Privacy Policy

1. An overview of data protection

General information

The following information will provide you with an easy to navigate overview of what will happen with your personal data when you visit this website. The term “personal data” comprises all data that can be used to personally identify you. For detailed information about the subject matter of data protection, please consult our Data Protection Declaration, which we have included beneath this copy.

Data recording on this website

Who is the responsible party for the recording of data on this website (i.e., the “controller”)?

The data on this website is processed by the operator of the website, whose contact information is available under section “Information about the responsible party (referred to as the “controller” in the GDPR)” in this Privacy Policy.

How do we record your data?

We collect your data as a result of your sharing of your data with us. This may, for instance be information you enter into our contact form.

Other data shall be recorded by our IT systems automatically or after you consent to its recording during your website visit. This data comprises primarily technical information (e.g., web browser, operating system, or time the site was accessed). This information is recorded automatically when you access this website.

What are the purposes we use your data for?

A portion of the information is generated to guarantee the error free provision of the website. Other data may be used to analyze your user patterns. If contracts can be concluded or initiated via the website, the transmitted data will also be processed for contract offers, orders or other order enquiries.

What rights do you have as far as your information is concerned?

You have the right to receive information about the source, recipients, and purposes of your archived personal data at any time without having to pay a fee for such disclosures. You also have the right to demand that your data are rectified or eradicated. If you have consented to data processing, you have the option to revoke this consent at any time, which shall affect all future data processing. Moreover, you have the right to demand that the processing of your data be restricted under certain circumstances. Furthermore, you have the right to log a complaint with the competent supervising agency.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at any time if you have questions about this or any other data protection related issues.

Analysis tools and tools provided by third parties

There is a possibility that your browsing patterns will be statistically analyzed when your visit this website. Such analyses are performed primarily with what we refer to as analysis programs.

For detailed information about these analysis programs please consult our Data Protection Declaration below.

2. Hosting

We are hosting the content of our website at the following provider:

Strato

The provider is Strato AG, Otto-Ostrowski-Straße 7, 10249 Berlin (hereinafter referred to as “Strato”). When you visit our website, Strato records various logfiles, including your IP addresses.

For more information, please consult the Strato Data Privacy Policy: https://www.strato.de/datenschutz/.

Strato is used on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. We have a legitimate interest in a depiction of our website that is as reliable as possible. If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TDDDG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TDDDG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

Data processing

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) for the use of the above-mentioned service. This is a contract mandated by data privacy laws that guarantees that they process personal data of our website visitors only based on our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

3. General information and mandatory information

Data protection

The operators of this website and its pages take the protection of your personal data very seriously. Hence, we handle your personal data as confidential information and in compliance with the statutory data protection regulations and this Data Protection Declaration.

Whenever you use this website, a variety of personal information will be collected. Personal data comprises data that can be used to personally identify you. This Data Protection Declaration explains which data we collect as well as the purposes we use this data for. It also explains how, and for which purpose the information is collected.

We herewith advise you that the transmission of data via the Internet (i.e., through e-mail communications) may be prone to security gaps. It is not possible to completely protect data against third-party access.

Information about the responsible party (referred to as the “controller” in the GDPR)

The data processing controller on this website is:

D.I.Fo.S. UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
Wilhelmstr. 23
82140 Olching
Deutschland

Phone: +49176 2899 2799
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The controller is the natural person or legal entity that single-handedly or jointly with others makes decisions as to the purposes of and resources for the processing of personal data (e.g., names, e-mail addresses, etc.).

Storage duration

Unless a more specific storage period has been specified in this privacy policy, your personal data will remain with us until the purpose for which it was collected no longer applies. If you assert a justified request for deletion or revoke your consent to data processing, your data will be deleted, unless we have other legally permissible reasons for storing your personal data (e.g., tax or commercial law retention periods); in the latter case, the deletion will take place after these reasons cease to apply.

General information on the legal basis for the data processing on this website

If you have consented to data processing, we process your personal data on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR or Art. 9 (2)(a) GDPR, if special categories of data are processed according to Art. 9 (1) DSGVO. In the case of explicit consent to the transfer of personal data to third countries, the data processing is also based on Art. 49 (1)(a) GDPR. If you have consented to the storage of cookies or to the access to information in your end device (e.g., via device fingerprinting), the data processing is additionally based on § 25 (1) TDDDG. The consent can be revoked at any time. If your data is required for the fulfillment of a contract or for the implementation of pre-contractual measures, we process your data on the basis of Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. Furthermore, if your data is required for the fulfillment of a legal obligation, we process it on the basis of Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR. Furthermore, the data processing may be carried out on the basis of our legitimate interest according to Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. Information on the relevant legal basis in each individual case is provided in the following paragraphs of this privacy policy.

Information on the data transfer to third-party countries that are not secure under data protection law and the transfer to US companies that are not DPF-certified

We use, among other technologies, tools from companies located in third-party countries that are not safe under data protection law, as well as US tools whose providers are not certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF). If these tools are enabled, your personal data may be transferred to and processed in these countries. We would like you to note that no level of data protection comparable to that in the EU can be guaranteed in third countries that are insecure in terms of data protection law.

We would like to point out that the US, as a secure third-party country, generally has a level of data protection comparable to that of the EU. Data transfer to the US is therefore permitted if the recipient is certified under the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF) or has appropriate additional assurances. Information on transfers to third-party countries, including the data recipients, can be found in this Privacy Policy.

Recipients of personal data

In the scope of our business activities, we cooperate with various external parties. In some cases, this also requires the transfer of personal data to these external parties. We only disclose personal data to external parties if this is required as part of the fulfillment of a contract, if we are legally obligated to do so (e.g., disclosure of data to tax authorities), if we have a legitimate interest in the disclosure pursuant to Art. 6 (1)(f) GDPR, or if another legal basis permits the disclosure of this data. When using processors, we only disclose personal data of our customers on the basis of a valid contract on data processing. In the case of joint processing, a joint processing agreement is concluded.

Revocation of your consent to the processing of data

A wide range of data processing transactions are possible only subject to your express consent. You can also revoke at any time any consent you have already given us. This shall be without prejudice to the lawfulness of any data collection that occurred prior to your revocation.

Right to object to the collection of data in special cases; right to object to direct advertising (Art. 21 GDPR)

IN THE EVENT THAT DATA ARE PROCESSED ON THE BASIS OF ART. 6(1)(E) OR (F) GDPR, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO AT ANY TIME OBJECT TO THE PROCESSING OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA BASED ON GROUNDS ARISING FROM YOUR UNIQUE SITUATION. THIS ALSO APPLIES TO ANY PROFILING BASED ON THESE PROVISIONS. TO DETERMINE THE LEGAL BASIS, ON WHICH ANY PROCESSING OF DATA IS BASED, PLEASE CONSULT THIS DATA PROTECTION DECLARATION. IF YOU LOG AN OBJECTION, WE WILL NO LONGER PROCESS YOUR AFFECTED PERSONAL DATA, UNLESS WE ARE IN A POSITION TO PRESENT COMPELLING PROTECTION WORTHY GROUNDS FOR THE PROCESSING OF YOUR DATA, THAT OUTWEIGH YOUR INTERESTS, RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS OR IF THE PURPOSE OF THE PROCESSING IS THE CLAIMING, EXERCISING OR DEFENCE OF LEGAL ENTITLEMENTS (OBJECTION PURSUANT TO ART. 21(1) GDPR).

IF YOUR PERSONAL DATA IS BEING PROCESSED IN ORDER TO ENGAGE IN DIRECT ADVERTISING, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO OBJECT TO THE PROCESSING OF YOUR AFFECTED PERSONAL DATA FOR THE PURPOSES OF SUCH ADVERTISING AT ANY TIME. THIS ALSO APPLIES TO PROFILING TO THE EXTENT THAT IT IS AFFILIATED WITH SUCH DIRECT ADVERTISING. IF YOU OBJECT, YOUR PERSONAL DATA WILL SUBSEQUENTLY NO LONGER BE USED FOR DIRECT ADVERTISING PURPOSES (OBJECTION PURSUANT TO ART. 21(2) GDPR).

Right to log a complaint with the competent supervisory agency

In the event of violations of the GDPR, data subjects are entitled to log a complaint with a supervisory agency, in particular in the member state where they usually maintain their domicile, place of work or at the place where the alleged violation occurred. The right to log a complaint is in effect regardless of any other administrative or court proceedings available as legal recourses.

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 should demand the direct transfer of the data to another controller, this will be done only if it is technically feasible.

Information about, rectification and eradication of data

Within the scope of the applicable statutory provisions, you have the right to demand information about your archived personal data, their source and recipients as well as the purpose of the processing of your data at any time. You may also have a right to have your data rectified or eradicated. If you have questions about this subject matter or any other questions about personal data, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time.

Right to demand processing restrictions

You have the right to demand the imposition of restrictions as far as the processing of your personal data is concerned. To do so, you may contact us at any time. The right to demand restriction of processing applies in the following cases:

  • In the event that you should dispute the correctness of your data archived by us, we will usually need some time to verify this claim. During the time that this investigation is ongoing, you have the right to demand that we restrict the processing of your personal data.
  • If the processing of your personal data was/is conducted in an unlawful manner, you have the option to demand the restriction of the processing of your data instead of demanding the eradication of this data.
  • If we do not need your personal data any longer and you need it to exercise, defend or claim legal entitlements, you have the right to demand the restriction of the processing of your personal data instead of its eradication.
  • If you have raised an objection pursuant to Art. 21(1) GDPR, your rights and our rights will have to be weighed against each other. As long as it has not been determined whose interests prevail, you have the right to demand a restriction of the processing of your personal data.

If you have restricted the processing of your personal data, these data – with the exception of their archiving – may be processed only subject to your consent or to claim, exercise or defend legal entitlements or to protect the rights of other natural persons or legal entities or for important public interest reasons cited by the European Union or a member state of the EU.

SSL and/or TLS encryption

For security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential content, such as purchase orders or inquiries you submit to us as the website operator, this website uses either an SSL or a TLS encryption program. You can recognize an encrypted connection by checking whether the address line of the browser switches from “http://” to “https://” and also by the appearance of the lock icon in the browser line.

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

Encrypted payment transactions on this website

If you are under an obligation to share your payment information (e.g. account number if you give us the authority to debit your bank account) with us after you have entered into a fee-based contract with us, this information is required to process payments.

Payment transactions using common modes of paying (Visa/MasterCard, debit to your bank account) are processed exclusively via encrypted SSL or TLS connections. You can recognize an encrypted connection by checking whether the address line of the browser switches from “http://” to “https://” and also by the appearance of the lock icon in the browser line.

If the communication with us is encrypted, third parties will not be able to read the payment information you share with us.

Rejection of unsolicited e-mails

We herewith object to the use of contact information published in conjunction with the mandatory information to be provided in our Site Notice to send us promotional and information material that we have not expressly requested. The operators of this website and its pages reserve the express right to take legal action in the event of the unsolicited sending of promotional information, for instance via SPAM messages.

4. Recording of data on this website

Cookies

Our websites and pages use what the industry refers to as “cookies.” Cookies are small data packages that do not cause any damage to your device. They are either stored temporarily for the duration of a session (session cookies) or they are permanently archived on your device (permanent cookies). Session cookies are automatically deleted once you terminate your visit. Permanent cookies remain archived on your device until you actively delete them, or they are automatically eradicated by your web browser.

Cookies can be issued by us (first-party cookies) or by third-party companies (so-called third-party cookies). Third-party cookies enable the integration of certain services of third-party companies into websites (e.g., cookies for handling payment services).

Cookies have a variety of functions. Many cookies are technically essential since certain website functions would not work in the absence of these cookies (e.g., the shopping cart function or the display of videos). Other cookies may be used to analyze user behavior or for promotional purposes.

Cookies, which are required for the performance of electronic communication transactions, for the provision of certain functions you want to use (e.g., for the shopping cart function) or those that are necessary for the optimization (required cookies) of the website (e.g., cookies that provide measurable insights into the web audience), shall be stored on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, unless a different legal basis is cited. The operator of the website has a legitimate interest in the storage of required cookies to ensure the technically error-free and optimized provision of the operator’s services. If your consent to the storage of the cookies and similar recognition technologies has been requested, the processing occurs exclusively on the basis of the consent obtained (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TDDDG); this consent may be revoked at any time.

You have the option to set up your browser in such a manner that you will be notified any time cookies are placed and to permit the acceptance of cookies only in specific cases. You may also exclude the acceptance of cookies in certain cases or in general or activate the delete-function for the automatic eradication of cookies when the browser closes. If cookies are deactivated, the functions of this website may be limited.

Which cookies and services are used on this website can be found in this privacy policy.

GDPR

Our website uses GDPR’s consent technology to obtain your consent for the storage of certain cookies on your device or for the use of specific technologies and to document the former in a data protection compliant manner. The provider of this technology is J!EXTENSIONS STORE, Pianacce 148/B, Castelnuovo Garf. 55032 (LU) - IT (hereinafter referred to as “GDPR”).

GDPR is installed locally on our servers, which ensures that a connection with GDPR provider’s servers is not established. GDPR stores a cookie in your browser to be able to allocate the consent you have granted or revoked. The data recorded in this manner will be stored until you ask us to delete them, revoke your consent to the archiving of your data or until the purpose of archiving the data no longer exists (e.g., upon completion of the processing of your inquiry). This does not affect mandatory statutory provisions – in particular those governing retention periods.

We use GDPR to obtain the consent required by law for the use of cookies from site visitors. The legal basis for this is Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR.

Server log files

The provider of this website and its pages automatically collects and stores information in so-called server log files, which your browser communicates to us automatically. The information comprises:

  • The type and version of browser used
  • The used operating system
  • Referrer URL
  • The hostname of the accessing computer
  • The time of the server inquiry
  • The IP address

This data is not merged with other data sources.

This data is recorded on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The operator of the website has a legitimate interest in the technically error free depiction and the optimization of the operator’s website. In order to achieve this, server log files must be recorded.

Contact form

If you submit inquiries to us via our contact form, the information provided in the contact form as well as any contact information provided therein will be stored by us in order to handle your inquiry and in the event that we have further questions. We will not share this information without your consent.

The processing of these data is based on Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR, if your request is related to the execution of a contract or if it is necessary to carry out pre-contractual measures. In all other cases the processing is based on our legitimate interest in the effective processing of the requests addressed to us (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) or on your agreement (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) if this has been requested; the consent can be revoked at any time.

The information you have entered into the contact form shall remain with us until you ask us to eradicate the data, revoke your consent to the archiving of data or if the purpose for which the information is being archived no longer exists (e.g., after we have concluded our response to your inquiry). This shall be without prejudice to any mandatory legal provisions, in particular retention periods.

Use of AI on the website

We use AI-supported services and/or applications on our website.

We use artificial intelligence (AI) on our website as follows:

Eine KI erkennt automatisch das Anliegen von Kunden-E-Mails (z. B. Infos zum Abo oder Kündigung) und schickt dem Kunden eine passende Antwort-E-Mail mit Links und weiterführenden Informationen.
Bei der Verarbeitung von Bestellungen und Kundenaufträgen wird KI zur Datenaufbereitung und Formatierung benutzt.

When you interact or come into contact with elements on our website that use artificial intelligence (e.g. chatbot), your input, including metadata, is processed to generate an appropriate response or reaction.

The use of these AI-supported functions is based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. We have a legitimate interest in using modern technologies on our website in order to improve our performance and services and to recognize new potential from the interaction with our customers. If consent is required, processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and Section 25(1) TDDDG. You can withdraw your consent at any time.

Further information on the data processing of this tool or service can be found in the corresponding section of this privacy policy.

Use of artificial intelligence (AI) to respond to customers

We use AI-supported software to process and respond to customer inquiries. The AI we use analyzes the content of your message in order to autonomously or partially autonomously generate a suitable answer or a suggested answer. In this context, our AI processes all the content of your message, including names, email addresses, communication content or technical information (e.g. IP addresses, device information).

The AI software used is based on Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR. We have a legitimate interest in the most efficient customer communication possible using modern technical solutions.

We use the following AI applications:

Google Gemini

We use Google Gemini for our customer communication. The provider is Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Irland. This means that when you contact us, your requests, including metadata, may be transmitted to the provider's servers and processed there to generate a suitable response.

Data processing

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) for the use of the above-mentioned service. This is a contract mandated by data privacy laws that guarantees that they process personal data of our website visitors only based on our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

Request by e-mail, telephone, or fax

If you contact us by e-mail, telephone or fax, your request, including all resulting personal data (name, request) will be stored and processed by us for the purpose of processing your request. We do not pass these data on without your consent.

These data are processed on the basis of Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR if your inquiry is related to the fulfillment of a contract or is required for the performance of pre-contractual measures. In all other cases, the data are processed on the basis of our legitimate interest in the effective handling of inquiries submitted to us (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) or on the basis of your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) if it has been obtained; the consent can be revoked at any time.

The data sent by you to us via contact requests remain with us until you request us to delete, revoke your consent to the storage or the purpose for the data storage lapses (e.g. after completion of your request). Mandatory statutory provisions - in particular statutory retention periods - remain unaffected.

Communication via Signal

Among other means, we use the instant messaging service Signal to communicate with our customers and other third parties. The provider is Privacy Signal Messenger, LLC 650 Castro Street, Suite 120-223 Mountain View, CA 94041 (hereinafter “Signal”).

Communication takes place via end-to-end encryption (peer-to-peer), which prevents Signal or other third parties from gaining access to the communication content. However, Signal receives access to technical data that is generated during the communication process (e.g. Auth Tokens, Keys, Push Tokens).

Further details on data processing can be found in Signal's privacy policy at: https://signal.org/legal/#privacy-policy.

Signal is used on the basis of our legitimate interest in communicating as quickly and effectively as possible with customers, interested parties and other business and contractual partners (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). If a corresponding consent has been requested, the data processing takes place exclusively on the basis of the consent; this can be revoked at any time with effect for the future.

The communication content exchanged between you and us on Signal will remain with us until you ask us to delete it, revoke your consent to storage or the purpose for data storage no longer applies (e.g. after your request has been processed). Mandatory statutory provisions - in particular retention periods - remain unaffected.

Google Forms

We have integrated Google Forms into this website. The provider is Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland (hereinafter referred to as „Google”).

Google Forms enables us to generate online forms to record messages, inquiries and other entries entered by visitors to our website. All entries you make will be processed on Google’s servers. Google Forms stores a cookie in your browser that contains a unique ID (NID cookie). This cookie stores a wide range of information, including, for example your language settings.

We use Google Forms on the basis of our legitimate interest in determining your needs as effectively as possible (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TDDDG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TDDDG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

The data you enter into the form will remain in our possession until you ask us to delete them, revoke your consent to the archiving of your data or until the purpose of archiving the data no longer exists (e.g., upon completion of the processing of your inquiry). This does not affect mandatory statutory provisions – in particular those governing retention periods.

For more information, please consult Google’s Data Privacy Policy at https://policies.google.com/.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link: https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/5780.

Data processing

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) for the use of the above-mentioned service. This is a contract mandated by data privacy laws that guarantees that they process personal data of our website visitors only based on our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

Jotform

We have integrated Jotform into this website. The provider is Jotform Inc., 111 Pine St. Suite, 1815 San Francisco, California 94111, USA (hereinafter referred to as “Jotform”).

Jotform enables us to generate online forms to record messages, inquiries and other entries entered by visitors to our website. All entries you make will be processed on Jotform’s servers.

We use Jotform on the basis of our legitimate interest in determining your needs as effectively as possible (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TDDDG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TDDDG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

The data you enter into the form will remain in our possession until you ask us to delete them, revoke your consent to the archiving of your data or until the purpose of archiving the data no longer exists (e.g., upon completion of the processing of your inquiry). This does not affect mandatory statutory provisions – in particular those governing retention periods.

The transfer of the data to the United States is safeguarded by EU Standard Contract Clauses we have executed with Jotform. For details, please follow this link: https://www.jotform.com/gdpr-compliance/dpa/.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link: https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/6788.

Data processing

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) for the use of the above-mentioned service. This is a contract mandated by data privacy laws that guarantees that they process personal data of our website visitors only based on our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

5. Social media

Facebook

We have integrated elements of the social network Facebook on this website. The provider of this service is Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland. According to Facebook’s statement the collected data will be transferred to the USA and other third-party countries too.

An overview of the Facebook social media elements is available under the following link: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins/.

If the social media element has been activated, a direct connection between your device and the Facebook server will be established. As a result, Facebook will receive information confirming your visit to this website with your IP address. If you click on the Facebook Like button while you are logged into your Facebook account, you can link content of this website to your Facebook profile. Consequently, Facebook will be able to allocate your visit to this website to your user account. We have to emphasize that we as the provider of the website do not receive any information on the content of the transferred data and its use by Facebook. For more information, please consult the Data Privacy Policy of Facebook at: https://de-de.facebook.com/privacy/explanation.

The use of this service is based on your consent in accordance with Art. 6 (1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TDDDG. Consent can be revoked at any time.

Insofar as personal data is collected on our website with the help of the tool described here and forwarded to Facebook, we and Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland are jointly responsible for this data processing (Art. 26 DSGVO). The joint responsibility is limited exclusively to the collection of the data and its forwarding to Facebook. The processing by Facebook that takes place after the onward transfer is not part of the joint responsibility. The obligations incumbent on us jointly have been set out in a joint processing agreement. The wording of the agreement can be found under: https://www.facebook.com/legal/controller_addendum. According to this agreement, we are responsible for providing the privacy information when using the Facebook tool and for the privacy-secure implementation of the tool on our website. Facebook is responsible for the data security of Facebook products. You can assert data subject rights (e.g., requests for information) regarding data processed by Facebook directly with Facebook. If you assert the data subject rights with us, we are obliged to forward them to Facebook.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/legal/EU_data_transfer_addendum, https://de-de.facebook.com/help/566994660333381 and https://www.facebook.com/policy.php.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link: https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/4452.

Instagram

We have integrated functions of the public media platform Instagram into this website. These functions are being offered by Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland.

If the social media element has been activated, a direct connection between your device and Instagram’s server will be established. As a result, Instagram will receive information on your visit to this website.

If you are logged into your Instagram account, you may click the Instagram button to link contents from this website to your Instagram profile. This enables Instagram to allocate your visit to this website to your user account. We have to point out that we as the provider of the website and its pages do not have any knowledge of the content of the data transferred and its use by Instagram.

The use of this service is based on your consent in accordance with Art. 6 (1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TDDDG. Consent can be revoked at any time.

Insofar as personal data is collected on our website with the help of the tool described here and forwarded to Facebook or Instagram, we and Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland are jointly responsible for this data processing (Art. 26 DSGVO). The joint responsibility is limited exclusively to the collection of the data and its forwarding to Facebook or Instagram. The processing by Facebook or Instagram that takes place after the onward transfer is not part of the joint responsibility. The obligations incumbent on us jointly have been set out in a joint processing agreement. The wording of the agreement can be found under: https://www.facebook.com/legal/controller_addendum. According to this agreement, we are responsible for providing the privacy information when using the Facebook or Instagram tool and for the privacy-secure implementation of the tool on our website. Facebook is responsible for the data security of Facebook or Instagram products. You can assert data subject rights (e.g., requests for information) regarding data processed by Facebook or Instagram directly with Facebook. If you assert the data subject rights with us, we are obliged to forward them to Facebook.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/legal/EU_data_transfer_addendum, https://privacycenter.instagram.com/policy/ and https://de-de.facebook.com/help/566994660333381.

For more information on this subject, please consult Instagram’s Data Privacy Declaration at: https://privacycenter.instagram.com/policy/.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link: https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/4452.

6. Analysis tools and advertising

Google Tag Manager

We use the Google Tag Manager. The provider is Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland

The Google Tag Manager is a tool that allows us to integrate tracking or statistical tools and other technologies on our website. The Google Tag Manager itself does not create any user profiles, does not store cookies, and does not carry out any independent analyses. It only manages and runs the tools integrated via it. However, the Google Tag Manager does collect your IP address, which may also be transferred to Google’s parent company in the United States.

The Google Tag Manager is used on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the quick and uncomplicated integration and administration of various tools on his website. If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TDDDG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TDDDG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link: https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/5780.

Google Analytics

This website uses functions of the web analysis service Google Analytics. The provider of this service is Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Google Analytics enables the website operator to analyze the behavior patterns of website visitors. To that end, the website operator receives a variety of user data, such as pages accessed, time spent on the page, the utilized operating system and the user’s origin. This data is summarized in a user-ID and assigned to the respective end device of the website visitor.

Furthermore, Google Analytics allows us to record your mouse and scroll movements and clicks, among other things. Google Analytics uses various modeling approaches to augment the collected data sets and uses machine learning technologies in data analysis.

Google Analytics uses technologies that make the recognition of the user for the purpose of analyzing the user behavior patterns (e.g., cookies or device fingerprinting). The website use information recorded by Google is, as a rule transferred to a Google server in the United States, where it is stored.

The use of these services occurs on the basis of your consent pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25(1) TDDDG. You may revoke your consent at any time.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms/sccs/.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link: https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/5780.

IP anonymization

Google Analytics IP anonymization is active. As a result, your IP address will be abbreviated by Google within the member states of the European Union or in other states that have ratified the Convention on the European Economic Area prior to its transmission to the United States. The full IP address will be transmitted to one of Google’s servers in the United States and abbreviated there only in exceptional cases. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google shall use this information to analyze your use of this website to generate reports on website activities and to render other services to the operator of this website that are related to the use of the website and the Internet. The IP address transmitted in conjunction with Google Analytics from your browser shall not be merged with other data in Google’s possession.

Browser plug-in

You can prevent the recording and processing of your data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plugin available under the following link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en.

For more information about the handling of user data by Google Analytics, please consult Google’s Data Privacy Declaration at: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=en.

Google Signals

We use Google Signals. Whenever you visit our website, Google Analytics records, among other things, your location, the progression of your search and YouTube progression as well as demographic data (site visitor data). This data may be used for customized advertising with the assistance of Google Signal. If you have a Google account, your site visitor information will be linked to your Google account by Google Signal and used to send you customized promotional messages. The data is also used to compile anonymized statistics of our users’ online patterns.

Demographic parameters provided by Google Analytics

This website uses the “demographic characteristics” function of Google Analytics, to be able to display to the website visitor compatible ads within the Google advertising network. This allows reports to be created that contain information about the age, gender, and interests of the website visitors. The sources of this information are interest-related advertising by Google as well as visitor data obtained from third-party providers. This data cannot be allocated to a specific individual. You have the option to deactivate this function at any time by making pertinent settings changes for advertising in your Google account or you can generally prohibit the recording of your data by Google Analytics as explained in section “Objection to the recording of data”.

Contract data processing

We have executed a contract data processing agreement with Google and are implementing the stringent provisions of the German data protection agencies to the fullest when using Google Analytics.

Google Analytics E-Commerce-Tracking

This website uses the “E-Commerce Tracking” function of Google Analytics. With the assistance of E-Commerce Tracking, the website operator is in a position to analyze the purchasing patterns of website visitors with the aim of improving the operator’s online marketing campaigns. In this context, information, such as the orders placed, the average order values, shipping costs and the time from viewing the product to making the purchasing decision are tracked. These data may be consolidated by Google under a transaction ID, which is allocated to the respective user or the user’s device.

Google Ads

The website operator uses Google Ads. Google Ads is an online promotional program of Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Google Ads enables us to display ads in the Google search engine or on third-party websites, if the user enters certain search terms into Google (keyword targeting). It is also possible to place targeted ads based on the user data Google has in its possession (e.g., location data and interests; target group targeting). As the website operator, we can analyze these data quantitatively, for instance by analyzing which search terms resulted in the display of our ads and how many ads led to respective clicks.

The use of these services occurs on the basis of your consent pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25(1) TDDDG. You may revoke your consent at any time.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://policies.google.com/privacy/frameworks and https://business.safety.google/controllerterms/.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link: https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/5780.

Google Conversion-Tracking

This website uses Google Conversion Tracking. The provider of this service is Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

With the assistance of Google Conversion Tracking, we are in a position to recognize whether the user has completed certain actions. For instance, we can analyze the how frequently which buttons on our website have been clicked and which products are reviewed or purchased with particular frequency. The purpose of this information is to compile conversion statistics. We learn how many users have clicked on our ads and which actions they have completed. We do not receive any information that would allow us to personally identify the users. Google as such uses cookies or comparable recognition technologies for identification purposes.

The use of these services occurs on the basis of your consent pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25(1) TDDDG. You may revoke your consent at any time.

For more information about Google Conversion Tracking, please review Google’s data protection policy at: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link: https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/5780.

VG Wort Zählpixel

We have implemented texts on our website, in which a so-called tracking pixel (METIS tracking pixel) is embedded. The provider is the Verwertungsgesellschaft WORT - VG WORT (association with legal capacity by virtue of conferral), Untere Weidenstraße 5, 81543 Munich (hereinafter “VG Wort”).

The pixel counts the views of texts, forwards them anonymously to the VG Wort, in order to determine the distributions for the authors. The use of the VG Wort pixel is based on our legitimate interest in receiving remuneration for the texts published on our website for our authors or for ourselves (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). Conflicting interests of website visitors are not apparent, as the data is transmitted to VG Wort in anonymized form.

7. 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. Further data is not collected or only on a voluntary basis. For the handling of the newsletter, we use newsletter service providers, which are described below.

Brevo

This website uses Brevo for the sending of newsletters. The provider is the Sendinblue GmbH, Köpenicker Straße 126, 10179 Berlin, Germany.

Brevo services can, among other things, be used to organize and analyze the sending of newsletters. The data you enter for the purpose of subscribing to the newsletter are archived on servers of Sendinblue GmbH in Germany.

Data analysis by Brevo

Brevo enables us to analyze our newsletter campaigns. For instance, it allows us to see whether a newsletter message has been opened and, if so, which links may have been clicked. This enables us to determine, which links drew an extraordinary number of clicks.

Moreover, we are also able to see whether once the e-mail was opened or a link was clicked, any previously defined actions were taken (conversion rate). This allows us to determine whether you have made a purchase after clicking on the newsletter.

Brevo also enables us to divide the subscribers to our newsletter into various categories (i.e., to “cluster” recipients). For instance, newsletter recipients can be categorized based on age, gender, or place of residence. This enables us to tailor our newsletter more effectively to the needs of the respective target groups.

If you do not want to permit an analysis by Brevo, you must unsubscribe from the newsletter. We provide a link for you to do this in every newsletter message. Moreover, you can also unsubscribe from the newsletter right on the website.

For detailed information on the functions of Brevo please follow this link: https://www.brevo.com/de/newsletter-software/.

Legal basis

The data is processed based on your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). You may revoke any consent you have given at any time by unsubscribing from the newsletter. This shall be without prejudice to the lawfulness of any data processing transactions that have taken place prior to your revocation.

Storage period

The data deposited with us for the purpose of subscribing to the newsletter will be stored by us until you unsubscribe from the newsletter or the newsletter service provider and deleted from the newsletter distribution list after you unsubscribe from the newsletter. Data stored for other purposes with us remain unaffected.

After you unsubscribe from the newsletter distribution list, your e-mail address may be stored by us or the newsletter service provider in a blacklist, if such action is necessary to prevent future mailings. The data from the blacklist is used only for this purpose and not merged with other data. This serves both your interest and our interest in complying with the legal requirements when sending newsletters (legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). The storage in the blacklist is indefinite. You may object to the storage if your interests outweigh our legitimate interest.

For more details, please consult the Data Protection Regulations of Brevo at: https://www.brevo.com/de/datenschutz-uebersicht/ and https://www.brevo.com/de/legal/privacypolicy/.

Data processing

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) for the use of the above-mentioned service. This is a contract mandated by data privacy laws that guarantees that they process personal data of our website visitors only based on our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

8. Plug-ins and Tools

Google Fonts

To ensure that fonts used on this website are uniform, this website uses so-called Google Fonts provided by Google. When you access a page on our website, your browser will load the required fonts into your browser cache to correctly display text and fonts.

To do this, the browser you use will have to establish a connection with Google’s servers. As a result, Google will learn that your IP address was used to access this website. The use of Google Fonts is based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in a uniform presentation of the font on the operator’s website. If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TDDDG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TDDDG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

If your browser should not support Google Fonts, a standard font installed on your computer will be used.

For more information on Google Fonts, please follow this link: https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq and consult Google’s Data Privacy Declaration under: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link: https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/5780.

Font Awesome

This page uses Font Awesome for the uniform representation of fonts and symbols. Provider is Fonticons, Inc. 6 Porter Road Apartment 3R, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

When you call up a page, your browser loads the required fonts into its browser cache to display texts, fonts, and symbols correctly. For this purpose, the browser you use must connect to the servers of Font Awesome. This allows Font Awesome to know that your IP address has been used to access this website. The use of Font Awesome is based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. We have a legitimate interest in the uniform presentation of the typeface on our website. If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TDDDG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TDDDG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

If your browser does not support Font Awesome, a standard font from your computer will be used.

Further information about Font Awesome can be found in the Font Awesome privacy policy at: https://fontawesome.com/privacy.

Google reCAPTCHA

We use “Google reCAPTCHA” (hereinafter referred to as “reCAPTCHA”) on this website. The provider is Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

The purpose of reCAPTCHA is to determine whether data entered on this website (e.g., information entered into a contact form) is being provided by a human user or by an automated program. To determine this, reCAPTCHA analyzes the behavior of the website visitors based on a variety of parameters. This analysis is triggered automatically as soon as the website visitor enters the site. For this analysis, reCAPTCHA evaluates a variety of data (e.g., IP address, time the website visitor spent on the site or cursor movements initiated by the user). The data tracked during such analyses are forwarded to Google.

reCAPTCHA analyses run entirely in the background. Website visitors are not alerted that an analysis is underway.

Data are stored and analyzed on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the protection of the operator’s websites against abusive automated spying and against SPAM. If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TDDDG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TDDDG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

For more information about Google reCAPTCHA please refer to the Google Data Privacy Declaration and Terms Of Use under the following links: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en and https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link: https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/5780.

Make.com

This website uses Make.com, a cloud-based automation platform from Celonis SE, Theresienstraße 6, 80333 Munich (hereinafter “Make.com”).

Make.com is used to create and execute automated workflows (“scenarios”) between different online services. During the use of Make.com, personal data may be processed. This includes, for example, names, email addresses, IP addresses, telephone numbers, address data, contents from emails or forms, API calls as well as access and authentication data that are processed as part of the workflows.

The use of Make.com is based on Art. 6 (1) (f) of the GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the efficient automation of business processes. If the appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out based exclusively on Art. 6 (1) (a) of the GDPR and § 25 (1) TDDDG (Telecommunications Digital Services Data Protection Act), insofar as the consent includes the storage of cookies or access to information on the end device of the user (e.g. Device Fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TDDDG. The consent can be revoked at any time.

Further details can be found in Make.com’s privacy policy: https://www.make.com/en/privacy-notice as well as https://www.make.com/en/privacy-and-gdpr.

Data processing

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) for the use of the above-mentioned service. This is a contract mandated by data privacy laws that guarantees that they process personal data of our website visitors only based on our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

9. eCommerce and payment service providers

Processing of Customer and Contract Data

We collect, process, and use personal customer and contract data for the establishment, content arrangement and modification of our contractual relationships. Data with personal references to the use of this website (usage data) will be collected, processed, and used only if this is necessary to enable the user to use our services or required for billing purposes. The legal basis for these processes is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.

The collected customer data shall be deleted upon completion of the order or termination of the business relationship and upon expiration of any existing statutory archiving periods. This shall be without prejudice to any statutory archiving periods.

Data transfer upon closing of contracts for online stores, retailers, and the shipment of merchandise

Whenever you order merchandise from us, we will share your personal data with the transportation company entrusted with the delivery as well as the payment service commissioned to handle the payment transactions. Only the data these respective service providers require to meet their obligations will be shared. The legal basis for this sharing is Art. 6 (1)(b) GDPR, which permits the processing of data for the fulfillment of contractual or pre-contractual obligations. If you give us your respective consent pursuant to Art. 6 (1)(a) GDPR, we will share your email address with the transportation company entrusted with the delivery so that this company can notify you on the shipping status for your order via email. You have the option to revoke your consent at any time.

Data transfer upon closing of contracts for services and digital content

We share personal data with third parties only if this is necessary in conjunction with the handling of the contract; for instance, with the financial institution tasked with the processing of payments.

Any further transfer of data shall not occur or shall only occur if you have expressly consented to the transfer. Any sharing of your data with third parties in the absence of your express consent, for instance for advertising purposes, shall not occur.

The basis for the processing of data is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR, which permits the processing of data for the fulfilment of a contract or for pre-contractual actions.

Payment services

We integrate payment services of third-party companies on our website. When you make a purchase from us, your payment data (e.g. name, payment amount, bank account details, credit card number) are processed by the payment service provider for the purpose of payment processing. For these transactions, the respective contractual and data protection provisions of the respective providers apply. The use of the payment service providers is based on Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (contract processing) and in the interest of a smooth, convenient, and secure payment transaction (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). Insofar as your consent is requested for certain actions, Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR is the legal basis for data processing; consent may be revoked at any time for the future.

We use the following payment services / payment service providers within the scope of this website:

PayPal

The provider of this payment service is PayPal (Europe) S.à.r.l. et Cie, S.C.A., 22-24 Boulevard Royal, L-2449 Luxembourg (hereinafter “PayPal”).

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://www.paypal.com/de/webapps/mpp/ua/pocpsa-full.

Details can be found in PayPal’s privacy policy: https://www.paypal.com/de/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full.

Apple Pay

The payment service provider is Apple Inc, Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA 95014, USA. The Apple privacy policy can be found at: https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/de-ww/.

Google Pay

The provider is Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland. You can find Google’s privacy policy here: https://policies.google.com/privacy.

Stripe

The provider for customers within the EU is Stripe Payments Europe, Ltd,1 Grand Canal Street Lower, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin, Ireland (hereinafter “Stripe”).

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://stripe.com/de/privacy and https://stripe.com/de/guides/general-data-protection-regulation.

Details can be found in Stripe’s Privacy Policy at the following link: https://stripe.com/de/privacy.

Mastercard

The provider of this payment service is the Mastercard Europe SA, Chaussée de Tervuren 198A, B-1410 Waterloo, Belgium (hereinafter “Mastercard”).

Mastercard may transfer data to its parent company in the US. The data transfer to the US is based on Mastercard's Binding Corporate Rules. Details can be found here: https://www.mastercard.de/de-de/datenschutz.html and https://www.mastercard.us/content/dam/mccom/global/documents/mastercard-bcrs.pdf.

VISA

The provider of this payment service is the Visa Europe Services Inc, London Branch, 1 Sheldon Square, London W2 6TT, United Kingdom (hereinafter “VISA”).

Great Britain is considered a secure non-EU country as far as data protection legislation is concerned. This means that the data protection level in Great Britain is equivalent to the data protection level of the European Union.

VISA may transfer data to its parent company in the US. The data transfer to the US is based on the standard contractual clauses of the EU Commission. Details can be found here: https://www.visa.de/nutzungsbedingungen/visa-globale-datenschutzmitteilung/mitteilung-zu-zustandigkeitsfragen-fur-den-ewr.html.

For more information, please refer to VISA’s privacy policy: https://www.visa.de/nutzungsbedingungen/visa-privacy-center.html.

10. Online-based Audio and Video Conferences (Conference tools)

Data processing

We use online conference tools, among other things, for communication with our customers. The tools we use are listed in detail below. If you communicate with us by video or audio conference using the Internet, your personal data will be collected and processed by the provider of the respective conference tool and by us. The conferencing tools collect all information that you provide/access to use the tools (email address and/or your phone number). Furthermore, the conference tools process the duration of the conference, start and end (time) of participation in the conference, number of participants and other “context information” related to the communication process (metadata).

Furthermore, the provider of the tool processes all the technical data required for the processing of the online communication. This includes, in particular, IP addresses, MAC addresses, device IDs, device type, operating system type and version, client version, camera type, microphone or loudspeaker and the type of connection.

Should content be exchanged, uploaded, or otherwise made available within the tool, it is also stored on the servers of the tool provider. Such content includes, but is not limited to, cloud recordings, chat/ instant messages, voicemail uploaded photos and videos, files, whiteboards, and other information shared while using the service.

Please note that we do not have complete influence on the data processing procedures of the tools used. Our possibilities are largely determined by the corporate policy of the respective provider. Further information on data processing by the conference tools can be found in the data protection declarations of the tools used, and which we have listed below this text.

Purpose and legal bases

The conference tools are used to communicate with prospective or existing contractual partners or to offer certain services to our customers (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). Furthermore, the use of the tools serves to generally simplify and accelerate communication with us or our company (legitimate interest in the meaning of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). Insofar as consent has been requested, the tools in question will be used on the basis of this consent; the consent may be revoked at any time with effect from that date.

Duration of storage

Data collected directly by us via the video and conference tools will be deleted from our systems immediately after you request us to delete it, revoke your consent to storage, or the reason for storing the data no longer applies. Stored cookies remain on your end device until you delete them. Mandatory legal retention periods remain unaffected.

We have no influence on the duration of storage of your data that is stored by the operators of the conference tools for their own purposes. For details, please directly contact the operators of the conference tools.

Conference tools used

We employ the following conference tools:

Microsoft Teams

We use Microsoft Teams. The provider is the Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, One Microsoft Place, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, Ireland. For details on data processing, please refer to the Microsoft Teams privacy policy: https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link: https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/6474.

Data processing

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) for the use of the above-mentioned service. This is a contract mandated by data privacy laws that guarantees that they process personal data of our website visitors only based on our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

Google Meet

We use Google Meet. The provider is Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland. For details on data processing, please see the Google privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link: https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/5780.

Data processing

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) for the use of the above-mentioned service. This is a contract mandated by data privacy laws that guarantees that they process personal data of our website visitors only based on our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

11. Custom Services

Handling applicant data

We offer website visitors the opportunity to submit job applications to us (e.g., via e-mail, via postal services on by submitting the online job application form). Below, we will brief you on the scope, purpose and use of the personal data collected from you in conjunction with the application process. We assure you that the collection, processing, and use of your data will occur in compliance with the applicable data privacy rights and all other statutory provisions and that your data will always be treated as strictly confidential.

Scope and purpose of the collection of data

If you submit a job application to us, we will process any affiliated personal data (e.g., contact and communications data, application documents, notes taken during job interviews, etc.), if they are required to make a decision concerning the establishment or an employment relationship. The legal grounds for the aforementioned are § 26 BDSG according to German Law (Negotiation of an Employment Relationship), Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (General Contract Negotiations) and – provided you have given us your consent – Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. You may revoke any consent given at any time. Within our company, your personal data will only be shared with individuals who are involved in the processing of your job application.

If your job application should result in your recruitment, the data you have submitted will be archived on the grounds of § 26 BDSG and Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR for the purpose of implementing the employment relationship in our data processing system.

Data Archiving Period

If we are unable to make you a job offer or you reject a job offer or withdraw your application, we reserve the right to retain the data you have submitted on the basis of our legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) for up to 6 months from the end of the application procedure (rejection or withdrawal of the application). Afterwards the data will be deleted, and the physical application documents will be destroyed. The storage serves in particular as evidence in the event of a legal dispute. If it is evident that the data will be required after the expiry of the 6-month period (e.g., due to an impending or pending legal dispute), deletion will only take place when the purpose for further storage no longer applies.

Longer storage may also take place if you have given your agreement (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR) or if statutory data retention requirements preclude the deletion.

Admission to the applicant pool

If we do not make you a job offer, you may be able to join our applicant pool. In case of admission, all documents and information from the application will be transferred to the applicant pool in order to contact you in case of suitable vacancies.

Admission to the applicant pool is based exclusively on your express agreement (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). The submission agreement is voluntary and has no relation to the ongoing application procedure. The affected person can revoke his agreement at any time. In this case, the data from the applicant pool will be irrevocably deleted, provided there are no legal reasons for storage.

The data from the applicant pool will be irrevocably deleted no later than two years after consent has been granted.

OneDrive

We have integrated OneDrive on this website. The provider is the Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, One Microsoft Place, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, Ireland (hereinafter “OneDrive”).

OneDrive enables us to include an upload area on our website where you can upload content. When you upload content, it is stored on the OneDrive servers. When you access our website, a connection to OneDrive is also established so that OneDrive can determine that you have visited our website.

The use of OneDrive is based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in a reliable upload area on its website. If the relevant consent has been requested, processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR; consent may be revoked at any time.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link: https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/6474.

Data processing

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) for the use of the above-mentioned service. This is a contract mandated by data privacy laws that guarantees that they process personal data of our website visitors only based on our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

Google Drive

We have integrated Google Drive on this website. The provider is Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Google Drive allows us to include an upload area on our website where you can upload content. When you upload content, it is stored on Google Drive’s servers. When you visit our website, a connection to Google Drive is additionally established so that Google Drive can determine that you have visited our website.

The use of Google Drive is based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in having a reliable upload area on its website. If a corresponding consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR; the consent can be revoked at any time.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link: https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/5780.

Data processing

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) for the use of the above-mentioned service. This is a contract mandated by data privacy laws that guarantees that they process personal data of our website visitors only based on our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.