We have written this privacy policy (version 18.11.2021-321882578) to explain to you, in accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and applicable national laws, which personal data (data for short) we as the responsible party – 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 provide you with comprehensive information about the data we process about you.

Data protection statements usually sound very technical and use legal terms. This data protection statement, on the other hand, is intended to describe the most important things to you as simply and transparently as possible. As far as it promotes transparency, technical terms are explained in a reader-friendly manner , links to further information are provided and graphics are used. We are thus informing you in clear and simple language that we only process personal data as part of our business activities if there is a corresponding legal basis. This is certainly not possible if you give statements that are as brief, unclear and legal-technical as possible, as is often standard on the Internet when it comes to data protection. I hope you find the following explanations interesting and informative and perhaps there is some information in there that you did not know before.
If you still have any questions, we would like to ask you to contact the responsible body named below or in the imprint, follow the existing links and look at further information on third-party websites. You can of course also find our contact details in the imprint.

Scope

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

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

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

Legal Basis

In the following privacy policy, we provide you with transparent information on the legal principles and regulations, i.e. the legal bases of the General Data Protection Regulation, that allow us to process personal data.
As far as EU law is concerned, we refer to REGULATION (EU) 2016/679 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 27 April 2016. You can of course read this EU General Data Protection Regulation online on EUR-Lex, the gateway to EU law, at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32016R0679 .

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

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

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

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

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

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

Contact details of the person responsible

If you have any questions about data protection, you will find the contact details of the responsible person or body below:
Veronika Stamos
An der Hockenwiese 11, 68526 Ladenburg

Email: hello@veronikaelenastamos.com

Storage Period

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

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

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

Rights under the General Data Protection Regulation

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

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

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

Baden-Württemberg Data Protection Authority

State Commissioner for Data Protection: Dr. Stefan Brink
Address: Königstraße 10a, 70173 Stuttgart
Telephone number: 07 11/61 55 41-0
Email address: poststelle@lfdi.bwl.de
Website: https://www.baden-wuerttemberg.datenschutz.de/

Web Hosting

Web hosting summary  Affected parties: Visitors to the website Purpose: professional hosting of the website and securing operations Data processed: IP address, time of website visit, browser used and other data. You can find more details below or from the web hosting provider used. Storage period: depends on the respective provider, but usually 2 weeks Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit.f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is web hosting?

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

When you want to view a website on a screen, you use a program called a web browser. You probably know a few web browsers by name: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari.

This web browser must connect to another computer where the website code is stored: the web server. Operating a web server is a complicated and time-consuming task, which is why it is usually handled by professional providers. They offer web hosting and thus ensure that website data is stored reliably and error-free.

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

To illustrate:

Why do we process personal data?

The purposes of data processing are:

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

Which data is processed?

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

• the complete Internet address (URL) of the website accessed (e.g. https://www.beispielwebsite.de/beispielunterseite.html?tid=321882578)
• Browser and browser version (e.g. Chrome 87)
• the operating system used (e.g. Windows 10)
• the address (URL) of the previously visited page (referrer URL) (e.g. https://www.beispielquellsite.de/vondabinichgekommen.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 above data is stored for two weeks and then automatically deleted. We do not pass this data on, but cannot rule out that this data will be viewed by authorities in the event of illegal behavior.

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

legal basis

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

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

Web Analytics

Web Analytics Privacy Policy Summary  Affected parties: Visitors to the website Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimize the web offering. Data processed: Access statistics that contain data such as locations of access, device data, duration and time of access, navigation behavior, click behavior and IP addresses. You can find more details on this in the web analytics tool used. Storage period: depends on the web analytics tool used Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Web Analytics?

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

Why do we use Web Analytics?

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

Which data is processed?

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

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

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

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

Duration of data processing

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

Right of objection

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

Legal basis

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

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

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

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

Google Optimize Privacy Policy

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

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

Google uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, Google undertakes to comply with 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 Google Optimize, can be found at https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms/ .

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

Matomo privacy policy

We use Matomo, an analysis software for websites, on our website. The service provider is the New Zealand company InnoCraft Ltd, 7 Waterloo Quay PO625, 6140 Wellington, New Zealand. You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Matomo in the Privacy Policy at https://matomo.org/privacy-policy/ . You can send questions about data protection by email to privacy@matomo.org .

Google Analytics Privacy Policy

Google Analytics data protection declaration summary  Affected parties: Visitors to the website Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimize the web offering. Data processed: Access statistics that contain data such as locations of access, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior, click behavior and IP addresses. You can find more details further down in this data protection declaration. Storage period: depends on the properties used Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Google Analytics?

We use the analysis tracking tool Google Analytics (GA) from the American company Google Inc. on our website. In Europe, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services. Google Analytics collects data about your actions on our website. For example, if you click on a link, this action is saved in a cookie and sent to Google Analytics. The reports we receive from Google Analytics help us better tailor our website and service to your needs. Below we will go into more detail about the tracking tool and inform you about which data is saved and how you can prevent this.

Google Analytics is a tracking tool used to analyse the traffic on our website. In order for Google Analytics to work, a tracking code is built into the code of our website. When you visit our website, this code records various actions that you perform on our website. 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 about your user behavior. These may include the following reports:

• Target group reports: Through target group reports we get to know our users better and know more precisely who is interested in our service.
• Ad Reporting: Ad Reporting helps us analyze and improve our online advertising.
• Acquisition reports: Acquisition reports give us helpful information about how we can get more people excited about our service.
• Behavioral reports: This tells us how you interact with our website. We can see which path you take on our site and which links you click on.
• Conversion reports: A conversion is a process in which you perform a desired action based on a marketing message. For example, when you go from being a pure website visitor to becoming a buyer or newsletter subscriber. These reports help us learn more about how our marketing measures are received by you. This is how we want to increase our conversion rate.
• Real-time reports: Here we always know immediately what is happening on our website. For example, we can see how many users are currently reading this text.

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

What data is stored by Google Analytics?

Google Analytics uses a tracking code to create a random, unique ID that is linked to your browser cookie. This is how Google Analytics recognizes 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 pseudonymous user profiles.

In order to be able to analyze our website with Google Analytics, a property ID must be inserted into the tracking code. The data is then saved in the corresponding property. The Google Analytics 4 property is the default for every newly created property. Alternatively, you can also create the Universal Analytics property. Depending on the property used, data is saved for different lengths of time.

Identifiers such as cookies and app instance IDs are used to measure your interactions on our website. 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 through Google Analytics can be linked to third-party cookies. Google does not share Google Analytics data unless we as the website operator approve this. Exceptions may apply if required by law.

The following cookies are used by Google Analytics:

Name: _ga
Value: 2.1326744211.152321882578-5
Purpose: By default, analytics.js uses the cookie _ga to store the user ID. Basically, it is used to distinguish between website visitors.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: _gid
Value: 2.1687193234.152321882578-1
Purpose:  The cookie is also used to distinguish between website visitors
Expiry date:  after 24 hours

Name: _gat_gtag_UA_<property-id>
Value: 1
Purpose: Used to reduce the request rate. If Google Analytics is provided via the Google Tag Manager, this cookie is given the name _dc_gtm_ <property-id>.
Expiry date: after 1 minute

Name: AMP_TOKEN
Value: no information
Purpose: The cookie has 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.
Expiry date:  after 30 seconds up to one year

Name: __utma
Value: 1564498958.1564498958.1564498958.1
Purpose: This cookie can be used to track your behavior on the website and measure performance. The cookie is updated every time information is sent to Google Analytics.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: __utmt
Value: 1
Purpose: The cookie is used like _gat_gtag_UA_<property-id> to throttle the request rate.
Expiry 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.
Expiry date:  after 30 minutes

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

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

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

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

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

Heatmaps: Google creates so-called heatmaps. Heatmaps show exactly the areas you click on. This gives us information about where you are on our site.

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

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

Account creation: When 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 clear assignment is possible.

Location: The IP address can be used to determine the country and your approximate location. This process is also known as IP location determination.

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

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

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

How long and where is the data stored?

Google has its servers distributed all over the world. Most of the servers are located in America and therefore your data is mostly stored on American servers. You can find out exactly where the Google data centers are here: https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/inside/locations/?hl=de

Your data is distributed across different physical storage devices. This has the advantage that the data can be accessed more quickly and is better protected against manipulation. Every Google data center has emergency programs for your data. If, for example, Google’s hardware fails or natural disasters paralyze servers, the risk of a service interruption at Google remains low.

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

For Universal Analytics properties, Google Analytics has a standard retention period of 26 months for your user data. Your user data will then be deleted. However, we have the option of choosing the retention period for user data ourselves. We have five options available for this:

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

In addition, 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 will be reset each time you visit our website again within the specified period.

When the specified period has expired, the data is deleted once a month. This retention period applies to your data that is linked to cookies, user recognition and advertising IDs (e.g. cookies from the DoubleClick domain). Report 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?

Under European Union data protection law, you have the right to obtain information about your data, to update it, to delete it or to restrict it. You can use the browser add-on to deactivate Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js, analytics.js, dc.js) to 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 want to deactivate, delete or manage cookies (independent of Google Analytics), there are separate instructions for each browser:

Chrome: Delete, enable and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Managing cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Deleting and managing cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

legal basis

The use of Google Analytics requires your consent, which we have obtained with our cookie popup. According to Art. 6 Paragraph 1 Letter a of GDPR (consent), this consent represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when collected by web analytics tools.

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

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

Google uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, Google undertakes to comply with 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 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 about data processing by Google Analytics. 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 .

Google Analytics IP anonymization

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

More information about IP anonymization can be found at  https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/2763052?hl=de .

Google Analytics reports on demographics and interests

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

You can stop the use of your Google account activities and information by checking the box under “Advertising Settings” at https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated .

Google Analytics deactivation link

If you click on the following deactivation link , you can prevent Google from recording further visits to this website. Please note: Deleting cookies, using the incognito/private mode of your browser, or using a different browser will result in data being collected again.

Disable Google Analytics

Google Analytics Data Processing Addendum

We have entered into a direct customer agreement with Google to use Google Analytics by accepting the “Data Processing Addendum” in Google Analytics.

You can find out more about the data processing supplement for Google Analytics here: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/3379636?hl=de&utm_id=ad

Google Analytics Google Signals Privacy Policy

We have activated Google Signals in Google Analytics. This will update existing Google Analytics features (advertising reports, remarketing, cross-device reporting, and interest and demographic reporting) to receive aggregated and anonymized data from you, provided you have allowed personalized ads in your Google Account.

The special thing about it is that it is cross-device tracking. This means that your data can be analyzed across devices. By activating Google signals, data is collected and linked to the Google account. This allows Google to recognize, for example, when you view a product on our website using a smartphone and only buy the product later using a laptop. Thanks to the activation of Google signals, we can start cross-device remarketing campaigns that would otherwise not be possible in this form. Remarketing means that we can also show you our offer on other websites.

In Google Analytics, Google signals also collect additional visitor data such as location, search history, YouTube history and data about your actions on our website. This means that we receive better advertising reports from Google and more useful information about your interests and demographic characteristics. This includes your age, what language you speak, where you live and what gender you are. Social criteria such as your job, marital status or income are also included. All of these characteristics help Google Analytics to define groups of people or target groups.

The reports also help us to better assess your behavior, your wishes and interests. This enables us to optimize and adapt our services and products for you. This data expires after 26 months by default. Please note that this data is only collected if you have allowed personalized advertising in your Google account. This is always aggregated and anonymous data and never data about individual people. You can manage or delete this data in your Google account.

Messenger & Communication

Messenger & Communication Data Protection Statement Summary  Affected parties: Visitors to the website Purpose: Contact requests and general communication between us and you Data processed: Data such as name, address, email address, telephone number, general content data, IP address if applicable You can find more details in the tools used. Storage period: depends on the messenger & communication functions used Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests), Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b. GDPR (contractual or pre-contractual obligations)

What are messenger & communication functions?

We offer various options for communicating with us on our website (such as messenger and chat functions, online form, email, telephone or social media). Your data will also be processed and stored to the extent necessary to answer your query and our subsequent measures.

In addition to traditional means of communication such as email, contact forms or telephone, we also use chats or messengers. The messenger function currently used most frequently is WhatsApp, but there are of course many different providers that offer messenger functions specifically for websites. If content is end-to-end encrypted, this is indicated in the individual data protection texts or in the data protection declaration of the respective provider. End-to-end encryption means nothing other than that the content of a message is not visible even to the provider. However, information about your device, location settings and other technical data can still be processed and stored.

Why do we use messenger & communication functions?

Communication options with you are very important to us. After all, we want to talk to you and answer all possible questions about our service in the best possible way. Good communication is an important part of our service. With the practical messenger and communication functions, you can always choose the ones you prefer. In exceptional cases, however, it may also happen that we do not answer certain questions via chat or messenger. This is the case when it concerns internal contractual matters, for example. In these cases, we recommend other communication options such as email or telephone.

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

Please note that when using our built-in elements, your data may also be processed outside the European Union, as many providers, such as Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, are American companies. This may mean that you will no longer be able to easily demand or enforce your rights with regard to your personal data.

Which data is processed?

Exactly which data is stored and processed depends on the respective provider of the messenger and communication functions. Basically, this includes data such as name, address, telephone number, email address and content data such as all information that you enter in a contact form. Information about your device and the IP address are usually also stored. Data that is collected via a messenger and communication function is also stored on the provider’s servers.

If you want to know exactly which data is stored and processed by the respective providers and how you can object to data processing, you should read the respective company’s data protection declaration carefully.

How long is data stored?

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

Right of objection

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

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

Legal basis

If you have consented that your data can be processed and stored through integrated messenger and communication functions, this consent serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR) . We process your request and manage your data within the framework of contractual or pre-contractual relationships in order to fulfil our pre-contractual and contractual obligations or to answer inquiries. The basis for this is Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b. GDPR . In principle, if you have given your consent, 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.

Facebook Messenger Privacy Policy

We use the communication tool Facebook Messenger on our website. The service provider is the American company Facebook Inc. The company responsible for the European area is Facebook Ireland Ltd. (4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland).

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

Facebook uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, 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 conditions, which correspond to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing .

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

Signal Messenger Privacy Policy

We use the messenger service Signal Messenger on our website. The service provider is the American company Signal Messenger LLC, 650 Castro Street, Suite 120-223 Mountain View, CA 94041, USA.

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

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

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Signal in the Privacy Policy at https://signal.org/legal/ .

Telegram privacy policy

We also use the instant messaging service Telegram. The service provider is the international company Telegram Messenger LLP, which has a London address (71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, United Kingdom). You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Telegram in the Privacy Policy at https://telegram.org/privacy .

WhatsApp privacy policy

We use the instant messaging service WhatsApp on our website. The service provider is the American company WhatsApp Inc., a subsidiary of Facebook. The company responsible for Europe is WhatsApp Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland.

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

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

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of WhatsApp in the Privacy Policy at https://www.whatsapp.com/privacy .

Google Ads (Google AdWords) Conversion Tracking Privacy Policy

Google Ads (Google AdWords) Conversion Tracking Data Protection Statement Summary  Affected parties: Visitors to the website Purpose: Economic success and the optimization of our service. Data processed: Access statistics that contain 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 can 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. In this way, we want to make more people aware of 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. In Europe, however, the company 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 tailor our advertising offer to your interests and needs. In the following article, we want to go into more detail about why we use conversion tracking, which data is stored and how you can prevent this data storage.

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

But what exactly is a conversion? A conversion occurs when you go from being a purely interested website visitor to being an active visitor. This always happens when you click on our ad and then perform another action, such as visiting our website. We use Google’s conversion tracking tool to 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 for our advertising campaigns to 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 can see how many customers interact with our ads on a device and then make a conversion. Using 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 tailor our advertising offer even more individually to your needs.

What data is stored in Google Ads Conversion Tracking?

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

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

Name: Conversion
Value:  EhMI_aySuoyv4gIVled3Ch0llweVGAEgt-mr6aXd7dYlSAGQ321882578-3
Purpose: This cookie saves every conversion you make on our site after you came to us via a Google Ad.
Expiry 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.
Expiry date: after 3 months

Note: The cookie _gac only appears in connection with Google Analytics. The above list is not exhaustive, as Google also uses other cookies for analytical evaluations.

As soon as you complete an action on our website, Google recognizes the cookie and saves 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 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. Google Ads conversion tracking can be further refined and improved using Google Analytics. For ads that Google displays in various places on the web, cookies called “__gads” or “_gac” may be set under our domain. Since September 2017, various campaign information from analytics.js has been stored using the _gac cookie. The cookie stores this data as soon as you visit one of our pages for which Google Ads automatic tagging has been set up. Unlike 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 find out 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 data collected. 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 named “Conversion” and “_gac” (which is used in conjunction with Google Analytics) have an expiration date of 3 months.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

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

Chrome: Delete, enable and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Managing cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Deleting and managing cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

If you do not want cookies at all, you can set your browser so that it always informs you when a cookie is to be placed. This way you can decide for each individual cookie whether you want to accept the cookie or not. Downloading and installing this browser plug-in at https://support.google.com/ads/answer/7395996 will also deactivate all “advertising cookies”. Please note that deactivating these cookies will not prevent you from seeing advertisements, only 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 Art. 6 (1) lit. a GDPR (consent), this consent represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as it may occur when collected through Google Ads Conversion Tracking.

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

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

Google uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, Google undertakes to comply with 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 data processing terms 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 reading Google’s general privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de .

Google AdSense Privacy Policy

Google AdSense Privacy Policy Summary  Affected parties: Visitors to the website Purpose: economic success and the optimization of our service. Data processed: Access statistics that contain 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 can also be processed. Storage period: depends on the cookies used and the data stored Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Google AdSense?

We use Google AdSense on this website. This is an advertising program from Google Inc. In Europe, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services. With Google AdSense, we can display advertisements on this website that match our topic. This way, we can offer you advertisements that ideally represent real added value for you. In the course of this data protection text about Google AdSense, we explain why we use Google AdSense on our website, which of your data is processed and stored, and how you can prevent this data storage.

The Google AdSense advertising program has been around since 2003. Unlike Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords), you cannot place your own advertising here. Google AdSense displays advertisements on websites such as ours. The biggest advantage of this advertising service compared to some others is that Google AdSense only shows you advertisements that match our content. Google has its own algorithm that calculates which advertisements you see. Of course, we only want to show you advertisements that interest you and that offer added value. Google checks which advertisements are suitable for our website and our users based on your interests or user behavior and on our offering. We would also like to mention at this point that we are not responsible for the selection of advertisements. We merely offer the advertising space on our website. Google selects the advertisements displayed. Since August 2013, the advertisements have also been adapted to the respective user interface. This means that whether you visit our website from your smartphone, PC or laptop, the ads adapt to your device.

Why do we use Google AdSense on our website?

Running a high-quality website requires a lot of dedication and effort. Basically, we never finish working on our website. We always try to maintain our site and keep it as up-to-date as possible. Of course, we also want to achieve economic success with this work. That’s why we have chosen advertisements as a source of income. The most important thing for us, however, is not to disrupt your visit to our website with these advertisements. With the help of Google AdSense, you will only be offered advertisements that match our topics and your interests.

Similar to Google indexing a website, a bot examines the relevant content and offers on the page. The advertisements are then adapted and presented in terms of content. In addition to the content overlap between the ad and the website offer, AdSense also supports interest-based targeting. This means that Google also uses your data to offer advertising tailored to you. This way, you receive advertising that ideally offers you real added value and we have a higher chance of earning a little something.

What data is stored by Google AdSense?

Cookies are used, among other things, so that Google AdSense can display customized advertising tailored to you. Cookies are small text files that store certain information on your computer.

Cookies in AdSense are intended to enable better advertising. The cookies do not contain any personally identifiable data. However, it should be noted that Google views data such as “pseudonymous cookie IDs” (name or other identification feature is replaced by a pseudonym) or IP addresses as non-personally identifiable information. However, within the framework of the GDPR, this data can be considered personal data. Google AdSense sends a cookie to the browser after every impression (this is always the case when you see an ad), every click and every other activity that leads to a call to the Google AdSense servers. If the browser accepts the cookie, it is stored there.

As part of AdSense, third parties may place and read cookies in your browser or use web beacons to store data that they receive from the delivery of ads on the website. Web beacons are small graphics that perform a log file analysis and a log file record. This analysis enables statistical evaluation for online marketing.

Google can use these cookies to collect certain information about your user behavior on our website. This includes:

• Information on how you interact with an ad (clicks, impressions, mouse movements)
• Information about whether an ad has appeared in your browser before. This data helps to prevent an ad from being shown to you more often.

Google analyses and evaluates the data on the advertising material displayed and your IP address. Google uses the data primarily to measure the effectiveness of an ad and to improve the advertising offer. This data is not linked to personal data that Google may have about you through other Google services.

Below we present cookies that Google AdSense uses for tracking purposes. Here we refer to a test website that has only Google AdSense installed: 

Name: uid
Value: 891269189321882578-8
Purpose: The cookie is stored under the domain adform.net. It provides a uniquely assigned, machine-generated user ID and collects data about the activity on our website.
Expiry date: after 2 months

Name: C
Value: 1
Purpose: This cookie identifies whether your browser accepts cookies. The cookie is stored under the domain track.adform.net.
Expiry date: after 1 month

Name: cid
Value: 8912691894970695056,0,0,0,0
Purpose:  This cookie is stored under the domain track.adform.net, stands for client ID and is used to improve advertising for you. It can direct more relevant advertising to the visitor and helps to improve campaign performance reports.
Expiry date: after 2 months

Name: IDE
Value: zOtj4TWxwbFDjaATZ2TzNaQmxrU321882578-1
Purpose: The cookie is stored under the domain doubleclick.net. It is used to register your actions after the ad or after clicking on the ad. This makes it possible to measure how well an ad is received by our visitors.
Expiry date: after 1 month

Name: test_cookie
Value: not specified
Purpose: The “test_cookie” can be used to check whether your browser supports cookies at all. The cookie is stored under the domain doubleclick.net.
Expiry date: after 1 month

Name: CT592996
Value: 733366
Purpose: Is stored under the domain adform.net. The cookie is set as soon as you click on an advertisement. We were unable to find out more detailed information about the use of this cookie.
Expiry date: after one hour

Note: This list cannot claim to be complete, as experience has shown that Google continually changes its choice of cookies.

How long and where is the data stored?

Google collects your IP address and various activities you perform on the website. Cookies store this information about the interactions on our website. According to Google, the company collects and stores the information provided in a secure manner on Google’s own servers in the USA.

If you do not have a Google account or are not logged in, Google stores the data collected with a unique identifier (ID), usually on your browser. The unique IDs stored in cookies are used, for example, to ensure personalized advertising. If you are logged in to a Google account, Google can also collect personal data.

You can delete some of the data that Google stores at any time (see next section). Much of the information stored in cookies is automatically deleted after a certain period of time. However, there is also data that Google stores for a longer period of time. This is the case when Google has to store certain data for an indefinite longer period of time for economic or legal reasons.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You always have the option to delete or deactivate cookies that are on your computer. How exactly this works depends on your browser.

Here you will find instructions on how to manage cookies in your browser:

Chrome: Delete, enable and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Managing cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Deleting and managing cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

If you do not want cookies at all, you can set your browser so that it always informs you when a cookie is to be placed. This way you can decide for each individual cookie whether you want to accept the cookie or not. Downloading and installing this browser plug-in at https://support.google.com/ads/answer/7395996 will also deactivate all “advertising cookies”. Please note that deactivating these cookies will not prevent you from seeing advertisements, only personalized advertising.

If you have a Google account, you can opt out of personalized advertising at https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated . You will still see ads, but they will no longer be tailored to your interests. However, ads will still be shown based on a few factors, such as your location, browser type, and search terms used.

legal basis

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

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

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

Google uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, Google undertakes to comply with 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 data processing terms for Google advertising products (Google Ads Controller-Controller Data Protection Terms), which correspond to the standard contractual clauses and also apply to Google AdSense, can be found at https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms/ .

You can find out what data Google generally collects and what they use this data for at https://www.google.com/intl/de/policies/privacy/ .

External online platforms

External online platforms Data protection declaration Summary  Affected parties: Visitors to the website or visitors to the external online platforms Purpose: Presentation and optimization of our service, contact with visitors, interested parties Data processed: Data such as telephone numbers, email addresses, contact details, data on user behavior, information about your device and your IP address. You can find more details on the platform used. Storage period: depends on the platforms used Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are external online platforms?

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

Why do we use external online platforms?

In addition to our website, we also want to offer our services on other platforms in order to make our services more accessible to more customers. External online marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay or Digistore24 offer large sales websites that offer our products to people who may not know our website. It can also happen that built-in elements on our site lead to an external online platform. Data that is processed and stored by the online platform used is used by the company to log the payment process on the one hand, but also to carry out web analyses on the other.

The aim of these analyses is to be able to develop more precise and personalized marketing and advertising strategies. Depending on your behavior on a platform, the evaluated data can be used to draw conclusions about your interests and create so-called user profiles. This also enables the platforms to present you with customized advertisements or products. Cookies are usually placed in your browser for this purpose, which store data about your usage behavior.

Please note that when using the platforms or our built-in elements, your data may also be processed outside the European Union, as online platforms such as Amazon or eBay are American companies. This may mean that you cannot easily claim or enforce your rights with regard to your personal data.

Which data is processed?

Exactly which data is stored and processed depends on the respective external platform. But it is usually data such as telephone numbers, email addresses, data that you enter in a contact form, user data such as which buttons you click, when you visited which pages, information about your device and your IP address. Very often most of this data is stored in cookies. If you have your own profile on an external platform and are logged in there, data can be linked to the profile. The data collected is stored on the servers of the platforms used and processed there. You can find out exactly how an external platform stores, manages and processes data in the respective data protection declaration. If you have any questions about data storage and data processing or want to assert corresponding rights, we recommend that you contact the platform directly.

duration of data processing

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

Right of objection

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

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

Legal basis

If you have consented that your data can be processed and stored by external platforms, this consent is the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR) . In principle, if consent is given, your data will also be stored and processed on the basis of a legitimate interest (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. If we have integrated elements of external platforms on our website, we will only use them if you have given your consent.

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

Elopage privacy policy

We use the online sales platform elopage. The service provider is the German company elopage GmbH, Kurfürstendamm 208, 10719 Berlin, Germany. You can find out more about the data processed through the use of elopage in the privacy policy at https://elopage.com/privacy?locale=de .

Payment providers

Payment provider data protection declaration Summary  Affected parties: Visitors to the website Purpose: Enabling and optimizing the payment process on our website Data processed: Data such as name, address, bank details (account number, credit card number, passwords, TANs, etc.), IP address and contract data You can find more details in the payment provider tool used. Storage period: depends on the payment provider used Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b GDPR (fulfillment of a contract)

What is a payment provider?

We use online payment systems on our website that enable us and you to make payments safely and smoothly. Personal data may also be sent to the respective payment provider, stored there and processed there. Payment providers are online payment systems that allow you to place an order via online banking. The payment is processed by the payment provider you have chosen. We then receive information about the payment made. This method can be used by any user who has an active online banking account with PIN and TAN. There are hardly any banks that do not offer or accept such payment methods.

Why do we use payment providers on our website?

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

Which data is processed?

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

The data is usually stored and processed on the payment providers’ servers. We as website operators do not receive this data. We are only informed whether the payment was successful or not. Payment providers may forward data to the relevant department for identity and credit checks. The business and data protection principles of the respective provider always apply to all payment transactions. Therefore, please always read the general terms and conditions and the data protection declaration of the payment provider. You also have the right to have data deleted or corrected at any time, for example. Please contact the respective service provider regarding your rights (right of withdrawal, right to information and right to be affected).

Duration of data processing

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

Right of objection

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

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

Legal basis

In addition to traditional banking/credit institutions, we also offer other payment service providers for the processing of contractual or legal relationships (Article 6, Paragraph 1, Letter b of GDPR) . The privacy policies of the individual payment providers (such as Amazon Payments , Apple Pay or Discover ) provide you with a detailed overview of data processing and data storage. In addition, you can always address any questions you may have about data protection-related issues to the responsible parties. 

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

Giropay privacy policy

We use the online payment provider giropay on our website. The service provider is the German company paydirekt GmbH, Stephanstraße 14-16, 60313 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. You can find out more about the data that is processed through the use of giropay in the privacy policy at https://www.giropay.de/rechtliches/datenschutzerklaerung/ .

Mastercard privacy policy

We use the payment service provider Mastercard on our website. The service provider is the American company Mastercard Inc. The company responsible for Europe is Mastercard Europe SA (Chaussée de Tervuren 198A, B-1410 Waterloo, Belgium).

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

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

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Mastercard in the Privacy Policy at https://www.mastercard.de/de-de/datenschutz.html .

PayPal privacy policy

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

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

PayPal uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, PayPal 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

For more information about the standard contractual clauses and the data processed through the use of PayPal Marketing Solutions, please see the Privacy Policy at https://www.paypal.com/c2/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full .

Visa Privacy Policy

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

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

Visa uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, Visa 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

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

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

Sofortüberweisung privacy policy

Sofortüberweisung data protection declaration Summary  Affected parties: Visitors to the website Purpose: Optimization of the payment process on our website Data processed: Data such as name, address, bank details (account number, credit card number, passwords, TANs, etc.), IP address and contract data You can find more details further down in the data protection declaration Storage period: Data is stored within the legal retention period Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. c GDPR (legal obligation), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is an “instant transfer”?

On our website we offer the payment method “Sofortüberweisung” from the company Sofort GmbH for cashless payment. Sofort GmbH has belonged to the Swedish company Klarna since 2014, but has its headquarters in Germany, Theresienhöhe 12, 80339 Munich.

If you choose this payment method, personal data will be transmitted to Sofort GmbH or Klarna, stored and processed there. This privacy policy text provides you with an overview of data processing by Sofort GmbH.

Sofortüberweisung is an online payment system that allows you to place an order via online banking. The payment processing is carried out by Sofort GmbH and we immediately receive information about the payment made. This method can be used by any user who has an active online banking account with PIN and TAN. Only a few banks do not yet support this payment method.

Why do we use “Sofortüberweisung” on our website?

Our goal with our website and our integrated online shop is to offer you the best possible service. In addition to the overall experience on the website and our offers, this also includes smooth, fast and secure payment processing for your orders. To ensure this, we use “Sofortüberweisung” as a payment system.

What data is stored by “Sofortüberweisung”?

If you make an instant transfer using the Sofort/Klarna service, data such as name, account number, bank code, subject, amount and date are stored on the company’s servers. We also receive this information via the payment confirmation.

As part of the account coverage check, Sofort GmbH checks whether your account balance and overdraft facility cover the payment amount. In some cases, it is also checked whether instant transfers have been successfully carried out in the last 30 days. In addition, your user identification (such as authorization number or contract number) is collected and stored in abbreviated (“hashed”) form and your IP address. For SEPA transfers, BIC and IBAN are also stored.

According to the company, no other personal data (such as account balances, sales data, credit limit, account lists, mobile phone number, authentication certificates, security codes or PIN/TAN) are collected, stored or passed on to third parties.

Sofortüberweisung also uses cookies to make its own service more user-friendly. When you order a product, you will be redirected to the Sofort or Klarna website. After successful payment, you will be redirected to our thank you page. The following three cookies are set here:

Name : SOFUEB
Value: e8cipp378mdscn9e17kajlfhv7321882578-5
Purpose: This cookie stores your session ID.
Expiry date: after the end of the browser session

Name : User[user_cookie_rules] Value: 1
Purpose: This cookie stores your consent to the use of cookies.
Expiry date: after 10 years

Name: _ga
Value: GA1.2.69759879.1589470706
Purpose: By default, analytics.js uses the cookie _ga to store the user ID. Basically, it is used to distinguish between website visitors. This is a cookie from Google Analytics.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Note: The cookies listed here do not claim to be complete. It is always possible that Sofortüberweisung also uses other cookies.

How long and where is the data stored?

All data collected is stored within the legal retention period. This period can last between three and ten years.

Klarna/Sofort GmbH tries to store data only within the EU or the European Economic Area (EEA). If data is transferred outside the EU/EEA, data protection must comply with the GDPR and the country must be subject to an EU adequacy decision.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You can withdraw your consent for Klarna to process personal data at any time. You also always have the right to information, correction and deletion of your personal data. To do so, you can simply contact the company’s data protection team by email at datenschutz@sofort.com.

You can manage, delete or deactivate any cookies that Sofortüberweisung uses in your browser. This works in different ways depending on your preferred browser. The following instructions show how to manage cookies in the most common browsers:

Chrome: Delete, enable and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Managing cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Deleting and managing cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

legal basis

In addition to the traditional bank/credit institutions, we also offer the payment service provider Sofortüberweisung for the processing of contractual or legal relationships (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b GDPR) . The successful use of the service also requires your consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR) if the approval of cookies is necessary for its use.  

If you would like to learn more about data processing through the “Sofortüberweisung” service of Sofort GmbH, we recommend that you read the privacy policy at https://www.sofort.de/datenschutz.html .

social media

Social Media Privacy Policy Summary  Affected parties: Visitors to the website Purpose: Presentation and optimization of our service, contact with visitors, interested parties, etc., advertising Data processed: Data such as telephone numbers, email addresses, contact details, data on user behavior, information about your device and your IP address. You can find more details on this in the social media tool used. Storage period: depends on the social media platforms used Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is social media?

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

Why do we use social media?

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

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

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

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

Which data is processed?

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

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

If you want to know exactly which data is stored and processed by the social media providers and how you can object to data processing, you should read the respective company’s data protection declaration carefully. If you have any 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 below, provided we have further information. For example, the social media platform Facebook stores data until it is no longer required for its own purposes. However, customer data that is compared with the company’s own user data is deleted within two days. In general, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. If it is required by law, as in the case of accounting, for example, this storage period can also be exceeded.

Right of objection

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

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

Legal basis

If you have consented that your data can be processed and stored by integrated social media elements, this consent serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR) . In principle, if you have given your consent, your data will also be 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 set cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text about cookies carefully and view the data protection declaration or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

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

Facebook privacy policy

Facebook privacy policy summary  Affected parties: Visitors to the website Purpose: Optimizing our service Data processed: Data such as customer data, data on user behavior, information about your device and your IP address. You can find more details about this further down in the privacy policy. Storage period: until the data is no longer useful for Facebook’s purposes Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are Facebook tools?

We use selected tools from Facebook on our website. Facebook is a social media network operated by Facebook Ireland Ltd., 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2 Ireland. These tools help us to offer you and people who are interested in our products and services the best possible service.

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

Below we provide an overview of the different 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, since 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 (application programming interfaces)
• SDKs (collection of programming tools)
• platform integrations
• plugins
• codes
• specifications
• documentation
• technologies and services

Through these tools, Facebook expands its services and has the ability 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. In order to show users suitable advertising, however, Facebook needs information about people’s wishes and needs. The company is provided with information about user behavior (and contact details) on our website. This allows Facebook to collect better user data and show interested people the right advertisements about our products or services. The tools thus enable customized 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 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. As a result, we use some of these tools to optimize your user experience on our website. For example, you can use the social plug-ins to share content on our site directly on Facebook.

What data are stored by Facebook tools?

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

Facebook uses this information to compare the data with the data it has about you (if you are a Facebook member). Before customer data is sent to Facebook, a process known as “hashing” takes place. This means that a data set of any size is transformed into a character string. This also serves to encrypt data.

In addition to contact data, “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 parties (such as advertisers) unless the company has explicit permission or is legally obliged to do so. “Event data” can also be linked to contact data. This enables Facebook to offer better personalized advertising. After the matching process mentioned above, Facebook deletes the contact data 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 (that was collected by Facebook in another way). Facebook also uses this event data for security, protection, development and research purposes. Much of this data is transferred to Facebook via cookies. Cookies are small text files that are used to store data or information in browsers. Depending on the tools used and whether you are a Facebook member, different numbers of cookies will be created in your browser. In the descriptions of the individual Facebook tools, we go into more detail about individual Facebook cookies. You can also find general information about the use of Facebook cookies at https://www.facebook.com/policies/cookies .

How long and where is the data stored?

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

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

According to the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the right to information, rectification, portability and erasure of your data.

The data will only be completely deleted if you completely delete your Facebook account. This is how you delete your Facebook account:

1) On the right side of Facebook, click Settings.

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 “Continue and delete account”

5) Now enter your password, click “Next” and then “Delete account”

The data that Facebook receives via our site is stored using cookies (e.g. social plugins). You can deactivate, delete or manage individual or all cookies in your browser. This works in different ways depending on which browser you use. The following instructions show how to manage cookies in your browser:

Chrome: Delete, enable and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Managing cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Deleting and managing cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

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

Legal basis

If you have consented that your data can be processed and stored by integrated Facebook tools, this consent serves 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 set cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text about cookies carefully and view Facebook’s privacy policy or cookie guidelines.

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

Facebook uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, 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 conditions, which correspond to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing .

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

Facebook Social Plug-ins Privacy Policy

Our website contains so-called social plug-ins from the company Facebook Inc. You can recognise these buttons by the classic Facebook logo, such as the “Like” button (the hand with the thumb raised) or by a clear “Facebook plug-in” label. A social plug-in is a small part of Facebook that is integrated into our site. Each plug-in has its own function. The most commonly used functions are the well-known “Like” and “Share” buttons.

The following social plug-ins are offered by Facebook:

• “Save” button
• Like, Share, Send and Quote
• page plug-in
• comments
• Messenger plug-in
• Embedded posts and video players
• group plug-in

You can find more information on how the individual plug-ins are used at https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins . We use the social plug-ins on the one hand to offer you a better user experience on our site and on the other hand because they enable Facebook to optimize our advertisements.

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

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

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

If you are not logged in to Facebook or do not have a Facebook account, your browser will send less information to Facebook because you have fewer Facebook cookies. However, data such as your IP address or which website you visit can still be transferred to Facebook. We would like to expressly point out that we do not know exactly what the data contains. However, we will try to inform you as best as possible about data processing based on our current knowledge. You can also read how Facebook uses the data in the company’s data guidelines at https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/update .

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

Name: dpr
Value: not specified
Purpose: This cookie is used to enable the social plug-ins on our website to work.
Expiry date: after end of session

Name: fr
Value: 0jieyh4321882578c2GnlufEJ9..Bde09j…1.0.Bde09j
Purpose:  The cookie is also necessary for the plug-ins to function properly.
Expiry date:  after 3 months

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

If you are logged in to Facebook, you can change your ad settings yourself at https://www.facebook.com/ads/preferences/?entry_product=ad_settings_screen  . If you are not a Facebook user, you can generally manage your usage-based online advertising at http://www.youronlinechoices.com/de/praferenzmanagement/ . There you have the option of deactivating or activating providers.

If you would like to learn more about Facebook’s privacy practices, we recommend that you read the company’s own data policy at https://www.facebook.com/policy.php .

Facebook Login Privacy Policy

We have integrated the practical Facebook login on our website. This means you can easily log in with your Facebook account without having to create another user account. If you decide to register using the Facebook login, you will be redirected to the social media network Facebook. There you log in using your Facebook user data. This login process saves data about you and your user behavior and transmits it to Facebook.

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

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

Name: datr
Value: 4Jh7XUA2321882578SEmPsSfzCOO4JFFl
Purpose: Facebook sets the “datr” cookie when a web browser accesses facebook.com, and the cookie helps identify login activities and protect users.
Expiry date:  after 2 years

Name: _js_datr
Value: deleted
Purpose: This session cookie is set by Facebook for tracking purposes, even if you do not have a Facebook account or are logged out.
Expiry date: after end of session

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

The Facebook Login offers you a quick and easy registration process, and it also gives us the opportunity to share data with Facebook. This enables us to better tailor our offerings and promotions to your interests and needs. Data that we receive from Facebook in this way is public data such as

• your Facebook name
• your profile picture
• a stored email address
• friends lists
• button information (e.g. “Like” button)
• birthday
• Language
• Place of residence

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

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

 If you are logged in to Facebook, you can change your ad settings yourself at https://www.facebook.com/ads/preferences/?entry_product=ad_settings_screen .

Instagram privacy policy

Instagram privacy policy summary  Affected parties: Visitors to the website Purpose: Optimization of our service Data processed: Data such as data on user behavior, information about your device and your IP address. You can find more details about this further down in the privacy policy. Storage period: until Instagram no longer needs the data for its purposes Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Instagram?

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

Below we want to give you a more detailed insight into why Instagram collects data, what data it is and how you can largely control the data processing. Since Instagram belongs to Facebook Inc., we get our information from the Instagram guidelines on the one hand, but also from the Facebook data guidelines themselves on the other.

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

Why do we use Instagram on our website?

Instagram is the social media platform that has really taken off in recent years. And of course we have also responded to this boom. We want you to feel as comfortable as possible on our website. That’s why it’s a matter of course for us to present our content in a varied way. The embedded Instagram functions allow us to enrich our content with helpful, funny or exciting content from the Instagram world. Since Instagram is a subsidiary of Facebook, the data collected can also be useful for personalized advertising on Facebook. This means that our advertisements are only shown to people who are really interested in our products or services.

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

What data does Instagram store?

If you come across one of our pages that has Instagram functions (such as Instagram images or plug-ins) built in, your browser automatically connects to Instagram’s servers. Data is sent to Instagram, stored and processed, regardless of whether you have an Instagram account or not. This includes information about our website, your computer, purchases made, advertisements you see and how you use our services. 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 differentiates between customer data and event data. We assume that this is also the case with Instagram. Customer data includes names, addresses, telephone numbers and IP addresses. These customer data will only be transmitted to Instagram if they have been “hashed” beforehand. Hashing means that a data set is converted into a character string. This allows the contact details to be encrypted. The “event data” mentioned above is also transmitted. Facebook – and consequently Instagram – understands “event data” to mean data about your user behavior. It can also happen that contact details are combined with event data. The contact details collected are compared with the data that Instagram already has about you.

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

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

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

These cookies were used in our test:

Name: csrftoken
Value: “”
Purpose:  This cookie is most likely set for security reasons to prevent requests from being forged. However, we were unable to find out more details.
Expiry date: after one year

Name: mid
Value: “”
Purpose: Instagram sets this cookie to optimize its own services and offers on and off Instagram. The cookie sets a unique user ID.
Expiry date: after the end of the session

Name: fbsr_321882578124024
Value: no information
Purpose:  This cookie stores the log-in request for users of the Instagram app. Expiry date: after the end of the session

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

Name: urlgen
Value: “{”194.96.75.33”: 1901}:1iEtYv:Y833k2_UjKvXgYe321882578”
Purpose: This cookie is used for Instagram’s marketing purposes.
Expiry date: after the end of the session

Note: We cannot claim to be complete 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 it receives between the Facebook companies, with external partners, and with people you connect with around the world. Data processing is carried out in compliance with its own data policy. Your data is distributed across Facebook servers around the world, 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, correction and deletion of your data. You can manage your data in the Instagram settings. If you want to completely delete your data on Instagram, you must permanently delete your Instagram account.

And this is how to delete your Instagram account:

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

If you delete your account entirely, Instagram will delete posts such as your photos and status updates. Information that other people have shared about you is not part of your account and will not be deleted.

As mentioned above, Instagram primarily stores your data via cookies. You can manage, deactivate or delete these cookies in your browser. Depending on your browser, the management always works a little differently. Here we show you the instructions for the most important browsers.

Chrome: Delete, enable and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Managing cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Deleting and managing cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

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

legal basis

If you have consented that your data can be 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) . 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 integrated social media elements if you have given your consent. Most social media platforms also set cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text about cookies carefully and view the data protection declaration or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

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

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

We have tried to provide you with the most important information about data processing by Instagram. You can find out more about Instagram’s data policy at https://help.instagram.com/519522125107875 .

LinkedIn Privacy Policy

LinkedIn privacy policy summary  Affected parties: Visitors to the website Purpose: Optimization of our service Data processed: Data such as data on user behavior, information about your device and your IP address. You can find more details about this further down in the privacy policy. Storage period: the 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?

We use social plug-ins from the social media network LinkedIn, LinkedIn Corporation, 2029 Stierlin Court, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA, on our website. The social plug-ins can be 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, interesting content to be shared directly via our website. For the European Economic Area and Switzerland, LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company Wilton Place in Dublin is responsible for data processing.

By embedding such plug-ins, data can be sent to LinkedIn, stored and processed there. In this privacy policy, we want 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 contacts. Companies can use the platform to present services and products and establish business relationships. Many people also use LinkedIn to search for jobs or to find suitable employees for their own company. In Germany alone, the network has over 11 million members. In Austria, there are around 1.3 million.

Why do we use LinkedIn on our website?

We know how busy you are. You can’t follow all of your social media channels individually. Even if it would be worth it, as in our case. We always post interesting news or reports that are worth spreading. That’s 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 view built-in social plug-ins as an extended service on our website. The data that LinkedIn collects also helps us to show possible advertising measures only to people who are interested in what we offer.

What data does LinkedIn store?

LinkedIn does not store any personal data just by integrating the social plug-ins. LinkedIn calls this data generated by plug-ins passive impressions. However, if you click on a social plug-in to share our content, for example, the platform stores personal data as so-called “active impressions”. This is regardless of whether you have a LinkedIn account or not. If you are logged in, the data collected 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 logs various usage data. In addition to your IP address, this can include login data, device information or information about your internet or mobile provider. If you access LinkedIn services via your smartphone, your location can also be determined (after you have given permission). LinkedIn can also pass this data on to third-party advertisers in “hashed” form. Hashing means that a data set is converted into a character string. This allows the data to be encrypted so that people can no longer be identified.

Most of the data about your user behavior is stored in cookies. These are small text files that are usually placed in your browser. LinkedIn can 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 serves only as an example. The following cookies were set without being logged in to LinkedIn:

Name: bcookie
Value: =2&34aab2aa-2ae1-4d2a-8baf-c2e2d7235c16321882578-
Purpose: The cookie is a so-called “browser ID cookie” and therefore stores your identification number (ID).
Expiry date: After 2 years

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

Name: lidc
Value: 1818367:t=1571904767:s=AQF6KNnJ0G321882578…
Purpose: This cookie is used for routing. Routing records the paths you took to LinkedIn and how you navigate through the website.
Expiry date: after 24 hours

Name: rtc
Value: kt0lrv3NF3x3t6xvDgGrZGDKkX
Purpose:  No further information could be found for this cookie.
Expiry date: after 2 minutes

Name: JSESSIONID
Value: ajax:3218825782900777718326218137
Purpose: This is a session cookie that LinkedIn uses to maintain anonymous user sessions through the server.
Expiry 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.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: fid
Value: AQHj7Ii23ZBcqAAAA…
Purpose: No further information could be found for this cookie.
Expiry date: after 7 days

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

How long and where is the data stored?

LinkedIn generally retains your personal data for as long as the company considers it 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 your account has been deleted. 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 legally required to do so. Data that can no longer be assigned to individuals remains stored even after the account has been 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 and delete your personal data at any time. You can manage, change and delete your data in your LinkedIn account. You can also request a copy of your personal data from LinkedIn.

To access the account information in your LinkedIn profile:

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

You also have the option of preventing LinkedIn from processing your data in your browser. 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 slightly differently. You can find instructions for the most common browsers here:

Chrome: Delete, enable and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Managing cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Deleting and managing cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

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

legal basis

If you have consented that your data can be 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) . 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 integrated social media elements if you have given your consent. Most social media platforms also set cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text about cookies carefully and view the data protection declaration or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

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

LinkedIn uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, LinkedIn undertakes to comply with 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

You can find more information about LinkedIn’s standard contractual clauses at https://de.linkedin.com/legal/l/dpa or https://www.linkedin.com/legal/l/eu-sccs .

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

Audio & Video

Audio & Video Data Protection Statement Summary  Affected parties: Visitors to the website Purpose: Optimization of our service Data processed: Data such as contact details, data on user behavior, information about your device and your IP address can be stored. You can find more details about this in the corresponding data protection texts below. Storage period: Data is generally stored as long as it is necessary for the service purpose Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are audio and video elements?

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

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

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

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

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

What data is stored by audio & video elements?

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

Duration of data processing

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

Right of objection

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

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

Legal basis

If you have consented that your data can be processed and stored through integrated audio and video elements, this consent is the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR) . In principle, your data 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 integrated audio and video elements if you have given your consent.

Anchor Privacy Policy

We use Anchor, a tool for music and podcasts, on our website. The service provider is the American company Spotify C/O Anchor, 150 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10007, USA.

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

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

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Anchor in the Privacy Policy at https://anchor.fm/privacy .

Spotify privacy policy

We use Spotify, a tool for music and podcasts, on our website. The service provider is the Swedish company Spotify AB, Regeringsgatan 19, SE-111 53 Stockholm, Sweden. You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Spotify in the Privacy Policy at https://www.spotify.com/de/legal/privacy-policy/ .

YouTube privacy policy

YouTube privacy policy summary  Affected parties: Visitors to the website Purpose: Optimization of our service Data processed: Data such as contact details, data on user behavior, information about your device and your IP address can be stored. You can find more details about this further down in this privacy policy. Storage period: Data is generally stored as long as it is necessary for the service purpose Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is YouTube?

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

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

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

Why do we use YouTube videos on our website?

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

What data does YouTube store?

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

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

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

Name: YSC
Value: b9-CV6ojI5Y321882578-1
Purpose: This cookie registers a unique ID to store statistics of the video viewed.
Expiry date: after end of session

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

Name: GPS
Value: 1
Purpose: This cookie registers your unique ID on mobile devices to track the GPS location.
Expiry 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 integrated YouTube video).
Expiry date:  after 8 months

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

Name: APISID
Value: zILlvClZSkqGsSwI/AU1aZI6HY7321882578-
Purpose: This cookie is used to create a profile of your interests. The data is used for personalized advertising.
Expiry 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 use various Google services. CONSENT is also used for security purposes to verify users and protect user data from unauthorized attacks.
Expiry date: after 19 years

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

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

Name: SID
Value: oQfNKjAsI321882578-
Purpose: This cookie stores your Google account ID and your last login time in a digitally signed and encrypted form.
Expiry date:  after 2 years

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

How long and where is the data stored?

The data that YouTube receives from you and processes is stored on Google servers. Most of these servers are located in America. 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 across the servers. This means that the data can be accessed more quickly and is better protected against manipulation.

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

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

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

Regardless of whether you have a Google account or not, you can configure your browser to delete or deactivate cookies from Google. This works in different ways depending on which browser you use. The following instructions show how to manage cookies in your browser:

Chrome: Delete, enable and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Managing cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Deleting and managing cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

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

Legal basis

If you have consented that your data can be processed and stored through integrated YouTube elements, this consent serves 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 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 about 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 involve various risks for the legality and security of data processing.

YouTube uses standard contractual clauses approved by the EU Commission (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. These clauses oblige YouTube to comply with the EU data protection level when processing relevant data, 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 shared privacy policy. If you would like to learn more about how your data is handled, we recommend that you read the privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

YouTube Subscribe Button Privacy Policy

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

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

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

Name: YSC
Value: b9-CV6ojI5321882578Y
Purpose: This cookie registers a unique ID to store statistics of the video viewed.
Expiry date: after end of session

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

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

Name: VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
Value: 32188257895Chz8bagyU
Purpose: This cookie tries to estimate the bandwidth of the user on our websites (with integrated YouTube video).
Expiry date:  after 8 months

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

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

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

Video conferencing & streaming

Video conferences & streaming data protection declaration Summary  Affected parties: Users who use our video conference or streaming tool Purpose: Communication and presentation of content Data processed: Access statistics that contain data such as name, address, contact details, email address, telephone number or your IP address. You can find more details on this in the video conference or streaming tool used. Storage period: depends on the video conference or streaming tool used Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b GDPR (contract)

What are video conferencing & streaming?

We use software programs that enable us to hold video conferences, online meetings, webinars, display sharing and/or streaming. During a video conference or streaming, information is transmitted simultaneously via sound and moving images. With the help of such video conference or streaming tools, we can communicate with customers, business partners, clients and employees quickly and easily over the Internet. Of course, when selecting the service provider, we pay attention to the specified legal framework.

In principle, third parties can process data as soon as you interact with the software program. Third-party providers of video conferencing or streaming solutions use your data and metadata for different purposes. The data helps, for example, to make the tool more secure and to improve the service. In most cases, the data can also be used for the third-party provider’s own marketing purposes.

Why do we use video conferencing & streaming on our website?

We want to communicate with you, our customers and business partners digitally in a quick, uncomplicated and secure way. This works best with video conferencing solutions that are very easy to use. Most tools also work directly via your browser and after just a few clicks you are in the middle of a video meeting. The tools also offer helpful additional features such as a chat and screen sharing function or the option to share content between meeting participants.

Which data is processed?

If you participate in our video conference or streaming, your data will also be processed and stored on the servers of the respective service provider.

Exactly which data is stored depends on the solution used. Each provider stores and processes different data and different amounts of data. However, most providers usually store your name, address, contact details such as your email address or telephone number and your IP address. Information about the device you use and usage data such as which websites you visit, when you visit a website or which buttons you click can also be stored. Data shared within the video conference (photos, videos, texts) can also be stored.

Duration of data processing

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

Right of objection

You always have the right to information, correction and deletion of your personal data. If you have any questions, you can contact the person responsible for the video conferencing or streaming tool you are using at any time. You can find contact details either in our specific data protection declaration or on the website of the relevant provider.

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

legal basis

If you have consented that your data can be processed and stored by the video or streaming solution, this consent serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR) . In addition, we can also offer a video conference as part of our services if this has been contractually agreed with you in advance (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b 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, but only if you have at least given your consent. Most video or streaming solutions also set cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text about cookies carefully and view the data protection declaration or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

Information on special video conferencing and streaming solutions – if available – can be found in the following sections.

Microsoft Teams Privacy Policy

We use Microsoft Teams, a service for online meetings and video conferencing, on our website. The service provider is the American company Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399, USA.

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

Microsoft uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, Microsoft 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

For more information about Microsoft’s standard contractual clauses, please visit https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/compliance/regulatory/offering-eu-model-clauses .

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Microsoft in the privacy policy at https://privacy.microsoft.com/de-de/privacystatement .

Zoom privacy policy

Zoom privacy policy summary  Affected parties: Users who use Zoom Purpose: an additional service for our website visitors Data processed: Access statistics that contain data such as name, address, contact details, email address, telephone number or your IP address. You can find more details further down in this privacy policy Storage period: Data is stored as long as Zoom needs it for the service purpose Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b GDPR (contract)

What is Zoom?

We use the video conferencing tool Zoom from the American software company Zoom Video Communications for our website. The company headquarters is in San Jose, California, 55 Almaden Boulevard, 6th Floor, CA 95113. Thanks to “Zoom” we can hold a video conference with customers, business partners, clients and employees very easily and without installing any software. In this privacy policy we go into more detail about the service and inform you about the most important data protection-related aspects.

Zoom is one of the world’s best-known video conferencing solutions. With the “Zoom Meetings” service, we can hold an online video conference with you, but also with employees or other users via a digital conference room. This makes it very easy for us to get in touch digitally, exchange ideas on various topics, send text messages or even make phone calls. You can also share the screen, exchange files and use a whiteboard via Zoom.

Why do we use Zoom on our website?

It is important to us that we can communicate with you quickly and easily. And Zoom offers us exactly this opportunity. The software program also works directly via a browser. This means that we can simply send you a link and start the video conference. Of course, additional functions such as screen sharing or exchanging files are also very practical.

What data does Zoom store?

When you use Zoom, data is also collected from you so that Zoom can provide its services. On the one hand, this is data that you consciously make available to the company. This includes, for example, your name, telephone number or your email address. But data is also automatically transmitted to Zoom and stored. This includes, for example, technical data about your browser or your IP address. Below we go into more detail about the data that Zoom can collect and store from you:

If you provide information such as your name, username, email address or phone number, this information will be stored by Zoom. Content that you upload while using Zoom will also be stored. This includes, for example, files or chat logs.

The technical data that Zoom automatically saves includes the IP address mentioned above, the MAC address, other device IDs, device type, which operating system you use, which client you use, camera type, microphone and speaker type. Your approximate location is also determined and saved. Zoom also saves information about how you use the service. For example, whether you “zoom” via desktop or smartphone, whether you use a phone call or VoIP, whether you participate with or without video, or whether you request a password. Zoom also records so-called metadata such as the duration of the meeting/call, start and end of meeting participation, meeting name and chat status.

Zoom mentions in its own privacy policy that the company does not use advertising cookies or tracking technologies for its services. These tracking methods are only used on its own marketing websites such as www.zoom.us. Zoom does not resell personal data and does not use it for advertising purposes.

How long and where is the data stored?

Zoom does not provide a specific time frame in this regard, but emphasizes that the data collected will be stored for as long as it is necessary to provide the services or for the company’s own purposes. The data will only be stored for longer if this is required for legal reasons.

Zoom generally stores the data it collects on American servers, but data can arrive at different data centers around the world.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

If you do not want data to be saved during the Zoom meeting, you must forego the meeting. However, you always have the right and the option to have all your personal data deleted. If you have a Zoom account, you can find  instructions on how to delete your account at https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201363243-How-Do-I-Delete-Terminate-My-Account .

Please note that when using this tool, your data may also be stored and processed outside the EU. Most third countries (including the USA) are not considered safe under current European data protection law. 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

If you have consented that your data can be processed and stored by the video or streaming solution, this consent serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR) . In addition, we can also offer a video conference as part of our services if this was contractually agreed with you in advance (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b 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, but only to the extent that you have at least consented.

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

Zoom uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, i.e. in particular in the USA) or for data transfer there. Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, Zoom 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

We hope we have given you an overview of data processing by Zoom. Of course, the company’s data protection guidelines can always change. Therefore, for more information on the data processed and the standard contractual clauses, we recommend that you read Zoom’s privacy policy at https://zoom.us/de-de/privacy.html .

All texts are protected by copyright.

Source: Created with the Data Protection Generator from AdSimpleL