveness in robin mood means enforcing the other two principles does not hit the everyday experience of people answering questions.
Employees take part in surveys as easily as in other systems – or more easily. No extra effort, no complicated hurdle “because of anonymity”, no noticeable trade-off between protection and usability.
Anonymity: departments only – never individuals
In robin mood you can only evaluate whole departments or organizational units – not individual employees. There is no person-level results view and no ranking of individuals.
Feedback remains an organizational signal: trends, mood and themes become visible without linking answers to a person. That protects participants and strengthens the credibility of results.
Minimum group size of 5: anonymity threshold by design
For aggregation to truly protect anonymity, a minimum group size is required. In robin mood, only departments with at least 5 people can take part in surveys.
Departments with fewer than 5 people cannot be surveyed. They must be merged with other departments before they can participate. This keeps the anonymity threshold intact – including in small teams and flat structures.
The threshold is not an organizational guideline – it is technically enforced: below the minimum size, no survey takes place.
- At least 5 people per department or surveyable unit
- Smaller units: no survey access – they must be merged with other departments
- Reporting only in aggregate at department level – never for individuals
Technically enforced – and not bypassable
Many tools label surveys as “anonymous” or “secure” while still leaving gaps: multiple participation, person-level reporting, or thresholds that can be softened. In robin mood, integrity, intuitiveness and anonymity are part of the system logic.
The principles are technically enforced and cannot be bypassed – without making participation more complicated for employees. Results stay reliable, feedback stays honest, and getting started stays easy.
Why this matters for honest feedback
Without robust anonymity you get polite answers instead of honest feedback. Without integrity, metrics lose credibility. And without intuitiveness, participation drops – despite good intentions.
robin mood holds all three together: one response per person, department-level reporting above the minimum size, and participation that does not feel like a “security burden”. For rollout and communication context, see Anonymous employee survey.
Privacy and anonymity: two layers, one goal
Anonymity and privacy belong together – but they are not the same. Anonymity governs what is visible in results: only departments above the minimum size, never individuals. Privacy governs how personal data is processed legally and technically: purpose limitation, roles, contracts, storage location and security.
For HR, data protection and works councils, both matter: honest feedback needs anonymity – and rollout needs a clear GDPR logic. This page covers both; the full legal documentation is in the privacy policy and the data processing agreement (DPA / AVV).
Processing on behalf: you remain the controller, robin mood processes under instruction
When using the survey software, your organization is the controller under the GDPR. robin mood FlexCo (Vienna) acts as processor and processes the personal data entrusted to it exclusively within your mandate and instructions.
We conclude a data processing agreement (DPA / AVV) under Art. 28 GDPR. It covers, among other things, the purpose of processing, data categories, sub-processors and duties in case of personal data breaches.
Important point from the DPA: robin mood does not use your data for its own purposes – including its own statistical evaluations – without express written consent. Your data stays your data.
Which data is processed – and why so little
To operate the platform, robin mood processes deliberately few personal data. The DPA in particular lists the following categories:
- Organizational unit (e.g. group, team, department, site)
- First name and last name
- Email address
Data minimization in practice
These master data support invitations, assignment to an organizational unit and the technical assurance that each person answers only once. Survey results are shown only in aggregate – so participant anonymity is preserved.
Activity, correspondence and preference data may also arise where needed for operations (e.g. language setting or notifications about new surveys). The principle: store only what the service requires – no unnecessary personal information.
Storage location: hosting with Anexia in Vienna
robin mood hosts the survey platform with Anexia in Vienna. Processing therefore takes place in Austria – within the European Union / EEA, not outside.
Anexia is the infrastructure partner for hosting and operations. Further sub-processors may only be engaged with your organization’s consent and are contractually bound to the same data protection obligations.
robin mood FlexCo is also based in Vienna. For privacy, works council and procurement questions you get an Austrian counterpart with a clear contractual setup – not just a marketing claim of “GDPR-compliant”.
Deletion and retention
Personal data is processed for the duration of the business relationship or use of the online software. Where data is not subject to statutory retention periods, it is deleted after the business relationship ends.
After the processing ends, robin mood is obliged to return processing results and data-bearing documents to you, keep them securely on your instruction, or destroy them as instructed – depending on your DPA instructions.
So retention follows purpose and contract – not an open-ended “we keep data forever”.
Technical data and sessions
As with any web-based software, operating the service involves technical information needed for security, stability and usability – for example within a logged-in session.
That does not change the survey anonymity logic: answers remain separated and are evaluated only in aggregate – not as tracking of individual opinions.
The legal detail is in the privacy policy.
Data subject rights, control and breach duties
As processor, robin mood supports your organization in fulfilling data subject rights (access, rectification, erasure, data portability and others) within statutory deadlines. Requests that reach robin mood directly are forwarded to you without delay.
In case of serious disruptions, suspected personal data breaches or irregularities, robin mood informs you without delay – and takes precautions so you can meet your legal notification duties (“data breach notification”). Audits and checks are provided for in the DPA and possible by arrangement.
Frequently asked questions
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