This privacy policy clarifies the nature, scope and purpose of the processing of personal data (hereinafter referred to as "data") within our online offer and the associated websites, functions and content as well as external online presences, such as our social media profile. (hereinafter collectively referred to as "online offer"). With regard to the terms used, such as "processing" or "controller", we refer to the definitions in Art. 4 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Types of data processed:
- Inventory data (e.g., names, addresses).
- Contact details (e.g., e-mail, telephone numbers).
- Content data (e.g., text entries, photographs, videos).
- Usage data (e.g., websites visited, interest in content, access times).
- Meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses).
Categories of affected persons
Visitors and users of the online offer (hereinafter we also refer to the data subjects collectively as "users").
Purpose of the processing
- Provision of the online offer, its functions and content.
- Answering contact requests and communicating with users.
- Safety measures.
- Reach measurement/marketing
Terminology used
"Personal data" means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter "data subject"); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier (e.g. cookie) or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person. "Processing" means any operation or set of operations which is performed on personal data or on sets of personal data, whether or not by automated means. The term is broad and covers practically any handling of data. The term "controller" refers to 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.
Relevant legal bases
In accordance with Art. 13 GDPR, we inform you of the legal basis of our data processing. If the legal basis is not stated in the privacy policy, the following applies:
The legal basis for obtaining consent is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a and Art. 7 GDPR, the legal basis for processing for the performance of our services and implementation of contractual measures as well as responding to inquiries is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR, the legal basis for processing to fulfil our legal obligations is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c GDPR, and the legal basis for processing to protect our legitimate interests is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. In the event that vital interests of the data subject or another natural person require the processing of personal data, Art. 6 para. 1 lit. d GDPR serves as the legal basis.
Cooperation with processors and third parties
If we disclose data to other persons and companies (processors or third parties) as part of our processing, transfer it to them or otherwise grant them access to the data, this will only be done on the basis of legal permission (e.g. if the transfer of data to third parties, such as payment service providers, is necessary for the performance of a contract pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR), you have consented, a legal obligation provides for this or on the basis of our legitimate interests (e.g. when using agents, web hosts, etc.). If we commission third parties with the processing of data on the basis of a so-called "order processing contract", this is done on the basis of Art. 28 GDPR.
Transfers to third countries
If we process data in a third country (i.e. outside the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA)) or if this occurs in the context of the use of third-party services or disclosure or transfer of data to third parties, this will only take place if it is done to fulfill our (pre)contractual obligations, on the basis of your consent, on the basis of a legal obligation or on the basis of our legitimate interests. Subject to legal or contractual permissions, we process or have the data processed in a third country only if the special requirements of Art. 44 et seq. GDPR are met. This means, for example, that the processing takes place on the basis of special guarantees, such as the officially recognized determination of a level of data protection corresponding to the EU (e.g. for the USA through the "Privacy Shield") or compliance with officially recognized special contractual obligations (so-called "standard contractual clauses").
Rights of the data subjects
You have the right to request confirmation as to whether the data in question is being processed and to request information about this data as well as further information and a copy of the data in accordance with Art. 15 GDPR. You have accordingly. Art. 16 GDPR, you have the right to request the completion of data concerning you or the rectification of inaccurate data concerning you. In accordance with Art. 17 GDPR, you have the right to demand that the data in question be deleted immediately or, alternatively, to demand that the processing of the data be restricted in accordance with Art. 18 GDPR. You have the right to request to receive the data concerning you that you have provided to us in accordance with Art. 20 GDPR and to request its transfer to other controllers. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority in accordance with Art. 77 GDPR.
Right of withdrawal
You have the right to withdraw your consent in accordance with Art. 7 (3) GDPR with effect for the future
Right of objection
You can object to the future processing of data concerning you at any time in accordance with Art. 21 GDPR. In particular, you may object to processing for direct marketing purposes.
Cookies and right to object to direct advertising
Cookies" are small files that are stored on users' computers. Different information can be stored within the cookies. A cookie is primarily used to store information about a user (or the device on which the cookie is stored) during or after their visit to an online service. Temporary cookies, or "session cookies" or "transient cookies", are cookies that are deleted after a user leaves an online service and closes their browser. The content of a shopping cart in an online store or a login status can be stored in such a cookie, for example. Cookies that remain stored even after the browser is closed are referred to as "permanent" or "persistent". For example, the login status can be saved if the user visits the website after several days. The interests of users can also be stored in such a cookie and used for reach measurement or marketing purposes. Cookies from providers other than the controller who operates the online service are offered as "third-party cookies" (otherwise, if they are only the controller's cookies, they are referred to as "first-party cookies"). We may use temporary and permanent cookies and explain this in our privacy policy. If users do not want cookies to be stored on their computer, they are asked to deactivate the corresponding option in the system settings of their browser. Stored cookies can be deleted in the system settings of the browser. The exclusion of cookies can lead to functional restrictions of this online offer. A general objection to the use of cookies used for online marketing purposes can be raised for a large number of services, especially in the case of tracking, via the US site http://www.aboutads.info/choices/ or the EU side http://www.youronlinechoices.com/ be explained. Furthermore, the storage of cookies can be achieved by deactivating them in the browser settings. Please note that you may then not be able to use all the functions of this website.
Deletion of data
The data processed by us will be deleted or its processing restricted in accordance with Art. 17 and 18 GDPR. Unless expressly stated in this privacy policy, the data stored by us will be deleted as soon as it is no longer required for its intended purpose and the deletion does not conflict with any statutory retention obligations. If the data is not deleted because it is required for other and legally permissible purposes, its processing will be restricted. This means that the data is blocked and not processed for other purposes. This applies, for example, to data that must be retained for commercial or tax law reasons. According to legal requirements in Germany, data is stored for 6 years in accordance with Section 257 (1) HGB (commercial books, inventories, opening balance sheets, annual financial statements, commercial letters, accounting vouchers, etc.) and for 10 years in accordance with Section 147 (1) AO (books, records, management reports, accounting vouchers, commercial and business letters, documents relevant for taxation, etc.).
Business-related processing
In addition, we process - contract data (e.g., subject matter of the contract, term, customer category). - Payment data (e.g., bank details, payment history) of our customers, interested parties and business partners for the purpose of providing contractual services, service and customer care, marketing, advertising and market research.
Collection of access data and log files
We, or our hosting provider, collect data on the basis of our legitimate interests within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR. GDPR, we collect data about every access to the server on which this service is located (so-called server log files). The access data includes the name of the website accessed, file, date and time of access, amount of data transferred, notification of successful access, browser type and version, the user's operating system, referrer URL (the previously visited page), IP address and the requesting provider. Log file information is stored for security reasons (e.g. to investigate misuse or fraud) for a maximum of 7 days and then deleted. Data whose further storage is required for evidentiary purposes is excluded from deletion until the respective incident has been finally clarified.
Provision of contractual services
We process inventory data (e.g., names and addresses as well as contact data of users), contract data (e.g., services used, names of contact persons, payment information) for the purpose of fulfilling our contractual obligations and services in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit b. GDPR. The entries marked as mandatory in online forms are required for the conclusion of the contract. As part of the use of our online services, we store the IP address and the time of the respective user action. This data is stored on the basis of our legitimate interests and those of the user in protection against misuse and other unauthorized use. This data is not passed on to third parties unless it is necessary to pursue our claims or there is a legal obligation to do so in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c GDPR. We process usage data (e.g. the websites visited on our online offering, interest in our products) and content data (e.g. entries in the contact form or user profile) for advertising purposes in a user profile, e.g. to display product information to users based on the services they have used to date. The data is deleted after the expiry of statutory warranty and comparable obligations; the necessity of storing the data is reviewed every three years; in the case of statutory archiving obligations, the data is deleted after their expiry. Information in any customer account remains until it is deleted.
Registration function
Users can optionally create a user account. As part of the registration process, users are provided with the required mandatory information. The data entered during registration will be used for the purposes of using the service. Users can be informed by e-mail about information relevant to the offer or registration, such as changes to the scope of the offer or technical circumstances. If users have terminated their user account, their data will be deleted with regard to the user account, subject to their retention is necessary for commercial or tax law reasons in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c GDPR. It is the responsibility of users to back up their data before the end of the contract in the event of termination. We are entitled to irretrievably delete all user data stored during the term of the contract. As part of the use of our registration and login functions as well as the use of the user account, we store the IP address and the time of the respective user action. This data is stored on the basis of our legitimate interests and those of the user in protection against misuse and other unauthorized use. This data is not passed on to third parties unless it is necessary to pursue our claims or there is a legal obligation to do so in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c GDPR. The IP addresses are anonymized or deleted after 7 days at the latest.
Contact us
When contacting us (e.g. by contact form, e-mail, telephone or via social media), the user's details are processed to process the contact request and its handling in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b) GDPR. The user's details may be stored in a customer relationship management system ("CRM system") or comparable inquiry organization. We delete the requests if they are no longer required. We review the necessity every two years; the statutory archiving obligations also apply.
Online presence in social media
We maintain online presences within social networks and platforms in order to communicate with the customers, interested parties and users active there and to inform them about our services. When accessing the respective networks and platforms, the terms and conditions and data processing guidelines of their respective operators apply. Unless otherwise stated in our privacy policy, we process users' data if they communicate with us within social networks and platforms, e.g. write posts on our online presences or send us messages.
Newsletter
With the following information we inform you about the contents of our newsletter as well as the registration, dispatch and statistical evaluation procedure and your rights of objection. By subscribing to our newsletter, you agree to receive it and to the procedures described. Content of the newsletter: We only send newsletters, emails and other electronic notifications with advertising information (hereinafter "newsletter") with the consent of the recipient or with legal permission. If the contents of the newsletter are specifically described when registering for the newsletter, they are decisive for the user's consent. Otherwise, our newsletters contain information about our services and us. Double opt-in and logging: Registration for our newsletter takes place in a so-called double opt-in procedure. This means that after registering, you will receive an email asking you to confirm your registration. This confirmation is necessary so that no-one can register with other people's e-mail addresses. Subscriptions to the newsletter are logged in order to be able to prove the registration process in accordance with legal requirements. This includes storing the time of registration and confirmation as well as the IP address. Changes to your data stored with the mailing service provider are also logged. Registration data: To register for the newsletter, it is sufficient to enter your e-mail address. Optionally, we ask you to provide a name so that we can address you personally in the newsletter. Germany: The newsletter and the associated performance measurement are sent on the basis of the recipient's consent in accordance with Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a, Art. 7 GDPR in conjunction with Section 7 Para. 2 No. 3 UWG or on the basis of legal permission in accordance with Section 7 Para. 3 UWG. The logging of the registration process is based on our legitimate interests pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. We are interested in using a user-friendly and secure newsletter system that serves both our business interests and the expectations of users and also allows us to provide proof of consent. Cancellation/revocation - You can cancel the receipt of our newsletter at any time, i.e. revoke your consent. You will find a link to unsubscribe from the newsletter at the end of each newsletter. We may store the unsubscribed e-mail addresses for up to three years on the basis of our legitimate interests before we delete them for the purpose of sending the newsletter in order to be able to prove that consent was previously given. The processing of this data is limited to the purpose of a possible defense against claims. An individual request for deletion is possible at any time, provided that the former existence of consent is confirmed at the same time.
Newsletter - Dispatch service provider
The newsletter is sent by the mailing service provider elasticEmail 30 Victoria Street, Gatineau, Quebec K1A 1H3 in Canada. You can view the privacy policy of the mailing service provider here: https://elasticemail.com/resources/usage-policies/privacy-policy/. The shipping service provider is used on the basis of our legitimate interests pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR and an order processing contract pursuant to Art. 28 para. 3 sentence 1 GDPR. The mailing service provider may use the recipients' data in pseudonymous form, i.e. without assigning it to a user, to optimize or improve its own services, e.g. to technically optimize the mailing and presentation of the newsletter or for statistical purposes. However, the mailing service provider does not use the data of our newsletter recipients to write to them itself or to pass the data on to third parties.
Newsletter - Measuring success
The newsletters contain a so-called "web-beacon", i.e. a pixel-sized file that is retrieved from our server when the newsletter is opened or, if we use a mailing service provider, from their server. As part of this retrieval, technical information, such as information about the browser and your system, as well as your IP address and the time of retrieval, is initially collected. This information is used for the technical improvement of the services based on the technical data or the target groups and their reading behavior based on their retrieval locations (which can be determined with the help of the IP address) or the access times. The statistical surveys also include determining whether the newsletters are opened, when they are opened and which links are clicked. For technical reasons, this information can be assigned to individual newsletter recipients. However, it is neither our intention nor, if used, that of the mailing service provider to observe individual users. The evaluations serve us much more to recognize the reading habits of our users and to adapt our content to them or to send different content according to the interests of our users.
Google Analytics
On the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in the analysis, optimization and economic operation of our online offer within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR), we use Google Analytics, a web analysis service provided by Google LLC ("Google"). GDPR) Google Analytics, a web analysis service of Google LLC ("Google"). Google uses cookies. The information generated by the cookie about the use of the online offer by the user is usually transmitted to a Google server in the USA and stored there. Google is certified under the Privacy Shield Agreement and thus offers a guarantee of compliance with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI&status=Active). Google will use this information on our behalf to evaluate the use of our online offer by users, to compile reports on the activities within this online offer and to provide us with further services associated with the use of this online offer and the use of the Internet. Pseudonymous user profiles can be created from the processed data. We only use Google Analytics with activated IP anonymization. This means that the IP address of users is shortened by Google within member states of the European Union or in other contracting states of the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be transmitted to a Google server in the USA and truncated there. The IP address transmitted by the user's browser will not be merged with other Google data. Users can prevent the storage of cookies by setting their browser software accordingly; users can also prevent the collection of data generated by the cookie and related to their use of the online offer to Google and the processing of this data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plugin available at the following link: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de. Further information on the use of data by Google, setting and objection options can be found on Google's websites: https://www.google.com/intl/de/policies/privacy/partners ("Data use by Google when you use our partners' websites or apps"), http://www.google.com/policies/technologies/ads ("Use of data for advertising purposes"), http://www.google.de/settings/ads ("Manage information that Google uses to show you advertising").
Google Re/Marketing Services
On the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in the analysis, optimization and economic operation of our online offer within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR), we use the marketing and remarketing services ("Google Marketing Services") of Google LLC. GDPR) the marketing and remarketing services ("Google Marketing Services" for short) of Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA, ("Google"). Google is certified under the Privacy Shield Agreement and thus offers a guarantee of compliance with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI&status=Active). Google marketing services allow us to display advertisements for and on our website in a more targeted manner in order to present users only with advertisements that potentially match their interests. If, for example, a user is shown ads for products that they have shown an interest in on other websites, this is referred to as "remarketing". For these purposes, when our and other websites on which Google marketing services are active are accessed, a code from Google is executed directly by Google and so-called (re)marketing tags (invisible graphics or code, also known as "web beacons") are integrated into the website. With their help, an individual cookie, i.e. a small file, is stored on the user's device (comparable technologies can also be used instead of cookies). The cookies can be set by various domains, including google.com, doubleclick.net, invitemedia.com, admeld.com, googlesyndication.com or googleadservices.com. This file records which websites the user has visited, what content they are interested in and which offers they have clicked on, as well as technical information about the browser and operating system, referring websites, time of visit and other information about the use of the online offer. The IP address of the user is also recorded, whereby we inform you in the context of Google Analytics that the IP address is shortened within member states of the European Union or in other contracting states of the Agreement on the European Economic Area and only in exceptional cases transmitted in full to a Google server in the USA and shortened there. The IP address is not merged with the user's data within other Google offers. Google may also combine the aforementioned information with such information from other sources. If the user subsequently visits other websites, they can be shown ads tailored to their interests. User data is processed pseudonymously as part of Google marketing services. This means that Google does not store and process the user's name or email address, for example, but processes the relevant data in relation to cookies within pseudonymous user profiles. This means that, from Google's perspective, the ads are not managed and displayed for a specifically identified person, but for the cookie owner, regardless of who this cookie owner is. This does not apply if a user has expressly allowed Google to process the data without this pseudonymization. The information collected by Google marketing services about users is transmitted to Google and stored on Google's servers in the USA. The Google marketing services we use include the online advertising program "Google AdWords". In the case of Google AdWords, each AdWords customer receives a different "conversion cookie". Cookies can therefore not be tracked via the websites of AdWords customers. The information collected with the help of the cookie is used to create conversion statistics for AdWords customers who have opted for conversion tracking. AdWords customers learn the total number of users who clicked on their ad and were redirected to a page with a conversion tracking tag. However, they do not receive any information that can be used to personally identify users. We can integrate third-party advertisements on the basis of the Google marketing service "AdSense". AdSense uses cookies that enable Google and its partner websites to place ads based on users' visits to this website or other websites on the Internet. We may also use the "Google Tag Manager" to integrate and manage Google analysis and marketing services on our website. You can find more information on the use of data for marketing purposes by Google on the overview page: https://www.google.com/policies/technologies/adsGoogle's privacy policy is available at https://www.google.com/policies/privacy available. If you wish to object to interest-based advertising by Google marketing services, you can use the settings and opt-out options provided by Google: http://www.google.com/ads/preferences.
Use of Facebook social plugins
On the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in the analysis, optimization and economic operation of our online offer within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR), we use social plugins ("plugins") of the social network facebook.com, which is operated by Facebook Ireland Ltd. GDPR) social plugins ("plugins") of the social network facebook.com, which is operated by Facebook Ireland Ltd, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland ("Facebook"). The plugins can display interaction elements or content (e.g. videos, graphics or text contributions) and are recognizable by one of the Facebook logos (white "f" on a blue tile, the terms "Like", "Gefällt mir" or a "thumbs up" sign) or are marked with the addition "Facebook Social Plugin". The list and appearance of Facebook social plugins can be viewed here: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins/. Facebook is certified under the Privacy Shield Agreement and thus offers a guarantee of compliance with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000GnywAAC&status=Active). When a user accesses a function of this online offering that contains such a plugin, their device establishes a direct connection with the Facebook servers. The content of the plugin is transmitted by Facebook directly to the user's device and integrated into the online offering. User profiles can be created from the processed data. We therefore have no influence on the scope of the data that Facebook collects with the help of this plugin and therefore inform users according to our level of knowledge. By integrating the plugins, Facebook receives the information that a user has accessed the corresponding page of the online offer. If the user is logged in to Facebook, Facebook can assign the visit to their Facebook account. If users interact with the plugins, for example by clicking the Like button or posting a comment, the corresponding information is transmitted directly from your device to Facebook and stored there. If a user is not a member of Facebook, it is still possible for Facebook to find out their IP address and store it. According to Facebook, only an anonymized IP address is stored in Germany. The purpose and scope of the data collection and the further processing and use of the data by Facebook, as well as the relevant rights and setting options for protecting the privacy of users, can be found in Facebook's data protection information: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/. If a user is a Facebook member and does not want Facebook to collect data about them via this online service and link it to their membership data stored on Facebook, they must log out of Facebook and delete their cookies before using our online service. Further settings and objections to the use of data for advertising purposes are possible within the Facebook profile settings: https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=ads or via the US-American site http://www.aboutads.info/choices/ or the EU side http://www.youronlinechoices.com/. The settings are platform-independent, i.e. they are applied to all devices, such as desktop computers or mobile devices.
Integration of third-party services and content
On the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in the analysis, optimization and economic operation of our online offer within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR), we use content or service offers from third-party providers within our online offer. GDPR), we use content or service offers from third-party providers to integrate their content and services, such as videos or fonts (hereinafter uniformly referred to as "content"). This always presupposes that the third-party providers of this content are aware of the IP address of the user, as they would not be able to send the content to their browser without the IP address. The IP address is therefore required to display this content. We endeavor to only use content whose respective providers only use the IP address to deliver the content. Third-party providers may also use so-called pixel tags (invisible graphics, also known as "web beacons") for statistical or marketing purposes. Pixel tags can be used to analyze information such as visitor traffic on the pages of this website. The pseudonymous information may also be stored in cookies on the user's device and may contain, among other things, technical information about the browser and operating system, referring websites, time of visit and other information about the use of our online offer, as well as being linked to such information from other sources.
Google Maps
We integrate the maps of the "Google Maps" service of the provider Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Privacy policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.
Google Fonts
We integrate the fonts ("Google Fonts") of the provider Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Privacy policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.