Introduction and Overview

We have written this privacy policy (version 13.05.2024-112090663) to explain to you, in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and applicable national laws, which personal data (data for short) we as the controller – and the processors commissioned by us (e.g. providers) – process, will process in the future and what legal options you have. The terms used are to be understood as gender-neutral.
In short: We provide you with comprehensive information about data that we process about you.

Privacy policies usually sound very technical and use legal jargon. This privacy policy, on the other hand, is intended to describe the most important things to you as simply and transparently as possible. As far as it promotes transparency, technical terms are explained in a reader-friendly way, links to further information are offered and graphics are used. We thus inform you in clear and simple language that we only process personal data within the scope of our business activities if there is a corresponding legal basis. This is certainly not possible if you provide explanations that are as concise, unclear and legal-technical as possible, as is often standard on the Internet when it comes to data protection. I hope you find the following explanations interesting and informative and perhaps there is one or the other piece of information that you did not already know.
If you still have any questions, please contact the responsible body mentioned below or in the imprint, follow the existing links and view further information on third-party websites. You will 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 (processors) commissioned by us. Personal data means information within the meaning of Art. 4 No. 1 GDPR such as a person’s name, e-mail 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 presences and e-mail communication
• mobile apps for smartphones and other devices

In short: The privacy policy applies to all areas in which personal data is processed in a structured manner in the company via the channels mentioned. Should 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 will provide you with transparent information on the legal principles and regulations, i.e. the legal basis of the General Data Protection Regulation, which enable us to process personal data.
As far as EU law is concerned, we refer to REGULATION (EU) 2016/679 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 27 April 2016. You can of course read this EU General Data Protection Regulation online on EUR-Lex, the gateway to EU law, at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/DE/ALL/?uri=celex%3A32016R0679.

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

1. Consent (Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. a GDPR): You have given us your consent to process data for a specific purpose. An example would be the storage of your entered data from a contact form.
2. Contract (Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. b GDPR): In order to fulfill a contract or pre-contractual obligations with you, we process your data. For example, if we conclude a purchase contract with you, we require personal information in advance.
3. Legal obligation (Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. c GDPR): If we are subject to a legal obligation, we process your data. For example, we are legally obliged to keep invoices for accounting purposes. These usually contain personal data.
4. Legitimate interests (Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. f GDPR): In the case of legitimate interests that do not restrict your basic 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 perception of recordings in the public interest and the exercise of public authority as well as the protection of vital interests do not usually occur with us. If such a legal basis should be relevant, it will be identified at the appropriate point.

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

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

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

Contact Details of the Controller

If you have any questions about data protection or the processing of personal data, you will find the contact details of the responsible person or body below:
Hubertus Lindner
6650 Gramais 17

E-mail: office@bergschule-lechtal.com
Phone: +43 664 8418058
Imprint: https://bergschule-lechtal.com/impressum/

Storage Period

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

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

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

Rights under the General Data Protection Regulation

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

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

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

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

Security of Data Processing

In order to protect personal data, we have implemented both technical and organizational measures. Where possible, we encrypt or pseudonymize personal data. In doing so, we make it as difficult as possible within the scope of our capabilities for third parties to infer personal information from our data.

Art. 25 GDPR speaks here of “data protection through technology design and through data protection-friendly default settings” and means that one always thinks about security both in software (e.g. forms) and also hardware (e.g. access to the server room) and takes appropriate measures. In the following, we will go into specific measures if necessary.

TLS Encryption with Https

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

We have thus introduced an additional security layer and fulfill data protection through technology design (Article 25 paragraph 1 GDPR). By using TLS (Transport Layer Security), an encryption protocol for secure data transmission on the Internet, we can ensure the protection of confidential data.
You can recognize the use of this security for data transmission by the small padlock symbol at the top left of the browser, to the left of the Internet address (e.g. examplepage.de) and the use of the https scheme (instead of http) as part of our Internet address.
If you would like to know more about encryption, we recommend searching Google for “Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure wiki” to get good links to further information.

Communication

Communication summary 👥 Affected: All those who communicate with us by phone, e-mail or online form 📓 Processed data: e.g. telephone number, name, e-mail address, entered form data. You can find more details on this in the respective type of contact used 🤝 Purpose: Processing communication with customers, business partners, etc. 📅 Storage period: Duration of the business case and the legal regulations ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR (contract), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

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

The data is processed for the handling and processing of your question and the associated business transaction. The data is stored for just as long or as long as the law prescribes.

Affected Persons

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

Telephone

If you call us, the call data is stored pseudonymized on the respective end device and at the telecommunications provider used. In addition, data such as name and telephone number can then be sent by e-mail and stored to answer the request. The data will be deleted as soon as the business case has ended and legal requirements allow it.

E-mail

If you communicate with us by e-mail, data may be stored on the respective end device (computer, laptop, smartphone,…) and data is stored on the e-mail server. The data will be deleted as soon as the business case has ended and legal requirements allow it.

Online Forms

If you communicate with us using an online form, data is stored on our web server and, if necessary, forwarded to one of our e-mail addresses. The data will be deleted as soon as the business case has ended and legal requirements allow it.

Legal Basis

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

• Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent): You give us your consent to store your data and use it further for purposes relating to the business case;
• Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR (contract): There is a need for the fulfillment of a contract with you or a processor such as the telephone provider or we need to process the data for pre-contractual activities, such as the preparation of an offer;
• Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests): We want to operate customer inquiries and business communication in a professional framework. For this purpose, certain technical facilities such as e-mail programs, exchange servers and mobile phone operators are necessary in order to operate the communication efficiently.

Data Processing Agreement (DPA)

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

Who are Data Processors?

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

For a better understanding of the terminology, here is an overview of the three roles in the GDPR:

Data Subject (you as a customer or interested party) → Controller (we as the company and client) → Processor (service providers such as web hosters or cloud providers)

Content of a Data Processing Agreement

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

• Binding to us as the controller
• Obligations and rights of the controller
• Categories of data subjects
• Type of personal data
• Nature and purpose of data processing
• Subject matter and duration of data processing
• Location of data processing

Furthermore, the contract contains all obligations of the processor. The most important obligations are:

• To ensure data security measures
• To take possible technical and organizational measures to protect the rights of the data subject
• To maintain a record of processing activities
• To cooperate with the data protection supervisory authority upon request
• To conduct a risk analysis regarding the personal data received
• Sub-processors may only be engaged with the written permission of the controller

You can view what such a DPA looks like in practice, for example, at https://www.wko.at/service/wirtschaftsrecht-gewerberecht/eu-dsgvo-mustervertrag-auftragsverarbeitung.html. A sample contract is presented here.

Cookies

Cookies Summary 👥 Data Subjects: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: depends on the respective cookie. More details can be found below or from the software manufacturer that sets the cookie. 📓 Processed Data: Depends on the cookie used. More details can be found below or from the software manufacturer that sets the cookie. 📅 Storage duration: depends on the respective cookie, can vary from hours to years ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate interests)

What are Cookies?

Our website uses HTTP cookies to store user-specific data.
In the following, we explain what cookies are and why they are used, so that you can better understand the following privacy policy.

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

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

Cookies store certain user data from you, such as language or personal page settings. When you revisit our site, your browser transmits the “user-related” information back to our site. Thanks to cookies, our website knows who you are and offers you the settings you are accustomed to. In some browsers, each cookie has its own file, while in others, such as Firefox, all cookies are stored in a single file.

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

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

For example, cookie data can look like this:

Name: _ga
Value: GA1.2.1326744211.152112090663-9
Purpose: Distinguishing website visitors
Expiration date: after 2 years

A browser should be able to support these minimum sizes:

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

What Types of Cookies are there?

The question of which cookies we specifically use depends on the services employed and will be clarified in the following sections of the privacy policy. At this point, we would like to briefly discuss the different types of HTTP cookies.

Four types of cookies can be distinguished:

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

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

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

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

Usually, when you visit a website for the first time, you will be asked which of these cookie types you wish to allow. And of course, this decision is also stored in a cookie.

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

Purpose of Processing via Cookies

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

What Data is Processed?

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

Storage Duration of Cookies

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

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

Right to Object – how Can I Delete Cookies?

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

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

Chrome: Delete, enable, and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

If you fundamentally don’t want any cookies, you can set up your browser to always inform you when a cookie is about to be set. This way, you can decide for each individual cookie whether to allow it or not. The procedure varies depending on the browser. It’s best to search for instructions on Google using the search term “delete cookies Chrome” or “disable cookies Chrome” in the case of a Chrome browser.

Legal Basis

Since 2009, there have been the so-called “Cookie Guidelines.” These stipulate that storing cookies requires your consent (Article 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). However, there are still very different reactions to these guidelines within EU countries. In Austria, this guideline was implemented in § 165 para. 3 of the Telecommunications Act (2021). In Germany, the Cookie Guidelines were not implemented as national law. Instead, this guideline was largely implemented in § 15 para. 3 of the Telemedia Act (TMG).

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

Insofar as cookies that are not strictly necessary are used, this only occurs with your consent. The legal basis in this respect is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR.

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

Web Hosting Introduction

Web Hosting Summary 👥 Data Subjects: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: professional hosting of the website and securing its operation 📓 Processed Data: IP address, time of website visit, browser used, and other data. More details can be found below or from the respective web hosting provider used. 📅 Storage duration: depends on the respective provider, but usually 2 weeks ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate interests)

What is Web Hosting?

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

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

To display the website, the browser must connect to another computer where the website’s code is stored: the web server. Operating a web server is a complicated and elaborate task, which is why it is usually handled by professional providers. These providers offer web hosting and thus ensure reliable and error-free storage of website data. That’s a lot of technical terms, but please bear with us, it gets even better!

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

A picture says more than a thousand words, so the following graphic illustrates the interplay between the browser, the internet, and the hosting provider.

Why Do We Process Personal Data?

The purposes of data processing are:

1. Professional hosting of the website and securing its operation
2. For maintaining operational and IT security
3. Anonymous evaluation of access behavior to improve our offering and, if necessary, for criminal prosecution or assertion of claims

What Data is Processed?

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

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

How Long is Data Stored?

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

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

Legal Basis

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

We usually have a contract with the hosting provider for order processing in accordance with Art. 28 et seq. GDPR, which ensures compliance with data protection and guarantees data security.

Web Hosting Provider External Privacy Policy

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

united-domains AG
Gautinger Straße 10
82319 Starnberg
Germany

You can find out more about data processing at this provider in the privacy policy.

Website Modular Systems Introduction

Website modular systems Privacy policy summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service 📓 Processed data: Data such as technical usage information such as browser activity, clickstream activities, session heatmaps and contact details, IP address or your geographical location. More details can be found below in this privacy policy and in the provider’s privacy policy. 📅 Storage period: depends on the provider ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent)

What are Website Modular Systems?

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

Why Do We Use Website Modular Systems for our Website?

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

What Data is Stored by a Modular System?

The exact data that is stored naturally depends on the website modular system used. Each provider processes and collects different data from the website visitor. However, technical usage information such as operating system, browser, screen resolution, language and keyboard settings, hosting provider and the date of your website visit are usually collected. Tracking data (e.g. browser activity, clickstream activities, session heatmaps, etc.) can also be processed. In addition, personal data can also be collected and stored. This is usually contact data such as email address, telephone number (if you have provided it), IP address and geographical location data. You can find out exactly which data is stored in the provider’s privacy policy.

How Long and where Will the Data be Stored?

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

Right to Object

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

Cookies that providers use for their functions can be deleted, deactivated or managed in your browser. Depending on which browser you use, this works in different ways. Please note, however, that not all functions may work as usual.

Legal Basis

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

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

With this privacy policy, we have provided you with the most important general information about data processing. If you would like to find out more about this, you will find further information – if available – in the following section or in the provider’s privacy policy.

WordPress.Com Privacy Policy

WordPress.com privacy policy summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service 📓 Processed data: Data such as technical usage information such as browser activity, clickstream activities, session heatmaps and contact details, IP address or your geographical location. More details can be found below in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage period: It depends primarily on the type of data stored and the specific settings. ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests)

What is WordPress?

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

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

Why Do We Use WordPress on our Website?

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

Nevertheless, we want to have a powerful and attractive website that we can also manage and maintain ourselves. With a website modular system or a content management system like WordPress, this is exactly what is possible. With WordPress, we don’t have to be programming aces to be able to offer you a beautiful website. Thanks to WordPress, we can operate our website quickly and easily even without technical knowledge. If technical problems occur or we have special requests for our website, there are still our specialists who are familiar with HTML, PHP, CSS and Co.

Thanks to the simple operation and the comprehensive functions of WordPress, we can design our website according to our wishes and offer you good user-friendliness.

What Data is Processed by WordPress?

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

Personal data is also collected. This is primarily contact data (email address or telephone number, if you provide it), IP address or your geographical location.

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

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

How Long and where Will the Data be Stored?

How long the data is stored depends on various factors. So it depends primarily on the type of data stored and the specific settings of the website. In principle, the data is deleted from WordPress when it is no longer needed for its own purposes. There are of course exceptions, especially if legal obligations require the data to be stored for a longer period. Web server protocols that contain your IP address and technical data are deleted by WordPress or Automattic after 30 days. Automattic uses the data for this long to analyze traffic on its own websites (for example, all WordPress pages) and to fix possible problems. Deleted content on WordPress websites is also kept in the trash for 30 days to allow recovery, after which it may remain in backups and caches until they are deleted. The data is stored on American servers of Automattic.

How Can I Delete My Data or Prevent Data Storage?

You have the right and the possibility to access your personal data at any time and to object to the use and processing of this data. You can also lodge a complaint with a government supervisory authority at any time.

You also have the option of managing, deleting or deactivating cookies individually in your browser. Please note, however, that deactivated or deleted cookies may have negative effects on the functions of our WordPress page. Depending on which browser you use, managing cookies works a little differently. In the “Cookies” section you will find the corresponding links to the respective instructions for the most popular browsers.

Legal Basis

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

We also have a legitimate interest in using WordPress to optimize our online service and present it to you in a beautiful way. The corresponding legal basis for this is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests). However, we only use WordPress if you have given your consent.

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

In addition, Automattic uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR). Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are model templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data also complies with European data protection standards when it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Automattic undertakes to comply with the European data protection level when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses, among other things, here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

More details on the privacy policy and which data is processed by WordPress in which way can be found on https://automattic.com/privacy/.

Order Processing Contract (AVV) WordPress.Com

We have concluded an order processing contract (AVV) with WordPress.com within the meaning of Article 28 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). You can read about what exactly an AVV is and, above all, what must be included in an AVV in our general section “Order Processing Contract (AVV)”.

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

Web Analytics Introduction

Web Analytics Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimize the website. 📓 Processed data: Access statistics that contain data such as locations of access, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior, click behavior and IP addresses. More details can be found in the respective 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, called web analytics or web analysis for short. Data is collected, which the respective analytics tool provider (also called tracking tool) stores, manages and processes. With the help of the data, analyses are created about the user behavior on our website and made available to us as website operators. In addition, most tools offer various testing options. For example, we can test which offers or content are best received by our visitors. For this purpose, 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. User profiles can also be created for such test procedures, as well as for other analytics procedures, and the data can be stored in cookies.

Why Do We Operate Web Analytics?

We have a clear goal in mind with our website: we want to deliver the best web offer on the market for our industry. In order to achieve this goal, we want to offer the best and most interesting offer on the one hand and, on the other hand, ensure 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 offer for you and us accordingly. For example, we can see how old our visitors are on average, where they come from, when our website is visited the most or which content or products are particularly popular. All this information helps us to optimize the website and thus adapt it to your needs, interests and wishes.

What Data is Processed?

The exact data that is stored naturally depends on the analysis tools used. However, as a rule, it is stored, for example, which content you view on our website, which buttons or links you click, when you access a page, which browser you use, with which device (PC, tablet, smartphone, etc.) you 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.

Additionally, 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 testing, web analysis, and web optimization, no direct data such as your name, age, address, or email address is generally stored. All such data, if collected, is stored pseudonymously. This way, you cannot be identified as an individual.

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

How long data is stored always depends on the provider. Some cookies store data only for a few minutes or until you leave the website, while others 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. Generally, we process personal data only for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. If legally required, for example, for accounting purposes, this storage period may be exceeded.

Right to Object

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

Legal Basis

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

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

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

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

Jetpack Privacy Policy

Jetpack Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimize the website offering. 📓 Processed data: Access statistics, including data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior, click behavior, and IP addresses. 📅 Storage duration: until the data is no longer needed for the services ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests)

What is Jetpack?

We use the WordPress plugin Jetpack on our website. Jetpack is software that provides us with web analytics, among other things. Jetpack is operated by Automattic (Inc. 132 Hawthorne Street San Francisco, CA 94107, USA), which uses the technology of Quantcast (Inc., 201 3rd St, Floor 2, San Francisco, CA 94103-3153, USA) for this product. The integrated tracking tool also collects, stores, and processes your personal data. This privacy policy explains exactly what data is involved, why we use Jetpack, and how you can prevent this data storage.

Jetpack is a plugin for WordPress websites with many different functions and modules. All these tools help us make our website more attractive, more secure, and welcome more visitors. For example, the tool can display related posts, content can be shared, and Jetpack can also improve our website’s loading speed. All functions are hosted and provided by WordPress.

Why Do We Use Jetpack?

It is crucial for us that you feel comfortable on our website and find what you are looking for. We can only be successful if you are satisfied with our service. To know how and where we can further improve our website, we need information. Through Jetpack, for example, we see how often and for how long you are on a single webpage or which buttons you like to click. With this information, we can improve our website and adapt it to your wishes and preferences.

What Data Does Jetpack Store?

Specifically, the built-in tracking tool WordPress.com Stats also collects, stores, and processes your personal data. For the Jetpack tool to function, Jetpack sets a cookie in your browser when you open a webpage that has components of the tool integrated. The collected data is synchronized with Automattic and stored there.

In addition to the IP address (anonymized before storage) and user behavior data, this includes, for example, browser type, unique device identifier, preferred language, date and time of page entry, operating system, and mobile network information. Jetpack uses this information to improve its services and offerings and to gain better insights into the use of its own service. Furthermore, the following data can also be synchronized and stored:

• For Google Ads customers, the account’s email address and physical address are synchronized
• Successful and failed login attempts. Your IP address and user agent are also stored for this purpose
• The user IDs, usernames, email addresses, roles, and capabilities of registered users. However, no passwords are stored
• The user ID of users who make changes to the website
• Twitter username, if configured with Jetpack

Jetpack also uses cookies for data storage. Below, we show you a few selected, exemplary cookies that Jetpack uses:

Name: eucookielaw
Value: 1613651061376112090663-6
Purpose: Stores the user’s consent status for cookie usage.
Expiry date: after 180 days

Name: tk_ai
Value: 0
Purpose: This cookie stores a randomly generated anonymous ID. It is only used within the administration area for tracking general analytics.
Expiry date: after session end

Name: tk_tc
Value: E3%2BgJ1Pw6iYKk%2Fvj112090663-3
Purpose: This is a so-called referral cookie. It analyzes the connection between WooCommerce and a website with the Jetpack plugin.
Expiry date: after session end

Note: Jetpack uses many different cookies. Which specific cookies are used depends on the Jetpack functions used and your actions on websites with the integrated Jetpack plugin. You can find a list of possible cookies used by Jetpack at https://de.jetpack.com/support/cookies/.

How Long and where is the Data Stored?

Automattic stores the collected data until it is no longer used for its own services. Beyond this period, data is only retained if the company is legally obliged to do so. Web server logs such as your IP address, browser type, and operating system are deleted after approximately 30 days. The data is stored on the company’s American servers.

How Can I Delete My Data or Prevent Data Storage?

As mentioned above, Jetpack uses cookies to store data. If you do not want Jetpack to collect your data in the future, you can request an “Opt-Out” cookie at https://www.quantcast.com/opt-out/. Quantcast sets this cookie, and no visitor data will be stored from you. This remains the case until you delete this cookie again.

Alternatively, you can also manage, deactivate, or delete cookies in your browser as you wish. Cookie management works slightly differently depending on the browser type. Under the “Cookies” section, you will find the corresponding links to the instructions for the most common browsers.

Legal Basis

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

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

Automattic also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Jetpack and Automattic are active participants in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data of EU citizens to the USA. More information can be found at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

In addition, Automattic uses so-called Standard Contractual Clauses (= Art. 46 para. 2 and 3 GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) are model templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even when transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the Standard Contractual Clauses, Automattic commits to maintaining the European level of data protection when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding Standard Contractual Clauses, among other places, here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de.

If you want to learn more about the privacy policies and data processing by Jetpack or Automattic, we recommend reading the privacy policy at https://automattic.com/privacy/, the cookie policy at https://automattic.com/cookies/, and also the information page https://jetpack.com/support/what-data-does-jetpack-sync/. We hope we have given you a good insight into data processing by Jetpack.

Social Media Introduction

Social Media Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Presentation and optimization of our services, contact with visitors, interested parties, etc., advertising 📓 Processed data: Data such as phone numbers, email addresses, contact details, user behavior data, information about your device, and your IP address. More details can be found with the respective social media tool used. 📅 Storage duration: depends on the social media platforms used ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests)

What is Social Media?

In addition to our website, we are also active on various social media platforms. User data may be processed so that we can specifically address users who are interested in us via social networks. Furthermore, elements of a social media platform may also be directly embedded in our website. This is the case, for example, when you click a social button on our website and are redirected directly to our social media presence. So-called 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 where people communicate and connect online. With our social media presence, we can bring our products and services closer to interested parties. The social media elements integrated into our website help you quickly and easily switch to our social media content.

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

We generally assume that we remain responsible under data protection law, even when we use 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 can be jointly responsible with us within the meaning of Art. 26 GDPR. Where this is the case, we will explicitly point it out and work on the basis of a corresponding agreement. The essence of the agreement is then reproduced below for the platform concerned.

Please note that when using social media platforms or our integrated elements, your data may also be processed outside the European Union, as many social media channels, such as Facebook or Twitter, are American companies. As a result, you may not be able to easily assert or enforce your rights regarding your personal data.

What Data is Processed?

Exactly what data is stored and processed depends on the respective social media platform provider. But usually, this includes data such as phone numbers, email addresses, data you enter into a contact form, user data such as which buttons you click, who you like or follow, when you visited which pages, information about your device, and your IP address. Most of this data is stored in cookies. Especially if you have a profile on the visited social media channel 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. Thus, only the providers have access to the data and can provide you with the relevant information or make changes.

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

Duration of Data Processing

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

Right to Object

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

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

Legal Basis

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

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

Instagram Privacy Policy

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

What is Instagram?

We have integrated functions from Instagram on our website. Instagram is a social media platform of the company Instagram LLC, 1601 Willow Rd, Menlo Park CA 94025, USA. Instagram has been a subsidiary of Meta Platforms Inc. since 2012 and belongs to 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 access pages of our website that have an integrated Instagram function, data is transmitted to Instagram, stored and processed. Instagram uses the same systems and technologies as Facebook. Your data is therefore processed across all Facebook companies.

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

Instagram is one of the best-known social media networks worldwide. Instagram combines the advantages of a blog with the advantages of audiovisual platforms such as YouTube or Vimeo. On “Insta” (as many of the users casually call the platform) you can upload photos and short videos, edit them with various filters and also distribute them in 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 reacted to this boom. We want you to feel as comfortable as possible on our website. That’s why a varied presentation of our content is a matter of course for us. Through the embedded Instagram functions, we can 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 way, 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 receive summarized statistics and thus more insight into your wishes and interests. It is important to mention that these reports do not personally identify you.

What Data is Stored by Instagram?

When 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. This applies regardless of whether you have an Instagram account or not. This includes information about our website, about your computer, about purchases made, about advertisements you see and how you use our offer. Furthermore, the date and time of your interaction with Instagram are also stored. If you have an Instagram account or are logged in, Instagram stores significantly more data about you.

Facebook distinguishes between customer data and event data. We assume that this is exactly the same with Instagram. Customer data includes, for example, name, address, telephone number and IP address. This customer data will only be transmitted to Instagram after it has been “hashed” beforehand. Hashing means that a data record is converted into a string. This allows you to encrypt the contact details. In addition, the above-mentioned “event data” is also transmitted. Facebook – and consequently also Instagram – understands “event data” to mean data about your user behavior. It can also happen that contact data is combined with event data. The collected contact data is compared with the data that Instagram already has about you.

The collected data is transmitted to Facebook via small text files (cookies), which are usually 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 set at least one 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. These data are deleted or anonymized again after 90 days (after reconciliation) at the latest. Although we have dealt intensively with the data processing of Instagram, we cannot say exactly which data Instagram collects and stores.

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

These cookies were used in our test:

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

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

Name: fbsr_112090663124024
Value: no information
Purpose: This cookie stores the log-in request for users of the Instagram app.
Expiration date: after the end of the session

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

Name: urlgen
Value: “{”194.96.75.33”: 1901}:1iEtYv:Y833k2_UjKvXgYe112090663”
Purpose: This cookie is used for Instagram’s marketing purposes.
Expiration 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 received between the Facebook companies with external partners and with people you connect with worldwide. Data processing takes place in compliance with its own data policy. Your data is distributed on Facebook servers around the world, for security reasons, among other things. 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 the deletion of the Instagram account works:

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

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

As mentioned above, Instagram primarily stores your data via cookies. You can manage, deactivate or delete these cookies in your browser. Depending on your browser, management always works a little differently. In the “Cookies” section you will find the corresponding links to the respective instructions of the most well-known browsers.

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

Legal Basis

If you have consented to the processing and storage of your data by integrated social media elements, this consent applies as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data 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 on cookies carefully and view the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

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

Instagram also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. para. 2 and 3 GDPR). Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are model templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data also complies with European data protection standards if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and through the standard contractual clauses, Instagram undertakes to comply with the European data protection level when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses, among other things, here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

We have tried to give you the most important information about data processing by Instagram. On https://privacycenter.instagram.com/policy/ you can learn more about Instagram’s data policies.

Cookie Consent Management Platform Introduction

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

What is a Cookie Consent Management Platform?

We use a Consent Management Platform (CMP) software on our website, which makes it easier for us and you to handle used scripts and cookies correctly and securely. The software automatically creates a cookie popup, scans and controls all scripts and cookies, offers a data protection-necessary cookie consent for you and helps us and you to keep track of all cookies. With most cookie consent management tools, all existing cookies are identified and categorized. As a website visitor, you then decide for yourself whether and which scripts and cookies you allow or do not allow. The following graphic illustrates the relationship between browser, web server and CMP.

Why Do We Use a Cookie Management Tool?

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

What Data is Processed?

Our cookie management tool allows you to manage each individual cookie yourself, giving you full control over the storage and processing of your data. Your consent declaration is stored so that we don’t have to ask you every time you visit our website, and we can prove your consent if legally required. This is stored either in an opt-in cookie or on a server. The storage duration of your cookie consent varies depending on the provider of the cookie management tool. Most of the time, this data (such as pseudonymous user ID, time of consent, detailed information on cookie categories or tools, browser, device information) is stored for up to two years.

Data Processing Duration

We will inform you about the duration of data processing below, provided we have further information. Generally, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary for the provision of our services and products. Data stored in cookies is stored for varying lengths of time. Some cookies are deleted as soon as you leave the website, while others may remain stored in your browser for several years. The exact duration of data processing depends on the tool used; usually, you should expect a storage period of several years. You will generally find precise information about the duration of data processing in the respective privacy policies of the individual providers.

Right to Object

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

Information on specific cookie management tools can be found – if available – in the following sections.

Legal Basis

If you agree to cookies, your personal data will be processed and stored via these cookies. If we are permitted to use cookies based on your consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR), this consent also simultaneously serves as the legal basis for the use of cookies and/or the processing of your data. To manage cookie consent and enable you to give consent, a Cookie Consent Management Platform software is used. The use of this software allows us to operate the website efficiently and in compliance with the law, which constitutes a legitimate interest (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR).

Security & Anti-Spam

Security & Anti-Spam Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data Subjects: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Cybersecurity 📓 Processed Data: Data such as your IP address, name, or technical data like browser version More details can be found below and in the individual privacy texts. 📅 Storage Duration: most data is stored until it is no longer needed for the provision of the service ⚖️ Legal Bases: Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR (Consent), Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (Legitimate Interests)

What is Security & Anti-Spam Software?

With so-called Security & Anti-Spam software, you and we can protect ourselves from various spam or phishing emails and other potential cyberattacks. Spam refers to unsolicited advertising emails sent in bulk. Such emails are also called junk mail and can incur costs. Phishing emails, on the other hand, are messages designed to build trust through fake messages or websites to obtain personal data. Anti-spam software typically protects against unwanted spam messages or malicious emails that could, for example, introduce viruses into our system. We also use general firewall and security systems that protect our computers from unwanted network attacks.

Why Do We Use Security & Anti-Spam Software?

We place great importance on security on our website. After all, it’s not just about our security, but primarily about yours. Unfortunately, cyber threats are now commonplace in the world of IT and the internet. Hackers often try to steal personal data from an IT system using a cyberattack. Therefore, a good defense system is absolutely necessary. A security system monitors all incoming and outgoing connections to our network or computer. To achieve even greater security against cyberattacks, in addition to the standardized security systems on our computer, we also use other external security services. This better prevents unauthorized data traffic and thus protects us from cybercrime.

What Data is Processed by Security & Anti-Spam Software?

Exactly what data is collected and stored naturally depends on the respective service. However, we always strive to use only programs that collect data very sparingly or only store data necessary for the provision of the offered service. In principle, the service can store data such as name, address, IP address, email address, and technical data like browser type or browser version. Any performance and log data may also be collected to detect potential incoming threats in a timely manner. This data is processed within the scope of the services and in compliance with applicable laws. This also includes the GDPR for US providers (via standard contractual clauses). In some cases, these security services also work with third-party providers who may store and/or process data under instruction and in accordance with privacy policies and other security measures. Data storage usually occurs via cookies.

Data Processing Duration

We will inform you about the duration of data processing below, provided we have further information. For example, security programs store data until you or we revoke data storage. Generally, personal data is stored only for as long as it is absolutely necessary for the provision of services. Unfortunately, in many cases, we lack precise information from providers regarding the length of storage.

Right to Object

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

Since cookies may also be used with such security services, we recommend our general privacy policy on cookies. To find out exactly what data about you is stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Legal Basis

We primarily use security services based on our legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) in having a good security system against various cyberattacks.

Certain processing activities, particularly the use of cookies and security functions, require your consent. If you have consented to your data being processed and stored by integrated security services, this consent serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). Most services we use place cookies in your browser to store data. Therefore, we recommend that you carefully read our privacy text on cookies and review the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

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

Google reCAPTCHA Privacy Policy

Google reCAPTCHA Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data Subjects: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Optimizing our service performance and protection against cyberattacks 📓 Processed Data: Data such as IP address, browser information, your operating system, limited location and usage data More details can be found below in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage Duration: depends on the stored data ⚖️ Legal Bases: Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR (Consent), Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (Legitimate Interests)

What is reCAPTCHA?

Our primary goal is to secure and protect our website as effectively as possible for both you and us. To ensure this, we use Google reCAPTCHA from Google Inc. For the European region, Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services. With reCAPTCHA, we can determine whether you are truly a human being and not a robot or other spam software. By spam, we mean any unsolicited information that reaches us electronically without being requested. With classic CAPTCHAs, you usually had to solve text or image puzzles for verification. With Google reCAPTCHA, we usually don’t have to bother you with such puzzles. In most cases, it’s enough to simply check a box to confirm that you are not a bot. With the new Invisible reCAPTCHA version, you don’t even have to check a box. You can find out exactly how this works and, most importantly, what data is used for it, in the course of this privacy policy.

reCAPTCHA is a free Captcha service from Google that protects websites from spam software and misuse by non-human visitors. This service is most commonly used when you fill out forms on the internet. A Captcha service is a type of automated Turing test designed to ensure that an action on the internet is performed by a human and not by a bot. In the classic Turing test (named after computer scientist Alan Turing), a human determines the distinction between a bot and a human. With Captchas, the computer or a software program also takes on this role. Classic Captchas work with small tasks that are easy for humans to solve but pose significant difficulties for machines. With reCAPTCHA, you no longer have to actively solve puzzles. The tool uses modern risk techniques to distinguish humans from bots. Here, you only need to check the “I’m not a robot” checkbox, or with Invisible reCAPTCHA, even that is no longer necessary. With reCAPTCHA, a JavaScript element is embedded in the source code, and then the tool runs in the background, analyzing your user behavior. From these user actions, the software calculates a so-called Captcha score. Google uses this score to calculate the probability that you are human even before the Captcha input. reCAPTCHA, or Captchas in general, are always used when bots could manipulate or misuse certain actions (e.g., registrations, surveys, etc.).

Why Do We Use reCAPTCHA on our Website?

We only want to welcome real people to our site. Bots or spam software of all kinds are welcome to stay home. That’s why we’re doing everything we can to protect ourselves and offer you the best possible user experience. For this reason, we use Google reCAPTCHA from Google. This way, we can be quite sure that we remain a “bot-free” website. By using reCAPTCHA, data is transmitted to Google to determine if you are truly human. reCAPTCHA thus serves the security of our website and, consequently, your security. For example, without reCAPTCHA, a bot could register as many email addresses as possible during registration to then “spam” forums or blogs with unwanted advertising content. With reCAPTCHA, we can avoid such bot attacks.

What Data Does reCAPTCHA Store?

reCAPTCHA collects personal data from users to determine whether actions on our website truly originate from humans. Thus, the IP address and other data that Google requires for the reCAPTCHA service can be sent to Google. IP addresses within EU member states or other contracting states of the Agreement on the European Economic Area are almost always truncated beforehand before the data lands on a server in the USA. The IP address is not combined with other Google data unless you are logged into your Google account while using reCAPTCHA. First, the reCAPTCHA algorithm checks whether Google cookies from other Google services (YouTube, Gmail, etc.) are already placed in your browser. Subsequently, reCAPTCHA sets an additional cookie in your browser and captures a snapshot of your browser window.

The following list of collected browser and user data is not exhaustive. Rather, these are examples of data that, to our knowledge, are processed by Google.

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

It is undisputed that Google uses and analyzes this data even before you click the “I’m not a robot” checkbox. With the Invisible reCAPTCHA version, even checking the box is omitted, and the entire detection process runs in the background. Google does not provide detailed information on exactly how much and what data it stores.

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

Name: IDE
Value: WqTUmlnmv_qXyi_DGNPLESKnRNrpgXoy1K-pAZtAkMbHI-112090663-8
Purpose: This cookie is set by DoubleClick (also owned by Google) to register and report a user’s actions on the website in dealing with advertisements. This allows advertising effectiveness to be measured and corresponding optimization measures to be taken. IDE is stored in browsers under the doubleclick.net domain.
Expiration Date: after one year

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

Name: ANID
Value: U7j1v3dZa1120906630xgZFmiqWppRWKOr
Purpose: We could not find much information about this cookie. In Google’s privacy policy, the cookie is mentioned in connection with “advertising cookies” such as “DSID”, “FLC”, “AID”, “TAID”. ANID is stored under the google.com domain.
Expiration Date: after 9 months

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

Name: NID
Value: 0WmuWqy112090663zILzqV_nmt3sDXwPeM5Q
Purpose: NID is used by Google to tailor advertisements to your Google search. With the help of this cookie, Google “remembers” your most frequently entered search queries or your previous interaction with ads. This way, you always receive customized advertisements. The cookie contains a unique ID to collect a user’s personal settings for advertising purposes.
Expiration Date: after 6 months

Name: DV
Value: gEAABBCjJMXcI0dSAAAANbqc112090663-4
Purpose: This cookie is set as soon as you have checked the “I am not a robot” box. The cookie is used by Google Analytics for personalized advertising. DV collects information in anonymized form and is also used to make user distinctions.
Expiration date: after 10 minutes

Note: This list makes no claim to be complete, as experience has shown that Google repeatedly changes its choice of cookies.

How Long and where is the Data Stored?

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

How Can I Delete My Data or Prevent Data Storage?

If you do not want any data about you and your behavior to be transmitted to Google, you must completely log out of Google and delete all Google cookies before visiting our website or using the reCAPTCHA software. In principle, the data is automatically transmitted to Google as soon as you access our site. To delete this data again, you must contact Google Support at https://support.google.com/?hl=de&tid=112090663.

So, if you use our website, you agree that Google LLC and its representatives automatically collect, process and use data.

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

Legal Basis

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

From our side, there is also a legitimate interest in using Google reCAPTCHA to optimize and make our online service more secure. The corresponding legal basis for this is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests) . Nevertheless, we only use Google reCAPTCHA if you have given your consent.

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

In addition, Google uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. Para. 2 and 3 GDPR). Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are model templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data also complies with European data protection standards if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Google undertakes to comply with the European data protection level when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses, among other things, here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

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

You can find out a little more about reCAPTCHA on Google’s web developer page at https://developers.google.com/recaptcha/. Although Google goes into the technical development of reCAPTCHA in more detail here, you will also look in vain for precise information about data storage and data protection-relevant topics there. A good overview of the basic use of data at Google can be found in the in-house privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy.

Web Design Introduction

Web design privacy policy summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Improving the user experience 📓 Processed data: Which data is processed depends heavily on the services used. In most cases, this includes IP address, technical data, language settings, browser version, screen resolution and browser name. You can find more details on this in the web design tools used. 📅 Storage period: depends on the tools used ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests)

What is Web Design?

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

Why Do We Use Web Design Tools?

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

What Data is Stored by Web Design Tools?

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

Duration of Data Processing

How long data is processed is very individual and depends on the web design elements used. If cookies are used, for example, the retention period can be just one minute, but also a few years. Please find out about this. To do this, we recommend that you read our general text section about cookies and the privacy statements of the tools used. There you will usually find out which cookies are used exactly and what information is stored in them. Google Font files, for example, are stored for one year. This is intended to improve the loading time of a website. In principle, data is only stored for as long as is necessary for the provision of the service. In the case of legal requirements, data may also be stored for longer.

Right to Object

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

Legal Basis

If you have consented to the use of web design tools, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent), this consent constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as it may occur when web design tools collect it. From our side, there is also a legitimate interest in improving the web design on our website. After all, we can only provide you with a beautiful and professional web offer. The corresponding legal basis for this is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests). Nevertheless, we only use web design tools if you have given your consent. We definitely want to emphasize that again here.

Information on special web design tools is available – if available – in the following sections.

Google Fonts Local Privacy Policy

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

What are Google Fonts?

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

Other Introduction

Other privacy policy summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Improving the user experience 📓 Processed data: Which data is processed depends heavily on the services used. In most cases, this includes IP address and/or technical data. You can find more details on this in the tools used. 📅 Storage period: depends on the tools used ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests)

What Falls under “other”?

The category “Other” includes those services that do not fit into one of the above categories. These are usually various plugins and integrated elements that improve our website. As a rule, these functions are obtained from third-party providers and integrated into our website. For example, these include web search services such as Algolia Place, Giphy, Programmable Search Engine or online services for weather data such as OpenWeather.

Why Do We Use other Third-Party Providers?

We want to offer you the best web offer in our industry with our website. For a long time, a website has not just been a pure business card for companies. Rather, it is a place that should help you find what you are looking for. In order to constantly make our website even more interesting and helpful for you, we use various services from third-party providers.

What Data is Processed?

Whenever elements are integrated into our website, your IP address will be transmitted to the respective provider, stored there and processed there. This is necessary because otherwise the content will not be sent to your browser and consequently will not be displayed accordingly. It can also happen that service providers also use pixel tags or web beacons. These are small graphics on websites that record a log file and can also create analyses of this file. With the information received, the providers can improve their own marketing measures. In addition to pixel tags, such information (such as which button you click or when you call up which page) can also be stored in cookies. In addition to analysis data on your web behavior, this can also store technical information such as your browser type or your operating system. Some providers can also link the data obtained with other internal services or with third-party providers. Each provider handles your data differently. We therefore recommend that you carefully read the privacy statements of the respective services. We are always careful to only use services that are very careful with the topic of data protection.

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 is absolutely necessary for the provision of our services and products.

Legal Basis

If we ask you for your consent and you also consent to us using the service, this applies as the legal basis for the processing of your data (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analyzing the behavior of website visitors and thus improving our offer technically and economically. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests). Nevertheless, we only use the tools if you have given your consent.

Information on the special tools is available – if available – in the following sections.

Explanation of Used Terms

We always strive to write our privacy policy as clearly and understandably as possible. However, this is not always easy, especially with technical and legal topics. It often makes sense to use legal terms (such as personal data) or certain technical terms (such as cookies, IP address). However, we do not want to use these without explanation. Below you will now find an alphabetical list of important terms used, which we may not have addressed sufficiently in the previous privacy policy. If these terms were taken from the GDPR and are definitions, we will also list the GDPR texts here and add our own explanations if necessary.

Processor

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term:

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

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

Consent

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term:

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

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

Personal Data

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term:

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

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

• Name
• Address
• Email address
• Postal address
• Phone number
• Date of birth
• Identification numbers such as social security number, tax identification number, identity card number or matriculation number
• Bank details such as account number, credit information, account balances, etc.

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

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

Profiling

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term:

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

Explanation: Profiling involves collecting various pieces of information about a person in order to learn more about that person. In the web area, profiling is often used for advertising purposes or for credit checks. For example, web or advertising analysis programs collect data about your behavior and interests on a website. This results in a special user profile, with the help of which advertising can be specifically targeted at a target group.

 

Controller

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term:

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

Explanation: In our case, we are responsible for processing your personal data and are therefore the “controller”. If we pass on collected data to other service providers for processing, these are “processors”. A “Data Processing Agreement (DPA)” must be signed for this.

 

Processing

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term:

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

Note: When we speak of processing in our privacy policy, we mean any type of data processing. This includes, as mentioned above in the original GDPR statement, not only the collection but also the storage and processing of data.

All texts are protected by copyright.

Source: Created with the Privacy Policy Generator Austria by AdSimple