Privacy policy

Introduction and overview
We have written this data protection declaration (version 05/13/2024-122786308) in order to explain to you, in accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and applicable national laws, which personal data (data for short) we as the controller - and that of Processors commissioned by us (e.g. providers) – process, will process in the future and what legal options you have. The terms used are to be understood as gender-neutral.
In short: We inform you comprehensively about the data we process about you.

Privacy policies usually sound very technical and use legal terms. This data protection declaration, however, is intended to describe the most important things to you as simply and transparently as possible. To the extent that it promotes transparency, technical terms are explained in a reader-friendly manner, links to further information are provided and graphics are used. We thereby inform you in clear and simple language that we only process personal data as part of our business activities if there is a corresponding legal basis. This is certainly not possible if you make as brief, unclear and legal-technical statements as possible, as are often standard on the Internet when it comes to data protection. I hope you find the following explanations interesting and informative and perhaps there is one or two pieces of information that you didn't know before.
If you still have questions, we would like to ask you to contact the responsible body named below or in the legal notice, follow the existing links and look at further information on third-party sites. You can of course also find our contact details in the legal notice.

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

all online presences (websites, online shops) that we operate
Social media appearances and email communication
mobile apps for smartphones and other devices
In short: The data protection declaration applies to all areas in which personal data is processed in a structured manner within the company via the channels mentioned. If we enter into legal relationships with you outside of these channels, we will inform you separately if necessary.

Legal basis
In the following data protection declaration 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 April 27, 2016. You can of course access this EU General Data Protection Regulation online on EUR-Lex, the access to the EU -Law, read at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/DE/ALL/?uri=celex%3A32016R0679.

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

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 saving the data you entered on a contact form.
Contract (Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. b GDPR): In order to fulfill a contract or pre-contractual obligations with you, we process your data. For example, if we conclude a purchase contract with you, we need personal information in advance.
Legal obligation (Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. c GDPR): If we are subject to a legal obligation, we process your data. For example, we are legally obliged to keep invoices for accounting purposes. These usually contain personal data.
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 in order to operate our website securely and economically efficiently. This processing is therefore a legitimate interest.
Other conditions such as the perception of recordings in the public interest and the exercise of public authority as well as the protection of vital interests generally do not apply to us. Insofar as such a legal basis is included If this is necessary, this will be shown in the appropriate place.

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

In Austria this is the Federal Law for the Protection of Natural Persons with regard to the Processing of Personal Data (Data Protection Act), or DSG for short.
The Federal Data Protection Act, or BDSG for short, applies in Germany.
If other regional or national laws apply, we will inform you about them in the following sections.

Contact details of the person responsible
If you have any questions about data protection or the processing of personal data, you will find the contact details of the responsible person or body below:
Martin Hörmann
Dorfnerstraße 16/1/7, 3390 Melk, Austria

Email: martin@hoermann-audio.at
Telephone: +43 (0) 6505532241
Imprint: https://www.hoermann-audio.at/impressum/

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

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

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

Rights under the General Data Protection Regulation
In accordance with Articles 13, 14 GDPR, we inform you of the following rights to which you are entitled so that data is processed fairly and transparently:

According to Article 15 GDPR, you have a right to information as to whether we are processing your data. If this is the case, you have the right to receive a copy of the data and to know the following information:
for what purpose we carry out the processing;
the categories, i.e. the types of data, that are processed;
who receives this data and, if the data is transferred to third countries, how security can be guaranteed;
how long the data is stored;
the existence of the right to rectification, deletion or restriction of processing and the right to object to processing;
that you can complain to a supervisory authority (links to these authorities can be found below);
the origin of the data if we did not collect it from you;
whether profiling is carried out, i.e. whether data is automatically evaluated in order to create a personal profile for you.
According to Article 16 GDPR, you have a right to correction of data, which means that we must correct data if you find errors.
According to Article 17 GDPR, you have the right to deletion (“right to be forgotten”), which specifically means that you can request the deletion of your data.
According to Article 18 GDPR, you have the right to restrict processing, which means that we are only allowed to store the data but not use it any further.
According to Article 20 GDPR, you have the right to data portability, which means that upon request we will provide you with your data in a common format.
According to Article 21 GDPR, you have a right to object, which, once enforced, will result in a change to the processing.
If the processing of your data is based on Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter e (public interest, exercise of official authority) or Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter f (legitimate interest), you can object to the processing. We will then check as quickly as possible whether we can legally comply with this objection.
If data is used to conduct direct advertising, you can object to this type of data processing at any time. We may then no longer use your data for direct marketing.
If data is used to carry out profiling, you can object to this type of data processing at any time. We are then no longer allowed to use your data for profiling.
According to Article 22 GDPR, you may have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing (e.g. profiling).
According to Article 77 GDPR, you have the right to lodge a complaint. This means that you can complain to the data protection authority at any time if you believe that the processing of personal data violates the GDPR.
In short: you have rights – do not hesitate to contact the responsible body listed above!

If you believe that the processing of your data violates data protection law or your data If your copyright 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 you can find at https://www.dsb.gv.at/. In Germany there is a data protection officer for each federal state. For more information, you can contact the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI). The following local data protection authority is responsible for our company:

Austria data protection authority
Head: Dr. Matthias Schmidl
Address: Barichgasse 40-42, 1030 Vienna
Telephone number: +43 1 52 152-0
Email address: dsb@dsb.gv.at
Website: https://www.dsb.gv.at/

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

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

TLS encryption with https
TLS, encryption and https sound very technical and they are. We use HTTPS (the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure stands for “secure hypertext transfer protocol”) to transmit data on the Internet in a secure manner.
This means that the complete transmission of all data from your browser to our web server is secured - no one can “eavesdrop”.

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

communication
Communication summary
👥 Affected people: Anyone who communicates with us by phone, email or online form
📓 Processed data: e.g. E.g. telephone number, name, email address, entered form data. You can find more details about the type of contact used
🤝 Purpose: Handling communication with customers, business partners, etc.
📅 Storage period: Duration of the business case and the legal regulations
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b GDPR (contract), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)
If you contact us and communicate by telephone, email or online form, personal data may be processed.

The data will be processed to process and process your question and the related business transaction. The data is stored for as long as the law requires.

Affected people
The above-mentioned processes affect everyone who tries to contact us via the communication channels we provide.

phone
If you call us, the call data will be stored pseudonymously on the respective device and by the telecommunications provider used. In addition, data such as name and telephone number can then be sent by email and saved to answer your query. The data will be deleted as soon as the business transaction has ended and legal requirements allow it.

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

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

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

Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent): You give us your consent to store your data and further matters relating to the business transactioncorner to use;
Art. 6 Paragraph 1 Letter b GDPR (contract): There is a need to fulfill a contract with you or a processor such as. B. the telephone provider or we need to use the data for pre-contractual activities, such as: B. the preparation of an offer;
Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests): We want to conduct customer inquiries and business communication in a professional framework. For this purpose, certain technical facilities such as: B. E-mail programs, exchange servers and mobile phone operators are necessary in order to be able to operate communication efficiently.
Order processing agreement (AVV)
In this section we would like to explain to you what a data processing agreement is and why it is needed. Because the word “order processing agreement” is quite a tongue twister, we will often only use the acronym AVV here in the text. Like most companies, we do not work alone, but also use the services of other companies or individuals. Due to the involvement of different companies or service providers, we may pass on personal data for processing. These partners then act as processors with whom we conclude a contract, the so-called data processing agreement (AVV). The most important thing for you to know is that the processing of your personal data takes place exclusively according to our instructions and must be regulated by the AVV.

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

To make the terminology easier to understand, here is an overview of the three roles in the GDPR:

Data subject (you as a customer or interested party) → Responsible party (we as a company and client) → Processor (service provider such as web host or cloud provider)

Content of an order processing contract
As already mentioned above, we have concluded an AVV with our partners who act as processors. Above all, this states that the processor processes the data to be processed exclusively in accordance with the GDPR. The contract must be concluded in writing, although in this context the electronic contract conclusion is also considered “written”. The processing of personal data only takes place on the basis of the contract. The contract must contain the following:

Binding to us as those responsible
Obligations and rights of the person responsible
Categories of data subjects
Type of personal data
Type and purpose of data processing
Subject and duration of data processing
Place of data processing
The contract also contains all of the processor’s obligations. The most important duties are:

To ensure data security measures
to take possible technical and organizational measures to protect the rights of the data subject
to maintain a data processing directory
to cooperate with the data protection supervisory authority upon request
carry out a risk analysis in relation to the personal data received
Sub-processors may only be commissioned with the written consent of the person responsible
You can see what such an AVV looks like in concrete terms at https://www.wko.at/service/wirtschaftsrecht-gewerberecht/eu-dsgvo-mustervertrag-vertragsprocessing.html. A sample contract is presented here.

Cookies
Cookies summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: depending on the respective cookie. You can find more details about this below or from the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.
📓 Data processed: Depending on the cookie used. You can find more details about this below or from the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.
📅 Storage period: depending 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 see the following data Understand the privacy policy better.

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 cannot be denied: Cookies are really useful little helpers. Almost all websites use cookies. To be more precise, they are HTTP cookies, as there are also other cookies for other areas of application. HTTP cookies are small files that our website stores on your computer. These cookie files are automatically stored in the cookie folder, 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 about you, such as language or personal page settings. When you visit our site again, your browser sends the “user-related” information back to our site. Thanks to 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, such as Firefox, all cookies are stored in a single file.

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

HTTP cookie interaction between browser and web server

There are both first-party cookies and third-party cookies. First-party cookies are created directly by our site, third-party cookies are created by partner websites (e.g. Google Analytics). Each cookie must be evaluated individually because each cookie stores different data. The expiry 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 “malicious” things. Cookies also cannot access information on your PC.

For example, cookie data might look like this:

Name: _ga
Value: GA1.2.1326744211.152122786308-9
Purpose: Differentiation of website visitors
Expiry date: after 2 years

A browser should be able to support these minimum sizes:

At least 4096 bytes per cookie
At least 50 cookies per domain
At least 3000 cookies in total
What types of cookies are there?
The question of which cookies we use in particular depends on the services used and is clarified in the following sections of the data protection declaration. At this point 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 puts a product in the shopping cart, then continues surfing on other pages and only later checks out. These cookies do not delete the shopping cart, even if the user closes their browser window.

Purposeful cookies
These cookies collect information about user behavior and whether the user receives any error messages. These cookies are also used to measure the loading time and behavior of the website on different browsers.

Targeting cookies
These cookies ensure better user experience. For example, entered locations, font sizes or form data are saved.

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

Typically, when you first visit a website, you will be asked which of these types of cookies you would like to allow. And of course this decision is also saved in a cookie.

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

Purpose of processing via cookies
The purpose ultimately depends on the respective cookie. You can find more details about this below or from the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.

Which data is processed?
Cookies are little 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 data processed or stored in the following data protection declaration.

Storage period of cookies
The storage period depends on the respective cookie and is further specified below. Some cookies are deleted after less than an hour, others can remain stored on a computer for several years.

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

Right to object – how can I delete cookies?
You decide for yourself how and whether you want to use cookies. Regardless of which service or website the cookies come from, you always have the option of deleting cookies, deactivating them or only partially allowing them. For example, you can block third-party cookies but allow all other cookies.

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

Chrome: Delete, enable and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and site data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Deleting and managing cookies

Microsoft Edge: Deleting and managing cookies

If you generally do not want cookies, you can set your browser so that it always informs you when a cookie is to be set. This means you can decide for each individual cookie whether you allow the cookie or not. The procedure varies depending on the browser. The best thing to do is to search for the instructions in Google using the search term “delete cookies Chrome” or “deactivate cookies Chrome” in the case of a Chrome browser.

Legal basis
The so-called “Cookie Guidelines” have existed since 2009. This states that the storage of cookies requires your consent (Article 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR). However, there are still very different reactions to these guidelines within the EU countries. In Austria, however, this directive was implemented in Section 165 Paragraph 3 of the Telecommunications Act (2021). In Germany, the cookie guidelines have not been implemented as national law. Instead, this directive was largely implemented in Section 15 Paragraph 3 of the Telemedia Act (TMG).

For absolutely necessary cookies, even if consent is not given, there are legitimate interests (Article 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR), which in most cases are of an economic nature. We want to provide website visitors with a pleasant user experience and certain cookies are often absolutely necessary for this.

If non-essential cookies are used, this will only happen with your consent. The legal basis in this respect is Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter a GDPR.

In the following sections you will be informed in more detail about the use of cookies if the software used uses cookies.

Web hosting introduction
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. You can find more details about this below or with the web hosting provider you use.
📅 Storage period: depends on the respective provider, but usually 2 weeks
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit.f GDPR (legitimate interests)
What is web hosting?
When you visit websites these days, certain information - including personal data - is created and stored automatically, including on this website. This data should be processed as sparingly as possible and only with justification. By the way, by website we mean the entirety of all websites on a domain, i.e. everything from the start page (homepage) to the very last subpage (like this one). By domain we mean, for example, example.de or musterexample.com.

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

To display the website, the browser must connect to another computer where the website's code is stored: the web server. Operating a web server is a complicated and time-consuming task, which is why it is usually carried out by professional providers. These offer web hosting and thus ensure reliable and error-free storage of website data. A lot of technical terms, but please stay tuned, it gets better!

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

A picture is worth a thousand words, so the following graphic shows the interaction between the browser, the Internet and the hosting provider.

Browsers and web servers

Why do we process personal data?
The purposes of data processing are:

Professional website hosting and operational security
to maintain operational and IT security
Anonymous evaluation of access behavior to improve our offering and, if necessary, to prosecute or pursue claims
Which data is processed?
Even while you are visiting our website, our web server, which is the computer on which this website is stored, usually automatically saves data such as

the complete internet address (URL) of the website accessed
Browser and browser version (e.g. Chrome 87)
the operating system used (e.g. Windows 10)
the address (URL) of the previously visited page (referrer URL) (e.g. https://www.beispielquellsite.de/vondabinichkommen/)
the host name and IP address of the device from which access is made (e.g. COMPUTERNAME and 194.23.43.121)
Date and Time
in files called web server log files
How long is data stored?
As a rule, the above-mentioned data is stored for two weeks and then automatically deleted. We do not pass on this data, but we cannot rule out that this data will be viewed by authorities if illegal behavior occurs.

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

Legal basis
The legality of the processing of personal data in the context of web hosting results from Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter f of the GDPR (protection of legitimate interests), because the use of professional hosting from a provider is necessary to keep the company safe and user-friendly on the Internet to be able to present and, if necessary, pursue attacks and claims resulting from this.

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

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

internex GmbH
Lagerstraße 15, 3950 Gmünd, Austria

You can find out more about data processing at this provider in the data protection declaration.

Website modular systems introduction
Website modular systems data protection declaration summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service
📓 Data processed: Data such as technical usage information such as browser activity, clickstream activity, session heatmaps, as well as contact details, IP address or your geographical location. You can find more details about this below in this data protection declaration and in the data protection declaration of the providers.
📅 Storage period: depends on the provider
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent)
What are modular website systems?
We use a modular website system for our website. Modular systems are special forms of a content management system (CMS). With a modular system, website operators can create a website very easily and without any programming knowledge. In many cases, web hosts also offer modular systems. By using a modular system, your personal data can also be collected, stored and processed. In this data protection text we provide you with general information about data processing through modular systems. Further information can be found in the provider’s privacy policy.

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

What data is stored by a modular system?
Exactly which data is stored depends, of course ch depends on the website construction system used. Each provider processes and collects different data from website visitors. However, technical usage information such as operating system, browser, screen resolution, language and keyboard settings, hosting provider and the date of your website visit are usually collected. Tracking data (e.g. browser activity, clickstream activity, session heatmaps, etc.) can also be processed. Personal data can also be collected and stored. This usually involves contact information such as email address, telephone number (if you have provided it), IP address and geographical location data. You can find out exactly which data is stored in the provider’s privacy policy.

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

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

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

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

If the processing of data is not absolutely necessary for the operation of the website, the data will only be processed based on your consent. This particularly applies to tracking activities. The legal basis in this respect is Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter a GDPR.

With this data protection declaration we have provided you with the most important general information about data processing. If you would like to find out more about this, you can find further information - if available - in the following section or in the provider's data protection declaration.

Web Analytics Introduction
Web Analytics Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimize the website.
📓 Data processed: Access statistics, which include data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior, click behavior and IP addresses. You can find more details about this in the web analytics tool used.
📅 Storage period: depends on the web analytics tool used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)
What is Web Analytics?
We use software on our website to evaluate the behavior of website visitors, known as web analytics for short. Data is collected, which the respective analytical tool provider (also called tracking tool) stores, manages and processes. The data is used to create analyzes of user behavior on our website and make them available to us as website operators. In addition, most tools offer various testing options. For example, we can test which offers or content are best received by our visitors. We will show you two different offers for a limited period of time. After the test (so-called A/B test), we know which product or content our website visitors find more interesting. For such test procedures, as well as for other analytics procedures, user profiles can also be created and the data can be stored in cookies.

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

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

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

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

Schematic data flow in Google Analytics

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

Duration of data processing
We will inform you below about the duration of data processing if we have further information. In general, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. If required by law, for example in the case of accounting, this storage period can 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 at any time. This works either via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser.

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

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

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

Information about special web analytics tools, if available, can be found in the following sections.

Email marketing introduction
Email marketing summary
👥 Affected: Newsletter subscribers
🤝 Purpose: Direct advertising via email, notification of system-relevant events
📓 Processed data: Data entered during registration but at least the email address. You can find more details about the email marketing tool used.
📅 Storage period: 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?
In order to always keep you up to date, we also use email marketing. If you have agreed to receive our emails or newsletters, your data will also be processed and stored. Email Marketing is a part of online marketing. This involves sending news or general information about a company, product or service via email to a specific group of people who are interested in it.

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

Basically, registering for newsletters works with the help of the so-called “double opt-in procedure”. After you have registered for our newsletter on our website, you will receive an email confirming your newsletter registration. This ensures that the email address belongs to you and that no one has logged in with someone else's email address. We, or a notification tool we use, logs each login. This is necessary so that we can prove that the registration process was legally correct. The time of registration, the time of registration confirmation and your IP address are usually stored. Additionally, it is also logged when you make changes to your saved data.

Why do we use email marketing?
Of course, we want to stay in touch 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 just called “newsletter” – as an essential part of our online marketing. If you agree or as permitted by law, 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 emails sent on a regular basis. Of course, we do not want to bother you in any way with our newsletter. That's why we always strive to only offer relevant and interesting content. You can find out more about our company, our services or products. Since we are always improving our offers, you will always find out via our newsletter when there is news or when we are currently offering special, lucrative promotions. If we commission a service provider who offers a professional sending tool for our email marketing, we do this in order to be able to offer you fast and secure newsletters. The purpose of our email marketing is basically 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 will confirm your membership in an email list by email. In addition to your IP address and email address, your title, name, address and telephone number can also be stored. However, only if you agree to this data storage. The data marked as such is necessary so that you can participate in the service offered. Providing information is voluntary, but failure to provide it will result in you not being able to use the service. In addition, information about your device or your preferred content on our website may also be stored. To learn more about how data is stored when you visit a website, see the “Automatic data storage” section. We record your declaration of consent 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 may store your address for up to three years based on our legitimate interests so that we can still prove your consent at the 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 your consent to subscribe to the newsletter, you can submit an individual deletion request at any time. If you permanently object to your consent, we reserve the right to save your email address in a blacklist. As long as you have voluntarily subscribed to our newsletter, we will of course also keep your email address.

Right to object
You have the option to cancel your newsletter subscription at any time. All you have to do is revoke your consent to subscribe to the newsletter. This usually only takes a few seconds or one or two clicks. You will usually find a link to unsubscribe from the newsletter right at the end of each email. If you really cannot find the link in the newsletter, please contact us by email and we will cancel your newsletter subscription immediately.

Legal basis
Our newsletter is sent based on your consent (Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter a GDPR). This means that we can only send you a newsletter if you have previously actively registered for it. If necessary, we may also send you advertising messages if you have become our customer and have not objected to the use of your email address for direct advertising.

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

Social media introduction
Social Media Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Presentation and optimization of our services, contact with visitors, interested parties, etc., advertising
📓 Data processed: Data such as telephone numbers, email addresses, contact details, user behavior data, information about your device and your IP address.
You can find more details about this in the respective social media tool used.
📅 Storage period: depends on the social media platforms used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)
What is Social Media?
In addition to our website, we are also active on various social media platforms. User data can be processed so that we can specifically address users who are interested in us via social networks. In addition, elements of a social media platform may also be embedded directly into our website. This is the case, for example, if you click on a so-called social button on our website and are redirected directly to our social media presence. So-called social media or social media are websites and apps through which registered members can produce content, exchange content openly or in specific groups and network with other members.

Why do we use social media?
For years, social media platforms have been the place where people communicate and connect online. With our social media presence we can bring our products and services closer to interested parties. The social media elements integrated on our website help you to switch to our social media content quickly and without complications.

The data that is stored and processed through your use of a social media channel has the primary purpose of being able to carry out web analyses. The aim of these analyzes is to be able to develop more precise and personal marketing and advertising strategies. Depending on your behavior on a social media platform, appropriate conclusions can be drawn about your interests using the evaluated data and so-called user profiles can be created. This also makes it possible for the platforms to present you with tailored advertisements. Cookies are usually set in your browser for this purpose and store data about your usage behavior.

We generally assume that we remain responsible under data protection law, even if we use the 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 within the meaning of Article 26 GDPR. If this is the case, we will point this out separately and work on the basis of a relevant agreement. The essence of the agreement is then reproduced below for the affected platform.

Please note that when you use the social media platforms or our built-in elements, your data may also be processed outside the European Union, as many social media channels, such as Facebook or Twitter, are American companies. This may mean that you may no longer be able to easily request or enforce your rights in relation to your personal data.

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

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

If you want to know exactly what data is stored and processed by social media providers and how you can object to data processing, you should carefully read the company's respective data protection declaration. If you have any questions about data storage and data processing or want to assert the relevant rights, we recommend that you contact the provider directly.

Duration of data processing
We will inform you below about the duration of data processing if we have further information. For example, the social media platform Facebook stores data until it is no longer needed for its own purpose. However, customer data that is compared with your own user data will be deleted within two days. In general, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. If required by law, for example in the case of accounting, this storage period can 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 via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser.

Since cookies can be used in social media tools, we also recommend our general data protection declaration about cookies. To find out exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the data protection declarations of the respective tools.

Legal basis
If you have agreed that your data can be processed and stored through integrated social media elements, this consent is considered the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, if you have given your consent, your data will also be stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in quick and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the tools if you have given your consent. Most social media platforms also set cookies on your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text about cookies carefully and view the data protection declaration or the 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: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service
📓 Data processed: Data such as customer data, user behavior data, information about your device and your IP address.
You can find more details about this in the data protection declaration below.
📅 Storage period: until the data is no longer useful for Facebook's purposes
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)
What are Facebook tools?
We use selected tools from Facebook on our website. Facebook is a social media network of the company Meta Platforms Inc. or for the European area of the company Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland. These tools enable us to offer you and people who are interested in our products and services the best possible offer.

If data is collected and forwarded from you via our embedded Facebook elements or via our Facebook page (fan page), both we and Facebook Ireland Ltd. responsible for. Facebook is solely responsible for the further processing of this data. Our shared commitments have also been enshrined in a publicly available agreement at https://www.facebook.com/legal/controller_addendum. This states, 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 secure manner in accordance with data protection law. Facebook, on the other hand, is responsible for the data security of Facebook products, for example. If you have any questions about data collection and data 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, what data is sent to Facebook and how you can use it can delete.

In addition to many other products, Facebook also offers the so-called “Facebook Business Tools”. This is the official name of Facebook. Since the term is hardly known, we have decided to just call them Facebook tools. These include, among others:

Facebook pixel
social plug-ins (such as the “Like” or “Share” button)
Facebook login
Account kit
APIs (programming interface)
SDKs (collection of programming tools)
Platform integrations
Plugins
Codes
Specifications
Documentations
Technologies and services
Through these tools, Facebook expands services and has the opportunity to obtain information about user activities outside of Facebook.

Why do we use Facebook tools on our website?
We only want to show our services and products to people who are really interested in them. With the help of advertisements (Facebook Ads) we can reach exactly these people. However, in order to show users appropriate advertising, Facebook needs information about people's wishes and needs. The company is provided with information about user behavior (and contact details) on our website. This means that Facebook collects better user data and can show interested people the appropriate advertising about our products or services. The tools thus enable tailor-made advertising campaigns on Facebook.

Facebook calls data about your behavior on our website “event data”. These are also used for measurement and analysis services. This allows Facebook to create “campaign reports” on our behalf about the impact of our advertising campaigns. We also use analyzes to gain a better insight into how you use our services, website or products. This allows us to use some of these tools to optimize your user experience on our website. For example, you can use the social plug-ins to share content on our site directly on Facebook.

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

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

In addition to the contact details, “event data” is also transmitted. “Event data” means the information that we receive about you on our website. For example, which subpages you visit or which products you buy from us. Facebook does not share the information it receives 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 details. This allows Facebook to offer better personalized advertising. After the matching process already mentioned, Facebook deletes the contact data again.

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

How long and where is the data stored?
Basically, Facebook stores data until it is no longer needed for its own services and Facebook products. Facebook has servers around the world where its data is stored. However, customer data will be deleted within 48 hours after it has been compared with your own user data.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?
In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the right to information, correction, portability and deletion of your data.

The data will only be completely deleted if you completely delete your Facebook account. Here's how deleting your Facebook account works:

1) Right click on Facebook on settings.

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

3) Now click “Deactivation and deletion”.

4) Now select “Delete Account” and then click “Next and Delete Account”

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

The data that Facebook receives via our site is stored, among other things, via cookies (e.g. social plugins). You can deactivate, delete or manage individual or all cookies in your browser. Depending on which browser you use, this works in different ways. Under the “Cookies” section you will find the corresponding links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers.

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

Legal basis
If you have agreed that your data can be processed and stored by integrated Facebook tools, this consent is considered the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data will also be stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in quick and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the tools if you have given your consent. Most social media platforms also set cookies on your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text about cookies carefully and view Facebook's data protection declaration or cookie guidelines.

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

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

The Facebook data processing conditions, which refer to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing.

We hope we have given you the most important information about the use and data processing of Facebook tools. If you want to find out more about how Facebook uses your data, we recommend the data policy at https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/.

Instagram privacy policy
Instagram privacy policy summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service
📓 Data processed: Data such as user behavior data, information about your device and your IP address.
You can find more details about this in the data protection declaration below.
📅 Storage period: until Instagram no longer needs the data for its purposes
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)
What is Instagram?
We have installed Instagram functions on our website. Instagram is a social media platform owned by Instagram LLC, 1601 Willow Rd, Menlo Park CA 94025, USA. Instagram has been a subsidiary of Meta Platforms Inc. since 2012 and is one of the Facebook products. Embedding Instagram content on our website is called embedding. This allows us to show you content such as buttons, photos or videos from Instagram directly on our website. If you access websites on our website that have an Instagram function integrated, data will be transmitted to Instagram, stored and processed. Instagram uses the same systems and technologies as Facebook. Your data will therefore be processed across all Facebook companies.

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

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

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

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

What data does Instagram store?
If you come across one of our pages that has built-in Instagram functions (such as Instagram images or plug-ins), your browser will automatically contact Instagram's servers. Data is sent to Instagram, stored and processed. Regardless of whether you have an Instagram account or not. This includes information about our website, about your computer, about purchases you make, about advertisements you see and how you use our services. The date and time of your interaction with Instagram are also stored. If you have an Instagram account or are logged in, Instagram stores significantly more data about you.

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

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

We assume that data processing on Instagram works in the same way as 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 will send information to Instagram via the cookie as soon as you come into contact with an Instagram function. This data will be deleted or anonymized after 90 days at the latest (after comparison). Although we have looked intensively into Instagram's data processing, we cannot say exactly what data Instagram collects and stores.

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

These cookies were used in our test:

Name: csrftoken
Value: ""
Purpose: This cookie is most likely set for security reasons to prevent falsification of requests. However, we were unable to find out more precisely.
Expiry date: after one year

Name: mid
Value: ""
Purpose: Instagram sets This cookie is used to optimize your own services and offers on and outside of Instagram. The cookie sets a unique user ID.
Expiry date: after the end of the session

Name: fbsr_122786308124024
Value: no information
Purpose: This cookie stores the log-in request for users of the Instagram app.
Expiry date: after the end of the session

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

Name: urlgen
Value: “{”194.96.75.33”: 1901}:1iEtYv:Y833k2_UjKvXgYe122786308”
Purpose: This cookie is used for Instagram’s marketing purposes.
Expiry date: after the end of the session

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

How long and where is the data stored?
Instagram shares the information it receives between Facebook companies, with external partners and with people you connect with around the world. Data processing takes place in compliance with our own data guidelines. Your data is distributed on Facebook servers around the world, among other things for security reasons. Most of these servers are located in the USA.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?
Thanks to the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the right to information, portability, correction and deletion of your data. You can manage your data in Instagram settings. If you want to completely delete your data on Instagram, you will need to permanently delete your Instagram account.

And this is how deleting your Instagram account works:

First open the Instagram app. On your profile page, go down and click on “Help Section.” Now you come to the company's website. On the website, click “Manage Account” and then click “Delete Your Account.”

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

As mentioned above, Instagram stores your data primarily through cookies. You can manage, deactivate or delete these cookies in your browser. Depending on your browser, administration always works a little differently. Under the “Cookies” section you will find the corresponding links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers.

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

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

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

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

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

Blogs and publication media introduction
Blogs and publication media data protection declaration summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Presentation and optimization of our service as well as communication between website visitors, security measures and administration
📓 Data processed: Data such as contact details, IP address and published content.
You can find more details about the tools used.
📅 Storage duration: depends on the tools used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests), Art. 6 Para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b. GDPR (contract)
What are blogs and publishing media?
We use blogs or other means of communication on our website with which we can communicate with you on the one hand and you can also communicate with us on the other. We may also store and process your data. This may be necessary so that we can display content appropriately, communication works and security is increased. In our data protection text we go into general information about which data can be processed about you. Exact information on data processing always depends on the tools and functions used. You can find detailed information about data processing in the data protection information of the individual providers.

Why do we use blogs and publishing media?
Our greatest concern with our website is to offer you interesting and exciting content and at the same time your opinions and content are important to us. That's why we want to create a good interactive exchange between us and you. With various blogs and publication options we can achieve exactly that. For example, you can write comments on our content, comment on other comments or, in some cases, write posts yourself.

Which data is processed?
Exactly which data is processed always depends on the communication functions we use. Very often the IP address, username and published content are stored. This is primarily done to ensure security protection, prevent spam and take action against illegal content. Cookies can also be used to store data. These are small text files that contain information and are stored in your browser. You can find more information about the data collected and stored in our individual sections and in the data protection declaration of the respective provider.

Duration of data processing
We will inform you below about the duration of data processing if we have further information. For example, post and comment features retain data until you revoke data retention. In general, personal data is only stored for as long as is absolutely necessary to provide our services.

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

Since cookies can also be used in publication media, we also recommend our general data protection declaration about cookies. To find out exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the data protection declarations of the respective tools.

Legal basis
We use the means of communication primarily based on our legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in fast and good communication with you or other customers, business partners and visitors. Insofar as the use serves to process contractual relationships or to initiate them, the legal basis is also Article 6 Paragraph 1 Sentence 1 Letter b. GDPR.

Certain processing, in particular the use of cookies and the use of comment or message functions, require your consent. If and to the extent that you have consented that your data can be processed and stored through integrated publication media, this consent is considered the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR). Most communication features we use set cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text about cookies carefully ch and view the privacy policy or cookie policy of the respective service provider.

You can find information about special tools - if available - in the following sections.

Blog posts and comment functions Data protection declaration
There are various online communication tools that we can use on our website. For example, we use blog posts and comment functions. This gives you the opportunity to comment on content or write posts. If you use this function, your IP address may be stored for security reasons. This is how we protect ourselves from illegal content such as insults, unauthorized advertising or prohibited political propaganda. In order to identify whether comments are spam, we can also store and process user information based on our legitimate interest. If we start a survey, we will also store your IP address for the duration of the survey so that we can ensure that everyone involved only votes once. Cookies can also be used for storage purposes. All data that we store about you (such as content or information about you) will remain stored until you object.

Cloud services
Cloud Services Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Those affected: We as website operators and you as website visitors
🤝 Purpose: Security and data storage
📓 Data processed: Data such as your IP address, name or technical data such as browser version
You can find more details about this below and in the individual data protection texts or in the data protection declarations of the providers
📅 Storage period: Most data is stored until it is no longer needed to provide the service
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)
What are cloud services?
Cloud services provide us as website operators with storage space and computing power over the Internet. Data can be transferred to an external system, processed and stored via the Internet. The corresponding cloud provider is responsible for managing this data. Depending on the requirements, an individual or a company can choose the storage space size or computing power. Cloud storage is accessed via an API or via storage protocols. API stands for Application Programming Interface and means a programming interface that connects software with hardware components.

Why do we use cloud services?
We use cloud services for several reasons. A cloud service offers us the opportunity to store our data securely. We also have access to the data from different locations and devices, giving us more flexibility and making our work processes easier. Cloud storage also saves us costs because we don't have to build and manage our own infrastructure for data storage and data security. By centrally storing our data in the cloud, we can also expand our fields of application and manage our information much better.

As website operators and as companies, we primarily use cloud services for our own purposes. For example, we use the Services to manage our calendar, to store documents or other important information in the cloud. However, your personal data may also be stored. This is the case, for example, if you provide us with your contact details (such as name and email address) and we store our customer data with a cloud provider. Consequently, data that we process from you can also be stored and processed on external servers. If we offer certain forms or content from cloud services on our website, cookies may also be set for web analysis and advertising purposes. Such cookies also remember your settings (such as the language used) so that you can find your usual web environment the next time you visit our website.

What data is processed by cloud services?
Much of the data we store in the cloud is not personal, but some data is considered personal data according to the GDPR definition. This often involves customer data such as name, address, IP address or telephone number or technical device information. Videos, images and audio files can also be stored in the cloud. How exactly the data is collected and stored depends on the respective service. We try to only use services that handle the data very trustworthy and professionally. Basically, services such as Amazon Drive have access to the stored files in order to offer their own service, e.g

u can. To do this, however, the services require permissions such as the right to copy files for security reasons. This data will be processed and managed within the framework of the Services and in compliance with applicable laws. This also includes the GDPR for US providers (via the standard contractual clauses). In some cases, these cloud services also work with third parties who may process data under the direction of and in accordance with privacy policies and other security measures. At this point we would like to emphasize again that all well-known cloud services (such as Amazon Drive, Google Drive or Microsoft Onedrive) obtain the right to have access to stored content in order to be able to offer and optimize their own service accordingly.

Duration of data processing
We will inform you below about the duration of data processing if we have further information. In general, cloud services store data until you or we revoke the data storage or delete the data again. In general, personal data is only stored for as long as is strictly necessary to provide the services. However, a final data deletion from the cloud can take a few months. This is the case because the data is usually not only stored on one server, but is split across different servers.

Right to object
You also have the right and the opportunity to revoke your consent to data storage in a cloud at any time. If cookies are used, you also have the right to withdraw consent. This works either via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser. We also recommend our general privacy policy about cookies. To find out exactly which data is stored and processed, you should read the data protection declarations of the respective cloud providers.

Legal basis
We use cloud services primarily based on our legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in a good security and storage system.

Certain processing, in particular the use of cookies and the use of storage functions, requires your consent. If you have agreed that your data can be processed and stored in cloud services, this consent is considered the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR). Most services we use set cookies on your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text about cookies carefully and view the data protection declaration or the cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

You can find information about special tools - if available - in the following sections.

Google Cloud Privacy Policy
We use Google Cloud, an online storage service for files, photos and videos, for our website. The service provider is the American company Google Inc. For Europe, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services.

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

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

Google has a contract for order processing in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR, which acts as the data protection basis for our customer relationship with Google. The content of this refers to the EU standard contractual clauses. You can find the order processing conditions here: https://business.safety.google/intl/de/adsprocessorterms/

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

Audio & Video Introduction
Audio & Video Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service
📓 Data processed: Data such as contact details, user behavior data, information about your device and your IP address may be stored.
You can find more details about this in the relevant data protection texts below.
📅 Storage period: Data is generally stored as long as it is necessary for the service purpose
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)
What are audio and video elements?
We have integrated audio and video elements onto our website so that you can watch videos or listen to music/podcasts directly via our website. The content is provided by service providers. All content is also obtained from the providers' corresponding servers.

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

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

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

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

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

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 via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser. The lawfulness of processing until revocation remains unaffected.

Since cookies are usually used due to the integrated audio and video functions on our site, you should also read our general data protection declaration about cookies. You can find out more about how your data is handled and stored in the data protection declarations of the respective third-party providers.

Legal basis
If you have agreed that your data can be processed and stored through integrated audio and video elements, this consent is considered the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data will also be stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in quick and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the integrated audio and video elements if you have given your consent.

YouTube privacy policy
YouTube Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service
📓 Data processed: Data such as contact details, user behavior data, information about your device and your IP address may be stored.
You can find more details about this further down in this data protection declaration.
📅 Storage period: Data is generally stored as long as it is necessary for the service purpose
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)
What is YouTube?
We have integrated YouTube videos on our website. This means we can present you interesting videos directly on our site. YouTube is a video portal that has been a subsidiary of Google since 2006. The video portal is operated by YouTube, LLC, 901 Cherry Ave., San Bruno, CA 94066, USA. If you access a page on our website that has an embedded YouTube video, your browser automatically connects to the YouTube or Google servers. Various data is transferred (depending on the settings). Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all data processing in Europe.

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

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

Why do we use YouTube videos on our website?
YouTube is the video platform with the most visitors and the best content. We strive to offer you the best possible user experience on our website. And of course interesting videos shouldn't be missing. With the help of our embedded videos, we provide you with other helpful content in addition to our texts and images. In addition, our website is easier to find on the Google search engine thanks to the embedded videos. Even if we place advertisements via Google Ads, thanks to the data collected, Google can only show these advertisements to people who are interested in our offers.

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

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

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

Name: YSC
Value: b9-CV6ojI5Y122786308-1
Purpose: This cookie registers a unique ID to store statistics of the video viewed.
Expiry date: after the end of the session

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

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

Name: VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
Value: 95Chz8bagyU
Purpose: This cookie tries to estimate the user's bandwidth on our websites (with built-in YouTube video).
Expiry date: after 8 months

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

Name: APISID
Value: zILlvClZSkqGsSwI/AU1aZI6HY7122786308-
Purpose: This cookie is used to create a profile about your interests. The data is used for personalized advertisements.
Expiry date: after 2 years

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

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

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

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

Name: SID
Value: oQfNKjAsI122786308-
Purpose: This cookie stores your Google account ID and your last login time in digitally signed and encrypted form.
Expiry date: after 2 years

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

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

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

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

Regardless of whether you have a Google account or not, you can configure your browser to delete or deactivate Google cookies. Depending on which browser you use, this works in different ways. Under the “Cookies” section you will find the corresponding links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers.

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

Legal basis
If you have agreed that your data can be processed and stored through integrated YouTube elements, this consent is considered the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data will also be stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in quick and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the integrated YouTube elements if you have given your consent. YouTube also sets cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text about cookies carefully and view the data protection declaration or the cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

YouTube also processes your data in the USA, among other places. YouTube or Google is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which means that the correct and secure data transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA is regulated. More information can be found at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

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

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

Since YouTube is a subsidiary of Google, there is a common data protection declaration. If you would like to find out more about how your data is handled, we recommend the data protection declaration at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

YouTube Subscribe Button Privacy Policy
We have installed the YouTube subscribe button on our website. You can usually recognize the button by the classic YouTube logo. The logo shows the words “Subscribe” or “YouTube” in white letters against a red background and the white “Play symbol” to the left of it. The button can also be shown in a different design.

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

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

Name: YSC
Value: b9-CV6ojI5122786308Y
Purpose: This cookie registers a unique ID to store statistics of the video viewed.
Expiry date: after the end of the session

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

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

Name: VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
Value: 12278630895Chz8bagyU
Purpose: This cookie tries to estimate the user's bandwidth on our websites (with built-in YouTube video).
Expiry date: after 8 months

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

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

YouTube uses this data on the one hand to improve its own services and offers and on the other hand to provide analyzes and statistics for advertisers (who use Google Ads).

Online map services introduction
Online Map Services Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: To improve user experience
📓 Processed data: Which data is processed depends largely on the services used. This usually involves IP address, location data, search items and/or technical data. You can find more details about the tools used in each case.
📅 Storage duration: depends on the tools used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)
What are online mapping services?
We use this as an extension for our website tertes service also includes online map services. Google Maps is probably the service you are most familiar with, but there are also other providers that specialize in creating digital maps. Such services make it possible to display locations, route maps or other geographical information directly via our website. Thanks to an integrated map service, you no longer have to leave our website, for example to view the route to a location. So that the online map works on our website, map sections are integrated using HTML code. The services can then display street maps, the earth's surface or aerial or satellite images. If you use the built-in map offer, data will also be transferred to the tool used and stored there. This data may also include personal data.

Why do we use online mapping services on our website?
Generally speaking, our aim is to offer you a pleasant time on our website. And of course your time will only be pleasant if you can easily find your way around our website and find all the information you need quickly and easily. We therefore thought that an online card system could be a significant optimization of our service on the website. Without leaving our website, you can easily view route descriptions, locations or even sights using the map system. Of course, it's also super practical that you can see at a glance where our company headquarters are, so you can find us quickly and safely. As you can see, there are simply many advantages and we clearly consider online mapping services on our website as part of our customer service.

What data is stored by online mapping services?
If you open a page on our website that has an online map function built in, personal data may be transmitted to the relevant service and stored there. This is usually your IP address, which can also be used to determine your approximate location. In addition to the IP address, data such as entered search terms and longitude and latitude coordinates are also stored. For example, if you enter an address for route planning, this data will also be saved. The data is not stored by us, but on the servers of the integrated tools. You can think of it something like this: you are on our website, but when you interact with a mapping service, that interaction actually happens on their website. In order for the service to function properly, at least one cookie is usually set in your browser. For example, Google Maps also uses cookies to record user behavior and thus optimize its own service and display personalized advertising. You can find out more about cookies in our “Cookies” section.

How long and where is the data stored?
Every online mapping service processes different user data. If we have further information, we will inform you about the duration of data processing below in the relevant sections for the individual tools. In principle, personal data is only retained for as long as is necessary to provide the service. Google Maps, for example, stores certain data for a set period of time, but you have to delete other data yourself. With Mapbox, for example, the IP address is stored for 30 days and then deleted. You see, every tool stores data for a different amount of time. We therefore recommend that you take a close look at the data protection declarations of the tools used.

The providers also use cookies to store data about your user behavior with the map service. You can find more general information about cookies in our “Cookies” section, but you can also find out which cookies can be used in the data protection texts of the individual providers. In most cases, however, this is only an exemplary list and is not complete.

Right to object
You always have the opportunity and right to access your personal data and to object to its use and processing. You can also revoke the consent you have given us at any time. As a rule, the easiest way to do this is to use the cookie consent tool. But there are also other opt-out tools you can use. You can also manage, delete or deactivate possible cookies that are set by the providers used with just a few mouse clicks. However, it may then happen that some functions of the service no longer work as usual. How you manage cookies in your browser also depends on the browser you use. In section “Cookies” you will also find links to the instructions for the most important browsers.

Legal basis
If you have consented to the use of an online mapping service, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter a of the GDPR (consent), this consent represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when it is collected by an online mapping service.

We also have a legitimate interest in using an online mapping service to optimize our service on our website. The corresponding legal basis for this is Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter f GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use an online mapping service if you have given your consent. We definitely want to record this again at this point.

Information about special online map services - if available - can be found in the following sections.

Google Maps privacy policy
Google Maps Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service
📓 Processed data: Data such as search terms entered, your IP address and also the latitude and longitude coordinates.
You can find more details about this further down in this data protection declaration.
📅 Storage duration: depends on the data stored
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)
What is Google Maps?
We use Google Maps from Google Inc. on our website. For Europe, Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services. With Google Maps we can show you locations better and thus adapt our service to your needs. By using Google Maps, data is transmitted to Google and stored on Google servers. Here we want to go into more detail about what Google Maps is, why we use this Google service, what data is stored and how you can prevent this.

Google Maps is an Internet mapping service from Google. Google Maps lets you find exact locations of cities, attractions, accommodations or businesses online using a PC, tablet or app. If companies are represented on Google My Business, other information about the company is displayed in addition to the location. In order to show how to get there, map sections of a location can be integrated into a website using HTML code. Google Maps shows the earth's surface as a road map or as an aerial or satellite image. Thanks to the Street View images and the high-quality satellite images, very precise representations are possible.

Why do we use Google Maps on our website?
All our efforts on this site aim to offer you a useful and meaningful time on our website. By integrating Google Maps, we can provide you with the most important information about various locations. You can see at a glance where our headquarters are. The directions always show you the best or fastest way to get to us. You can get directions for routes by car, public transport, walking or cycling. For us, providing Google Maps is part of our customer service.

What data does Google Maps store?
In order for Google Maps to fully offer its service, the company must record and store data from you. This includes, among other things, the search terms entered, your IP address and also the latitude and longitude coordinates. If you use the route planner function, the start address entered is also saved. However, this data storage happens on the Google Maps websites. We can only inform you about this, but have no influence. Since we have integrated Google Maps into our website, Google sets at least one cookie (name: NID) in your browser. This cookie stores data about your user behavior. Google primarily uses this data to optimize its services and to provide you with individual, personalized advertising.

The following cookie is set in your browser due to the integration of Google Maps:

Name: NID
Value: 188=h26c1Ktha7fCQTx8rXgLyATyITJ122786308-5
Purpose: NID is used by Google to tailor advertisements to your Google searches. With the help of the cookie, Google “remembers” your most frequently entered search queries or your previous interaction with ads. This means you always get tailor-made advertisements. The cookie contains a unique ID that Google uses to collect your personal preferences for advertising purposes.
Expiry date: after 6 months

Note: We can provide information about the stored data cannot be guaranteed to be complete. Changes can never be ruled out, especially when using cookies. In order to identify the cookie NID, a separate test page was created where only Google Maps was integrated.

How long and where is the data stored?
Google servers are located in data centers around the world. However, most of the servers are located in America. For this reason, your data is increasingly stored in the USA. You can read exactly where the Google data centers are located here: https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/locations/?hl=de

Google distributes the data on various storage media. This means that the data can be accessed more quickly and is better protected against any attempts at manipulation. Each data center also has specific emergency programs. For example, if there are problems with Google's hardware or a natural disaster shuts down the servers, the data will almost certainly remain protected.

Google stores some data for a specified period of time. For other data, Google only offers the option of deleting it manually. The company also anonymizes information (such as advertising data) in server logs by deleting part of the IP address and cookie information after 9 or 18 months.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?
With the automatic deletion of location and activity data introduced in 2019, location and web/app activity information is stored for either 3 or 18 months, depending on your choice, and then deleted. You can also manually delete this data from your history at any time using your Google account. If you want to completely prevent your location tracking, you must pause the “Web and app activity” section in your Google Account. Click “Data and Personalization” and then click the “Activity Settings” option. Here you can turn the activities on or off.

You can also deactivate, delete or manage individual cookies in your browser. Depending on which browser you use, this always works a little differently. Under the “Cookies” section you will find the corresponding links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers.

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

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

We also have a legitimate interest in using Google Maps to optimize our online service. The corresponding legal basis for this is Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter f GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use Google Maps if you have given your consent.

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

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

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

If you would like to find out more about Google's data processing, we recommend that you read the company's own privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

Explanation of terms used
We are constant We strive to make our data protection declaration as clear and understandable as possible. However, this is not always easy, especially when it comes to technical and legal issues. It often makes sense to use legal terms (such as personal data) or certain technical terms (such as cookies, IP address). But we don't want to use them without explanation. Below you will find an alphabetical list of important terms used that we may not have addressed sufficiently in the previous data protection declaration. If these terms were taken from the GDPR and they are definitions, we will also cite the GDPR texts here and add our own explanations if necessary.

Processor
Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term means:

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

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

consent
Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term means:

“Consent” of the data subject means any voluntary, informed and unambiguous expression of the wishes of the data subject in the specific case, in the form of a statement or other unequivocal affirmative action, by which the data subject indicates that he or she consents to the processing of personal data concerning him or her agrees;

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

Personal Data
Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term means:

“personal data” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter “data subject”); A natural person is considered to be identifiable if he or she can be identified directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more special characteristics that express the physical, physiological, genetic, psychological, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person;

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

Surname
address
E-mail address
Postal address
Telephone number
birth date
Identification numbers such as social security number, tax identification number, ID card number or matriculation number
Bank details such as account number, credit information, account balances and much more.
According to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), your IP address is also considered personal data. Using your IP address, IT experts can at least determine the approximate location of your device and subsequently you as the connection owner. Therefore, storing an IP address also requires a legal basis within the meaning of the GDPR. There are also so-called “special categories” of personal data that are particularly worthy of protection. These include:

racial and ethnic origins
political opinions
religious or ideological beliefs
union membership
genetic data such as data collected from blood or saliva samples
biometric data (this is information about psychological, physical or behavioral characteristics that can identify a person).
Health data
Data on sexual orientation or sex life
Profiling
Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term means:

“Profiling” means any type of automated processing of personal data, which consists in using personal data to evaluate certain personal aspects relating to a natural person, in particular to analyze or predict aspects relating to work performance, economic situation, health, personal preferences, interests, reliability, behavior, location or movement of that natural person;

Explanation: Profiling involves collecting various information about a person in order to learn more about that person. In the web sector, profiling is often used for advertising purposes or for credit checks. Web or advertising analysis programs, for example, collect data about your behavior and interests on a website. This results in a special user profile that can be used to target advertising to a specific target group.



Responsible person
Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term means:

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

Explanation: In our case, we are responsible for the processing of your personal data and therefore the “controller”. If we pass on collected data to other service providers for processing, they are “processors”. To do this, an “order processing agreement (AVV)” must be signed.



processing
Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term means:

“Processing” means any operation or series of operations carried out with or without the aid of automated procedures in connection with personal data, such as the collection, recording, organization, structuring, storage, adaptation or modification, reading, querying, use , disclosure by transmission, distribution or other form of making available, alignment or combination, restriction, deletion or destruction;

Note: When we talk about processing in our privacy policy, we mean any type of data processing. As mentioned above in the original GDPR declaration, this includes not only collecting but also storing and processing data.

Final word
Congratulations! If you are reading these lines, you have really “fought” your way through our entire privacy policy or at least scrolled this far. As you can see from the scope of our privacy policy, we do not take the protection of your personal data lightly.
It is important to us to inform you to the best of our knowledge and belief about the processing of personal data. We not only want to tell you which data is processed, but also explain the reasons for using various software programs. As a rule, data protection declarations sound very technical and legal. Since most of you are not web developers or lawyers, we wanted to take a different linguistic approach and explain the matter in simple and clear language. Of course, this is not always possible due to the subject matter. The most important terms are therefore explained in more detail at the end of the data protection declaration.
If you have any questions about data protection on our website, please do not hesitate to contact us or the responsible body. We wish you a wonderful time and hope to welcome you back to our website soon.

All texts are copyrighted.

Source: Created with AdSimple’s Data Protection Generator Austria