Data protection

Table of contents

• Introduction and overview
• scope of application
• Legal basis
• Contact details of the person responsible
• Storage period
• Rights under the General Data Protection Regulation
• Data transfer to third countries
• Security of data processing
• communication
• Cookies
• Webhosting Introduction
• Website Modular Systems Introduction
• Web Analytics Introduction
• Social Media Introduction
• Blogs and publication media Introduction
• Online Marketing Introduction
• Cookie Consent Management Platform Introduction
• Audio & Video Introduction
• Survey and polling systems Introduction
• Web design introduction
• Online map services Introduction
• Explanation of terms used

Introduction and overview

We have written this privacy policy (version 10.02.2023-112404076) to provide you with the information you need in accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and applicable national laws, which personal data (data for short) we as the controller - and the processors commissioned by us (e.g. providers) - process, will process in the future and what legal options you have. The terms used are to be understood as gender-neutral.

In short: We will provide you with comprehensive information about the data we process about you.

Privacy statements usually sound very technical and use legal jargon. This privacy statement, on the other hand, is intended to describe the most important things to you as simply and transparently as possible. As far as it promotes transparency, technical Terms explained in a reader-friendly way, links to further information and Graphics used. We are informing you in clear and simple language that we only process personal data in the context of our business activities if there is a corresponding legal basis. This is certainly not possible if you provide explanations that are as brief, unclear and legal-technical as possible, as is often standard on the Internet when it comes to data protection. I hope you find the following explanations interesting and informative and perhaps there is some information there that you did not know before.

If you still have any questions, please contact the responsible body named below or in the imprint, follow the links provided and look at further information on third-party websites. You can of course also find our contact details in the imprint.

scope of application

This privacy policy applies to all personal data processed by us in the company and to all personal data processed by companies commissioned by us (contract processors). By personal data we mean information within the meaning of Art. 4 No. 1 GDPR, such as a person's name, email address and postal address. The processing of personal data ensures that we can offer and bill for our services and products, whether online or offline. The scope of this privacy policy includes:

• all online presences (websites, online shops) that we operate
• Social media presence and email communication
• mobile apps for smartphones and other devices

In short: This privacy policy applies to all areas in which personal data is processed in a structured manner within the company via the channels mentioned. If we enter into legal relationships with you outside of these channels, we will inform you separately if necessary.

Legal basis

In the following privacy policy we provide you with transparent information on the legal principles and regulations, i.e. the legal basis of the General Data Protection Regulation, which enable us to process personal data.

As regards EU law, we refer to REGULATION (EU) 2016/679 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 27 April 2016. You can of course consult this EU General Data Protection Regulation online on EUR-Lex, the gateway to EU law, at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/DE/ALL/?uri=celex%3A32016R0679 read more.

We only process your data if at least one of the following conditions applies:

1. consent (Article 6 paragraph 1 letter a GDPR): You have given us your consent to process data for a specific purpose. An example would be the storage of the data you entered in a contact form.
2. Contract (Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. b GDPR): We process your data in order to fulfil a contract or pre-contractual obligations with you. For example, if we conclude a purchase contract with you, we need personal information in advance.
3. Legal obligation (Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. c GDPR): We process your data if we are subject to a legal obligation. For example, we are legally obliged to keep invoices for accounting purposes. These usually contain personal data.
4. Legitimate interests (Article 6 paragraph 1 letter f GDPR): In the case of legitimate interests that do not restrict your fundamental rights, we reserve the right to process personal data. For example, we need to process certain data in order to operate our website securely and economically efficiently. This processing is therefore a legitimate interest.

Other conditions such as the taking of recordings in the public interest and the exercise of public authority as well as the protection of vital interests do not generally apply to us. If such a legal basis should be applicable, it will be indicated in the appropriate place.

In addition to the EU regulation, national laws also apply:

• In Austria This is the Federal Law on the Protection of Natural Persons with regard to the Processing of Personal Data (Data Protection Act), short DSG.
• In Germany is that valid Federal Data Protection Act, short BDSG.

If other regional or national laws apply, we will inform you about them in the following sections.

Contact details of the person responsible

If you have any questions about data protection or the processing of personal data, you will find the contact details of the responsible person or body below:

EXARON GmbH

Patrick Gröller

Freisingerweg 3, 8144 Haselsdorf-Tobelbad, Austria

E-mail: patrick.groeller@exaron.at

Phone: +43 699 10203052

Imprint: https://exaron.at/impressum/

Storage period

Our general rule is that we only store personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. This means that we delete personal data as soon as the reason for data processing no longer exists. In some cases, we are legally obliged to store certain data even after the original purpose no longer applies, for example for accounting purposes.

If you wish to have your data deleted or withdraw your consent to data processing, the data will be deleted as quickly as possible and unless there is an obligation to store it.

We will inform you below about the specific duration of each data processing operation, provided we have further information on this.

Rights under the General Data Protection Regulation

In accordance with Articles 13 and 14 of the GDPR, we inform you of the following rights to which you are entitled in order to ensure fair and transparent data processing:

• According to Article 15 GDPR, you have the right to know whether we process data about you. If this is the case, you have the right to receive a copy of the data and to be informed of the following information:
  • for what purposes we carry out the processing;
  • the categories, i.e. the types of data that are processed;
  • who receives this data and, if the data is transferred to third countries, how security can be guaranteed;
  • how long the data is stored;
  • the existence of the right to rectification, erasure or restriction of processing and the right to object to processing;
  • that you can complain to a supervisory authority (links to these authorities can be found below);
  • the origin of the data if we did not collect it from you;
  • whether profiling is carried out, i.e. whether data is automatically evaluated in order to create a personal profile of you.
• You have the right to rectification of data according to Article 16 GDPR, which means that we must correct data if you find any errors.
• According to Article 17 GDPR, you have the right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”), which specifically means that you can request that your data be deleted.
• According to Article 18 GDPR, you have the right to restrict processing, which means that we may only store the data but not use it any further.
• According to Article 20 GDPR, you have the right to data portability, which means that we will provide you with your data in a common format upon request.
• According to Article 21 GDPR, you have the right to object, which, once enforced, will result in a change in the processing.
  • If the processing of your data is based on Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter e (public interest, exercise of official authority) or Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter f (legitimate interest), you can object to the processing. We will then check as quickly as possible whether we can legally comply with this objection.
  • If data is used to conduct direct advertising, you can object to this type of data processing at any time. We may no longer use your data for direct marketing after this.
  • If data is used to carry out profiling, you can object to this type of data processing at any time. We may no longer use your data for profiling after this.
• According to Article 22 GDPR, you may have the right not to be subjected to a decision based solely on automated processing (e.g. profiling).
• According to Article 77 of the GDPR, you have the right to complain. This means that you can complain to the data protection authority at any time if you believe that the processing of personal data violates the GDPR.

In short: You have rights – do not hesitate to contact the responsible body listed above!

If you believe that the processing of your data violates data protection law or that your data protection rights have been violated in any other way, you can complain to the supervisory authority. For Austria, this is the Data Protection Authority, whose website you can find at https://www.dsb.gv.at/ In Germany, there is a data protection officer for each federal state. For further information, please contact the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI) The following local data protection authority is responsible for our company:

Austria Data Protection Authority

Head: Dr. Andrea Jelinek

Address: Barichgasse 40-42, 1030 Vienna

Telephone number: +43 1 52 152-0

E-mail address:

dsb@dsb.gv.at

Website:

https://www.dsb.gv.at/

Data transfer to third countries

We only transfer or process data to countries outside the EU (third countries) if you consent to this processing, if this is required by law or contractually necessary and in any case only to the extent that this is generally permitted. Your consent is in most cases the most important reason why we have data processed in third countries. Processing personal data in third countries such as the USA, where many software manufacturers offer services and have their server locations, may mean that personal data is processed and stored in unexpected ways.

We expressly point out that, in the opinion of the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfer to the USA. Data processing by US services (such as Google Analytics) may result in data not being processed and stored anonymously. Furthermore, US government authorities may have access to individual data. In addition, it may happen that collected data is linked to data from other services of the same provider, provided you have a corresponding user account. Where possible, we try to use server locations within the EU if this is offered.

We will provide you with more detailed information about data transfers to third countries, where applicable, at the appropriate points in this privacy policy.

Security of data processing

We have implemented both technical and organizational measures to protect personal data. Where possible, we encrypt or pseudonymize personal data. In this way, we make it as difficult as possible for third parties to derive personal information from our data.

Art. 25 GDPR speaks of “data protection through technology design and through data protection-friendly default settings” and means that security is always considered and appropriate measures are taken for both software (e.g. forms) and hardware (e.g. access to the server room). In the following, we will go into more specific measures if necessary.

TLS encryption with https

TLS, encryption and https sound very technical and they are. We use HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) to transfer data securely over the Internet.

This means that the complete transmission of all data from your browser to our web server is secured – no one can “eavesdrop”.

We have thus introduced an additional security layer and fulfilled data protection through technology design (Article 25 paragraph 1 GDPR). By using TLS (Transport Layer Security), an encryption protocol for secure data transmission over the Internet, we can ensure the protection of confidential data.

You can recognize the use of this data transfer security by the small lock symbol top left of the browser, to the left of the Internet address (e.g. examplepage.com) and the use of the https scheme (instead of http) as part of our Internet address.

If you want to know more about encryption, we recommend doing a Google search for “Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure wiki” to get good links to further information.

communication

If you contact us and communicate by telephone, email or online form, personal data may be processed.

The data will be processed to process and handle your question and the related business transaction. The data will be stored for as long as required by law.

Affected people

The above-mentioned processes affect everyone who contacts us via the communication channels we provide.

phone

When you call us, the call data is stored pseudonymously on the respective device and by the telecommunications provider used. In addition, data such as name and telephone number can be sent by email afterwards and stored to answer your query. The data is deleted as soon as the business transaction has been completed and legal requirements permit it.

e-mail

If you communicate with us by email, data may be saved on the respective device (computer, laptop, smartphone, etc.) and data may be saved on the email server. The data will be deleted as soon as the business transaction has been completed and legal requirements permit it.

Online forms

If you communicate with us using an online form, data will be stored on our web server and, if necessary, forwarded to an email address of ours. The data will be deleted as soon as the business transaction has been completed and legal requirements permit it.

Legal basis

The processing of the data is based on the following legal bases:

• Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent): You give us your consent to store your data and to continue to use it for the purposes related to the business case;
• Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR (contract): There is a need to fulfil a contract with you or a processor such as the telephone provider or we have to process the data for pre-contractual activities, such as preparing an offer;
• Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests): We want to handle customer inquiries and business communication in a professional setting. For this, certain technical facilities such as email programs, exchange servers and mobile phone operators are necessary in order to be able to conduct communication efficiently.

Cookies

What are cookies?

Our website uses HTTP cookies to store user-specific data.

Below we explain what cookies are and why they are used so that you can better understand the following privacy policy.

Whenever you surf the Internet, you use a browser. Well-known browsers include Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge. Most websites store small text files in your browser. These files are called cookies.

One thing cannot be denied: cookies are really useful little helpers. Almost all websites use cookies. To be more precise, they are HTTP cookies, as there are other cookies for other areas of application. HTTP cookies are small files that are stored on your computer by our website. These cookie files are automatically stored in the cookie folder, the "brain" of your browser. A cookie consists of a name and a value. When defining a cookie, one or more attributes must also be specified.

Cookies store certain user data about you, such as language or personal page settings. When you visit our site again, your browser sends the "user-related" information back to our site. Thanks to cookies, our website knows who you are and offers you the settings you are used to. In some browsers, each cookie has its own file, in others, such as Firefox, all cookies are stored in a single file.

The following graphic shows a possible interaction between a web browser such as Chrome and the web server. The web browser requests a website and receives a cookie back from the server, which the browser uses again when another page is requested.

There are both first-party cookies and third-party cookies. First-party cookies are created directly by our site, third-party cookies are created by partner websites (eg Google Analytics). Each cookie must be evaluated individually, as each cookie stores different data. The expiration time of a cookie also varies from a few minutes to a few years. Cookies are not software programs and do not contain viruses, Trojans or other "malware". Cookies also cannot access information on your PC.

For example, cookie data can look like this:

Surname: _ga

Value:GA1.2.1326744211.152112404076-9

Purpose of use: Differentiation of website visitors

Expiry Date:after 2 years

A browser should be able to support these minimum sizes:

• At least 4096 bytes per cookie
• At least 50 cookies per domain
• At least 3000 cookies in total

What types of cookies are there?

The question of which cookies we use in particular depends on the services used and is clarified in the following sections of the privacy policy. At this point we would like to briefly explain the different types of HTTP cookies.

There are 4 types of cookies:

Essential cookies

These cookies are necessary to ensure basic functions of the website. For example, these cookies are needed when a user puts a product in the shopping cart, then continues browsing on other pages and only later proceeds to the checkout. These cookies do not delete the shopping cart, even if the user closes their browser window.

Purposeful cookies

These cookies collect information about user behavior and whether the user receives any error messages. In addition, these cookies are also used to measure the loading time and behavior of the website in different browsers.

Targeted cookies

These cookies improve user experience. For example, entered locations, font sizes or form data are stored.

Advertising cookies

These cookies are also called targeting cookies. They are used to deliver individually tailored advertising to the user. This can be very practical, but also very annoying.

Typically, when you first visit a website, you will be asked which of these types of cookies you would like to allow. And of course, this decision will also be stored in a cookie.

If you would like to know more about cookies and are not afraid of technical documentation, we recommend https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc6265, the Request for Comments of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) called “HTTP State Management Mechanism”.

Purpose of processing via cookies

The purpose ultimately depends on the cookie in question. You can find more details below or from the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.

What data is processed?

Cookies are little helpers for a variety of tasks. Unfortunately, it is not possible to generalize which data is stored in cookies, but we will inform you about the data processed or stored in the following data protection declaration.

Storage period of cookies

The storage period depends on the respective cookie and is specified below. Some cookies are deleted after less than an hour, others can remain stored on a computer for several years.

You also have influence over the storage period. You can delete all cookies manually at any time via your browser (see also “Right of objection” below). Furthermore, cookies based on consent will be deleted at the latest after you revoke your consent, whereby the legality of storage remains unaffected until then.

Right of objection – how can I delete cookies?

You decide how and whether you want to use cookies. Regardless of which service or website the cookies come from, you always have the option of deleting, deactivating or only partially allowing cookies. For example, you can block third-party cookies but allow all other cookies.

If you want to find out which cookies have been stored in your browser, if you want to change or delete cookie settings, you can find this in your browser settings:

Chrome: Delete, enable and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Managing cookies and website data with Safari

Firefox: Clear cookies to remove data that websites have stored on your computer

Internet Explorer: Deleting and managing cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

If you do not want cookies at all, you can set up your browser so that it always informs you when a cookie is about to be placed. This way you can decide for each individual cookie whether you want to allow the cookie or not. The procedure varies depending on the browser. The best thing to do is to search for instructions on Google using the search term “delete cookies Chrome” or “deactivate cookies Chrome” in the case of a Chrome browser.

Legal basis

The so-called “Cookie Guidelines” have been in place since 2009. They state that the storage of cookies is a consent (Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter a of GDPR) is required of you. However, there are still very different reactions to these guidelines within the EU countries. In Austria, however, this directive was implemented in Section 165 Paragraph 3 of the Telecommunications Act (TKG). In Germany, the cookie guidelines were not implemented as national law. Instead, this directive was largely implemented in Section 15 Paragraph 3 of the Telemedia Act (TMG).

For absolutely necessary cookies, even if no consent has been given, legitimate interests (Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR), which in most cases are of an economic nature. We want to give visitors to the website a pleasant user experience and for this certain cookies are often absolutely necessary.

If cookies that are not absolutely necessary are used, this only happens with your consent. The legal basis in this respect is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR.

In the following sections you will be informed in more detail about the use of cookies, provided that the software used uses cookies.

Webhosting Introduction

What is web hosting?

When you visit websites these days, certain information - including personal data - is automatically created and saved, including on this website. This data should be processed as sparingly as possible and only with justification. By website we mean the entirety of all web pages on a domain, ie everything from the start page (homepage) to the very last subpage (like this one). By domain we mean example.de or musterbeispiel.com, for example.

When you want to view a website on a computer, tablet or smartphone, you use a program called a web browser. You probably know some web browsers by name: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari. We call them browsers or web browsers for short.

To display the website, the browser must connect to another computer where the website code is stored: the web server. Operating a web server is a complicated and time-consuming task, which is why it is usually handled by professional providers. They offer web hosting and ensure that website data is stored reliably and error-free. A lot of technical terms, but please stay tuned, it gets better!

When the browser connects to your computer (desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone) and during data transfer to and from the web server, personal data may be processed. On the one hand, your computer stores data, and on the other hand, the web server must also store data for a while to ensure proper operation.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so the following graphic illustrates the interaction between the browser, the Internet and the hosting provider.

Why do we process personal data?

The purposes of data processing are:

1. Professional hosting of the website and security of operations
2. to maintain operational and IT security
3. Anonymous evaluation of access behavior to improve our offering and, if necessary, for criminal prosecution or the pursuit of claims

What data is processed?

Even while you are currently visiting our website, our web server, which is the computer on which this website is stored, usually automatically stores data such as

• the complete Internet address (URL) of the website accessed
• Browser and browser version (e.g. Chrome 87)
• the operating system used (e.g. Windows 10)
• the address (URL) of the previously visited page (referrer URL) (e.g. https://www.beispielquellsite.de/vondabinichgekommen/)
• the hostname and IP address of the device from which access is made (e.g. COMPUTERNAME and 194.23.43.121)
• Date and Time
• in files, the so-called web server log files

How long is data stored?

As a rule, the above data is stored for two weeks and then automatically deleted. We do not pass this data on, but cannot rule out that this data will be viewed by authorities in the event of illegal behavior.

In short: Your visit is logged by our provider (company that runs our website on special computers (servers)), but we do not pass on your data without your consent!

Legal basis

The legality of the processing of personal data in the context of web hosting arises from Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (protection of legitimate interests), because the use of professional hosting with a provider is necessary in order to present the company on the Internet in a secure and user-friendly manner and to be able to pursue attacks and claims arising from this if necessary.

There is usually a contract for order processing between us and the hosting provider in accordance with Art. 28 f. GDPR, which ensures compliance with data protection and guarantees data security.

Webhosting Provider External Privacy Policy

Below you will find the contact details of our external hosting provider, where you can find out more about data processing in addition to the information above:

Hetzner Online GmbH

Industriestrasse 25, 91710 Gunzenhausen, Germany

You can find out more about data processing by this provider in the Data protection.

Website Modular Systems Introduction

What are website builders?

We use a website modular system for our website. Modular systems are special forms of a content management system (CMS). With a modular system, website operators can create a website very easily and without any programming knowledge. In many cases, web hosts also offer modular systems. By using a modular system, personal data can also be collected, stored and processed. In this data protection text, we give you general information about data processing by modular systems. You can find more information in the provider's data protection declarations.

Why do we use website builders for our website?

The biggest advantage of a modular system is its ease of use. We want to offer you a clear, simple and well-organized website that we can easily operate and maintain ourselves - without external support. A modular system now offers many helpful functions that we can use even without programming knowledge. This allows us to design our web presence according to our wishes and offer you an informative and pleasant time on our website.

What data is stored by a modular system?

Which data is stored depends, of course, on the website construction kit system used. Each provider processes and collects different data from website visitors. However, technical usage information such as operating system, browser, screen resolution, language and keyboard settings, hosting provider and the date of your website visit are usually collected. Tracking data (e.g. browser activity, clickstream activities, session heatmaps, etc.) can also be processed. Personal data can also be collected and stored. This usually includes contact data such as email address, telephone number (if you have provided this), IP address and geographical location data. You can find out exactly which data is stored in the provider's privacy policy.

How long and where is the data stored?

We will inform you about the duration of data processing below in connection with the website modular system used, provided we have further information about it. You can find detailed information about this in the provider's privacy policy. In general, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. It is possible that the provider stores your data according to its own specifications, over which we have no influence.

Right to object

You always have the right to information, correction and deletion of your personal data. If you have any questions, you can contact the person responsible for the website modular system used at any time. You can find contact details either in our privacy policy or on the website of the relevant provider.

You can delete, deactivate or manage cookies that providers use for their functions in your browser. This works in different ways depending on which browser you use. Please note, however, that not all functions may then work as usual.

Legal basis

We have a legitimate interest in using a website construction kit system to optimize our online service and present it to you in an efficient and user-friendly manner. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use the construction kit if you have given your consent.

If the processing of data is not absolutely necessary for the operation of the website, the data will only be processed on the basis of your consent. This particularly applies to tracking activities. The legal basis in this respect is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR.

With this privacy policy, we have provided you with the most important general information about data processing. If you would like more detailed information on this, you can find further information - if available - in the following section or in the provider's privacy policy.

WordPress.com Privacy Policy 

We use the well-known content management system WordPress.com for our website. The service provider is the American company Automattic Inc., 60 29th Street #343, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA. 

What is WordPress? 

The company was founded in 2003 and in a relatively short time it developed into one of the most well-known content management systems (CMS) in the world. A CMS is software that helps us design our website and present content in a beautiful and organized manner. The content can be text, audio and video. 
By using WordPress, personal data can also be collected, stored and processed. As a rule, mainly technical data such as operating system, browser, screen resolution or hosting provider is stored. However, personal data such as IP address, geographical data or contact details can also be processed. 

Why do we use WordPress? 

Programming is not one of our core competencies. Nevertheless, we want to have a powerful and attractive website that we can manage and maintain ourselves. With a website construction kit system or a content management system such as WordPress, this is exactly what is possible. With WordPress, we don't have to be programming aces to be able to offer you a beautiful website. Thanks to WordPress, we can use our website quickly and easily even without any prior technical knowledge. If technical problems arise or we have special requests for our website, we always have our specialists who are at home with HTML, PHP, CSS and the like. 

How secure is data transfer with WordPress? 

WordPress processes your data in the USA, among other places. We would like to point out that, in the opinion of the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfer to the USA. This can involve various risks for the legality and security of data processing. 
WordPress uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, WordPress undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places:https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de 
The data processing conditions (Data Processing Agreements), which correspond to the standard contractual clauses, can be found athttps://wordpress.com/support/data-processing-agreements/. 

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of WordPress.com in the privacy policy onhttps://automattic.com/de/privacy/. 

Web Analytics Introduction

What is Web Analytics?

We use software on our website to evaluate the behavior of website visitors, known as web analytics or web analysis for short. This involves collecting data that the respective analytics tool provider (also known as a tracking tool) stores, manages and processes. The data is used to create analyses of user behavior on our website and make them available to us as website operators. In addition, most tools offer various testing options. For example, we can test which offers or content are most popular with our visitors. To do this, we show you two different offers for a limited period of time. After the test (so-called A/B test), we know which product or content our website visitors find more interesting. For such testing procedures, as for other analytics procedures, user profiles can also be created and the data stored in cookies.

Why do we use web analytics?

We have a clear goal in mind with our website: we want to provide the best web offering on the market for our industry. To achieve this goal, we want to offer the best and most interesting offering on the one hand and, on the other hand, make sure that you feel completely comfortable on our website. With the help of web analysis tools, we can take a closer look at the behavior of our website visitors and then improve our web offering for you and us accordingly. For example, we can see how old our visitors on average are, where they come from, when our website is visited most often or which content or products are particularly popular. All of this information helps us to optimize the website and thus adapt it as best as possible to your needs, interests and wishes.

What data is processed?

Which data is stored depends, of course, on the analysis tools used. However, as a rule, for example, what content you view on our website, which buttons or links you click, when you visit a page, which browser you use, which device (PC, tablet, smartphone, etc.) you use to visit the website or which computer system you use is stored. If you have agreed that location data may also be collected, this can also be processed by the web analysis tool provider.

Your IP address is also stored. According to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), IP addresses are personal data. However, your IP address is usually stored pseudonymously (i.e. in an unrecognizable and shortened form). For the purposes of testing, web analysis and web optimization, no direct data such as your name, age, address or email address is stored. All of this data, if collected, is stored pseudonymously. This means that you cannot be identified as a person.

The following example shows schematically how Google Analytics works as an example of client-based web tracking with JavaScript code.

How long the respective data is stored always depends on the provider. Some cookies only store data for a few minutes or until you leave the website again, other cookies can store data for several years.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you about the duration of data processing below, provided we have further information on this. In general, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. If it is required by law, such as in the case of accounting, this storage period can also be exceeded.

Right to object

You also have the right and the option to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third-party providers at any time. This works either via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser.

Legal basis

The use of web analytics requires your consent, which we have obtained with our cookie popup. This consent is according to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as it may occur when collected by web analytics tools.

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analyzing the behavior of website visitors and thus improving our offering technically and economically. With the help of web analytics, we can detect errors on the website, identify attacks and improve profitability. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)However, we only use the tools if you have given your consent.

Since web analytics tools use cookies, we also recommend that you read our general privacy policy on cookies. To find out exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Information on special web analytics tools – if available – can be found in the following sections.

Google Optimize Privacy Policy

We use Google Optimize, a website optimization tool, on our website. The service provider is the American company Google LCC. In Europe, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services.

Google processes your data in the USA, among other places. We would like to point out that, in the opinion of the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfer to the USA. This can involve various risks for the legality and security of data processing.

Google uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, Google undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Google Ads Data Processing Terms, which refer to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://business.safety.google/intl/de/adsprocessorterms/.

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Google Optimize in the Privacy Policy on https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

Google Site Kit Privacy Policy

What is Google Site Kit?

We have integrated the WordPress plugin Google Site Kit from the American company Google LCC into our website. In Europe, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services. With Google Site Kit, we can quickly and easily view statistics from various Google products such as Google Analytics directly in our WordPress dashboard. The tool or the tools integrated into Google Site Kit also collect personal data from you, among other things. In this privacy policy, we explain why we use Google Site Kit, how long and where data is stored, and which other data protection texts are relevant to you in this context.

Google Site Kit is a plugin for the WordPress content management system. With this plugin, we can view important website analysis statistics directly in our dashboard. These are statistics collected by other Google products, especially Google Analytics. In addition to Google Analytics, the services Google Search Console, Page Speed Insight, Google AdSense, Google Optimize and Google Tag Manager can also be linked to Google Site Kit.

Why do we use Google Site Kit on our website?

As a service provider, it is our job to offer you the best possible experience on our website. You should feel comfortable on our website and quickly and easily find exactly what you are looking for. Statistical evaluations help us to get to know you better and to adapt our offer to your wishes and interests. We use various Google tools for these evaluations. Site Kit makes our work much easier in this regard because we can view and analyze the statistics of Google products directly in the dashboard. We no longer have to register separately for the respective tool. Site Kit therefore always offers a good overview of the most important analysis data.

What data does Google Site Kit store?

If you have actively consented to tracking tools in the cookie notice (also called script or banner), cookies will be set by Google products such as Google Analytics and data from you, such as your user behavior, will be sent to Google, stored there and processed. This includes personal data such as your IP address.

For more detailed information on the individual services, we have separate text sections in this privacy policy. For example, see our privacy policy for Google Analytics. Here we go into great detail about the data collected. You will find out how long Google Analytics stores, manages and processes data, which cookies can be used and how you can prevent data storage. We also have separate privacy policies with comprehensive information for other Google services such as Google Tag Manager or Google AdSense.

Below we show you examples of Google Analytics cookies that can be set in your browser, provided you have generally agreed to data processing by Google. Please note that these cookies are only a selection:

Surname: _ga

Value:2.1326744211.152112404076-2

Purpose of use: By default, analytics.js uses the cookie _ga to store the user ID. Basically, it is used to distinguish between website visitors.

Expiry Date: after 2 years

Surname: _gid

Value:2.1687193234.152112404076-7

Purpose of use: This cookie is also used to distinguish between website visitors.

Expiry Date:after 24 hours

Surname: _gat_gtag_UA_

Value: 1

Purpose of use: This cookie is used to reduce the request rate.

Expiry Date: after 1 minute

How long and where is the data stored?

Google stores collected data on its own Google servers, which are located worldwide. Most servers are located in the United States and therefore it is quite possible that your data will also be stored there. On https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/locations/?hl=de see exactly where the company provides servers.

Data collected by Google Analytics is retained for a standard 26 months. After this, your user data is deleted. The retention period applies to all data linked to cookies, user recognition and advertising IDs.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You always have the right to obtain information about your data and to have your data deleted, corrected or restricted. You can also deactivate, delete or manage cookies in your browser at any time.

If you generally want to deactivate, delete or manage cookies, you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers under the “Cookies” section.

Legal basis

The use of Google Site Kit requires your consent, which we have obtained with our cookie popup. This consent is according to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as it may occur when collected by web analytics tools.

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analyzing the behavior of website visitors and thus improving our offering technically and economically. With the help of Google Site Kit, we can detect errors on the website, identify attacks and improve profitability. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)However, we only use Google Site Kit if you have given your consent.

Google processes your data in the USA, among other places. We would like to point out that, in the opinion of the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfer to the USA. This can involve various risks for the legality and security of data processing.

Google uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, Google undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Google Ads Data Processing Terms, which refer to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://business.safety.google/intl/de/adsprocessorterms/

To learn more about data processing by Google, we recommend that you read Google’s comprehensive privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

Social Media Introduction

What is social media?

In addition to our website, we are also active on various social media platforms. User data can be processed so that we can specifically address users who are interested in us via social networks. In addition, elements of a social media platform can also be embedded directly in our website. This is the case, for example, if you click on a so-called social button on our website and are redirected directly to our social media presence. So-called social media or social media refers to websites and apps through which registered members can produce content, exchange content openly or in specific groups, and network with other members.

Why do we use social media?

For years, social media platforms have been the place where people communicate and get in touch online. With our social media presence, we can bring our products and services closer to prospective customers. The social media elements integrated into our website help you to switch to our social media content quickly and without complications.

The data that is stored and processed through your use of a social media channel primarily serves the purpose of being able to carry out web analyses. The aim of these analyses is to be able to develop more precise and personalized marketing and advertising strategies. Depending on your behavior on a social media platform, the evaluated data can be used to draw conclusions about your interests and create so-called user profiles. This also enables the platforms to present you with customized advertisements. Cookies are usually placed in your browser for this purpose, which store data about your usage behavior.

We generally assume that we remain responsible for data protection, even if we use the services of a social media platform. However, the European Court of Justice has ruled that in certain cases the operator of the social media platform may be jointly responsible with us within the meaning of Art. 26 GDPR. If this is the case, we will point this out separately and work on the basis of an agreement to this effect. The essence of the agreement is then reproduced below for the platform in question.

Please note that when using the social media platforms or our built-in elements, your data may also be processed outside the European Union, as many social media channels, such as Facebook or Twitter, are American companies. This may make it more difficult for you to claim or enforce your rights with regard to your personal data.

What data is processed?

Exactly which data is stored and processed depends on the respective provider of the social media platform. But it is usually data such as telephone numbers, email addresses, data that you enter in a contact form, user data such as which buttons you click, who you like or follow, when you visited which pages, information about your device and your IP address. Most of this data is stored in cookies. Especially if you have a profile on the social media channel you visit and are logged in, data can be linked to your profile.

All data collected via a social media platform is also stored on the providers' servers. This means that only the providers have access to the data and can provide you with the appropriate information or make changes.

If you want to know exactly which data is stored and processed by the social media providers and how you can object to data processing, you should read the respective company's privacy policy carefully. If you have any questions about data storage and processing or want to assert corresponding rights, we recommend that you contact the provider directly.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you about the duration of data processing below, provided we have further information. For example, the social media platform Facebook stores data until it is no longer needed for its own purposes. However, customer data that is compared with the company's own user data is deleted within two days. In general, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. If it is required by law, as in the case of accounting, for example, this storage period can also be exceeded.

Right to object

You also have the right and the option to withdraw your consent to the use of cookies or third-party services such as embedded social media elements at any time. This works either via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser.

Since social media tools may use cookies, we also recommend that you read our general privacy policy on cookies. To find out exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Legal basis

If you have consented that your data can be processed and stored through integrated social media elements, this consent is considered the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR)In principle, if you have given your consent, your data will also be processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) on fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the tools if you have given your consent. Most social media platforms also set cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our privacy policy on cookies carefully and view the privacy statement or cookie policy of the respective service provider.

Information about specific social media platforms – if available – can be found in the following sections.

Blogs and publication media Introduction

What are blogs and publication media?

We use blogs or other means of communication on our website with which we can communicate with you and you can communicate with us. We may also store and process your data. This may be necessary so that we can display content appropriately, communication works and security is increased. In our privacy policy we generally explain which of your data can be processed. Exact details on data processing always depend on the tools and functions used. You can find detailed information about data processing in the privacy policy of the individual providers.

Why do we use blogs and publication media?

Our main concern with our website is to offer you interesting and exciting content, and at the same time, your opinions and content are important to us. That is why we want to create a good interactive exchange between us and you. With various blogs and publication options, we can achieve exactly that. For example, you can write comments on our content, comment on other comments or, in some cases, even write contributions yourself.

What data is processed?

Exactly which data is processed always depends on the communication functions we use. Very often, IP addresses, user names and published content are stored. This is done primarily to ensure security, prevent spam and to be able to take action against illegal content. Cookies can also be used to store data. These are small text files that are stored in your browser with information. You can find more information about the data collected and stored in our individual sections and in the data protection declaration of the respective provider.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you below about the duration of data processing if we have further information. For example, post and comment functions store data until you revoke the data storage. In general, personal data is only stored for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services.

Right to object

You also have the right and the option to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third-party communication tools at any time. This works either via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser.

Since cookies can also be used in publication media, we also recommend that you read our general privacy policy on cookies. To find out exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Legal basis

We use the means of communication primarily on the basis of our legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in fast and good communication with you or other customers, business partners and visitors. Insofar as the use serves the processing of contractual relationships or their initiation, the legal basis is also Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b. GDPR.

Certain processing operations, in particular the use of cookies and the use of comment or message functions, require your consent. If and to the extent that you have consented that your data can be processed and stored by integrated publication media, this consent is considered the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR). Most of the communication functions we use set cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our privacy policy text about cookies carefully and view the privacy statement or cookie policy of the respective service provider.

Information about specific tools – if available – can be found in the following sections.

Blog posts and comment functions Privacy policy

There are various online communication tools that we can use on our website. For example, we use blog posts and comment functions. This gives you the opportunity to comment on content or write posts. If you use this function, your IP address may be saved for security reasons. This way we protect ourselves from illegal content such as insults, unauthorized advertising or prohibited political propaganda. In order to determine whether comments are spam, we can also save and process user information based on our legitimate interest. If we start a survey, we also save your IP address for the duration of the survey so that we can be sure that everyone involved really only votes once. Cookies may also be used for storage purposes. All data that we save from you (such as content or information about you) will remain saved until you object.

WordPress Emojis Privacy Policy

We also use so-called emojis and smileys in our blog. We probably don't need to explain exactly what emojis are here. You know these laughing, angry or sad faces. They are graphic elements or files that we provide and are loaded from another server. The service provider for retrieving WordPress emojis and smileys is Automattic Inc., 60 29th Street #343, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA. This third-party provider stores your IP address in order to be able to transmit the emoji files to your browser.

WordPress processes your data in the USA, among other places. We would like to point out that, in the opinion of the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfer to the USA. This can involve various risks for the legality and security of data processing.

WordPress uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, WordPress undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The data processing conditions (Data Processing Agreements), which correspond to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://wordpress.com/support/data-processing-agreements/.

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Automattic in the Privacy Policy on https://automattic.com/privacy/.

Online Marketing Introduction

What is online marketing?

Online marketing refers to all measures that are carried out online to achieve marketing goals such as increasing brand awareness or closing a deal. Our online marketing measures also aim to draw people's attention to our website. We therefore carry out online marketing in order to be able to show our offer to many interested people. This usually involves online advertising, content marketing or search engine optimization. Personal data is also stored and processed so that we can use online marketing efficiently and in a targeted manner. On the one hand, the data helps us to only show our content to those people who are actually interested in it, and on the other hand, we can measure the advertising success of our online marketing measures.

Why do we use online marketing tools?

We want to show our website to everyone who is interested in what we have to offer. We are aware that this is not possible without taking conscious measures. That is why we do online marketing. There are various tools that make our work on our online marketing measures easier and also provide suggestions for improvement using data. This allows us to target our campaigns more precisely at our target group. The purpose of these online marketing tools is ultimately to optimize our offer.

What data is processed?

To ensure that our online marketing works and the success of the measures can be measured, user profiles are created and data is stored, for example, in cookies (these are small text files). With the help of this data, we can not only place advertisements in the traditional sense, but also display our content directly on our website in the way you like best. There are various third-party tools that offer these functions and collect and store data from you accordingly. The cookies named store, for example, which web pages you visited on our website, how long you viewed these pages, which links or buttons you clicked, or which website you came to us from. Technical information can also be stored. For example, your IP address, which browser you use, which device you use to visit our website, or the time when you accessed our website and when you left it again. If you have consented that we may also determine your location, we can also store and process this.

Your IP address is stored in pseudonymized form (i.e. shortened). Unique data that directly identifies you as a person, such as name, address or email address, are also only stored in pseudonymized form as part of the advertising and online marketing processes. We cannot identify you as a person, but we only have the pseudonymized, stored information stored in the user profiles.

The cookies may also be deployed, analyzed and used for advertising purposes on other websites that work with the same advertising tools. The data may then also be stored on the servers of the advertising tool providers.

In exceptional cases, unique data (name, email address, etc.) can also be stored in the user profiles. This storage occurs, for example, if you are a member of a social media channel that we use for our online marketing measures and the network links previously received data with the user profile.

For all advertising tools we use that store your data on their servers, we only receive aggregated information and never data that identifies you as an individual. The data simply shows how well the advertising measures worked. For example, we can see which measures prompted you or other users to come to our website and purchase a service or product there. Based on the analyses, we can improve our advertising offer in the future and adapt it even more precisely to the needs and wishes of interested parties.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you below about the duration of data processing if we have further information. In general, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. Data stored in cookies is stored for different lengths of time. Some cookies are deleted as soon as you leave the website, others can be stored in your browser for several years. In the respective data protection declarations of the individual providers you will usually find precise information about the individual cookies that the provider uses.

Right to object

You also have the right and the option to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third-party providers at any time. This works either via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser. The legality of the processing until the revocation remains unaffected.

Since online marketing tools can usually use cookies, we also recommend that you read our general privacy policy on cookies. To find out exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of third-party providers, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. This consent represents Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as it may occur when collected through online marketing tools.

We also have a legitimate interest in measuring online marketing measures in an anonymous form in order to optimize our offer and our measures using the data obtained. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)However, we only use the tools if you have given your consent.

Information on specific online marketing tools – if available – can be found in the following sections.

LinkedIn Insight Tag Privacy Policy

We use the conversion tracking tool LinkedIn Insight Tag on our website. The service provider is the American company LinkedIn Corporation, 2029 Stierlin Court, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. The company LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited (Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland) is responsible for data protection-related aspects in the European Economic Area (EEA), the EU and Switzerland.

LinkedIn processes your data in the USA, among other places. We would like to point out that, in the opinion of the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfer to the USA. This can involve various risks for the legality and security of data processing.

LinkedIn uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, LinkedIn undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

For more information about LinkedIn’s standard contractual clauses, please visit https://de.linkedin.com/legal/l/dpa or https://www.linkedin.com/legal/l/eu-sccs

For more information about LinkedIn Insight Tag, visit https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a427660. You can find out more about the data processed through the use of LinkedIn Insight Tag in the privacy policy on https://de.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy.

Cookie Consent Management Platform Introduction

What is a Cookie Consent Management Platform?

We use a Consent Management Platform (CMP) software on our website that makes it easier for us and you to handle the scripts and cookies used correctly and safely. The software automatically creates a cookie pop-up, scans and checks all scripts and cookies, provides you with cookie consent required by data protection law, and helps us and you to keep track of all cookies. Most cookie consent management tools identify and categorize all existing cookies. You, as a website visitor, then decide for yourself whether and which scripts and cookies you allow or not. The following graphic shows the relationship between browser, web server, and CMP.

Why do we use a cookie management tool?

Our goal is to offer you the best possible transparency in the area of data protection. We are also legally obliged to do so. We want to inform you as best as possible about all the tools and all the cookies that can store and process your data. It is also your right to decide for yourself which cookies you accept and which you do not. In order to grant you this right, we first need to know exactly which cookies have landed on our website. Thanks to a cookie management tool that regularly scans the website for all existing cookies, we know about all the cookies and can provide you with information about them in accordance with the GDPR. You can then accept or reject cookies using the consent system.

What data is processed?

As part of our cookie management tool, you can manage each individual cookie yourself and have complete control over the storage and processing of your data. Your declaration of consent is saved so that we do not have to ask you every time you visit our website and we can also prove your consent if legally required. This is saved either in an opt-in cookie or on a server. The storage period for your cookie consent varies depending on the provider of the cookie management tool. This data (such as pseudonymous user ID, time of consent, details of the cookie categories or tools, browser, device information) is usually saved for up to two years.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you about the duration of data processing below, if we have further information. In general, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. Data stored in cookies is stored for different lengths of time. Some cookies are deleted as soon as you leave the website, others can be stored in your browser for several years. The exact duration of data processing depends on the tool used; in most cases, you should expect a storage period of several years. In the respective data protection declarations of the individual providers, you will usually receive precise information about the duration of data processing.

Right to object

You also have the right and the option to withdraw your consent to the use of cookies at any time. This can be done either via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser.

Information about special cookie management tools – if available – can be found in the following sections.

Legal basis

If you agree to cookies, these cookies will process and store your personal data. If we receive your consent (Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. a GDPR) cookies, this consent is also the legal basis for the use of cookies or the processing of your data. In order to be able to manage the consent to cookies and to enable you to give your consent, a cookie consent management platform software is used. The use of this software enables us to operate the website in an efficient and legally compliant manner, which is a legitimate interest (Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR).

Audio & Video Introduction

What are audio and video elements?

We have integrated audio and video elements into our website so that you can watch videos or listen to music/podcasts directly via our website. The content is provided by service providers. All content is therefore obtained from the providers' corresponding servers.

These are integrated functional elements from platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo or Spotify. The use of these portals is usually free, but paid content can also be published. With the help of these integrated elements, you can listen to or watch the respective content on our website.

If you use audio or video elements on our website, your personal data may also be transmitted to, processed and stored by the service providers.

Why do we use audio & video elements on our website?

Of course, we want to offer you the best on our website. And we are aware that content is no longer just conveyed in text and static images. Instead of simply giving you a link to a video, we offer you audio and video formats directly on our website that are entertaining or informative and ideally even both. This expands our service and makes it easier for you to access interesting content. So in addition to our texts and images, we also offer video and/or audio content.

What data is stored by audio & video elements?

When you visit a page on our website that has an embedded video, for example, your server connects to the service provider's server. In the process, your data is also transferred to the third-party provider and stored there. Some data is collected and stored regardless of whether you have an account with the third-party provider or not. This usually includes your IP address, browser type, operating system, and other general information about your device. Most providers also collect information about your web activity. This includes session duration, bounce rate, which button you clicked on, or which website you used to use the service. All of this information is usually stored via cookies or pixel tags (also called web beacons). Pseudonymized data is usually stored in cookies in your browser. You can always find out exactly which data is stored and processed in the privacy policy of the respective provider.

Duration of data processing

You can find out exactly how long the data is stored on the third-party providers' servers either further down in the data protection text of the respective tool or in the provider's data protection declaration. In principle, personal data is only processed for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services or products. This generally also applies to third-party providers. You can usually assume that certain data will be stored on the third-party providers' servers for several years. Data can be stored for different lengths of time, especially in cookies. Some cookies are deleted as soon as you leave the website, others can be stored in your browser for several years.

Right to object

You also have the right and the option to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third-party providers at any time. This works either via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser. The legality of the processing until the revocation remains unaffected.

Since the integrated audio and video functions on our site usually also use cookies, you should also read our general privacy policy regarding cookies. In the privacy policies of the respective third-party providers, you can find out more about how your data is handled and stored.

Legal basis

If you have consented that your data can be processed and stored through embedded audio and video elements, this consent is considered the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR)In principle, your data will also be processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) to ensure fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the integrated audio and video elements if you have given your consent.

Vimeo Privacy Policy

What is Vimeo?

We also use videos from Vimeo on our website. The video portal is operated by Vimeo LLC, 555 West 18th Street, New York, New York 10011, USA. With the help of a plug-in, we can show you interesting video material directly on our website. Certain data about you may be transferred to Vimeo. In this privacy policy, we show you what data is involved, why we use Vimeo and how you can manage or prevent your data or data transfer.

Vimeo is a video platform that was founded in 2004 and has been streaming videos in HD quality since 2007. Since 2015, streaming has also been possible in 4k Ultra HD. Using the portal is free, but content can also be published for a fee. In comparison to the market leader YouTube, Vimeo places priority on high-quality content. On the one hand, the portal offers a lot of artistic content such as music videos and short films, but on the other hand it also offers informative documentaries on a wide variety of topics.

Why do we use Vimeo on our website?

The aim of our website is to provide you with the best possible content, as easily accessible as possible. We are only satisfied with our service when we have achieved this. The video service Vimeo helps us achieve this goal. Vimeo offers us the opportunity to present you with high-quality content directly on our website. Instead of just giving you a link to an interesting video, you can watch the video right here on our website. This expands our service and makes it easier for you to access interesting content. This means that we also offer video content alongside our texts and images.

What data is stored on Vimeo?

When you visit a page on our website that has an embedded Vimeo video, your browser connects to Vimeo's servers. This results in data transfer. This data is collected, stored and processed on the Vimeo servers. Regardless of whether you have a Vimeo account or not, Vimeo collects data about you. This includes your IP address, technical information about your browser type, your operating system or very basic device information. Vimeo also stores information about which website you use the Vimeo service on and which actions (web activities) you perform on our website. These web activities include, for example, session duration, bounce rate or which button you clicked on our website with the built-in Vimeo function. Vimeo can track and store these actions using cookies and similar technologies.

If you are logged in as a registered member of Vimeo, more data can usually be collected because more cookies may already have been set in your browser. In addition, your actions on our website are linked directly to your Vimeo account. To prevent this, you must log out of Vimeo while surfing our website.

Below we show you cookies that are set by Vimeo when you are on a website with an integrated Vimeo function. This list is not exhaustive and assumes that you do not have a Vimeo account.

Surname:player

Value:“”

Purpose of use: This cookie saves your preferences before playing an embedded Vimeo video. This means that the next time you watch a Vimeo video, your preferred settings will be remembered.

Expiry Date:after a year

Surname: vuid

Value:pl1046149876.614422590112404076-4

Purpose of use:

This cookie collects information about your actions on websites that have embedded a Vimeo video.

Expiry Date:

after 2 years

Annotation: These two cookies are always set as soon as you are on a website with an embedded Vimeo video. If you watch the video and click on the button to "share" or "like" the video, for example, further cookies are set. These are also third-party cookies such as _ga or _gat_UA-76641-8 from Google Analytics or _fbp from Facebook. Which cookies are set here exactly depends on your interaction with the video.

The following list shows a selection of possible cookies that are set when you interact with the Vimeo video:

Surname: _abexps

Value: %5B%5D

Purpose of use:This Vimeo cookie helps Vimeo remember the choices you make. These can be, for example, a preferred language, region or user name. In general, the cookie stores data about how you use Vimeo.

Expiry Date: after a year

Surname: continuous_play_v3

Value: 1

Purpose of use:This cookie is a first-party cookie from Vimeo. The cookie collects information about how you use the Vimeo service. For example, the cookie stores when you pause or play a video.

Expiry Date: after a year

Surname: _ga

Value: GA1.2.1522249635.1578401280112404076-7

Purpose of use:This cookie is a third-party cookie from Google. By default, analytics.js uses the cookie _ga to store the user ID. Basically, it is used to distinguish between website visitors.

Expiry Date: after 2 years

Surname: _gcl_au

Value: 1.1.770887836.1578401279112404076-3

Purpose of use: This third-party cookie from Google AdSense is used to improve the efficiency of advertisements on websites.

Expiry Date:after 3 months

Surname: _fbp

Value: fb.1.1578401280585.310434968

Purpose of use: This is a Facebook cookie. This cookie is used to display advertisements or advertising products from Facebook or other advertisers.

Expiry Date:after 3 months

Vimeo uses this data, among other things, to improve its own service, to communicate with you and to implement its own targeted advertising measures. Vimeo emphasizes on its website that only first-party cookies (i.e. cookies from Vimeo itself) are used for embedded videos as long as you do not interact with the video.

How long and where is the data stored?

Vimeo is headquartered in White Plains, New York State (USA). However, its services are offered worldwide. The company uses computer systems, databases and servers in the USA and other countries. Your data may therefore also be stored and processed on servers in America. The data will remain stored by Vimeo until the company no longer has a commercial reason to store it. The data will then be deleted or anonymized.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You always have the option of managing cookies in your browser as you wish. For example, if you do not want Vimeo to set cookies and thus collect information about you, you can delete or deactivate cookies at any time in your browser settings. This works a little differently depending on the browser. Please note that after deactivating/deleting cookies, various functions may no longer be fully available. Under the "Cookies" section you will find the relevant links to the respective instructions for the most popular browsers.

If you are a registered Vimeo member, you can also manage the cookies used in the Vimeo settings.

Legal basis

If you have consented that your data can be processed and stored through integrated Vimeo elements, this consent is considered the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR)In principle, your data will also be processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) on fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the integrated Vimeo elements if you have given your consent. Vimeo also uses cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our privacy policy on cookies carefully and view the privacy statement or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

Vimeo processes your data in the USA, among other places. We would like to point out that, in the opinion of the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfer to the USA. This can involve various risks for the legality and security of data processing.

Vimeo uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, Vimeo undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

You can find more information about Vimeo’s standard contractual clauses at https://vimeo.com/privacy#international_data_transfers_and_certain_user_rights.

You can find out more about the use of cookies at Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/cookie_policy, Information about data protection at Vimeo can be found onhttps://vimeo.com/privacyread more.

YouTube Privacy Policy

What is YouTube?

We have integrated YouTube videos into our website. This allows us to present interesting videos to you directly on our site. YouTube is a video portal that has been a subsidiary of Google since 2006. The video portal is operated by YouTube, LLC, 901 Cherry Ave., San Bruno, CA 94066, USA. When you visit a page on our website that has an embedded YouTube video, your browser automatically connects to the YouTube or Google servers. Various data is transferred (depending on the settings). Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all data processing in Europe.

Below we would like to explain in more detail which data is processed, why we have embedded YouTube videos and how you can manage or delete your data.

On YouTube, users can watch, rate, comment on and upload videos for free. Over the last few years, YouTube has become one of the most important social media channels in the world. To enable us to display videos on our website, YouTube provides a code snippet that we have integrated into our site.

Why do we use YouTube videos on our website?

YouTube is the video platform with the most visitors and the best content. We strive to offer you the best possible user experience on our website. And of course, interesting videos are a must. With the help of our embedded videos, we provide you with additional helpful content in addition to our texts and images. In addition, our website is easier to find on the Google search engine thanks to the embedded videos. Even if we place advertisements via Google Ads, Google can - thanks to the data collected - only show these advertisements to people who are interested in our offers.

What data does YouTube store?

As soon as you visit one of our pages that has a YouTube video embedded, YouTube sets at least one cookie that stores your IP address and our URL. If you are logged into your YouTube account, YouTube can usually assign your interactions on our website to your profile using cookies. This includes data such as session duration, bounce rate, approximate location, technical information such as browser type, screen resolution or your internet provider. Other data may include contact details, any ratings, sharing content via social media or adding to your favorites on YouTube.

If you are not logged into a Google Account or a YouTube account, Google stores data with a unique identifier linked to your device, browser or app. For example, your preferred language setting is retained. But much interaction data cannot be stored because fewer cookies are set.

In the following list we show cookies that were set in the browser in a test. On the one hand we show cookies that are set without a logged in YouTube account. On the other hand we show cookies that are set with a logged in account. The list cannot claim to be complete because the user data always depends on the interactions on YouTube.

Surname: YSC

Value: b9-CV6ojI5Y112404076-1

Purpose of use: This cookie registers a unique ID to store statistics of the video watched.

Expiry Date: after the end of the session

Surname: PREF

Value: f1=50000000

Purpose of use: This cookie also registers your unique ID. Google uses PREF to obtain statistics on how you use YouTube videos on our website.

Expiry Date: after 8 months

Surname: GPS

Value: 1

Purpose of use: This cookie registers your unique ID on mobile devices to track GPS location.

Expiry Date:after 30 minutes

Surname: VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE

Value: 95Chz8bagyU

Purpose of use: This cookie tries to estimate the bandwidth of the user on our websites (with embedded YouTube video).

Expiry Date:after 8 months

Additional cookies that are set when you are logged in with your YouTube account:

Surname: APISID

Value: zILlvClZSkqGsSwI/AU1aZI6HY7112404076-

Purpose of use: This cookie is used to create a profile of your interests. The data is used for personalized advertisements.

Expiry Date: after 2 years

Surname: CONSENT

Value: YES+AT.de+20150628-20-0

Purpose of use: The cookie stores the status of a user's consent to use various Google services. CONSENT is also used for security purposes to verify users and protect user data from unauthorized attacks.

Expiry Date: after 19 years

Surname: HSID

Value: AcRwpgUik9Dveht0I

Purpose of use: This cookie is used to create a profile of your interests. This data helps to display personalized advertising.

Expiry Date:after 2 years

Surname: LOGIN_INFO

Value: AFmmF2swRQIhALl6aL…

Purpose of use: This cookie stores information about your login data.

Expiry Date:after 2 years

Surname: SAPISID

Value: 7oaPxoG-pZsJuuF5/AnUdDUIsJ9iJz2vdM

Purpose of use: This cookie works by uniquely identifying your browser and device. It is used to build a profile of your interests.

Expiry Date:after 2 years

Surname: SID

Value: oQfNKjAsI112404076-

Purpose of use: This cookie stores your Google Account ID and your last login time in a digitally signed and encrypted form.

Expiry Date:after 2 years

Surname: SIDCC

Value: AN0-TYuqub2JOcDTyL

Purpose of use: This cookie stores information about how you use the website and what advertisements you may have seen before visiting our site.

Expiry Date:after 3 months

How long and where is the data stored?

The data that YouTube receives and processes from you is stored on Google servers. Most of these servers are located in America. https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/locations/?hl=de You can see exactly where the Google data centers are located. Your data is distributed across the servers. This means the data can be accessed more quickly and is better protected against manipulation.

Google stores the data collected for different lengths of time. Some data you can delete at any time, some is automatically deleted after a limited period of time, and some is stored by Google for a longer period of time. Some data (such as items from "My Activity", photos or documents, products) stored in your Google Account remains stored until you delete it. Even if you are not signed in to a Google Account, you can delete some data associated with your device, browser or app.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

In principle, you can delete data in your Google account manually. With the automatic deletion function for location and activity data introduced in 2019, information is stored for either 3 or 18 months and then deleted, depending on your decision.

Regardless of whether you have a Google account or not, you can configure your browser to delete or deactivate cookies from Google. This works in different ways depending on which browser you use. Under the "Cookies" section you will find the relevant links to the respective instructions for the most popular browsers.

If you do not want cookies at all, you can set your browser to always inform you when a cookie is about to be placed. This way you can decide for each individual cookie whether you want to allow it or not.

Legal basis

If you have consented that your data can be processed and stored through embedded YouTube elements, this consent is considered the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR)In principle, your data will also be processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) on fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the integrated YouTube elements if you have given your consent. YouTube also sets cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our privacy policy on cookies carefully and view the privacy statement or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

YouTube also processes data in the USA, among other places. We would like to point out that, in the opinion of the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfer to the USA. This can involve various risks for the legality and security of data processing.

YouTube uses standard contractual clauses approved by the EU Commission (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. These clauses oblige YouTube to comply with the EU data protection level when processing relevant data outside the EU. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the clauses here, among other places: https://germany.representation.ec.europa.eu/index_de.

Since YouTube is a subsidiary of Google, there is a common privacy policy. If you would like to learn more about how your data is handled, we recommend that you read the privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

YouTube Subscribe Button Privacy Policy

We have integrated the YouTube Subscribe button on our website. You can usually recognize the button by the classic YouTube logo. The logo shows the words "Subscribe" or "YouTube" in white font on a red background and the white "Play symbol" to the left of it. The button can also be displayed in a different design.

Our YouTube channel always offers you funny, interesting or exciting videos. With the built-in "Subscribe" button you can subscribe to our channel directly from our website and do not have to visit the YouTube website. We want to make access to our comprehensive content as easy as possible for you. Please note that this means that YouTube can store and process data about you.

If you see a built-in subscription button on our site, YouTube - according to Google - sets at least one cookie. This cookie stores your IP address and our URL. YouTube can also learn information about your browser, your approximate location and your default language. In our test, the following four cookies were set without being logged in to YouTube:

Surname: YSC

Value: b9-CV6ojI5112404076Y

Purpose of use: This cookie registers a unique ID to store statistics of the video watched.

Expiry Date: after the end of the session

Surname: PREF

Value: f1=50000000

Purpose of use: This cookie also registers your unique ID. Google uses PREF to obtain statistics on how you use YouTube videos on our website.

Expiry Date:after 8 months

Surname: GPS

Value: 1

Purpose of use: This cookie registers your unique ID on mobile devices to track GPS location.

Expiry Date:after 30 minutes

Surname: VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE

Value: 11240407695Chz8bagyU

Purpose of use: This cookie tries to estimate the bandwidth of the user on our websites (with embedded YouTube video).

Expiry Date:after 8 months

Annotation: These cookies were set after a test and cannot claim to be complete.

If you are logged into your YouTube account, YouTube can save many of your actions/interactions on our website using cookies and associate them with your YouTube account. This gives YouTube information such as how long you surf our site, what browser type you use, what screen resolution you prefer or what actions you perform.

YouTube uses this data to improve its own services and offers and to provide analyses and statistics for advertisers (who use Google Ads).

Survey and polling systems Introduction

What are survey and poll systems?

We also like to conduct various surveys and polls on our website. These are always evaluated anonymously. A survey or poll system is a tool integrated into our website that asks you questions (for example about our products or services) that you can answer if you participate. Your answers are always evaluated anonymously. However, with your consent to data processing, personal data may also be stored and processed.

Why do we use survey and poll systems?

We want to offer you the best products and services in our industry. Surveys give us perfect feedback from you and tell us what you expect from us and our services. Based on these anonymous evaluations, we can adapt our products and services to your wishes and ideas. The information also helps us to target our advertising and marketing measures more specifically at those people who are really interested in what we have to offer.

What data is processed?

Personal data is only processed if it is necessary for the technical implementation or if you have consented to personal data being processed. In this case, your IP address is saved so that, for example, the survey can be displayed in your browser. Cookies can also be used so that you can continue your survey without any problems at a later date.

If you have consented to data processing, contact details such as your email address or telephone number may be processed in addition to your IP address. Data that you enter in an online form, for example, is also stored and processed. Some providers also store information about the websites you visit (on our website), when you started and ended the survey, and various technical information about your computer.

How long is data stored?

How long the data is processed and stored depends primarily on the tools we use. You can find out more about how the individual tools process data below. The providers' privacy policies usually state exactly which data is stored and processed for how long. In principle, personal data is only processed for as long as it is necessary to provide our services. When data is stored in cookies, the storage period varies greatly. The data can be deleted immediately after you leave a website, but it can also be stored for several years. You should therefore look at each individual cookie in detail if you want to know more about data storage. You can usually find informative information about the individual cookies in the privacy policies of the individual providers.

Right to object

You also have the right and the option to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or embedded survey systems at any time. This works either via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser.

Since cookies can be used in survey systems, we also recommend that you read our general privacy policy on cookies. To find out exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Legal basis

The use of survey systems requires your consent, which we have obtained with our cookie popup. This consent is according to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as it may occur when collected through survey and questionnaire systems.

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in conducting surveys on our topic. The legal basis for this isArt. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)However, we only use the tools if you have given your consent.

Since survey systems use cookies, we also recommend that you read our general privacy policy on cookies. To find out exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Information on the individual survey systems – if available – can be found in the following sections.

Web design introduction

What is web design?

We use various tools on our website that serve our web design. Web design is not, as is often assumed, just about making our website look pretty, but also about functionality and performance. But of course the right look of a website is also one of the major goals of professional web design. Web design is a sub-area of media design and deals with both the visual and the structural and functional design of a website. The aim is to use web design to improve your experience on our website. In web design jargon, this is referred to as user experience (UX) and usability. User experience refers to all the impressions and experiences that website visitors have on a website. A sub-point of user experience is usability. This is about the user-friendliness of a website. The main emphasis here is on ensuring that content, subpages or products are clearly structured and that you can find what you are looking for quickly and easily. In order to offer you the best possible experience on our website, we also use so-called web design tools from third parties. In this data protection declaration, the category “web design” therefore includes all services that improve the design of our website. These can be, for example, fonts, various plugins or other integrated web design functions.

Why do we use web design tools?

How you absorb information on a website depends very much on the structure, functionality and visual perception of the website. That is why good and professional web design has become increasingly important for us. We are constantly working on improving our website and see this as an extended service for you as a website visitor. Furthermore, a beautiful and functioning website also has economic advantages for us. After all, you will only visit us and use our services if you feel completely comfortable.

What data are stored by web design tools?

When you visit our website, web design elements may be integrated into our pages that can also process data. The exact data involved depends, of course, largely on the tools used. Below you can see exactly which tools we use for our website. For more information about data processing, we recommend that you read the respective privacy policy of the tools used. This is usually where you can find out which data is processed, whether cookies are used and how long the data is stored. Fonts such as Google Fonts, for example, also automatically transmit information such as language settings, IP address, browser version, browser screen resolution and browser name to Google servers.

Duration of data processing

How long data is processed is very individual and depends on the web design elements used. If cookies are used, for example, the storage period can be as short as a minute or as long as a few years. Please do your research on this. We recommend that you read our general text section on cookies and the privacy statements of the tools used. There you will usually find out which cookies are used exactly and what information is stored in them. Google font files, for example, are stored for a year. This is to improve the loading time of a website. In principle, data is only ever stored for as long as it is necessary to provide the service. If required by law, data can also be stored for longer.

Right to object

You also have the right and the option to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third-party providers at any time. This works either via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. You can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser. However, there is also data under web design elements (mostly fonts) that cannot be deleted quite so easily. This is the case when data is automatically collected directly when a page is accessed and transmitted to a third-party provider (such as Google). In this case, please contact the support of the relevant provider. In the case of Google, you can reach support at https://support.google.com/?hl=de.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of web design tools, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), this consent represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when data is collected by web design tools. We also have a legitimate interest in improving the web design on our website. After all, only then can we provide you with a beautiful and professional web offering. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use web design tools if you have given your consent. We definitely want to emphasize this again here.

Information on specific web design tools – if available – can be found in the following sections.

Adobe Fonts Privacy Policy

We use Adobe Fonts, a web font hosting service, on our website. The service provider is the American company Adobe Inc. The Irish company Adobe Systems Software Ireland Companies, 4-6 Riverwalk, Citywest Business Campus, Dublin 24, Ireland, is responsible for the European area.

Adobe processes your data in the USA, among other places. We would like to point out that, in the opinion of the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfer to the USA. This can involve various risks for the legality and security of data processing.

Adobe uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46, Paragraphs 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, Adobe undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

For more information about the data processed and the standard contractual clauses at Adobe, please visit https://www.adobe.com/de/privacy/eudatatransfers.html.

Google Fonts Privacy Policy

What are Google Fonts?

We use Google Fonts on our website. These are the “Google fonts” from Google LCC. In Europe, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services.

You do not need to log in or enter a password to use Google Fonts. Furthermore, no cookies are stored in your browser. The files (CSS, fonts) are requested via the Google domains fonts.googleapis.com and fonts.gstatic.com. According to Google, requests for CSS and fonts are completely separate from all other Google services. If you have a Google account, you do not need to worry about your Google account data being sent to Google while you use Google Fonts. Google records the use of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and the fonts used and stores this data securely. We will look at exactly how the data is stored in more detail.

Google Fonts (formerly Google Web Fonts) is a directory of over 800 fonts that GoogleMake it available to your users free of charge.

Many of these fonts are released under the SIL Open Font License, while others are released under the Apache License. Both are free software licenses.

Why do we use Google Fonts on our website?

With Google Fonts, we can use fonts on our own website and do not have to upload them to our own server. Google Fonts is an important building block for maintaining the high quality of our website. All Google fonts are automatically optimized for the web, which saves data volume and is a great advantage, especially for use on mobile devices. When you visit our site, the small file size ensures a quick loading time. Furthermore, Google Fonts are secure web fonts. Different image synthesis systems (rendering) in different browsers, operating systems and mobile devices can lead to errors. Such errors can visually distort some texts or entire web pages. Thanks to the fast Content Delivery Network (CDN), there are no cross-platform problems with Google Fonts. Google Fonts supports all common browsers (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera) and works reliably on most modern mobile operating systems, including Android 2.2+ and iOS 4.2+ (iPhone, iPad, iPod). We use Google Fonts so that we can display our entire online service as beautifully and consistently as possible.

What data does Google store?

When you visit our website, the fonts are reloaded via a Google server. This external call transmits data to the Google servers. This is how Google recognizes that you or your IP address are visiting our website. The Google Fonts API was developed to reduce the use, storage and collection of end user data to what is necessary for the proper provision of fonts. API stands for "Application Programming Interface" and is used, among other things, as a data transmitter in the software sector.

Google Fonts stores CSS and font requests securely with Google and is therefore protected. The collected usage figures enable Google to determine how well the individual fonts are received. Google publishes the results on internal analysis pages, such as Google Analytics. Google also uses data from its own web crawler to determine which websites use Google fonts. This data is published in the Google Fonts BigQuery database. Entrepreneurs and developers use the Google web service BigQuery to examine and move large amounts of data.

However, it should be noted that every Google Font request automatically transfers information such as language settings, IP address, browser version, browser screen resolution and browser name to the Google servers. It is not clear whether this data is stored and Google does not clearly communicate this.

How long and where is the data stored?

Google stores requests for CSS assets for one day on its servers, which are mainly located outside the EU. This enables us to use the fonts with the help of a Google style sheet. A style sheet is a format template that can be used to quickly and easily change the design or font of a website, for example.

The font files are stored by Google for one year. Google's goal is to generally improve the loading time of websites. If millions of websites refer to the same fonts, they are cached after the first visit and immediately appear on all other websites visited later. Sometimes Google updates font files to reduce file size, increase language coverage and improve design.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

The data that Google stores for one day or one year cannot simply be deleted. The data is automatically transmitted to Google when the page is accessed. To be able to delete this data early, you must contact Google Support on https://support.google.com/?hl=de&tid=112404076 In this case, you can only prevent data storage if you do not visit our site.

Unlike other web fonts, Google allows us unrestricted access to all fonts. This means we have unlimited access to a sea of fonts and can get the most out of our website. You can find out more about Google Fonts and other questions on https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq?tid=112404076Although Google addresses data protection issues there, it does not contain any really detailed information about data storage. It is relatively difficult to get really precise information about stored data from Google.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of Google Fonts, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as it may occur when collected by Google Fonts.

We also have a legitimate interest in using Google Font to optimize our online service. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)However, we only use Google Font if you have given your consent.

Google processes your data in the USA, among other places. We would like to point out that, in the opinion of the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfer to the USA. This can involve various risks for the legality and security of data processing.

Google uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, Google undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Google Ads Data Processing Terms, which also correspond to the standard contractual clauses for Google Fonts, can be found at https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms/.

You can also find out which data is generally collected by Google and what this data is used for on https://www.google.com/intl/de/policies/privacy/ read more.

Google Fonts Local Privacy Policy

We use Google Fonts from Google LCC on our website. The company responsible for the European area is Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland). We have integrated the Google fonts locally, i.e. on our web server - not on Google's servers. This means there is no connection to Google servers and therefore no data transfer or storage.

What are Google Fonts?

Google Fonts was formerly known as Google Web Fonts. It is an interactive directory with over 800 fonts that Googlefree of charge. With Google Fonts you can use fonts without uploading them to your own server. However, in order to prevent any information being transferred to Google servers, we have downloaded the fonts to our server. In this way we comply with data protection regulations and do not send any data to Google Fonts.

Online map services Introduction

What are online mapping services?

We also use online map services as an extended service for our website. Google Maps is probably the service you are most familiar with, but there are also other providers who specialize in creating digital maps. Such services make it possible to display locations, route plans or other geographical information directly on our website. With an integrated map service, you no longer have to leave our website to view the route to a location, for example. To ensure that the online map on our website works, map sections are integrated using HTML code. The services can then display street maps, the earth's surface or aerial or satellite images. If you use the built-in map service, data is also transferred to the tool used and stored there. This data may also include personal data.

Why do we use online mapping services on our website?

Generally speaking, it is our aim to offer you a pleasant time on our website. And of course, your time is only pleasant if you can find your way around our website easily and find all the information you need quickly and easily. That's why we thought that an online map system could be a significant improvement to our service on the website. Without leaving our website, you can use the map system to easily view route descriptions, locations or even sights. It is also super practical, of course, that you can see at a glance where our company is based so that you can find us quickly and easily. As you can see, there are simply many advantages and we clearly see online map services on our website as part of our customer service.

What data is stored by online map services?

If you open a page on our website that has an online map function built in, personal data can be transmitted to the respective service and stored there. This is usually your IP address, which can also be used to determine your approximate location. In addition to the IP address, data such as search terms entered and longitude and latitude coordinates are also stored. If you enter an address for route planning, for example, this data is also stored. The data is not stored by us, but on the servers of the integrated tools. You can imagine it like this: You are on our website, but when you interact with a map service, this interaction actually takes place on their website. In order for the service to function properly, at least one cookie is usually placed in your browser. Google Maps, for example, also uses cookies to record user behavior and thus optimize its own service and display personalized advertising. You can find out more about cookies in our "Cookies" section.

How long and where is the data stored?

Each online map service processes different user data. If we have further information, we will inform you about the duration of data processing further down in the relevant sections for the individual tools. In principle, personal data is only stored for as long as it is necessary to provide the service. Google Maps, for example, stores certain data for a set period of time, while you must delete other data yourself. Mapbox, for example, stores the IP address for 30 days and then deletes it. As you can see, each tool stores data for different lengths of time. We therefore recommend that you take a close look at the privacy policies of the tools you use.

The providers also use cookies to store data on your user behavior with the map service. You can find more general information about cookies in our "Cookies" section, but you can also find out which cookies can be used in the privacy statements of the individual providers. However, this is usually only an example list and is not complete.

Right to object

You always have the option and the right to access your personal data and to object to its use and processing. You can also revoke your consent that you have given us at any time. The easiest way to do this is usually via the cookie consent tool. However, there are also other opt-out tools that you can use. You can also manage, delete or deactivate any cookies set by the providers used with just a few clicks of the mouse. However, it may then happen that some functions of the service no longer work as usual. How you manage cookies in your browser also depends on the browser you use. In the "Cookies" section you will also find links to the instructions for the most important browsers.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of an online map service, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Art. 6 Paragraph 1 Letter a of GDPR (consent), this consent represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when collected by an online map service.

We also have a legitimate interest in using an online map service to optimize our service on our website. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use an online map service if you have given your consent. We would like to make this clear again at this point.

Information on special online map services – if available – can be found in the following sections.

Google Maps Privacy Policy

What is Google Maps?

We use Google Maps from Google LCC on our website. In Europe, Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services. With Google Maps, we can show you locations better and thus adapt our service to your needs. By using Google Maps, data is transferred to Google and stored on Google servers. Here we would like to go into more detail about what Google Maps is, why we use this Google service, what data is stored and how you can prevent this.

Google Maps is an Internet map service from Google. With Google Maps, you can search online for the exact locations of cities, attractions, accommodations or companies using a PC, tablet or app. If companies are represented on Google My Business, additional information about the company is displayed in addition to the location. To show how to get there, map sections of a location can be integrated into a website using HTML code. Google Maps shows the earth's surface as a street map or as an aerial or satellite image. Thanks to the Street View images and the high-quality satellite images, very precise representations are possible.

Why do we use Google Maps on our website?

All our efforts on this site are aimed at providing you with a useful and meaningful time on our website. By integrating Google Maps, we can provide you with the most important information about various locations. You can see at a glance where our company is based. The directions always show you the best or fastest way to get to us. You can access the route for routes by car, public transport, on foot or by bike. For us, providing Google Maps is part of our customer service.

What data does Google Maps store?

In order for Google Maps to be able to fully offer its service, the company must record and save data from you. This includes the search terms entered, your IP address and also the latitude and longitude coordinates. If you use the route planner function, the starting address entered is also saved. However, this data storage takes place on the Google Maps websites. We can only inform you about this, but have no influence. Since we have integrated Google Maps into our website, Google places at least one cookie (name: NID) in your browser. This cookie stores data about your user behavior. Google uses this data primarily to optimize its own services and to provide you with individual, personalized advertising.

The following cookie is set in your browser due to the integration of Google Maps:

Surname: NID

Value: 188=h26c1Ktha7fCQTx8rXgLyATyITJ112404076-5

Purpose of use: NID is used by Google to tailor advertisements to your Google search. With the help of the cookie, Google "remembers" your most frequently entered search queries or your previous interaction with ads. This way, you always get tailored advertisements. The cookie contains a unique ID that Google uses to collect your personal settings for advertising purposes.

Expiry Date: after 6 months

Annotation: We cannot guarantee the completeness of the information stored. Changes can never be ruled out, especially when using cookies. In order to identify the cookie NID, a separate test page was created where only Google Maps was integrated.

How long and where is the data stored?

The Google servers are located in data centers all over the world. However, most of the servers are located in America. For this reason, your data is increasingly stored in the USA. Here you can find out exactly where the Google data centers are located: https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/locations/?hl=de

Google distributes the data across different storage devices. This means that the data can be accessed more quickly and is better protected against any attempts at manipulation. Each data center also has special emergency programs. If, for example, there are problems with Google hardware or a natural disaster shuts down the servers, the data will almost certainly still remain protected.

Google stores some data for a set period of time. For other data, Google only offers the option of deleting it manually. The company also anonymizes information (such as advertising data) in server logs by deleting part of the IP address and cookie information after 9 or 18 months.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

With the automatic deletion function for location and activity data introduced in 2019, information on location determination and web/app activity is stored for either 3 or 18 months - depending on your decision - and then deleted. You can also manually delete this data from your history at any time via your Google account. If you want to completely prevent your location tracking, you must pause the "Web and app activity" section in your Google account. Click "Data and personalization" and then on the "Activity settings" option. Here you can switch activities on or off.

You can also deactivate, delete or manage individual cookies in your browser. This works a little differently depending on which browser you use. Under the "Cookies" section you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers.

If you do not want cookies at all, you can set your browser to always inform you when a cookie is about to be placed. This way you can decide for each individual cookie whether you want to allow it or not.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of Google Maps, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when collected by Google Maps.

We also have a legitimate interest in using Google Maps to optimise our online service. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)However, we only use Google Maps if you have given your consent.

Google processes your data in the USA, among other places. We would like to point out that, in the opinion of the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfer to the USA. This can involve various risks for the legality and security of data processing.

Google uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, Google undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Google Ads Data Processing Terms, which refer to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://business.safety.google/intl/de/adsprocessorterms/.

If you would like to learn more about Google’s data processing, we recommend that you read the company’s own privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

Explanation of terms used

We always try to make our privacy policy as clear and understandable as possible. However, this is not always easy, especially when it comes to technical and legal topics. It often makes sense to use legal terms (such as personal data) or certain technical expressions (such as cookies, IP address). However, we do not want to use these without explanation. Below you will find an alphabetical list of important terms used that we may not have covered sufficiently in the previous privacy policy. If these terms have been taken from the GDPR and are definitions, we will also list the GDPR texts here and add our own explanations if necessary.

Supervisory authority

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

“Supervisory Authority” an independent public authority established by a Member State pursuant to Article 51;

Explanation: “Supervisory authorities” are always state-run, independent institutions that also have the authority to issue instructions in certain cases. They serve to carry out so-called state supervision and are located in ministries, special departments or other authorities. There is an Austrian data protection authority in Austria. Data Protection AuthorityIn Germany, each federal state has its own data protection authority.

Processor

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

“Processor” a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which processes personal data on behalf of the controller;

Explanation: As a company and website owner, we are responsible for all data that we process from you. In addition to those responsible, there may also be so-called processors. This includes any company or person who processes personal data on our behalf. Processors can therefore be, in addition to service providers such as tax consultants, hosting or cloud providers, payment or newsletter providers or large companies such as Google or Microsoft.

Concerned supervisory authority

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

“concerned supervisory authority” a supervisory authority concerned by the processing of personal data because

a)

the controller or processor is established in the territory of the Member State of that supervisory authority,

b)

such processing significantly affects or is likely to significantly affect data subjects residing in the Member State of that supervisory authority, or

c)

a complaint has been lodged with that supervisory authority;

Explanation: In Germany, each federal state has its own supervisory authority for data protection. If your company is based (head office) in Germany, the respective supervisory authority of the federal state is your contact person. In Austria, there is only one supervisory authority for the entire country. Supervisory authority for data protection.

Biometric data

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

“biometric data” personal data obtained by means of specific technical procedures relating to the physical, physiological or behavioural characteristics of a natural person which allow or confirm the unique identification of that natural person, such as facial images or dactyloscopic data;

Explanation: These are biological characteristics that are described by biometric data and from which personal data can be obtained using technical processes. These include DNA, fingerprints, the geometry of various body parts, height, but also handwriting or the sound of a voice.

File system

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

“File system” any structured set of personal data accessible according to specific criteria, whether centralised, decentralised or dispersed in a functional or geographical manner;

Explanation: Any organized storage of data on a computer's storage device is called a "file system." For example, if we save your name and email address on a server for our newsletter, then this data is located in a so-called "file system." The most important tasks of a "file system" include quickly searching for and finding specific data and, of course, securely storing the data.

Information Society Service

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

“Information Society Service” a service within the meaning of Article 1(1)(b) of Directive (EU) 2015/1535 of the European Parliament and of the Council (19);

Explanation: Basically, the term "information society" refers to a society that relies on information and communication technologies. As a website visitor in particular, you are familiar with various types of online services and most online services are considered "information society services". A classic example of this is an online transaction, such as purchasing goods over the Internet.

Third

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

“Third” a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or body other than the data subject, controller, processor and persons authorised to process personal data under the direct authority of the controller or processor;

Explanation: The GDPR basically only explains what a "third party" is not. In practice, a "third party" is anyone who is also interested in the personal data but is not one of the persons, authorities or institutions mentioned above. For example, a parent company can act as a "third party". In this case, the subsidiary is the controller and the parent company is the "third party". However, this does not mean that the parent company is automatically allowed to view, collect or store the subsidiary's personal data.

Restriction of processing

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

“Restriction of processing”

the marking of stored personal data with the aim of restricting their future processing;

Explanation: One of your rights is that you can request that processors restrict your personal data for further processing at any time. For this purpose, specific personal data such as your name, date of birth or address are marked in such a way that further processing is no longer possible. For example, you could restrict processing so that your data may no longer be used for personalized advertising.

consent

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

"Consent" any freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous indication of the data subject's wishes by which he or she, by a statement or by a clear affirmative action, signifies agreement to the processing of personal data concerning him or her;

Explanation: As a rule, such consent is given on websites via a cookie consent tool. You are probably familiar with this. Whenever you visit a website for the first time, you are usually asked via a banner whether you agree or consent to data processing. You can usually also make individual settings and decide for yourself which data processing you allow and which you do not. If you do not consent, no personal data may be processed about you. In principle, consent can of course also be given in writing, i.e. not via a tool.

Recipient

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

"Recipient" a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body to which personal data are disclosed, whether a third party or not. However, public authorities which may receive personal data in the framework of a particular inquiry in accordance with Union or Member State law shall not be considered recipients; the processing of those data by those public authorities shall be in compliance with the applicable data protection rules and in accordance with the purposes of the processing;

Explanation: Every person and every company that receives personal data is considered a recipient. This means that we and our processors are also so-called recipients. Only authorities that have an investigation mandate are not considered recipients.

Genetic data

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

“genetic data” personal data relating to the inherited or acquired genetic characteristics of a natural person which provide unique information about the physiology or the health of that natural person and which result in particular from an analysis of a biological sample from the natural person concerned;

Explanation: With a certain amount of effort, people can be identified using genetic data. This is why genetic data falls into the category of personal data. Genetic data is obtained, for example, from blood or saliva samples.

Health data

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

“Health data” personal data relating to the physical or mental health of a natural person, including the provision of healthcare services, and which reveal information about his or her health status;

Explanation: Health data includes all stored information that relates to your own health. This is often data that is also recorded in a patient file. This includes, for example, which medications you use, X-rays, your entire medical history or, usually, your vaccination status.

Cross-border processing

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

“cross-border processing” either

a)

processing of personal data carried out in the context of the activities of establishments in more than one Member State of a controller or processor within the Union, where the controller or processor is established in more than one Member State, or

b)

processing of personal data which is carried out in the context of the activities of a single establishment of a controller or processor in the Union but which significantly affects, or is likely to significantly affect, data subjects in more than one Member State;

Explanation: For example, if a company or other organisation has branches in Spain and Croatia and personal data is processed in connection with the activities of the branches, this is "cross-border processing" of personal data. Even if the data is processed in only one country (as in this example in Spain), but the effects for the data subject are also apparent in another country, this is also referred to as "cross-border processing".

Head office

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

“Head office”

a)

in the case of a controller with establishments in more than one Member State, the place of its central administration in the Union, unless the decisions regarding the purposes and means of the processing of personal data are taken in another establishment of the controller in the Union and that establishment has the power to have those decisions implemented; in that case, the establishment which takes such decisions shall be considered as the main establishment;

b)

in the case of a processor with establishments in more than one Member State, the place of its central administration in the Union or, where the processor has no central administration in the Union, the establishment of the processor in the Union where the main processing activities within the activities of an establishment of a processor take place, to the extent that the processor is subject to specific obligations under this Regulation;

Explanation: Google, for example, is an American company that also processes data in the USA, but its European headquarters are in Ireland (Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland). Google Ireland Limited is therefore legally an independent company and is responsible for all Google products offered in the European Economic Area. In contrast to a head office, there are also branch offices, but these do not function as legally independent branches and are therefore to be distinguished from subsidiaries. A head office is therefore always the place where a company (commercial company) has its center of operations.

International Organization

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

“international organization“an international organisation and its subsidiary bodies or any other body established by or on the basis of an agreement concluded between two or more countries.

Explanation: The best-known examples of international organizations are probably the European Union or the United Nations. The GDPR distinguishes between third countries and international organizations when it comes to data transfer. Within the EU, the transfer of personal data does not pose a problem because all EU countries are bound by the GDPR's requirements. On the other hand, data transfer with third countries or international organizations is subject to certain conditions.

Relevant and reasoned objection

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

“significant and reasoned objection” an objection to a draft decision as to whether there is an infringement of this Regulation or whether the measures envisaged against the controller or processor are in accordance with this Regulation, where that objection clearly indicates the significance of the risks posed by the draft decision for the fundamental rights and freedoms of data subjects and, where applicable, for the free flow of personal data within the Union;

Explanation: If certain measures taken by us as controllers or our processors are not in line with the GDPR, you can raise a so-called "relevant and reasoned objection". In doing so, you must explain the significance of the risks in relation to your fundamental rights and freedoms and possibly the free movement of your personal data within the EU.

Personal data

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

“personal data”

all information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter ‘data subject’); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person;

Explanation: Personal data is all data that can identify you as a person. This is usually data such as:

• Surname
• address
• E-mail address
• Postal address
• Telephone number
• birth date
• Identification numbers such as social security number, tax identification number, identity card number or registration number
• Bank details such as account number, credit information, account balances and much more.

According to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), your IP address for personal data. IT experts can use your IP address to determine at least the approximate location of your device and subsequently you as the connection owner. Therefore, storing an IP address also requires a legal basis in the sense of the GDPR. There are also so-called “special categories” of personal data that are also particularly worthy of protection. These include:

• racial and ethnic origin
• political opinions
• religious or ideological beliefs
• union membership
• genetic data such as data obtained from blood or saliva samples
• biometric data (this is information about mental, physical or behavioural characteristics that can identify a person). Health data
• Data on sexual orientation or sex life

Profiling

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

“Profiling” any form of automated processing of personal data consisting of the use of personal data to evaluate certain personal aspects relating to a natural person, in particular to analyse or predict aspects concerning that natural person's performance at work, economic situation, health, personal preferences, interests, reliability, behaviour, location or movements;

Explanation: Profiling involves gathering various information about a person in order to learn more about that person. In the web sector, profiling is often used for advertising purposes or for credit checks. Web or advertising analysis programs collect data about your behavior and interests on a website, for example. This results in a special user profile that can be used to target advertising to a specific target group.

Pseudonymization

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

“Pseudonymization” the processing of personal data in such a manner that the personal data can no longer be attributed to a specific data subject without the use of additional information, provided that such additional information is kept separately and is subject to technical and organisational measures to ensure that the personal data are not attributed to an identified or identifiable natural person;

Explanation: Our privacy policy often refers to pseudonymized data. Pseudonymized data means that you can no longer be identified as a person unless other information is added. However, you should not confuse pseudonymization with anonymization. With anonymization, any personal reference is lost, so that it can only really be reconstructed with a disproportionate amount of technical effort.

Pursue

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

"Company" a natural or legal person carrying out an economic activity, regardless of its legal form, including partnerships or associations regularly carrying out an economic activity;

Explanation: For example, we are a company and we also carry out economic activities via our website by offering and selling services and/or products. Every company has a formal characteristic: its legal entity, such as a GmbH or an AG.

Group of companies

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

“Group of companies” a group consisting of a controlling undertaking and its controlled undertakings;

Explanation: A "group of companies" is when several companies come together and are legally and financially linked to one another, but there is still a central, overarching company. For example, Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus VR and Facebook are largely independent companies, but they are all subject to the parent company Meta Platforms, Inc.

Responsible

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

“Responsible person” the natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data; where the purposes and means of such processing are determined by Union or Member State law, the controller or the specific criteria for its nomination may be provided for by Union or Member State law;

Explanation: In our case, we are responsible for the processing of your personal data and are therefore the “controller”. If we pass on collected data to other service providers for processing, they are “processors”. For this, a “processing agreement (AVV)” must be signed.

processing

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

"Processing"

any operation or set of operations which is performed on personal data or on sets of personal data, whether or not by automated means, such as collection, recording, organisation, structuring, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or linking, restriction, erasure or destruction;

Annotation: When we talk about processing in our privacy policy, we mean any kind of data processing. As mentioned above in the original GDPR declaration, this includes not only the collection but also the storage and processing of data.

Binding internal data protection rules

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

“Binding internal data protection rules” measures to protect personal data which a controller or processor established on the territory of a Member State undertakes with regard to transfers or a category of transfers of personal data to a controller or processor within the same group of undertakings or group of undertakings engaged in a joint economic activity in one or more third countries;

Explanation: You may have heard or read the term “Binding Corporate Rules” before. This is the term that most often appears when it comes to binding internal data protection regulations. Such an internal rule is particularly recommended for companies (such as Google) that process data in third countries, as it means that a company commits itself to complying with data protection regulations. This rule regulates the handling of personal data that is transferred to third countries and processed there.

Violation of the protection of personal data

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

“Violation of the protection of personal data” a breach of security leading to the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorized disclosure of, or access to, personal data transmitted, stored or otherwise processed;

Explanation: For example, a "personal data breach" can occur in the event of a data leak, a technical problem or a cyber-attack. If the breach results in a risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons, the controller must immediately report the incident to the competent supervisory authority. In addition, the data subjects must also be informed if the breach poses a high risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons.

Representative

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation:

"Representative" a natural or legal person established in the Union who, designated in writing by the controller or processor in accordance with Article 27, represents the controller or processor with regard to their respective obligations under this Regulation;

Explanation: A "representative" can therefore be any person appointed in writing by us (controller) or one of our service providers (processors). Companies outside the EU that process data of EU citizens must appoint a representative within the EU. For example, if a web analytics provider has its headquarters in the USA, it must appoint a "representative" within the European Union to assume responsibility for data processing obligations.

All texts are copyrighted.

Source: Created with the Data Protection Generator by AdSimple.