Data protection

Privacy Policy

Table of Contents

• Introduction and Overview
• Scope
• Legal Bases
• Contact Details of the Responsible Party
• Storage Duration
• Rights According to the General Data Protection Regulation
• Data Transfer to Third Countries
• Data Processing Security
• Communication
• Cookies
• Web Hosting
• Facebook Pixel Privacy Policy
• Google Analytics Privacy Policy
• Google Tag Manager Privacy Policy
• Email Marketing
• Online Marketing
• Google Ads (Google AdWords) Conversion Tracking Privacy Policy
• Cookie Consent Management Platform
• Payment Providers
• Klarna Checkout Privacy Policy
• Stripe Privacy Policy
• Sofortüberweisung Privacy Policy
• Social Media
• Facebook Privacy Policy
• Instagram Privacy Policy
• LinkedIn Privacy Policy
• SoundCloud Privacy Policy
• YouTube Privacy Policy
• Google reCAPTCHA Privacy Policy

Introduction and Overview

We have drafted this privacy policy (version 06.09.2021-111824947) 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 (short data) we as the responsible party – and the processors commissioned by us (e.g., providers) – process, will process in the future, and what legitimate options you have. The terms used are to be understood as gender-neutral.
In short: We inform you comprehensively about the data we process about you.

Privacy policies usually sound very technical and use legal jargon. This privacy policy, on the other hand, aims to describe the most important things as simply and transparently as possible. Where it is conducive to transparency, technical terms are explained in a reader-friendly manner, links to further information are provided, and graphics are used. We inform you in clear and simple language that we only process personal data in the course of our business activities if there is a corresponding legal basis. This is certainly not possible if you provide the shortest, unclear, and legally technical explanations as is often standard on the internet when it comes to data protection. I hope you find the following explanations interesting and informative and maybe there is one or another piece of information that you did not know yet.
If you still have questions, we would like to ask you to contact the responsible office mentioned below or in the imprint, follow the available links, and view further information on third-party sites. Of course, you can also find our contact details in the imprint.

Scope

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

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

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

Legal Bases

In the following privacy policy, we provide you with transparent information about the legal principles and regulations, i.e., the legal bases 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 access to EU law, at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/DE/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32016R0679.

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

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 storing the data you entered in a contact form.
2. Contract (Article 6 Paragraph 1 lit. b GDPR): To fulfill a contract or pre-contractual obligations with you, we process your data. For example, if we conclude a purchase contract with you, we need 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. These usually contain personal data.
4. Legitimate Interests (Article 6 Paragraph 1 lit. f GDPR): In the case of legitimate interests that do not restrict your fundamental rights, we reserve the right to process personal data. For example, we need to process certain data 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 usually do not occur with us. If such a legal basis should nevertheless be relevant, it will be indicated at the appropriate place.

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

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

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

Contact Details of the Responsible Person

If you have questions about data protection, you will find the contact details of the responsible person or entity below:
ALPIN LOACKCKER GmbH
Walgaustraße 33
A - 6833 Klaus
Authorized Representative: Felix Loacker
Imprint: https://www.alpinloacker.com/pages/impressum

Storage Duration

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

Should you wish for your data to be deleted or withdraw your consent to data processing, the data will be deleted as quickly as possible, provided there is no obligation to retain it.

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

Rights under the General Data Protection Regulation

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

• According to Article 15 GDPR, you have the right to know whether we process 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 conduct the processing;
  • the categories, i.e., the types of data being 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, deletion, or restriction of processing and the right to object to processing;
  • that you can lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (links to these authorities can be found further below);
  • the origin of the data if we did not collect it from you;
  • whether profiling is carried out, i.e., whether data is automatically evaluated to create a personal profile of you.
• According to Article 16 GDPR, you have the right to rectification of the data, which means we must correct data if you find errors.
• According to Article 17 GDPR, you have the right to deletion (“right to be forgotten”), which means you are allowed to request the deletion of your data.
• According to Article 18 GDPR, you have the right to restriction of processing, which means we may only store the data but not use it further.
• According to Article 19 GDPR, you have the right to data portability, which means we must provide your data in a common format upon request.
• According to Article 21 of the GDPR, you have the right to object, which, once enforced, brings about a change in 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 soon as possible whether we can legally comply with this objection.
  • If data is used for direct marketing, you can object to this type of data processing at any time. We may no longer use your data for direct marketing thereafter.
  • If data is used for profiling, you can object to this type of data processing at any time. We may no longer use your data for profiling thereafter.
• According to Article 22 of the GDPR, you have the right, under certain circumstances, not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing (e.g., profiling).

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

If you believe that the processing of your data violates data protection laws or your data protection claims have been violated in any other way, you can complain to the supervisory authority. For 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, you can contact the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI). For our company, the following local data protection authority is responsible:

Austria Data Protection Authority

Director: Mag. Dr. Andrea Jelinek
Address: Barichgasse 40-42, 1030 Vienna
Phone number: +43 1 52 152-0
Email address: dsb@dsb.gv.at
Website: https://www.dsb.gv.at/

Data Transfer to Third Countries

We only transfer or process data to countries outside the EU (third countries) if you consent to this processing, it is legally required, or contractually necessary, and in any case only as far as it is generally permitted. Your consent is, in most cases, the main reason that we allow data to be processed in third countries. The processing of personal data in third countries like the USA, where many software manufacturers offer services and have their server locations, can mean that personal data is processed and stored in unexpected ways.

We explicitly point out that, according to the opinion of the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfer to the USA. Data processing by US services (such as Google Analytics) may result in data being processed and stored without anonymization. Furthermore, US government authorities may have access to individual data. Additionally, it may happen that collected data is linked with data from other services of the same provider, if you have a corresponding user account. Whenever possible, we try to use server locations within the EU, if that is offered.

We inform you in more detail about data transfer to third countries in the relevant sections of this privacy policy, if applicable.

Security of Data Processing

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

Article 25 of the GDPR refers to “data protection by design and by default”, meaning that one should always think about security and take appropriate measures, both in software (e.g., forms) and hardware (e.g., access to the server room). In the following, we will discuss specific measures if necessary.

TLS Encryption with HTTPS

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

With this, we have introduced an additional layer of security and fulfill data protection by design Article 25 Paragraph 1 of the 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 data transmission security by the small lock symbol  at the top left in 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 want 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: Everyone who communicates with us via phone, email, or online form 📓 Processed data: e.g., phone number, name, email address, entered form data. More details can be found in the respective contact type used 🤝 Purpose: Handling communication with customers, business partners, etc. 📅 Storage duration: Duration of the business case and legal requirements ⚖️ Legal bases: 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 via phone, email, or online form, personal data may be processed.

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

Affected Persons

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

Phone

If you call us, the call data is pseudonymously stored on the respective device and with the telecommunications provider used. Additionally, data such as name and phone number can be sent via email and stored for responding to inquiries. The data is deleted once the business case is completed and legal requirements allow.

Email

If you communicate with us via email, data may be stored on the respective device (computer, laptop, smartphone, etc.) and data is stored on the email server. The data is deleted once the business case is completed and legal requirements allow.

Online Forms

If you communicate with us using an online form, data is stored on our web server and may be forwarded to an email address of ours. The data is deleted once the business case is completed and legal requirements allow.

Legal Bases

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

• Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent): You give us consent to store your data and further use it for purposes related to the business case;
• Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR (Contract): There is a necessity to fulfill a contract with you or a processor such as the telephone provider, or we must process the data for pre-contractual activities, such as preparing an offer;
• Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests): We want to handle customer inquiries and business communication in a professional manner. Certain technical facilities such as email programs, exchange servers, and mobile network operators are necessary to conduct communication efficiently.

Cookies

Cookies Summary 👥 Affected: Visitors to the website 🤝 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 respective 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 Basis: 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.
Below we explain what cookies are and why they are used so that you can better understand the following privacy policy.

Whenever you surf 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 really useful helpers. Almost all websites use cookies. More precisely, they are HTTP cookies, as there are also other cookies for other application areas. HTTP cookies are small files stored on your computer by our website. 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 attributes must also be specified.

Cookies store certain user data from you, such as language or personal page settings. When you revisit our site, your browser sends the “user-related” information back to our site. Thanks to the cookies, our website knows who you are and offers you the settings you are used to. In some browsers, each cookie has its own file, in others like 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. In this process, the web browser requests a website and receives a cookie 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 since 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 might look like this:

Name: _ga
Value: GA1.2.1326744211.152111824947-9
Purpose: Distinguishing website visitors
Expiration date: after 2 years

These minimum sizes should be supported by a browser:

• 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 used and is clarified in the following sections of the privacy policy. Here, we would like to briefly discuss the different types of HTTP cookies.

There are 4 types of cookies:

Essential Cookies
These cookies are necessary to ensure basic functions of the website. For example, these cookies are needed when a user adds a product to the shopping cart, then continues browsing other pages, and only later proceeds to checkout. These cookies prevent the shopping cart from being 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 measure the loading time and behavior of the website on different browsers.

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

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 first visit a website, you are asked which of these types of cookies you would like 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://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6265, the Request for Comments by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) called “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 manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.

Which data is processed?

Cookies are small helpers for many different tasks. Unfortunately, it is not possible to generalize which data is stored in cookies, but we will inform you about the processed or stored data within the framework of the following data protection declaration.

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

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 come from, you always have the option to delete, deactivate, or only partially allow cookies. For example, you can block cookies from third-party providers but allow all other cookies.

If you want to determine 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 placed on your computer

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

If you generally do not want cookies, you can set your browser to always inform you when a cookie is to be set. This way, you can decide for each individual cookie whether you want to allow it or not. The procedure varies depending on the browser. It's best to search for the instructions on Google with 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”. It states that storing cookies requires consent (Article 6 Paragraph 1 lit. a GDPR) from you. However, there are still very different reactions to these guidelines within EU countries. In Austria, this guideline was implemented in § 96 Paragraph 3 of the Telecommunications Act (TKG). In Germany, the cookie guidelines were not implemented as national law. Instead, the implementation of this guideline largely took place in § 15 Paragraph 3 of the Telemedia Act (TMG).

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

As far as non-essential cookies are used, this only happens with your consent. The legal basis is Article 6 Paragraph 1 lit. a GDPR.

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

Web Hosting

Web Hosting Summary 👥 Affected: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: professional hosting of the website and securing operations 📓 Processed data: IP address, time of website visit, browser used, and other data. More details can be found below or with the respective web hosting provider. 📅 Storage duration: depends on the respective provider, but usually 2 weeks ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 Paragraph 1 lit.f GDPR (Legitimate Interests)

What is Web Hosting?

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

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

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

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

For illustration:

Why do we process personal data?

The purposes of data processing are:

1. Professional hosting of the website and ensuring operational security
2. Maintaining operational and IT security
3. Anonymous evaluation of access behavior to improve our offerings and possibly for law enforcement or claim enforcement

What data is processed?

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

• the complete internet address (URL) of the accessed webpage (e.g., https://www.examplewebsite.com/examplesubpage.html?tid=111824947)
• 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.examplesource.com/whereicamefrom.html/)
• the hostname and IP address of the device from which access is made (e.g., COMPUTERNAME and 194.23.43.121)
• date and time
• in files, the so-called web server log files

How long is data stored?

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

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 is derived from Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (preservation of legitimate interests), because the use of professional hosting by a provider is necessary to present the company securely and user-friendly on the internet and to be able to pursue attacks and claims arising from it if necessary.

Checkdomain Privacy Policy

We use Checkdomain for our website, among other things a web hosting provider. The service provider is the German company checkdomain GmbH, Große Burgstraße 27/29, 23552 Lübeck, Germany. More about the data processed through the use of Checkdomain can be found in the privacy policy at https://www.checkdomain.de/agb/datenschutz/ .

Facebook Pixel Privacy Policy

We use the Facebook Pixel from Facebook on our website. For this, we have implemented a code on our website. The Facebook Pixel is a snippet of JavaScript code that loads a collection of functions that allow Facebook to track your user actions if you have arrived on our website via Facebook ads. For example, if you purchase a product on our website, the Facebook Pixel is triggered and stores your actions on our website in one or more cookies. These cookies allow Facebook to match your user data (customer data such as IP address, user ID) with the data of your Facebook account. Facebook then deletes this data again. The collected data is anonymous to us and not visible and can only be used in the context of ad placements. If you are a Facebook user and logged in, visiting our website is automatically assigned to your Facebook user account.

We want to show our services or products only to those people who are really interested in them. With the help of Facebook Pixel, our advertising measures can be better tailored to your wishes and interests. Thus, Facebook users (if they have allowed personalized advertising) see appropriate advertising. Furthermore, Facebook uses the collected data for analysis purposes and its own advertisements.

Below we show you the cookies that were set by integrating Facebook Pixel on a test page. Please note that these are only example cookies. Depending on the interaction on our website, different cookies are set.

Name: _fbp
Value: fb.1.1568287647279.257405483-6111824947-7
Purpose: This cookie is used by Facebook to display advertising products.
Expiration date: after 3 months

Name: fr
Value: 0aPf312HOS5Pboo2r..Bdeiuf…1.0.Bdeiuf.
Purpose: This cookie is used to ensure that Facebook Pixel functions properly.
Expiration date: after 3 months

Name: comment_author_50ae8267e2bdf1253ec1a5769f48e062111824947-3
Value: Author's name
Purpose: This cookie stores the text and the name of a user who, for example, leaves a comment.
Expiration date: after 12 months

Name: comment_author_url_50ae8267e2bdf1253ec1a5769f48e062
Value: https%3A%2F%2Fwww.testseite…%2F (URL of the author)
Purpose: This cookie stores the URL of the website that the user enters in a text field on our website.
Expiration date: after 12 months

Name: comment_author_email_50ae8267e2bdf1253ec1a5769f48e062
Value: Email address of the author
Purpose: This cookie stores the email address of the user if they have disclosed it on the website.
Expiration date: after 12 months

Note: The above-mentioned cookies refer to individual user behavior. Especially when using cookies, changes at Facebook can never be ruled out.

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

We point out that according to the opinion of the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfer to the USA. Data processing is essentially carried out by Facebook Pixel. This may result in data being processed and stored without anonymization. Furthermore, US government authorities may have access to individual data. It may also happen that this data is linked with data from other Facebook services where you have a user account.

If you want to learn more about Facebook's data protection, we recommend the company's own data policies at https://www.facebook.com/policy.php.

Facebook Automatic Advanced Matching Privacy Policy

As part of the Facebook Pixel function, we have also activated the automatic advanced matching. This function of the pixel allows us to send hashed emails, names, gender, city, state, postal code, and date of birth or phone number as additional information to Facebook, provided you have given us this data. This activation enables us to tailor advertising campaigns on Facebook even more precisely to people who are interested in our services or products.

Google Analytics Privacy Policy

Google Analytics Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected parties: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimize the web offer. 📓 Processed data: Access statistics that include data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior, click behavior, and IP addresses. More details can be found further down in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage duration: depends on the properties used ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests)

What is Google Analytics?

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

Google Analytics is a tracking tool used for traffic analysis of our website. For Google Analytics to work, a tracking code is embedded in the code of our website. When you visit our website, this code records various actions you perform on our website. Once you leave our website, this data is sent to the Google Analytics servers and stored there.

Google processes the data and we receive reports about your user behavior. These can include the following reports:

• Audience reports: Audience reports help us to better understand our users and know more precisely who is interested in our service.
• Ad reports: Ad reports make it easier for us to analyze and improve our online advertising.
• Acquisition reports: Acquisition reports provide us with helpful information on how we can inspire more people for our service.
• Behavior Reports: Here we learn how you interact with our website. We can track the path you take on our site and which links you click.
• Conversion Reports: A conversion is a process in which you perform a desired action due to a marketing message. For example, when you go from being a mere website visitor to a buyer or newsletter subscriber. These reports help us learn more about how our marketing efforts are received by you. We aim to increase our conversion rate.
• Real-Time Reports: Here we immediately learn what is happening on our website. For example, we can see how many users are currently reading this text.

Why do we use Google Analytics on our website?

Our goal with this website is clear: We want to provide you with the best possible service. The statistics and data from Google Analytics help us achieve this goal.

The statistically evaluated data gives us a clear picture of the strengths and weaknesses of our website. On one hand, we can optimize our site so that it is more easily found by interested people on Google. On the other hand, the data helps us better understand you as a visitor. We know very precisely what we need to improve on our website to provide you with the best possible service. The data also helps us conduct our advertising and marketing measures more individually and cost-effectively. After all, it only makes sense to show our products and services to people who are interested in them.

What data is stored by Google Analytics?

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

To analyze our website with Google Analytics, a property ID must be inserted into the tracking code. The data is then stored in the corresponding property. For each newly created property, the Google Analytics 4 property is standard. Alternatively, you can still create the Universal Analytics property. Depending on the property used, data is stored for different lengths of time.

Through identifiers like cookies and app instance IDs, your interactions on our website are measured. Interactions are all types of actions you perform on our website. If you also use other Google systems (such as a Google account), data generated by Google Analytics can be linked with third-party cookies. Google does not share Google Analytics data unless we as website operators authorize it. Exceptions can occur if required by law.

The following cookies are used by Google Analytics:

Name: _ga
Value: 2.1326744211.152111824947-5
Purpose: By default, analytics.js uses the _ga cookie to store the User ID. Basically, it is used to distinguish website visitors.
Expiration date: after 2 years

Name: _gid
Value: 2.1687193234.152111824947-1
Purpose: The cookie is also used to distinguish website visitors
Expiration date: after 24 hours

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

Name: AMP_TOKEN
Value: no information
Purpose: The cookie has a token that can be used to retrieve a User ID from the AMP Client ID service. Other possible values indicate a logout, a request, or an error.
Expiration date: after 30 seconds to up to one year

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

Name: __utmt
Value: 1
Purpose: The cookie is used like _gat_gtag_UA_<property-id> to throttle the request rate.
Expiration date: after 10 minutes

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

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

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

Name: __utmv
Value: no specification
Purpose: The cookie is used to store custom user data. It is always updated when information is sent to Google Analytics.
Expiration date: after 2 years

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

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

Heatmaps: Google creates so-called heatmaps. Through heatmaps, you can see exactly the areas you click on. This gives us information about where you are 'traveling' on our site.

Session duration: Google refers to the time you spend on our site without leaving the page as session duration. If you were inactive for 20 minutes, the session ends automatically.

Bounce rate (English: Bouncerate): A bounce is when you only view one page on our website and then leave our website.

Account creation: When you create an account or make an order on our website, Google Analytics collects this data.

IP address: The IP address is only displayed in a shortened form so that no unique assignment is possible.

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

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

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

Other data include contact information, any evaluations, playing media (e.g., if you play a video via our site), sharing content via social media, or adding to your favorites. The list does not claim to be complete and serves only as a general orientation of data storage by Google Analytics.

How long and where is the data stored?

Google has distributed its servers all over the world. Most servers are located in America, and consequently, your data is mostly stored on American servers. Here you can read exactly where the Google data centers are located: https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/inside/locations/?hl=de

Your data is distributed across various physical data carriers. This has the advantage that the data is more quickly retrievable and better protected against manipulation. In every Google data center, there are corresponding emergency programs for your data. For example, if the hardware at Google fails or natural disasters cripple servers, the risk of service interruption at Google remains low.

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

For Universal Analytics properties, the retention period of your user data is standardized at 26 months in Google Analytics. Then your user data is deleted. However, we have the option to choose the retention period of user data ourselves. We have five options available:

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

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

When the set period has expired, the data is deleted once a month. This retention period applies to your data linked with cookies, user identification, and advertising IDs (e.g., cookies of the DoubleClick domain). Report results are based on aggregated data and are stored independently of user data. Aggregated data is a fusion of individual data into a larger unit.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

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

If you want to generally disable, delete, or manage cookies (regardless of Google Analytics), there is a separate guide for each browser:

Chrome: Delete, enable and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

Legal Basis

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

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analyzing the behavior of website visitors to improve our offer technically and economically. With the help of Google Analytics, we identify website errors, can detect attacks, and improve profitability. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests). We only use Google Analytics to the extent that you have given consent.

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

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

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

Google Tag Manager Privacy Policy

Google Tag Manager Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Organization of individual tracking tools 📓 Processed data: The Google Tag Manager itself does not store data. The data is collected by the tags of the web analytics tools used. 📅 Storage duration: 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 the Google Tag Manager?

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

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

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

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

As the saying goes: Organization is half the battle! And this naturally also applies to the maintenance of our website. To design our website as best as possible for you and everyone interested in our products and services, we need various tracking tools such as Google Analytics. The data collected by these tools show us what interests you the most, where we can improve our services, and to whom we should still show our offers. And for this tracking to work, we need to integrate the corresponding JavaScript codes into our website. Basically, we could incorporate each code section of the individual tracking tools separately into our source code. However, this requires relatively much time and it's easy to lose track. That's why we use the Google Tag Manager. We can easily integrate the necessary scripts and manage them from one place. Additionally, the Google Tag Manager offers an easy-to-use user interface, and no programming knowledge is required. This way, we manage to keep order in our tag jungle.

What data does the Google Tag Manager store?

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

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

In the account settings of the Tag Manager, we have allowed Google to receive anonymized data from us. However, this only concerns the use and utilization of our Tag Manager and not your data stored via the code sections. We allow Google and others to receive selected data in an anonymized form. We thus agree to the anonymous sharing of our website data. Despite extensive research, we were unable to determine exactly which aggregated and anonymous data is forwarded. In any case, Google deletes all information that could identify our website. Google aggregates the data with hundreds of other anonymous website data and creates user trends as part of benchmarking measures. In benchmarking, one's own results are compared with those of competitors. Based on the collected information, processes can be optimized.

How long and where is the data stored?

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

How long the individual tracking tools store data about you can be found in our individual privacy texts for each tool.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

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

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

Legal Basis

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

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

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

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

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

 

Email Marketing

Email Marketing Summary 👥 Affected: Newsletter subscribers 🤝 Purpose: Direct marketing via email, notification about system-relevant events 📓 Processed data: Data entered during registration, but at least the email address. More details can be found in the respective email marketing tool used. 📅 Storage duration: Duration of the subscription ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is email marketing?

To keep you constantly updated, we also use the opportunity of email marketing. If you have agreed to receive our emails or newsletters, your data will also be processed and stored. Email marketing is a sub-area of online marketing. News or general information about a company, products, or services is sent via email to a specific group of people who are interested.

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

In principle, signing up for newsletters works with the so-called "double opt-in procedure." After you have registered for our newsletter on our website, you will receive an email to confirm your newsletter registration. This ensures that the email address belongs to you and that no one has registered with someone else's email address. We or a notification tool we use logs each registration. This is necessary so that we can prove the legally correct registration process. Typically, the time of registration, the time of registration confirmation, and your IP address are stored. Additionally, it is also logged if you make changes to your stored data.

Why do we use email marketing?

We naturally want to stay in contact with you and always present you with the most important news about our company. For this purpose, we use, among other things, email marketing – often referred to simply as a “newsletter” – as an essential part of our online marketing. If you agree to this or if it is legally permitted, we will send you newsletters, system emails, or other notifications by email. When we use the term “newsletter” in the following text, we mainly mean regularly sent emails. Of course, we do not want to bother you with our newsletters in any way. Therefore, we are always really committed to providing only relevant and interesting content. For example, you will learn more about our company, our services, or products. As we always improve our offers, you will also learn through our newsletter whenever there are news or when we are offering special, lucrative promotions. If we commission a service provider that offers a professional dispatch tool for our email marketing, we do this to be able to provide you with fast and secure newsletters. The purpose of our email marketing is essentially to inform you about new offers and also to get closer to our business goals.

Which data is processed?

If you become a subscriber to our newsletter via our website, you confirm your membership in an email list via email. In addition to the IP address and email address, your title, name, address, and phone number can also be stored. However, only if you agree to this data storage. The data marked as such is necessary for you to participate in the offered service. Providing this information is voluntary, but not providing it will result in you not being able to use the service. Additionally, information about your device or your preferred content on our website can also be stored. More about data storage when you visit a website can be found in the section “Automatic Data Storage.” We record your consent declaration so that we can always prove that it complies with our laws.

Duration of data processing

If you unsubscribe your email address from our email/newsletter distribution list, we are allowed to store your address for up to three years based on our legitimate interests so that we can still prove your consent at that time. We are only allowed to process this data if we have to defend ourselves against any claims.

However, if you confirm that you have given us consent for newsletter registration, you can submit an individual deletion request at any time. If you permanently object to the consent, we reserve the right to store your email address in a blacklist. As long as you have voluntarily subscribed to our newsletter, we will of course also retain your email address.

Right to object

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

Legal Basis

The sending of our newsletter is based on your consent (Article 6 Paragraph 1 lit. a GDPR). This means that we can only send you a newsletter if you have actively signed up for it beforehand. If applicable, we can also send you advertising messages based on § 7 Paragraph 3 UWG, provided you have become our customer and have not objected to the use of your email address for direct advertising.

Information about specific email marketing services and how they process personal data can be found, if available, in the following sections.

Online Marketing

Online Marketing Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimize the web offering. 📓 Processed data: Access statistics, data such as locations of access, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior, click behavior, and IP addresses. Personal data such as name or email address may also be processed. More details can be found with the respective online marketing tool used. 📅 Storage duration: depends on the online marketing tools used ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 Paragraph 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent), Art. 6 Paragraph 1 lit.f GDPR (Legitimate Interests)

What is Online Marketing?

Online marketing refers to all measures carried out online to achieve marketing goals such as increasing brand awareness or making a business deal. Furthermore, our online marketing measures aim to draw people's attention to our website. In order to show our offering to many interested people, we engage in online marketing. This usually involves online advertising, content marketing, or search engine optimization. To use online marketing efficiently and in a targeted manner, personal data is also stored and processed. The data helps us to show our content only to those who are really interested and to measure the advertising success of our online marketing measures.

Why do we use online marketing tools?

We want to show our website to every person who is interested in our offer. We are aware that this is not possible without consciously set measures. That is why we do online marketing. There are various tools that make it easier for us to work on our online marketing measures and additionally always provide suggestions for improvement based on data. This way, we can target our campaigns more precisely to our target audience. The purpose of these online marketing tools is ultimately to optimize our offer.

What data is processed?

For our online marketing to work and for the success of the measures to be measured, user profiles are created and data is stored in cookies (these are small text files), for example. With the help of this data, we can not only place advertisements in the traditional sense but also display our content directly on our website in the way you prefer. There are various third-party tools that offer these functions and accordingly also collect and store data from you. For instance, the cookies store which pages you visited on our website, how long you viewed these pages, which links or buttons you clicked, or from which website you came to us. Additionally, technical information can also be stored, such as your IP address, which browser you use, from which device you visit our website, or the time when you accessed our website and when you left it. If you have consented to us determining your location, we can also store and process this.

Your IP address is stored in a pseudonymized form (i.e., shortened). Unique data that directly identifies you as a person, such as name, address, or email address, is also stored only in a pseudonymized form within the advertising and online marketing processes. So, we cannot identify you as a person, but we only have the pseudonymized, stored information in the user profiles.

The cookies may also be used, analyzed, and used for advertising purposes on other websites that work with the same advertising tools. The data can then also be stored on the servers of the advertising tools providers.

In exceptional cases, unique data (names, email addresses, etc.) can also be stored in the user profiles. This storage occurs, for example, if you are a member of a social media channel that we use for our online marketing measures and the network connects previously received data with the user profile.

For all advertising tools we use that store data from you on their servers, we always receive only aggregated information and never data that makes you recognizable as an individual. The data only shows how well the set advertising measures worked. For example, we see which measures prompted you or other users to come to our website and purchase a service or product there. Based on the analyses, we can improve our advertising offer in the future and tailor it even more precisely to the needs and wishes of interested persons.

Duration of data processing

We inform you about the duration of data processing further below, provided we have more information on this. In general, we process personal data only 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 immediately after leaving the website, while others can be stored in your browser for several years. In the respective privacy policies of the individual providers, you will usually receive precise information about the individual cookies used by the provider.

Right to Object

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

Since cookies are generally used in online marketing tools, we also recommend our general privacy policy on cookies. To find out exactly which data is stored and processed about you, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Legal Basis

If you have consented to the use of third-party providers, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent), this consent forms the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as can occur when collected by online marketing tools.

From our side, there is also a legitimate interest in measuring online marketing measures in an anonymized form to optimize our offerings and measures using the obtained data. The corresponding legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests). Nevertheless, we only use the tools insofar as you have given consent.

Information on specific online marketing tools can be found in the following sections, if available.

Google Ads (Google AdWords) Conversion-Tracking Privacy Policy

Google Ads (Google AdWords) Conversion-Tracking Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected parties: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Economic success and the optimization of our service. 📓 Processed data: Access statistics that include data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior, click behavior, and IP addresses. Personal data such as name or email address may also be processed. 📅 Storage duration: Conversion cookies usually expire after 30 days and do not transmit personal data ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests)

What is Google Ads Conversion Tracking?

We use Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) as an online marketing measure to promote our products and services. This way, we want to make more people aware of the high quality of our offerings on the internet. As part of our advertising measures through Google Ads, we use the conversion tracking of Google Inc. on our website. However, in Europe, Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services. With the help of this free tracking tool, we can better adapt our advertising offer to your interests and needs. In the following article, we want to explain in more detail why we use conversion tracking, what data is stored, and how you can prevent this data storage.

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

But what exactly is a conversion? A conversion occurs when you become an active visitor from a purely interested website visitor. This happens whenever you click on our ad and then perform another action, such as visiting our website. With Google's conversion tracking tool, we capture what happens after a user clicks on our Google Ads ad. For example, we can see if products are purchased, services are used, or if users have signed up for our newsletter.

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

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

What data is stored with Google Ads Conversion Tracking?

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

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

Name: Conversion
Value: EhMI_aySuoyv4gIVled3Ch0llweVGAEgt-mr6aXd7dYlSAGQ111824947-3
Purpose: This cookie stores every conversion you make on our site after coming to us via a Google ad.
Expiration date: after 3 months

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

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

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

How long and where is the data stored?

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

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

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

Chrome: Delete, enable, and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

If you generally do not want cookies, you can 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 you want to allow it or not. By downloading and installing this browser plug-in from https://support.google.com/ads/answer/7395996, all "advertising cookies" will also be disabled. Please note that disabling these cookies does not prevent the ads, only the personalized advertising.

Legal Basis

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

Additionally, we have a legitimate interest in using Google Ads conversion tracking to optimize our online service and marketing measures. The corresponding legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests). We only use Google Ads conversion tracking if you have given consent.

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

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

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

Cookie Consent Management Platform

Cookie Consent Management Platform Summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Obtaining and managing consent for 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 with the respective tool used. 📅 Storage duration: Depends on the tool used, one must expect periods of several years ⚖️ Legal basis: 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 that facilitates the correct and secure handling of used scripts and cookies for us and you. The software automatically creates a cookie popup, scans and controls all scripts and cookies, offers a data protection legally necessary cookie consent for you, and helps us and you keep track of all cookies. Most cookie consent management tools identify and categorize all existing cookies. As a website visitor, you then decide for yourself whether and which scripts and cookies you allow or do not allow. The following graphic represents the relationship between the browser, web server, and CMP.

Why do we use a cookie management tool?

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

Which data is processed?

Within the framework of our cookie management tool, you can manage each individual cookie yourself and have full control over the storage and processing of your data. The declaration of your consent is stored so that we do not have to ask you every time you visit our website and so that we can prove your consent if legally necessary. This is stored either in an opt-in cookie or on a server. Depending on the provider of the cookie management tool, the storage duration of your cookie consent varies. Usually, this data (such as pseudonymous user ID, consent time, details on cookie categories or tools, browser, device information) is stored for up to two years.

Duration of data processing

We inform you about the duration of data processing further down, if we have more information on it. Generally, we process personal data only 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 can be stored in your browser for several years. The exact duration of data processing depends on the tool used; you should generally expect a storage duration of several years. In the respective privacy policies of the individual providers, you will usually find precise information about the duration of data processing.

Right to object

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

Information about specific cookie management tools, if available, can be found in the following sections.

Legal basis

If you agree to cookies, personal data about you will be processed and stored through these cookies. If we have your consent (Article 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR) Cookies may be used, this consent is also simultaneously the legal basis for the use of cookies or the processing of your data. In order to manage consent to cookies and to enable you to give consent, a cookie consent management platform software is used. The use of this software enables us to operate the website in a legally compliant manner efficiently, which constitutes a legitimate interest (Article 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR).

Payment Providers

Payment Provider Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: To enable and optimize the payment process on our website 📓 Processed data: Data such as name, address, bank details (account number, credit card number, passwords, TANs, etc.), IP address, and contract data More details can be found in the payment provider tool used in each case. 📅 Storage duration: depends on the payment provider used ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR (fulfillment of a contract)

What is a payment provider?

We use online payment systems on our website that allow us and you to have a secure and smooth payment process. In doing so, personal data can also be sent to, stored, and processed by the respective payment provider. Payment providers are online payment systems that allow you to carry out an order via online banking. The payment processing is carried out by the payment provider you have chosen. We then receive information about the payment made. This method can be used by any user who has an active online banking account with PIN and TAN. There are hardly any banks left that do not offer or accept such payment methods.

Why do we use payment providers on our website?

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

What data is processed?

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

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

Duration of Data Processing

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

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 responsible parties of the used payment provider at any time. You can find contact details either in our specific privacy policy or on the website of the respective payment provider.

Cookies used by payment providers for their functions can be deleted, disabled, or managed in your browser. Depending on which browser you use, this works differently. However, please note that the payment process may no longer work.

Legal Basis

We offer, for the processing of contractual or legal relationships (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR)  in addition to the conventional banks/credit institutions, other payment service providers. In the privacy policies of the individual payment providers (such as Amazon Payments, Apple Pay or Discover), you are offered a detailed overview of data processing and storage. In addition, you can always contact the responsible parties with questions on data protection-related topics.

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

Amazon Payments Privacy Policy

We use Amazon Payments on our website, a service for online payment procedures. The service provider is the American company Amazon.com Inc. For the European region, the company Amazon Payments Europe S.C.A. (38 Avenue J.F. Kennedy, L-1855 Luxembourg) is responsible.

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

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

Learn more about the data processed by using Amazon Payments in the Privacy Policy at https://pay.amazon.de/help/201212490.

eps-Transfer Privacy Policy

We use eps-Transfer on our website, a service for online payment procedures. The service provider is the Austrian company Stuzza GmbH, Frankgasse 10/8, 1090 Vienna, Austria. Learn more about the data processed by using eps-Transfer in the Privacy Policy at https://eservice.stuzza.at/de/datenschutzerklaerung.html.

giropay Privacy Policy

We use the online payment provider giropay on our website. The service provider is the German company paydirekt GmbH, Stephanstraße 14-16, 60313 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Learn more about the data processed by using giropay in the Privacy Policy at https://www.giropay.de/rechtliches/datenschutzerklaerung/.

Google Pay Privacy Policy

We use the online payment provider Google Pay on our website. The service provider is the American company Google Inc. For the European region, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services.

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

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

Learn more about the data processed through the use of Google Pay in the Privacy Policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy.

Mastercard Privacy Policy

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

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

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

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

PayPal Privacy Policy

We use the online payment service PayPal on our website. The service provider is the American company PayPal Inc. For the European area, the company PayPal Europe (S.à r.l. et Cie, S.C.A., 22-24 Boulevard Royal, L-2449 Luxembourg) is responsible.

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

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

Learn more about the data processed through the use of PayPal in the Privacy Policy at https://www.paypal.com/de/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full.

Klarna Checkout Privacy Policy

Klarna Checkout Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Optimization of the payment process on our website 📓 Processed data: Data such as name, address, bank data (account number, credit card number, passwords, TANs, etc.), IP address, and contract data More details can be found further down in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage duration: Data is stored as long as Klarna needs it for the processing purpose. ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. c GDPR (Legal obligation), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate interests)

What is Klarna Checkout?

We use the online payment system Klarna Checkout from the Swedish company Klarna Bank AB on our website. The main office of Klarna Bank is located at Sveavägen 46, 111 34 Stockholm, Sweden. If you choose this service, personal data will be sent to, stored, and processed by Klarna. In this privacy policy, we want to give you an overview of the data processing by Klarna.

Klarna Checkout is a payment system for orders in an online shop. The user selects the payment method, and Klarna Checkout handles the entire payment process. Once a user has made a payment through the checkout system and provided the relevant data, future online purchases can be made even faster and easier. The Klarna system already recognizes the existing customer after entering the email address and postal code.

Why do we use Klarna Checkout for our website?

Our goal with our website and integrated online shop is to provide you with the best possible service. This includes, in addition to the overall experience on the website and our offers, a smooth, fast, and secure payment processing of your orders. To ensure this, we use the Klarna Checkout payment system.

What data is stored by Klarna Checkout?

As soon as you choose the Klarna payment service and pay via the Klarna Checkout payment method, you also transmit personal data to the company. On the Klarna Checkout page, technical data such as browser type, operating system, our internet address, date and time, language settings, time zone settings, and IP address are collected from you and transmitted to and stored on Klarna's servers. These data are stored even if you have not yet completed an order.

If you order a product or service through our shop, you must enter data about yourself in the required fields. These data are processed by Klarna for payment processing. Specifically, the following personal data (as well as general product information) can be stored and processed by Klarna for creditworthiness and identity verification:

• Contact information: names, date of birth, national ID number, title, billing and delivery address, email address, phone number, nationality, or salary.
• Payment information such as credit card data or your account number
• Product information such as shipment number, type of item, and price of the product

Additionally, there are also data that can be optionally collected if you consciously decide to do so. These are, for example, political, religious, or ideological beliefs or various health data.

Klarna can also collect data about the goods or services you buy or order either on its own or through third parties (such as through us or public databases) in addition to the data mentioned above. This can be, for example, the shipment number or the type of ordered item, but also information about your creditworthiness, your income, or credit grants. Klarna can also share your personal data with service providers such as software providers, data storage providers, or us as merchants.

If data is automatically entered into a form, cookies are always involved. If you do not want to use this feature, you can disable these cookies at any time. Further down in the text, you will find instructions on how to generally delete, disable, or manage cookies in your browser. Our tests have shown that no cookies are set directly by Klarna. If you choose the payment method "Klarna Sofort" and click on "Order", you will be redirected to the Sofort website. After successful payment, you will arrive on our thank you page. The following cookie is set by sofort.com:

Name: SOFUEB
Value: e8cipp378mdscn9e17kajlfhv7111824947-4
Purpose: This cookie stores your session ID.
Expiration date: after ending the browser session

How long and where is the data stored?

Klarna strives to store your data only within the EU or the European Economic Area (EEA). However, it may also happen that data is transferred outside the EU/EEA. When this happens, Klarna ensures that data protection is in accordance with the GDPR and that the third country is subject to an adequacy decision by the European Union. The data is always stored as long as Klarna needs it for the processing purpose.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You can revoke your consent for Klarna to process personal data at any time. You also always have the right to access, rectify, and delete your personal data. To do this, you simply need to contact the company or the company's data protection team by email at datenschutz@klarna.de. You can also contact Klarna directly via the Klarna website at “My Data Protection Request”.

Cookies that Klarna may use for its functions can be deleted, disabled, or managed in your browser. Depending on which browser you use, this works in different ways. The following instructions show how to manage cookies in your browser:

Chrome: Delete, enable, and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

Legal basis

We therefore offer Klarna Checkout as a payment service provider in addition to traditional banks/credit institutions for the processing of contractual or legal relationships (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR)  .

We hope to have provided you with a good overview of data processing by Klarna. If you want to learn more about how your data is handled, we recommend Klarna's privacy policy at https://cdn.klarna.com/1.0/shared/content/legal/terms/0/de_at/privacy.

 

Stripe Privacy Policy

Stripe Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Optimization of the payment process on our website 📓 Processed data: Data such as name, address, bank data (account number, credit card number, passwords, TANs, etc.), IP address, and contract data More details can be found further down in this privacy policy 📅 Storage duration: Data is stored until the cooperation with Stripe is dissolved ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR (contract processing), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent)

What is Stripe?

We use a payment tool from the American technology company and online payment service Stripe on our website. For customers within the EU, Stripe Payments Europe (Europe Ltd., 1 Grand Canal Street Lower, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin, Ireland) is responsible. This means that if you choose Stripe as your payment method, your payment will be processed via Stripe Payments. Data necessary for the payment process is forwarded to and stored by Stripe. In this privacy policy, we provide you with an overview of this data processing and storage by Stripe and explain why we use Stripe on our website.

The technology company Stripe offers payment solutions for online payments. With Stripe, it is possible to accept credit and debit card payments in our webshop. Stripe handles the entire payment process. A significant advantage of Stripe is that you never have to leave our website or shop during the payment process, and the payment processing is very fast.

Why do we use Stripe for our website?

We naturally want to offer the best possible service with our website and integrated online shop so that you feel comfortable on our site and use our offers. We know that your time is precious, and therefore, payment processes must function quickly and smoothly. In addition to our other payment providers, we have found a partner in Stripe that ensures secure and fast payment processing.

What data is stored by Stripe?

If you choose Stripe as your payment method, personal data from you will also be transmitted to and stored by Stripe. This involves transaction data. This data includes the payment method (i.e., credit card, debit card, or account number), bank sort code, currency, amount, and date of payment. In a transaction, your name, email address, billing or shipping address, and sometimes your transaction history may also be transmitted. This data is necessary for authentication. Furthermore, to prevent fraud, for financial reporting, and to fully offer its own services, Stripe may also collect technical data about your device (such as IP address), name, address, phone number, and your country.

Stripe does not sell any of your data to independent third parties, such as marketing agencies or other companies that have nothing to do with the Stripe company. However, the data may be forwarded to internal departments, a limited number of external Stripe partners, or to comply with legal regulations. Stripe also uses cookies to collect data. Here is a selection of cookies that Stripe may set during the payment process:

Name: m
Value: edd716e9-d28b-46f7-8a55-e05f1779e84e040456111824947-5
Purpose: This cookie appears when you select the payment method. It stores and recognizes whether you are accessing our website via a PC, tablet, or smartphone.
Expiration date: after 2 years

Name: __stripe_mid
Value: fc30f52c-b006-4722-af61-a7419a5b8819875de9111824947-1
Purpose: This cookie is required to carry out a credit card transaction. It stores your session ID.
Expiration date: after one year

Name: __stripe_sid
Value: 6fee719a-c67c-4ed2-b583-6a9a50895b122753fe
Purpose: This cookie also stores your ID and is used by Stripe for the payment process on our website.
Expiration date: after the end of the session

How long and where are the data stored?

Personal data is generally stored for the duration of service provision. This means the data is stored until we terminate our cooperation with Stripe. However, to fulfill legal and regulatory obligations, Stripe may store personal data beyond the duration of service provision. Since Stripe is a globally active company, data can also be stored in any country where Stripe offers services. Thus, data can also be stored outside your country, for example, in the USA.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

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

You always have the right to information, correction, and deletion of your personal data. If you have any questions, you can also contact the Stripe team at any time via https://support.stripe.com/contact/email.

You can delete, disable, or manage cookies that Stripe uses for its functions in your browser. Depending on which browser you use, this works in different ways. Please note, however, that the payment process may no longer work. The following instructions show you how to manage cookies in your browser:

Chrome: Delete, enable, and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

Legal Basis

We offer the payment service provider Sofortüberweisung in addition to conventional banks/credit institutions for the handling of contractual or legal relationships (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b GDPR)  . The successful use of the service also requires your consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR)  , insofar as the approval of cookies is necessary for the use.

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

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

We have now given you a general overview of the processing and storage of data by Stripe. If you want to obtain more and more precise information, the detailed Stripe privacy policy at https://stripe.com/at/privacy serves as a good source.

Sofort Transfer Privacy Policy

Sofort Transfer Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Optimization of the payment process on our website 📓 Processed data: Data such as name, address, bank details (account number, credit card number, passwords, TANs, etc.), IP address, and contract data More details can be found below in the privacy policy 📅 Storage duration: Data is stored within the legal retention period ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c GDPR (Legal obligation), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate interests)

What is an “Sofort Transfer”?

We offer the payment method “Sofort Transfer” from the company Sofort GmbH for cashless payment on our website. Since 2014, Sofort GmbH has been part of the Swedish company Klarna, but its headquarters is in Germany, Theresienhöhe 12, 80339 Munich.

If you choose this payment method, personal data will also be transmitted to Sofort GmbH or Klarna, stored, and processed there. With this privacy text, we give you an overview of the data processing by Sofort GmbH.

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

Why do we use “Sofort Transfer” on our website?

Our goal with our website and our integrated online shop is to provide you with the best possible service. This includes, in addition to the overall experience on the website and our offers, a smooth, fast, and secure payment processing of your orders. To ensure this, we use “Sofort Transfer” as a payment system.

What data is stored by “Sofort Transfer”?

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

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

According to the company, no further personal data (such as account balances, turnover data, availability limits, account lists, mobile phone number, authentication certificates, security codes, or PIN/TAN) is collected, stored, or passed on to third parties.

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

Name: SOFUEB
Value: e8cipp378mdscn9e17kajlfhv7111824947-5
Purpose: This cookie stores your session ID.
Expiration date: after ending the browser session

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

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

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

How long and where is the data stored?

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

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

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

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

Possible cookies used by Sofortüberweisung can be managed, deleted, or disabled in your browser. Depending on your preferred browser, this works in different ways. The following instructions show how to manage cookies in the most common browsers:

Chrome: Delete, enable, and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Delete and Manage Cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and Manage Cookies

Legal Basis

We offer, for the processing of contractual or legal relationships (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR)  in addition to the conventional banks/credit institutions, the payment service provider Sofortüberweisung. The successful use of the service also requires your consent (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR)  , insofar as the use of cookies is necessary.

If you want to learn more about data processing by the "Sofortüberweisung" of the company Sofort GmbH, we recommend the privacy policy at https://www.sofort.de/datenschutz.html.

Social Media

Social Media Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected: Visitors of the website 🤝 Purpose: Presentation and optimization of our service, 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 in the respective social media tool used. 📅 Storage duration: depends on the social media platforms used ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests)

What is Social Media?

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

Why do we use Social Media?

For years, social media platforms have been the place where people communicate and connect online. With our social media presences, we can bring our products and services closer to interested parties. The social media elements embedded on our website help you quickly and without complications 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 aim of these analyses is to develop more accurate and personalized marketing and advertising strategies. Depending on your behavior on a social media platform, the evaluated data can be used to draw appropriate conclusions about your interests and create so-called user profiles. This allows the platforms to present you with tailored advertisements. Usually, cookies are set in your browser for this purpose, which store data about your usage behavior.

We generally assume that we remain responsible for data protection, even when we use services of a social media platform. However, the European Court of Justice has decided that in certain cases, the operator of the social media platform can be jointly responsible with us in the sense of Art. 26 GDPR. If this is the case, we will point this out separately and work based on a related agreement. The essence of the agreement is then reproduced further down for the affected platform.

Please note that when using social media platforms or our integrated elements, data about you 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 assert or enforce your rights regarding your personal data as easily.

Which data is processed?

Which data is stored and processed depends on the respective provider of the social media platform. But usually, it involves 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 your own 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 appropriate information or make changes.

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

Duration of data processing

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

Right to Object

You also have the right and the opportunity 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 through our cookie management tool or through other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, disabling, or deleting cookies in your browser.

Since cookies can be used with social media tools, we also recommend our general privacy policy regarding 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

If you have consented to data being processed and stored by embedded social media elements, this consent serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data is also stored and processed based on our legitimate interest (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in quick and good communication with you or other customers and business partners, provided there is consent. We use the tools only if you have given consent. Most social media platforms also set cookies in your browser to store data. Therefore, we recommend that you read our privacy text about cookies carefully and review the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

You can find information about specific social media platforms—if available—in the following sections.

Facebook Privacy Policy

Facebook Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service 📓 Processed data: Data such as customer data, user behavior data, information about your device, and your IP address. More details can be found below in the privacy policy. 📅 Storage duration: until the data is no longer useful for Facebook's purposes ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (Consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests)

What are Facebook Tools?

We use selected tools from Facebook on our website. Facebook is a social media network of the company Facebook Ireland Ltd., 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2 Ireland. With the help of these tools, we can offer you and people interested in our products and services the best possible offer.

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

Below we provide an overview of the various Facebook tools, which data is sent to Facebook, and how you can delete this data.

In addition to many other products, Facebook also offers the so-called “Facebook Business Tools.” This is the official name from Facebook. However, since the term is hardly known, we have decided to simply call them Facebook tools. Among them are:

• Facebook Pixel
• social plugins (such as the “Like” or “Share” button)
• Facebook Login
• Account Kit
• APIs (Application Programming Interface)
• SDKs (Software Development Kits)
• Platform Integrations
• Plugins
• Codes
• Specifications
• Documentation
• Technologies and Services

Through these tools, Facebook expands services and has the ability to receive information about user activities outside of Facebook.

Why do we use Facebook tools on our website?

We want to show our services and products only to people who are genuinely interested in them. With the help of advertisements (Facebook ads), we can reach exactly these people. However, in order for users to be shown relevant ads, Facebook needs information about people's desires and needs. This way, the company is provided with information about user behavior (and contact details) on our website. As a result, Facebook collects better user data and can display relevant advertisements about our products or services to interested people. The tools thus enable tailor-made advertising campaigns on Facebook.

Data about your behavior on our website is called "event data" by Facebook. These are also used for measurement and analysis services. Facebook can create "campaign reports" on the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns on our behalf. Furthermore, through analyses, we gain better insight into how you use our services, website, or products. This allows us to optimize your user experience on our website with some of these tools. For example, you can share content from our site directly on Facebook using social plugins.

What data is stored by Facebook tools?

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

Facebook uses this information to match the data with the data it already has about you (if you are a Facebook member). Before customer data is transmitted to Facebook, a process called "hashing" takes place. This means that a dataset of any size is transformed into a string. This also serves to encrypt data.

In addition to contact data, "event data" is also transmitted. "Event data" refers to the information we receive about you on our website. For example, which subpages you visit or which products you buy from us. Facebook does not share the received information with third parties (such as advertisers), unless the company has explicit permission or is legally required to do so. "Event data" can also be linked to contact data. This allows Facebook to offer better personalized advertising. After the aforementioned matching process, Facebook deletes the contact data again.

In order to deliver advertisements in an optimized manner, Facebook uses event data only when it has been aggregated with other data (collected by Facebook in other ways). Facebook also uses this event data for security, protection, development, and research purposes. Many of these data are transmitted to Facebook via cookies. Cookies are small text files used to store data or information in browsers. Depending on the tools used and whether you are a Facebook member, a different number of cookies are created in your browser. In the descriptions of individual Facebook tools, we go into more detail about individual Facebook cookies. You can also find general information about the use of Facebook cookies at https://www.facebook.com/policies/cookies.

How long and where is the data stored?

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

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

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

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

1) Click on Settings on the right side of Facebook.

2) Then click on “Your Facebook Information” in the left column.

3) Now click “Deactivation and Deletion”.

4) Now select “Delete Account” and then click “Continue to Account Deletion”

5) Now enter your password, click “Continue” and then “Delete Account”

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

Chrome: Delete, enable, and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and Manage Cookies

If you generally do not want cookies, you can set 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.

Legal Basis

If you have consented to your data being processed and stored by embedded Facebook tools, this consent serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data is also stored and processed based on our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. We only use the tools if you have given consent. Most social media platforms also set cookies in your browser to store data. Therefore, we recommend that you read our privacy text on cookies carefully and review Facebook's privacy policy or cookie policies.

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

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

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

Facebook Social Plugins Privacy Policy

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

The following social plug-ins are offered by Facebook:

• "Save" button
• "Like" button, Share, Send, and Quote
• Page plug-in
• Comments
• Messenger plug-in
• Embedded posts and video player
• Group plug-in

At https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins you can find more information on how the individual plug-ins are used. We use the social plug-ins on the one hand to provide you with a better user experience on our site, and on the other hand because Facebook can optimize our advertisements through them.

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

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

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

If you are not logged into Facebook or do not have a Facebook account, your browser sends less information to Facebook because you have fewer Facebook cookies. Nevertheless, data such as your IP address or which website you visit can be transmitted to Facebook. We would like to explicitly point out that we do not know the exact content of the data. However, we try to inform you as best as possible about data processing based on our current knowledge. How Facebook uses the data can also be read in the company's data policy at https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/update.

The following cookies are at least set in your browser when you visit a website with Facebook social plug-ins:

Name: dpr
Value: not specified
Purpose: This cookie is used to ensure that the social plugins on our website function.
Expiration date: after session end

Name: fr
Value: 0jieyh4111824947c2GnlufEJ9..Bde09j…1.0.Bde09j
Purpose: The cookie is also necessary for the plugins to function properly.
Expiration date:: after 3 months

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

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

If you want to learn more about Facebook's privacy policy, we recommend the company's own data policies at https://www.facebook.com/policy.php.

Facebook Login Privacy Policy

We have integrated the practical Facebook Login on our site. This allows you to log in to us easily with your Facebook account, without having to create another user account. If you decide to register via Facebook Login, you will be redirected to the social media network Facebook. There, the login occurs using your Facebook user data. Through this login procedure, data about you or your user behavior is stored and transmitted to Facebook.

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

Name: fr
Value: 0jieyh4c2GnlufEJ9..Bde09j…1.0.Bde09j
Purpose: This cookie is used to ensure that the social plugin on our website functions optimally.
Expiration date: after 3 months

Name: datr
Value: 4Jh7XUA2111824947SEmPsSfzCOO4JFFl
Purpose: Facebook sets the “datr” cookie when a web browser accesses facebook.com, and the cookie helps identify login activities and protect users.
Expiration date: after 2 years

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

Note: The listed cookies are just a small selection of the cookies available to Facebook. Other cookies include _fbp, sb, or wd. A complete listing is not possible as Facebook has a variety of cookies and uses them variably.

The Facebook Login offers you a quick and easy registration process on the one hand, and on the other hand, it allows us to share data with Facebook. This way, we can better tailor our offerings and promotions to your interests and needs. The data we receive from Facebook in this way are public data such as

• Your Facebook name
• Your profile picture
• An email address on file
• Friends lists
• Buttons information (e.g., "Like" button)
• Birthday
• Language
• Place of residence

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

By using Facebook Login, you consent to data processing. You can revoke this agreement at any time. If you want more information about data processing by Facebook, we recommend Facebook's privacy policy at https://de-de.facebook.com/policy.php.

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

Instagram Privacy Policy

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

What is Instagram?

We have integrated features from Instagram on our website. Instagram is a social media platform of the company Instagram LLC, 1601 Willow Rd, Menlo Park CA 94025, USA. Since 2012, Instagram has been a subsidiary of Facebook Inc. and is part of the Facebook products. Embedding Instagram content on our website is called embedding. This allows us to show you content such as buttons, photos, or videos from Instagram directly on our website. When you visit pages of our web presence that have an integrated Instagram function, data is transmitted to, stored, and processed by Instagram. Instagram uses the same systems and technologies as Facebook. Your data is thus 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 Facebook Inc., we obtain our information partly from Instagram's policies but also from Facebook's data policies themselves.

Instagram is one of the most well-known social media networks worldwide. Instagram combines the advantages of a blog with the benefits of audiovisual platforms like YouTube or Vimeo. You can upload photos and short videos on "Insta" (as many users colloquially call the platform), edit them with various filters, and spread them on other social networks. And if you don't want to be active yourself, you can simply follow other interesting users.

Why do we use Instagram on our website?

Instagram is the social media platform that has really taken off in recent years. And of course, we have responded to this boom. We want you to feel as comfortable as possible on our website. Therefore, varied preparation 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 reach only people who are genuinely interested in our products or services.

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

What data is stored by Instagram?

When you encounter one of our pages that has integrated Instagram functions (such as Instagram images or plug-ins), your browser automatically connects to Instagram's servers. In doing so, data is sent to, stored, and processed by Instagram. This happens regardless of whether you have an Instagram account or not. This includes information about our website, your computer, purchases made, ads 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 the case with Instagram as well. Customer data includes, for example, name, address, phone number, and IP address. This customer data is only transmitted to Instagram once it has been 'hashed' beforehand. Hashing means that a data set is converted into a string. This allows the contact data to be encrypted. In addition, the aforementioned 'event data' is also transmitted. Facebook – and consequently Instagram – understands 'event data' as data about your user behavior. It may 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) that are usually set 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 works the same way on Instagram as it does on Facebook. This means: if you have an Instagram account or have visited www.instagram.com, Instagram has set at least one cookie. If this is the case, your browser sends information to Instagram via the cookie as soon as you come into contact with an Instagram feature. At the latest after 90 days (after reconciliation), this data is deleted or anonymized. Although we have dealt intensively with Instagram's data processing, we cannot say exactly which data Instagram collects and stores.

Below we show you cookies that are at least set in your browser when you click on an Instagram feature (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 into Instagram, significantly more cookies will be set in your browser.

These cookies were used in our test:

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

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

Name: fbsr_111824947124024
Value: no information
Purpose: This cookie stores the login request for users of the Instagram app.
Expiration: at the end of the session

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

Name: urlgen
Value: “{”194.96.75.33”: 1901}:1iEtYv:Y833k2_UjKvXgYe111824947”
Purpose: This cookie serves Instagram's marketing purposes.
Expiration date: at the end of the session

Note: We cannot claim completeness here. Which cookies are set in individual cases depends on the embedded functions and your use of Instagram.

How long and where are the data stored?

Instagram shares the received information between Facebook companies with external partners and with people you connect with worldwide. Data processing is carried out in compliance with its own data policy. Your data is distributed, among other things for security reasons, on Facebook servers around the world. 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 access, transfer, correct, and delete 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 here's how to delete your Instagram account:

First, open the Instagram app. On your profile page, scroll down and click on "Help Center." Now you will be taken to the company's website. Click on "Manage Account" on the website and then on "Delete Your Account."

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

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

Chrome: Delete, enable, and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and Manage Cookies

You can also generally set your browser to always inform you 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 your data being processed and stored by embedded social media elements, this consent is considered the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data is also stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in quick and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. We only use the embedded social media elements if you have given consent. Most social media platforms also set cookies in your browser to store data. Therefore, we recommend that you read our privacy text on cookies carefully and review the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

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

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

We have tried to bring you closer to the most important information about data processing by Instagram. At https://help.instagram.com/519522125107875
you can further explore Instagram's data policies.

LinkedIn Privacy Policy

LinkedIn Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service 📓 Processed data: Data such as user behavior data, information about your device, and your IP address. More details can be found further down in the privacy policy. 📅 Storage duration: the data is generally deleted within 30 days ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is LinkedIn?

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

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

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

Why do we use LinkedIn on our website?

We know how busy you are. You can't follow all social media channels individually. Even if, as in our case, it would be worthwhile. Because we repeatedly post interesting news or reports that are worth spreading. That's why we have created the possibility on our website to share interesting content directly on LinkedIn or to refer directly to our LinkedIn page. We consider integrated social plug-ins as an extended service on our website. The data collected by LinkedIn also helps us to show possible advertising measures only to people who are interested in our offer.

What data is stored by LinkedIn?

LinkedIn does not store personal data just by embedding social plug-ins. LinkedIn calls this data generated by plug-ins passive impressions. However, if you click on a social plug-in to share our content, for example, the platform stores personal data as so-called "active impressions". And this is regardless of whether you have a LinkedIn account or not. If you are logged in, the collected data is associated with your account.

Your browser establishes a direct connection to LinkedIn's servers when you interact with our plug-ins. This allows the company to log various usage data. In addition to your IP address, this can include login data, device information, or information about your internet or mobile provider. If you access LinkedIn services via your smartphone, your location may also be determined (after you have allowed it). LinkedIn can also share this data in "hashed" form with third-party advertisers. Hashing means that a data set is transformed into a string. This allows the data to be encrypted so that individuals can no longer be identified.

Most data about your user behavior is stored in cookies. These are small text files that are usually set in your browser. Furthermore, LinkedIn can also use web beacons, pixel tags, ad tags, and other device identifiers.

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

Name: bcookie
Value: =2&34aab2aa-2ae1-4d2a-8baf-c2e2d7235c16111824947-
Purpose: The cookie is a so-called "browser ID cookie" and therefore stores your identification number (ID).
Expiration: After 2 years

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

Name: lidc
Value: 1818367:t=1571904767:s=AQF6KNnJ0G111824947…
Purpose: This cookie is used for routing. Routing records the paths of how you came to LinkedIn and how you navigate through the website there.
Expiration: after 24 hours

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

Name: JSESSIONID
Value: ajax:1118249472900777718326218137
Purpose: This is a session cookie that LinkedIn uses to maintain anonymous user sessions through the server.
Expiration: after the end of the session

Name: bscookie
Value: “v=1&201910230812…
Purpose: This cookie is a security cookie. LinkedIn describes it as a secure browser ID cookie.
Expiration date: after 2 years

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

Note: LinkedIn also collaborates with third-party providers. Therefore, during our test, we also detected the two Google Analytics cookies _ga and _gat.

How long and where are the data stored?

In principle, LinkedIn retains your personal data as long as the company deems necessary to offer its services. However, LinkedIn deletes your personal data when you delete your account. In some exceptional cases, LinkedIn retains some data in aggregated and anonymized form even after you delete your account. Once you delete your account, other people can no longer see your data within one day. LinkedIn generally deletes the data within 30 days. However, LinkedIn retains data if it is legally required to do so. Data that can no longer be associated with individuals remain stored even after the account is closed. The data is stored on various servers in America and presumably also in Europe.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

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

Here's how to access the account data in your LinkedIn profile:

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

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

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

You can also generally set up your browser to always inform you when a cookie is about 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 data being processed and stored by embedded social media elements, this consent serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In general, your data is also stored and processed based on our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in quick and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. We only use the embedded social media elements if you have given your consent. Most social media platforms also set cookies in your browser to store data. Therefore, we recommend that you read our data protection text about cookies carefully and view the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

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

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

We have attempted to bring you closer to the most important information about data processing by LinkedIn. At https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy you can learn more about the data processing of the social media network LinkedIn.

SoundCloud Privacy Policy

SoundCloud Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Affected: Website visitors 🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service performance 📓 Processed data: Data such as contact details, user behavior data, information about your device, and your IP address may be stored. More details can be found further down in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage duration: Data is generally stored as long as it is necessary for the service purpose ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is SoundCloud?

We use functions (widgets) of the social media network SoundCloud, operated by SoundCloud Limited, Rheinsberger Str. 76/77, 10115 Berlin, Germany, on our website. You can recognize the widgets by the well-known orange logo. By using functions such as playing music, data is transmitted to, stored by, and evaluated by SoundCloud. In this privacy policy, we show you what data is involved, why we use SoundCloud, and how you can manage or prevent your data or data transmission.

The social media network SoundCloud is an online music platform for the exchange and distribution of audio files. On SoundCloud, musicians or podcasters offer their audio files for download. Additionally, SoundCloud allows embedding the audio files on other websites. And that's exactly what we've done. Typical for SoundCloud are the graphical representations of audio files in waveform and the comment bar. This allows registered users to listen to and comment on music tracks or podcasts at any time.

Why do we use SoundCloud on our website?

Our goal is to provide you with the best possible service on our website. By this, we mean not only our products or services. Comprehensive customer service also includes how comfortable you feel on our website and how helpful our website is for you. By embedding the SoundCloud playback function, we can deliver acoustic content directly and conveniently. You don't have to follow any link first to listen to an audio file, but can start right away on our website.

What data is stored on SoundCloud?

As soon as you visit one of our websites that has a widget (like or share button or playback function) integrated, your browser connects to a SoundCloud server. In this process, data from you can be transferred to SoundCloud, managed, and stored there. For example, SoundCloud learns your IP address and which page (in this case ours) you visited and when. If you have a SoundCloud account and are logged in while surfing our website, the collected data will be directly assigned to your account. You can only prevent this by logging out of SoundCloud while you are on our website. In addition to the aforementioned information, data about your user behavior is also stored in the cookies. Whenever you click a button, play or pause a piece of music, this information is stored in the cookies. The widget or SoundCloud is thus able to recognize you, and sometimes the widget is also used to provide you with personalized content. SoundCloud not only uses its own cookies but also third-party cookies like Facebook or Google Analytics. These cookies help the company gain more information about your behavior on external websites and its own platform. As website operators, we do not receive any information about your user behavior from the cookies used by SoundCloud. The data transfer and therefore the information about technical devices and your behavior on the website occur between you and SoundCloud.

Below we show cookies that are set when you go to a website that has integrated SoundCloud functions. This list is just an example of possible cookies and cannot claim to be complete. In this example, the user does not have a SoundCloud account:

Name: sc_anonymous_id
Value: 208165-986996-398971-423805111824947-0
Purpose: This cookie makes it possible to embed files or other content into websites and stores a user ID.
Expiration date: after 10 years

Note:
The cookie sc_anonymous_id is set immediately when you are on one of our websites that has a SoundCloud function integrated. You do not need to interact with the function for this.

Name: __qca
Value: P0-1223379886-1579605792812111824947-7
Purpose: This cookie is a third-party cookie from Quantcast and collects data such as how often you visit the page or how long you stay on the page. The collected information is then passed on to SoundCloud.
Expiration date: after one year

Name: Sclocale
Value: de
Purpose: The cookie stores the language setting you have preset.
Expiration date: after one year

Name:  _soundcloud_session
Value: /
Purpose: We could not obtain specific information about this cookie.
Expiration Date: after session ends

Name: _session_auth_key
Value: /
Purpose: With the help of this cookie, session information (i.e., user behavior) can be stored and a client request authenticated.
Expiration Date: after 10 years

Additionally, SoundCloud also uses other third-party cookies like _fbp, _ga, gid from Facebook and Google Analytics. All the information stored in the cookies is used by SoundCloud to improve its own services and to display personalized advertising.

How long and where is the data stored?

In principle, the collected data remains stored with SoundCloud as long as a user account exists or it is necessary for SoundCloud to achieve its business objectives. The exact storage duration changes depending on the context and legal obligations. Even if you do not have an account and personal data has been stored, you have the right to request data deletion.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

If you have a SoundCloud account, you can manage data processing through "Settings" or delete your entire account. You can also manage, delete, or deactivate cookies in your browser according to your needs. The approach always depends on the browser you are using. If you decide to delete or deactivate cookies, please note that not all functions may be available. The following instructions explain how to manage, delete, or deactivate cookies in your browser.

Chrome: Delete, enable, and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

Legal Basis

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

We hope we have provided you with a good overview of the data traffic through SoundCloud. If you want to learn more about the privacy policies and general data handling by SoundCloud, we recommend the company's privacy policy at https://soundcloud.com/pages/privacy.

YouTube Privacy Policy

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

What is YouTube?

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

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

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

Why do we use YouTube videos on our website?

YouTube is the video platform with the most visitors and the best content. We strive to provide you with the best possible user experience on our website. And of course, interesting videos should not be missing. With the help of our embedded videos, we provide you with additional helpful content alongside our texts and images. Furthermore, our website is more easily found on the Google search engine due to the embedded videos. Even when we run advertisements via Google Ads, Google can – thanks to the collected data – show these ads only to people who are interested in our offers.

What data is stored by YouTube?

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

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

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

Name: YSC
Value: b9-CV6ojI5Y111824947-1
Purpose: This cookie registers a unique ID to store statistics of the viewed video.
Expiration: after session ends

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

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

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

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

Name: APISID
Value: zILlvClZSkqGsSwI/AU1aZI6HY7111824947-
Purpose: This cookie is used to create a profile about your interests. The data is used for personalized advertisements.
Expiration date: after 2 years

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

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

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

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

Name: SID
Value: oQfNKjAsI111824947-
Purpose: This cookie stores your Google account ID and your last login time in digitally signed and encrypted form.
Expiration date: after 2 years

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

How long and where is the data stored?

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

The collected data is stored by Google for varying lengths of time. Some data you can delete at any time, others are automatically deleted after a limited time, and others are stored by Google for a longer period. Some data (like items from "My Activity", photos, or documents, products) stored in your Google Account remain saved until you delete them. Even if you are not signed into a Google Account, you can delete some data linked to your device, browser, or app.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

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

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

Chrome: Delete, enable, and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

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

Legal Basis

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

YouTube also processes data in the USA. We point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfer to the USA. This can involve various risks for the legality and security of data processing.

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

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

YouTube Subscribe Button Privacy Policy

We have integrated the YouTube Subscribe Button on our website. You usually recognize the button by the classic YouTube logo. The logo shows the words "Subscribe" or "YouTube" in white letters on a red background and the white "Play symbol" on the left. However, the button can also be displayed in a different design.

Our YouTube channel offers you fun, interesting, or exciting videos from time to time. With the integrated "Subscribe Button," you can subscribe to our channel directly from our website without having to visit the YouTube website separately. We want to make access to our comprehensive content as easy as possible for you. Please note that YouTube can store and process data about you as a result.

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

Name: YSC
Value: b9-CV6ojI5111824947Y
Purpose: This cookie registers a unique ID to store statistics of the viewed video.
Expiration date: after session end

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

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

Name: VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
Value: 11182494795Chz8bagyU
Purpose: This cookie attempts to estimate the user's bandwidth on our websites (with embedded YouTube video).
Expiration date: after 8 months

Note: These cookies were set after a test and cannot claim completeness.

If you are logged into your YouTube account, YouTube can store many of your actions/interactions on our website using cookies and associate them with your YouTube account. For example, YouTube receives information about how long you surf on our site, which browser type you use, which screen resolution you prefer, or what actions you perform.

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

Google reCAPTCHA Privacy Policy

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

What is reCAPTCHA?

Our primary goal is to secure and protect our website for you and for us in the best possible way. To ensure this, we use Google reCAPTCHA from Google Inc. For the European region, the company 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 our request. In the classic CAPTCHAS, you usually had to solve text or image puzzles for verification. With Google's reCAPTCHA, we usually don't have to bother you with such puzzles. In most cases, it suffices if you simply check a box to confirm that you are not a bot. With the new Invisible reCAPTCHA version, you don't even need to check a box anymore. How exactly this works and especially which data is used for it, you will learn in the course of this privacy policy.

reCAPTCHA is a free captcha service from Google that protects websites from spam software and abuse by non-human visitors. This service is most commonly used when you fill out forms on the internet. A captcha service is a kind of automatic Turing test intended 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 the computer scientist Alan Turing), a human determines the distinction between bot and human. In captchas, the computer or a software program takes over this task. Classic captchas work with small tasks that are easy for humans to solve but present significant difficulties for machines. With reCAPTCHA, you no longer need to actively solve puzzles. The tool uses modern risk techniques to distinguish humans from bots. Here, you only need to check the text field "I am not a robot" or, with Invisible reCAPTCHA, even that is no longer necessary. In reCAPTCHA, a JavaScript element is embedded in the source code, and then the tool runs in the background and analyzes your user behavior. From these user actions, the software calculates a so-called captcha score. Google uses this score to calculate, even before the captcha input, how likely it is that you are a human. reCAPTCHA or captchas, in general, are used whenever bots could manipulate or misuse certain actions (such as registrations, surveys, etc.).

Why do we use reCAPTCHA on our website?

We only want to welcome people of flesh and blood on our side. Bots or spam software of various kinds can confidently stay at home. That's why we are pulling out all the stops to protect ourselves and offer you the best possible user-friendliness. For this reason, we use Google reCAPTCHA from Google. This way, we can be pretty sure that we remain a "bot-free" website. By using reCAPTCHA, data is transmitted to Google to determine whether you are really a human. reCAPTCHA serves the security of our website and, subsequently, your security as well. For example, without reCAPTCHA, it could happen that during a registration, a bot registers as many email addresses as possible to subsequently "spam" forums or blogs with unwanted advertising content. With reCAPTCHA, we can avoid such bot attacks.

What data is stored by reCAPTCHA?

reCAPTCHA collects personal data from users to determine whether actions on our website actually come from humans. Thus, the IP address and other data required by Google for the reCAPTCHA service can be sent to Google. IP addresses are almost always shortened within the member states of the EU or other contracting states of the Agreement on the European Economic Area before the data lands on a server in the USA. The IP address is not combined with other data from Google unless you are logged into your Google account while using reCAPTCHA. First, the reCAPTCHA algorithm checks if Google cookies from other Google services (YouTube, Gmail, etc.) are already placed on your browser. Then, 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. Known operating systems are Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux)
• Cookies (small text files that store data in your browser)
• Mouse and keyboard behavior (every action you perform with the mouse or keyboard is stored)
• Date and language settings (which language or date you have preset on your PC is stored)
• All JavaScript objects (JavaScript is a programming language that allows websites to adapt to the user. JavaScript objects can collect all kinds of data under one name)
• Screen resolution (indicates how many pixels the image display consists of)

It is undisputed that Google uses and analyzes this data even before you click the checkbox “I am not a robot.” In the Invisible reCAPTCHA version, even the checking is omitted, and the entire recognition process runs in the background. How much and what data Google exactly stores is not detailed by Google.

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-111824947-8
Purpose: This cookie is set by the company DoubleClick (also owned by Google) to register and report the actions of a user on the website in dealing with advertisements. This allows the effectiveness of advertising to be measured and appropriate optimization measures to be taken. IDE is stored in browsers under the domain doubleclick.net.
Expiration: 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: after one month

Name: ANID
Value: U7j1v3dZa1118249470xgZFmiqWppRWKOr
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 domain google.com.
Expiration: after 9 months

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

Name: NID
Value: 0WmuWqy111824947zILzqV_nmt3sDXwPeM5Q
Purpose: NID is used by Google to tailor advertisements to your Google search. With the help of the cookie, Google "remembers" your most frequently entered search queries or your previous interaction with ads. This way, you always receive tailored advertisements. The cookie contains a unique ID to collect personal user settings for advertising purposes.
Expiration date: after 6 months

Name: DV
Value: gEAABBCjJMXcI0dSAAAANbqc111824947-4
Purpose: As soon as you have checked the "I am not a robot" box, this cookie is set. The cookie is used by Google Analytics for personalized advertising. DV collects information in anonymized form and is also used to make user distinctions.
Expiration date: after 10 minutes

Note: This list cannot claim to be complete, as Google is known to frequently change the selection of their cookies.

How long and where are the data stored?

By inserting reCAPTCHA, data from you is transmitted to the Google server. Google does not clearly state where exactly these data are stored, even after repeated inquiries. Without having received confirmation from Google, it is assumed that data such as mouse interaction, time spent on the website, or language settings are stored on European or American Google servers. The IP address that your browser transmits to Google is generally not merged with other Google data from other Google services. However, if you are logged into your Google account while using the reCAPTCHA plugin, the data will be merged. For this, the different privacy policies of Google apply.

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 log out completely from 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 visit our site. To delete this data, you must contact Google support at https://support.google.com/?hl=de&tid=111824947.

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

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

Legal Basis

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

Furthermore, we have a legitimate interest in using Google reCAPTCHA to optimize and secure our online service. The corresponding legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate Interests). We only use Google reCAPTCHA to the extent that you have given consent.

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

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

You can learn a little more about reCAPTCHA on Google's developer page at https://developers.google.com/recaptcha/. Although Google goes into more detail about the technical development of reCAPTCHA here, specific information about data storage and privacy-related topics is also hard to find there. A good overview of the general use of data at Google can be found in their privacy policy at https://www.google.com/intl/de/policies/privacy/.

All texts are protected by copyright.

Source: Created with the Privacy Policy Generator by AdSimple