1. Brief Overview of Data Protection
General Information
The following information provides a simple overview of what happens to your personal data when you visit our website. Personal data refers to any information that can be used to identify you personally. Detailed information on data protection can be found in our data protection declaration below this text.
Data Collection on Our Website
Who is responsible for data collection on this site?
The data processing on this website is carried out by the website operator. You can find their contact information in the site’s legal notice.
How do we collect your data?
On one hand, your data is collected when you provide it to us. This could be, for example, data you enter into a contact form.
Other data is automatically collected by our IT systems when you visit the website. Primarily, this includes technical data (e.g., internet browser, operating system, or time of page access). This data is collected automatically as soon as you enter our site.
What do we use your data for?
Some data is collected to ensure the website functions properly. Other data may be used to analyze your user behavior.
What rights do you have regarding your data?
You have the right to obtain information about the origin, recipients, and purpose of your stored personal data at any time and free of charge. You also have the right to request correction, blocking, or deletion of these data. You can contact us at any time at the address provided in the legal notice if you have further questions on data protection. You also have the right to file a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority.
Analytics and Third-Party Tools
When you visit our website, your online behavior may be statistically analyzed. This mainly occurs through cookies and so-called analysis programs. Your online behavior analysis is generally anonymous; it cannot be traced back to you. You may object to this analysis or prevent it by not using certain tools. Detailed information can be found in the following data protection statement.
You can object to this analysis. We inform you about the options for objection in this data protection statement.
2. General Information and Mandatory Information
Data Protection
The operators of this website take the protection of your personal data very seriously. We handle your personal data confidentially and in accordance with legal data protection regulations and this data protection declaration.
When you use this website, various personal data are collected. Personal data refers to information that can be used to identify you personally. This data protection statement explains what data we collect and what we use it for. It also explains how and for what purpose this occurs.
Please note that data transmission over the Internet (e.g., when communicating by email) can have security gaps. Complete protection of data against third-party access is not possible.
3. Definitions
The data protection declaration of the operators is based on the terms used by the European legislator for directives and regulations in issuing the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Our data protection declaration should be easily readable and understandable for the public, as well as for our customers and business partners. To ensure this, we would like to explain the terms used in advance.
In this data protection declaration, we use, among others, the following terms:
3.1 Personal Data
Personal data means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter “data subject”). A natural person is considered identifiable if they 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 specific characteristics that express the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural, or social identity of that natural person.
3.2 Data Subject
A data subject is any identified or identifiable natural person whose personal data is processed by the data controller.
3.3 Processing
Processing is any operation or set of operations performed on personal data, whether or not by automated means, such as collection, recording, organization, structuring, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination, or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, restriction, erasure, or destruction.
3.4 Restriction of Processing
Restriction of processing is the marking of stored personal data with the aim of limiting their future processing.
3.5 Profiling
Profiling is any form of automated processing of personal data consisting of the use of this personal data to evaluate certain personal aspects relating to a natural person, particularly to analyze or predict aspects concerning that natural person’s performance at work, economic situation, health, personal preferences, interests, reliability, behavior, location, or movements.
3.6 Pseudonymization
Pseudonymization is the processing of personal data in such a way that the personal data can no longer be attributed to a specific data subject without the use of additional information, provided that this additional information is kept separately and is subject to technical and organizational measures ensuring that the personal data is not attributed to an identified or identifiable natural person.
3.7 Controller or Data Controller
The controller or data controller is the natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or other body which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data. Where the purposes and means of such processing are determined by Union or Member State law, the controller or the specific criteria for its nomination may be provided for by Union or Member State law.
3.8 Processor
The processor is a natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or other body which processes personal data on behalf of the controller.
3.9 Recipient
A recipient is a natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or another body to whom personal data is disclosed, whether a third party or not. However, public authorities that may receive personal data in the context of a specific investigative task in accordance with Union or Member State law shall not be regarded as recipients.
3.10 Third Party
A third party is a natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or other body other than the data subject, controller, processor, and persons who, under the direct authority of the controller or processor, are authorized to process personal data.
3.11 Consent
Consent is any freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous indication of the data subject’s wishes in the form of a statement or other clear affirmative action by which the data subject signifies agreement to the processing of personal data relating to them.
3.12 Withdrawal of Your Consent to Data Processing
Many data processing operations are only possible with your explicit consent. You may revoke any consent you have already provided at any time. All you need to do is send us an informal email. The legality of the data processing carried out prior to the withdrawal remains unaffected.
3.13 Right to File Complaints with Regulatory Authorities
In case of data protection violations, the affected person has the right to lodge a complaint with the responsible supervisory authority. The responsible data protection authority is the state data protection commissioner of the federal state where our company is located. A list of data protection officers and their contact details can be found at the following link: https://www.bfdi.bund.de/DE/Infothek/Anschriften_Links/anschriften_links-node.html.
3.14 Right to Data Portability
You have the right to receive data that we process automatically based on your consent or in fulfillment of a contract in a commonly used machine-readable format, or to have it transmitted to a third party. If you request direct transfer of the data to another controller, this will only be done if technically feasible.
3.15 SSL or TLS Encryption
For security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential content, such as orders or inquiries that you send to us as the site operator, this site uses SSL or TLS encryption. You can recognize an encrypted connection by the browser’s address bar changing from “http://” to “https://” and the lock icon in your browser’s address bar.
If SSL or TLS encryption is activated, the data you transmit to us cannot be read by third parties.
3.16 Information, Blocking, Deletion
Within the scope of the applicable legal provisions, you have the right to receive information about your stored personal data, its origin, recipients, and purpose of data processing, as well as the right to have this data corrected, blocked, or deleted free of charge at any time. You may contact us at any time at the address provided in the legal notice for this purpose or if you have further questions on the topic of personal data.
4. Data Collection on Our Website
4.1 Cookies
Some websites use cookies. Cookies do not harm your computer and do not contain viruses. They serve to make our offerings more user-friendly, efficient, and secure. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your computer and saved by your browser.
Most of the cookies we use are so-called “session cookies.” They are automatically deleted at the end of your visit. Other cookies remain on your device until you delete them. These cookies allow us to recognize your browser on your next visit.
You can set your browser to inform you about the setting of cookies, to allow cookies only in specific cases, to exclude the acceptance of cookies for specific cases or generally, and to enable automatic deletion of cookies when you close the browser. If cookies are disabled, the functionality of this website may be limited.
Cookies that are necessary for electronic communication or for providing certain functions (e.g., shopping cart function) are stored based on Art. 6, para. 1 f GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in storing cookies to ensure an optimized and technically error-free provision of its services. If other cookies (e.g., cookies for analyzing your online behavior) are stored, they will be treated separately in this data protection declaration.
4.2 Server Log Files
The page provider automatically collects and stores information in so-called server log files, which your browser automatically transmits to us. This information includes:
- Browser type and browser version
- Operating system used
- Referrer URL
- Hostname of the accessing computer
- Time of the server request
- IP address
This data will not be merged with other data sources.
The basis for data processing is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR, which allows data processing for contract performance or pre-contractual measures.
4.3 Contact Form
If you send us inquiries via the contact form, your data from the inquiry form, including the contact details you provide there, will be stored by us for the purpose of processing the inquiry and in case of follow-up questions. We will not share this data without your consent.
Data entered in the contact form is processed exclusively based on your consent (Art. 6, para. 1, letter a GDPR). You can revoke this consent at any time. All you need to do is send us an informal email. The legality of the data processing operations carried out prior to the revocation remains unaffected.
Data that you enter in the contact form will remain with us until you request deletion, revoke your consent for storage, or the purpose for data storage ceases to exist (e.g., after completing your request). Mandatory legal provisions—especially retention periods—remain unaffected.
5. Analytics and Advertising
5.1 Google Analytics
This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service. The provider is Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.
Google Analytics uses “cookies.” These are text files that are stored on your computer and enable analysis of your use of the website. The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website is usually transmitted to a Google server in the USA and stored there.
Google Analytics cookies are stored based on Art. 6, para. 1 f GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in analyzing user behavior to optimize both its website and advertising.
5.2 IP Anonymization
We have activated the IP anonymization feature on this website. As a result, Google will shorten your IP address within member states of the European Union or other contracting states to the Agreement on the European Economic Area before transmission to the USA. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be sent to a Google server in the USA and shortened there. Google will use this information on behalf of the operator of this website to evaluate your use of the website, to compile reports on website activity, and to provide the website operator with other services relating to website activity and internet usage. The IP address transmitted by your browser within the scope of Google Analytics will not be merged with other Google data.
5.3 Browser Plugin
You can prevent the storage of cookies by adjusting your browser software settings accordingly; however, we would like to point out that in this case, you may not be able to use all functions of this site in full. You can also prevent the data generated by the cookie and related to your use of the website (including your IP address) from being collected by Google and processed by Google by downloading and installing the browser plugin available at the following link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en.
5.4 Objection to Data Collection
You can prevent the collection of your data by Google Analytics by clicking the following link. An opt-out cookie will be set to prevent your data from being collected on future visits to this website: Deactivate Google Analytics.
For more information on how Google Analytics handles user data, see Google’s privacy policy: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=en.
5.5 Data Processing Agreement
We have entered into a data processing agreement with Google and fully comply with the strict requirements of German data protection authorities when using Google Analytics.
5.6 Demographics in Google Analytics
This website uses the Google Analytics “Demographics” feature. This allows reports to be generated containing information about the age, gender, and interests of site visitors. These data come from interest-based advertising by Google and from visitor data from third parties. This data cannot be assigned to a specific person. You can deactivate this feature at any time in the ad settings in your Google account or generally prohibit the collection of your data by Google Analytics as described in the “Objection to Data Collection” section.
5.7 Google Analytics Remarketing
Our websites use Google Analytics remarketing features combined with Google AdWords and Google DoubleClick multi-device functions. The provider is Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.
This feature makes it possible to link the target audience for advertising created with Google Analytics Remarketing to the multi-device features of Google AdWords and Google DoubleClick. This allows interest-based, personalized advertising messages that have been customized to you on one device (e.g., mobile phone) based on your past usage and browsing behavior to appear on another of your devices (e.g., tablet or PC).
If you have given your consent, Google will link your web and app browsing history to your Google Account for this purpose. This way, the same personalized advertising messages can be displayed on every device you sign into with your Google Account.
To support this feature, Google Analytics collects Google-authenticated user IDs that are temporarily linked to our Google Analytics data to define and create audiences for cross-device advertising.
You can permanently opt-out of cross-device remarketing/targeting by disabling personalized ads in your Google Account; to do this, follow this link: https://www.google.com/settings/ads/onweb/.
The summary of data collected in your Google account is based solely on your consent, which you can provide or revoke in Google (Art. 6, para. 1, letter a GDPR). For data collection processes not merged into your Google account (e.g., because you do not have a Google account or have objected to the merger), data collection is based on Art. 6, para. 1 f GDPR. The legitimate interest arises from the website operator’s interest in the anonymous analysis of website visitors for advertising purposes.
For more information and the data protection policy, please refer to Google’s privacy policy: https://www.google.com/policies/technologies/ads/.
5.8 Google AdWords and Google Conversion Tracking
This website uses Google AdWords. AdWords is an online advertising program by Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA (“Google”).
In connection with Google AdWords, we use conversion tracking. When you click on an ad placed by Google, a cookie for conversion tracking is set. These cookies expire after 30 days and are not used for personal identification. If the user visits certain pages on this website and the cookie has not yet expired, Google and we can recognize that the user clicked on the ad and was redirected to this page.
Each Google AdWords customer receives a different cookie. Cookies cannot be tracked across the websites of AdWords customers. The information collected by the conversion cookie is used to compile conversion statistics for AdWords customers who have opted for conversion tracking. Customers are informed of the total number of users who clicked on their ad and were redirected to a page with a conversion tracking tag. However, they do not receive any information that could identify individual users. If you do not wish to participate in tracking, you can easily disable Google Conversion Tracking cookies via your internet browser in your user settings. You will then not be included in conversion tracking statistics.
The storage of “conversion cookies” is based on Art. 6, para. 1 f GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in analyzing user behavior to optimize both its website and advertising.
For more information on Google AdWords and Google Conversion Tracking, please see Google’s privacy policy: https://www.google.de/policies/privacy/.
You can set your browser to inform you about the use of cookies, allow cookies only on a case-by-case basis, exclude the acceptance of cookies for specific cases or in general, and enable the automatic deletion of cookies when the browser is closed. If cookies are disabled, the functionality of this website may be limited.
5.9 Hotjar
This site uses features of the web analytics service Hotjar. The provider is Hotjar Ltd., 3 Lyons Range, 20 Bisazza Street, Sliema SLM 1640, Malta, Europe.
Hotjar helps us understand the needs of our users and to optimize the service on this website. Using Hotjar technology, we better understand our users’ experiences (e.g., how much time they spend on which pages, which links they click, what they like and dislike, etc.), and this helps us to align our service with our users’ feedback. Hotjar uses cookies and other technologies to collect information about our users’ behavior and their devices (in particular, the device’s IP address (recorded and stored only in anonymous form), screen size, device type (unique device identifiers), information about the browser used, location (country only), and preferred language to display our website). Hotjar stores this information in a pseudonymized user profile. Neither Hotjar nor we will use this information to identify individual users or merge it with other data about individual users. For more details, see Hotjar’s privacy policy.
You can opt out of creating a user profile, Hotjar storing data about your visit to our website, and Hotjar tracking cookies on other websites by clicking this opt-out link.
6. Plugins and Tools
6.1 YouTube
Our website uses plugins from YouTube, which is operated by Google. The website is operated by YouTube, LLC, 901 Cherry Ave., San Bruno, CA 94066, USA.
When you visit one of our pages equipped with a YouTube plugin, a connection to YouTube’s servers is established. The YouTube server is informed about which of our pages you have visited.
If you are logged into your YouTube account, you allow YouTube to directly associate your browsing behavior with your personal profile. You can prevent this by logging out of your YouTube account.
Using YouTube is in the interest of an attractive presentation of our online offerings. This constitutes a legitimate interest under Art. 6, para. 1 f GDPR.
Further information on handling user data can be found in YouTube’s privacy policy: https://www.google.de/intl/en/policies/privacy.
6.2 Google Web Fonts
For uniform representation of fonts, this page uses web fonts provided by Google. When you load a page, your browser loads the required web fonts into its browser cache to display texts and fonts correctly.
To do this, the browser you are using connects to Google’s servers, which informs Google that our website was accessed via your IP address. The use of Google Web Fonts is in the interest of a consistent and attractive presentation of our online offerings. This constitutes a legitimate interest under Art. 6, para. 1 f GDPR.
If your browser does not support web fonts, your computer will use a default font.
For more information on Google Web Fonts, see https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq and Google’s privacy policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy.
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