General information

The following information provides a simple overview of what happens to your personal data when you visit our website. Personal data is any data that can be used to identify you personally. Detailed information on the subject of data protection can be found in our data protection declaration listed below this text.

Data collection on our website

Who is responsible for data collection on this website?

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

How do we collect your data?

On the one hand, your data is collected when you provide it to us. This may, for example, be data that you enter in a contact form.

Other data is collected automatically by our IT systems when you visit the website. This is primarily technical data (e.g. internet browser, operating system or time of page view). This data is collected automatically as soon as you enter our website.

You can view and edit the settings at any time under this link.

What do we use your data for?

Some of the data is collected to ensure that the website is provided without errors. Other data can be used to analyze your user behavior.

What rights do you have with regard to your data?

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

You also have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data under certain circumstances. For details, please refer to the privacy policy under “Right to restriction of processing”.

2. general notes and mandatory information

Data protection

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

When you use this website, various personal data is collected. Personal data is data that can be used to identify you personally. This privacy policy explains what data we collect and what we use it for. It also explains how and for what purpose this is done.

We would like to point out that data transmission over the Internet (e.g. when communicating by e-mail) may be subject to security vulnerabilities. Complete protection of data against access by third parties is not possible.

 

Revocation of your consent to data processing

Many data processing operations are only possible with your express consent. You can withdraw your consent at any time. All you need to do is send us an informal e-mail. The legality of the data processing carried out until the revocation remains unaffected by the revocation.

Right to object to the collection of data in special cases and to direct marketing (Art. 21 GDPR)

If data processing is carried out on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. e or f GDPR, you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data at any time for reasons arising from your particular situation; this also applies to profiling based on these provisions. The respective legal basis on which processing is based can be found in this privacy policy. If you object, we will no longer process your personal data concerned unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override your interests, rights and freedoms or the processing serves the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims (objection pursuant to Art. 21 (1) GDPR).

If your personal data are processed for the purpose of direct marketing, you have the right to object at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you for the purpose of such marketing; this also applies to profiling insofar as it is associated with such direct marketing. If you object, your personal data will subsequently no longer be used for the purpose of direct marketing (objection pursuant to Art. 21 (2) GDPR).

Right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority

In the event of breaches of the GDPR, data subjects have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of their habitual residence, place of work or place of the alleged infringement. The right to lodge a complaint is without prejudice to other administrative or judicial remedies.

You can also contact the Data Protection Officer in advance. The current direct contact details of the DPO can be found at https://www.datenschloss.eu.

Right to data portability

You have the right to have data that we process automatically on the basis of your consent or in fulfillment of a contract handed over to you or to a third party in a common, machine-readable format. If you request the direct transfer of the data to another controller, this will only take place if it is technically feasible.

SSL or TLS encryption

This site uses 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. You can recognize an encrypted connection by the fact that the address line of the browser changes from “http://” to “https://” and by the lock symbol in your browser line.

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

Information, blocking, erasure and rectification

Within the framework of the applicable legal provisions, you have the right to free information about your stored personal data, its origin and recipient and the purpose of the data processing and, if necessary, a right to correction, blocking or deletion of this data at any time. You can contact us at any time at the address given in the legal notice if you have further questions on the subject of personal data.

Right to restriction of processing

You have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data. To do so, you can contact us at any time at the address given in the legal notice. The right to restriction of processing exists in the following cases:

• If you dispute the accuracy of your personal data stored by us, we generally need time to check this. You have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data for the duration of the review.
• If the processing of your personal data was/is carried out unlawfully, you can request the restriction of data processing instead of erasure.
• If we no longer need your personal data, but you need it for the exercise, defense or assertion of legal claims, you have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data instead of deletion.
• If you have lodged an objection pursuant to Art. 21 (1) GDPR, a balance must be struck between your interests and ours. As long as it has not yet been determined whose interests prevail, you have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data.

If you have restricted the processing of your personal data, this data – apart from its storage – may only be processed with your consent or for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims or for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person or for reasons of important public interest of the European Union or of a Member State.

3. data collection on our website

Cookies

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

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

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

Cookies that are required to carry out the electronic communication process or to provide certain functions that you have requested (e.g. shopping cart function) are stored on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the storage of cookies for the technically error-free and optimized provision of its services. Insofar as other cookies (e.g. cookies to analyze your surfing behavior) are stored, these are treated separately in this privacy policy.

Use of Microsoft Clarity

We use Microsoft Clarity, a web analytics service provided by Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399, USA, on our website. Clarity enables us to analyze user behavior on our website, in particular through the use of heatmaps and session recordings. This helps us better understand how our website is used and improve the user experience accordingly.

The processing of data takes place exclusively based on your explicit consent in accordance with Art. 6 (1) lit. a GDPR, which you may provide via our cookie consent banner. Without your consent, Clarity will not be activated.

Clarity anonymizes IP addresses and does not collect any personally identifiable information. No data entered into forms or personal fields is recorded. The information collected is processed in a pseudonymized form and, as a rule, stored on servers within the European Union.

Further information on data protection at Microsoft Clarity can be found at:
https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement

Server log files

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

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

This data is not merged with other data sources.

This data is collected on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the technically error-free presentation and optimization of its website – the server log files must be recorded for this purpose.

Google Analytics

If you have given your consent, Google Analytics, a web analysis service of Google LLC, is used on this website. The responsible service provider in the EU is Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland (“Google”).

Scope of the processing
Google Analytics uses cookies that enable your use of our website to be analyzed. The information collected by the cookies about your use of this website is usually transferred to a Google server in the USA and stored there.

We use the ‘anonymizeIP’ function (so-called IP masking): Due to the activation of IP anonymization on this website, your IP address will be shortened by Google within member states of the European Union or in other contracting states of the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be transmitted to a Google server in the USA and truncated there. The IP address transmitted by your browser as part of Google Analytics will not be merged with other Google data.

During your visit to the website, the following data is collected, among others:

• the pages you have accessed, your “click path”
• Achievement of “website goals” (conversions, e.g. newsletter registrations, downloads, purchases)
• Your user behavior (e.g. clicks, dwell time, bounce rates)
• Your approximate location (region)
• Your IP address (in abbreviated form)
• technical information about your browser and the end devices you use (e.g. language setting, screen resolution)
• Your Internet provider
• the referrer URL (via which website/advertising medium you came to this website)

Purposes of the processing
On behalf of the operator of this website, Google will use this information to evaluate your pseudonymous use of the website and to compile reports on website activity. The reports provided by Google Analytics are used to analyze the performance of our website.

Recipient
The recipient of the data is

• Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Irland

as a processor. We have concluded a data processing agreement with Google for this purpose. Google LLC, based in California, USA, and, if applicable, US authorities can access the data stored by Google.

Transfer to third countries
A transfer of data to the USA cannot be ruled out.

Storage period
The data sent by us and linked to cookies is automatically deleted after 14 months. Data that has reached the end of its retention period is automatically deleted once a month.

You can also prevent Google from collecting the data generated by the cookie and relating to your use of the website (including your IP address) and from processing this data by Google by
a. Not giving your consent to the setting of the cookie or
b. downloading and installing the browser add-on to deactivate Google Analytics HERE.

You can also prevent the storage of cookies by setting your browser software accordingly. However, if you configure your browser to reject all cookies, this may limit the functionality of this and other websites.

Legal basis and revocation option
for this data processing is your consent, Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a GDPR . You can revoke your consent at any time with effect for the future by accessing the cookie settings under this link and changing your selection there.

You can find more information on the terms of use of Google Analytics and on data protection at Google at https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/terms/de/ and at https://policies.google.com/?hl=de.

Contact Form

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

The data entered in the contact form is therefore processed exclusively on the basis of your consent (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). You can withdraw 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 until the revocation remains unaffected by the revocation.

We will retain the data you provide on the contact form until you request its deletion, revoke your consent for its storage, or the purpose for its storage no longer pertains (e.g. after fulfilling your request). Mandatory statutory provisions – in particular retention periods – remain unaffected.

4. social media

Our social media presence

Data processing by social networks

We maintain publicly accessible profiles on social networks. The individual social networks we use are listed below.

Social networks such as Facebook, Google+ etc. can generally analyze your user behavior comprehensively when you visit their website or a website with integrated social media content (e.g. like buttons or advertising banners). Visiting our social media presences triggers numerous data protection-relevant processing operations. In detail:

If you are logged into your social media account and visit our social media presence, the operator of the social media portal can assign this visit to your user account. However, your personal data may also be collected if you are not logged in or do not have an account with the respective social media portal. In this case, this data is collected, for example, via cookies that are stored on your device or by recording your IP address.

With the help of the data collected in this way, the operators of the social media portals can create user profiles in which your preferences and interests are stored. In this way, interest-based advertising can be displayed to you inside and outside the respective social media presence. If you have an account with the respective social network, the interest-based advertising can be displayed on all devices on which you are logged in or have been logged in.

Please also note that we cannot track all processing operations on the social media portals. Depending on the provider, further processing operations may therefore be carried out by the operators of the social media portals. For details, please refer to the terms of use and data protection provisions of the respective social media portals.

Legal basis

Our social media presences are intended to ensure the widest possible presence on the Internet. This is a legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. The analysis processes initiated by the social networks may be based on different legal bases, which must be specified by the operators of the social networks (e.g. consent within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR).

Responsible party and assertion of rights

If you visit one of our social media sites (e.g. Facebook), we are jointly responsible with the operator of the social media platform for the data processing operations triggered during this visit. You can assert your rights (information, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability and complaint) both against us and against the operator of the respective social media portal (e.g. Facebook).

Please note that, despite the joint responsibility with the social media portal operators, we do not have full influence on the data processing procedures of the social media portals. Our options are largely determined by the corporate policy of the respective provider.

Storage duration

The data collected directly by us via the social media presence will be deleted from our systems as soon as the purpose for its storage no longer applies, you request us to delete it, revoke your consent to storage or the purpose for data storage no longer applies. Stored cookies remain on your end device until you delete them. Mandatory statutory provisions – in particular retention periods – remain unaffected.

We have no influence on the storage period of your data that is stored by the operators of the social networks for their own purposes. For details, please contact the operators of the social networks directly (e.g. in their privacy policy, see below).

Social networks in detail

Facebook

We have a profile on Facebook. The provider is Facebook Inc, 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA. Facebook is certified in accordance with the EU-US Privacy Shield.

You can adjust your advertising settings yourself in your user account. To do this, click on the following link and log in:
https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=ads

Details can be found in Facebook’s privacy policy:
https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/

Twitter

We use the short message service Twitter. The provider is Twitter Inc, 1355 Market Street, Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA. Twitter is certified in accordance with the EU-US Privacy Shield.

You can adjust your Twitter privacy settings yourself in your user account. To do this, click on the following link and log in:
https://twitter.com/personalization

Details can be found in Twitter’s privacy policy:
https://twitter.com/de/privacy

Instagram

We have a profile on Instagram. The provider is Instagram Inc, 1601 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA. Details on how they handle your personal data can be found in Instagram’s privacy policy:
https://help.instagram.com/519522125107875

Pinterest

We have a profile on Pinterest. The operator is Pinterest Inc, 808 Brannan Street San Francisco, CA 94103-490, USA (“Pinterest”). Details on how they handle your personal data can be found in Pinterest’s privacy policy:
https://policy.pinterest.com/de/privacy-policy

XING

We have a profile on XING. The provider is XING AG, Dammtorstraße 29-32, 20354 Hamburg, Germany. Details on how they handle your personal data can be found in XING’s privacy policy:
https://privacy.xing.com/de/datenschutzerklaerung

Plugins

Facebook plugins (Like & Share button)

Plugins of the social network Facebook, provider Facebook Inc, 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA, are integrated on our pages. You can recognize the Facebook plugins by the Facebook logo or the “Like” button on our site. You can find an overview of the Facebook plugins here: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins/?locale=de_DE.

When you visit our pages, a direct connection is established between your browser and the Facebook server via the plugin. Facebook receives the information that you have visited our site with your IP address. If you click on the Facebook “Like” button while you are logged into your Facebook account, you can link the content of our pages to your Facebook profile. This allows Facebook to associate your visit to our pages with your user account. We would like to point out that, as the provider of the pages, we have no knowledge of the content of the transmitted data or its use by Facebook. Further information on this can be found in Facebook’s privacy policy at: https://de-de.facebook.com/privacy/explanation.

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

The Facebook plugins are used on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the widest possible visibility in social media.

Twitter Plugin

Functions of the Twitter service are integrated on our pages. These functions are offered by Twitter Inc, 1355 Market Street, Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA. By using Twitter and the “Re-Tweet” function, the websites you visit are linked to your Twitter account and made known to other users. Data is also transmitted to Twitter in the process. We would like to point out that, as the provider of the pages, we have no knowledge of the content of the transmitted data or its use by Twitter. Further information on this can be found in Twitter’s privacy policy at: https://twitter.com/de/privacy.

The Twitter plugin is used on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the widest possible visibility in social media.

You can change your data protection settings on Twitter in the account settings at https://twitter.com/account/settings.

XING Plugin

Our website uses functions of the XING network. The provider is XING AG, Dammtorstraße 29-32, 20354 Hamburg, Germany.

Each time one of our pages containing XING functions is accessed, a connection to XING servers is established. To the best of our knowledge, no personal data is stored in the process. In particular, no IP addresses are stored or usage behavior evaluated.

The XING plugin is used on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the widest possible visibility in social media.

Further information on data protection and the XING Share button can be found in XING’s privacy policy at: https://www.xing.com/app/share?op=data_protection.

LinkedIn Plugin

This website uses functions of the LinkedIn network. The provider is LinkedIn Corporation, 2029 Stierlin Court, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.

Each time you access a page on this website that contains LinkedIn functions, a connection to LinkedIn servers is established. LinkedIn is informed that you have visited this website with your IP address. If you click on the LinkedIn “Recommend” button and are logged into your LinkedIn account, LinkedIn is able to associate your visit to this website with you and your user account. We would like to point out that, as the provider of the pages, we have no knowledge of the content of the transmitted data or its use by LinkedIn.

The LinkedIn plugin is used on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the widest possible visibility in social media.

Further information on this can be found in LinkedIn’s privacy policy at: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy.

5. Newsletter

Newsletter data

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

The data entered in the newsletter registration form is processed exclusively on the basis of your consent (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). You can revoke your consent to the storage of the data, the e-mail address and its use for sending the newsletter at any time, for example via the “unsubscribe” link in the newsletter. The legality of the data processing operations that have already taken place remains unaffected by the revocation.

By clicking on ‘Send’ when subscribing to the newsletter, you agree to the analysis by individual measurement, storage and evaluation of opening rates and click rates in recipient profiles for the purpose of designing future newsletters according to the interests of our readers. Consent can be revoked with effect for the future.

The data you provide us with for the purpose of subscribing to the newsletter will be stored by us until you unsubscribe from the newsletter and deleted after you unsubscribe from the newsletter. Data stored by us for other purposes remains unaffected by this.

This website uses CleverReach to send newsletters. The provider is CleverReach GmbH & Co KG, Mühlenstr. 43, 26180 Rastede. CleverReach is a service with which the newsletter dispatch can be organized and analyzed. The data you enter for the purpose of receiving the newsletter (e.g. e-mail address) is stored on CleverReach’s servers in Germany or Ireland. Our partner CleverReach is commissioned as a service provider for this purpose. A contract data processing agreement has been concluded with CleverReach.

6. Plugins und Tools

YouTube with enhanced data protection

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

We use YouTube in extended data protection mode. According to YouTube, this mode means that YouTube does not store any information about visitors to this website before they watch the video. However, the transfer of data to YouTube partners is not necessarily excluded by the extended data protection mode. For example, YouTube establishes a connection to the Google DoubleClick network regardless of whether you watch a video.

As soon as you start a YouTube video on our website, a connection to the YouTube servers is established. This tells the YouTube server which of our pages you have visited. If you are logged into your YouTube account, you enable YouTube to assign your surfing behavior directly to your personal profile. You can prevent this by logging out of your YouTube account.

Furthermore, YouTube can store various cookies on your end device after starting a video. With the help of these cookies, YouTube can obtain information about visitors to our website. This information is used, among other things, to record video statistics, improve user-friendliness and prevent fraud attempts. The cookies remain on your device until you delete them.

After the start of a YouTube video, further data processing operations may be triggered over which we have no influence.

The use of YouTube is in the interest of an appealing presentation of our online offers. This constitutes a legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR.

You can find more information about data protection at YouTube in their privacy policy at: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

Adobe Typekit Web Fonts

Our website uses so-called web fonts from Adobe Typekit for the uniform display of certain fonts. The provider is Adobe Systems Incorporated, 345 Park Avenue, San Jose, CA 95110-2704, USA (Adobe).

When you access our pages, your browser loads the required fonts directly from Adobe in order to display them correctly on your device. In doing so, your browser establishes a connection to Adobe’s servers in the USA. This gives Adobe knowledge that our website has been accessed via your IP address. According to Adobe, no cookies are stored when the fonts are provided.

Adobe is certified in accordance with the EU-US Privacy Shield. The Privacy Shield is an agreement between the United States of America and the European Union that is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards. You can find more information at: https://www.adobe.com/de/privacy/eudatatransfers.html.

The use of Adobe Typekit Web Fonts is necessary to ensure a uniform typeface on our website. This constitutes a legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR.

You can find more information about Adobe Typekit Web Fonts at: https://www.adobe.com/de/privacy/policies/typekit.html.

You can find Adobe’s privacy policy at: https://www.adobe.com/de/privacy/policy.html

Stand: November 2020