Privacy Policy

1. Privacy at a glance

General information

The following information provides a simple overview of what happens to your personal data when you visit our website. Personal data means all data by which you can be personally identified. Detailed information on the subject of data protection can be found in our privacy policy listed below this text.

Data collection on our website

Who is responsible for data collection on this website?

Data processing on this website is carried out by the website operator. You can find the operator’s contact details in the legal notice of this website.

How do we collect your data?

Some of your data is collected when you provide it to us. This may include, for example, data that you enter into a contact form.

Other data is collected automatically by our IT systems when you visit the website. This primarily includes technical data, such as your internet browser, operating system, or the time at which a page is accessed. This data is collected automatically as soon as you enter our website.

What do we use your data for?

Some of the data is collected to ensure the error-free provision of the website. Other data may be used to analyze your user behavior.

What rights do you have regarding your data?

You have the right at any time to obtain information free of charge about the origin, recipients, and purpose of your stored personal data. You also have the right to request the correction, blocking, or deletion of this data. You can contact us at any time at the address provided in the legal notice if you have any questions about this or about data protection in general. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.

Analytics tools and third-party tools

When you visit our website, your browsing behavior may be statistically evaluated. This is primarily done using cookies and so-called analytics programs. The analysis of your browsing behavior is generally anonymous; browsing behavior cannot be traced back to you. You can object to this analysis or prevent it by not using certain tools. Details can be found in our privacy policy under the heading “Third-party modules and analytics tools”.

You can object to this analysis. We will inform you about your options for objecting in this privacy policy.

2. General information and mandatory information

Data protection

The operators of this website take the protection of your personal data very seriously. We treat your personal data confidentially and in accordance with statutory data protection regulations and this privacy policy.

When you use this website, various types of personal data are collected. Personal data means data by which you can be personally identified. This privacy policy explains which data we collect and what we use it for. It also explains how and for what purpose this is done.

Please note that data transmission on the internet, for example when communicating by email, may have security vulnerabilities. Complete protection of data against access by third parties is not possible.

Information on the responsible party

The party responsible for data processing on this website is:

The responsible party is the natural or legal person who, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of processing personal data, such as names, email addresses, and similar data.

Withdrawal of your consent to data processing

Many data processing operations are only possible with your express consent. You may withdraw consent you have already given at any time. An informal notification by email to us is sufficient for this purpose. The lawfulness of data processing carried out before the withdrawal remains unaffected by the withdrawal.

Right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority

In the event of violations of data protection law, the data subject has the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority. The competent supervisory authority for data protection matters is the data protection officer of the federal state in which our company is based. A list of data protection officers and their contact details can be found at the following link:

https://www.bfdi.bund.de/DE/Infothek/Anschriften_Links/anschriften_links-node.html.

Right to data portability

You have the right to have data that we process automatically on the basis of your consent or in fulfillment of a contract handed over to you or to a third party in a commonly used, machine-readable format. If you request the direct transfer of the data to another controller, this will only be done where technically feasible.

SSL or TLS encryption

For security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential content, such as orders or inquiries that you send to us as the website operator, this site uses SSL or TLS encryption. You can recognize an encrypted connection by the fact that the address line of the browser changes from “http://” to “https://” and by the lock symbol in your browser line.

If SSL or TLS encryption is activated, the data you transmit to us cannot be read by third parties.

Information, blocking, deletion

Within the scope of the applicable statutory provisions, you have the right at any time to obtain information free of charge about your stored personal data, its origin and recipients, and the purpose of data processing, and, where applicable, the right to correction, blocking, or deletion of this data. You can contact us at any time at the address provided in the legal notice if you have any questions about this or about personal data in general.

Objection to advertising emails

The use of contact data published as part of the legal notice obligation for sending unsolicited advertising and information materials is hereby rejected. The operators of the website expressly reserve the right to take legal action in the event of unsolicited advertising information being sent, such as spam emails.

3. Data collection on our website

Cookies

Some of the webpages use so-called cookies. Cookies do not harm your computer and do not contain viruses. Cookies serve to make our offering more user-friendly, effective, and secure. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your computer and saved by your browser.

Most of the cookies we use are so-called “session cookies”. They are automatically deleted after the end of your visit. Other cookies remain stored on your device until you delete them. These cookies enable us to recognize your browser during your next visit.

You can configure your browser so that you are informed about the setting of cookies and only allow cookies in individual cases, exclude the acceptance of cookies for certain cases or in general, and activate the automatic deletion of cookies when closing the browser. If cookies are disabled, the functionality of this website may be restricted.

Cookies that are required for carrying out the electronic communication process or for providing certain functions requested by you, such as a shopping cart function, are stored on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in storing cookies for the technically error-free and optimized provision of its services. Where other cookies, such as cookies for analyzing your browsing behavior, are stored, they are dealt with separately in this privacy policy.

Server log files

The provider of the pages automatically collects and stores information in so-called server log files, which your browser automatically transmits to us. These include:

• Browser type and browser version
• Operating system used
• Referrer URL
• Hostname of the accessing computer
• Time of the server request
• IP address

This data is not combined with other data sources.

The basis for data processing is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR, which permits the processing of data for the performance of a contract or pre-contractual measures.

Contact form / inquiry form

If you send us inquiries via the contact form, your details from the inquiry form, including the contact details you provide there, will be stored by us for the purpose of processing the inquiry and in case of follow-up questions. We do not pass this data on without your consent.

The processing of the data entered into the contact form is therefore carried out exclusively on the basis of your consent under Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. You may withdraw this consent at any time. An informal notification by email to us is sufficient for this purpose. The lawfulness of the data processing operations carried out before the withdrawal remains unaffected by the withdrawal.

The data you enter into the contact form will remain with us until you request its deletion, withdraw your consent to storage, or the purpose for storing the data no longer applies, for example after your inquiry has been fully processed. Mandatory statutory provisions, especially retention periods, remain unaffected.

Processing of data: customer and contract data

We collect, process, and use personal data only to the extent that it is necessary for establishing, structuring, or modifying the legal relationship. This is referred to as inventory data. This is done on the basis of Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR, which permits the processing of data for the performance of a contract or pre-contractual measures. We collect, process, and use personal data relating to the use of our webpages, referred to as usage data, only to the extent necessary to enable the user to use the service or for billing purposes.

The customer data collected will be deleted after completion of the order or termination of the business relationship. Statutory retention periods remain unaffected.

4. Social media

Facebook plugins: Like and Share button

Plugins of the social network Facebook, provider Facebook Inc., 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA, are integrated on our pages. You can recognize the Facebook plugins by the Facebook logo or the “Like” button on our page. An overview of Facebook plugins can be found here:

https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins/.

When you visit our pages, the plugin establishes a direct connection between your browser and the Facebook server. Facebook thereby receives the information that you have visited our page with your IP address. If you click the Facebook “Like” button while you are logged into your Facebook account, you can link the content of our pages to your Facebook profile. This allows Facebook to associate your visit to our pages with your user account. Please note that, as the provider of the pages, we have no knowledge of the content of the transmitted data or its use by Facebook. Further information can be found in Facebook’s privacy policy at:

https://de-de.facebook.com/policy.php.

If you do not want Facebook to be able to associate your visit to our pages with your Facebook user account, please log out of your Facebook user account.

5. Analytics tools and advertising

Google Analytics

This website uses functions of the web analytics service Google Analytics. The provider is Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.

Google Analytics uses so-called “cookies”. These are text files that are stored on your computer and enable an analysis of your use of the website. The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website is generally transmitted to and stored on a Google server in the USA.

Google Analytics cookies are stored on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in analyzing user behavior in order to optimize both its web offering and its advertising.

IP anonymization

We have activated the IP anonymization function on this website. This means that your IP address is shortened by Google within member states of the European Union or in other contracting states of the Agreement on the European Economic Area before being transmitted to the USA. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be transmitted to a Google server in the USA and shortened there. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google will use this information to evaluate your use of the website, to compile reports on website activities, and to provide the website operator with other services related to website and internet usage. The IP address transmitted by your browser as part of Google Analytics will not be combined with other Google data.

Browser plugin

You can prevent the storage of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings in your browser software; however, please note that in this case you may not be able to use all functions of this website to their full extent. You can also prevent the collection of data generated by the cookie and related to your use of the website, including your IP address, by Google and the processing of this data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plugin available at the following link:

https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de.

Objection to data collection

More information on how Google Analytics handles user data can be found in Google’s privacy policy:

https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=de.

Data processing agreement

We have concluded a data processing agreement with Google and fully implement the strict requirements of the German data protection authorities when using Google Analytics.

Demographic features in Google Analytics

This website uses the “demographic features” function of Google Analytics. This makes it possible to create reports containing information about the age, gender, and interests of website visitors. This data comes from interest-based advertising by Google and from visitor data from third-party providers. This data cannot be assigned to a specific person. You can deactivate this function at any time via the ad settings in your Google account or generally prohibit the collection of your data by Google Analytics as described under “Objection to data collection”.

Google Analytics Remarketing

Our websites use the functions of Google Analytics Remarketing in connection with the cross-device functions of Google AdWords and Google DoubleClick. The provider is Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.

This function makes it possible to link the advertising target groups created with Google Analytics Remarketing to the cross-device functions of Google AdWords and Google DoubleClick. In this way, interest-based, personalized advertising messages that have been adapted to you on one device, such as a mobile phone, depending on your previous usage and browsing behavior can also be displayed on another of your devices, such as a tablet or PC.

If you have given the corresponding consent, Google will link your web and app browsing history to your Google account for this purpose. In this way, the same personalized advertising messages can be displayed on every device on which you sign in with your Google account.

To support this function, Google Analytics collects Google-authenticated user IDs, which are temporarily linked to our Google Analytics data in order to define and create target groups for cross-device advertising.

You can permanently object to cross-device remarketing/targeting by disabling personalized advertising in your Google account; follow this link:

https://www.google.com/settings/ads/onweb/.

The aggregation of the collected data in your Google account is carried out exclusively on the basis of your consent, which you can give to or withdraw from Google under Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. For data collection operations that are not combined in your Google account, for example because you do not have a Google account or have objected to the combination, the collection of data is based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The legitimate interest arises from the website operator’s interest in the anonymized analysis of website visitors for advertising purposes.

Further information and the data protection provisions can be found in Google’s privacy policy at:

https://www.google.com/policies/technologies/ads/.

Google AdWords and Google Conversion Tracking

This website uses Google AdWords. AdWords is an online advertising program of Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States (“Google”).

As part of Google AdWords, we use so-called conversion tracking. When you click on an advertisement placed by Google, a cookie is set for conversion tracking. Cookies are small text files that the internet browser stores on the user’s computer. These cookies expire after 30 days and are not used to personally identify users. If the user visits certain pages of this website and the cookie has not yet expired, Google and we can recognize that the user clicked on the ad and was redirected to this page.

Each Google AdWords customer receives a different cookie. The cookies cannot be tracked across the websites of AdWords customers. The information obtained with the help of the conversion cookie is used to compile conversion statistics for AdWords customers who have opted for conversion tracking. Customers learn the total number of users who clicked on their ad and were redirected to a page equipped with a conversion tracking tag. However, they do not receive any information that can personally identify users. If you do not wish to participate in tracking, you can object to this use by easily disabling the Google conversion tracking cookie via your internet browser under user settings. You will then not be included in the conversion tracking statistics.

The storage of “conversion cookies” is carried out on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in analyzing user behavior in order to optimize both its web offering and its advertising.

More information on Google AdWords and Google Conversion Tracking can be found in Google’s privacy policy:

https://www.google.de/policies/privacy/.

You can configure your browser so that you are informed about the setting of cookies and only allow cookies in individual cases, exclude the acceptance of cookies for certain cases or in general, and activate the automatic deletion of cookies when closing the browser. If cookies are disabled, the functionality of this website may be restricted.

Facebook Pixel

Our website uses the visitor action pixel from Facebook for conversion measurement, Facebook Inc., 1601 S. California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA (“Facebook”).

This allows the behavior of website visitors to be tracked after they have been redirected to the provider’s website by clicking on a Facebook advertisement. This enables the effectiveness of Facebook advertisements to be evaluated for statistical and market research purposes and future advertising measures to be optimized.

The data collected is anonymous for us as the operator of this website; we cannot draw any conclusions about the identity of users. However, the data is stored and processed by Facebook, so that a connection to the respective user profile is possible and Facebook may use the data for its own advertising purposes in accordance with Facebook’s data usage policy. This allows Facebook to display advertisements on Facebook pages and outside Facebook. We as the website operator cannot influence this use of the data.

Further information on protecting your privacy can be found in Facebook’s privacy information:

https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/.

You can also deactivate the “Custom Audiences” remarketing function in the advertising settings section at:

https://www.facebook.com/ads/preferences/?entry_product=ad_settings_screen.

To do this, you must be logged in to Facebook.

If you do not have a Facebook account, you can deactivate usage-based advertising from Facebook on the website of the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance:

http://www.youronlinechoices.com/de/praferenzmanagement/.

6. Newsletter

Newsletter data

If you would like to receive the newsletter offered on the website, we require an email address from you as well as information that allows us to verify that you are the owner of the email address provided and that you agree to receive the newsletter. No further data is collected, or only on a voluntary basis. We use this data exclusively for sending the requested information and do not pass it on to third parties.

The processing of the data entered into the newsletter registration form is carried out exclusively on the basis of your consent under Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. You can withdraw your consent to the storage of the data, the email address, and its use for sending the newsletter at any time, for example via the “unsubscribe” link in the newsletter. The lawfulness of the data processing operations already carried out remains unaffected by the withdrawal.

The data you have provided to us for the purpose of receiving the newsletter will be stored by us until you unsubscribe from the newsletter and will be deleted after you cancel your subscription. Data stored by us for other purposes, such as email addresses for the members’ area, remains unaffected.

7. Plugins and tools

YouTube

Our website uses plugins from YouTube, a site operated by Google. The operator of the pages is YouTube, LLC, 901 Cherry Ave., San Bruno, CA 94066, USA.

When you visit one of our pages equipped with a YouTube plugin, a connection to YouTube’s servers is established. The YouTube server is informed which of our pages you have visited.

If you are logged into your YouTube account, you enable YouTube to directly associate your browsing behavior with your personal profile. You can prevent this by logging out of your YouTube account.

YouTube is used in the interest of presenting our online offerings in an appealing manner. This constitutes a legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR.

Further information on the handling of user data can be found in YouTube’s privacy policy at:

https://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy.

Google Web Fonts

This site uses so-called web fonts provided by Google for the uniform display of fonts. When you access a page, your browser loads the required web fonts into its browser cache in order to display texts and fonts correctly.

For this purpose, the browser you use must connect to Google’s servers. This gives Google knowledge that our website was accessed via your IP address. Google Web Fonts are used in the interest of a uniform and appealing presentation of our online offerings. This constitutes a legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR.

If your browser does not support web fonts, a standard font from your computer will be used.

Further information on Google Web Fonts can be found at:

https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq

and in Google’s privacy policy:

https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/.

Google Maps

This site uses the Google Maps map service via an API. The provider is Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.

To use the functions of Google Maps, it is necessary to store your IP address. This information is generally transmitted to and stored on a Google server in the USA. The provider of this site has no influence on this data transmission.

Google Maps is used in the interest of presenting our online offerings in an appealing manner and making it easy to find the locations specified by us on the website. This constitutes a legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR.

More information on the handling of user data can be found in Google’s privacy policy:

https://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy/.

9. Competent data protection supervisory authority