Introduction and Overview

We have drafted this Privacy Policy (Version October 27, 2021-311863829) to explain to you, in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and applicable national laws, which personal data (hereinafter referred to as data) we, as the controller – and the processors commissioned by us (e.g., providers) – process, will process in the future, and what legal options you have. The terms used are to be understood as gender-neutral.
In short: We comprehensively inform you about the data we process about you.

Privacy policies usually sound very technical and use legal jargon. This Privacy Policy, however, aims to describe the most important aspects to you as simply and transparently as possible. Where it promotes transparency, technical terms are explained in a user-friendly manner, links to further information are provided, and graphics are used. We thus inform you in clear and simple language that, in the course of our business activities, we only process personal data when there is a corresponding legal basis. This is certainly not possible if one provides concise, unclear, and legally technical explanations, as are often standard on the internet when it comes to data protection. We hope you find the following explanations interesting and informative, and perhaps there is some information you were not yet aware of.
If you still have questions, we kindly ask you to contact the responsible entity mentioned below or in the imprint, to follow the provided links, and to view further information on third-party sites. Our contact details can, of course, also be found in the imprint.

Scope

This Privacy Policy applies to all personal data processed by us within the 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 the name, email address, and postal address of an individual. The processing of personal data ensures that we can offer and bill for our services and products, whether online or offline. The scope of this Privacy Policy includes:

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

In short: The Privacy Policy applies to all areas where personal data is processed systematically within the company via the aforementioned channels. Should we enter into legal relationships with you outside of these channels, we will inform you separately if necessary.

Legal Bases

In the following Privacy Policy, we provide you with transparent information on the legal principles and regulations, i.e., the legal bases of the General Data Protection Regulation, which enable us to process personal data.
Regarding EU law, we refer to REGULATION (EU) 2016/679 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of April 27, 2016. You can, of course, read this EU General Data Protection Regulation online on EUR-Lex, the access to EU law, at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/DE/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32016R0679.

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

1. Consent (Article 6, paragraph 1, lit. a GDPR): You have given us your consent to process data for a specific purpose. An example would be the storage of your data entered into a contact form.
2. Contract (Article 6, paragraph 1, lit. b GDPR): To fulfill a contract or pre-contractual obligations with you, we process your data. For example, if we conclude a purchase agreement with you, we require personal information beforehand.
3. Legal Obligation (Article 6, paragraph 1, lit. c GDPR): If we are subject to a legal obligation, we process your data. For example, we are legally obliged to retain invoices for accounting purposes. These usually contain personal data.
4. Legitimate Interests (Article 6, paragraph 1, lit. 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 must process certain data to operate our website securely and economically efficiently. This processing is therefore a legitimate interest.

Other conditions such as the performance of tasks carried out in the public interest and the exercise of official authority, as well as the protection of vital interests, generally do not apply to us. Should such a legal basis nevertheless be relevant, it will be indicated at the appropriate place.

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

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

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

Contact Details of the Controller

Should you have any questions regarding data protection, you will find the contact details of the responsible person or entity below:
Bergermann Floristik GmbH
Markus Schmidt
Mittelweg 6 02736 Oppach Germany
Authorized representative: Markus Schmidt
Email: moos@moosmoos.de
Phone: +49 35872 3592-20
Imprint: https://www.moosmoos.de/impressum/

Data Retention Period

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

Should you request the deletion of your data or revoke your consent to data processing, the data will be deleted as quickly as possible, provided there is no obligation to store it.

We will inform you about the specific duration of the respective data processing further below, provided we have additional information.

Rights according to the General Data Protection Regulation

According to Article 13 GDPR, you have the following rights to ensure fair and transparent data processing:

• According to Article 15 GDPR, you have the 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 to be informed of the following:
  • the purposes for which we process the data;
  • 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 source of the data, if we did not collect it from you;
  • whether profiling is carried out, i.e., whether data is automatically evaluated to create a personal profile of you.
• According to Article 16 GDPR, you have the 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 deletion 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 further.
• According to Article 19 GDPR, you have the right to data portability, which means that we will provide you with your data in a common format upon request.
• According to Article 21 GDPR, you have a right to object, which, if exercised, entails a change in processing.
  • If the processing of your data is based on Article 6 (1) lit. e (public interest, exercise of official authority) or Article 6 (1) lit. f (legitimate interest), you can object to the processing. We will then examine as quickly as possible whether we can legally comply with 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.
• According to Article 22 GDPR, you have the right, in certain circumstances, not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing (e.g., profiling).

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

If you believe that the processing of your data violates data protection law or that your data protection rights have been infringed 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/. In Germany, there is a data protection officer for each federal state. For further information, you can contact the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI). For our company, the following local data protection authority is responsible:

Saxony Data Protection Authority

State Commissioner for Data Protection: Andreas Schurig
Address: Devrientstraße 5, 01067 Dresden
Phone: 03 51 / 85471-101
Email Address: saechsdsb@slt.sachsen.de
Website: https://www.saechsdsb.de/

Security of Data Processing

To protect personal data, we have implemented both technical and organizational measures. Where possible, we encrypt or pseudonymize personal data. This makes it as difficult as possible, within our capabilities, for third parties to infer personal information from our data.

Art. 25 GDPR refers here to “data protection by design and by default” and means that security is always considered for both software (e.g., forms) and hardware (e.g., access to the server room), and appropriate measures are implemented. In the following, we will elaborate on specific measures, if necessary.

TLS Encryption with HTTPS

TLS, encryption, and HTTPS sound very technical, and they are. We use HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, which stands for “secure hypertext transfer protocol”) to transmit data securely over the internet, preventing eavesdropping.
This means that the entire transmission of all data from your browser to our web server is secured – no one can “listen in”.

With this, we have introduced an additional layer of security and comply with data protection by design (Article 25, paragraph 1 GDPR). Through the use of TLS (Transport Layer Security), an encryption protocol for secure data transmission on the internet, we can ensure the protection of confidential data.
You can recognize the use of this data transmission security by the small padlock symbol in 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 would like to know more about encryption, we recommend searching Google for “Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure wiki” to find good links to further information.

Communication

Communication Summary 👥 Data Subjects: All who communicate with us via phone, email, or online form 📓 Processed Data: e.g., phone number, name, email address, entered form data. More details can be found under the respective contact method used 🤝 Purpose: Handling communication with customers, business partners, etc. 📅 Storage Duration: Duration of the business case and legal requirements ⚖️ Legal Bases: Art. 6 (1) lit. a GDPR (Consent), Art. 6 (1) lit. b GDPR (Contract), Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests)

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

The data is processed for the handling and processing of your inquiry and the associated business transaction. The data is stored for the duration of the business case or as long as required by law.

Data Subjects

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

Phone

If you call us, the call data will be pseudonymized and stored on the respective end device and by the telecommunications provider used. Furthermore, data such as name and phone number may subsequently be sent via email and stored for answering inquiries. The data will be deleted as soon as the business case has concluded and legal requirements permit.

e-mail

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

Online Forms

If you communicate with us via an online form, data will be stored on our web server and, if necessary, forwarded to one of our email addresses. The data will be deleted as soon as the business case has concluded and legal requirements permit.

Legal Bases

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

• Art. 6 (1) lit. a GDPR (Consent): You give us consent to store your data and to continue using it for purposes related to the business case;
• Art. 6 (1) lit. b GDPR (Contract): There is a necessity for the fulfillment of a contract with you or a processor, such as the telephone provider, or we must process the data for pre-contractual activities, such as the preparation of an offer;
• Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests): We aim to conduct customer inquiries and business communication in a professional manner. For this purpose, certain technical facilities such as email programs, Exchange servers, and mobile network operators are necessary to enable efficient communication.

Cookies

Cookies Summary 👥 Data Subjects: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: depends on the respective cookie. More details can be found below or with the software manufacturer that sets the cookie. 📓 Processed Data: Depends on the respective cookie used. More details can be found below or with the software manufacturer that sets the cookie. 📅 Storage Duration: depends on the respective cookie, can vary from hours to years ⚖️ Legal Bases: Art. 6 (1) lit. a GDPR (Consent), Art. 6 (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, to help you better understand the following privacy policy.

Whenever you browse 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 is undeniable: cookies are truly useful tools. Almost all websites use cookies. More precisely, they are HTTP cookies, as there are also other types of cookies for different applications. HTTP cookies are small files that are stored by our website on your computer. These cookie files are automatically placed in the cookie folder, essentially the “brain” of your browser. A cookie consists of a name and a value. When defining a cookie, one or more additional attributes must be specified.

Cookies store certain user data, such as language or personal page settings. When you revisit our site, your browser transmits the “user-related” information back to our site. Thanks to cookies, our website knows who you are and provides you with the settings you are accustomed 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 illustrates 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 then 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 site, while 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 expiration time of a cookie also varies from a few minutes to several years. Cookies are not software programs and do not contain viruses, Trojans, or other “malware.” Cookies also cannot access information on your PC.

For example, cookie data may look like this:

Name: _ga
Value: GA1.2.1326744211.152311863829-9
Purpose: Distinguishing website visitors
Expiration 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 specific cookies we use depend on the services utilized and will be clarified in the following sections of the privacy policy. At this point, we would like to briefly discuss the different types of HTTP cookies.

Four types of cookies can be distinguished:

Essential Cookies
These cookies are necessary to ensure basic website functionality. For example, these cookies are needed when a user adds a product to the shopping cart, then navigates to other pages, and only later proceeds to checkout. Thanks to these cookies, the shopping cart is not deleted, even if the user closes their browser window.

Performance Cookies
These cookies collect information about user behavior and whether the user receives any error messages. Additionally, these cookies are used to measure the loading time and behavior of the website across different browsers.

Preference Cookies
These cookies ensure better user-friendliness. For example, entered locations, font sizes, or form data are stored.

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

Typically, when you visit a website for the first time, you are asked which of these cookie types you wish 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://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6265, the Request for Comments from the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) named “HTTP State Management Mechanism.”

Purpose of Processing via Cookies

The purpose ultimately depends on the respective cookie. More details can be found below or with the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.

What Data Is Processed?

Cookies are small helpers for many different tasks. Unfortunately, it is not possible to generalize what data is stored in cookies, but we will inform you about the processed and stored data within the scope of the following privacy policy.

Storage Duration of Cookies

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

You also have control over the storage duration. You can manually delete all cookies at any time via your browser (see also “Right to Object” below). Furthermore, cookies based on consent will be deleted at the latest after the revocation of 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 to delete, deactivate, or partially allow cookies. For example, you can block third-party cookies but allow all other cookies.

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

Chrome: Delete, enable, and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

If you generally do not want cookies, you can configure your browser to always inform you when a cookie is about to be set. This way, you can decide for each individual cookie whether to allow it or not. The procedure varies depending on the browser. It is best to search for instructions on Google using terms like “delete cookies Chrome” or “disable cookies Chrome” if you are using a Chrome browser.

Legal Basis

Since 2009, there have been the so-called “Cookie Guidelines.” They stipulate that storing cookies requires your consent (Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR). However, within EU countries, there are still very different reactions to these guidelines. In Austria, however, this guideline was implemented in Section 96 (3) of the Telecommunications Act (TKG). In Germany, the cookie guidelines were not implemented as national law. Instead, this guideline was largely implemented in Section 15 (3) of the Telemedia Act (TMG).

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

Insofar as non-strictly necessary cookies are used, this only occurs with your consent. The legal basis in this respect is Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR.

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

Web Hosting

Web Hosting Summary 👥 Data Subjects: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Professional website hosting and operational security 📓 Processed Data: IP address, time of website visit, browser used, and other data. More details can be found below or with the respective web hosting provider. 📅 Storage Duration: Depends on the respective provider, but usually 2 weeks ⚖️ Legal Basis: Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (Legitimate Interests)

What Is Web Hosting?

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

If you want to view a website on a screen, you use a program called a web browser. You are probably familiar with some web browsers by name: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari.

This web browser must connect to another computer where the website’s code is stored: the web server. Operating a web server is a complex and demanding task, which is why it is usually handled by professional providers. These providers offer web hosting and thus ensure reliable and error-free storage of website data.

When the browser on your computer (desktop, laptop, 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 to ensure proper operation.

For illustration:

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 behavior to improve our offerings and, if necessary, for criminal prosecution or the assertion of claims

What Data Is Processed?

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

• the complete internet address (URL) of the accessed web page (e.g., https://www.examplewebsite.de/examplesubpage.html?tid=311863829)
• 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.examplesourcesite.de/fromwhereicame.html/)
• the hostname and IP address of the device from which access is made (e.g., COMPUTERNAME and 194.23.43.121)
• date and time
• in files, the so-called web server log files

How Long Is Data Stored?

As a rule, the aforementioned data is stored for two weeks and then automatically deleted. We do not pass on this data, but we cannot rule out that this data may be viewed by authorities in the event of unlawful conduct.

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

Legal Basis

The lawfulness of processing personal data within the scope of web hosting results from Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (safeguarding legitimate interests), because the use of professional hosting with a provider is necessary to present the company securely and user-friendly on the internet and, if necessary, to pursue attacks and claims arising therefrom.

As a rule, a data processing agreement exists between us and the hosting provider in accordance with Art. 28 et seq. GDPR, which ensures compliance with data protection and guarantees data security.

WordPress.com Privacy Policy

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

WordPress.com also processes data in the USA, among other places. We 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 can entail various risks for the lawfulness and security of data processing.

As a basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e., particularly in the USA) or for data transfer thereto, WordPress.com uses standard contractual clauses approved by the EU Commission (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). These clauses oblige WordPress.com to comply with the EU data protection level when processing relevant data even outside the EU. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the clauses, among other places, here: https://ec.europa.eu/germany/news/20210604-datentransfers-eu_de.

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

Google Analytics Privacy Policy

Google Analytics Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data Subjects: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimize the website offering. 📓 Processed Data: Access statistics, which include data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior, click behavior, and IP addresses. More details can be found further below in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage Duration: Depends on the properties used ⚖️ Legal Basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (Consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (Legitimate Interests)

What Is Google Analytics?

On our website, we use the analytics tracking tool Google Analytics (GA) from the American company Google Inc. For the European region, 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. For example, if you click a link, this action is stored in a cookie and sent to Google Analytics. With the help of the reports we receive from Google Analytics, we can better adapt our website and our service to your needs. In the following, we will go into more detail about the tracking tool and inform you primarily about what data is stored and how you can prevent this.

Google Analytics is a tracking tool used for analyzing our website’s traffic. For Google Analytics to function, a tracking code is embedded in our website’s code. When you visit our website, this code records various actions you perform on our site. 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 behavior. These reports may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Audience Reports: Through audience reports, we get to know our users better and understand more precisely who is interested in our service.
• Advertising Reports: Ad reports allow us to more easily analyze and improve our online advertising.
• Acquisition Reports: Acquisition reports provide us with helpful information on how to attract more people to our service.
• Behavior Reports: Here we learn how you interact with our website. We can track your path on our site and which links you click.
• Conversion Reports: A conversion is a process where you perform a desired action based on a marketing message. For example, when you change from being a mere website visitor to a buyer or newsletter subscriber. These reports help us understand how our marketing measures resonate with you. This way, we aim to increase our conversion rate.
• Real-time Reports: Here we always find out immediately what is happening on our website. For example, we can see how many users are currently reading this text.

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 achieve this goal.

The statistically analyzed data provides us with a clear picture of our website’s strengths and weaknesses. On the one hand, we can optimize our site so that interested individuals can find it more easily on Google. On the other hand, the data helps us to better understand you as a visitor. This allows us to know precisely what we need to improve on our website to offer you the best possible service. The data also enables us to implement our advertising and marketing measures more individually and cost-effectively. Ultimately, it only makes sense to present our products and services to people who are genuinely interested in them.

What data is stored by Google Analytics?

Google Analytics creates a random, unique ID using a tracking code, which is linked to your browser cookie. This allows Google Analytics to recognize you as a new user. The next time you visit our site, you will be recognized as a “returning” user. All collected data is stored together with this user ID. This is what makes it possible to evaluate pseudonymized user profiles.

To analyze our website with Google Analytics, a property ID must be inserted into the tracking code. The data is then stored in the corresponding property. For every newly created property, the Google Analytics 4 property is set by default. Alternatively, a Universal Analytics property can also be created. Depending on the property used, data is stored for different durations.

Your interactions on our website are measured using identifiers such as cookies and app instance IDs. Interactions are all types of actions you perform on our website. If you also use other Google systems (such as a Google account), data generated via Google Analytics can be linked with third-party cookies. Google does not share Google Analytics data unless we, as the website operator, approve it. Exceptions may occur if legally required.

The following cookies are used by Google Analytics:

Name: _ga
Value: 2.1326744211.152311863829-5
Purpose: By default, analytics.js uses the _ga cookie to store the user ID. It primarily serves to distinguish website visitors.
Expiration date: after 2 years

Name: _gid
Value: 2.1687193234.152311863829-1
Purpose: This cookie also serves to distinguish website visitors.
Expiration date: after 24 hours

Name: _gat_gtag_UA_Value: 1
Purpose: Used to throttle the request rate. If Google Analytics is provided via Google Tag Manager, this cookie is named _dc_gtm_.
Expiration date: after 1 minute

Name: AMP_TOKEN
Value: not specified
Purpose: The cookie contains a token that can be used to retrieve a user ID from the AMP Client ID service. Other possible values indicate a logout, a request, or an error.
Expiration date: after 30 seconds up to one year

Name: __utma
Value: 1564498958.1564498958.1564498958.1
Purpose: This cookie allows tracking your behavior on the website and measuring performance. The cookie is updated every time information is sent to Google Analytics.
Expiration date: after 2 years

Name: __utmt
Value: 1
Purpose: This cookie is used, like _gat_gtag_UA_, to throttle the request rate.
Expiration date: after 10 minutes

Name: __utmb
Value: 3.10.1564498958
Purpose: This cookie is used to determine new sessions. It is updated every time new data or information is sent to Google Analytics.
Expiration date: after 30 minutes

Name: __utmc
Value: 167421564
Purpose: This cookie is used to define new sessions for returning visitors. It is a session cookie and is only stored until you close the browser.
Expiration date: After closing the browser

Name: __utmz
Value: m|utmccn=(referral)|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/
Purpose: This cookie is used to identify the source of visitor traffic on our website. This means the cookie stores where you came to our website from. This could have been another page or an advertisement.
Expiration date: after 6 months

Name: __utmv
Value: not specified
Purpose: This cookie is used to store custom user data. It is always updated when information is sent to Google Analytics.
Expiration date: after 2 years

Note: This list cannot claim to be exhaustive, as Google frequently changes its choice of cookies.

Here we provide an overview of the most important data collected with Google Analytics:

Heatmaps: Google creates so-called heatmaps. Heatmaps show exactly which areas you click on. This gives us information about where you are “navigating” 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 automatically ends.

Bounce Rate (Eng. Bouncerate): A bounce occurs when you view only one page on our website and then leave our website again.

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

IP Address: The IP address is only displayed in abbreviated form, so that no unique assignment is possible.

Location: The country and your approximate location can be determined via the IP address. This process is also referred to as IP geolocation.

Technical Information: Technical information includes, among other things, your browser type, your internet service provider, or your screen resolution.

Source: Google Analytics, and naturally we, are also interested in which website or advertisement led you to our site.

Further data includes contact details, any ratings, media playback (e.g., when you play a video via our site), sharing content via social media, or adding to your favorites. This list is not exhaustive and serves only as a general orientation regarding data storage by Google Analytics.

How long and where is the data stored?

Google has its servers distributed worldwide. Most servers are located in America, and consequently, your data is mostly stored on American servers. You can read exactly where Google’s data centers are located here: https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/inside/locations/?hl=de

Your data is distributed across various physical data carriers. This has the advantage that the data can be retrieved faster and is better protected against manipulation. Each Google data center has corresponding emergency programs for your data. For example, if Google’s hardware fails or natural disasters cripple servers, the risk of service interruption at Google remains low.

The data retention period depends on the properties used. When using the newer Google Analytics 4 properties, the retention period for your user data is fixed at 14 months. For other so-called event data, we have the option to choose a retention period of 2 months or 14 months.

For Universal Analytics properties, Google Analytics has a standardized retention period for your user data of 26 months. After this, your user data will be deleted. However, we have the option to choose the retention period for usage data ourselves. Five options are available to us:

• Deletion after 14 months
• Deletion after 26 months
• Deletion after 38 months
• Deletion after 50 months
• No automatic deletion

Additionally, there is also the option that data will only be deleted if you no longer visit our website within the period we have chosen. In this case, the retention period is reset each time you revisit our website within the specified period.

Once the specified period has expired, 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 a fusion of individual data into a larger unit.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

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

If you generally wish to deactivate, delete, or manage cookies (independently of Google Analytics), there are separate instructions for each browser:

Chrome: Delete, enable, and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

Legal Basis

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

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analyzing the behavior of website visitors to technically and economically improve our offering. With the help of Google Analytics, we can identify website errors, detect attacks, and enhance economic 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. 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 can entail various risks for the lawfulness and security of data processing.

As a basis for data processing by recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e., particularly in the USA) or for data transfer to such countries, Google uses so-called Standard Contractual Clauses (= Art. 46 para. 2 and 3 GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) are model templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even when transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Google commits to adhering to the European data protection level 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 by the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding Standard Contractual Clauses, among other places, here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Google Ads Data Processing Terms, which correspond to the Standard Contractual Clauses and also apply to Google Analytics, can be found at https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms/.

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

Email Marketing

Email Marketing Summary 👥 Data Subjects: Newsletter subscribers 🤝 Purpose: Direct marketing via email, notification of system-relevant events 📓 Processed Data: Data entered during registration, but at least the email address. More details can be found with the respective email marketing tool used. 📅 Storage Duration: Duration of the subscription ⚖️ Legal Bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests)

What is Email Marketing?

To keep you constantly informed, we also utilize email marketing. In doing so, if you have consented to receive 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 via email to a specific group of people who are interested in them.

If you wish to participate in our email marketing (mostly via newsletter), you usually only need to register with your email address. To do this, you fill out an online form and submit it. However, it may also happen that we ask you for your title and name so that we can address you personally.

Basically, subscribing to 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 email via which you confirm the newsletter registration. This ensures that the email address belongs to you and that no one has registered with a third-party email address. We or a notification tool used by us log every single registration. This is necessary so that we can also prove the legally correct registration process. As a rule, the time of registration, the time of registration confirmation and your IP address are stored. 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 present you with the most important news about our company. For this, we use, among other things, email marketing – often also referred to as just “newsletter” – as an essential component of our online marketing. Provided that you agree to this or it is permitted by law, we will send you newsletters, system emails or other notifications by email. When we use the term “newsletter” in the following text, we mainly mean regularly sent emails. Of course, we do not want to bother you in any way with our newsletters. That is why we really always strive to offer only relevant and interesting content. For example, you can find out more about our company, our services or products. Since we are always improving our offers, you will also always find out via our newsletter when there is news or we are currently offering special, lucrative promotions. If we commission a service provider that 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 get closer to our business goals.

Which data is processed?

If you become a subscriber to our newsletter via our website, you confirm your membership in an email list by email. In addition to the IP address and email address, your title, name, address and telephone number can also be stored. However, only if you agree to this data storage. The data marked as such is necessary so that you can participate in the offered service. The information is voluntary, but failure to provide it will mean that you will not be able to use the service. In addition, information about your device or your preferred 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 email address from our email/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 your former consent. 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 deletion request at any time. If you permanently object to the consent, we reserve the right to store your email address in a block list. As long as you have voluntarily subscribed to our newsletter, we will of course also keep your email address.

Right of objection

You have the option to cancel your newsletter subscription at any time. To do this, you only need to revoke your consent to the newsletter subscription. This usually only takes a few seconds or one or two clicks. Most of the time you will find a link directly at the end of each email to cancel the newsletter subscription. If the link cannot be found in the newsletter, please contact us by email and we will cancel your newsletter subscription immediately.

Legal basis

Our newsletter is sent on the basis of your consent (Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. a GDPR). This means that we may only send you a newsletter if you have actively registered for it beforehand. If necessary, we can also send you advertising messages on the basis of § 7 paragraph 3 UWG, provided that you have become our customer and have not objected to the use of your email address for direct advertising.

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

MailChimp Privacy Policy

MailChimp Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected: Newsletter subscribers 🤝 Purpose: Direct advertising by email, notification of system-relevant events 📓 Processed data: Data entered during registration, but at least the email address. 📅 Storage period: Duration of the subscription ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is MailChimp?

Like many other websites, we also use the services of the newsletter company MailChimp on our website. The operator of MailChimp is The Rocket Science Group, LLC, 675 Ponce de Leon Ave NE, Suite 5000, Atlanta, GA 30308 USA. Thanks to MailChimp, we can easily send you interesting news via newsletter. With MailChimp, we don’t have to install anything and can still draw from a pool of really useful functions. In the following, we will go into more detail about this email marketing service and inform you about the most important data protection-relevant aspects.

MailChimp is a cloud-based newsletter management service. “Cloud-based” means that we do not have to install MailChimp on our own computer or server. Instead, we use the service via an IT infrastructure – which is available via the Internet – on an external server. This way of using software is also called SaaS (Software as a Service). The following graphic shows schematically how MailChimp distributes emails to newsletter recipients.

With MailChimp, we can choose from a wide range of different email types. Depending on what we want to achieve with our newsletter, we can carry out individual campaigns, regular campaigns, autoresponders (automatic emails), A/B tests, RSS campaigns (sending at a predefined time and frequency) and follow-up campaigns.

Why do we use MailChimp on our website?

Basically, we use a newsletter service so that we can stay in contact with you. We want to tell you what’s new with us or what attractive offers we currently have in our program. For our marketing measures, we are always looking for the simplest and best solutions. And for this reason, we have also decided on the newsletter management service from MailChimp. Although the software is very easy to use, it offers a large number of helpful features. This allows us to create interesting and beautiful newsletters in a short time. Thanks to the design templates offered, we design each newsletter individually and thanks to the “Responsive Design”, our content is also displayed legibly and beautifully on your smartphone (or other mobile devices).

Through tools such as the A/B test or the extensive analysis options, we can see very quickly how our newsletters are received by you. This allows us to react if necessary and improve our offer or our services.

Another advantage is the “cloud system” of MailChimp. The data is not stored and processed directly on our server. We can retrieve the data from external servers and thus save our storage space. In addition, the maintenance effort is significantly reduced.

Which data is stored by MailChimp?

The Rocket Science Group LLC (MailChimp) maintains online platforms that enable us to contact you (if you have subscribed to our newsletter). If you become a subscriber to our newsletter via our website, you confirm your membership in an email list from MailChimp by email. So that MailChimp can also prove that you have registered in the “list provider”, the date of registration and your IP address are stored. MailChimp also stores your email address, your name, physical address and demographic information, such as language or location.

This information is used to send you emails and enable certain other MailChimp functions (such as evaluating the newsletter).

MailChimp also shares information with third-party providers to provide better services. MailChimp also shares some data with third-party advertising partners to better understand the interests and concerns of its customers so that more relevant content and targeted advertising can be provided.

Through so-called “web beacons” (these are small graphics in HTML emails), MailChimp can determine whether the email has arrived, whether it has been opened and whether links have been clicked. All this information is stored on the MailChimp servers. This gives us statistical evaluations and we can see exactly how well our newsletter was received by you. In this way, we can adapt our offer much better to your wishes and improve our service.

MailChimp may also use this data to improve its own service. This allows, for example, the dispatch to be technically optimized or the location (the country) of the recipients to be determined.

The following cookies can be set by MailChimp. This is not a complete cookie list, but rather an exemplary selection:

Name: AVESTA_ENVIRONMENT
Value: Prod
Purpose: This cookie is necessary to provide the Mailchimp services. It is always set when a user registers for a newsletter mailing list.
Expiration date: after the end of the session

Name: ak_bmsc
Value: F1766FA98C9BB9DE4A39F70A9E5EEAB55F6517348A7000001311863829-3
Purpose: The cookie is used to distinguish a human from a bot. This allows secure reports to be created about the use of a website.
Expiration date: after 2 hours

Name: bm_sv
Value: A5A322305B4401C2451FC22FFF547486~FEsKGvX8eovCwTeFTzb8//I3ak2Au…
Purpose: The cookie is from MasterPass Digital Wallet (a MasterCard service) and is used to offer a visitor a virtual payment process safely and easily. For this purpose, the user is anonymously identified on the website.
Expiration date: after 2 hours

Name: _abck
Value: 8D545C8CCA4C3A50579014C449B045311863829-9
Purpose: We were unable to find out any further information about the purpose of this cookie
Expiration date: after one year

Sometimes it can happen that you open our newsletter via a specified link for better presentation. This is the case, for example, if your email program does not work or the newsletter is not displayed properly. The newsletter is then displayed via a website from MailChimp. MailChimp also uses cookies (small text files that store data on your browser) on its own websites. Personal data can be processed by MailChimp and its partners (e.g. Google Analytics). This data collection is the responsibility of MailChimp and we have no influence on it. In the “Cookie Statement” from MailChimp (under: https://mailchimp.com/legal/cookies/) you can find out exactly how and why the company uses cookies.

How long and where is the data stored?

Since MailChimp is an American company, all collected data is also stored on American servers.

Basically, the data remains permanently stored on the MailChimp servers and is only deleted when a request is made by you. You can have your contact deleted with us. This permanently removes all your personal data for us and anonymizes you in the MailChimp reports. However, you can also request the deletion of your data directly from MailChimp. Then all your data will be removed there and we will receive a notification from MailChimp. After we receive the email, we have 30 days to delete your contact from all connected integrations.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You can withdraw your consent to receive our newsletter at any time within the received email by clicking on the link in the lower area. If you have unsubscribed by clicking on the unsubscribe link, your data will be deleted from MailChimp.

If you reach a website of MailChimp via a link in our newsletter and cookies are set in your browser, you can delete or deactivate these cookies at any time.

Depending on the browser, deactivating or deleting works a little differently. The following instructions show how to manage cookies in your browser:

Chrome: Delete, activate and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

If you generally do not want to have any 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 allow it or not.

Legal basis

Our newsletter is sent by MailChimp on the basis of your consent (Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. a GDPR). This means that we may only send you a newsletter if you have actively registered for it beforehand. If consent is not necessary, the newsletter is sent on the basis of the legitimate interest in direct marketing (Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. f), provided that this is legally permitted. We record your registration process so that we can always prove that it complies with our laws.

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

As a basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. especially in the USA) or a data transfer there, MailChimp uses standard contractual clauses approved by the EU Commission (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR). These clauses oblige MailChimp to comply with the EU data protection level when processing relevant data even outside the EU. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the clauses, among other things, here: https://ec.europa.eu/germany/news/20210604-datentransfers-eu_de.

You can find out more about the use of cookies at MailChimp at https://mailchimp.com/legal/cookies/, information on data protection at MailChimp (Privacy) can be found at https://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy/.

Google Ads (Google AdWords) Conversion Tracking Privacy Policy

Google Ads (Google AdWords) Conversion Tracking Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Economic success and optimization of our service. 📓 Processed data: Access statistics containing data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior, click behavior and IP addresses. Personal data such as name or email address may also be processed. 📅 Storage period: Conversion cookies usually expire after 30 days and do not transmit any personal data ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit.f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Google Ads Conversion Tracking?

We use Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) as an online marketing measure to advertise our products and services. We want to draw more people’s attention to the high quality of our offers on the Internet. As part of our advertising measures through Google Ads, we use conversion tracking from Google Inc. on our website. However, in Europe, Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services. With the help of this free tracking tool, we can better adapt our advertising offer to your interests and needs. In the following article, we will go into more detail about why we use conversion tracking, what data is stored and how you can prevent this data storage.

Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) is the in-house online advertising system of Google Inc. We are convinced of the quality of our offer and want as many people as possible to get to know our website. Google Ads offers the best platform for this in the online area. Of course, we also want to gain an accurate overview of the cost-benefit factor of our advertising campaigns. That’s why we use the conversion tracking tool from Google Ads.

But what is a conversion actually? A conversion occurs when you go from being a purely interested website visitor to an acting visitor. This always happens when you click on our ad and then perform another action, such as visiting our website. With the conversion tracking tool from Google, we record what happens after a user clicks on our Google Ads ad. For example, we can see whether products are purchased, services are used or whether users have signed up for our newsletter.

Why do we use Google Ads Conversion Tracking on our website?

We use Google Ads to draw attention to our offer on other websites. The aim is that our advertising campaigns really only reach those people who are interested in our offers. With the Conversion Tracking Tool, we can see which keywords, ads, ad groups and campaigns lead to the desired customer actions. We see how many customers interact with our ads on a device and then perform a conversion. Through this data, we can calculate our cost-benefit factor, measure the success of individual advertising measures and consequently optimize our online marketing measures. We can also use the data obtained to make our website more interesting for you and adapt our advertising offer even more individually to your needs.

What data is stored with Google Ads Conversion Tracking?

We have integrated a conversion tracking tag or code snippet on our website in order to be able to better analyze certain user actions. If you now click on one of our Google Ads ads, the “Conversion” cookie from a Google domain will be stored on your computer (usually in the browser) or mobile device. Cookies are small text files that store information on your computer.

Here is the data of the most important cookies for conversion tracking from Google:

Name: Conversion
Value: EhMI_aySuoyv4gIVled3Ch0llweVGAEgt-mr6aXd7dYlSAGQ311863829-3
Purpose: This cookie stores every conversion you make on our site after you have come to us via a Google Ad.
Expiration date: after 3 months

Name: _gac
Value: 1.1558695989.EAIaIQobChMIiOmEgYO04gIVj5AYCh2CBAPrEAAYASAAEgIYQfD_BwE
Purpose: This is a classic Google Analytics cookie and is used to record various actions on our website.
Expiration date: after 3 months

Note: The cookie _gac only appears in connection with Google Analytics. The above list does not claim to be complete, as Google also uses other cookies for analytical evaluation.

As soon as you complete an action on our website, Google recognizes the cookie and stores your action as a so-called conversion. As long as you surf on our website and the cookie has not yet expired, we and Google recognize that you have found us via our Google Ads ad. The cookie is read and sent back to Google Ads with the conversion data. It is also possible that other cookies are used to measure conversions. The conversion tracking of Google Ads can be refined and improved with the help of Google Analytics. For ads that Google displays in various places on the web, cookies with the name “__gads” or “_gac” may be set under our domain. Since September 2017, various campaign information from analytics.js has been stored with the _gac cookie. The cookie stores this data as soon as you visit one of our pages for which automatic tag identification from Google Ads has been set up. In contrast to cookies that are set for Google domains, Google can only read these conversion cookies when you are on our website. We do not collect or receive any personal data. We receive a report from Google with statistical evaluations. For example, we learn the total number of users who clicked on our ad and we see which advertising measures were well received.

How long and where is the data stored?

At this point, we would like to point out that we have no influence on how Google uses the collected data. According to Google, the data is encrypted and stored on secure servers. In most cases, conversion cookies expire after 30 days and do not transmit any personal data. The cookies with the name “Conversion” and “_gac” (which is used in connection with Google Analytics) have an expiration date of 3 months.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You have the option not to participate in conversion tracking from Google Ads. If you deactivate the cookie of Google Conversion Tracking via your browser, you block the conversion tracking. In this case, you will not be included in the statistics of the tracking tool. You can change the cookie settings in your browser at any time. This works a little differently for each browser. Here you will find instructions on how to manage cookies in your browser:

Chrome: Delete, activate and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

If you generally do not want to have any 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 allow the cookie or not. By downloading and installing this browser plug-in at https://support.google.com/ads/answer/7395996, all “advertising cookies” are also deactivated. Keep in mind that by deactivating these cookies, you do not prevent the advertisements, but only the personalized advertising.

Legal basis

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

From our side, there is also a legitimate interest in using Google Ads Conversion Tracking to optimize our online service and our marketing measures. The corresponding legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests) . We only use Google Ads Conversion Tracking if you have given your consent.

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

As a basis for data processing at recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. especially in the USA) or a data transfer to these countries, Google uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. para. 2 and 3 GDPR). Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are model templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data also complies with European data protection standards when it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Google undertakes to comply with the European data protection level 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, among other things, here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The data processing conditions for Google advertising products (Google Ads Controller-Controller Data Protection Terms), which correspond to the standard contractual clauses and also apply to Google Ads, can be found at https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms/.

If you would like to learn more about data protection at Google, we recommend Google’s general privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

Blogs and publication media

Blogs and Publication Media Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Presentation and optimization of our service as well as communication between website visitors, security measures and administration 📓 Processed data: Data such as contact details, IP address and published content. More details can be found in the tools used. 📅 Storage period: depending on the tools used ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests), Art. 6 para. 1 p. 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. Data from you may also be stored and processed by us. This may be necessary so that we can display content accordingly, the communication works and security is increased. In our privacy policy text, we generally go into which data from you can be processed. Exact information on data processing always depends on the tools and functions used. In the data protection information of the individual providers you will find detailed information about the data processing.

Why do we use blogs and publication media?

Our biggest concern with our website is to offer you interesting and exciting content and at the same time your opinions and content are important to us. That’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 posts yourself.

What data is processed?

Which data is processed exactly always depends on the communication functions we use. Very often, IP address, username and the published content are stored. This happens primarily to ensure security, prevent spam and 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 details about 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, provided we have further information on this. For example, post and comment functions store data until you revoke the data storage. In general, personal data is only stored for as long as it is absolutely necessary for the provision of our services.

Right to object

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

Since cookies can also be used in publication media, we also recommend our general privacy policy on cookies. To find out exactly which data about you is stored and processed, you should read the privacy statements 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 to process contractual relationships or initiate them, the legal basis is also Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. b. GDPR.

Certain processing, in particular the use of cookies and the use of comment or message functions, requires your consent. If and to the extent that you have consented to the processing and storage of data from you by integrated publication media, this consent shall be deemed 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. Therefore, we recommend that you read our privacy policy on cookies carefully and view the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

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

BorlabsCookie privacy policy

We use BorlabsCookie on our website, which is, among other things, a tool for storing your cookie consent. The service provider is the German company Borlabs – Benjamin A. Bornschein, Rübenkamp 32, 22305 Hamburg, Germany. You can find out more about the data processed through the use of BorlabsCookie in the Privacy Policy at https://de.borlabs.io/datenschutz/.

Social Media

Social Media Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Presentation and optimization of our service, contact with visitors, interested parties, etc., advertising 📓 Processed data: Data such as telephone numbers, email addresses, contact details, data on user behavior, information about your device and your IP address. More details can be found in the respective social media tool used. 📅 Storage period: 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. Data from users may be processed so that we can specifically target users who are interested in us via social networks. In addition, elements of a social media platform can also be embedded directly into our website. This is the case, for example, when you click on a so-called social button on our website and are forwarded directly to our social media presence. Social media are websites and apps through which registered members produce content, exchange content openly or in specific groups, and network with other members.

Why do we use social media?

For years, social media platforms have been the place where people communicate and connect 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 quickly and easily switch to our social media content.

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

We generally assume that we remain responsible 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 a corresponding agreement. The main points of the agreement are then reproduced further below for the platform in question.

Please note that when using social media platforms or our integrated 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 no longer be able to easily assert or enforce your rights with regard to your personal data.

Which data is processed?

The exact data that 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 into a contact form, user data such as which buttons you click, who you like or follow, when you visited which pages, information about your device and your IP address. Most of this data is stored in cookies. Especially if you have a profile with the social media channel you are visiting and are logged in, data can be linked to your profile.

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

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

Duration of data processing

We will inform you about the duration of data processing further below, provided we have further information on this. For example, the social media platform Facebook stores data until it is no longer required for its own purpose. However, customer data that is compared with its 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 it is required by law, as is the case with accounting, for example, this storage period may also be exceeded.

Right of objection

You also have the right and the option to revoke 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 the cookies in your browser.

Since cookies may be used in social media tools, we also recommend that you read our general data protection declaration on cookies. To find out exactly which data about you is stored and processed, you should read the data protection declarations of the respective tools.

Legal basis

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

Information on special social media platforms can be found – if available – in the following sections.

Facebook Privacy Policy

Facebook Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service 📓 Processed data: Data such as customer data, data on user behavior, information about your device and your IP address. More details can be found below in the privacy policy. 📅 Storage period: until the data is no longer useful for Facebook’s purposes ⚖️ Legal bases: 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 Facebook Ireland Ltd., 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 about you is collected and forwarded via our embedded Facebook elements or via our Facebook page (fan page), both we and Facebook Ireland Ltd. are responsible for this. Facebook alone is responsible for the further processing of this data. Our joint obligations have also been enshrined in a publicly accessible agreement at https://www.facebook.com/legal/controller_addendum. This states, for example, that we must clearly inform you about the use of Facebook tools on our site. We are also responsible for ensuring that the tools are integrated into our website in a data protection-compliant manner. 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 direct the question to us, we are obliged to forward it to Facebook.

In the following, we provide an overview of the various Facebook tools, which 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 name of Facebook. However, as the term is hardly known, we have decided to simply call them Facebook tools. These include:

• 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 expands 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. With the help of advertisements (Facebook Ads), we can reach exactly these people. However, in order for users to be shown suitable advertising, Facebook needs information about people’s wishes and needs. This provides the company with information about user behavior (and contact details) on our website. This allows Facebook to collect better user data and display suitable advertising about our products and services to interested people. The tools thus enable tailor-made advertising campaigns on Facebook.

Facebook calls data about your behavior 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 optimize 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.

Which data is stored by Facebook tools?

Through the use of 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 can 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, a so-called “hashing” takes place. This means that a data set of any size is transformed into a string of characters. This also serves to encrypt data.

In addition to the contact details, “event data” is also transmitted. “Event data” refers to the information that 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 received with third-party providers (such as advertisers) unless the company has explicit permission or is legally obliged to do so. “Event data” can also be linked to contact details. This allows Facebook to offer better personalized advertising. After the aforementioned matching process, Facebook deletes the contact details again.

In order to be able to deliver advertisements in an optimized manner, Facebook only uses the event data if it has been combined with other data (which was 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 depending on whether you are a Facebook member, different numbers of cookies are created in your browser. In the descriptions of the individual Facebook tools, we go into more detail about individual Facebook cookies. General information about the use of Facebook cookies can also be found 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 required 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 matched with its 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.

A complete deletion of the data only takes place if you completely delete your Facebook account. And this is how deleting your Facebook account works:

1) Click on Settings on the right of Facebook.

2) Then click on “Your Facebook information” in the left 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 “Continue” and then on “Delete account”

The storage of data that Facebook receives via our site takes place, among other things, via cookies (e.g. for social plugins). In your browser, you can deactivate, delete or manage individual or all cookies. Depending on which browser you use, this works in different ways. The following instructions show how to manage cookies in your browser:

Chrome: Delete, activate and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

If you generally do not want to have any 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 whether to allow it or not for each individual cookie.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the processing and storage of your data by integrated Facebook tools, this consent applies as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data will also be stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the tools if you have given your consent. Most social media platforms also place cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text on cookies carefully and view the data protection declaration or cookie guidelines of Facebook.

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

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

The Facebook Data Processing Terms, which comply with 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 Facebook tools. If you would like to learn more about how Facebook uses your data, we recommend reviewing the data policies at https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/update.

Instagram Privacy Policy

Instagram Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data Subjects: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Optimizing our services 📓 Processed Data: Data such as user behavior data, information about your device, and your IP address. More details can be found further down in the privacy policy. 📅 Storage Duration: until Instagram no longer requires 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 into our website. Instagram is a social media platform operated by Instagram LLC, 1601 Willow Rd, Menlo Park CA 94025, USA. Instagram has been a subsidiary of Facebook Inc. since 2012 and is part of Facebook’s products. Embedding Instagram content on our website is referred to as embedding. This allows us to display content such as buttons, photos, or videos from Instagram directly on our website. When you access pages of our web presence that have an Instagram function integrated, data is transmitted, stored, and processed by Instagram. Instagram uses the same systems and technologies as Facebook. Your data is therefore processed across all Facebook companies.

In the following, we aim to provide you with 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 Facebook Inc., we derive our information partly from Instagram’s policies and partly from Facebook’s data policies themselves.

Instagram is one of the most well-known social media networks worldwide. Instagram combines the advantages of a blog with the benefits of audiovisual platforms like YouTube or Vimeo. On “Insta” (as many users casually call the platform), you can upload photos and short videos, edit them with various filters, and share them on other social networks. And if you do not wish to be active yourself, you can simply follow other interesting users.

Why do we use Instagram on our website?

Instagram is the social media platform that has truly soared in popularity in recent years. Naturally, we have also responded to this boom. We want you to feel as comfortable as possible on our website. Therefore, a diverse presentation of our content is a matter of course for us. Through the embedded Instagram functions, we can enrich our content with helpful, entertaining, or exciting content from the Instagram world. As Instagram is a subsidiary of Facebook, the collected data can also be useful for personalized advertising on Facebook. This ensures that our advertisements only reach individuals who are genuinely interested in our products or services.

Instagram also uses the collected data for measurement and analysis purposes. We receive aggregated statistics, providing us with greater insight into your preferences and interests. It is important to note that these reports do not personally identify you.

What data is stored by Instagram?

When you encounter one of our pages that has integrated Instagram functions (such as Instagram images or plug-ins), your browser automatically connects with Instagram’s servers. Data is then sent, stored, and processed by Instagram, regardless of whether you have an Instagram account or not. This includes information about our website, your computer, purchases made, advertisements you view, and how you use our services. Furthermore, the date and time of your interaction with Instagram are 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 also the case with Instagram. Customer data includes, for example, name, address, phone number, and IP address. This customer data is only transmitted to Instagram after it has been “hashed.” Hashing means that a data record is transformed into a string of characters. This allows contact data to be encrypted. In addition, the aforementioned “event data” is also transmitted. “Event data” refers to data about your user behavior, as understood by Facebook – and consequently Instagram. It can also happen that contact data is combined with event data. The collected contact data is matched with the data Instagram already has about you.

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

We assume that data processing on Instagram functions similarly to Facebook. This means: if you have an Instagram account or have visited www.instagram.com, Instagram has set at least one cookie. If this is the case, your browser sends information to Instagram via the cookie as soon as you interact with an Instagram function. These data are deleted or anonymized after 90 days at the latest (after reconciliation). Although we have thoroughly investigated Instagram’s data processing, we cannot state precisely what data Instagram collects and stores.

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

These cookies were used in our test:

Name: csrftoken
Value: “”
Purpose: This cookie is most likely set for security reasons to prevent request forgeries. However, we could not ascertain this more precisely.
Expiration Date: after one year

Name: mid
Value: “”
Purpose: Instagram sets this cookie to optimize its services and offerings both within and outside of Instagram. The cookie establishes a unique user ID.
Expiration Date: after the session ends

Name: fbsr_311863829124024
Value: no information provided
Purpose: This cookie stores the login request for users of the Instagram app.
Expiration Date: after the session ends

Name: rur
Value: ATN
Purpose: This is an Instagram cookie that ensures functionality on Instagram.
Expiration Date: after the session ends

Name: urlgen
Value: “{194.96.75.33″: 1901}:1iEtYv:Y833k2_UjKvXgYe311863829”
Purpose: This cookie serves Instagram’s marketing purposes.
Expiration Date: after the session ends

Note: 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 among Facebook companies, with external partners, and with individuals you connect with worldwide. Data processing is carried out in compliance with its own data policy. Your data is distributed across Facebook’s servers worldwide, partly for security reasons. 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 information, portability, rectification, and deletion of your data. You can manage your data in the Instagram settings. If you wish to completely delete your data on Instagram, you must permanently delete your Instagram account.

Here’s how to delete your Instagram account:

First, open the Instagram app. On your profile page, scroll down and click on “Help Center.” You will then be directed to the company’s website. On the website, click on “Manage Account” and then on “Delete Your Account.”

If you completely delete your account, 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 primarily stores your data via cookies. You can manage, disable, or delete these cookies in your browser. Management always works slightly differently depending on your browser. Here are the instructions for the most important browsers.

Chrome: Delete, enable, and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

You can also generally configure your browser to always inform you when a cookie is about to be set. You can then individually decide whether 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 serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). Fundamentally, your data is also stored and processed based on our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in quick and effective communication with you or other customers and business partners. Nevertheless, we only use integrated social media elements to the extent that you have given your consent. Most social media platforms also set cookies in your browser to store data. Therefore, we recommend that you carefully read our privacy text on cookies and review the privacy policy or cookie policies of the respective service provider.

Instagram and/or Facebook also process data in the USA, among other locations. We 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 can entail various risks for the legality and security of data processing.

As a basis for data processing by recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e., particularly in the USA) or for data transfer to such countries, Facebook uses standard contractual clauses approved by the EU Commission (= Art. 46 para. 2 and 3 GDPR). These clauses oblige Facebook to comply with the EU data protection level when processing relevant data even outside the EU. These clauses are based on an implementing decision by the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the clauses, among other places, here: https://ec.europa.eu/germany/news/20210604-datentransfers-eu_de.

We have attempted to provide you with the most important information about data processing by Instagram. You can delve deeper into Instagram’s data policies at https://help.instagram.com/519522125107875
.

LinkedIn Privacy Policy

LinkedIn Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data Subjects: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Optimizing our services 📓 Processed Data: Data such as user behavior data, information about your device, and your IP address. More details can be found further down in the privacy policy. 📅 Storage Duration: data is generally deleted within 30 days ⚖️ Legal Basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests)

What is LinkedIn?

On our website, we use social plug-ins from the social media network LinkedIn, operated by LinkedIn Corporation, 2029 Stierlin Court, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. These social plug-ins may include feeds, content sharing, or links to our LinkedIn page. The social plug-ins are clearly marked with the well-known LinkedIn logo and allow, for example, sharing interesting content directly via our website. For the European Economic Area and Switzerland, LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Place, Dublin, is responsible for data processing.

By embedding such plug-ins, data can be sent, stored, and processed by LinkedIn. In this privacy policy, we aim to inform you about what data is involved, how the network uses this data, and how you can manage or prevent data storage.

LinkedIn is the largest social network for business contacts. Unlike Facebook, for example, the company focuses exclusively on building business connections. Companies can present services and products on the platform and establish business relationships. Many people also use LinkedIn for job searching or to find suitable employees for their own company. In Germany alone, the network has over 11 million members. In Austria, there are approximately 1.3 million.

Why do we use LinkedIn on our website?

We understand how busy you are. It’s impossible to follow all social media channels individually, even if it would be worthwhile, as in our case. We regularly post interesting news or reports that are worth sharing. That is why we have created the option on our website to share interesting content directly on LinkedIn or to link directly to our LinkedIn page. We consider integrated social plug-ins as an extended service on our website. The data collected by LinkedIn also helps us to display potential advertising campaigns only to individuals who are interested in our offerings.

What data is stored by LinkedIn?

LinkedIn does not store personal data merely through the integration of social plug-ins. LinkedIn refers to data generated by plug-ins as passive impressions. However, if you click on a social plug-in, for example, to share our content, the platform stores personal data as so-called “active impressions,” regardless of whether you have a LinkedIn account or not. If you are logged in, the collected data will be assigned to your account.

Your browser establishes a direct connection to LinkedIn’s servers when you interact with our plug-ins. The company thus logs various usage data. In addition to your IP address, this may include login data, device information, or information about your internet or mobile provider. If you access LinkedIn services via your smartphone, your location may also be determined (after you have permitted this). LinkedIn can also pass on this data in “hashed” form to third-party advertisers. Hashing means that a data record is transformed into a string of characters. This allows the data to be encrypted in such a way that individuals can no longer be identified.

Most data regarding your user behavior is stored in cookies. These are small text files that are usually placed in your browser. Furthermore, LinkedIn may also use web beacons, pixel tags, display tags, and other device identifiers.

Various tests also show which cookies are set when a user interacts with a social plug-in. The data found cannot claim to be complete and are for example purposes only. The following cookies were set without being logged in to LinkedIn:

Name: bcookie
Value: =2&34aab2aa-2ae1-4d2a-8baf-c2e2d7235c16311863829-
Purpose: This cookie is a so-called “browser ID cookie” and consequently stores your identification number (ID).
Expiration date: After 2 years

Name: lang
Value: v=2&lang=de-de
Purpose: This cookie stores your preset or preferred language.
Expiration date: After the end of the session

Name: lidc
Value: 1818367:t=1571904767:s=AQF6KNnJ0G311863829…
Purpose: This cookie is used for routing. Routing records the paths you took to get to LinkedIn and how you navigate through the website there.
Expiration date: After 24 hours

Name: rtc
Value: kt0lrv3NF3x3t6xvDgGrZGDKkX
Purpose: No further information could be obtained about this cookie.
Expiration date: After 2 minutes

Name: JSESSIONID
Value: ajax:3118638292900777718326218137
Purpose: This is a session cookie that LinkedIn uses to maintain anonymous user sessions through the server.
Expiration date: After the end of the session

Name: bscookie
Value: “v=1&201910230812…
Purpose: This cookie is a security cookie. LinkedIn describes it as a Secure-Browser-ID-Cookie.
Expiration date: After 2 years

Name: fid
Value: AQHj7Ii23ZBcqAAAA…
Purpose: No further information could be found about this cookie.
Expiration date: After 7 days

Note: LinkedIn also works with third-party providers. That’s why we also recognized the two Google Analytics cookies _ga and _gat in our test.

How long and where is the data stored?

Basically, LinkedIn retains your personal data for as long as the company deems necessary to provide its own services. However, LinkedIn deletes your personal data when you delete your account. In some exceptional cases, LinkedIn retains some data in aggregated and anonymized form even after you delete your account. Once you delete your account, other people will no longer be able to see your data within one day. LinkedIn generally deletes the data within 30 days. However, LinkedIn retains data if it is necessary due to legal obligations. Data that can no longer be assigned to people is stored even after the account is closed. The data is stored on various servers in America and probably also in Europe.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You have the right to access your personal data at any time and to delete it. You can manage, change and delete your data in your LinkedIn account. You can also request a copy of your personal data from LinkedIn.

How to access the account data in your LinkedIn profile:

In LinkedIn, click on your profile icon and select the section “Settings and Privacy”. Now click on “Privacy” and then in the section “How LinkedIn uses your data” on “Change”. In just a short time you can download selected data about your web activity and your account history.

You also have the option in your browser to prevent data processing by LinkedIn. As mentioned above, LinkedIn stores most of the data via cookies that are set in your browser. You can manage, deactivate or delete these cookies. Depending on which browser you have, the management works a little differently. You can find the instructions for the most common browsers here:

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: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

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 the processing and storage of your data by integrated social media elements, this consent applies as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data is also stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, 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. Therefore, we recommend that you read our data protection text on cookies carefully and view the data protection declaration or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

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

As a basis for data processing at recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. especially in the USA) or a data transfer to these countries, LinkedIn uses standard contractual clauses approved by the EU Commission (= Art. 46. para. 2 and 3 GDPR). These clauses oblige LinkedIn to comply with the EU data protection level when processing relevant data even outside the EU. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the clauses here, among other places: https://ec.europa.eu/germany/news/20210604-datentransfers-eu_de.

We have tried to provide you with the most important information about data processing by LinkedIn. At https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy you can find out even more about the data processing of the social media network LinkedIn.

Pinterest Privacy Policy

Pinterest Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service 📓 Processed data: Data such as data on user behavior, information about your device, your IP address and search terms. More details can be found below in the privacy policy. 📅 Storage period: until Pinterest no longer needs the data for its purposes ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Pinterest?

We use buttons and widgets from the social media network Pinterest, of the company Pinterest Inc., 808 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA, on our site. For the European area, the Irish company Pinterest Europe Ltd. (Palmerston House, 2nd Floor, Fenian Street, Dublin 2, Ireland) is responsible for all data protection-relevant aspects.

Pinterest is a social network that specializes in graphic representations or photographs. The name is made up of the two words “pin” and “interest”. Users can exchange information about various hobbies and interests via Pinterest and view the respective profiles with pictures openly or in defined groups.

Why do we use Pinterest?

Pinterest has been around for a few years now and this social media platform is still one of the most visited and valued platforms. Pinterest is particularly suitable for our industry because the platform is primarily known for beautiful and interesting images. That is why we are of course also represented on Pinterest and want to present our content accordingly away from our website. The data collected can also be used for advertising purposes so that we can show advertising messages exactly to those people who are interested in our services or products.

What data is processed by Pinterest?

So-called log data can be stored. This includes information about your browser, IP address, the address of our website and the activities carried out on it (for example, when you click the Save or Pin button), search histories, date and time of the request and cookie and device data. If you interact with an embedded Pinterest function, cookies that store various data can also be set in your browser. The above-mentioned log data, preset language settings and clickstream data are usually stored in cookies. Pinterest understands clickstream data to mean information about your website behavior.

If you have your own Pinterest account and are logged in, the data collected via our site can be added to your account and used for advertising purposes. If you interact with our integrated Pinterest functions, you will usually be redirected to the Pinterest page. Here you can see an exemplary selection of cookies that are then set in your browser.

Name: _auth
Value: 0
Purpose: The cookie is used for authentication. For example, a value such as your “username” can be stored in it.
Expiration date: After one year

Name: _pinterest_referrer
Value: 1
Purpose: The cookie stores that you came to Pinterest via our website. So the URL of our website is saved.
Expiration date: After the end of the session

Name: _pinterest_sess
Value: …9HRHZvVE0rQlUxdG89
Purpose: The cookie is used to log in to Pinterest and contains user IDs, authentication tokens and timestamps.
Expiration date: After one year

Name: _routing_id
Value: “8d850ddd-4fb8-499c-961c-77efae9d4065311863829-8”
Purpose: The cookie contains an assigned value that is used to identify a specific routing destination.
Expiration date: After one day

Name: cm_sub
Value: denied
Purpose: This cookie stores a user ID and the timestamp.
Expiration date: After one year

Name: csrftoken
Value: 9e49145c82a93d34fd933b0fd8446165311863829-1
Purpose: This cookie is most likely set for security reasons to prevent forgery of requests. However, we were unable to find out more details.
Expiration date: After one year

Name: sessionFunnelEventLogged
Value: 1
Purpose: We have not yet been able to find out any further information about this cookie.
Expiration date: After one day

How long and where is the data stored?

Pinterest generally stores the data collected until it is no longer needed for the purposes of the company. As soon as data retention is no longer necessary, for example to comply with legal requirements, the data is either deleted or anonymized so that you can no longer be identified as a person. The data can also be stored on American servers.

Right to object

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

Since cookies may be used in embedded Pinterest elements, we also recommend that you read our general privacy policy on cookies. To find out exactly which data about you is stored and processed, you should read the privacy statements of the respective tools.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the processing and storage of your data by integrated social media elements, this consent applies as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data is also stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the tool if you have given your consent. Most social media platforms also set cookies in your browser to store data. Therefore, we recommend that you read our data protection text on cookies carefully and view the data protection declaration or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

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

As a basis for data processing at recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. especially in the USA) or a data transfer to these countries, Pinterest uses standard contractual clauses approved by the EU Commission (= Art. 46. para. 2 and 3 GDPR). These clauses oblige Pinterest to comply with the EU data protection level when processing relevant data even outside the EU. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the clauses here, among other places: https://ec.europa.eu/germany/news/20210604-datentransfers-eu_de.

We have tried to provide you with the most important information about data processing by Pinterest. At https://policy.pinterest.com/de/privacy-policy you can find out more about Pinterest’s data guidelines.

XING Privacy Policy

Xing Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service 📓 Processed data: your IP address, browser data, date and time of your page visit may be stored More details can be found below in the privacy policy. 📅 Storage period: Data from Xing users is stored until a deletion is requested ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Xing?

We use social plugins from the social media network Xing, of the company Xing SE, Dammtorstraße 30, 20354 Hamburg, Germany, on our website. These functions allow you, for example, to share content directly on Xing via our website, log in via Xing, or follow interesting content. You can recognize the plug-ins by the company name or the Xing logo. When you access a website that uses a Xing plug-in, data can be transmitted to, stored, and evaluated by the “Xing servers”. In this privacy policy, we want to inform you about what data is involved and how you can manage or prevent this data storage.

Xing is a social network headquartered in Hamburg. The company specializes in managing professional contacts. This means that, unlike other networks, Xing is primarily about professional networking. The platform is often used for job searches or to find employees for one’s own company. In addition, Xing offers interesting content on various professional topics. The global counterpart to this is the American company LinkedIn.

Why do we use Xing on our website?

There is now a flood of social media channels and we are well aware that your time is very precious. Not every social media channel of a company can be scrutinized. Therefore, we want to make life as easy as possible for you, so that you can share or follow interesting content directly on Xing via our website. With such “social plug-ins” we extend our service on our website. In addition, the data collected by Xing helps us to carry out targeted advertising measures on the platform. This means that our service is only shown to people who are really interested in it.

What data is stored by Xing?

Xing offers the share button, the follow button and the log-in button as a plug-in for websites. As soon as you open a page where a social plug-in from Xing is installed, your browser connects to servers in a data center used by Xing. In the case of the share button, according to Xing, no data should be stored that could derive a direct reference to a person. In particular, Xing does not store your IP address. Furthermore, no cookies are set in connection with the share button. Thus, there is also no evaluation of your user behavior. You can find more information on https://dev.xing.com/plugins/share_button/privacy_policy

For the other Xing plug-ins, cookies are only set in your browser when you interact with the plug-in or click on it. Here, personal data such as your IP address, browser data, date and time of your page visit can be stored at Xing. If you have a XING account and are logged in, collected data will be assigned to your personal account and the data stored therein.

The following cookies are set in your browser when you click on the follow or log-in button and are not yet logged in to Xing. Please note that this is an exemplary list and we cannot claim to be complete:

Name: AMCVS_0894FF2554F733210A4C98C6%40AdobeOrg
Value: 1
Purpose: This cookie is used to create and store identifications of website visitors.
Expiration date: after the end of the session

Name: c_
Value: 157c609dc9fe7d7ff56064c6de87b019311863829-8
Purpose: We were unable to find any further information about this cookie.
Expiration date: after one day

Name: prevPage
Value: wbm%2FWelcome%2Flogin
Purpose: This cookie stores the URL of the previous website you visited.
Expiration date: after 30 minutes

Name: s_cc
Value: true
Purpose: This Adobe Site Catalyst cookie determines whether cookies are generally enabled in the browser.
Expiration date: after the end of the session

Name: s_fid
Value: 6897CDCD1013221C-39DDACC982217CD1311863829-2
Purpose: This cookie is used to identify a unique visitor.
Expiration date: after 5 years

Name: visitor_id
Value: fe59fbe5-e9c6-4fca-8776-30d0c1a89c32
Purpose: The visitor cookie contains a unique visitor ID and the unique identifier for your account.
Expiration date: after 2 years

Name:_session_id
Value: 533a0a6641df82b46383da06ea0e84e7311863829-2
Purpose: This cookie creates a temporary session ID that is used as an in-session user ID. The cookie is absolutely necessary to provide the functions of Xing.
Expiration date: after the end of the session

As soon as you are logged in to Xing or are a member, further personal data will definitely be collected, processed and stored. Xing also passes on personal data to third parties if this is necessary for the fulfillment of its own business purposes, you have given your consent or there is a legal obligation.

How long and where will the data be stored?

Xing stores the data on various servers in various data centers. The company stores this data until you delete the data or until a user account is deleted. Of course, this only applies to users who are already Xing members.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You have the right to access your personal data at any time and also to delete it. Even if you are not a Xing member, you can prevent possible data processing via your browser or manage it according to your wishes. Most data is stored via cookies. Depending on which browser you have, the management works a little differently. You can find the instructions for the most common browsers here:

Chrome: Delete, enable, 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

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 the processing and storage of your data by integrated social media elements, this consent applies as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data is also stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, 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. Therefore, we recommend that you read our data protection text on cookies carefully and view the data protection declaration or the cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

We have tried to provide you with the most important information about data processing by Xing. At https://privacy.xing.com/de/datenschutzerklaerung you can find out even more about the data processing of the social media network Xing.

YouTube Privacy Policy

YouTube Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service 📓 Processed data: Data such as contact details, data on user behavior, information on your device and your IP address can be stored. More details can be found below in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage period: Data is generally stored as long as it is necessary for the purpose of the service ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate interests)

What is YouTube?

We have embedded 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 visit a page on our website that has a YouTube video embedded, your browser automatically connects to the servers of YouTube or Google. 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 the European area.

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

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

Why do we use YouTube videos on our website?

YouTube is the video platform with the most visitors and the best content. We strive to offer you the best possible user experience on our website. And of course, interesting videos should not be missing. With the help of our embedded videos, we provide you with additional helpful content in addition to our texts and images. In addition, our website is easier to find on the Google search engine through the embedded videos. Even if we place advertisements via Google Ads, Google can – thanks to the collected data – only show these ads 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 in to 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. Further data can be contact details, any ratings, the sharing of content via social media or the addition to your favorites on YouTube.

If you are not logged in to 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 many interaction data cannot be stored because fewer cookies are set.

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

Name: YSC
Value: b9-CV6ojI5Y311863829-1
Purpose: This cookie registers a unique ID to store statistics of the viewed video.
Expiration date: after the end of the session

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

Name: GPS
Value: 1
Purpose: This cookie registers your unique ID on mobile devices to track the GPS location.
Expiration date: after 30 minutes

Name: VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
Value: 95Chz8bagyU
Purpose: This cookie tries to estimate the bandwidth of the user on our websites (with embedded YouTube video).
Expiration date: after 8 months

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

Name: APISID
Value: zILlvClZSkqGsSwI/AU1aZI6HY7311863829-
Purpose: This cookie is used to create a profile about your interests. The data is used for personalized advertisements.
Expiration date: after 2 years

Name: CONSENT
Value: YES+AT.de+20150628-20-0
Purpose: The cookie stores the status of a user’s consent to the use of various services from Google. CONSENT also serves security to verify users and protect user data from unauthorized attacks.
Expiration date: after 19 years

Name: HSID
Value: AcRwpgUik9Dveht0I
Purpose: This cookie is used to create a profile about your interests. This data helps to display personalized advertising.
Expiration date: after 2 years

Name: LOGIN_INFO
Value: AFmmF2swRQIhALl6aL…
Purpose: This cookie stores information about your login data.
Expiration date: after 2 years

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

Name: SID
Value: oQfNKjAsI311863829-
Purpose: This cookie stores your Google account ID and your last login time in digitally signed and encrypted form.
Expiration date: after 2 years

Name: SIDCC
Value: AN0-TYuqub2JOcDTyL
Purpose: This cookie stores information about how you use the website and which advertising you may have seen before visiting our site.
Expiration date: after 3 months

How long and where will the data be stored?

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

The data collected is stored by Google for varying lengths of time. You can delete some data at any time, while other data is automatically deleted after a limited period, and still other data is stored by Google for a longer period. Some data (such as items from “My Activity”, photos or documents, products) stored in your Google account remains stored until you delete it. Even if you are not logged in to a Google account, you can delete some data associated with your device, browser, or app.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

In principle, you can manually delete data in your Google account. 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 to delete or deactivate cookies from Google. Depending on which browser you use, this works in different ways. The following instructions show how to manage cookies in your browser:

Chrome: Delete, enable, and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

If you generally do not want to have any 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 whether to allow each individual cookie or not.

Legal basis

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

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

As a basis for data processing by recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. especially in the USA) or a data transfer to such countries, YouTube uses standard contractual clauses approved by the EU Commission (= Art. 46. para. 2 and 3 GDPR). These clauses commit YouTube to maintaining the EU data protection level when processing relevant data even outside the EU. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the clauses here, among other places: https://ec.europa.eu/germany/news/20210604-datentransfers-eu_de.

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

Google Tag Manager Privacy Policy

Google Tag Manager Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data subjects: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Organization of the individual tracking tools 📓 Processed data: The Google Tag Manager itself does not store any data. The data is collected by the tags of the web analytics tools used. 📅 Storage period: depending on the web analytics tool used ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is the Google Tag Manager?

We use the Google Tag Manager of Google Inc. for our website. For the European area, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services. This tag manager is one of many helpful marketing products from Google. The Google Tag Manager allows us to centrally integrate and manage code sections from various tracking tools that we use on our website.

In this privacy policy, we want to explain in more detail what the Google Tag Manager does, why we use it, and in what form data is processed.

The Google Tag Manager is an organization tool that allows us to centrally integrate and manage website tags via a user interface. Tags are small code sections that, for example, record (track) your activities on our website. For this purpose, JavaScript code sections are inserted into the source code of our site. The tags often come from Google-internal products such as Google Ads or Google Analytics, but tags from other companies can also be integrated and managed via the manager. Such tags perform different tasks. They can collect browser data, feed marketing tools with data, integrate buttons, set cookies, and also track users across multiple websites.

Why do we use the Google Tag Manager for our website?

As the saying goes: organization is half the battle! And that, of course, also applies to the maintenance of our website. In order to make our website as good as possible for you and all people who are interested in our products and services, we need various tracking tools such as Google Analytics. The data collected by these tools shows us what interests you most, where we can improve our services, and which people we should still show our offers to. And for this tracking to work, we need to integrate corresponding JavaScript codes into our website. In principle, we could integrate each code section of the individual tracking tools separately into our source code. However, this requires a relatively large amount of time and it is easy to lose track. That’s why we use the Google Tag Manager. We can easily integrate the necessary scripts and manage them from one place. In addition, the Google Tag Manager offers an easy-to-use user interface and no programming knowledge is required. This is how we manage to keep order in our tag jungle.

What data is stored by the Google Tag Manager?

The Tag Manager itself is a domain that does not set cookies and does not store any data. It acts as a mere “administrator” of the implemented tags. The data is collected by the individual tags of the different web analysis tools. The data is virtually passed through to the individual tracking tools in the Google Tag Manager and not stored.

However, the situation is quite different with the integrated tags of the various web analysis tools, such as Google Analytics. Depending on the analysis tool, various data about your web behavior is usually collected, stored, and processed with the help of cookies. For this, please read our data protection texts on the individual analysis and tracking tools that we use on our website.

In the account settings of the Tag Manager, we have allowed Google to receive anonymized data from us. However, this only concerns the use and utilization of our Tag Manager and not your data, which is stored via the code sections. We enable Google and others to receive selected data in anonymized form. We therefore agree to the anonymous transfer of our website data. Despite lengthy research, we were unable to find out exactly which aggregated and anonymous data is forwarded. In any case, Google deletes all information that could identify our website. Google combines the data with hundreds of other anonymous website data and creates user trends as part of benchmarking measures. Benchmarking compares one’s own results with those of competitors. Processes can be optimized on the basis of the information collected.

How long and where is the data stored?

When Google stores data, this data is stored on its own Google servers. The servers are distributed all over the world. Most of them are in America. At https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/inside/locations/?hl=de you can read exactly where the Google servers are located.

You can find out how long the individual tracking tools store data from you in our individual data protection texts for the individual tools.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

The Google Tag Manager itself does not set any cookies, but manages tags from various tracking websites. In our data protection texts for the individual tracking tools, you will find detailed information on how you can delete or manage your data.

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

Legal basis

The use of the Google Tag Manager requires your consent, which we have obtained with our cookie popup. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as it can occur during the collection by web analytics tools.

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analyzing the behavior of website visitors and thus improving our offer technically and economically. With the help of the Google Tag Managers, the economic efficiency can be improved. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests) . However, we only use the Google Tag Manager if you have given your consent.

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

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

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

If you would like to learn more about the Google Tag Manager, we recommend that you read the FAQs at https://www.google.com/intl/de/tagmanager/faq.html.

Font Awesome Privacy Policy

Font Awesome Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data subjects: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service 📓 Processed data: such as IP address and which icon files are loaded More details can be found below in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage period: Files in identifiable form are stored for a few weeks ⚖️ Legal bases: 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 visit one of our websites, the Font Awesome web font (specifically icons) is loaded via the Font Awesome Content Delivery Network (CDN). This ensures that the texts or fonts and icons are displayed appropriately on every end device. In this privacy policy, we will 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 specifically designed for web designers and web developers. With Font Awesome, icons can be scaled and colored as desired using the stylesheet language CSS. They thus replace old image icons. Font Awesome CDN is the easiest way to load the icons or fonts onto your website. For this, we only had to integrate a small line of code into our website.

Why do we use Font Awesome on our website?

Font Awesome allows content on our website to be better prepared. This allows you to better orient yourself on our website and grasp the content more easily. With the icons, you can sometimes even replace entire words and save space. This is particularly practical when we optimize content specifically for smartphones. These icons are inserted as HMTL code instead of as an image. This allows us to edit the icons with CSS in exactly the way we want. At the same time, we also improve our loading speed with Font Awesome because it is 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. As soon as you visit 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 the company Fonticons, Inc. Your IP address will be recognized. 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 are also transmitted.

These data are collected and stored for the following reasons:

• to optimize Content Delivery Networks
• to detect and fix technical errors
• to protect CDNs from abuse and attacks
• to be able to calculate 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. According to our current state of knowledge, no cookies are set. We are in contact with the data protection department of Font Awesome 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 also in the United States of America. However, the CDN servers are located worldwide and store user data where you are located. In identifiable form, the data is usually stored for only a few weeks. Aggregated statistics about 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 via the Content Delivery Networks. If you do not want data about the icons used to be stored, you unfortunately cannot visit our website. If your browser does not allow web fonts, no data will be transmitted or stored either. In this case, the default font of your computer 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) this consent constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur during collection by Font Awesome.

We also have a legitimate interest in using Font Awesome to optimize our online service. The corresponding 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. The data processing is essentially carried out by Font Awesome. This may mean that data may not be processed and stored anonymously. 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 where you have a user account.

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

Google Fonts Privacy Policy

Google Fonts Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data subjects: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service 📓 Processed data: Data such as IP address and CSS and font requests More details can be found below in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage period: Font files are stored on Google for one year ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests)

What are Google Fonts?

We use Google Fonts on our website. These are the “Google fonts” of Google Inc. For the European area, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services.

To use Google fonts, you do not need to register or enter a password. Furthermore, no cookies are stored in your browser. The files (CSS, fonts) are requested via the Google domains fonts.googleapis.com and fonts.gstatic.com. According to Google, the requests for CSS and fonts are completely separate from all other Google services. If you have a Google account, you do not need to worry that your Google account data will be transmitted to Google while using Google Fonts. Google collects the use of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and the fonts used and stores this data securely. We will take a closer look at what the data storage looks like in detail.

Google Fonts (formerly Google Web Fonts) is a directory with over 800 fonts that Google provides to its users free of charge.

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

Why do we use Google Fonts on our website?

With Google Fonts, we can use fonts on our own website without having to upload them to our own server. Google Fonts is an important component in maintaining the high quality of our website. All Google fonts are automatically optimized for the web, which saves data volume and is a great advantage, especially for use on mobile devices. When you visit our site, the small file size ensures a fast loading time. Furthermore, Google Fonts are secure web fonts. Different image synthesis systems (rendering) in different browsers, operating systems and mobile devices can lead to errors. Such errors can sometimes visually distort texts or entire websites. Thanks to the fast Content Delivery Network (CDN), there are no cross-platform problems with Google Fonts. Google Fonts supports all common browsers (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera) and works reliably on most modern mobile operating systems, including Android 2.2+ and iOS 4.2+ (iPhone, iPad, iPod). We use Google Fonts so that we can present our entire online service as beautifully and uniformly as possible.

What data is stored by Google?

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

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

However, it should be noted that every Google Font request also automatically transmits information such as language settings, IP address, browser version, screen resolution of the browser and browser name to the Google servers. Whether this data is also stored is not clearly determinable or is not clearly communicated by Google.

How long and where is the data stored?

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

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

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

Those data that Google stores for one day or one year cannot simply be deleted. The data is automatically transmitted to Google when the page is accessed. In order to be able to delete this data prematurely, you must contact Google support at https://support.google.com/?hl=de&tid=311863829. In this case, you can only prevent data storage if you do not visit our site.

Unlike other web fonts, Google allows us unrestricted access to all fonts. We can therefore access an unlimited sea of fonts and thus get the optimum out of our website. You can find more about Google Fonts and other questions at https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq?tid=311863829. There, Google addresses data protection issues, but really detailed information about data storage is not included. It is relatively difficult to get really precise information about stored data from Google.

Legal basis

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

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

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

As a basis for data processing at recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. especially in the USA) or a data transfer to these countries, Google uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. para. 2 and 3 GDPR). Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are model templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data also complies with European data protection standards if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Google undertakes to comply with the European data protection level 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, among other things, here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

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

You can also read about what data is generally collected by Google and what this data is used for at https://www.google.com/intl/de/policies/privacy/.

Hotjar Privacy Policy

Hotjar Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data subjects: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimize the user experience. 📓 Processed data: Access statistics that contain data such as locations of access, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior, click behavior and IP addresses. 📅 Storage period: the data is deleted after one year ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests)

What is Hotjar?

We use Hotjar from Hotjar Limited (Level 2, St Julian’s Business Centre, 3, Elia Zammit Street, St Julian’s STJ 1000, Malta) on our website to statistically evaluate visitor data. Hotjar is a service that analyzes the behavior and feedback of you as a user on our website through a combination of analysis and feedback tools. We receive reports and visual representations from Hotjar that show us where and how you “move” on our site. Personal data is automatically anonymized and never reaches Hotjar’s servers. This means that you as a website user are not personally identified and we still learn a lot about your user behavior.

As already mentioned in the upper section, Hotjar helps us to analyze the behavior of our site visitors. These tools offered by Hotjar include Heatmaps, Conversion Funnels, Visitor Recording, Incoming Feedback, Feedback Polls and Surveys (more information about this can be found at https://www.hotjar.com/). This helps us to offer you a better user experience and a better service. It thus offers on the one hand a good analysis of online behavior, on the other hand we also receive good feedback about the quality of our website. Because in addition to all the analytical aspects, we also simply want to know your opinion about our website. And the feedback tool makes exactly that possible.

Why do we use Hotjar on our website?

In recent years, the importance of user experience on websites has increased significantly. And for good reason. A website should be structured in such a way that you as a visitor feel comfortable and can easily find your way around. Thanks to the analysis tools and the feedback tool from Hotjar, we can make our website and our offer more attractive. The heatmaps from Hotjar are particularly valuable for us. Heatmaps are a form of representation for the visualization of data. Through the heatmaps of Hotjar, we see, for example, very precisely what you like to click, tap and where you scroll.

What data is stored by Hotjar?

While you surf through our website, Hotjar automatically collects information about your user behavior. In order to be able to collect this information, we have installed our own tracking code on our website. The following data can be collected via your computer or your browser:

• IP address of your computer (is collected and stored in an anonymous format)
• Screen size
• Browser information (which browser, which version, etc.)
• Your location (but only the country)
• Your preferred language setting
• Visited websites (subpages)
• Date and time of access to one of our subpages (websites)

In addition, cookies also store data that is placed on your computer (usually in your browser). No personal data is collected in this. Basically, Hotjar does not pass on any collected data to third parties. However, Hotjar expressly points out that it is sometimes necessary to share data with Amazon Web Services. Then parts of your information are stored on their servers. However, Amazon is bound by a confidentiality obligation not to disclose this data.

Only a limited number of people (Hotjar employees) have access to the stored information. The Hotjar servers are protected by firewalls and IP restrictions (access only to approved IP addresses). Firewalls are security systems that protect computers from unwanted network access. They are intended to serve as a barrier between Hotjar’s secure internal network and the Internet. Furthermore, Hotjar also uses third-party companies for its services, such as Google Analytics or Optimizely. These companies can also store information that your browser sends to our website.

The following cookies are used by Hotjar. Since we refer, among other things, to the cookie list from Hotjar’s privacy policy at https://www.hotjar.com/legal/policies/cookie-information, there is no exemplary value for every cookie. The list shows examples of Hotjar cookies used and does not claim to be complete.

Name: ajs_anonymous_id
Value: %2258832463-7cee-48ee-b346-a195f18b06c3%22311863829-5
Purpose: The cookie is usually used for analysis purposes and helps to count visitors to our website by tracking whether you have been to this page before.
Expiration date: after one year

Name: ajs_group_id
Value: 0
Purpose: This cookie collects data about user behavior. This data can then be assigned to a specific visitor group based on similarities between website visitors.
Expiration date: after one year

Name: _hjid
Value: 699ffb1c-4bfb-483f-bde1-22cfa0b59c6c
Purpose: The cookie is used to maintain a Hotjar user ID that is unique to the website in the browser. This allows user behavior to be assigned to the same user ID on subsequent visits.
Expiration date: after one year

Name: _hjMinimizedPolls
Value: 462568311863829-8
Purpose: Whenever you minimize a Feedback Poll Widget, Hotjar sets this cookie. The cookie ensures that the widget remains minimized when you browse our pages.
Expiration Date: after one year

Name: _hjIncludedInSample
Value: 1
Purpose: This session cookie is set to inform Hotjar whether you are part of the selected individuals (sample) used to generate funnels.
Expiration Date: after one year

Name: _hjClosedSurveyInvites
Purpose: This cookie is set when you see an invitation to a feedback survey via a pop-up window. The cookie is used to ensure that this invitation appears only once for you.
Expiration Date: after one year

Name: _hjDonePolls
Purpose: Once you complete a feedback “question round” using the Feedback Poll Widget, this cookie is set in your browser. This prevents Hotjar from showing you the same surveys again in the future.
Expiration Date: after one year

Name: _hjDoneTestersWidgets
Purpose: This cookie is used as soon as you provide your data in the “Recruit User Tester Widget”. With this widget, we aim to recruit you as a tester. The cookie is used to prevent this form from appearing repeatedly.
Expiration Date: after one year

Name: _hjMinimizedTestersWidgets
Purpose: This cookie is set to ensure that the “Recruit User Tester” remains minimized on all our pages once you have minimized it.
Expiration Date: after one year

Name: _hjShownFeedbackMessage
Purpose: This cookie is set when you have minimized or completed the incoming feedback. This ensures that the incoming feedback is immediately loaded as minimized when you navigate to another page where it is supposed to be displayed.
Expiration Date: after one year

How long and where is the data stored?

We have integrated a tracking code on our website that transmits data to Hotjar servers in Ireland (EU). This tracking code contacts Hotjar’s servers and sends a script to your computer or device, which you use to access our site. The script collects certain data regarding your interaction with our website. This data is then sent to Hotjar’s servers for processing. Hotjar has imposed a 365-day data retention period on itself. This means that all data collected by Hotjar and older than one year is automatically deleted.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

Hotjar does not store any personal data about you for analysis. The company even advertises with the slogan “We track behavior, not individuals” (meaning “We track user behavior, but no identifiable, individual data”). You always have the option to prevent the collection of your data. To do this, simply go to the “Opt-out page” and click “Disable Hotjar”. Please note that deleting cookies, using your browser’s private mode, or using a different browser will result in data being collected again. Furthermore, you can also activate the “Do Not Track” button in your browser. In the Chrome browser, for example, you need to click on the three bars in the top right and go to “Settings”. There, in the “Privacy and security” section, you will find the option “Send a “Do Not Track” request with your browsing traffic”. Now, simply activate this button, and no data will be collected by Hotjar.

Legal Basis

The use of Hotjar requires your consent, which we have obtained with our cookie 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 during collection by web analytics tools.

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analyzing the behavior of website visitors to technically and economically improve our offering. With the help of Hotjar, we can identify website errors, detect attacks, and improve economic efficiency. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests) . Nevertheless, we only use Hotjar if you have given your consent.

More details on the privacy policy and what data is collected by Hotjar can be found at https://www.hotjar.com/legal/policies/privacy?tid=311863829.

Google Fonts Local Privacy Policy

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

What are Google Fonts?

Google Fonts were formerly also known as Google Web Fonts. It is an interactive directory with over 800 fonts that Google provides free of charge. With Google Fonts, one could use fonts without uploading them to one’s own server. However, to prevent any information transfer to Google servers in this regard, we have downloaded the fonts to our server. In this way, we act in compliance with data protection regulations and do not transmit any data to Google Fonts.

Google Maps Privacy Policy

Google Maps Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data Subjects: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our services 📓 Processed Data: Data such as entered search terms, your IP address, and latitude/longitude coordinates. More details can be found further down in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage Duration: depends on the stored data ⚖️ Legal Bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests)

What is Google Maps?

On our website, we use Google Maps from Google Inc. For the European region, Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services. With Google Maps, we can better show you locations and thus adapt our service to your needs. By using Google Maps, data is transferred to Google and stored on Google’s servers. Here, we want 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 mapping service from Google. With Google Maps, you can search online via a PC, tablet, or app for exact locations of cities, sights, accommodations, or businesses. If businesses are represented on Google My Business, additional information about the company is displayed alongside the location. To show directions, map sections of a location can be embedded into a website using HTML code. Google Maps displays the Earth’s surface as a street map or as an aerial/satellite image. Thanks to Street View images and high-quality satellite images, very precise representations are possible.

Why do we use Google Maps on our website?

All our efforts on this page aim to offer you a useful and meaningful experience on our website. By integrating Google Maps, we can provide you with the most important information about various locations. You can see at a glance where our company headquarters are located. The directions always show you the best or fastest way to reach us. You can retrieve directions for routes by car, public transport, on foot, or by bicycle. For us, providing Google Maps is part of our customer service.

What data is stored by Google Maps?

For Google Maps to fully offer its service, the company must collect and store your data. This includes, among other things, entered search terms, your IP address, and latitude/longitude coordinates. If you use the route planner function, the entered starting address is also stored. However, this data storage occurs on Google Maps’ websites. We can only inform you about this but have no influence over it. Since 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 behavior. Google primarily uses this data to optimize its own services and to provide you with individual, personalized advertising.

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

Name: NID
Value: 188=h26c1Ktha7fCQTx8rXgLyATyITJ311863829-5
Purpose: NID is used by Google to tailor advertisements to your Google search. With the help of the cookie, Google “remembers” your most frequently entered search queries or your previous interaction with ads. This way, you always receive customized advertisements. The cookie contains a unique ID that Google uses to collect your personal settings for advertising purposes.
Expiration Date: after 6 months

Note: We cannot guarantee the completeness of the stored data. Especially when using cookies, changes can never be ruled out. 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’s servers are located in data centers worldwide. However, most servers are located in America. For this reason, your data is also increasingly stored in the USA. Here you can read exactly where Google’s data centers are located: https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/inside/locations/?hl=de

Google distributes the data across various storage media. This makes the data more quickly accessible and better protected against potential manipulation attempts. Each data center also has special emergency programs. For example, if there are problems with Google hardware or a natural disaster cripples the servers, the data remains quite securely protected nonetheless.

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

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

With the automatic deletion function for location and activity data introduced in 2019, information on location determination and web/app activity – depending on your decision – is stored for either 3 or 18 months and then deleted. In addition, 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 App Activity” section in your Google account. Click “Data personalization” and then on the “Activity controls” option. Here you can turn activities on or off.

In your browser, you can also disable, delete, or manage individual cookies. Depending on which browser you use, this always works a little differently. The following instructions show how to manage cookies in your browser:

Chrome: Clear, enable, and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

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

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 currently considered unsafe under European data protection law. Therefore, data may not simply be transferred, stored, and processed in unsafe third countries unless there are appropriate 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 Maps, 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 during collection by Google Maps.

Furthermore, we have a legitimate interest in using Google Maps to optimize our online service. The corresponding 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. We point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfer to the USA. This can entail various risks for the lawfulness and security of data processing.

As a basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e., particularly in the USA) or for data transfer thereto, Google uses so-called Standard Contractual Clauses (= Art. 46 para. 2 and 3 GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) are model templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even when transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Google commits to adhering to the European data protection level 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, among other places, here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Google Ads Data Processing Terms, which correspond to the Standard Contractual Clauses, can be found at https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms/.

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

Google reCAPTCHA Privacy Policy

Google reCAPTCHA Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data Subjects: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our services and protection against cyber attacks 📓 Processed Data: Data such as IP address, browser information, your operating system, limited location, and usage data More details can be found further down in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage Duration: depends on the stored data ⚖️ Legal Bases: 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 as effectively as possible for both you and us. To ensure this, we use Google reCAPTCHA from Google Inc. For the European region, Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services. reCAPTCHA allows us to determine whether you are genuinely a human being and not a robot or other spam software. By spam, we mean any unsolicited information that reaches us electronically. With classic CAPTCHAs, you usually had to solve text or image puzzles for verification. With Google reCAPTCHA, we usually do not need to bother you with such puzzles. In most cases, it is sufficient to simply check a box to confirm that you are not a bot. With the new Invisible reCAPTCHA version, you don’t even have to check a box. You can find out exactly how this works and, most importantly, what data is used for it, 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 online. A Captcha service is a type of automated Turing test 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 computer scientist Alan Turing), a human determines the distinction between a bot and a human. With Captchas, this is also handled by the computer or a software program. Classic Captchas work with small tasks that are easy for humans to solve but pose significant difficulties for machines. With reCAPTCHA, you no longer have to actively solve puzzles. The tool uses modern risk analysis techniques to distinguish humans from bots. Here, you only need to check the “I am not a robot” checkbox, or with Invisible reCAPTCHA, even that is no longer necessary. With reCAPTCHA, a JavaScript element is embedded in the source code, and the tool then runs in the background, analyzing your user behavior. From these user actions, the software calculates a so-called Captcha score. Using this score, Google calculates the probability that you are a human even before the Captcha input. reCAPTCHA, or Captchas in general, are always used when bots could manipulate or misuse certain actions (e.g., registrations, surveys, etc.).

Why do we use reCAPTCHA on our website?

We only want to welcome genuine human visitors to our site. Bots or various types of spam software are welcome to stay home. That is why we are doing everything in our power to protect ourselves and offer you the best possible user experience. For this reason, we use Google reCAPTCHA from Google. This way, we can be quite sure that we remain a “bot-free” website. By using reCAPTCHA, data is transmitted to Google to determine whether you are indeed a human. reCAPTCHA thus serves the security of our website and, consequently, your security as well. For example, without reCAPTCHA, a bot could register as many email addresses as possible during registration to then “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 to determine whether actions on our website genuinely originate from humans. Thus, the IP address and other data that Google requires for the reCAPTCHA service can be sent to Google. Within the member states of the EU or other contracting states of the Agreement on the European Economic Area, IP addresses are almost always truncated before the data lands on a server in the USA. The IP address is not combined with other Google data unless you are logged into your Google account while using reCAPTCHA. First, the reCAPTCHA algorithm checks whether Google cookies from other Google services (YouTube, Gmail, etc.) are already placed in your browser. Subsequently, reCAPTCHA sets an additional cookie in your browser and captures a snapshot of your browser window.

The following list of collected browser and user data does not claim to be exhaustive. Rather, these 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. Well-known operating systems include Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux)
• Cookies (small text files that store data in your browser)
• Mouse and keyboard behavior (every action you perform with the mouse or keyboard is stored)
• Date and language settings (which language or date you have preset on your PC is stored)
• All JavaScript objects (JavaScript is a programming language that allows websites to adapt 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 analyzes this data even before you click the “I am not a robot” checkbox. With the Invisible reCAPTCHA version, even checking the box is omitted, and the entire recognition process runs in the background. Google does not provide detailed information on 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-311863829-8
Purpose: This cookie is set by DoubleClick (also owned by Google) to register and report a user’s actions on the website in relation to advertisements. This allows advertising effectiveness to be measured and corresponding optimization measures to be taken. IDE is stored in browsers under the doubleclick.net domain.
Expiration date: after one year

Name: 1P_JAR
Value: 2019-5-14-12
Purpose: 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 advertisements to users. Furthermore, the cookie can prevent a user from seeing the same advertisement more than once.
Expiration date: after one month

Name: ANID
Value: U7j1v3dZa3118638290xgZFmiqWppRWKOr
Purpose: We were unable to find 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 the google.com domain.
Expiration date: after 9 months

Name: CONSENT
Value: YES+AT.de+20150628-20-0
Purpose: This cookie stores the status of a user’s consent to the use of various Google services. CONSENT also serves security purposes, to verify users, prevent credential fraud, and protect user data from unauthorized attacks.
Expiration date: after 19 years

Name: NID
Value: 0WmuWqy311863829zILzqV_nmt3sDXwPeM5Q
Purpose: NID is used by Google to tailor advertisements to your Google search. With the help of the cookie, Google “remembers” your most frequently entered search queries or your previous interaction with ads. This way, you always receive customized advertisements. The cookie contains a unique ID to collect a user’s personal settings for advertising purposes.
Expiration date: after 6 months

Name: DV
Value: gEAABBCjJMXcI0dSAAAANbqc311863829-4
Purpose: As soon as you check the “I am not a robot” box, this cookie is set. The cookie is used by Google Analytics for personalized advertising. DV collects information in an anonymized form and is further used to differentiate users.
Expiration date: after 10 minutes

Note: This list cannot claim to be exhaustive, as Google is known to change its cookie selection repeatedly.

How long and where is the data stored?

By integrating reCAPTCHA, your data is transferred to Google’s servers. Google does not clearly state where exactly this data is stored, even after repeated inquiries. Without confirmation from Google, it can be assumed that data such as mouse interaction, time spent on the website, or language settings are stored on European or American Google servers. The IP address that your browser transmits to Google is generally 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. Google’s differing data protection regulations apply to this.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

If you do not want data about you and your behavior to be transmitted to Google, you must completely log out of Google and delete all Google cookies before visiting our website or using the reCAPTCHA software. As a rule, data is automatically transmitted to Google as soon as you access our site. To delete this data, you must contact Google Support at https://support.google.com/?hl=detid=311863829.

Therefore, by using our website, you agree that Google LLC and its representatives automatically collect, process, and use data.

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 currently considered unsafe under European data protection law. Therefore, data may not simply be transferred to, stored, and processed in unsafe third countries unless there are appropriate 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) constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur during collection by Google reCAPTCHA.

Furthermore, we have a legitimate interest in using Google reCAPTCHA to optimize and secure our online service. The corresponding 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. We 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 can entail various risks for the lawfulness and security of data processing.

As a basis for data processing by recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e., particularly in the USA) or for data transfer thereto, Google uses so-called Standard Contractual Clauses (= Art. 46 para. 2 and 3 GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) are model templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even when transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Google commits to adhering to the European data protection level 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, among other places, here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Google Ads Data Processing Terms, which correspond to the Standard Contractual Clauses, can be found at https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms/.

You can learn more about reCAPTCHA on Google’s web developer page at https://developers.google.com/recaptcha/. While Google elaborates on the technical development of reCAPTCHA here, detailed information on data storage and data protection-relevant topics is sought in vain there. A good overview of Google’s general use of data can be found in its own privacy policy at https://www.google.com/intl/de/policies/privacy/.

Use of Clarity

This website uses Clarity. The provider is Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, One Microsoft Place,

South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, Ireland,
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/clarity/ (hereinafter “Clarity”).
Clarity is a tool for analyzing user behavior on this website. Clarity collects
in particular mouse movements and creates a graphical representation of which part of the
website users scroll most frequently (heatmaps). Clarity can also record sessions, so that
we can view page usage in the form of videos. Furthermore, we receive information about the
general user behavior within our website.
Clarity uses technologies that enable user recognition for the purpose of analyzing
user behavior (e.g., cookies or the use of device fingerprinting). Your
personal data is stored on Microsoft’s servers (Microsoft Azure Cloud Service) in the
USA.
Insofar as consent has been obtained, the aforementioned service is used exclusively on the basis of
Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR and § 25 TTDSG. Consent can be revoked at any time. Insofar as
no consent has been obtained, this service is used on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1
lit. f GDPR; the website operator has a legitimate interest in effective user analysis.
Further details on Clarity’s data protection can be found here:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/clarity/faq.
Data Processing Agreement
We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) for the use of the aforementioned service.
This is a contract required by data protection law that
ensures that it processes the personal data of our website visitors only according to our

instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

Use of the Facebook Pixel
We use the “Custom Audiences” remarketing function of Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland “Facebook”) on our website.
Meta Platforms Ireland and we are jointly responsible for the collection of your data and the transmission of this data to Facebook when the service is integrated. This is based on an agreement between us and Meta Platforms Ireland on the joint processing of personal data, which sets out the respective responsibilities. The agreement can be found at https://www.facebook.com/legal/controller_addendum (https://www.facebook.com/legal/controller_addendum). According to this, we are particularly responsible for fulfilling the information obligations in accordance with Art. 13, 14 GDPR, for compliance with the security requirements of Art. 32 GDPR with regard to the correct technical implementation and configuration of the service, and for compliance with the obligations under Art. 33, 34 GDPR, insofar as a breach of the protection of personal data concerns our obligations under the agreement on joint processing. Meta Platforms Ireland is responsible for enabling the rights of data subjects in accordance with Articles 15 – 20 GDPR, for complying with the security requirements of Art. 32 GDPR with regard to the security of the service, and for the obligations under Art. 33, 34 GDPR, insofar as a breach of the protection of personal data concerns the obligations of Meta Platforms Ireland under the agreement on joint processing.
The application serves the purpose of addressing visitors to the website in a targeted manner with interest-based advertising on the Facebook social network. For this purpose, the remarketing tag from Facebook was implemented on the website. This tag establishes a direct connection to the Facebook servers when you visit the website. This transmits to the Facebook server which of our pages you have visited. Facebook assigns this information to your personal Facebook user account. When you visit the Facebook social network, you will then be shown personalized, interest-based Facebook ads.
Your data may be transferred to the USA. There is no adequacy decision of the EU Commission for the USA. The data transfer takes place, among other things, on the basis of standard contractual clauses as suitable guarantees for the protection of personal data, which can be viewed at: https://www.facebook.com/legal/EU_data_transfer_addendum (https://www.facebook.com/legal/EU_data_transfer_addendum).
The processing of your personal data is based on Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR, arising from our overriding legitimate interest in addressing website visitors in a targeted manner with interest-based advertising. You have the right to object to these processing operations of personal data concerning you at any time for reasons arising from your particular situation. You can deactivate the “Custom Audiences” remarketing function here ().
Further information on the collection and use of data by Facebook, on your rights in this regard and on the options for protecting your privacy can be found in Facebook’s data protection information at https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/ (https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/).

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Source: Created with the Data Protection Generator by AdSimple