Privacy Policy
Safety and protection of your personal data
We consider it our primary responsibility to protect the confidentiality of the personal information you provide and to protect it from unauthorized access. That’s why we take the utmost care and use state-of-the-art security standards to ensure maximum protection of your personal information.
As a private company, we are subject to the provisions of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the regulations of the German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG). We have taken technical and organizational measures which ensure that data protection regulations are observed by us and by our external service providers.
Definitions
The law requires that personal data be processed lawfully, in good faith and in a manner that is transparent to the data subject (“lawfulness, fairness, transparency”). To ensure this, we would like to inform you of the legal definitions that are used in this Privacy Statement:
1. Personal data
“Personal data” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter the “data subject”). A natural person is considered to be identifiable if he or she can be identified directly or indirectly, in particular by association with an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier, or one or more special features which express the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of the natural person.
2. Processing
“Processing” means any operation or set of operations which is performed on personal data, whether or not by automated means, such as collection, recording, organization, structuring, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, restriction, erasure or destruction.
3. Restriction of processing
“Restriction of processing” means the marking of stored personal data with the aim of limiting its processing in the future.
4. Profiling
”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.
5. Pseudonymization
“Pseudonymization“ means the processing of personal data in such a manner that the personal data can no longer be attributed to a specific data subject without the use of additional information, provided that such additional information is kept separately and is subject to technical and organizational measures to ensure that the personal data is not attributed to an identified or identifiable natural person.
6. Filing system
“Filing system“ means any structured set of personal data which is accessible according to specific criteria, whether centralized, decentralized or dispersed on a functional or geographical basis.
7. Controller
“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 European Union or Member State law, the controller or the specific criteria for its nomination may be provided for by European Union or Member State law.
8. Processor
“Processor“ means a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which processes personal data on behalf of the controller.
9. Recipient
“Recipient“ means a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or another body, to which the personal data is disclosed, whether a third party or not. However, public authorities which may receive potentially personal data in the framework of a particular inquiry in accordance with European Union or Member State law shall not be regarded as recipients. The processing of that data by those public authorities shall be in compliance with the applicable data protection rules according to the purposes of the processing.
10. Third party
A “third party“ means a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or body other than the data subject, controller, processor and persons who, under the direct authority of the controller or processor, are authorized to process personal data.
11. Consent
The “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.
Lawfulness of processing
The processing of personal data is only lawful if there is a legal basis for such processing. Pursuant to Article 6 (1) (a) – (f) of the GDPR, the legal basis for the processing may be in particular:
a. The data subject has given consent to the processing of his or her personal data for one or more specific purposes
b. Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract
c. Processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject
d. Processing is necessary in order to protect the vital interests of the data subject or of another natural person
e. Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller
f. Processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require protection of personal data, in particular where the data subject is a child.
Information regarding the collection of personal data
(1) Below, we inform you of the collection of personal data when using our website. Personal data is e.g. you name, address, email addresses, user behavior, etc.
(2) When contacting us by email or via our support form, the information you provide (your email address and, if applicable, your name and your telephone number) is stored by us in order to answer your questions. We delete the data collected in this manner once storage is no longer required, if processing is restricted, or in the event that legal retention obligations exist.
Collection of personal data when visiting our website
When you merely use the website for informational purposes, i.e. if you do not register or otherwise provide information to us, we only collect the personal data that your browser transmits to our server. If you wish to view our website, we collect the following data which is technically necessary for us to display our website to you and to ensure its stability and security (here, the legal basis is Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR):
IP address
date and time of the request
time zone difference to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
content of the request (specific page)
access status/HTTP status code
each transmitted volume of data
website from which the request originates
browser
operating system and its user interface
language and version of the browser software
Use of Cookies
(1) In addition to the aforementioned data, cookies are stored on your computer when you use our website. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your hard drive and that are assigned to the browser you are using and that provide certain information to the entity that sets the cookie. Cookies cannot execute programs or transmit viruses to your computer. They help make internet offerings overall more user-friendly and effective.
(2) This website uses the following types of cookies, whose scope and function are explained below:
Transient cookies (see a.)
Persistent cookies (see b.).
a. Transient cookies are automatically deleted when you close the browser. These include in particular session cookies. These store what is known as a session ID, with which various requests from your browser can be assigned to a common session. This permits your computer to be recognized when you return to our website. Session cookies are deleted when you log out or close the browser.
b. Persistent cookies are automatically deleted after a specified period, which may differ depending on the cookie. You can delete the cookies at any time from within the security settings of your browser.
c. You can configure your browser setting to match your preferences and e.g. decline to accept third-party cookies or all cookies. “Third-party cookies” are cookies that have been set by a third party and therefore not by the actual website which you currently are on. Please note that disabling cookies may not enable you to use all features of this website.
d. If you have an account with us, we use cookies to identify you when you re-visit us. Otherwise, you would have to log in again each time you visit us.
More features and offerings on our website
(1) In addition to the purely informational use of our website, we offer various services that you can use if you are interested. To do this, you will generally need to provide other personal information that we use to provide the service and to which the aforementioned data processing principles apply.
(2) In part, we use external service providers to process your data. These have been carefully selected and commissioned by us, are bound by our instructions, and are regularly inspected.
(3) Furthermore, we may disclose your personal data to third parties if participation in promotional campaigns, sweepstakes, contracts or similar services are offered by us in conjunction with our partners. Further information will be available at the time you enter your personal information or at the bottom of the description of the respective offer.
(4) Insofar as our service providers or partners are based in a country outside the European Economic Area (EEA), we will inform you of the consequences of this in the description of the offer.
Children
Our services are generally aimed at adults. Persons under the age of 18 should not transmit any personal data to us without the consent of their parents or legal guardians.
Rights of the data subject
(1) Revocation of consent
If the processing of personal data is based on consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. The withdrawal of consent shall not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
You can contact us at any time to exercise your right of cancellation.
(2) Right to confirmation
You have the right to request confirmation from the controller as to whether we are processing personal data concerning you. You can request confirmation at any time using the contact details above.
(3) Right to information
If personal data is processed, you can request information about this personal data and the following information at any time:
a. the purposes of the processing;
b. the categories of personal data that are processed;
c. the recipients or categories of recipients to whom the personal data have been or will be disclosed, in particular recipients in third countries or international organisations
d. where possible, the envisaged period for which the personal data will be stored, or, if not possible, the criteria used to determine that period
e. the existence of a right to rectification or erasure of personal data concerning you or to restriction of processing by the controller or a right to object to such processing
f. the existence of a right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority
g. if the personal data are not collected from the data subject, all available information about the origin of the data
h. the existence of automated decision-making, including profiling, referred to in Article 22(1) and (4) GDPR and, at least in those cases, meaningful information about the logic involved, as well as the significance and envisaged consequences of such processing for the data subject.
If personal data is transferred to a third country or to an international organisation, you have the right to be informed of the appropriate safeguards pursuant to Article 46 GDPR in connection with the transfer. We will provide a copy of the personal data that is the subject of the processing. For any further copies you request, we may charge a reasonable fee based on administrative costs. If you make the request electronically, the information shall be provided in a commonly used electronic format, unless otherwise specified. The right to receive a copy in accordance with paragraph 3 must not adversely affect the rights and freedoms of other persons.
(4) Right to rectification
You have the right to obtain from us without undue delay the rectification of inaccurate personal data concerning you. Taking into account the purposes of the processing, you have the right to have incomplete personal data completed, including by means of providing a supplementary statement.
(5) Right to erasure (‘right to be forgotten’)
You have the right to obtain from the controller the erasure of personal data concerning you without undue delay and we are obliged to erase personal data without undue delay where one of the following grounds applies:
a. The personal data are no longer necessary in relation to the purposes for which they were collected or otherwise processed.
b. The data subject withdraws consent on which the processing is based according to point (a) of Article 6(1), or point (a) of Article 9(2) GDPR, and where there is no other legal ground for the processing.
c. The data subject objects to the processing pursuant to Article 21(1) GDPR and there are no overriding legitimate grounds for the processing, or the data subject objects to the processing pursuant to Article 21(2) GDPR.
d. The personal data have been processed unlawfully.
e. The personal data must be erased for compliance with a legal obligation in Union or Member State law to which the controller is subject.
f. The personal data have been collected in relation to the offer of information society services referred to in Article 8(1) GDPR.
Where the controller has made the personal data public and is obliged pursuant to paragraph 1 to erase the personal data, the controller, taking account of available technology and the cost of implementation, shall take reasonable steps, including technical measures, to inform controllers which are processing the personal data that the data subject has requested the erasure by such controllers of any links to, or copy or replication of, those personal data.
The right to erasure (‘right to be forgotten’) does not exist if the processing is necessary
for exercising the right of freedom of expression and information;
for compliance with a legal obligation which requires processing by Union or Member State law to which the controller is subject or for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller
for reasons of public interest in the area of public health in accordance with Article 9(2)(h) and (i) and Article 9(3) GDPR
for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes in accordance with Article 89(1) GDPR in so far as the right referred to in paragraph 1 is likely to render impossible or seriously impair the achievement of the objectives of that processing; or
for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.
(6) Right to restriction of processing
You have the right to demand that we restrict the processing of your personal data if one of the following conditions is met
a. the accuracy of the personal data is contested by the data subject, for a period enabling the controller to verify the accuracy of the personal data,
b. the processing is unlawful and the data subject opposes the erasure of the personal data and requests the restriction of their use instead
c. the controller no longer needs the personal data for the purposes of the processing, but they are required by the data subject for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims; or
d. the data subject has objected to processing pursuant to Article 21(1) GDPR pending the verification whether the legitimate grounds of the controller override those of the data subject.
Where processing has been restricted in accordance with the above conditions, such personal data shall, with the exception of storage, only be processed with the data subject’s consent or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims or for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person or for reasons of important public interest of the Union or of a Member State.
To assert the right to restriction of processing, the data subject can contact us at any time using the contact details provided above.
(7) Right to data portability
You have the right to receive the personal data concerning you, which you have provided to us, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and have the right to transmit those data to another controller without hindrance from the controller to which the personal data have been provided, where
a. the processing is based on consent pursuant to point (a) of Article 6(1) or point (a) of Article 9(2) or on a contract pursuant to point (b) of Article 6(1) GDPR; and
b. the processing is carried out by automated means.
In exercising the right to data portability pursuant to paragraph 1, you have the right to have the personal data transmitted directly from one controller to another, where technically feasible. The exercise of the right to data portability does not affect the right to erasure (‘right to be forgotten’). This right does not apply to processing that is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.
(8) Right to object
You have the right to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, at any time to processing of personal data concerning you which is based on point (e) or (f) of Article 6(1) GDPR, including profiling based on those provisions. The controller shall no longer process the personal data unless the controller demonstrates compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override the interests, rights and freedoms of the data subject or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.
Where personal data are processed for direct marketing purposes, you have the right to object at any time to processing of personal data concerning you for such marketing, which includes profiling to the extent that it is related to such direct marketing. If you object to processing for direct marketing purposes, the personal data will no longer be processed for these purposes.
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In the context of the use of information society services, and notwithstanding Directive 2002/58/EC, you may exercise your right to object by automated means using technical specifications.
You have the right to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to processing of personal data concerning you which is carried out for scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes pursuant to Article 89(1), unless the processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out for reasons of public interest.
You can exercise your right to object at any time by contacting the respective controller.
(9) Automated decisions in individual cases including profiling
You have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you. This does not apply if the decision:
a. is necessary for the conclusion or fulfilment of a contract between the data subject and the controller
b. is authorised by Union or Member State law to which the controller is subject and which also lays down suitable measures to safeguard the data subject’s rights and freedoms and legitimate interests; or
c. with the express consent of the data subject.
The data controller shall implement suitable measures to safeguard the data subject’s rights and freedoms and legitimate interests, at least the right to obtain human intervention on the part of the controller, to express his or her point of view and to contest the decision.
The data subject can exercise this right at any time by contacting the respective controller.
(10) Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority
Without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your habitual residence, place of work or place of the alleged infringement if the data subject considers that the processing of personal data relating to him or her infringes this Regulation.
(11) Right to an effective judicial remedy
Without prejudice to any available administrative or non-judicial remedy, including the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority pursuant to Article 77 GDPR, you have the right to an effective judicial remedy if you consider that your rights under this Regulation have been infringed as a result of the processing of your personal data in non-compliance with this Regulation.
Use of Google Analytics
(1) This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google Inc (‘Google’). Google Analytics uses ‘cookies’, which are text files placed on your computer, to help the website analyse how users use the site. The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website is usually transferred to a Google server in the USA and stored there. However, if IP anonymisation is activated on this website, your IP address will first be truncated by Google within member states of the European Union or in other signatory states to the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be transmitted to a Google server in the USA and truncated there. Google will use this information on behalf of the operator of this website to analyse your use of the website, to compile reports on website activity and to provide the website operator with other services relating to website activity and internet usage.
(2) The IP address transmitted by your browser as part of Google Analytics will not be merged with other Google data.
(3) You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website. You can also prevent Google from collecting the data generated by the cookie and relating to your use of the website (including your IP address) and from processing this data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plug-in available at the following link: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de.
(4) This website uses Google Analytics with the extension ‘_anonymiseIp()’. This means that IP addresses are further processed in abbreviated form so that they cannot be linked to a specific person. If the data collected about you is personally identifiable, it is immediately excluded and the personal data is deleted immediately.
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5) We use Google Analytics to analyse and regularly improve the use of our website. We can use the statistics obtained to improve our offering and make it more interesting for you as a user. For the exceptional cases in which personal data is transferred to the USA, Google has submitted to the EU-US Privacy Shield, https://www.privacyshield.gov/EU-US-Framework. The legal basis for the use of Google Analytics is Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f GDPR.
(6) Information from the third-party provider: Google Dublin, Google Ireland Ltd, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, Fax: +353 (1) 436 1001. user conditions:
http://www.google.com/analytics/terms/de.html, overview of data protection: http://www.google.com/intl/de/analytics/learn/privacy.html, as well as the privacy policy: http://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy.
(7) This website also uses Google Analytics for a cross-device analysis of visitor flows, which is carried out via a user ID. You can deactivate the cross-device analysis of your usage in your customer account under ‘My data’, ‘Personal data’.
Use of social media plugins
(1) We currently use the following social media plug-ins: [Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Xing, T3N, LinkedIn, Flattr]. We use the so-called two-click solution. This means that when you visit our website, no personal data is initially passed on to the providers of the plug-ins. You can recognise the provider of the plug-in by the marking on the box above its initial letter or the logo. We give you the option of communicating directly with the provider of the plug-in via the button. Only if you click on the marked field and thereby activate it will the plug-in provider receive the information that you have accessed the corresponding website of our online offering. In addition, the data mentioned under § 3 of this declaration will be transmitted. In the case of Facebook and Xing, according to the respective providers in Germany, the IP address is anonymised immediately after collection. By activating the plug-in, your personal data is therefore transmitted to the respective plug-in provider and stored there (for US providers in the USA). As the plug-in provider collects data in particular via cookies, we recommend that you delete all cookies via your browser’s security settings before clicking on the greyed-out box.
(2) We have no influence on the data collected and data processing procedures, nor are we aware of the full scope of data collection, the purposes of processing or the storage periods. We also have no information on the deletion of the data collected by the plug-in provider.
(3) The plug-in provider stores the data collected about you as usage profiles and uses these for the purposes of advertising, market research and/or customising its website. Such an evaluation is carried out in particular (even for users who are not logged in) to display customised advertising and to inform other users of the social network about your activities on our website. You have the right to object to the creation of these user profiles, whereby you must contact the respective plug-in provider to exercise this right. We offer you the opportunity to interact with the social networks and other users via the plug-ins so that we can improve our offering and make it more interesting for you as a user. The legal basis for the use of the plug-ins is Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f GDPR.
(4) The data transfer takes place regardless of whether you have an account with the plug-in provider and are logged in there. If you are logged in with the plug-in provider, your data collected by us will be assigned directly to your existing account with the plug-in provider. If you press the activated button and, for example, link the page, the plug-in provider also saves this information in your user account and shares it publicly with your contacts. We recommend that you log out regularly after using a social network, but especially before activating the button, as this way you can avoid being assigned to your profile with the plug-in provider.
(5) Further information on the purpose and scope of data collection and its processing by the plug-in provider can be found in the data protection declarations of these providers provided below. There you will also find further information on your rights in this regard and setting options to protect your privacy.
(6) Addresses of the respective plug-in providers and URL with their data protection notices:
a. Facebook Inc., 1601 S California Ave, Palo Alto, California 94304, USA; http://www.facebook.com/policy.php; weitere Informationen zur Datenerhebung: http://www.facebook.com/help/186325668085084, http://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/your-info-on-other#applications sowie http://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/your-info#everyoneinfo. Facebook hat sich dem EU-US-Privacy-Shield unterworfen, https://www.privacyshield.gov/EU-US-Framework.
b. Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheater Parkway, Mountainview, California 94043, USA; https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/?hl=de. Google hat sich dem EU-US-Privacy-Shield unterworfen, https://www.privacyshield.gov/EU-US-Framework.
c. Twitter, Inc., 1355 Market St, Suite 900, San Francisco, California 94103, USA; https://twitter.com/privacy. Twitter hat sich dem EU-US-Privacy-Shield unterworfen, https://www.privacyshield.gov/EU-US-Framework.
d. Xing AG, Gänsemarkt 43, 20354 Hamburg, DE; http://www.xing.com/privacy.
e. T3N, yeebase media GmbH, Kriegerstr. 40, 30161 Hannover, Deutschland; https://t3n.de/store/page/datenschutz.
f. LinkedIn Corporation, 2029 Stierlin Court, Mountain View, California 94043, USA; http://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy. LinkedIn hat sich dem EU-US-Privacy-Shield unterworfen, https://www.privacyshield.gov/EU-US-Framework.
g. Flattr Network Ltd. mit Sitz in 2 nd Floor, White bear yard 114A, Clerkenwell Road, London, Middlesex, England, EC1R 5DF, Großbritannien; https://flattr. com/privacy.]
Integration of Google Maps
(1) We use the Google Maps service on this website. This allows us to show you interactive maps directly on the website and enables you to use the map function conveniently.
(2) When you visit the website, Google receives the information that you have accessed the corresponding subpage of our website. In addition, the data mentioned under § 3 of this declaration will be transmitted. This takes place regardless of whether Google provides a user account through which you are logged in or whether no user account exists. If you are logged in to Google, your data will be assigned directly to your account. If you do not wish your data to be associated with your Google profile, you must log out before activating the button. Google stores your data as usage profiles and uses them for the purposes of advertising, market research and/or the needs-based design of its website. Such an evaluation is carried out in particular (even for users who are not logged in) to provide needs-based advertising and to inform other users of the social network about your activities on our website. You have the right to object to the creation of these user profiles, whereby you must contact Google to exercise this right.
(3) Further information on the purpose and scope of data collection and its processing by the plug-in provider can be found in the provider’s privacy policy. There you will also find further information on your rights in this regard and setting options to protect your privacy: http://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy. Google also processes your personal data in the USA and has submitted to the EU-US Privacy Shield, https://www.privacyshield.gov/EU-US-Framework.
