Privacy policy

Introduction and overview

We have drawn up this privacy policy (version 04.04.2024-112758325) in order to inform you 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 lawful options you have. The terms used are to be understood as gender-neutral.
In short: We provide you with comprehensive information about the data we process about you.

Data protection declarations usually sound very technical and use legal jargon. This privacy policy, on the other hand, is intended to describe the most important things to you as simply and transparently as possible. As far as it is conducive to transparency, technical Terms explained in a reader-friendly waylinks to further information and Graphics for use. We use it to inform you in clear and simple language that we only process personal data as part of our business activities if there is a corresponding legal basis. This is certainly not possible if we 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 one or two pieces of information that you did not yet know.
If you still have any questions, please contact the responsible body named below or in the legal notice, follow the links provided and view further information on third-party websites. Our contact details can of course also be found in the legal notice.

Area of application

This privacy policy applies to all personal data processed by our company and to all personal data processed by companies commissioned by us (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 invoice 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 e-mail communication
• Mobile apps for smartphones and other devices

In short: The privacy policy applies to all areas in which personal data is processed in the company in a structured manner 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 far as EU law is concerned, we refer to REGULATION (EU) 2016/679 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 27 April 2016. You can of course access this EU General Data Protection Regulation online on EUR-Lex, the access point 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(1)(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 enter in a contact form.
2. Contract (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR): In order to fulfil a contract or pre-contractual obligations with you, we process your data. For example, if we conclude a purchase contract with you, we require personal information in advance.
3. Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c) GDPR): If we are subject to a legal obligation, we process your data. For example, we are legally obliged to keep invoices for accounting purposes. These usually contain personal data.
4. Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(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 efficiently. This processing is therefore a legitimate interest.

Other conditions such as the fulfilment of recording in the public interest and the exercise of official authority as well as the protection of vital interests do not generally arise for us. If such a legal basis is relevant, it will be indicated at the appropriate point.

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

• In Austria this is the Federal Act on the Protection of Individuals with regard to the Processing of Personal Data (Data Protection Act), in short DSG.
• In Germany this applies Federal Data Protection Act, short BDSG.

If other regional or national laws apply, we will inform you of this 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 person or organisation responsible below:
move-products GmbH
Werner Toifl
Ulmenweg 4, 2203 Putzing am See, Austria

E-Mail: w.toifl@move-products.com
Telephone: +43 4711 12345
Imprint: https://www.doggyfresh.at/impressum/

Storage duration

It is a general criterion for us that we only store personal data for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of our services and products. This means that we delete personal data as soon as the reason for the data processing no longer exists. In some cases, we are legally obliged to store certain data even after the original purpose has ceased to exist, for example for accounting purposes.

If you wish your data to be deleted or revoke your consent to data processing, the data will be deleted as quickly as possible and insofar as there is no obligation to store it.

We will inform you below about the specific duration of the respective data processing if we have further information on this.

Rights under the General Data Protection Regulation

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

• According to Article 15 GDPR, you have a right to information about whether we process your data. If this is the case, you have the right to receive a copy of the data and the following information:
  • the purpose for which 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 will be stored;
  • the existence of the right to rectification, erasure or restriction of processing and the right to object to processing;
  • that you can lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (links to these authorities can be found below);
  • the origin of the data if we have not collected it from you;
  • whether profiling is carried out, i.e. whether data is automatically analysed in order to create a personal profile of you.
• According to Article 16 GDPR, you have a right to rectification of data, which means that we must correct data if you find errors.
• According to Article 17 GDPR, you have the right to erasure ("right to be forgotten"), which specifically means that you may request the erasure of your data.
• According to Article 18 GDPR, you have the right to restriction of 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 commonly used format upon request.
• According to Article 21 GDPR, you have the right to object, which will result in a change in the processing after enforcement.
  • If the processing of your data is based on Article 6(1)(e) (public interest, exercise of official authority) or Article 6(1)(f) (legitimate interest), you can object to the processing. We will then check as quickly as possible whether we can legally honour this objection.
  • If data is used for direct marketing purposes, you can object to this type of data processing at any time. We may then no longer use your data for direct marketing.
  • If data is used for profiling purposes, you can object to this type of data processing at any time. We may then no longer use your data for profiling.
• Under Article 22 GDPR, you may have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing (e.g. profiling).
• According to Article 77 GDPR, you have the right to lodge a complaint. This means that you can lodge a complaint with 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 lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority. For Austria, this is the data protection authority, whose website you can find at https://www.dsb.gv.at/ find. In Germany, there is a data protection officer for each federal state. For more information, you can contact the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI) contact. The following local data protection authority is responsible for our company:

Austria Data Protection Authority

Manager: Dr Andrea Jelinek
Address: Barichgasse 40-42, 1030 Vienna
Telephone no: +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 scope of the GDPR (third countries) if you consent to this processing or other legal authorisation exists. This applies in particular if the processing is required by law or necessary for the fulfilment of a contractual relationship and in any case only insofar as this is generally permitted. In most cases, your consent is the most important reason for us to process data in third countries. The processing of 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, an adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA currently only exists if a US company that processes personal data of EU citizens in the USA is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en

Data processing by US services that are not active participants in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework may result in data not being processed and stored in anonymised form. Furthermore, US government authorities may be able to access individual data. In addition, data collected may be linked to data from other services of the same provider if you have a corresponding user account. Where possible, we endeavour to use server locations within the EU if this is offered.
We will inform you in more detail about data transfer to third countries, if applicable, in the appropriate sections of this privacy policy.

Security of data processing

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

Art. 25 GDPR speaks here of "data protection by design and by default" and thus means that both software (e.g. forms) and hardware (e.g. access to the server room) should always be designed with security in mind and appropriate measures should be taken. If necessary, we will discuss specific measures below.

TLS encryption with https

TLS, encryption and https sound very technical - and they are. We use HTTPS (the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure stands for "secure hypertext transfer protocol") to transmit data tap-proof on the Internet.
This means that the complete transmission of all data from your browser to our web server is secured - nobody can "listen in".

We have thus introduced an additional layer of security and fulfil data protection through technology design (Article 25(1) GDPR). By using TLS (Transport Layer Security), an encryption protocol for secure data transmission on the Internet, we can ensure the protection of confidential data.
You can recognise the use of this data transmission protection by the small lock symbol at the 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 a Google search for "Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure wiki" to get good links to further information.

Communication

Communication Summary 👥 Data subjects: Anyone who communicates with us by phone, email or online form 📓 Processed data: e.g. telephone number, name, email address, form data entered. You can find more details on this in the respective contact type used 🤝 Purpose: Handling communication with customers, business partners, etc. 📅 Storage period: Duration of the business case and the statutory provisions ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR (contract), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

If you contact us and communicate with us by telephone, e-mail or online form, personal data may be processed.

The data is processed for the handling and processing of your enquiry and the associated business transaction. The data will be stored for as long as required by law.

Persons concerned

All those who seek contact with us via the communication channels provided by us are affected by the aforementioned processes.

Telephone

When you call us, the call data is stored pseudonymised on the respective end device and with the telecommunications provider used. In addition, data such as your name and telephone number may subsequently be sent by e-mail and stored for the purpose of responding to your enquiry. The data is deleted as soon as the business transaction has been completed and legal requirements permit.

e-mail

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

Online forms

If you communicate with us using an online form, data is stored on our web server and may be forwarded to one of our e-mail addresses. The data will be deleted as soon as the business transaction has been completed and legal requirements permit.

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 use it for purposes relating to the business transaction;
• Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR (contract): It is necessary for the fulfilment of a contract with you or a processor, such as the telephone provider, or we need to process the data for pre-contractual activities, such as the preparation of an offer;
• Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests): We want to handle customer enquiries and business communication in a professional manner. This requires certain technical facilities such as email programmes, exchange servers and mobile network operators in order to operate communication efficiently.

Order processing contract (AVV)

In this section, we would like to explain what a data processing agreement is and why it is needed. Because the word "data processing agreement" is a bit of a mouthful, we will often only use the acronym DPA in this text. Like most companies, we do not work alone, but also utilise the services of other companies or individuals. By involving various companies or service providers, we may pass on personal data for processing. These partners then act as processors with whom we conclude a contract, the so-called data processing agreement (DPA). The most important thing for you to know is that the processing of your personal data takes place exclusively in accordance with our instructions and must be regulated by the DPA.

Who are processors?

As a company and website owner, we are responsible for all data that we process from you. In addition to controllers, there may also be so-called processors. This includes any company or person who processes personal data on our behalf. More precisely and according to the GDPR definition: any natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body that processes personal data on our behalf is considered a processor. Processors can therefore be service providers such as hosting or cloud providers, payment or newsletter providers or large companies such as Google or Microsoft.

To make the terminology easier to understand, here is an overview of the three roles in the GDPR:

Affected party (You as a customer or interested party) → Person responsible (we as a company and client) → Processor (Service providers such as web hosters or cloud providers)

Content of an order processing contract

As mentioned above, we have concluded a DPA with our partners who act as processors. This states above all that the processor processes the data to be processed exclusively in accordance with the GDPR. The contract must be concluded in writing, although the electronic conclusion of the contract is also considered "written" in this context. The processing of personal data only takes place on the basis of the contract. The contract must contain the following:

• Commitment to us as the responsible party
• Obligations and rights of the controller
• Categories of affected persons
• Type of personal data
• Nature and purpose of data processing
• Purpose and duration of data processing
• Place of data processing

The contract also contains all the obligations of the processor. The most important obligations are

• Ensure data security measures
• take possible technical and organisational measures to protect the rights of the data subject
• to maintain a data processing directory
• cooperate with the data protection supervisory authority at its request
• carry out a risk analysis in relation to the personal data received
• Sub-processors may only be commissioned with the written authorisation of the controller

You can find out what such an AVV looks like in concrete terms at https://www.wko.at/service/wirtschaftsrecht-gewerberecht/eu-dsgvo-mustervertrag-auftragsverarbeitung.html view. A sample contract is presented here.

Cookies

Cookies summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: depending on the respective cookie. You can find more details on this below or from the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie. 📓 Processed data: Depending on the cookie used. You can find more details on this below or from the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie. 📅 Storage duration: depends on the respective cookie, can vary from hours to years ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit.f GDPR (legitimate interests)

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. More precisely, they are HTTP cookies, as there are also 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, so to speak. 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 transmits 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 as soon as another page is requested.

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

Cookie data can look like this, for example:

Name: _ga
Value: GA1.2.1326744211.152112758325-9
Intended 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.

A distinction can be made between 4 types of cookies:

Essential cookies
These cookies are necessary to ensure basic website functions. For example, these cookies are needed when a user places a product in the shopping basket, then continues surfing on other pages and only goes to the checkout later. These cookies ensure that the shopping basket is not deleted even if the user closes their browser window.

Purposeful cookies
These cookies collect information about user behaviour and whether the user receives any error messages. These cookies are also used to measure the loading time and the behaviour of the website with different browsers.

Target-orientated cookies
These cookies ensure better user-friendliness. For example, entered locations, font sizes or form data are saved.

Advertising cookies
These cookies are also known as targeting cookies. They are used to deliver customised advertising to the user. This can be very practical, but also very annoying.

When you visit a website for the first time, you are usually asked which of these cookie types you would like to allow. And of course this decision is also 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/rfc6265the 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 on this below or from the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.

What data is processed?

Cookies are little helpers for many different tasks. Unfortunately, it is not possible to generalise which data is stored in cookies, but we will inform you about the processed or stored data in the following privacy policy.

Storage duration of cookies

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

You can also influence the storage period yourself. You can delete all cookies manually at any time via your browser (see also "Right to object" below). Furthermore, cookies that are based on consent will be deleted at the latest after you withdraw your consent, whereby the legality of the storage until then remains unaffected.

Right to object - how can I delete cookies?

You decide how and whether you want to use cookies. Regardless of which service or website the cookies originate 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 saved in your browser, if you want to change or delete cookie settings, you can find this in your browser settings:

Chrome: Delete, activate and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Managing cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Deleting and managing cookies

Microsoft Edge: Deleting and managing cookies

If you generally do not want to have cookies, you can set up your browser so that it always informs you when a cookie is to be set. You can then decide for each individual cookie whether or not to allow it. The procedure differs depending on the browser. It is best to search for the instructions in 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. This stipulates that the storage of cookies is a Consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR) from you. However, there are still very different reactions to these directives within the EU countries. In Austria, however, this directive was implemented in Section 165 (3) of the Telecommunications Act (2021). In Germany, the cookie directives have not been implemented as national law. Instead, this directive was largely implemented in Section 15 (3) of the Telemedia Act (TMG).

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

If cookies that are not absolutely necessary are used, this will only be done 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 if the software used utilises cookies.

Webhosting introduction

Webhosting summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: professional hosting of the website and securing its operation 📓 Processed data: IP address, time of website visit, browser used and other data. You can find more details on this below or from the web hosting provider used. 📅 Storage period: depends on the respective provider, but usually 2 weeks ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit.f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is web hosting?

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

If you want to view a website on a computer, tablet or smartphone, you use a programme called a web browser. You probably know a few 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 this is usually done by professional providers. These providers offer web hosting and thus ensure reliable and error-free storage of website data. A lot of technical terms, but please stay tuned, it will get even better!

When the browser on your computer (desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone) connects and during data transfer to and from the web server, personal data may be processed. On the one hand, your computer stores data; on the other hand, the web server must also store data for a certain period of time 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 website hosting and operational security
2. to maintain operational and IT security
3. Anonymous evaluation of access behaviour to improve our offer and, if necessary, for criminal prosecution or prosecution of claims

What data is processed?

Even while you are currently visiting our website, our web server, i.e. the computer on which this website is stored, usually automatically saves 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 host name 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-mentioned data is stored for a fortnight and then automatically deleted. We do not pass this data on, but we cannot rule out the possibility of this data being viewed by the authorities in the event of unlawful behaviour.

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

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

World4You Privacy Policy

World4You Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Website storage and accessibility on the Internet 📓 Processed data: IP address, but above all technical data 📅 Storage duration: Log files are deleted after 14 days ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is World4You?

It is quite possible that you have already heard of the web hosting provider World4You. The web host is particularly popular in Austria. The service provider is the Austrian company World4You Internet Services GmbH, Hafenstraße 35, 4020 Linz, Austria.

The company from the Upper Austrian capital has been active in the web hosting sector since 1998. World4You operates several of its own data centres in Austria and uses its own in-house technology. This guarantees fail-safe operation and a fast server connection. As you may have already read in our introduction to web hosting, your data is also transferred to World4You's servers and processed there. This primarily involves technical data such as browser version or operating system, but personal data such as your IP address is also processed.

Why do we use World4You?

Like you, we probably value reliability, speed and security in a website. Even if you call up our website in the middle of the night or we already have a lot of visitors, it has to work perfectly. When you click on subpages, it must not take half an eternity for the page to load completely. And if problems do occur, there should be a good backup system that backs up our content and protects all data. To ensure that everything works to our satisfaction, we naturally need a reliable web host. In World4You, we believe we have found a partner that fulfils our requirements. World4You has its own data centres and therefore a fixed bandwidth, which makes a website quickly accessible. We also appreciate the company's personalised support.

What data is processed by World4You?

World4You may also process personal data about you. Our web server automatically stores data when you visit our website. This includes personal data such as your IP address, but above all also technical data such as the Internet address of the website accessed, device information such as browser version, operating system and the URL of the previously visited website. Furthermore, we also record when you accessed our website and, if applicable, location data. The IP address can be used to increase the security of the website, to detect possible errors and also to carry out anonymous statistical analyses. Cookies may also be used for data storage.

How long and where is the data stored?

The data is stored on World4You's own servers. The exact retention period of the data depends very much on the type of data and the individual configurations. In principle, World4You stores the data for as long as is necessary to fulfil its obligations. Data that is only collected to provide the website is deleted at the end of the respective session. Data that is stored in log files is deleted after 14 days at the latest. However, data may also be stored for longer, for example to provide evidence for possible legal disputes.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You have the right to information, correction or deletion and restriction of the processing of your personal data at any time. You can also revoke your consent to the processing of data at any time.

If you do not want these cookies to be set and data to be stored, you can also prevent the setting of cookies in your browser. This is because you can manage, deactivate or delete cookies in your browser. This always works slightly differently depending on your browser.

Under the section "Cookies" you will find the corresponding links to the respective instructions for the most popular browsers.

Legal basis

We have a legitimate interest in using World4You in order to be able to offer our online service. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests).

Of course, you can also use this support if you have specific questions about data protection at World4You. We also recommend that you read the website's privacy policy, which you can find at https://www.world4you.com/de/unternehmen/datenschutzerklaerung.html find. The FAQs under https://www.world4you.com/faq/de/dsgvo.html have their own GDPR section, where you can also find lots of useful information.

Order processing contract (AVV) World4You

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) with World4You (World4You Internet Services GmbH, Hafenstraße 35 , 4020 Linz, Austria) in accordance with Article 28 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). You can find out exactly what a DPA is and, in particular, what must be included in a DPA in our general section "Data processing agreement (DPA)".

This contract is required by law because World4You processes personal data on our behalf. It clarifies that World4You may only process data that it receives from us in accordance with our instructions and must comply with the GDPR. You can find the link to the data processing agreement (DPA) at https://www.world4you.com/faq/de/dsgvo/faq.stellt-world4you-eine-vereinbarung-zur-auftragsverarbeitung-zur-verfuegung.html.

Website modular systems Introduction

Website builder systems Privacy policy summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Optimisation of our service performance 📓 Processed data: Data such as technical usage information such as browser activity, clickstream activity, session heatmaps and contact details, IP address or your geographical location. You can find more details on this below in this privacy policy and in the providers' privacy policies. 📅 Storage duration: depends on the provider ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent)

What are website builder systems?

We use a modular website 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 programming knowledge. In many cases, web hosters also offer modular systems. By using a modular system, your personal data can also be collected, stored and processed. In this data protection text, we provide you with general information about data processing by modular systems. You can find more detailed information in the provider's data protection declarations.

Why do we use website builder systems 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-organised 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 customise our web presence and offer you an informative and enjoyable time on our website.

What data is stored by a modular system?

Exactly which data is stored depends of course on the website builder system used. Each provider processes and collects different data from the website visitor. As a rule, 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 collected. Tracking data (e.g. browser activity, clickstream activity, session heatmaps, etc.) may also be processed. Personal data may also be collected and stored. This usually involves 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 building block system used, if we have further information on this. You can find detailed information about this in the provider's privacy policy. In general, we only process personal data for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of our services and products. The provider may store your data according to its own specifications, over which we have no influence.

Right of objection

You always have the right to information, correction and deletion of your personal data. If you have any questions, you can also contact the person responsible for the website builder system used at any time. Contact details can be found 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. Depending on which browser you use, this works in different ways. Please note, however, that not all functions may then work as usual.

Legal basis

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

Insofar as 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 applies in particular to tracking activities. The legal basis in this respect is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR.

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

WordPress.com privacy policy

WordPress.com Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Optimisation of our service performance 📓 Processed data: Data such as technical usage information such as browser activity, clickstream activity, session heatmaps and contact details, IP address or your geographical location. You can find more details below in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage duration: It mainly depends on the type of data stored and the specific settings. ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is WordPress?

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.

The company saw the light of day in 2003 and developed into one of the most well-known content management systems (CMS) in the world in a relatively short space of time. A CMS is software that helps us to design our website and present content in an attractive and organised way. The content can be text, audio and video.
By using WordPress, your personal data may also be collected, stored and processed. As a rule, mainly technical data such as operating system, browser, screen resolution or hosting provider are stored. However, personal data such as IP address, geographical data or contact details may also be processed.

Why do we use WordPress on our website?

We have many strengths, but real programming is not one of our core competences.

Nevertheless, we want to have a powerful and attractive website that we can also manage and maintain ourselves. With a modular website system or a content management system such as WordPress, we can do just that. With WordPress, we don't have to be ace programmers to offer you a beautiful website. Thanks to WordPress, we can operate our website quickly and easily even without prior technical knowledge. If technical problems occur or we have special requests for our website, there are always our specialists who feel at home in HTML, PHP, CSS and co.

Thanks to the ease of use and comprehensive functions of WordPress, we can design our website according to our wishes and offer you a good user experience.

What data is processed by WordPress?

Non-personal data includes technical usage information such as browser activity, clickstream activity, session heatmaps and data about your computer, operating system, browser, screen resolution, language and keyboard settings, internet provider and date of the page visit.

Personal data is also collected. This is primarily contact data (e-mail address or telephone number, if you provide these), IP address or your geographical location.

WordPress can also use cookies to collect data. This often records data about your behaviour on our website. For example, it can record which subpages you particularly like to view, how long you spend on individual pages, when you leave a page (bounce rate) or which default settings (e.g. language selection) you have made. Based on this data, WordPress can also better adapt its own marketing measures to your interests and user behaviour. The next time you visit our website, you will therefore be shown our website as you have previously set it.

WordPress may also use technologies such as pixel tags (web beacons), for example to clearly identify you as a user and possibly offer interest-based advertising.

How long and where is the data stored?

How long the data is stored depends on various factors. So it mainly depends on the type of data stored and the specific settings of the website. In principle, WordPress deletes the data when it is no longer needed for its own purposes. There are of course exceptions, especially if legal obligations require the data to be stored for longer. Web server logs containing your IP address and technical data are deleted by WordPress or Automattic after 30 days. Automattic uses the data for this period to analyse the traffic on its own websites (e.g. all WordPress pages) and to rectify any problems. Deleted content on WordPress websites is also stored in the recycle bin for 30 days to enable recovery, after which it may remain in backups and caches until it is deleted. The data is stored on Automattic's American servers.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You have the right and opportunity to access your personal data at any time and to object to its use and processing. You can also lodge a complaint with a state supervisory authority at any time.

In your browser, you also have the option of individually managing, deleting or deactivating cookies. However, please note that deactivating or deleting cookies may have a negative impact on the functions of our WordPress site. Depending on which browser you use, the management of cookies works slightly differently. In the "Cookies" section, you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers.

Legal basis

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

We also have a legitimate interest in using WordPress to optimise our online service and present it to you in an attractive manner. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). Nevertheless, we only use WordPress if you have given your consent.

WordPress or Automattic processes your data in the USA, among other places. Automattic is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Automattic also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Automattic undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

You can find more details on the privacy policy and which data is processed by WordPress and in what way at https://automattic.com/privacy/.

Order processing contract (AVV) WordPress.com

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) with WordPress.com in accordance with Article 28 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). You can find out exactly what a DPA is and, in particular, what must be included in a DPA in our general section "Data processing agreement (DPA)".

This contract is required by law because WordPress.com processes personal data on our behalf. It clarifies that WordPress.com may only process data that it receives from us in accordance with our instructions and must comply with the GDPR. You can find the link to the order processing contract (AVV) at https://wordpress.com/support/data-processing-agreements/.

World4You Building Kit Privacy Policy

We use World4You, a website construction kit system, for our website. The service provider is the Austrian company World4You Internet Services GmbH, Hafenstraße 35, 4020 Linz, Austria.

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of World4You in the privacy policy on https://www.world4you.com/de/unternehmen/datenschutzerklaerung.html.

Web Analytics Introduction

Web Analytics privacy policy summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimise the website. 📓 Processed data: Access statistics containing data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behaviour, click behaviour and IP addresses. You can find more details on this in the web analytics tool used. 📅 Storage duration: depending on the web analytics tool used ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is web analytics?

We use software on our website to evaluate the behaviour 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 behaviour on our website and made available to us as the website operator. In addition, most tools offer various test options. For example, we can test which offers or content are best received by our visitors. To do this, we show you two different offers for a limited period of time. After the test (known as an A/B test), we know which product or content our website visitors find more interesting. For such test procedures, as well as for other analytics procedures, user profiles can also be created and the data stored in cookies.

Why do we use web analytics?

With our website, we have a clear goal in mind: we want to deliver the best web offering on the market for our industry. In order to achieve this goal, we want to offer the best and most interesting services on the one hand and ensure that you feel completely at ease on our website on the other. With the help of web analysis tools, we can take a closer look at the behaviour of our website visitors and then improve our website accordingly for you and for us. For example, we can recognise the average age of our visitors, where they come from, when our website is visited the most or which content or products are particularly popular. All this information helps us to optimise the website and thus adapt it to your needs, interests and wishes.

What data is processed?

Exactly which data is stored depends, of course, on the analysis tools used. As a rule, however, the content you view on our website, which buttons or links you click on, when you access 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, for example. If you have agreed that location data may also be collected, this may 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 pseudonymised (i.e. in an unrecognisable and shortened form). For the purposes of testing, web analysis and web optimisation, no direct data such as your name, age, address or email address is stored. All this data, if collected, is stored in pseudonymised form. 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 Java Script 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, while other cookies can store data for several years.

Duration of data processing

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

Right of objection

You also have the right and the option to withdraw 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 by 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 pop-up. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) represents 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 analysing the behaviour of website visitors in order to improve our website technically and economically. With the help of web analytics, we recognise errors on the website, can identify attacks and improve efficiency. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). Nevertheless, we only use the tools if you have given your consent.

As web analytics tools use cookies, we recommend that you also 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.

Amazon Personalize privacy policy

Amazon Personalize privacy policy summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimise the website. 📓 Processed data: Access statistics containing data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behaviour, click behaviour and IP addresses. More details can be found below and in the Amazon Personalize privacy policy. 📅 Storage period: In principle, data is stored for as long as is necessary for business purposes. ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Amazon Personalise?

We use the real-time personalisation program Amazon Personalize on our website. The service provider is the American company Amazon Web Services, Inc, 410 Terry Avenue North, Seattle WA 98109, USA.

The Amazon Personalize service is offered by Amazon Web Service (AWS) and is a machine learning service to provide personalised advertising and recommendations of our services and products. Amazon Personalize uses modern machine learning algorithms to analyse your individual behaviour on our website. Based on these analyses, recommendations can then be generated that are individually tailored to you.

Why do we use Amazon Personalize?

Our aim is to offer you the best possible experience on our website. We are convinced of our offers and want our website to be a helpful and useful place for you. To achieve this, we need to customise our website as much as possible to your wishes and concerns. With a web analysis tool such as Amazon Personalize and the resulting data, we can significantly improve our specific offer for you. The data can also help us to customise our advertising and marketing measures. With all these web analyses, however, the protection of personal data is important to us. If we can make you customised offers, this naturally also helps us to achieve our economic goals.

What data is stored by Amazon Personalize?

Amazon Personalize stores and analyses data that we make available to the tool. This may include information about your user interaction (such as button clicks, product purchases, time spent on a subpage, etc.), but also personal data that you actively provide to us. This includes user data such as name, address or demographic data such as gender and age. Furthermore, Amazon is also provided with catalogue data such as item IDs and metadata on ordered items.

Amazon uses this data to train and create a model that generates personalised recommendations for interested people.

How long and where is the data stored?

Amazon has servers all over the world, so the data can also be stored in the USA, for example. The data records collected are not associated with other Amazon accounts.

In principle, data is stored by Amazon for as long as required for business purposes and as long as Amazon is contractually and legally obliged to do so. Unfortunately, we cannot specify exact retention periods at this point because these also depend on the individual configurations.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You have the right and opportunity to access your personal data at any time and to object to its use and processing. You can also lodge a complaint with a state supervisory authority at any time.
In your browser, you also have the option of individually managing, deleting or deactivating cookies. Please note, however, that deactivating or deleting cookies may have a negative impact on the functions of our website. Depending on which browser you use, the management of cookies works slightly differently. In the "Cookies" section, you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers.

Legal basis

The use of Amazon Personalize requires your consent, which we have obtained using our consent management tool (pop-up). According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), this consent constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when it is collected by web analytics tools.

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analysing the behaviour of website visitors in order to improve our offer technically and economically. With the help of Amazon Personalize, we recognise errors on the website, can identify attacks and improve efficiency. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). Nevertheless, we only use Amazon Personalize if you have given your consent.

Amazon also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Amazon is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Amazon also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Amazon undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Amazon data processing conditions (AWS GDPR DATA PROCESSING), which correspond to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://d1.awsstatic.com/legal/aws-gdpr/AWS_GDPR_DPA.pdf.

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Amazon Personalize in the Privacy Policy on https://d1.awsstatic.com/legal/privacypolicy/AWS_Privacy_Notice_German_2020-08-15.pdf.

Facebook Conversions API privacy policy

We use Facebook Conversions API, a server-side event tracking tool, on our website. The service provider is the American company Meta Platforms Inc. Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland) is responsible for the European region.

Facebook also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Facebook or Meta Platforms is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Facebook also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Facebook undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Facebook data processing conditions, which refer to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing.

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Facebook Conversions API in the privacy policy on https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy.

Google Analytics privacy policy

Google Analytics privacy policy summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimise the website. 📓 Processed data: Access statistics containing data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behaviour and click behaviour. You can find more details on this below in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage duration: individually adjustable, by default Google Analytics stores 4 data for 14 months ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Google Analytics?

We use the analysis tracking tool Google Analytics on our website in the version Google Analytics 4 (GA4) of the American company Google Inc. For the European area, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services. Google Analytics collects data about your actions on our website. However, by combining various technologies such as cookies, device IDs and login information, you can be identified as a user across different devices. This means that your actions can also be analysed across platforms.

For example, when you click on a link, this event is stored in a cookie and sent to Google Analytics. The reports we receive from Google Analytics enable us to better customise our website and our service to your wishes. In the following, we will go into more detail about the tracking tool and inform you in particular about which data is processed and how you can prevent this.

Google Analytics is a tracking tool used to analyse the traffic on our website. These measurements and analyses are based on a pseudonymous user identification number. This number does not contain any personal data such as name or address, but is used to assign events to an end device. GA4 uses an event-based model that records detailed information on user interactions such as page views, clicks, scrolling and conversion events. GA4 also incorporates various machine learning functions to better understand user behaviour and certain trends. GA4 relies on modelling with the help of machine learning functions. This means that missing data can also be extrapolated on the basis of the collected data in order to optimise the analysis and also to be able to make forecasts.

For Google Analytics to work in principle, a tracking code is built into the code of our website. When you visit our website, this code records various events that you perform on our website. With GA4's event-based data model, we as website operators can define and track specific events in order to obtain analyses of user interactions. In addition to general information such as clicks or page views, specific events that are important for our business can also be tracked. Such specific events can be, for example, the sending of a contact form or the purchase of a product.

As soon as you leave our website, this data is sent to the Google Analytics servers and stored there.

Google processes the data and we receive reports on your user behaviour. These may include the following reports:

• Target group reports: We use target group reports to get to know our users better and know more precisely who is interested in our service.
• Ad reports: Ad reports make it easier for us to analyse and improve our online advertising.
• Acquisition reports: Acquisition reports provide us with helpful information on how we can get more people interested in our service.
• Behavioural reports: Here we learn how you interact with our website. We can track which route you take on our site and which links you click on.
• Conversion reports: Conversion is a process in which you perform a desired action as a result of a marketing message. For example, when you go from being just a website visitor to a buyer or newsletter subscriber. With the help of these reports, we learn more about how our marketing measures are received by you. This is how we want to increase our conversion rate.
• Real-time reports: Here we always know immediately what is happening on our website. For example, we can see how many users are currently reading this text.

In addition to the analysis reports mentioned above, Google Analytics 4 also offers the following functions, among others:

• Event-based data model: This model records very specific events that can take place on our website. For example, playing a video, purchasing a product or subscribing to our newsletter.
• Extended analysis functions: These functions enable us to better understand your behaviour on our website or certain general trends. For example, we can segment user groups, carry out comparative analyses of target groups or track your path on our website.
• Predictive modelling: Based on collected data, missing data can be extrapolated using machine learning to predict future events and trends. This can help us to develop better marketing strategies.
• Cross-platform analysis: Data can be collected and analysed from both websites and apps. This gives us the opportunity to analyse user behaviour across platforms, provided you have of course consented to data processing.

Why do we use Google Analytics on our website?

Our goal with this website is clear: we want to offer you the best possible service. The statistics and data from Google Analytics help us to achieve this goal.

The statistically analysed data gives us a clear picture of the strengths and weaknesses of our website. On the one hand, we can optimise our site so that it can be found more easily by interested people on Google. On the other hand, the data helps us to better understand you as a visitor. We therefore know exactly what we need to improve on our website in order to offer you the best possible service. The data also helps us to carry out our advertising and marketing measures more individually and cost-effectively. After all, it only makes sense to show our products and services to people who are interested in them.

What data is stored by Google Analytics?

Google Analytics uses a tracking code to create a random, unique ID that is linked to your browser cookie. This allows Google Analytics to recognise you as a new user and assign you a user ID. The next time you visit our site, you will be recognised as a "returning" user. All collected data is stored together with this user ID. This makes it possible to analyse pseudonymous user profiles.

In order to be able to analyse our website with Google Analytics, a property ID must be inserted into the tracking code. The data is then saved in the corresponding property. The Google Analytics 4 property is standard for every newly created property. Depending on the property used, data is stored for different lengths of time.

Through identifiers such as cookies, app instance IDs, user IDs or user-defined event parameters, your interactions are measured across platforms if you have given your consent. Interactions are all types of actions that you perform on our website. If you also use other Google systems (such as a Google account), data generated via Google Analytics may be linked to third-party cookies. Google does not pass on any Google Analytics data unless we as the website operator authorise this. Exceptions may be made if required by law.

According to Google, no IP addresses are logged or stored in Google Analytics 4. However, Google uses the IP address data to derive location data and deletes it immediately afterwards. All IP addresses collected from users in the EU are therefore deleted before the data is stored in a data centre or on a server.

As Google Analytics 4 focuses on event-based data, the tool uses significantly fewer cookies compared to previous versions (such as Google Universal Analytics). Nevertheless, there are some specific cookies that are used by GA4. These include, for example:

Name: _ga
Value: 2.1326744211.152112758325-5
Intended use: By default, analytics.js uses the _ga cookie to store the user ID. It is basically used to differentiate between website visitors.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: _gid
Value: 2.1687193234.152112758325-1
Intended use: The cookie is also used to differentiate between website visitors
Expiry date: after 24 hours

Name: _gat_gtag_UA_
Value: 1
Intended use: Used to lower the request rate. If Google Analytics is provided via the Google Tag Manager, this cookie is given the name _dc_gtm_ .
Expiry date: after 1 minute

Remark: This list cannot claim to be exhaustive, as Google is constantly changing its choice of cookies. The aim of GA4 is also to improve data protection. The tool therefore offers a number of options for controlling data collection. For example, we can set the storage period ourselves and also control data collection.

Here we show you an overview of the most important types of data that are collected with Google Analytics:

Heatmaps: Google creates so-called heatmaps. Heatmaps allow you to see exactly those areas that you click on. This gives us information about where you are "travelling" on our site.

Session duration: Google defines session duration as the time you spend on our site without leaving it. If you have been inactive for 20 minutes, the session ends automatically.

Bounce rate (Bounce rate:) A bounce is when you only view one page on our website and then leave our website again.

Account creation: When you create an account on our website or place an order, Google Analytics collects this data.

Location: IP addresses are not logged or stored in Google Analytics. However, shortly before the IP address is deleted, derivations are used for location data.

Technical information: The technical information includes your browser type, your internet provider or your screen resolution.

Source of origin: Google Analytics and we are of course also interested in which website or which advert you came to our site from.

Other data includes contact details, any ratings, the playing of media (e.g. when you play a video on our site), the sharing of content via social media or adding it to your favourites. The list is not exhaustive and is only intended to provide a general overview of data storage by Google Analytics.

How long and where is the data stored?

Google has distributed its servers all over the world. Here you can read exactly where the Google data centres are located: https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/locations/?hl=de

Your data is distributed on different physical data carriers. This has the advantage that the data can be retrieved more quickly and is better protected against manipulation. Every Google data centre has appropriate emergency programmes for your data. If, for example, the hardware at Google fails or natural disasters paralyse servers, the risk of a service interruption at Google remains low.

The retention period of the data depends on the properties used. The storage period is always defined separately for each individual property. Google Analytics offers us four options for controlling the storage period:

• 2 months: this is the shortest storage period.
• 14 months: by default, the data is stored in GA4 for 14 months.
• 26 months: you can also save the data for 26 months.
• Data is only deleted when we delete it manually

In addition, there is also the option that data will only be deleted if you no longer visit our website within the period selected by us. In this case, the retention period is reset each time you visit our website again within the specified period.

Once the specified period has expired, the data is deleted once a month. This retention period applies to your data linked to cookies, user recognition and advertising IDs (e.g. DoubleClick domain cookies). Reporting results are based on aggregated data and are stored independently of user data. Aggregated data is an amalgamation of individual data into a larger unit.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

Under European Union data protection law, you have the right to obtain information about your data and to update, delete or restrict it. You can use the browser add-on to deactivate Google Analytics JavaScript (analytics.js, gtag.js) to prevent Google Analytics 4 from using your data. You can download the browser add-on at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de and install it. Please note that this add-on only deactivates data collection by Google Analytics.

If you want to deactivate, delete or manage cookies, you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers in the "Cookies" section.

Legal basis

The use of Google Analytics requires your consent, which we have obtained with our cookie pop-up. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) represents 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 analysing the behaviour of website visitors in order to improve our website technically and economically. With the help of Google Analytics, we recognise errors on the website, can identify attacks and improve efficiency. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). Nevertheless, we only use Google Analytics if you have given your consent.

Google also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Google is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Google also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Google undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: 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/.

We hope we have been able to provide you with the most important information about data processing by Google Analytics. If you would like to find out more about the tracking service, we recommend these two links: https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/terms/de/ and https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=de.

If you would like to find out more about data processing, please use the Google privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

Data processing agreement (DPA) Google Analytics

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) with Google in accordance with Article 28 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). You can find out exactly what a DPA is and, in particular, what must be included in a DPA in our general section "Data processing agreement (DPA)".

This contract is required by law because Google processes personal data on our behalf. It clarifies that Google may only process data that it receives from us in accordance with our instructions and must comply with the GDPR. You can find the link to the order data processing conditions at https://business.safety.google/intl/de/adsprocessorterms/

Google Analytics reports on demographic characteristics and interests

We have activated the functions for advertising reports in Google Analytics. The reports on demographic characteristics and interests contain information on age, gender and interests. This allows us to get a better picture of our users without being able to assign this data to individual persons. You can find out more about the advertising functions at https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/3450482?hl=de_AT&utm_id=ad.

You can control the use of the activities and information of your Google account under "Advertising settings" on https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated via checkbox.

Google Analytics in consent mode

Depending on your consent, your personal data will be processed by Google Analytics in the so-called consent mode. You can choose whether or not to consent to Google Analytics cookies. This also allows you to choose which of your data Google Analytics may process. The data collected is mainly used to measure user behaviour on the website, to display targeted advertising and to provide us with web analytics reports. As a rule, you consent to data processing by Google via a cookie consent tool. If you do not consent to data processing, only aggregated data will be collected and processed. This means that data cannot be assigned to individual users and therefore no user profile is created for you. You can also only consent to statistical measurement. No personal data is processed and therefore not used for advertising or advertising success.

Google Analytics IP anonymisation

We have implemented IP address anonymisation from Google Analytics on this website. This function was developed by Google so that this website can comply with the applicable data protection regulations and recommendations of the local data protection authorities if they prohibit the storage of the full IP address. The anonymisation or masking of the IP takes place as soon as the IP addresses arrive in the Google Analytics data collection network and before any storage or processing of the data takes place.

You can find more information on IP anonymisation at https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/2763052?hl=de.

Google Optimize privacy policy

We use Google Optimize, a website optimisation tool, on our website. The service provider is the American company Google Inc. For the European area, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services.

Google also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Google is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Google also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Google undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: 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 Optimise in the privacy policy on https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

Data processing agreement (DPA) Google Optimise

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) with Google in accordance with Article 28 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). You can find out exactly what a DPA is and, in particular, what must be included in a DPA in our general section "Data processing agreement (DPA)".

This contract is required by law because Google processes personal data on our behalf. It clarifies that Google may only process data that it receives from us in accordance with our instructions and must comply with the GDPR. You can find the link to the order data processing conditions at https://business.safety.google/intl/de/adsprocessorterms/

Google Site Kit Privacy Policy

Google Site Kit Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimise the website. 📓 Processed data: Access statistics containing data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behaviour, click behaviour and IP addresses. More details can be found below and in the Google Analytics privacy policy. 📅 Storage duration: depending on the properties used ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Google Site Kit?

We have integrated the WordPress plugin Google Site Kit from the American company Google Inc. into our website. For the European region, 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 for 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 that are collected by other Google products. First and foremost Google Analytics. In addition to Google Analytics, the Google Search Console, Page Speed Insight, Google AdSense, Google Optimise and Google Tag Manager services 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. We want you to feel comfortable on our website and find exactly what you are looking for quickly and easily. Statistical analyses 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 analyses. Site Kit makes our work much easier in this respect because we can view and analyse the statistics of Google products directly in the dashboard. This means we no longer have to log in separately for each tool. Site Kit therefore always provides a good overview of the most important analysis data.

What data is stored by Google Site Kit?

If you have actively consented to tracking tools in the cookie notice (also called script or banner), Google products such as Google Analytics will set cookies and send data from you, for example about your user behaviour, to Google, where it will be stored and processed. This also includes storing personal data such as your IP address.

We have separate text sections in this privacy policy for more detailed information on the individual services. For example, take a look at our privacy policy for Google Analytics. Here we go into great detail about the data collected. You will learn how long Google Analytics stores, manages and processes data, which cookies may 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 and Google AdSense.

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

Name: _ga
Value:2.1326744211.152112758325-2
Intended use: By default, analytics.js uses the _ga cookie to store the user ID. It is basically used to differentiate between website visitors.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: _gid
Value:2.1687193234.152112758325-7
Intended use: This cookie is also used to differentiate between website visitors.
Expiry date: after 24 hours

Name: _gat_gtag_UA_
Value: 1
Intended use: This cookie is used to lower 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 distributed worldwide. Most of the servers are located in the United States and it is therefore easily possible that your data will also be stored there. On https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/locations/?hl=de you can see exactly where the company provides servers.

Data collected by Google Analytics is stored for a standardised period of 26 months. Your user data will then be 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 receive 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 want to deactivate, delete or manage cookies, you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers in the "Cookies" section.

Legal basis

The use of Google Site Kit requires your consent, which we have obtained with our cookie pop-up. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) represents 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 analysing the behaviour of website visitors in order to improve our website technically and economically. With the help of Google Site Kit, we recognise errors on the website, can identify attacks and improve efficiency. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). Nevertheless, we only use Google Site Kit if you have given your consent.

Google also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Google is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Google also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Google undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: 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 find out more about data processing by Google, we recommend that you read Google's comprehensive privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

TikTok Pixel privacy policy

We use TikTok Pixel, a conversion tracking tool for advertisers, on our website. The service provider is the Chinese company TikTok. The company TikTok Technology Limited (10 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin, D02 T380, Ireland) is responsible for the European region.

TikTok also 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 transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks for the legality and security of data processing.

TikTok uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or data transfer to these countries. Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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, TikTok undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

You can find out more about the standard contractual clauses and the data processed through the use of TikTok Pixel in the Privacy Policy at https://www.tiktok.com/legal/page/eea/privacy-policy/de-DE or on https://ads.tiktok.com/i18n/official/policy/controller-to-controller.

Email marketing introduction

Email marketing summary Affected parties: Newsletter subscribers 🤝 Purpose: Direct advertising by e-mail, notification of system-relevant events 📓 Processed data: Data entered during registration, but at least the email address. You can find more details on this in the email marketing tool used. 📅 Storage period: Duration of the existence of the subscription ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is email marketing?

In order to keep you up to date, we also use the option of e-mail marketing. If you have consented to receiving our emails or newsletters, your data will also be processed and stored. Email marketing is a sub-area of online marketing. It involves sending news or general information about a company, products or services by email to a specific group of people who are interested in them.

If you want to take part in our e-mail marketing (usually by newsletter), you normally just need to register with your e-mail address. To do this, you fill in an online form and send it off. However, we may also ask you to provide your title and name so that we can write to you personally.

Basically, the registration for newsletters works with the help of the so-called "double opt-in procedure". After you have registered for our newsletter on our website, you will receive an e-mail confirming your newsletter registration. This ensures that the e-mail address belongs to you and that no-one has registered with a third-party e-mail address. We or a notification tool used by us logs each individual registration. This is necessary so that we can prove that the registration process is legally correct. As a rule, the time of registration, the time of registration confirmation and your IP address are saved. In addition, it is also logged when you make changes to your stored data.

Why do we use email marketing?

We naturally want to stay in contact with you and always provide you with the most important news about our company. To do this, we use email marketing - often simply referred to as "newsletters" - as an essential part of our online marketing. If you agree to this or if it is permitted by law, we will send you newsletters, system e-mails or other notifications by e-mail. When we use the term "newsletter" in the following text, we mainly mean e-mails sent regularly. Of course, we do not want to bother you in any way with our newsletters. That is why we always endeavour to offer only relevant and interesting content. For example, you can find out more about our company, our services or products. As we are constantly improving our offers, you will always find out via our newsletter when there is news or when we are offering special, lucrative promotions. If we commission a service provider who offers a professional dispatch tool for our email marketing, we do so in order to be able to offer you fast and secure newsletters. The purpose of our email marketing is basically to inform you about new offers and also to achieve our corporate goals.

What data is processed?

If you become a subscriber to our newsletter via our website, you confirm your membership of an e-mail list by e-mail. In addition to your IP address and e-mail address, your title, name, address and telephone number may also be stored. However, only if you consent to this data storage. The data marked as such is necessary so that you can participate in the service offered. Providing this information is voluntary, but if you do not provide it, you will not be able to use the service. In addition, information about your device or your favourite content on our website may also be stored. You can find out more about the storage of data when you visit a website in the "Automatic data storage" section. We record your declaration of consent so that we can always prove that it complies with our laws.

Duration of data processing

If you unsubscribe your e-mail address from our e-mail/newsletter distribution list, we may store your address for up to three years on the basis of our legitimate interests so that we can still prove that you gave your consent at the time. We may only process this data if we have to defend ourselves against any claims.

However, if you confirm that you have given us your consent to subscribe to the newsletter, you can submit an individual cancellation request at any time. If you permanently revoke your consent, we reserve the right to store your e-mail address in a blacklist. As long as you have voluntarily subscribed to our newsletter, we will of course retain your e-mail address.

Right of objection

You have the option of cancelling your newsletter subscription at any time. All you have to do is revoke your consent to the newsletter subscription. This usually only takes a few seconds or one or two clicks. You will usually find a link to cancel your newsletter subscription at the end of every email. If you really cannot find the link in the newsletter, please contact us by e-mail and we will cancel your newsletter subscription immediately.

Legal basis

Our newsletter is sent on the basis of your consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR). This means that we may only send you a newsletter if you have actively subscribed to it beforehand. We may also send you advertising messages if you have become our customer and have not objected to the use of your email address for direct advertising.

Information on specific email marketing services and how they process personal data, if available, can be found in the following sections.

MailPoet privacy policy

MailPoet privacy policy summary Affected parties: Newsletter subscribers 🤝 Purpose: direct marketing by e-mail, notification of relevant events 📓 Processed data: Data entered during registration, but at least the e-mail address. 📅 Storage period: Duration of the existence of the subscription ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is MailPoet?

We use MailPoet on our website, a WordPress plugin for our email marketing. The service provider is the American company Automattic Inc, 60 29th Street #343, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA.

The company was founded by Kim Gjerstad in 2011 under the name "WYSIJA". The plugin quickly became very well known because it enabled WordPress users to develop email marketing campaigns directly via the content management system (CMS). In 2017, MailPoet merged with Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com.
WordPress itself saw the light of day in 2003 and developed into one of the most well-known content management systems (CMS) in the world in a relatively short space of time. A CMS is a piece of software that helps us to design our website and present content in an attractive and organised way. The content can be text, audio and video.
By using MailPoet, personal data such as your IP address, geographical data or contact details may also be collected, stored and processed. As a rule, mainly technical data such as operating system, browser, screen resolution or hosting provider are stored.

Why do we use MailPoet on our website?

Basically, we use an e-mail marketing service to keep in touch with you. We want to tell you what's new with us or what attractive offers we currently have in our programme. We always look for the simplest and best solutions for our marketing measures. And this is why we have also opted for the MailPoet service. Although the software is very easy to use, it offers a large number of helpful features. For example, we can create interesting and attractive newsletters directly via WordPress in just a short time. Thanks to the design templates offered, we can personalise each newsletter and, thanks to the "responsive design", our content is also displayed legibly and beautifully on your smartphone (or other mobile device).
The email marketing service also offers us helpful analysis options. This means that when we send out a newsletter, we find out, for example, whether and when the newsletter was opened by you. The software also recognises and records whether and on which link you click in the newsletter. This information helps us enormously to adapt and optimise our service to your wishes and concerns. After all, we naturally want to offer you the best possible service. In addition to the data already mentioned above, data about your user behaviour is also stored.

What data is processed by MailPoet?

If you become a subscriber to our newsletter via our website, you confirm your membership of a MailPoet e-mail list by e-mail. The date of registration and your IP address are stored so that MailPoet can also prove that you have registered with the "list provider".
With the help of MailPoet, we can always provide you with up-to-date, first-hand information about what is going on in our company. However, you should be aware that when you register for the newsletter, all the data you enter (such as your e-mail address or your first name and surname) is stored and managed on our server and by MailPoet. This also involves personal data. During the registration process, you also consent to us sending you the newsletter and reference is also made to this privacy policy. Furthermore, data such as click behaviour in the newsletter may also be processed. This information is used to send you emails and to enable certain other MailPoet functions (such as analysing the newsletter).

How long and where is the data stored?

How long the data is stored depends on various factors. So it mainly depends on the type of data stored and the specific settings. In principle, MailPoet or Automattic deletes the data when it is no longer needed for its own purposes. There are of course exceptions, especially if legal obligations require the data to be stored for longer. Web server logs containing your IP address and technical data are deleted by MailPoet or Automattic after 30 days. Automattic uses the data for this period to analyse the traffic on its own websites (e.g. all WordPress pages) and to rectify any problems. Deleted content on WordPress websites is also stored in the recycle bin for 30 days to enable recovery, after which it can remain in backups and caches until it is deleted. The data is stored on Automattic's American servers.

Right of objection

You have the option of cancelling your newsletter subscription at any time. All you have to do is revoke your consent to the newsletter subscription. This usually only takes a few seconds or one or two clicks. You will usually find a link to cancel your newsletter subscription at the end of every email. If you really cannot find the link in the newsletter, please contact us by email and we will cancel your newsletter subscription immediately. After cancellation, the personal data will be deleted from our server and from the MailPoet servers. You have a right to free information about your stored data and, if necessary, a right to cancellation, blocking or correction.

Legal basis

If you have consented to MailPoet being used, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), this consent constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when MailPoet collects data.
We also have a legitimate interest in using MailPoet to optimise our online service and to design attractive and informative newsletters for you. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). If consent is not required, the newsletter is sent on the basis of the legitimate interest in direct marketing (Article 6(1)(f))if this is permitted by law. We record your registration process so that we can always prove that it complies with our laws.

MailPoet or Automattic processes your data in the USA, among other places. Automattic is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Automattic also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, MailPoet or Automattic undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

You can find more details on the privacy policy and which data is processed by MailPoet and in what way at https://automattic.com/privacy/.

Messenger & Communication Introduction

Messenger & Communication Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Contact enquiries and general communication between us and you 📓 Processed data: Data such as name, address, e-mail address, telephone number, general content data, IP address if applicable You can find more details on this in the respective tools used. 📅 Storage duration: depending on the messenger & communication functions used ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests), Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b. GDPR (contractual or pre-contractual obligations)

What are messenger & communication functions?

We offer various options on our website (such as messenger and chat functions, online and contact forms, email, telephone) for communicating with us. Your data will also be processed and stored to the extent necessary to respond to your enquiry and our subsequent actions.

In addition to traditional means of communication such as email, contact forms and telephone, we also use chats and messengers. The most commonly used messenger function is currently WhatsApp, but there are of course many different providers that offer messenger functions specifically for websites. If content is encrypted end-to-end, this is indicated in the individual data protection texts or in the privacy policy of the respective provider. End-to-end encryption means that the content of a message itself is not visible to the provider. However, information about your device, location settings and other technical data can still be processed and stored.

Why do we use messenger & communication functions?

Communication options with you are of great importance to us. After all, we want to talk to you and answer all possible questions about our service in the best possible way. Well-functioning communication is an important part of our service. With the practical messenger & communication functions, you can always choose those that are most convenient for you. In exceptional cases, however, we may not be able to answer certain questions via chat or messenger. This is the case, for example, when it comes to internal contractual matters. In this case, we recommend other means of communication such as e-mail or telephone.

As a rule, we assume that we remain responsible under data protection law, 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 set out below for the platform concerned.

Please note that when using our built-in elements, your data may also be processed outside the European Union, as many providers, such as Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, are American companies. As a result, you may no longer be able to claim or enforce your rights in relation to your personal data as easily.

What data is processed?

Exactly which data is stored and processed depends on the respective provider of the messenger & communication functions. Basically, it is data such as name, address, telephone number, email address and content data such as all information that you enter in a contact form. In most cases, information about your device and IP address is also stored. Data that is collected via a messenger & communication function is also stored on the provider's servers.

If you want to know exactly what data is stored and processed by the respective providers and how you can object to data processing, you should carefully read the respective company's privacy policy.

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 the data processing of the individual tools below. The providers' privacy policies usually state exactly which data is stored and processed and for how long. In principle, personal data is only processed for as long as is necessary for the provision of our services. If data is stored in cookies, the storage period varies greatly. The data can be deleted immediately after leaving a website, but it can also remain stored for several years. You should therefore look at each individual cookie in detail if you want to know more about data storage. In most cases, you will also find informative information about the individual cookies in the data protection declarations of the individual providers.

Right of objection

You also have the right and the option to withdraw 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 by cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser. For more information, please refer to the section on consent.

As cookies may be used for messenger & communication functions, 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 your data being processed and stored by integrated messenger & communication functions, this consent is the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). We process your enquiry and manage your data in the context of contractual or pre-contractual relationships in order to fulfil our pre-contractual and contractual obligations or to respond to enquiries. The basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b. GDPR. In principle, your data will also be processed on the basis of our legitimate interest if consent has been given. (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) We store and process your personal data for the purpose of fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners.

Facebook Messenger privacy policy

We use the instant messaging service Facebook Messenger on our website. The service provider is the American company Meta Platforms Inc. Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland) is responsible for the European region.

What is Facebook Messenger?

Facebook Messenger is a chat messaging function developed by Facebook that allows you to send and receive text messages, voice and video calls, photos and other media files to other Facebook users.
If you use Facebook Messenger, your personal data will also be processed on the Facebook servers. In addition to your telephone number and chat messages, this also includes photos, videos, profile data, your address and your location.

Why do we use Facebook Messenger?

We want to stay in touch with you and the best way to do this is via messaging services such as Facebook Messenger. Firstly because the service works perfectly and secondly because Facebook is still one of the most popular social media platforms. The service is practical and enables uncomplicated and fast communication with you.

How secure is data transfer with Facebook Messenger?

Facebook also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Facebook or Meta Platforms is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Facebook also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Facebook undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Facebook data processing conditions, which refer to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing.

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Facebook in the privacy policy on https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy.

Data processing agreement (DPA) Facebook Messenger

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) with Facebook in accordance with Article 28 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). You can find out exactly what a DPA is and, in particular, what must be included in a DPA in our general section "Data processing agreement (DPA)".

This contract is required by law because Facebook processes personal data on our behalf. It clarifies that Facebook may only process data that it receives from us in accordance with our instructions and must comply with the GDPR. You can find the link to the order processing contract (AVV) at https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing.

Social media introduction

Social media privacy policy summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Presentation and optimisation of our services, contact with visitors, interested parties, etc., advertising 📓 Processed data: Data such as telephone numbers, email addresses, contact details, user behaviour data, information about your device and your IP address. You can find more details on this in the respective social media tool used. 📅 Storage duration: depending on the social media platforms used ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is social media?

In addition to our website, we are also active on various social media platforms. User data may be processed so that we can target users who are interested in us via the social networks. In addition, elements of a social media platform may also be embedded directly in our website. This is the case, for example, if you click on a social button on our website and are forwarded directly to our social media presence. Social media refers to websites and apps that registered members can use to produce content, share 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 socialise online. With our social media presence, we can bring our products and services closer to interested parties. The social media elements integrated on 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 is primarily used to carry out web analyses. The aim of these analyses is to be able to develop more precise and personalised marketing and advertising strategies. Depending on your behaviour on a social media platform, the analysed data can be used to draw conclusions about your interests and create user profiles. This also enables the platforms to present you with customised advertisements. Cookies are usually set in your browser for this purpose, which store data on your user behaviour.

As a rule, we assume that we remain responsible under data protection law, 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 concerned.

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. As a result, you may not be able to claim or enforce your rights in relation to your personal data as easily.

What data is processed?

Exactly which data is stored and processed depends on the respective provider of the social media platform. However, it usually involves 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. Data can be linked to your profile, especially if you have a profile on the social media channel you are visiting and are logged in.

All data that is collected via a social media platform is also stored on the provider's 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 what data is stored and processed by the social media providers and how you can object to the data processing, you should carefully read the respective company's privacy policy. We also recommend that you contact the provider directly if you have any questions about data storage and data processing or wish to assert corresponding rights.

Duration of data processing

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

Right of objection

You also have the right and the option to withdraw your consent to the use of cookies or third-party providers 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 by cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser.

As 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 to your data being processed and stored by integrated social media elements, this consent is 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 if consent has been given. (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) We store and process your data for the purpose of fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. Nevertheless, we only use these 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 data protection text on cookies carefully and consult the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

Information on specific social media platforms - if available - can be found in the following sections.

Facebook privacy policy

Facebook privacy policy summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Optimisation of our service performance 📓 Processed data: Data such as customer data, user behaviour data, information about your device and your IP address. You can find more details below in the privacy policy. 📅 Storage period: until the data is no longer useful for Facebook's purposes ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are Facebook tools?

We use selected tools from Facebook on our website. Facebook is a social media network of the company Meta Platforms Inc. or, for the European region, Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland. With the help of these tools, we can offer you and people who are interested in our products and services the best possible offer.

If data is collected and forwarded from you via our embedded Facebook elements or via our Facebook page (fan page), both we and Facebook Ireland Ltd. are responsible for this. Facebook is solely responsible for the further processing of this data. Our joint obligations have also been set out in a publicly accessible agreement at https://www.facebook.com/legal/controller_addendum anchored. It states, for example, that we must clearly inform you about the use of Facebook tools on our website. Furthermore, we are also responsible for ensuring that the tools are securely integrated into our website in accordance with data protection law. Facebook, on the other hand, is responsible for the data security of Facebook products, for example. If you have any questions about data collection and data processing by Facebook, you can contact the company directly. If you address the question to us, we are obliged to forward it to Facebook.

Below we provide an overview of the various Facebook tools, what data is sent to Facebook and how you can delete this data.

In addition to many other products, Facebook also offers the so-called "Facebook Business Tools". This is the official term used by Facebook. However, as the term is hardly known, we have decided to simply call them Facebook tools. These include, among others:

• Facebook pixel
• social plug-ins (such as the "Like" or "Share" button)
• Facebook Login
• Account Kit
• APIs (programming interface)
• SDKs (collection of programming tools)
• Platform integrations
• Plugins
• Codes
• Specifications
• Documentations
• Technologies and services

Through these tools, Facebook is expanding its services and has the opportunity to obtain information about user activities outside of Facebook.

Why do we use Facebook tools on our website?

We only want to show our services and products to people who are really interested in them. We can reach precisely these people with the help of adverts (Facebook ads). However, Facebook needs information about people's wishes and needs in order to show users suitable adverts. The company is therefore provided with information about user behaviour (and contact details) on our website. As a result, Facebook collects better user data and can show interested people suitable adverts about our products and services. The tools thus enable customised advertising campaigns on Facebook.

Facebook calls data about your behaviour on our website "event data". This is also used for measurement and analysis services. Facebook can thus create "campaign reports" on our behalf about the impact of our advertising campaigns. Furthermore, analyses give us a better insight into how you use our services, website or products. This allows us to optimise your user experience on our website with some of these tools. For example, you can use the social plug-ins to share content on our site directly on Facebook.

What data is stored by Facebook tools?

By using individual Facebook tools, personal data (customer data) can be sent to Facebook. Depending on the tools used, customer data such as name, address, telephone number and IP address may be sent.

Facebook uses this information to match the data with the data it has about you (if you are a Facebook member). Before customer data is transmitted to Facebook, it is hashed. This means that a data set of any size is transformed into a character string. This also serves to encrypt data.

In addition to the contact data, "event data" is also transmitted. "Event data" refers to the information we receive about you on our website. For example, which subpages you visit or which products you buy from us. Facebook does not share the information it receives with third parties (such as advertisers) unless the company has explicit authorisation or is legally obliged to do so. "Event data" can also be linked to contact details. This allows Facebook to offer better personalised advertising. After the aforementioned matching process, Facebook deletes the contact data again.

In order to optimise the delivery of advertisements, Facebook only uses the event data if it has been combined with other data (collected by Facebook in other ways). Facebook also uses this event data for security, protection, development and research purposes. Much of this data is transferred to Facebook via cookies. Cookies are small text files that are used to store data or information in browsers. Depending on the tools used and whether you are a Facebook member, different numbers of cookies are stored in your browser. We go into more detail about individual Facebook cookies in the descriptions of the individual Facebook tools. You can also find general information about the use of Facebook cookies at https://www.facebook.com/policies/cookies.

How long and where is the data stored?

In principle, Facebook stores data until it is no longer needed for its own services and Facebook products. Facebook has servers all over the world where its data is stored. However, customer data is deleted within 48 hours after it has been compared with the company's own user data.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the right to information, correction, transferability and deletion of your data.

The data will only be completely deleted if you delete your Facebook account completely. And this is how deleting your Facebook account works:

1) Click on Settings on the right-hand side of Facebook.

2) Then click on "Your Facebook information" in the left-hand column.

3) Now click "Deactivation and deletion".

4) Now select "Delete account" and then click on "Continue and delete account"

5) Now enter your password, click on "Next" and then on "Delete account"

The data that Facebook receives via our site is stored using cookies (e.g. for social plugins), among other things. You can deactivate, delete or manage individual or all cookies in your browser. Depending on which browser you use, this works in different ways. In the "Cookies" section, you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers.

If you generally do not want to have cookies, you can set up your browser so that it always informs you when a cookie is to be set. This allows you to decide for each individual cookie whether you want to allow it or not.

Legal basis

If you have consented to your data being processed and stored by integrated Facebook tools, this consent is the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data is also processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) We store and process your data for the purpose of fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. Nevertheless, we only use these 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 data protection text on cookies carefully and take a look at Facebook's privacy policy or cookie guidelines.

Facebook also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Facebook or Meta Platforms is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Facebook also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Facebook undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Facebook data processing conditions, which refer to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing.

We hope we have provided you with the most important information about the use and data processing by the Facebook tools. If you would like to find out more about how Facebook uses your data, we recommend that you read the data guidelines on https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/.

Facebook Login Privacy Policy

We have integrated the practical Facebook login on our website. This allows you to easily log in with your Facebook account without having to create another user account. If you decide to register via the Facebook login, you will be redirected to the Facebook social media network. There you can log in using your Facebook user data. Through this login procedure, data about you and your user behaviour is stored and transmitted to Facebook.

Facebook uses various cookies to store the data. Below we show you the most important cookies that are set in your browser or already exist when you log in to our site via the Facebook login:

Name: fr
Value: 0jieyh4c2GnlufEJ9..Bde09j...1.0.Bde09j
Intended use: This cookie is used to ensure that the social plugin on our website works as well as possible.
Expiry date: after 3 months

Name: datr
Value: 4Jh7XUA2112758325SEmPsSfzCOO4JFFl
Intended use: Facebook sets the "datr" cookie when a web browser accesses facebook.com, and the cookie helps identify login activity and protect users.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: _js_datr
Value: deleted
Intended use: Facebook sets this session cookie for tracking purposes, even if you do not have a Facebook account or are logged out.
Expiry date: after the end of the meeting

Remark: The cookies listed are only a small selection of the cookies available to Facebook. Other cookies include _ fbp, sb or wd. A complete list is not possible, as Facebook has a large number of cookies and uses them variably.

The Facebook login offers you a quick and easy registration process on the one hand, and on the other hand it gives us the opportunity to share data with Facebook. This allows us to better customise our offer and advertising campaigns to your interests and needs. Data that we receive from Facebook in this way is public data such as

• Your Facebook name
• Your profile picture
• a stored e-mail address
• Friends lists
• Button details (e.g. "Like" button)
• Birthday date
• Language
• Place of residence

In return, we provide Facebook with information about your activities on our website. This includes information about the device you are using, which subpages you visit on our website or which products you have purchased from us.

By using Facebook Login, you consent to data processing. You can revoke this agreement at any time. If you would like more information about data processing by Facebook, we recommend that you read the Facebook privacy policy at https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/.

If you are logged in to Facebook, you can change your settings for adverts under https://www.facebook.com/adpreferences/advertisers/?entry_product=ad_settings_screen to change themselves.

Facebook social plug-ins privacy policy

Social plug-ins from Meta Platforms Inc. are integrated on our website. You can recognise these buttons by the classic Facebook logo, such as the "Like" button (the hand with a raised thumb) or by a clear "Facebook plug-in" label. A social plug-in is a small part of Facebook that is integrated into our site. Each plug-in has its own function. The most commonly used functions are the familiar "Like" and "Share" buttons.

The following social plug-ins are offered by Facebook:

• "Save" button
• "Like" button, share, send and quote
• Page plug-in
• Comments
• Messenger plug-in
• Embedded contributions and video player
• Group plug-in

On https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins for more information on how the individual plug-ins are used. We use the social plug-ins on the one hand to offer you a better user experience on our site, and on the other hand because Facebook can use them to optimise our advertisements.

If you have a Facebook account or https://www.facebook.com/ Facebook has already set at least one cookie in your browser. In this case, your browser sends information to Facebook via this cookie as soon as you visit our site or interact with social plug-ins (e.g. the "Like" button).

The information received is deleted or anonymised within 90 days. According to Facebook, this data includes your IP address, which website you have visited, the date, time and other information relating to your browser.

To prevent Facebook from collecting a lot of data during your visit to our website and linking it to Facebook data, you must log out of Facebook during your visit to the website.

If you are not logged in to Facebook or do not have a Facebook account, your browser will send less information to Facebook because you have fewer Facebook cookies. Nevertheless, data such as your IP address or which website you visit may be transmitted to Facebook. We would like to expressly point out that we do not know the exact content of the data. However, to the best of our current knowledge, we endeavour to provide you with as much information as possible about data processing. You can also find out how Facebook uses the data in the company's data policy at https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/update read more.

The following cookies are set in your browser as a minimum when you visit a website with social plug-ins from Facebook:

Name: dpr
Value: not specified
Intended use: This cookie is used to make the social plug-ins on our website work.
Expiry date: after the end of the meeting

Name: fr
Value: 0jieyh4112758325c2GnlufEJ9..Bde09j…1.0.Bde09j
Intended use: The cookie is also necessary for the plug-ins to function properly.
Expiry date:: after 3 months

Remark: These cookies were set after a test, even if you are not a Facebook member.

If you are logged in to Facebook, you can change your settings for adverts under https://www.facebook.com/adpreferences/advertisers/ yourself. If you are not a Facebook user, you can click on https://www.youronlinechoices.com/de/praferenzmanagement/?tid=112758325 manage your usage-based online advertising. There you have the option of deactivating or activating providers.

If you want to find out more about Facebook's data protection, we recommend that you read the company's own data policy on https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/.

Instagram privacy policy

Instagram privacy policy summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Optimisation of our service performance 📓 Processed data: Data such as user behaviour data, information about your device and your IP address. You can find more details below in the privacy policy. 📅 Storage period: until Instagram no longer needs the data for its purposes ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Instagram?

We have integrated Instagram functions on our website. Instagram is a social media platform of the company Instagram LLC, 1601 Willow Rd, Menlo Park CA 94025, USA. Instagram has been a subsidiary of Meta Platforms Inc. since 2012 and is a Facebook product. Embedding Instagram content on our website is called embedding. This allows us to show you content such as buttons, photos or videos from Instagram directly on our website. When you visit web pages on our website that have an Instagram function integrated, data is transmitted to Instagram, stored and processed. Instagram uses the same systems and technologies as Facebook. Your data is therefore processed across all Facebook companies.

In the following, we want to give you a more detailed insight into why Instagram collects data, what data is involved and how you can largely control data processing. As Instagram belongs to Meta Platforms Inc., we obtain our information from the Instagram guidelines on the one hand, but also from the Meta privacy policy itself on the other.

Instagram is one of the most popular social media networks in the world. Instagram combines the advantages of a blog with the benefits of audiovisual platforms such as YouTube or Vimeo. You can upload photos and short videos to "Insta" (as many users casually call the platform), edit them with various filters and also share them on other social networks. And if you don't want to be active yourself, you can also just follow other interesting users.

Why do we use Instagram on our website?

Instagram is the social media platform that has really gone through the roof in recent years. And of course we have also responded to this boom. We want you to feel as comfortable as possible on our website. That's why a varied presentation of our content is a matter of course for us. The embedded Instagram functions allow us to enrich our content with helpful, funny or exciting content from the Instagram world. As Instagram is a subsidiary of Facebook, the data collected can also be useful to us for personalised advertising on Facebook. This means that only people who are genuinely interested in our products or services receive our adverts.

Instagram also uses the collected data for measurement and analysis purposes. We receive summarised statistics and thus gain more insight into your wishes and interests. It is important to note that these reports do not identify you personally.

What data is stored by Instagram?

When you visit one of our pages that has Instagram functions (such as Instagram images or plug-ins), your browser automatically connects to Instagram's servers. In the process, data is sent to Instagram, stored and processed. This happens regardless of whether you have an Instagram account or not. This includes information about our website, your computer, purchases made, adverts you see and how you use our website. The date and time of your interaction with Instagram is also stored. If you have an Instagram account or are logged in, Instagram stores significantly more data about you.

Facebook distinguishes between customer data and event data. We assume that this is exactly the case with Instagram. Customer data includes, for example, name, address, telephone number and IP address. This customer data is only transmitted to Instagram once it has been hashed. Hashing means that a data record is converted into a character string. This allows the contact data to be encrypted. The "event data" mentioned above is also transmitted. By "event data", Facebook - and consequently Instagram - means data about your user behaviour. Contact data may also be combined with event data. The contact data collected is compared with the data that Instagram already has about you.

The collected data is transmitted to Facebook via small text files (cookies), which are usually set in your browser. Depending on the Instagram functions used and whether you have an Instagram account yourself, different amounts of data are stored.

We assume that Instagram processes data in the same way as Facebook. This means that if you have an Instagram account or www.instagram.com Instagram has at least set a cookie. If this is the case, your browser sends information to Instagram via the cookie as soon as you come into contact with an Instagram function. This data is deleted or anonymised after 90 days at the latest (after reconciliation). Although we have intensively analysed Instagram's data processing, we cannot say exactly what data Instagram collects and stores.

Below we will show you the minimum cookies that are set in your browser when you click on an Instagram function (such as a button or an Insta image). In our test, we assume that you do not have an Instagram account. If you are logged in to Instagram, significantly more cookies will of course be set in your browser.

These cookies were used in our test:

Name: csrftoken
Value: ""
Intended use: This cookie is most likely set for security reasons to prevent falsified requests. However, we were unable to find out more about this.
Expiry date: after one year

Name: mid
Value: ""
Intended use: Instagram sets this cookie to optimise its own services and offers within and outside Instagram. The cookie defines a unique user ID.
Expiry date: after the end of the session

Name: fbsr_112758325124024
Value: not specified
Intended use: This cookie stores the log-in request for users of the Instagram app.
Expiry date: after the end of the session

Name: rur
Value: ATN
Intended use: This is an Instagram cookie that ensures functionality on Instagram.
Expiry date: after the end of the session

Name: urlgen
Value: “{”194.96.75.33”: 1901}:1iEtYv:Y833k2_UjKvXgYe112758325”
Intended use: This cookie is used for Instagram's marketing purposes.
Expiry date: after the end of the session

Remark: We cannot claim completeness here. Which cookies are set in individual cases depends on the embedded functions and your use of Instagram.

How long and where is the data stored?

Instagram shares the information received between the Facebook companies with external partners and with people you connect with worldwide. Data processing is carried out in compliance with our own data policy. For security reasons, among others, your data is distributed on Facebook servers around the world. Most of these servers are located in the USA.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

Thanks to the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the right to access, portability, rectification and erasure of your data. You can manage your data in the Instagram settings. If you want to completely delete your data on Instagram, you must permanently delete your Instagram account.

And this is how deleting your Instagram account works:

First open the Instagram app. On your profile page, go to the bottom and click on "Help section". You will now be taken to the company's website. On the website, click on "Manage your account" and then on "Delete your account".

If you delete your account completely, Instagram will delete posts such as your photos and status updates. Information that other people have shared about you does not belong to your account and will therefore not be deleted.

As mentioned above, Instagram stores your data primarily via cookies. You can manage, deactivate or delete these cookies in your browser. Depending on your browser, the management always works a little differently. In the "Cookies" section, you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers.

You can also set up your browser so that you are always informed when a cookie is to be set. Then you can always decide individually whether you want to allow the cookie or not.

Legal basis

If you have consented to your data being processed and stored by integrated social media elements, this consent is the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data is also processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) We store and process your data for the purpose of fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. Nevertheless, we only use the integrated social media elements 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 data protection text on cookies carefully and consult the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

Instagram also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Instagram or Meta Platforms is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data of EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Instagram also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Instagram undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

We have tried to provide you with the most important information about data processing by Instagram. On https://privacycenter.instagram.com/policy/ you can take a closer look at Instagram's data policy.

TikTok privacy policy

TikTok privacy policy summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Optimisation of our service performance Processed data: for example, your IP address, browser data, date and time of your page view may be stored You can find more details below in the privacy policy. 📅 Storage duration: varies depending on the settings ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is TikTok?

We use the TikTok integration on our website. The service provider is the Chinese company Beijing Bytedance Technology Ltd. The Irish company TikTok Technology Limited, 10 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin, D02 T380, Ireland, is responsible for the European region. TikTok is a popular social media platform, especially among young people, on which users can create, share and view short video clips.

In this privacy policy, we inform you about which data is processed by TikTok, how long the data is stored and how you can manage your privacy settings.

Why do we use TikTok on our website?

We have integrated TikTok into our website so that you can watch TikTok videos and interact with them if you wish. TikTok is particularly known for funny and creative content and of course we don't want to deprive you of such content. After all, we also enjoy watching the odd creative TikTok video ourselves.

What data is processed by TikTok?

When you watch or interact with TikTok videos on our website, TikTok may collect information about your usage behaviour and your device. This may include data such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, location and other technical information. TikTok may also use cookies and similar technologies to collect information and personalise your user experience.

If you have a TikTok account yourself, further information may also be collected and processed. This includes, for example, user information (such as name, date of birth or your e-mail address) and data about your communication with other TikTok users.

How long and where is the data stored?

The storage period and storage locations of the data collected by TikTok can vary greatly and are subject to TikTok's data protection guidelines. TikTok may also store data on servers in the USA and other countries. The storage period generally depends on the respective legal requirements and internal guidelines. However, we have not yet been able to find out exactly how long data is stored. As soon as we have more detailed information, we will of course let you know.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

If you have a TikTok account, you can manage your privacy settings directly on TikTok. For example, in your TikTok account settings, you can specify which information can and cannot be shared. You can also manage and disable cookies in your web browser to limit data collection. This is of course also possible without a TikTok account. Please note, however, that this may affect the functionality of our website and your TikTok experience.

Legal basis

If you have consented to your data being processed and stored by TikTok, this consent is the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data is also processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) We store and process your data for the purpose of fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. Nevertheless, we only use the integrated social media elements if you have given your consent. TikTok may also set cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text on cookies carefully and consult the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

TikTok also 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 transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks for the legality and security of data processing.

TikTok uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or data transfer to these countries. Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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, TikTok undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

Further information on TikTok's privacy policy and the collection of data by TikTok can be found on the TikTok website at https://www.tiktok.com/legal/page/eea/privacy-policy/en and in the general information on TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/en/.

Blogs and publication media Introduction

Blogs and publication media Privacy policy summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Presentation and optimisation of our services as well as communication between website visitors, security measures and administration 📓 Processed data: Data such as contact details, IP address and published content. You can find more details on this in the tools used. 📅 Storage duration: depending on the tools used ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests), Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b. GDPR (contract)

What are blogs and publication media?

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

Why do we use blogs and publication media?

Our greatest concern with our website is to offer you interesting and exciting content and at the same time your opinions and content are also important to us. That's 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, write articles yourself.

What data is processed?

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

Duration of data processing

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

Right of objection

You also have the right and the option to withdraw 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 by cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser.

As publication media may also 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

We use the means of communication mainly 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 sentence 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 insofar as you have consented to your data being processed and stored by integrated publication media, this consent is 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 data protection text on cookies carefully and consult the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

Information on special 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 articles. If you use this function, your IP address may be stored for security reasons. In this way, we protect ourselves against illegal content such as insults, unauthorised advertising or prohibited political propaganda. In order to recognise whether comments are spam, we may also store and process user information on the basis of our legitimate interest. If we start a survey, we also store your IP address for the duration of the survey so that we can ensure that all participants only vote once. Cookies may also be used for the purpose of storage. All data that we store about you (such as content or personal information) will remain stored until you object.

WordPress emojis privacy policy

We also use so-called emojis and smilies in our blog. We probably don't need to explain exactly what emojis are here. You know those smiling, angry or sad faces. They are graphic elements or files that we make available and are loaded from another server. The service provider for retrieving WordPress emojis and smilies 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.

Automattic also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Automattic is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Automattic also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Automattic undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de.

The data processing terms (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 that is processed through the use of WordPress emojis in the privacy policy on https://automattic.com/privacy/.

Online Marketing Introduction

Online marketing privacy policy summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimise the website. 📓 Processed data: Access statistics containing data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behaviour, click behaviour and IP addresses. Personal data such as name or email address may also be processed. You can find more details on this in the respective online marketing tool used. 📅 Storage period: depending on the online marketing tools used ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit.f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is online marketing?

Online marketing refers to all measures that are carried out online in order 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 use online marketing to show our offer to many interested people. This usually involves online advertising, content marketing or search engine optimisation. 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 deliberate measures. That's why we do online marketing. There are various tools that make it easier for us to work on our online marketing measures and also constantly provide suggestions for improvement via data. This allows us to target our campaigns more precisely to our target group. The purpose of these online marketing tools is ultimately to optimise our offering.

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 in cookies (small text files), for example. With the help of this data, we can not only advertise in the traditional way, but also display our content directly on our website in the way you prefer. There are various third-party tools that offer these functions and collect and store your data accordingly. For example, the named cookies store which web pages you have visited on our website, how long you have viewed these pages, which links or buttons you click or which website you came to us from. Technical information may also be stored. For example, your IP address, which browser you are using, from which end device you are visiting our website or the time when you accessed our website and when you left it again. If you have consented to us determining your location, we can also store and process this.

Your IP address is stored in pseudonymised form (i.e. shortened). Unique data that directly identifies you as a person, such as your name, address or email address, is also only stored in pseudonymised form as part of the advertising and online marketing process. We are therefore unable to identify you as a person; we only store the pseudonymised information in the user profiles.

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

In exceptional cases, unique data (name, email address, etc.) may 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 to the user profile.

With all the advertising tools we use that store your data on their servers, we only ever receive summarised information and never data that makes you identifiable as an individual. The data only shows how well advertising measures worked. For example, we can see which measures led 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 persons.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you about the duration of data processing below if we have further information on this. In general, we only process personal data for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of 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, while others may be stored in your browser for several years. You can usually find detailed information about the individual cookies used by the provider in the respective data protection declarations of the individual providers.

Right of objection

You also have the right and the option to withdraw 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 by cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser. This does not affect the lawfulness of processing up to the time of cancellation.

As cookies can generally be used with online marketing tools, 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. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data as it may occur when collected by online marketing tools.

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

Information on special online marketing tools - if available - can be found in the following sections.

Facebook Custom Audiences privacy policy

We use Facebook Custom Audiences, a server-side event tracking tool, on our website. The service provider is the American company Meta Platforms Inc. Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland) is responsible for the European region.

Facebook also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Facebook or Meta Platforms is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Facebook also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Facebook undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Facebook data processing conditions, which refer to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing.

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Facebook Custom Audiences in the privacy policy on https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy . 

PayPal Marketing Solutions Privacy Policy

PayPal Marketing Solutions Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Optimisation of our service performance 📓 Processed data: Data such as IP address and login and contact details, identification and signature data, payment information, etc. More details can be found below in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage period: In principle, the data is stored for as long as is necessary to fulfil the obligations and within the scope of the purpose. ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is PayPal Marketing Solutions?

We use the sales optimisation tool PayPal Marketing Solutions on our website. The service provider is the American company PayPal Inc. The company PayPal Europe (S.à r.l. et Cie, S.C.A., 22-24 Boulevard Royal, L-2449 Luxembourg) is responsible for the European region.

With PayPal Marketing Solutions, we can carry out targeted marketing campaigns to better market our services or products. The company was founded in 1998 and is now one of the best-known and largest online payment service providers in the world with over 325 million active customers. PayPal Marketing Solutions is an additional service that the company offers alongside the payment service.

Why do we use PayPal Marketing Solutions for our website?

There are several reasons why we use PayPal Marketing Solutions and offer it on our website. We want to offer you the best possible service and the best user experience (UX) on our website. For us, this also means that you only see content and adverts that really interest you. With PayPal Marketing Solutions, we can customise adverts and other content exactly to your wishes and interests. This allows us to provide you with good content and achieve our corporate goals more easily and quickly.

What data is processed by PayPal Marketing Solutions?

In its privacy policy, PayPal distinguishes between different categories of personal data that can be processed through the use of the service. These include login and contact data, identification and signature data, payment information, information on imported contacts, data from your account profile, device data such as your IP address, location data and so-called derived data. This is information that can be derived from transactions or other data. This may include purchasing habits, behavioural patterns, creditworthiness or personal preferences.

Then there is also personal data that is collected by third parties (such as identity checkers, fraud detection providers or your bank). This data includes information from credit agencies, transaction data, information on legal requirements, technical usage data, location data and also derived data.

PayPal and its partners also use tracking technologies such as cookies, pixel tags, web beacons and widgets to recognise you as a user, to customise content and to carry out analyses for interest-based advertising.

How long and where is the data stored?

In principle, PayPal stores the data for as long as it is necessary to fulfil its obligations and within the scope of the purpose. Personal data that is necessary for the customer relationship will be stored for 10 years after the end of the relationship. If PayPal is subject to a legal obligation, the retention period of the personal data is in accordance with the applicable law (e.g. insolvency law). PayPal also stores personal data for as long as necessary if storage is advisable with regard to legal disputes.

As PayPal is a global company, the service also has data centres worldwide where your data can be stored. This means that your data can also be stored on PayPal servers outside your country and also outside the scope of the GDPR.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You have the right to information, correction or deletion and restriction of the processing of your personal data at any time. You can also revoke your consent to the processing of data at any time.

If you want to deactivate, delete or manage cookies, you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers in the "Cookies" section.

Legal basis

The use of PayPal Marketing Solutions requires your consent, which we have obtained with our cookie pop-up. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data as it may occur when collected by PayPal Marketing Solutions.

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analysing the behaviour of website visitors in order to improve our offer technically and economically. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). Nevertheless, we only use PayPal Marketing Solutions if you have given your consent.

PayPal also 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 transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks for the legality and security of data processing.

PayPal uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or data transfer there. Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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, PayPal undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

For more information on the standard contractual clauses and the data processed through the use of PayPal Marketing Solutions, please refer to the privacy policy at https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full.

Partner programmes Introduction

Partner programmes Privacy policy summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: economic success and the optimisation of our service performance. 📓 Processed data: Access statistics containing data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behaviour, click behaviour and IP addresses. Personal data such as name or email address may also be processed. 📅 Storage period: personal data is usually stored by partner programmes until it is no longer needed ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are partner programmes?

We use partner programmes from various providers on our website. By using an affiliate programme, your data may be transferred to the respective affiliate programme provider, stored and processed. In this data protection text, we provide you with a general overview of data processing by partner programmes and show you how you can also prevent or revoke data transmission. Every partner programme (also known as an affiliate programme) is based on the principle of commission. A link or an advert including a link is placed on our website and if you are interested in it and click on it and purchase a product or service in this way, we receive a commission (reimbursement of advertising costs) for this

Why do we use partner programmes on our website?

Our aim is to provide you with an enjoyable time with lots of helpful content. We put a lot of work and time into the development of our website. With the help of partner programmes, we have the opportunity to be rewarded a little for our work. Each partner link is of course always related to our topic and shows offers that might interest you.

What data is processed?

In order to be able to track whether you have clicked on a link we have used, the partner programme provider must know that it was you who followed the link via our website. This means that the affiliate programme links used must be correctly assigned to the subsequent actions (business transaction, purchase, conversion, impression, etc.). Only then can the billing of commissions work.

For this assignment to work, a value can be attached to a link (in the URL) or information can be stored in cookies. This stores information such as which page you came from (referrer), when you clicked on the link, an identifier for our website, which offer it is and a user ID.

This means that as soon as you interact with the products and services of a partner programme, this provider also collects data from you. Exactly which data is stored depends on the individual provider. For example, the Amazon partner programme distinguishes between active and automatic information. Active information includes your name, email address, telephone number, age, payment information or location information. The automatically stored information in this case includes user behaviour, IP address, device information and the URL.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you about the duration of data processing below if we have further information on this. In general, personal data is only processed for as long as is necessary to provide the 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, while others may be stored in your browser for several years if they are not actively deleted. The exact duration of data processing depends on the provider used; in most cases, you should be prepared for a storage period of several years. You can usually find precise information about the duration of data processing in the respective data protection declarations of the individual providers.

Right of objection

You always have the right to information, correction and deletion of your personal data. If you have any questions, you can also contact the person responsible for the partner programme provider used at any time. Contact details can be found either in our specific 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. Depending on which browser you use, this works in different ways.

Legal basis

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

We also have a legitimate interest in using a partner programme in order to optimise our online service and our marketing measures. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). Nevertheless, we only use the partner programme if you have given your consent.

Information on special partner programmes, if available, can be found in the following sections.

Amazon affiliate programme privacy policy

Amazon Affiliate Programme Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: economic success and the optimisation of our service performance. 📓 Processed data: Access statistics containing data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behaviour, click behaviour and IP addresses. Personal data such as name or email address may also be processed. 📅 Storage period: personal data is stored by Amazon until it is no longer needed ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit.f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is the Amazon Partner Programme?

We use the Amazon affiliate programme of Amazon.com, Inc. on our website. The responsible bodies within the meaning of the data protection declaration are Amazon Europe Core S.à.r.l., Amazon EU S.à.r.l., Amazon Services Europe S.à.r.l. and Amazon Media EU S.à.r.l., all four located at 5, Rue Plaetis, L-2338 Luxembourg and Amazon Instant Video Germany GmbH, Domagkstr. 28, 80807 Munich. Amazon Deutschland Services GmbH, Marcel-Breuer-Str. 12, 80807 Munich, Germany, acts as data processor. By using this Amazon partner programme, your data may be transferred to Amazon, stored and processed.

In this privacy policy, we inform you what data is involved, why we use the programme and how you can manage or prevent data transmission.

The Amazon partner programme is an affiliate marketing programme of the online mail order company Amazon.com. Like any affiliate programme, the Amazon affiliate programme is based on the principle of commission. Amazon or we place adverts or partner links on our website and if you click on them and buy a product via Amazon, we receive a refund of advertising costs (commission).

Why do we use the Amazon affiliate programme on our website?

Our aim is to provide you with an enjoyable time with lots of helpful content. To achieve this, we put a lot of work and energy into the development of our website. With the help of the Amazon affiliate programme, we have the opportunity to be rewarded a little for our work. Every affiliate link to Amazon is of course always related to our topic and shows offers that might interest you.

What data is stored by the Amazon partner programme?

As soon as you interact with Amazon's products and services, Amazon collects data from you. Amazon distinguishes between information that you actively provide to the company and information that is automatically collected and stored. The "active information" includes, for example, your name, email address, telephone number, age, payment information or location information. So-called "automatic information" is primarily stored via cookies. This includes information on user behaviour, IP address, device information (browser type, location, operating systems) or the URL. Amazon also stores the clickstream. This refers to the path (sequence of pages) that you as a user take to reach a product. Amazon also stores cookies in your browser in order to be able to trace the origin of an order. In this way, the company recognises that you have clicked on an Amazon advertisement or a partner link via our website.

If you have an Amazon account and are logged in while browsing our website, the data collected may be assigned to your account. You can prevent this by logging out of Amazon before you browse our website.

Here we show you examples of cookies that are set in your browser when you click on an Amazon link on our website.

Nameuid
Value: 3230928052675285215112758325-9
Intended use: This cookie stores a unique user ID and collects information about your website activity.
Expiry date: after 2 months

Name: ad-id
Value: AyDaInRV1k-Lk59xSnp7h5o
Intended use: This cookie is provided by amazon-adsystem.com and is used by the company for various advertising purposes.
Expiry date: after 8 months

Nameuuid2
Value: 8965834524520213028112758325-2
Intended use: This cookie enables targeted and interest-based advertising via the AppNexus platform. For example, the cookie collects and stores anonymous data about which adverts you have clicked on and which pages you have accessed via your IP address.
Expiry date: after 3 months

Namesession-id
Value: 262-0272718-2582202112758325-1
Intended use: This cookie stores a unique user ID that the server assigns to you for the duration of a website visit (session). If you visit the same page again, the information stored in it will be retrieved.
Expiry date: after 15 years

NameAPID
Value: UP9801199c-4bee-11ea-931d-02e8e13f0574
Intended use: This cookie stores information about how you use a website and which adverts you viewed before visiting the website.
Expiry date: after one year

Namesession-id-time
Value: tb:s-STNY7ZS65H5335FZEVPE|1581329862486&t:1581329864300&adb:adblk_no
Intended use: This cookie records the time you spend on a website with a unique cookie ID.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: csm-hit
Value: 2082754801l
Intended use: We would not be able to find out any precise information about this cookie.
Expiry date: after 15 years

Remark: Please note that this list only shows examples of cookies and cannot claim to be exhaustive.

Amazon uses the information it receives to tailor adverts more precisely to users' interests.

How long and where is the data stored?

Personal data is stored by Amazon for as long as is necessary for Amazon's business services or for legal reasons. As Amazon is headquartered in the USA, the data collected is also stored on American servers.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You have the right to access and delete your personal data at any time. If you have an Amazon account, you can manage or delete much of the data collected in your account.

Another option to manage data processing and storage by Amazon according to your preferences is provided by your browser. There you can manage, deactivate or delete cookies. This works a little differently for each browser. In the "Cookies" section, you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the Amazon partner programme being used, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data as it may occur when collected by the Amazon Partner Programme.

We also have a legitimate interest in using the Amazon partner programme to optimise our online service and our marketing measures. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). Nevertheless, we only use the Amazon partner programme if you have given your consent.

Amazon also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Amazon is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Amazon also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Amazon undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Amazon Data Processing Terms (AWS GDPR DATA PROCESSING), which correspond to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://d1.awsstatic.com/legal/aws-gdpr/AWS_GDPR_DPA.pdf.

We hope we have provided you with the most important information about data transfer through the use of the Amazon partner programme. You can find more information at https://www.amazon.de/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201909010.

Awin Partner Programme Privacy Policy

Awin Partner Programme Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: economic success and the optimisation of our service performance. 📓 Processed data: Access statistics containing data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behaviour, click behaviour and IP addresses. Personal data such as name or email address may also be processed. 📅 Storage period: Awin stores the data until the purposes have been realised and the accounting and reporting obligations have been met ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit.f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is the Awin Partner Programme?

We work together with the affiliate and advertising company AWIN AG (Landsberger Allee 104 BC, 10249 Berlin, Germany). Awin also uses tracking tools to perform its services in order to be able to save and track a user action (such as the purchase of a product). As a result, your data is also sent to the company in pseudonymised form and stored there. In this privacy policy, we want to explain to you why we use this partner programme, what data is stored and how, and how you can prevent this data storage.

Awin is an affiliate marketing network. Members of this network are advertisers and website operators who provide an advertising platform for the products or services offered. In the context of affiliate marketing, advertisers are usually referred to as advertisers and website operators as publishers. Publishers therefore place adverts for advertisers on their platform (website) and receive a corresponding commission in the event of a click or sale.

Why do we use the Awin affiliate programme on our website?

In addition to our content, products or services, we also want to offer you interesting adverts that fit in with our theme. We therefore also offer our website as advertising space and have many contacts with advertisers via the Awin affiliate network. This enables us to place selected adverts on our website and receive a commission for successful transactions (leads, sales).

What data is stored by the Awin partner programme?

Awin needs certain user data in order to be able to reconstruct the path from us (publisher) to the advertiser. This means that when you click on an advert on our website and thus reach the advertiser's website, this is documented by cookies. Awin creates a limited user profile (without your name and identity), which can document the path from the advert to a sale.

Awin uses tracking domain cookies, journey tags and device fingerprinting to track this journey. The cookies are set in your browser when you click on one of our adverts on our website. The journey tags are integrated into the advertiser's website as JavaScript code so that Awin receives transaction data and fingerprinting enables Awin to uniquely identify a device by taking browser or device attributes into account. The cookies store information such as when which advertising material was clicked on which website and at what time.

Here we show you examples of cookies that are set in your browser when you click on an advert on our website.

Name: AWSESS
Value: 360701:2483145112758325-1
Intended use: This cookie saves when you have seen or clicked on an advert. This information is used to avoid showing you the same adverts again and again.
Expiry date: after the end of the meeting

Name: aw11354
Value: 512465|0|0|1606813823||aw|24336851897
Intended use: This cookie is set as soon as you have clicked on a link to the advertiser. The ID stores our web address, the advert you clicked on, the time, the ID for the type of advert and the product ID.
Expiry date: after 30 days

Name: bId
Value: HLEX_5fc6087ff90540.34189752112758325-8
Intended use: This cookie sets a browser-specific ID to identify a new click on the same browser.
Expiry date: after one year

All this data is only used to track a publisher's marketing efforts and sales. Furthermore, members of the network are provided with an analysis report from the collected data. This is only ever summarised data that does not allow any conclusions to be drawn about you personally. According to Awin, the data collected is not used to create interest and personality profiles of users. For each transaction, Awin stores an individual sequence of numbers containing information about the campaign and the devices used. Awin only processes so-called "pseudonymous" user data that cannot identify you directly.

How long and where is the data stored?

According to Awin, data is stored until the purposes have been realised and the accounting and reporting requirements have been met. More detailed information is not available on the company's website. The data is stored on European servers and because Awin only processes pseudonymised data, it is sometimes not possible to provide information about personal data such as IP addresses.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

If personal data is collected, you naturally have the right to access and delete it at any time. However, Awin generally only stores pseudonymised data that cannot identify you as a person. Nevertheless, data is of course collected by cookies and if you do not want this, you have the option of managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser. This works a little differently for each browser. In the "Cookies" section, you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the Awin partner programme being used, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data as it may occur when collected by the Awin Partner Programme.

We also have a legitimate interest in using the Awin partner programme to optimise our online service and our marketing measures. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). Nevertheless, we only use the Awin partner programme tracking tool if you have given your consent.

We hope that we have been able to provide you with the most important information about the Awin company and its data processing. If you would like more information about Awin's privacy policy, we recommend that you read the privacy policy at https://www.awin.com/de/datenschutzerklarung. If you have any questions, you can also send an e-mail to global-privacy@awin.com write.

Cookie Consent Management Platform Introduction

Cookie Consent Management Platform Summary 👥 Affected parties: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Obtaining and managing consent for certain cookies and thus the use of certain tools 📓 Processed data: Data for managing the cookie settings such as IP address, time of consent, type of consent, individual consents. You can find more details on this in the respective tool used. 📅 Storage duration: Depends on the tool used, you have to be prepared for periods of several years ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit.f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is a Cookie Consent Management Platform?

We use Consent Management Platform (CMP) software on our website to make it easier for us and you to handle scripts and cookies correctly and securely. The software automatically creates a cookie pop-up, scans and checks all scripts and cookies, provides you with the cookie consent required under data protection law and helps us and you to keep track of all cookies. Most cookie consent management tools identify and categorise all existing cookies. As a website visitor, you then decide for yourself whether and which scripts and cookies you allow or disallow. The following graphic illustrates the relationship between browser, web server and CMP.

Why do we use a cookie management tool?

Our aim 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 provide you with as much information as possible about all tools and all 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 in the first place. Thanks to a cookie management tool that regularly scans the website for all existing cookies, we know about all cookies and can provide you with information about them in compliance with the GDPR. You can then accept or reject cookies via 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. The declaration of your consent is stored so that we do not have to ask you every time you visit our website and we can also prove your consent if required by law. This is stored either in an opt-in cookie or on a server. The storage period of your cookie consent varies depending on the provider of the cookie management tool. In most cases, this data (e.g. pseudonymised user ID, time of consent, details of cookie categories or tools, browser, device information) is stored 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 on this. In general, we only process personal data for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of 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, while others may be stored in your browser for several years. The exact duration of data processing depends on the tool used; in most cases, you should be prepared for a storage period of several years. You can usually find detailed information about the duration of data processing in the respective data protection declarations of the individual providers.

Right of objection

You also have the right and the option to withdraw your consent to the use of cookies 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 by cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser.

Information on special cookie management tools, if available, can be found in the following sections.

Legal basis

If you consent to cookies, your personal data will be processed and stored via these cookies. If we are informed by your Consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR), this consent is also the legal basis for the use of cookies and the processing of your data. Cookie consent management platform software is used to manage consent to cookies and to enable you to give your consent. 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).

Security & Anti-Spam

Security & Anti-Spam Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Cybersecurity 📓 Processed data: Data such as your IP address, name or technical data such as browser version You can find more details on this below and in the individual data protection texts. 📅 Storage period: Most of the data is stored until it is no longer required for the fulfilment of the service ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is security & anti-spam software?

With so-called security and anti-spam software, you and we can protect ourselves from various spam or phishing emails and possible other cyberattacks. Spam refers to advertising emails from a mass mailing that you did not request yourself. Such emails are also known as data junk and can also cause costs. Phishing emails, on the other hand, are messages that aim to build trust via fake messages or websites in order to obtain personal data. Anti-spam software generally protects against unwanted spam messages or malicious emails that could introduce viruses into our system, for example. We also use general firewall and security systems to protect our computers from unwanted network attacks.

Why do we use security & anti-spam software?

We attach great importance to security on our website. After all, it's not just about our security, but above all about yours. Unfortunately, cyber threats are now part of everyday life in the world of IT and the Internet. Hackers often try to steal personal data from an IT system with the help of a cyber attack. And that is why a good defence system is absolutely essential. A security system monitors all incoming and outgoing connections to our network or computer. To achieve even greater security against cyber attacks, we also use other external security services in addition to the standardised security systems on our computer. This prevents unauthorised data traffic and protects us from cybercrime.

What data is processed by security & anti-spam software?

Exactly which data is collected and stored depends of course on the respective service. However, we always endeavour to only use programmes that collect data very sparingly or only store data that is necessary for the fulfilment of the service offered. In principle, the service may store data such as name, address, IP address, e-mail address and technical data such as browser type or browser version. Any performance and log data may also be collected in order to recognise possible incoming threats in good time. This data is processed as part of the services and in compliance with the applicable laws. This also includes the GDPR for US providers (via the standard contractual clauses). In some cases, these security services also work with third-party providers who may store and/or process data under instruction and in accordance with the data protection guidelines and other security measures. Data is usually stored via cookies.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you about the duration of data processing below if we have further information on this. For example, security programmes store data until you or we revoke the data storage. In general, personal data is only stored for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of the services. Unfortunately, in many cases we do not receive precise information from the providers about the length of storage.

Right of objection

You also have the right and the option to withdraw your consent to the use of cookies or third-party security software 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 by cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser.

As such security services may also use cookies, we 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 security services mainly on the basis of our legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in a good security system against various cyber attacks.

Certain processing operations, in particular the use of cookies and the use of security functions, require your consent. If you have consented to your data being processed and stored by integrated security services, this consent is the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). Most of the services we use set cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text on cookies carefully and view the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

Information on special tools - if available - can be found in the following sections.

Google reCAPTCHA privacy policy

Google reCAPTCHA privacy policy summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Optimisation of our service performance and protection against cyber attacks 📓 Processed data: Data such as IP address, browser information, your operating system, limited location and usage data You can find more details below in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage duration: depending on the stored data ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is reCAPTCHA?

Our primary goal is to secure and protect our website in the best possible way for you and for us. To ensure this, we use Google reCAPTCHA from Google Inc. For the European region, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services. With reCAPTCHA we can determine whether you are really a flesh and blood person and not a robot or other spam software. By spam we mean any unsolicited information that is sent to us electronically. With the classic CAPTCHAS, you usually had to solve text or picture puzzles for verification. With reCAPTCHA from Google, we don't usually have to bother you with such puzzles. In most cases, it is enough to simply tick a box to confirm that you are not a bot. With the new Invisible reCAPTCHA version, you no longer even have to tick the box. You can find out exactly how this works and, above all, which data is used for this in the course of this privacy policy.

reCAPTCHA is a free captcha service from Google that protects websites from spam software and misuse by non-human visitors. This service is most commonly used when you fill out forms on the Internet. A Captcha service is a type of automatic Turing test that is designed to ensure that an action on the Internet is performed by a human and not by a bot. In the classic Turing test (named after the computer scientist Alan Turing), a human determines the difference between a bot and a human. With captchas, this is also done by a computer or a software programme. Classic captchas work with small tasks that are easy for humans to solve but present considerable difficulties for machines. With reCAPTCHA, you no longer have to actively solve puzzles. The tool uses modern risk techniques to distinguish humans from bots. All you have to do is tick the "I am not a robot" text box or, with Invisible reCAPTCHA, even that is no longer necessary. With reCAPTCHA, a JavaScript element is integrated into the source code and then the tool runs in the background and analyses your user behaviour. The software calculates a so-called captcha score from these user actions. Google uses this score to calculate the probability that you are human even before you enter the captcha. reCAPTCHA or captchas in general are always used when bots could manipulate or abuse certain actions (e.g. registrations, surveys, etc.).

Why do we use reCAPTCHA on our website?

We only want to welcome people of flesh and blood on our site. Bots and spam software of all kinds can safely stay at home. That's why we do everything we can to protect ourselves and offer you the best possible user-friendliness. For this reason, we use Google reCAPTCHA from Google. This way we can be pretty sure that we remain a "bot-free" website. By using reCAPTCHA, data is transmitted to Google to determine whether you are actually a human being. reCAPTCHA therefore serves to ensure the security of our website and, by extension, your security. For example, without reCAPTCHA it could happen that a bot registers as many e-mail addresses as possible during registration in order to subsequently "spam" forums or blogs with unwanted advertising content. With reCAPTCHA we can prevent such bot attacks.

What data is stored by reCAPTCHA?

reCAPTCHA collects personal data from users in order to determine whether the actions on our website actually originate from people. The IP address and other data that Google requires for the reCAPTCHA service may therefore be sent to Google. IP addresses are almost always truncated within the member states of the EU or other signatory states to the Agreement on the European Economic Area before the data is sent to a server in the USA. The IP address is not combined with other Google data unless you are logged in with your Google account while using reCAPTCHA. First, the reCAPTCHA algorithm checks whether Google cookies from other Google services (YouTube, Gmail, etc.) have already been placed on your browser. Then reCAPTCHA sets an additional cookie in your browser and takes a snapshot of your browser window.

The following list of collected browser and user data does not claim to be exhaustive. Rather, they are examples of data that, to our knowledge, are processed by Google.

• Referrer URL (the address of the page from which the visitor comes)
• IP address (e.g. 256.123.123.1)
• Information about the operating system (the software that enables your computer to operate. Common operating systems are Windows, Mac OS X or Linux)
• Cookies (small text files that store data in your browser)
• Mouse and keyboard behaviour (every action you perform with the mouse or keyboard is saved)
• Date and language settings (which language or date you have preset on your PC is saved)
• All JavaScript objects (JavaScript is a programming language that enables websites to customise themselves to the user. JavaScript objects can collect all kinds of data under one name)
• Screen resolution (indicates how many pixels the image display consists of)

It is undisputed that Google uses and analyses this data even before you click on the "I am not a robot" checkbox. With the Invisible reCAPTCHA version, you don't even have to tick the box and the entire recognition process runs in the background. Google does not tell you in detail exactly how much and what data it stores.

The following cookies are used by reCAPTCHA: Here we refer to the reCAPTCHA demo version from Google at https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api2/demo. All these cookies require a unique identifier for tracking purposes. Here is a list of cookies that Google reCAPTCHA has set on the demo version:

Name: IDE
Value: WqTUmlnmv_qXyi_DGNPLESKnRNrpgXoy1K-pAZtAkMbHI-112758325-8
Intended use: This cookie is set by the company DoubleClick (also owned by Google) to register and report the actions of a user on the website when interacting with adverts. This enables the effectiveness of advertising to be measured and appropriate optimisation measures to be taken. IDE is stored in browsers under the domain doubleclick.net.
Expiry date: after one year

Name: 1P_JAR
Value: 2019-5-14-12
Intended use: This cookie collects statistics on website usage and measures conversions. A conversion occurs, for example, when a user becomes a buyer. The cookie is also used to display relevant adverts to users. The cookie can also be used to prevent a user from seeing the same advert more than once.
Expiry date: after one month

Name: ANID
Value: U7j1v3dZa1127583250xgZFmiqWppRWKOr
Intended use: We were unable to find out much information about this cookie. In Google's privacy policy, the cookie is mentioned in connection with "advertising cookies" such as "DSID", "FLC", "AID", "TAID". ANID is stored under domain google.com.
Expiry date: after 9 months

Name: CONSENT
Value: YES+AT.de+20150628-20-0
Intended use: The cookie stores the status of a user's consent to the use of various Google services. CONSENT is also used for security purposes to verify users, prevent fraudulent login information and protect user data from unauthorised attacks.
Expiry date: after 19 years

Name: NID
Value: 0WmuWqy112758325zILzqV_nmt3sDXwPeM5Q
Intended use: NID is used by Google to customise adverts to your Google searches. With the help of the cookie, Google "remembers" your most frequently entered search queries or your previous interaction with adverts. This means you always receive customised adverts. The cookie contains a unique ID to collect the user's personal settings for advertising purposes.
Expiry date: after 6 months

Name: DV
Value: gEAABBCjJMXcI0dSAAAANbqc112758325-4
Intended use: As soon as you have ticked the "I am not a robot" box, this cookie will be set. The cookie is used by Google Analytics for personalised advertising. DV collects information in anonymised form and is also used to make user distinctions.
Expiry date: after 10 minutes

Remark: This list cannot claim to be exhaustive, as experience has shown that Google changes its choice of cookies from time to time.

How long and where is the data stored?

By inserting reCAPTCHA, data is transferred from you to the Google server. Where exactly this data is stored is not made clear by Google, even after repeated requests. Without having received confirmation from Google, it can be assumed that data such as mouse interaction, time spent on the website or language settings are stored on the European or American Google servers. The IP address that your browser transmits to Google is not merged with other Google data from other Google services. However, if you are logged into your Google account while using the reCAPTCHA plug-in, the data will be merged. The deviating data protection provisions of Google apply.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

If you do not want any data about you and your behaviour to be transmitted to Google, you must log out of Google completely and delete all Google cookies before you visit our website or use the reCAPTCHA software. In principle, the data is automatically transmitted to Google as soon as you visit our website. To delete this data again, you must contact Google support at  https://support.google.com/?hl=de&tid=112758325 contact.

By using our website, you consent to the automatic collection, processing and use of data by Google LLC and its representatives.

Please note that when using this tool, your data may also be stored and processed outside the EU. Most third countries (including the USA) are not considered secure under current European data protection law. Data may therefore not simply be transferred to insecure third countries, stored and processed there, unless there are suitable guarantees (such as EU standard contractual clauses) between us and the non-European service provider.

Legal basis

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

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

Google also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Google is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Google also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Google undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: 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 reCAPTCHA on Google's web developer page at https://developers.google.com/recaptcha/. Google does go into more detail about the technical development of reCAPTCHA here, but you will search in vain for precise information about data storage and data protection issues. A good overview of the basic use of data at Google can be found in the company's own privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy.

Cloud services

Cloud services Privacy policy summary Data subjects: We as the website operator and you as the website visitor 🤝 Purpose: Security and data storage 📓 Processed data: Data such as your IP address, name or technical data such as browser version You can find more details on this below and in the individual data protection texts or in the data protection declarations of the providers 📅 Storage period: Most of the data is stored until it is no longer required for the fulfilment of the service ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are cloud services?

Cloud services provide us as website operators with storage space and computing power via the internet. Data can be transferred to an external system, processed and stored via the internet. This data is managed by the corresponding cloud provider. Depending on requirements, an individual person or even a company can choose the amount of storage space or computing power. Cloud storage is accessed via an API or storage protocols. API stands for Application Programming Interface and refers to a programming interface that connects software and hardware components.

Why do we use cloud services?

We use cloud services for several reasons. A cloud service offers us the opportunity to store our data securely. We also have access to the data from different locations and devices, giving us more flexibility and making our work processes easier. Cloud storage also saves us costs because we don't have to set up and manage our own infrastructure for data storage and data security. By centralising our data in the cloud, we can also expand our fields of application and manage our information much better.

As website operators and companies, we primarily use cloud services for our own purposes. For example, we use the services to manage our calendar, to store documents or other important information in the cloud. However, your personal data may also be stored in the process. This is the case, for example, if you provide us with your contact details (such as your name and email address) and we store our customer data with a cloud provider. Consequently, data that we process from you may also be stored and processed on external servers. If we offer certain forms or content from cloud services on our website, cookies may also be set for web analyses and advertising purposes. Furthermore, such cookies remember your settings (such as the language used) so that you will find your familiar web environment the next time you visit our website.

What data is processed by cloud services?

Much of the data we store in the cloud has no personal reference, but some data is considered personal data as defined by the GDPR. This often involves customer data such as name, address, IP address or telephone number or technical device information. Videos, images and audio files can also be stored in the cloud. Exactly how the data is collected and stored depends on the respective service. We only try to use services that handle the data in a very trustworthy and professional manner. In principle, the services, such as Amazon Drive, have access to the stored files in order to be able to offer their own service accordingly. However, the services require authorisations for this, such as the right to copy files for security reasons. This data is processed and managed as part of the services and in compliance with the applicable laws. This also includes the GDPR for US providers (via the standard contractual clauses). In some cases, these cloud services also work with third-party providers who may process data under instruction and in accordance with the data protection guidelines and other security measures. At this point, we would like to emphasise once again that all known cloud services (such as Amazon Drive, Google Drive or Microsoft Onedrive) obtain the right to access stored content in order to offer and optimise their own services accordingly.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you about the duration of data processing below if we have further information on this. In general, cloud services store data until you or we revoke the data storage or delete the data. In general, personal data is only stored for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of the services. However, it may take several months to permanently delete data from the cloud. This is the case because the data is usually not stored on just one server, but is distributed across various servers.

Right of objection

You also have the right and the option to revoke your consent to data storage in a cloud at any time. If cookies are used, you also have a right of cancellation here. This works either via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection by cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser. 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 cloud providers.

Legal basis

We use cloud services mainly on the basis of our legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in a good security and storage system.

Certain processing operations, in particular the use of cookies and the use of storage functions, require your consent. If you have consented to your data being processed and stored by cloud services, this consent is the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). Most of the services we use set cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text on cookies carefully and view the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

Information on special tools - if available - can be found in the following sections.

Google Cloud privacy policy

We use Google Cloud, an online storage service for files, photos and videos, for our website. The service provider is the American company Google Inc. For the European region, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services.

Google also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Google is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Google also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Google undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

Google has a contract for order processing in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR, which serves as the data protection basis for our customer relationship with Google. The content of this contract refers to the EU standard contractual clauses. You can find the order processing conditions here: https://business.safety.google/intl/de/adsprocessorterms/

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

Payment provider introduction

Payment provider privacy policy summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Enabling and optimising the payment process on our website 📓 Processed data: Data such as name, address, bank details (account number, credit card number, passwords, TANs, etc.), IP address and contract data You can find more details on this in the respective payment provider tool used. 📅 Storage duration: depending on the payment provider used ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR (fulfilment of a contract)

What is a payment provider?

We use online payment systems on our website that enable us and you to make secure and smooth payments. Among other things, personal data may be sent to the respective payment provider, stored and processed there. Payment providers are online payment systems that enable you to place an order via online banking. Payment processing is carried out by the payment provider you have selected. We then receive information about the payment made. This method can be used by any user who has an active online banking account with PIN and TAN. There are hardly any banks that do not offer or accept such payment methods.

Why do we use payment providers on our website?

We naturally want to offer the best possible service with our website and our integrated online shop so that you feel comfortable on our site and make use of our offers. We know that your time is precious and that payment transactions in particular need to work quickly and smoothly. For these reasons, we offer you various payment providers. You can choose your favourite payment provider and pay in the usual way.

What data is processed?

Exactly which data is processed depends on the respective payment provider, of course. However, data such as name, address, bank details (account number, credit card number, passwords, TANs, etc.) are generally stored. This is necessary data in order to be able to carry out a transaction at all. In addition, any contract data and user data, such as when you visit our website, what content you are interested in or which subpages you click on, may also be stored. Your IP address and information about the computer you are using are also stored by most payment providers.

The data is usually stored and processed on the payment provider's servers. We as the website operator do not receive this data. We are only informed whether the payment has worked or not. For identity and credit checks, payment providers may forward data to the relevant body. The business and data protection principles of the respective provider always apply to all payment transactions. Therefore, please always check the payment provider's general terms and conditions and privacy policy. You also have the right to have data deleted or corrected at any time. Please contact the respective service provider regarding your rights (right of cancellation, right to information and right to be affected).

Duration of data processing

We will inform you about the duration of data processing below if we have further information on this. In general, we only process personal data for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of our services and products. If it is required by law, for example in the case of accounting, this storage period may also be exceeded. For example, we store accounting documents relating to a contract (invoices, contract documents, account statements, etc.) for 10 years (§ 147 AO) and other relevant business documents for 6 years (§ 247 HGB) after they are created.

Right of objection

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

You can delete, deactivate or manage cookies that payment providers use for their functions in your browser. Depending on which browser you use, this works in different ways. Please note, however, that the payment process may then no longer work.

Legal basis

We therefore offer the following services for the handling of contractual and legal relationships (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR)  In addition to traditional banking/credit institutions, we also offer other payment service providers. In the data protection declarations of the individual payment providers (such as Amazon Payments, Apple Pay or Discover) provides you with a detailed overview of data processing and data storage. In addition, you can always contact the persons responsible if you have any questions about data protection issues.

Information on the special payment providers - if available - can be found in the following sections.

eps bank transfer privacy policy

We use eps-Überweisung, a service for online payment methods, on our website. The service provider is the Austrian company Stuzza GmbH, Frankgasse 10/8, 1090 Vienna, Austria.

You can find out more about the data that is processed through the use of eps-Überweisung in the privacy policy on https://eservice.psa.at/de/datenschutzerklaerung.html.

Klarna Checkout privacy policy

Klarna Checkout privacy policy summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Optimisation of the payment process on our website 📓 Processed data: Data such as name, address, bank details (account number, credit card number, passwords, TANs, etc.), IP address and contract data You can find more details below in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage period: Data is stored for as long as Klarna needs it for the processing purpose. ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c GDPR (Legal obligation), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate interests)

What is Klarna Checkout?

We use the online payment system Klarna Checkout from the Swedish company Klarna Bank AB on our website. Klarna Bank has its head office at Sveavägen 46, 111 34 Stockholm, Sweden. If you choose to use this service, personal data will be sent to Klarna, stored and processed. In this privacy policy we would like to give you an overview of the data processing by Klarna.

Klarna Checkout is a payment system for orders in an online shop. The user selects the payment method and Klarna Checkout takes care of the entire payment process. Once a user has made a payment via the checkout system and entered the relevant data, future online purchases can be made even more quickly and easily. The Klarna system recognises the existing customer as soon as they enter their email address and postcode.

Why do we use Klarna Checkout for our website?

Our aim with our website and our integrated online shop is to offer you the best possible service. In addition to the overall experience on the website and our offers, this also includes smooth, fast and secure payment processing of your orders. To ensure this, we use the Klarna Checkout payment system.

What data is stored by Klarna Checkout?

As soon as you decide in favour of the Klarna payment service and pay via the Klarna Checkout payment method, you also transmit personal data to the company. On the Klarna Checkout page, technical data such as browser type, operating system, our Internet address, date and time, language settings, time zone settings and IP address are collected from you and transmitted to Klarna's servers and stored there. This data is stored even if you have not yet completed an order.

When you order a product or service via our shop, you must enter your personal data in the fields provided. This data is processed by Klarna for payment processing. The following personal data in particular (as well as general product information) may be stored and processed by Klarna for credit and identity checks:

• Contact information: Name, date of birth, national ID number, title, billing and delivery address, e-mail address, telephone number, nationality or salary.
• Payment information such as credit card details or your bank account number
• Product information such as consignment number, type of item and price of the product

There is also data that can be collected optionally if you make a conscious decision to do so. These include political, religious or ideological beliefs or various health data.

Klarna may also collect data about the goods or services you purchase or order itself or via third parties (such as us or via public databases) in addition to the above-mentioned data. This may include, for example, the consignment number or the type of item ordered, but also information about your creditworthiness, your income or the granting of credit. Klarna may also pass on your personal data to service providers such as software providers, data storage providers or us as a merchant.

If data is automatically entered into a form, cookies are always involved. If you do not wish to use this function, you can deactivate these cookies at any time. Further down in the text you will find instructions on how to delete, deactivate or manage cookies in your browser. Our tests have shown that Klarna does not set any cookies directly. If you select the payment method "Klarna Sofort" and click on "Order", you will be redirected to the Sofort website. After successful payment, you will be taken to our thank you page. The following cookie is set there by sofort.com:

NameSOFUEB
Value: e8cipp378mdscn9e17kajlfhv7112758325-4
Intended use: This cookie stores your session ID.
Expiry date: after ending the browser session

How long and where is the data stored?

Klarna endeavours to store your data only within the EU or the European Economic Area (EEA). However, data may also be transferred outside the EU/EEA. If this happens, Klarna ensures that the data protection is in accordance with the GDPR and that the third country is covered by an adequacy decision of the European Union. The data is always stored as long as Klarna needs it for the processing purpose.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You can revoke your consent to Klarna processing your personal data at any time. You also always have the right to information, correction and deletion of your personal data. All you need to do is contact the company or the company's data protection team by email at datenschutz@klarna.de contact us. About the Klarna website "My data protection enquiry" you can also contact Klarna directly.

You can delete, deactivate or manage cookies that Klarna may use for its functions in your browser. Depending on which browser you use, this works in different ways. Under the section "Cookies" you will find the corresponding links to the respective instructions for the most popular browsers.

Legal basis

We therefore offer the following services for the handling of contractual and legal relationships (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR)  In addition to conventional bank/credit institutions, we also offer the payment service provider Klarna Checkout.

We hope that we have provided you with a good overview of data processing by Klarna. If you would like to find out more about how your data is handled, we recommend that you read Klarna's privacy policy at https://cdn.klarna.com/1.0/shared/content/legal/terms/0/de_at/privacy.

 

PayPal Privacy Policy

PayPal Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Optimisation of the payment process on our website 📓 Processed data: Data such as name, address, bank details (account number, credit card number, passwords, TANs, etc.), IP address and contract data may be processed. You can find more details on this further below in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage period: Data is generally stored until the cooperation with PayPal is terminated ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR (contract processing), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent)

What is PayPal?

We use the online payment service PayPal on our website. The service provider is the American company PayPal Inc. The company PayPal Europe (S.à r.l. et Cie, S.C.A., 22-24 Boulevard Royal, L-2449 Luxembourg) is responsible for the European area.

PayPal allows all users to send and receive money electronically. The company was founded in 1998 and is now one of the best-known and largest online payment service providers in the world with over 325 million active customers.

Why do we use PayPal for our website?

There are various reasons why we use PayPal and offer it on our website. As PayPal is one of the best-known online payment providers, many of our website visitors also use and trust this service. PayPal also offers high security standards for digital money transfers. The service uses various encryption methods to protect your personal data in the best possible way. We also appreciate the ease of use of PayPal and the possibility of international payments in different currencies. As a rule, transactions are processed very quickly, which is a further advantage for both us and you as a customer.

What data is processed by PayPal?

In its privacy policy, PayPal distinguishes between different categories of personal data that can be processed through the use of the service. These include login and contact data, identification and signature data, payment information, information on imported contacts, data from your account profile, device data such as your IP address, location data and so-called derived data. This is information that can be derived from transactions or other data. This may include purchasing habits, behavioural patterns, creditworthiness or personal preferences.

Then there is also personal data that is collected by third parties (such as identity checkers, fraud detection providers or your bank). This data includes information from credit agencies, transaction data, information on legal requirements, technical usage data, location data and also derived data.

PayPal and its partners also use tracking technologies such as cookies, pixel tags, web beacons and widgets to recognise you as a user, to customise content and to carry out analyses for interest-based advertising.

How long and where is the data stored?

In principle, PayPal stores the data for as long as it is necessary to fulfil its obligations and within the scope of the purpose. Personal data that is necessary for the customer relationship will be stored for 10 years after the end of the relationship. If PayPal is subject to a legal obligation, the retention period of the personal data is in accordance with the applicable law (e.g. insolvency law). PayPal also stores personal data for as long as necessary if storage is advisable with regard to legal disputes.

As PayPal is a global company, the service also has data centres worldwide where your data can be stored. This means that your data can also be stored on PayPal servers outside your country and also outside the scope of the GDPR.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You have the right to information, correction or deletion and restriction of the processing of your personal data at any time. You can also revoke your consent to the processing of data at any time.

If you want to deactivate, delete or manage cookies, you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers in the "Cookies" section.

Legal basis

We have a legitimate interest in integrating an external payment service with PayPal in order to make our offer more attractive and to improve it technically and economically. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). We would like to point out that you can only use PayPal if you enter into a contractual relationship with PayPal. In this case, it may be necessary to provide further data protection and contractual declarations (e.g. consent).

PayPal also 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 transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks for the legality and security of data processing.

PayPal uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or data transfer there. Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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, PayPal undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

For more information on the standard contractual clauses and the data processed through the use of PayPal, please refer to the privacy policy at https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full.

Visa privacy policy

We use Visa, a global payment provider, on our website. The service provider is the American company Visa Inc. Visa Europe Services Inc. (1 Sheldon Square, London W2 6TT, United Kingdom) is responsible for the European region.

Visa also 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 transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks for the legality and security of data processing.

Visa uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or data transfer to these countries. Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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, Visa undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

You can find more information on Visa's standard contractual clauses at https://www.visa.de/nutzungsbedingungen/visa-globale-datenschutzmitteilung/mitteilung-zu-zustandigkeitsfragen-fur-den-ewr.html.

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Visa in the Privacy Policy on https://www.visa.de/nutzungsbedingungen/visa-privacy-center.html.

External online platforms Introduction

External online platforms Privacy policy summary Data subjects: Visitors to the website or visitors to the external online platforms 🤝 Purpose: Presentation and optimisation of our services, contact with visitors, interested parties 📓 Processed data: Data such as telephone numbers, email addresses, contact details, user behaviour data, information about your device and your IP address. You can find more details on this in the respective platform used. 📅 Storage duration: depending on the platforms used ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are external online platforms?

We also use external platforms to offer our services or products outside of our website. These are usually online marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay. In addition to our responsibility for data protection, the data protection provisions of the external platforms we use also apply. This is particularly the case if our products are purchased via the platform. In other words, if there is a payment process. Furthermore, most platforms also use your data to optimise their own marketing measures. For example, the platform can use the data collected to tailor adverts precisely to the interests of customers and website visitors.

Why do we use external online platforms?

In addition to our website, we also want to offer our products on other platforms in order to bring our range closer to more customers. External online marketplaces such as Amazon, Ebay or Digistore24 offer large sales websites that offer our products to people who may not be familiar with our website. It may also be the case that built-in elements on our site direct you to an external online platform. Data that is processed and stored by the online platform used is used by the company to record the payment process on the one hand and to carry out web analyses on the other.

The aim of these analyses is to be able to develop more precise and personalised marketing and advertising strategies. Depending on your behaviour on a platform, the analysed data can be used to draw conclusions about your interests and create user profiles. This also enables the platforms to present you with customised advertisements or products. Cookies are usually set in your browser for this purpose, which store data on your user behaviour.

Please note that when using the platforms or our built-in elements, your data may also be processed outside the European Union, as online platforms such as Amazon or eBay are American companies. As a result, you may no longer be able to claim or enforce your rights in relation to your personal data as easily.

What data is processed?

Exactly which data is stored and processed depends on the external platform in question. 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, when you visited which pages, information about your device and your IP address. Very often, most of this data is stored in cookies. If you have your own profile on an external platform and are also logged in there, data can be linked to the profile. The data collected is stored on the servers of the platforms used and processed there. You can find out exactly how an external platform stores, manages and processes data in the respective privacy policy. If you have any questions about data storage and data processing or wish to assert corresponding rights, we recommend that you contact the platform directly.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you about the duration of data processing below if we have further information on this. For example, Amazon stores data until it is no longer required for its own purposes. In general, we only process personal data for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of our services and products.

Right of objection

You also have the right and the option to withdraw your consent to the use of cookies at any time. This works either via our cookie management tool or via opt-out functions on the respective external platform. You can also prevent the collection of data by cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser.

As cookies may be used, 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 external platforms.

Legal basis

If you have consented to your data being processed and stored by external platforms, this consent shall apply. Consent as 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 your consent if consent has been given. legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) We store and process your data for the purpose of fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. If we have integrated elements from external platforms on our website, we will only use these if you have given your consent.

Information on special external platforms - if available - can be found in the following sections.

Amazon (Europe) Privacy Policy

We also use the online trading platform Amazon (Europe). The service provider is the American company Amazon Inc. The company Amazon Europe Core S.à r.l. (Société à responsabilité limitée), 38 avenue John F. Kennedy, L-1855 Luxembourg is responsible for the European region.

Amazon also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Amazon is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Amazon also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Amazon undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Amazon Data Processing Terms (AWS GDPR DATA PROCESSING), which correspond to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://d1.awsstatic.com/legal/aws-gdpr/AWS_GDPR_DPA.pdf.

You can find out more about the data that is processed through the use of Amazon in the privacy policy on https://www.amazon.de/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201909010&ref_=footer_privacy .

Audio & Video Introduction

Audio & Video Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Optimisation of our service performance 📓 Processed data: Data such as contact details, user behaviour data, information about your device and your IP address may be stored. You can find more details on this below in the corresponding data protection texts. 📅 Storage period: Data is generally stored for as long as it is required for the purpose of the service ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are audio and video elements?

We have integrated audio and video elements on 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 also obtained from the corresponding servers of the providers.

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

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

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

Of course we want to provide you with the best offer on our website. And we realise that content is no longer conveyed in text and static images alone. 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. We therefore offer video and/or audio content in addition to our texts and images.

What data is stored by audio & video elements?

When you access a page on our website that has an embedded video, for example, your server connects to the server of the service provider. 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 end device. In addition, most providers also collect information about your web activity. This includes, for example, session duration, bounce rate, which button you clicked on or which website you used to access the service. All this information is usually stored via cookies or pixel tags (also known as web beacons). Pseudonymised 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 servers of the third-party providers either below in the data protection text of the respective tool or in the provider's privacy policy. In principle, personal data is only ever processed for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of our services or products. This generally also applies to third-party providers. In most cases, you can assume that certain data will be stored on the servers of third-party providers 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, while others may be stored in your browser for several years.

Right of objection

You also have the right and the option to withdraw 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 by cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser. This does not affect the lawfulness of processing up to the time of cancellation.

As the integrated audio and video functions on our website usually also use cookies, you should also read our general privacy policy on cookies. You can find out more about the handling and storage of your data in the privacy policies of the respective third-party providers.

Legal basis

If you have consented to your data being processed and stored by integrated audio and video elements, this consent is the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data is also processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) We store and process your data for the purpose of fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. Nevertheless, we only use the integrated audio and video elements if you have given your consent.

YouTube privacy policy

YouTube privacy policy summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Optimisation of our service performance 📓 Processed data: Data such as contact details, user behaviour data, information about your device and your IP address may be stored. You can find more details below in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage period: Data is generally stored for as long as it is required for the purpose of the service ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is YouTube?

We have integrated YouTube videos on our website. This allows us to present interesting videos 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 access a page on our website that has an embedded YouTube video, your browser automatically connects to the YouTube or Google servers. Various data is transmitted (depending on the settings). Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all data processing in Europe.

In the following, we would like to explain to you in more detail what data is processed, why we have integrated 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 worldwide. 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 endeavour 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 further helpful content in addition to our texts and images. The embedded videos also make our website easier to find on the Google search engine. Even if we place adverts via Google Ads, Google can - thanks to the data collected - only show these adverts to people who are interested in our offers.

What data is stored by YouTube?

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, the sharing of content via social media or adding to your favourites on YouTube.

If you are not logged into a Google account or a YouTube account, Google stores data with a unique identifier that is linked to your device, browser or app. For example, your preferred language setting is retained. But a lot of interaction data cannot be saved 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 exhaustive because the user data always depends on the interactions on YouTube.

Name: YSC
Value: b9-CV6ojI5Y112758325-1
Intended use: This cookie registers a unique ID to store statistics of the video viewed.
Expiry date: after the end of the meeting

Name: PREF
Value: f1=50000000
Intended use: This cookie also registers your unique ID. Google receives statistics on how you use YouTube videos on our website via PREF.
Expiry date: after 8 months

Name: GPS
Value: 1
Intended use: This cookie registers your unique ID on mobile devices to track GPS location.
Expiry date: after 30 minutes

Name: VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
Value: 95Chz8bagyU
Intended use: This cookie attempts to estimate the user's bandwidth on our websites (with integrated YouTube video).
Expiry date: after 8 months

Other cookies that are set when you are logged in to your YouTube account:

Name: APISID
Value: zILlvClZSkqGsSwI/AU1aZI6HY7112758325-
Intended use: This cookie is used to create a profile of your interests. The data is used for personalised advertisements.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: CONSENT
Value: YES+AT.de+20150628-20-0
Intended use: The cookie stores the status of a user's consent to the use of various Google services. CONSENT is also used for security purposes to check users and protect user data from unauthorised attacks.
Expiry date: after 19 years

Name: HSID
Value: AcRwpgUik9Dveht0I
Intended use: This cookie is used to create a profile of your interests. This data helps to display personalised advertising.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: LOGIN_INFO
Value: AFmmF2swRQIhALl6aL...
Intended use: Information about your login data is stored in this cookie.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: SAPISID
Value: 7oaPxoG-pZsJuuF5/AnUdDUIsJ9iJz2vdM
Intended use: This cookie works by uniquely identifying your browser and device. It is used to create a profile of your interests.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: SID
Value: oQfNKjAsI112758325-
Intended use: This cookie stores your Google Account ID and your last login time in digitally signed and encrypted form.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: SIDCC
Value: AN0-TYuqub2JOcDTyL
Intended use: This cookie stores information about how you use the website and what adverts 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 from you and processes is stored on Google servers. Most of these servers are located in America. Under https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/locations/?hl=de you can see exactly where the Google data centres are located. Your data is distributed across the servers. This means that the data can be accessed more quickly and is better protected against manipulation.

Google stores the data collected for different lengths of time. You can delete some data at any time, others are automatically deleted after a limited time and others are stored by Google for a longer period of time. Some data (such as elements from "My activity", photos or documents, products) that are stored in your Google account remain stored until you delete them. Even if you are not signed in to a Google Account, you can delete some data that is linked to 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, depending on your decision, and then deleted.

Regardless of whether you have a Google account or not, you can configure your browser so that cookies are deleted or deactivated by Google. Depending on which browser you use, this works in different ways. In the "Cookies" section, you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers.

If you generally do not want to have cookies, you can set up your browser so that it always informs you when a cookie is to be set. This allows you to decide for each individual cookie whether you want to allow it or not.

Legal basis

If you have consented to your data being processed and stored by integrated YouTube elements, this consent is the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data is also processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) We store and process your data for the purpose of fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. Nevertheless, 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 data protection text on cookies carefully and consult the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

YouTube also processes your data in the USA, among other places. YouTube and Google are active participants in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Google also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Google undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: 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/.

As YouTube is a subsidiary of Google, there is a joint privacy policy. If you would like to find out 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 recognise the button by the classic YouTube logo. The logo shows the words "Subscribe" or "YouTube" in white lettering against a red background and the white "Play" symbol to the left. However, 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 without having to go to the YouTube website. We want to make it as easy as possible for you to access our extensive content. Please note that YouTube may store and process your data as a result.

If you see a built-in subscription button on our site, YouTube sets at least one cookie - according to Google. This cookie stores your IP address and our URL. YouTube can also find out 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:

Name: YSC
Value: b9-CV6ojI5112758325Y
Intended use: This cookie registers a unique ID to store statistics of the video viewed.
Expiry date: after the end of the meeting

Name: PREF
Value: f1=50000000
Intended use: This cookie also registers your unique ID. Google receives statistics on how you use YouTube videos on our website via PREF.
Expiry date: after 8 months

Name: GPS
Value: 1
Intended use: This cookie registers your unique ID on mobile devices to track GPS location.
Expiry date: after 30 minutes

Name: VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
Value: 11275832595Chz8bagyU
Intended use: This cookie attempts to estimate the user's bandwidth on our websites (with integrated YouTube video).
Expiry date: after 8 months

Remark: These cookies were set after a test and cannot claim to be exhaustive.

If you are logged into your YouTube account, YouTube can save many of your actions/interactions on our website with the help of cookies and assign them to your YouTube account. For example, YouTube receives information about how long you surf on our site, which browser type you use, which screen resolution you prefer or which actions you perform.

YouTube uses this data on the one hand to improve its own services and offers, and on the other hand to provide analyses and statistics for advertisers (who use Google Ads).

Single sign-on logins Introduction

Single sign-on logins Privacy policy Summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Simplification of the authentication process 📓 Processed data: Depends heavily on the respective provider, usually e-mail address and user name can be saved. You can find more details on this in the respective tool used. 📅 Storage duration: depending on the tools used ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR (fulfilment of contract), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are single sign-on logins?

On our website, you have the option of registering quickly and easily for our online service using a user account from another provider (e.g. via Facebook). This authentication procedure is known as "single sign-on registration". Of course, this login procedure only works if you are registered with the other provider or have a user account and enter the relevant access data in the online form. In many cases, you are already registered, the access data is automatically entered into the form and you only have to confirm the single sign-on registration by clicking a button. In the course of this registration, your personal data may also be processed and stored. In this data protection text, we provide a general description of data processing through single sign-on logins. You can find more detailed information in the data protection declarations of the respective providers.

Why do we use single sign-on logins?

We want to make your life on our website as easy and pleasant as possible. That's why we also offer single sign-on logins. This saves you valuable time because you only need one authentication. As you only have to remember one password and it is only transmitted once, security is also increased. In many cases, you have already saved your password automatically with the help of cookies and the login process on our website therefore only takes a few seconds.

What data is stored by single sign-on logins?

Although you log in to our website using this special login procedure, the actual authentication takes place with the corresponding single sign-on provider. As the website operator, we receive a user ID as part of the authentication process. This states that you are registered with the relevant provider under this ID. This ID cannot be used for any other purpose. Other data may also be transmitted to us, but this depends on the single sign-on providers used. It also depends on which data you voluntarily provide during the authentication process and which data you generally release in your settings with the provider. In most cases, this is data such as your e-mail address and your user name. We do not know your password, which is required for logging in, and we do not store it. It is also important for you to know that data stored by us can be automatically compared with the data of the respective user account during the registration process.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you about the duration of data processing below if we have further information on this. For example, the social media platform Facebook stores data until it is no longer required for its own purposes. However, customer data that is compared with our own user data is deleted within two days. In general, we only process personal data for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of our services and products.

Right of objection

You also have the right and the option to withdraw your consent to the use of single sign-on logins at any time. This usually works via the provider's opt-out functions. If available, you will also find links to the corresponding opt-out functions in our data protection texts for the individual tools.

Legal basis

If it has been agreed with you and this is done in the context of contract fulfilment (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR) and consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR), we can use the single sign-on procedure on their legal bases.

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in offering you a quick and easy registration process. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). Nevertheless, we only use single sign-on registration if you have given your consent.

If you no longer wish to have this link to the provider with the single sign-on login, please delete it in your user account with the respective provider. If you also want to delete your data with us, you will need to cancel your registration.

Facebook single sign-on privacy policy

We also use the Facebook Single Sign-On authentication service to log in to our website. The service provider is the American company Meta Platforms Inc. Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland is responsible for the European region.

Facebook also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Facebook or Meta Platforms is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Facebook also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Facebook undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Facebook data processing conditions, which refer to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing.

If you are logged in to Facebook, you can find out more at https://www.facebook.com/adpreferences/ad_settings Revoke your consent to the use of single sign-on logins using the opt-out function. You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Facebook in the privacy policy on https://www.facebook.com/policy.php.

Order processing contract (AVV) Facebook Single-Sign-On

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) with Facebook in accordance with Article 28 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). You can find out exactly what a DPA is and, in particular, what must be included in a DPA in our general section "Data processing agreement (DPA)".

This contract is required by law because Facebook processes personal data on our behalf. It clarifies that Facebook may only process data that it receives from us in accordance with our instructions and must comply with the GDPR. You can find the link to the order processing contract (AVV) at https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing.

 

Google Single-Sign-On Privacy Policy

We also use the Google Single Sign-On authentication service to log in to our website. The service provider is the American company Facebook Inc. For the European region, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services.

Google also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Google is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Google also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Google undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: 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/.

On Google you can go to https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated Revoke your consent to the use of single sign-on logins using the opt-out function. You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Google Single-Sign-On in the privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

Instagram single sign-on privacy policy

We also use the Instagram single sign-on authentication service to log in to our website. The service provider is the American company Instagram Inc, 1601 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA. Instagram has been a subsidiary of Meta Platforms Inc. since 2012 and is a Facebook product.

Instagram also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Instagram or Meta Platforms is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data of EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Instagram also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Instagram undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

If you are logged in to Meta or Instagram, you can access your account at https://www.facebook.com/adpreferences/ad_settings Revoke your consent to the use of single sign-on logins using the opt-out function. You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Instagram/Meta in the privacy policy on https://help.instagram.com/519522125107875.

Data processing agreement (DPA) Instagram single sign-on

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) with Instagram and Facebook in accordance with Article 28 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). You can find out exactly what a DPA is and, in particular, what must be included in a DPA in our general section "Data processing agreement (DPA)".

This contract is required by law because Facebook processes personal data on our behalf. It clarifies that Facebook may only process data that it receives from us in accordance with our instructions and must comply with the GDPR. You can find the link to the order processing contract (AVV) at https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing.

Evaluation platforms Introduction

Evaluation platforms Summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website or an evaluation platform 🤝 Purpose: Feedback on our products and/or services 📓 Processed data: IP address, email address, name, among others. You can find more details on this below or on the respective rating platforms used. 📅 Storage duration: depending on the respective platform ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests),

What are rating platforms?

You can rate our products or services on various rating platforms. We participate in some of these platforms so that we can receive feedback from you and thus optimise our offering. If you rate us via a rating platform, the privacy policy and general terms and conditions of the respective rating service apply. Very often you will also need to register in order to submit a review. Evaluation technologies (widgets) can also be integrated into our website. By using such an integrated tool, data is also transferred to the corresponding provider, processed and stored.

Many of these integrated programmes work on a similar principle. After you have ordered a product or used a service from us, you will be asked to leave a review by e-mail or on the website. You are usually redirected to a review page via a link and can quickly and easily create a review there. Some rating systems also offer an interface to various social media channels to make the feedback accessible to more people.

Why do we use rating platforms?

Review platforms collect feedback and reviews about our offers. Your reviews provide us with quick feedback and enable us to improve our products and/or services much more efficiently. The reviews therefore help us to optimise our offers on the one hand and on the other hand they give you and all our future customers a good overview of the quality of our products and services.

What data is processed?

With your consent, we transmit information about you and the services you have used to the corresponding evaluation platform. We do this to ensure that you have actually used one of our services. Only then can you provide genuine feedback. The transmitted data is only used to recognise the user. Exactly which data is stored and processed depends, of course, on the providers used. In most cases, the review platforms are also provided with personal data such as IP address, e-mail address or your name. Order information, such as the order number of a purchased item, is also forwarded to the relevant platform after your review has been submitted. If your e-mail address is transmitted, this is done so that the review platform can send you an e-mail after you have purchased a product. So that we can also incorporate your review into our website, we also provide the providers with the information that you have accessed our site. The review platform used is responsible for the personal data collected.

How long and where is the data stored?

You can find out more about the duration of data processing below in the relevant provider's privacy policy, if we have further information on this. In general, we only process personal data for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of our services and products. Personal data mentioned in a review is usually anonymised by employees of the platform used and is therefore only visible to administrators of the company. The data collected is stored on the provider's servers and deleted by most providers once the order has been completed.

Right of objection

You also have the right and the option to withdraw 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 by cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser.

Legal basis

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

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

We hope that we have been able to provide you with the most important general information about the data processing of rating platforms. You can find more detailed information below in the data protection texts or in the linked data protection declarations of the company.

Google Customer Reviews Privacy Policy

We also use the Google customer reviews platform for our website. The service provider is the American company Google Inc. For the European area, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services.

Google also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Google is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Google also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Google undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The data processing terms for Google advertising products (Google Ads Controller-Controller Data Protection 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 in the privacy policy on https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

Trusted Shops Privacy Policy

We also use the Trusted Shops rating platform for our website. The service provider is the German company Trusted Shops GmbH, Subbelrather Straße 15c, 50823 Cologne, Germany.

You can find out more about the data that is processed through the use of Trusted Shops in the privacy policy on https://www.trustedshops.de/impressum-datenschutz/#datenschutz.

Web design introduction

Webdesign Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Improvement of the user experience 📓 Processed data: Which data is processed depends heavily on the services used. This usually involves the IP address, technical data, language settings, browser version, screen resolution and browser name. You can find more details on this in the respective web design tools used. 📅 Storage duration: depending on the tools used ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

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 branch of media design and deals with the visual as well as the structural and functional design of a website. The aim of web design is 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. Usability is a sub-item of user experience. This refers to the user-friendliness of a website. The main focus 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 third-party web design tools. In this privacy policy, 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. This is why good and professional web design has become increasingly important for us. We are constantly working on improving our website and also 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 make use of our services if you feel completely at ease.

What data is stored by web design tools?

When you visit our website, web design elements may be integrated into our pages that can also process data. Exactly what data is involved naturally depends heavily on the tools used. Below you can see exactly which tools we use for our website. For more detailed information about data processing, we recommend that you also read the respective data privacy statements of the tools used. In most cases, this will tell you what data is processed, whether cookies are used and how long the data is stored. Fonts such as Google Fonts also automatically transmit information such as language settings, IP address, browser version, browser screen resolution and browser name to the 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 one minute or as long as a few years. Please find out more about this. We recommend that you read our general text section on cookies as well as the data protection declarations of the tools used. There you can usually find out exactly which cookies are used and what information is stored in them. Google font files, for example, are stored for one year. This is to improve the loading time of a website. In principle, data is only stored for as long as is necessary to provide the service. Data can also be stored for longer if required by law.

Right of objection

You also have the right and the option to withdraw 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 by cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser. Under web design elements (mostly fonts), however, there is also data 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 constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when it 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 an attractive and professional website. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). Nevertheless, we only use web design tools if you have given your consent. We would like to emphasise this again here in any case.

Information on special web design tools - if available - can be found in the following sections.

Font Awesome Privacy Policy

Font Awesome Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Optimisation of our service performance Processed data: such as IP address and which icon files are loaded You can find more details below in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage duration: Files in identifiable form are stored for a few weeks ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Font Awesome?

We use Font Awesome from the American company Fonticons (307 S. Main St., Suite 202, Bentonville, AR 72712, USA) on our website. When you call up one of our websites, the Font Awesome web font (in particular icons) is loaded via the Font Awesome Content Delivery Network (CDN). This ensures that the texts, fonts and icons are displayed appropriately on every end device. In this privacy policy, we go into more detail about data storage and data processing by this service.

Icons are playing an increasingly important role for websites. Font Awesome is a web font that has been specially developed for web designers and web developers. With Font Awesome, icons can be scaled and coloured as desired using the CSS style sheet language. They thus replace old image icons. Font Awesome CDN is the easiest way to load icons or fonts onto your website. All we had to do was add a small line of code to our website.

Why do we use Font Awesome on our website?

Font Awesome allows content on our website to be better organised. This makes it easier for you to find your way around our website and grasp the content more easily. The icons can sometimes even be used to replace entire words and save space. This is particularly practical when we optimise content specifically for smartphones. These icons are inserted as HMTL code instead of images. This allows us to edit the icons with CSS exactly as we want. At the same time, we also improve our loading speed with Font Awesome because these are only HTML elements and not icon images. All these advantages help us to make the website even clearer, fresher and faster for you.

What data is stored by Font Awesome?

The Font Awesome Content Delivery Network (CDN) is used to load icons and symbols. CDNs are networks of servers that are distributed worldwide and make it possible to quickly load files from nearby. Thus, as soon as you call up one of our pages, the corresponding icons are provided by Font Awesome.

In order for the web fonts to be loaded, your browser must establish a connection to the servers of Fonticons, Inc. Your IP address is recognised in the process. Font Awesome also collects data about which icon files are downloaded and when. Furthermore, technical data such as your browser version, screen resolution or the time the page was called up is also transmitted.

This data is collected and stored for the following reasons:

• to optimise content delivery networks
• to recognise and rectify technical faults
• to protect CDNs from misuse and attacks
• to be able to charge fees from Font Awesome Pro customers
• to find out the popularity of icons
• to know which computer and software you are using

If your browser does not allow web fonts, a standard font from your PC will be used automatically. As far as we are currently aware, no cookies are set. We are in contact with Font Awesome's data protection department and will let you know as soon as we find out more.

How long and where is the data stored?

Font Awesome stores data about the use of the Content Delivery Network on servers in the United States of America. However, the CDN servers are located worldwide and store user data wherever you are. The data is usually only stored in identifiable form for a few weeks. Aggregated statistics on the use of the CDNs can also be stored for longer. Personal data is not included here.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

To the best of our knowledge, Font Awesome does not store any personal data about the content delivery networks. If you do not want data about the icons used to be saved, you will unfortunately not be able to visit our website. If your browser does not allow web fonts, no data will be transferred or saved. In this case, your computer's default font will simply be used.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of Font Awesome, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data as it may occur during the collection by Font Awesome.

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

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. Data processing is essentially carried out by Font Awesome. This may result in data not being processed and stored in anonymised form. Furthermore, US government authorities may be able to access individual data. It is also possible that this data may be linked to data from other Font Awesome services with which you have a user account.

If you would like to find out more about Font Awesome and how they handle data, we recommend that you read their privacy policy at https://fontawesome.com/privacy and the help page at https://fontawesome.com/support.

Google Fonts Local Privacy Policy

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

What are Google Fonts?

Google Fonts used to also be called Google Web Fonts. This is an interactive directory with over 800 fonts that can be Google free of charge. With Google Fonts, you could use fonts without uploading them to your own server. However, in order to prevent any transfer of information to Google servers in this regard, we have downloaded the fonts to our server. In this way, we act in accordance with data protection regulations and do not send any data to Google Fonts.

Online map services Introduction

Online map services Privacy policy summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Improvement of the user experience 📓 Processed data: Which data is processed depends heavily on the services used. It is usually IP address, location data, search items and/or technical data. You can find more details on this in the respective tools used. 📅 Storage duration: depending on the tools used ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are online map services?

We also use online map services for our website as an extended service. Google Maps is probably the service you are most familiar with, but there are also other providers that specialise in creating digital maps. Such services make it possible to display locations, route plans or other geographical information directly via our website. With an integrated map service, you no longer have to leave our website to view the route to a location, for example. In order for the online map to work on our website, 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 integrated 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 map services on our website?

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

What data is stored by online map services?

When you open a page on our website that has a built-in online map function, personal data may be transmitted to the respective service and stored there. In most cases, this is 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 happens on their website. In order for the service to function properly, at least one cookie is usually set in your browser. Google Maps, for example, also uses cookies to record user behaviour in order to optimise its own service and display personalised 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 below in the relevant sections on the individual tools. In principle, personal data is only stored for as long as is necessary for the provision of the service. Google Maps, for example, stores certain data for a specified period of time, while you must delete other data yourself. With Mapbox, for example, the IP address is stored for 30 days and then deleted. 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 behaviour with the map service. You can find more general information on cookies in our "Cookies" section, but you can also find out which cookies may be used in the data protection texts of the individual providers. In most cases, however, this is only an exemplary list and is not complete.

Right of objection

You always have the possibility and also the right to access your personal data and also to object to its use and processing. You can also withdraw the consent you have given us at any time. As a rule, the easiest way to do this is 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 you use yourself with just a few mouse clicks. However, some functions of the service may then no longer work as usual. How you manage cookies in your browser also depends on the browser you are using. 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 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), this consent constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when it is collected by an online map service.

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

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

Google Maps privacy policy

Google Maps privacy policy summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Optimisation of our service performance 📓 Processed data: Data such as search terms entered, your IP address and also the latitude and longitude coordinates. You can find more details below in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage duration: depending on the stored data ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Google Maps?

We use Google Maps from Google Inc. on our website. Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services in Europe. Google Maps enables us to show you locations better and thus customise our service to your needs. By using Google Maps, data is transmitted to Google and stored on Google servers. We would now like to explain in more detail 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 for the exact location of cities, places of interest, accommodation or businesses online using a PC, tablet or app. If companies are represented on Google My Business, further information about the company is displayed in addition to the location. In order to display directions, 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 accurate representations are possible.

Why do we use Google Maps on our website?

All our endeavours 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 on various locations. You can see at a glance where we are based. The directions always show you the best or quickest way to reach us. You can call up the directions for routes by car, public transport, on foot or by bike. For us, providing Google Maps is part of our customer service.

What data is stored by Google Maps?

In order for Google Maps to be able to offer its full service, the company must collect and store 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 start address you enter is also saved. However, this data storage takes place on the Google Maps websites. We can only inform you about this, but cannot influence it. As we have integrated Google Maps into our website, Google sets at least one cookie (name: NID) in your browser. This cookie stores data about your user behaviour. Google uses this data primarily to optimise its own services and to provide you with individual, personalised advertising.

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

Name: NID
Value: 188=h26c1Ktha7fCQTx8rXgLyATyITJ112758325-5
Intended use: NID is used by Google to customise adverts to your Google searches. With the help of the cookie, Google "remembers" your most frequently entered search queries or your previous interaction with adverts. This means you always receive customised adverts. The cookie contains a unique ID that Google uses to collect your personal settings for advertising purposes.
Expiry date: after 6 months

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

How long and where is the data stored?

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

Google distributes the data on different data carriers. This means that the data can be accessed more quickly and is better protected against any attempts at manipulation. Each data centre also has special emergency programmes. If, for example, there are problems with the Google hardware or a natural disaster paralyses the servers, the data is almost certainly still protected.

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

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

With the automatic deletion function for location and activity data introduced in 2019, location and web/app activity information 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 from being recorded, you must pause the "Web and app activity" section in your Google account. Click on "Data and personalisation" and then on the "Activity settings" option. Here you can switch the activities on or off.

You can also deactivate, delete or manage individual cookies in your browser. Depending on which browser you use, this always works slightly differently. In the "Cookies" section, you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers.

If you generally do not want to have cookies, you can set up your browser so that it always informs you when a cookie is to be set. This allows you to 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) represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data as it may occur during the collection 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). Nevertheless, we only use Google Maps if you have given your consent.

Google also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Google is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Google also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Google undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: 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 find out 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.

Content search providers Introduction

Content search provider privacy policy summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Improvement of the user experience 📓 Processed data: Which data is processed depends heavily on the services used. It is usually IP address, search interests and/or technical data. You can find more details on this in the respective tools used. 📅 Storage duration: depending on the tools used ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is a content search provider?

We have already published a lot of content on our website. And of course we don't want it to be forgotten just because it can't be found. That's why we use a content search provider on our website. You are probably familiar with major search engines such as Google. A content search provider is basically also a search engine, but unlike Google, it does not search the entire web for content, but only the website you are on. You can use a text field to enter terms that match the content you are looking for and the search programme will find the desired articles for you. If you use the integrated search function, your personal data may also be processed.

Why do we use a content search provider?

If you take a look around our website, you will quickly realise how much useful content we have already published over the years. There are some real treasures and we want you to find them quickly without having to click around. With a content search function directly on our website, you can quickly and easily find the content you are looking for using keywords that match the topic you are searching for. This feature is really practical and we also see it as our task to make your life on our website as pleasant and helpful as possible. That is why we have decided to integrate a content search programme into our website.

What data is processed?

If you use the search function on our website, the integrated content search provider (such as Algolia Places or Giphy) may automatically receive and store data from you. This involves technical data about your browser as well as data such as your IP address, device ID and the search terms entered. Please note that IP addresses are personal data. The providers' privacy policies state that this information is collected and stored in order to increase security and improve their own services. The automatically collected usage data, which does not contain any personal data and is processed in anonymised form, can also be used for analysis purposes. Some providers also pass this anonymised data on to third parties. To find out more about this, we recommend that you read the specific data protection declarations of the individual providers carefully. In order for the services to function properly, cookies are usually also set in your browser. You can find out more about cookies in our general "Cookies" section. You can find out whether and which cookies the individual search tools use - if available - below or in the corresponding data protection declarations of the integrated tools.

How long and where is the data stored?

As a general rule, every content search provider processes different data. It is therefore not possible to go into the specific data processing of the individual tools in this general section. However, the services usually only store personal data for as long as this is necessary for the smooth functioning of the tools. Some services (such as Giphy) also store personal data for longer if this is necessary due to legal obligations. In depersonalised form, data is also stored for longer by most providers. Content search providers may also use cookies to store various data. You can find out more in our general section on cookies. If you want to know more about the specific cookies used by a search provider, we recommend that you read the privacy policies of the providers we use. You will usually find an exemplary list of the cookies used there.

Right of objection

Always be aware: if you do not want your personal data to be processed, it may not be processed. You always have the right to access your personal data and to object to its use. You can also withdraw your consent at any time using the cookie consent tool or other opt-out options. You can also easily manage, delete or deactivate the cookies used yourself via your browser. If you delete cookies, some of the tool's functions may no longer work. So please do not be surprised. How you manage cookies in your browser also depends on the browser you are using. 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 a content search provider, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), this consent constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when it is collected by a content search provider.

We also have a legitimate interest in using a content search provider to optimise our service on our website. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only ever use a content search provider if you have given your consent. We would like to emphasise this again at this point.

Information on specific content search providers - if available - can be found in the following sections.

Custom Google Search Privacy Policy

Custom Google Search Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Optimisation of our service performance 📓 Processed data: Data such as IP address and search terms entered are stored by Google You can find more details below in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage duration: the storage duration varies depending on the stored data ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Google Custom Search?

We have integrated the Google plug-in for customised searches on our website. Google is the largest and best-known search engine in the world and is operated by the US company Google Inc. Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for the European area. Through the customised Google search, data may be transferred from you to Google. In this privacy policy, we inform you why we use this plug-in, what data is processed and how you can manage or prevent this data transfer.

The plug-in for customised Google search is a Google search bar directly on our website. The search takes place as on www.google.com but the search results are focussed on our content and products or on a limited search group.

Why do we use customised Google search on our website?

A website with a lot of interesting content often becomes so large that you may lose track of it. Over time, we have also accumulated a lot of valuable material and as part of our service, we want you to find our content as quickly and easily as possible. The customised Google search makes finding interesting content a breeze. The built-in Google plug-in improves the overall quality of our website and makes searching easier for you.

What data is saved by the customised Google search?

The customised Google search only transfers data from you to Google if you actively use the Google search function built into our website. This means that only when you enter a search term in the search bar and then confirm this term (e.g. by clicking on "Enter") is your IP address sent to Google in addition to the search term, stored and processed there. Based on the cookies set (e.g. 1P_JAR), it can be assumed that Google also receives data on website usage. If you search for content during your visit to our website using the built-in Google search function and are logged in with your Google account at the same time, Google can also assign the data collected to your Google account. As the website operator, we have no influence on what Google does with the data collected or how Google processes the data.

The following cookies are set in your browser if you use the customised Google search and are not logged in with a Google account:

Name: 1P_JAR
Value: 2020-01-27-13112758325-5
Intended use: This cookie collects statistics on website usage and measures conversions. A conversion occurs, for example, when a user becomes a buyer. The cookie is also used to display relevant adverts to users.
Expiry date: after one month

Name: CONSENT
Value: WP.282f52112758325-9
Intended use: The cookie stores the status of a user's consent to the use of various Google services. CONSENT is also used for security purposes to check users and protect user data from unauthorised attacks.
Expiry date: after 18 years

Name: NID
Value: 196=pwIo3B5fHr-8
Intended use: NID is used by Google to customise advertisements to your Google searches. With the help of the cookie, Google "remembers" the search queries you have entered or your previous interaction with adverts. This means you always receive customised advertisements.
Expiry date: after 6 months

Remark: This list cannot claim to be exhaustive, as Google changes its choice of cookies from time to time.

How long and where is the data stored?

Google servers are located all over the world. As Google is an American company, most of the data is stored on American servers. Under https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/locations/?hl=de you can see exactly where the Google servers are located.
Your data is distributed on various physical data carriers. This means that the data can be accessed more quickly and is better protected against possible manipulation. Google also has appropriate emergency programmes for your data. For example, if there are internal technical problems at Google and servers stop working as a result, the risk of service interruption and data loss remains low.
Depending on the data in question, Google stores it for different lengths of time. You can delete some data yourself, others are automatically deleted or anonymised by Google. However, there is also data that Google stores for longer if this is necessary for legal or business reasons.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

Under European Union data protection law, you have the right to access, update, delete or restrict your data. There is some data that you can delete at any time. If you have a Google account, you can delete data about your web activity there or specify that it should be deleted after a certain period of time.
In your browser, you also have the option of deactivating or deleting cookies or managing them according to your wishes and preferences. In the "Cookies" section, you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers.

Legal basis

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

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

Google also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Google is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Google also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) 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 the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Google undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection 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: 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/

We hope we have been able to provide you with the most important information about data processing by Google. If you would like to find out more, we recommend Google's comprehensive privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

Explanation of terms used

We always endeavour to write our privacy policy as clearly and comprehensibly 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 terms (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, which we may not have sufficiently addressed in the previous privacy policy. If these terms have been taken from the GDPR and are definitions, we will also quote the GDPR texts here and add our own explanations if necessary.

Processor

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term:

"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 controllers, there may also be so-called processors. This includes any company or person who processes personal data on our behalf. In addition to service providers such as tax consultants, processors can therefore also be hosting or cloud providers, payment or newsletter providers or large companies such as Google or Microsoft.

Consent

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term:

"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 relating to him or her;

Explanation: As a rule, websites obtain this consent 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. In most cases, you can also make individual settings and thus decide for yourself which data processing you allow and which you do not. If you do not give your consent, your personal data may not be processed. In principle, consent can of course also be given in writing, i.e. not via a tool.

Personal data

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term:

"personal data" any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter referred to as "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 therefore all data that can identify you as a person. This is usually data such as

• Name
• Address
• E-mail address
• Postal address
• Telephone number
• Date of birth
• Identification numbers such as national insurance number, tax identification number, identity card number or matriculation number
• Bank data such as account number, credit information, account balances and much more.

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

• racial and ethnic origin
• political opinions
• Religious or ideological convictions
• trade union membership
• genetic data such as data taken from blood or saliva samples
• biometric data (i.e. information on psychological, physical or behavioural characteristics that can identify a person).
  Health data
• Data on sexual orientation or sexual life

Profiling

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term:

"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 collecting various pieces of information about a person in order to find out more about them. In the web sector, profiling is often used for advertising purposes or for credit checks. Web and advertising analysis programs, for example, collect data about your behaviour and interests on a website. This results in a special user profile that can be used to target advertising to a specific target group.

 

Person responsible

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term:

"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". An "order processing contract (AVV)" must be signed for this.

 

Processing

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term:

"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 combination, restriction, erasure or destruction;

Remark: 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.

Closing words

Congratulations! If you are reading this, you have really "fought" your way through our entire privacy policy, or at least scrolled this far. As you can see from the scope of our privacy policy, we take the protection of your personal data anything but lightly.
It is important to us to inform you to the best of our knowledge and belief about the processing of personal data. However, we not only want to tell you which data is processed, but also explain the reasons for using various software programmes. As a rule, privacy policies sound very technical and legal. However, as most of you are not web developers or lawyers, we wanted to take a different approach in terms of language and explain the facts in simple and clear language. Of course, this is not always possible due to the subject matter. Therefore, the most important terms are explained in more detail at the end of the privacy policy.
If you have any questions about data protection on our website, please do not hesitate to contact us or the responsible organisation. We wish you a pleasant time and hope to welcome you back to our website soon.

All texts are protected by copyright.

Source: Created with the Data protection generator from AdSimple