Envelope Phone-alt

Data protection information

Preamble

With the following privacy policy, we would like to inform you about the types of your personal data (hereinafter also referred to as “data”) that we process, for what purposes and to what extent. The privacy policy applies to all processing of personal data carried out by us, both in the context of the provision of our services and in particular on our websites, in mobile applications and within external online presences, such as our social media profiles (hereinafter collectively referred to as “online offer”).

The terms used are not gender-specific.

Status: February 14, 2024

Table of contents

Person responsible

Kersten Maschinenbau GmbH
Industrial estate 5
01689 Niederau

E-mail address: info@kersten-maschinenbau.net Phone: +49 (0) 3521 4705 30 Imprint: https://kersten-maschinenbau.net/impressum

Contact data protection officer

dsb@kersten-maschinenbau.net

Overview of processing

The following overview summarizes the types of data processed and the purposes of their processing and refers to the data subjects.

Types of data processed

  • Inventory data.
  • Payment data.
  • Location data.
  • Contact data.
  • Content data.
  • Contract data.
  • Usage data.
  • Meta, communication and process data.
  • Applicant data.

Categories of affected persons

  • Customers.
  • Employees.
  • Interested parties.
  • Communication partners.
  • users.
  • Applicants.
  • Business and contractual partners.
  • Persons depicted.

Purposes of the processing

  • Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations.
  • Contact requests and communication.
  • Security measures.
  • Range measurement.
  • Tracking.
  • Office and organizational procedures.
  • Remarketing.
  • Conversion measurement.
  • Click tracking.
  • Target group formation.
  • A/B testing.
  • Managing and responding to inquiries.
  • Application process.
  • Feedback.
  • Heatmaps.
  • Marketing.
  • Profiles with user-related information.
  • Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness.
  • Assessment of creditworthiness and credit standing.
  • Information technology infrastructure.

Automated decisions in individual cases

  • Credit report.

Relevant legal bases

Relevant legal bases under the GDPR: Below you will find an overview of the legal bases of the GDPR on the basis of which we process personal data. Please note that in addition to the provisions of the GDPR, national data protection regulations may apply in your or our country of residence or domicile. Should more specific legal bases also apply in individual cases, we will inform you of these in the privacy policy.

  • Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR) – The data subject has given their consent to the processing of their personal data for one or more specific purposes.
  • Performance of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR) – Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract.
  • Legal obligation (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. c) GDPR) – Processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject.
  • Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR) – Processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require protection of personal data.
  • Application procedure as a pre-contractual or contractual relationship (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR) – Insofar as special categories of personal data within the meaning of Art. 9 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR are processed as part of the application procedure. 1 GDPR (e.g. health data, such as severely disabled status or ethnic origin) are requested from applicants so that the controller or data subject can exercise their rights under employment law and social security and social protection law and comply with their obligations in this regard, their processing is carried out in accordance with Art. 9 (1) GDPR. 2 lit. b. GDPR, in the case of the protection of vital interests of applicants or other persons acc. Art. 9 para. 2 lit. c. GDPR or for the purposes of preventive health care or occupational medicine, for the assessment of the employee’s fitness for work, for medical diagnosis, health or social care or treatment or for the management of health or social care systems and services in accordance with Article 6(1)(c) GDPR. Art. 9 para. 2 lit. h. GDPR. In the case of communication of special categories of data based on voluntary consent, their processing is carried out on the basis of Art. 9 para. 2 lit. a. GDPR.

National data protection regulations in Germany: In addition to the data protection regulations of the GDPR, national data protection regulations apply in Germany. In particular, this includes the German Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz – BDSG). In particular, the BDSG contains special regulations on the right to information, the right to erasure, the right to object, the processing of special categories of personal data, processing for other purposes and transmission as well as automated decision-making in individual cases, including profiling. Furthermore, the data protection laws of the individual federal states may apply.

Security measures

We take appropriate technical and organizational measures in accordance with the legal requirements, taking into account the state of the art, the implementation costs and the nature, scope, circumstances and purposes of the processing as well as the different probabilities of occurrence and the extent of the threat to the rights and freedoms of natural persons, in order to ensure a level of protection appropriate to the risk.

The measures include, in particular, safeguarding the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data by controlling physical and electronic access to the data as well as the access, input, transfer, safeguarding of availability and its separation. We have also set up procedures to ensure that data subjects’ rights are exercised, data is deleted and we respond to data threats. Furthermore, we already take the protection of personal data into account during the development or selection of hardware, software and processes in accordance with the principle of data protection, through technology design and through data protection-friendly default settings.

Shortening of the IP address: If IP addresses are processed by us or by the service providers and technologies used and the processing of a full IP address is not required, the IP address is shortened (also known as “IP masking”). The last two digits or the last part of the IP address after a dot are removed or replaced by placeholders. The purpose of shortening the IP address is to prevent or make it significantly more difficult to identify a person by their IP address.

TLS/SSL encryption (https): To protect user data transmitted via our online services, we use TLS/SSL encryption. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is the standard technology for securing Internet connections by encrypting the data transmitted between a website or app and a browser (or between two servers). Transport Layer Security (TLS) is an updated and more secure version of SSL. Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is displayed in the URL if a website is secured by an SSL/TLS certificate.

International data transfers

Data processing in third countries: If we process data in a third country (i.e. outside the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA)) or the processing takes place in the context of the use of third-party services or the disclosure or transfer of data to other persons, bodies or companies, this will only take place in accordance with the legal requirements. If the level of data protection in the third country has been recognized by means of an adequacy decision (Art. 45 GDPR), this serves as the basis for the data transfer. Otherwise, data will only be transferred if the level of data protection is otherwise ensured, in particular through standard contractual clauses (Art. 46 para. 2 lit. c) GDPR), express consent or in the case of contractual or legally required transfer (Art. 49 para. 1 GDPR). In addition, we will inform you of the basis for third country transfers with the individual providers from the third country, whereby the adequacy decisions take precedence. Information on third country transfers and existing adequacy decisions can be found in the information provided by the EU Commission: https://commission.europa.eu/law/law-topic/data-protection/international-dimension-data-protection_en?prefLang=de.

EU-US Trans-Atlantic Data Privacy Framework: As part of the so-called “Data Privacy Framework” (DPF), the EU Commission has also recognized the level of data protection for certain companies from the USA as secure as part of the adequacy decision of 10.07.2023. The list of certified companies as well as further information on the DPF can be found on the website of the US Department of Commerce at https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/. As part of the data protection information, we inform you which service providers we use are certified under the Data Privacy Framework.

Deletion of data

The data processed by us will be deleted in accordance with the legal requirements as soon as the consents permitted for processing are revoked or other permissions cease to apply (e.g. if the purpose of processing this data no longer applies or it is not required for the purpose). If the data is not deleted because it is required for other and legally permissible purposes, its processing is restricted to these purposes. This means that the data is blocked and not processed for other purposes. This applies, for example, to data that must be retained for commercial or tax law reasons or whose storage is necessary for the assertion, exercise or defense of legal claims or to protect the rights of another natural or legal person. As part of our data protection information, we can provide users with further information on the deletion and retention of data that applies specifically to the respective processing operations.

Rights of the data subjects

Rights of data subjects under the GDPR: As a data subject, you are entitled to various rights under the GDPR, which arise in particular from Art. 15 to 21 GDPR:

  • Right to object: You have the right to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, at any time to processing of personal data concerning you which is based on Article 6 (1) GDPR. 1 lit. e or f GDPR; this also applies to profiling based on these provisions. If your personal data is processed for direct marketing purposes, you have the right to object at any time to the processing of your personal data for such marketing, which includes profiling to the extent that it is related to such direct marketing.
  • Right to withdraw consent: You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
  • Right of access: You have the right to obtain confirmation as to whether or not personal data concerning you is being processed and to obtain information about this data and further information and a copy of the data in accordance with the legal requirements.
  • Right to rectification: In accordance with the statutory provisions, you have the right to request the completion of data concerning you or the rectification of inaccurate data concerning you.
  • Right to erasure and restriction of processing: In accordance with the statutory provisions, you have the right to demand that data concerning you be erased immediately or, alternatively, to demand that the processing of the data be restricted in accordance with the statutory provisions.
  • Right to data portability: You have the right to receive the data concerning you, which you have provided to us, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format in accordance with the legal requirements or to request its transmission to another controller.
  • Complaint to a supervisory authority: In accordance with the statutory provisions and without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority, in particular a supervisory authority in the Member State in which you are habitually resident, the supervisory authority of your place of work or the place of the alleged infringement, if you consider that the processing of personal data relating to you infringes the GDPR.

Use of cookies

Cookies are small text files or other storage notes that store information on end devices and read information from the end devices. Z. For example, to store the login status in a user account, the contents of a shopping cart in an e-shop, the content accessed or the functions of an online service used. Cookies can also be used for various purposes, e.g. to ensure the functionality, security and convenience of online services and to analyze visitor flows.

Notes on consent: We use cookies in accordance with the statutory provisions. We therefore obtain prior consent from users, unless this is not required by law. In particular, consent is not required if the storage and reading of information, including cookies, is absolutely necessary in order to provide the user with a telemedia service expressly requested by them (i.e. our online offer). Strictly necessary cookies generally include cookies with functions that serve the display and operability of the online offer, load balancing, security, storage of user preferences and choices or similar purposes related to the provision of the main and secondary functions of the online offer requested by the users. The revocable consent is clearly communicated to the users and contains the information on the respective cookie use.

Information on legal bases under data protection law: The legal basis under data protection law on which we process users’ personal data with the help of cookies depends on whether we ask users for their consent. If users give their consent, the legal basis for processing their data is their declared consent. Otherwise, the data processed with the help of cookies will be processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (e.g. in the commercial operation of our online offering and improving its usability) or, if this is done in the context of fulfilling our contractual obligations, if the use of cookies is necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations. We explain the purposes for which we process cookies in the course of this privacy policy or as part of our consent and processing procedures.

Storage period: With regard to the storage period, a distinction is made between the following types of cookies:

  • Temporary cookies (also: session cookies): Temporary cookies are deleted at the latest after a user has left an online service and closed their end device (e.g. browser or mobile application).
  • Permanent cookies: Permanent cookies remain stored even after the end device is closed. For example, the login status can be saved or preferred content can be displayed directly when the user visits a website again. The user data collected with the help of cookies can also be used to measure reach. If we do not provide users with explicit information on the type and storage duration of cookies (e.g. when obtaining consent), users should assume that cookies are permanent and that they can be stored for up to two years.

General information on revocation and objection (so-called “opt-out”): Users can withdraw the consent they have given at any time and object to processing in accordance with the legal requirements. Among other things, users can restrict the use of cookies in their browser settings (although this may also restrict the functionality of our online offering). An objection to the use of cookies for online marketing purposes can also be declared via the websites https://optout.aboutads.info and https://www.youronlinechoices.com/.

Cookie settings / objection option:
  • Processed data types: Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of our online services and user-friendliness.
  • Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR). Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

  • Processing of cookie data on the basis of consent: We use a procedure for consent management: Procedure for obtaining, logging, managing and revoking consent, in particular for the use of cookies and similar technologies for the storage, reading and processing of information on users’ end devices and their processing, in the context of which the user’s consent to the use of cookies and similar technologies for the storage, reading and processing of information on users’ end devices and their processing is stored. the processing and providers mentioned in the consent management: Procedure for obtaining, logging, managing and revoking consent, in particular for the use of cookies and similar technologies for storing, reading and processing information on users’ end devices and their processing procedure, can be obtained and managed and revoked by users. The declaration of consent is stored so that it does not have to be requested again and the consent can be proven in accordance with the legal obligation. The storage can take place on the server side and/or in a cookie (so-called opt-in cookie, or with the help of comparable technologies) in order to be able to assign the consent to a user or their device. Subject to individual information on the providers of cookie management services, the following information applies: Consent may be stored for up to two years. A pseudonymous user identifier is created and stored with the time of consent, information on the scope of consent (e.g. which categories of cookies and/or service providers) as well as the browser, system and end device used; legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR).
  • Cookie opt-out: In the footer of our website you will find a link that you can use to change your cookie settings and revoke your consent; legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
  • BorlabsCookie: Consent management: Process for obtaining, logging, managing and revoking consent, in particular for the use of cookies and similar technologies for storing, reading and processing information on users’ end devices and their processing; Service provider: Execution on servers and/or computers under its own responsibility under data protection law; Website: https://de.borlabs.io/borlabs-cookie/. Further information: An individual user ID, language and types of consent and the time they were given are stored on the server and in the cookie on the user’s device.

Business services

We process data of our contractual and business partners, e.g. customers and interested parties (collectively referred to as “contractual partners”) in the context of contractual and comparable legal relationships and associated measures and in the context of communication with the contractual partners (or pre-contractual), e.g. to answer inquiries.

We process this data in order to fulfill our contractual obligations. This includes in particular the obligations to provide the agreed services, any updating obligations and remedies in the event of warranty and other service disruptions. In addition, we process the data to safeguard our rights and for the purpose of the administrative tasks associated with these obligations and the company organization. In addition, we process the data on the basis of our legitimate interests in proper and efficient business management and in security measures to protect our contractual partners and our business operations from misuse, threats to their data, secrets, information and rights (e.g. for the involvement of telecommunications, transport and other auxiliary services as well as subcontractors, banks, tax and legal advisors, payment service providers or tax authorities). Within the framework of applicable law, we only pass on the data of contractual partners to third parties to the extent that this is necessary for the aforementioned purposes or to fulfill legal obligations. The contractual partners will be informed about other forms of processing, e.g. for marketing purposes, as part of this privacy policy.

We inform the contractual partners which data is required for the aforementioned purposes before or during data collection, e.g. in online forms, by means of special marking (e.g. colors) or symbols (e.g. asterisks or similar), or personally.

We delete the data after the expiry of statutory warranty and comparable obligations, i.e. generally after 4 years, unless the data is stored in a customer account, e.g. as long as it must be retained for legal archiving reasons. The statutory retention period is ten years for documents relevant under tax law as well as for trading books, inventories, opening balance sheets, annual financial statements, the work instructions required to understand these documents and other organizational documents and accounting records, and six years for commercial and business letters received and reproductions of commercial and business letters sent. The period begins at the end of the calendar year in which the last entry was made in the book, the inventory, the opening balance sheet, the annual financial statements or the management report was prepared, the commercial or business letter was received or sent or the accounting document was created, the record was made or the other documents were created.

Insofar as we use third-party providers or platforms to provide our services, the terms and conditions and data protection notices of the respective third-party providers or platforms apply in the relationship between the users and the providers.

  • Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses); payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history); contact data (e.g. email, telephone numbers); contract data (e.g. subject matter of contract, term, customer category).
  • Data subjects: Interested parties. Business and contractual partners.
  • Purposes of Processing: Provision of contractual services and performance of contractual obligations; contact requests and communication; Office and organizational procedures. Managing and responding to inquiries.
  • Legal bases: Performance of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR); Legal obligation (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. c) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

  • Technical services: We process the data of our customers and clients (hereinafter uniformly referred to as “customers”) in order to enable them to select, purchase or commission the selected services or works and related activities as well as their payment and provision or execution or performance.

    The required information is marked as such in the context of the conclusion of the order, purchase order or comparable contract and includes the information required for the provision of services and invoicing as well as contact information in order to be able to hold any consultations. Insofar as we receive access to information from end customers, employees or other persons, we process this in accordance with the legal and contractual requirements; legal basis: contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Providers and services used in the course of business activities

As part of our business activities, we use additional services, platforms, interfaces or plug-ins from third-party providers (“services” for short) in compliance with legal requirements. Their use is based on our interests in the proper, lawful and economic management of our business operations and our internal organization.

  • Processed data types: inventory data (e.g. names, addresses); payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history); contact data (e.g. email, telephone numbers); content data (e.g. entries in online forms); contract data (e.g. subject matter of contract, term, customer category).
  • Data subjects: Customers; interested parties; users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services); business and contractual partners; employees (e.g. employees, applicants, former employees).
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations. Office and organizational procedures.
  • Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

Credit check

If we make advance payments or enter into comparable economic risks (e.g. when ordering on account), we reserve the right to obtain identity and creditworthiness information for the purpose of assessing the credit risk on the basis of mathematical-statistical procedures from specialized service companies (credit agencies) in order to safeguard our legitimate interests.

We process the information received from the credit agencies on the statistical probability of a payment default as part of an appropriate discretionary decision on the establishment, execution and termination of the contractual relationship. We reserve the right to refuse payment on account or any other advance payment in the event of a negative result of the credit check.

The decision as to whether we make advance payments is made in accordance with the legal requirements solely on the basis of an automated decision in individual cases, which our software makes on the basis of the information provided by the credit agency.

If we obtain express consent from contractual partners, the legal basis for the credit report and the transfer of the customer’s data to the credit agencies is consent. If no consent is obtained, the credit information is provided on the basis of our legitimate interests in the security of our payment claims.

  • Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses); Payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history); Contact data (e.g. email, telephone numbers); Contract data (e.g. subject matter of the contract, duration, customer category); Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times).
  • Persons affected: Customers; interested parties. Business and contractual partners.
  • Purposes of processing: Assessment of creditworthiness and credit standing.
  • Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
  • Automated decisions in individual cases: Credit information (decision based on a credit check).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

Provision of the online offer and web hosting

We process users’ data in order to provide them with our online services. For this purpose, we process the user’s IP address, which is necessary to transmit the content and functions of our online services to the user’s browser or end device.

  • Processed data types: Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); meta, communication and procedural data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, consent status); content data (e.g. entries in online forms).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness; information technology infrastructure (operation and provision of information systems and technical devices (computers, servers, etc.)). Security measures.
  • Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

  • Provision of online offer on rented storage space: For the provision of our online offer, we use storage space, computing capacity and software that we rent or otherwise obtain from a corresponding server provider (also called “web host”); legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
  • Collection of access data and log files: Access to our online offering is recorded in the form of so-called “server log files”. The server log files may include the address and name of the websites and files accessed, date and time of access, data volumes transferred, notification of successful access, browser type and version, the user’s operating system, referrer URL (the previously visited page) and, as a rule, IP addresses and the requesting provider. The server log files can be used for security purposes, e.g. to avoid overloading the servers (especially in the case of abusive attacks, so-called DDoS attacks) and to ensure the utilization of the servers and their stability; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR). Deletion of data: Log file information is stored for a maximum of 30 days and then deleted or anonymized. Data whose further retention is required for evidentiary purposes is excluded from deletion until the respective incident has been finally clarified.
  • E-mail dispatch and hosting: The web hosting services we use also include the dispatch, receipt and storage of e-mails. For these purposes, the addresses of the recipients and senders as well as other information relating to the sending of e-mails (e.g. the providers involved) and the content of the respective e-mails are processed. The aforementioned data may also be processed for the purpose of detecting SPAM. Please note that e-mails on the Internet are generally not sent in encrypted form. As a rule, emails are encrypted in transit, but not on the servers from which they are sent and received (unless an end-to-end encryption method is used). We can therefore assume no responsibility for the transmission path of the e-mails between the sender and receipt on our server; legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
  • Content delivery network: We use a content delivery network (CDN). A CDN is a service with the help of which the content of an online offer, in particular large media files such as graphics or program scripts, can be delivered faster and more securely with the help of regionally distributed servers connected via the Internet; legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
  • Hetzner: services in the field of the provision of information technology infrastructure and related services (e.g. storage space and/or computing capacity); service provider: Hetzner Online GmbH, Industriestr. 25, 91710 Gunzenhausen, Germany; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.hetzner.com; Privacy Policy: https://www.hetzner.com/de/rechtliches/datenschutz. Data processing agreement: https://docs.hetzner.com/de/general/general-terms-and-conditions/data-privacy-faq/.

Blogs and publication media

We use blogs or comparable means of online communication and publication (hereinafter “publication medium”). Readers’ data will only be processed for the purposes of the publication medium to the extent necessary for its presentation and communication between authors and readers or for security reasons. In addition, we refer to the information on the processing of visitors to our publication medium in the context of this data protection notice.

  • Processed data types: inventory data (e.g. names, addresses); contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers); content data (e.g. entries in online forms); usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, consent status).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations; feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form); provision of our online offer and user-friendliness. Safety measures.
  • Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

Contact and inquiry management

When contacting us (e.g. by post, contact form, email, telephone or via social media) and in the context of existing user and business relationships, the data of the inquiring persons are processed insofar as this is necessary to answer the contact inquiries and any requested measures.

  • Processed data types: Contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers); Content data (e.g. entries in online forms); Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, consent status).
  • Affected persons: Communication partner.
  • Purposes of Processing: Contact requests and communication; Managing and responding to inquiries; Feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form). Provision of our online services and user-friendliness.
  • Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR). Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

  • Contact form: If users contact us via our contact form, e-mail or other communication channels, we process the data provided to us in this context to process the communicated request; Legal basis: Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Video conferences, online meetings, webinars and screen sharing

We use platforms and applications of other providers (hereinafter referred to as “conference platforms”) for the purpose of conducting video and audio conferences, webinars and other types of video and audio meetings (hereinafter collectively referred to as “conference”). When selecting conference platforms and their services, we observe the legal requirements.

Data processed by conference platforms: In the context of participation in a conference, the conference platforms process the personal data of the participants listed below. The scope of the processing depends on the one hand on which data is required in the context of a specific conference (e.g. specification of access data or clear names) and which optional information is provided by the participants. In addition to processing for the purpose of holding the conference, the conference platforms may also process participants’ data for security purposes or service optimization. The processed data includes personal data (first name, surname), contact information (e-mail address, telephone number), access data (access codes or passwords), profile pictures, information on professional position/function, the IP address of the Internet access, information on the participants’ end devices, their operating system, the browser and its technical and language settings, information on the content of communication processes, i.e. entries in chats and audio and video data, as well as the use of other available functions (e.g. surveys). The content of communications is encrypted to the extent technically provided by the conference providers. If the participants are registered as users with the conference platforms, further data may be processed in accordance with the agreement with the respective conference provider.

Logging and recordings: If text entries, participation results (e.g. from surveys) and video or audio recordings are logged, this will be communicated transparently to the participants in advance and they will be asked for their consent where necessary.

Data protection measures for participants: Please note the details of the processing of your data by the conference platforms in their data protection notices and select the optimum security and data protection settings for you in the conference platform settings. Please also ensure data and privacy protection in the background of your recording for the duration of a video conference (e.g. by informing roommates, locking doors and using the function to make the background unrecognizable, if technically possible). Links to the conference rooms and access data may not be passed on to unauthorized third parties.

Notes on legal bases: If, in addition to the conference platforms, we also process users’ data and ask users for their consent to the use of the conference platforms or certain functions (e.g. consent to the recording of conferences), the legal basis for processing is this consent. Furthermore, our processing may be necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations (e.g. in participant lists, in the case of processing the results of discussions, etc.). Furthermore, user data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests in efficient and secure communication with our communication partners.

  • Processed data types: inventory data (e.g. names, addresses); contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers); content data (e.g. entries in online forms); usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, consent status).
  • Data subjects: Communication partners; users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services). Persons depicted.
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations; contact requests and communication. Office and organizational procedures.
  • Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

Application procedure

The application process requires applicants to provide us with the data necessary for their assessment and selection. The information required can be found in the job description or, in the case of online forms, in the details provided there.

In principle, the required information includes personal details such as name, address, contact details and proof of the qualifications required for the position. On request, we will be happy to provide additional information.

If provided, applicants can send us their applications using an online form. The data is transmitted to us in encrypted form in accordance with the state of the art. Applicants can also send us their applications by e-mail. Please note, however, that e-mails are generally not sent in encrypted form on the Internet. As a rule, e-mails are encrypted in transit, but not on the servers from which they are sent and received. We can therefore accept no responsibility for the transmission path of the application between the sender and receipt on our server.

For the purposes of searching for applicants, submitting applications and selecting applicants, we may use applicant management or recruitment software and platforms and services from third-party providers in compliance with legal requirements.

Applicants are welcome to contact us about how to submit their application or send it to us by post.

Processing of special categories of data: Insofar as special categories of personal data (Art. 9 para. 1 GDPR, e.g. health data, such as severely disabled status or ethnic origin) are requested from applicants or communicated by them as part of the application procedure, their processing is carried out so that the controller or the data subject can exercise the rights arising from labor law and social security and social protection law and fulfill his or her obligations in this regard. In the case of the protection of vital interests of applicants or other persons or for the purposes of preventive health care or occupational medicine, for the assessment of the employee’s fitness for work, for medical diagnosis, for the provision of health or social care or treatment or for the management of health or social care systems and services.

Deletion of data: The data provided by applicants may be further processed by us for the purposes of the employment relationship in the event of a successful application. Otherwise, if the application for a job offer is not successful, the applicant’s data will be deleted. Applicants’ data will also be deleted if an application is withdrawn, which applicants are entitled to do at any time. The deletion takes place, subject to a justified revocation of the applicants, at the latest after the expiry of a period of six months, so that we can answer any follow-up questions about the application and fulfill our obligations to provide evidence from the regulations on equal treatment of applicants. Invoices for any travel expense reimbursements are archived in accordance with tax regulations.

Inclusion in an applicant pool: Inclusion in an applicant pool, if offered, is based on consent. Applicants are informed that their consent to inclusion in the talent pool is voluntary, has no influence on the ongoing application process and that they can revoke their consent at any time for the future.

  • Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses); contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers); content data (e.g. entries in online forms); applicant data (e.g. personal details, postal and contact addresses, the documents belonging to the application and the information contained therein, such as cover letter, CV, certificates and other personal or qualification information provided by applicants with regard to a specific position or voluntarily).
  • Data subjects: Applicants.
  • Purposes of processing: Application procedure (justification and possible subsequent implementation and possible subsequent termination of the employment relationship).
  • Legal basis: Application procedure as a pre-contractual or contractual relationship (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Web analysis, monitoring and optimization

Web analysis (also referred to as “reach measurement”) is used to evaluate the flow of visitors to our online offering and may include behavior, interests or demographic information about visitors, such as age or gender, as pseudonymous values. With the help of reach analysis, we can, for example, recognize at what time our online offer or its functions or content are most frequently used or invite reuse. We can also understand which areas need to be optimized.

In addition to web analysis, we may also use test procedures, e.g. to test and optimize different versions of our online offering or its components.

Unless otherwise stated below, profiles, i.e. data summarized for a usage process, can be created for these purposes and information can be stored in a browser or in an end device and read out from it. The information collected includes, in particular, websites visited and the elements used there, as well as technical information such as the browser used, the computer system used and information on usage times. If users have consented to the collection of their location data from us or from the providers of the services we use, location data may also be processed.

The IP addresses of users are also stored. However, we use an IP masking procedure (i.e. pseudonymization by shortening the IP address) to protect users. In general, no clear user data (such as e-mail addresses or names) is stored in the context of web analysis, A/B testing and optimization, but pseudonyms. This means that neither we nor the providers of the software used know the actual identity of the users, but only the information stored in their profiles for the purposes of the respective processes.

  • Processed data types: Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); meta, communication and procedural data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, consent status).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of Processing: Remarketing; Targeting; Web Analytics (e.g. access statistics, recognition of returning visitors); Profiles with user-related information (Creating user profiles); Clicktracking; A/B Tests; Feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form); Heatmaps (Mouse movements of the users, which are combined to an overall picture); Marketing. Provision of our online services and user-friendliness.
  • Security measures: IP masking (pseudonymization of the IP address).
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

  • Google Analytics: We use Google Analytics to measure and analyze the use of our online offering on the basis of a pseudonymous user identification number. This identification number does not contain any unique data, such as names or e-mail addresses. It is used to assign analysis information to an end device in order to recognize which content users have called up within one or more usage processes, which search terms they have used, which they have called up again or which they have interacted with our online offer. The time of use and its duration are also stored, as well as the sources of the users who refer to our online offer and technical aspects of their end devices and browsers.
    Pseudonymous profiles of users are created with information from the use of various devices, whereby cookies can be used. Google Analytics does not log or store individual IP addresses for EU users. However, Analytics provides rough geographic location data by deriving the following metadata from IP addresses: City (and the city’s inferred latitude and longitude), Continent, Country, Region, Subcontinent (and ID-based counterparts). In the case of EU data traffic, the IP address data is used exclusively for this derivation of geolocation data before it is immediately deleted. They are not logged, are not accessible and are not used for other purposes. When Google Analytics collects measurement data, all IP queries are performed on EU-based servers before the traffic is forwarded to Analytics servers for processing; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https://marketingplatform.google.com/intl/de/about/analytics/; Security measures: IP masking (pseudonymization of the IP address); Privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Data processing agreement: https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms/; Basis for third country transfer: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF), standard contractual clauses(https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms); opt-out option: Opt-out plugin: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de, Settings for the display of advertisements: https://myadcenter.google.com/personalizationoff. Further information: https://business.safety.google/adsservices/ (types of processing and data processed).
  • Notes on consent recipients: The consent given by users in the context of a consent dialog (also known as “cookie opt-in/consent”, ‘cookie banner’, etc.) serves several purposes. On the one hand, it serves us to fulfill our obligation to obtain consent to the storage and reading of information on and from the user’s end device (in accordance with ePrivacy guidelines). Secondly, it covers the processing of users’ personal data in accordance with data protection regulations. In addition, this consent also applies to Google, as the company is obliged under the Digital Markets Act to obtain consent for personalized services. We therefore share the status of the consents given by users with Google. Our consent management software informs Google whether consent has been granted or not. The aim is to ensure that the consents given or not given by users are taken into account when using Google Analytics and when integrating functions and external services. For example, user consents and their revocation in the context of Google Analytics and other Google services can be dynamically adjusted in our online offering depending on the user selection; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9976101?hl=de. Privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy.
  • Google Analytics (server-side use): We use Google Analytics to measure and analyze the use of our online services by users. Although user data is processed, it is not transmitted directly from the user’s device to Google. In particular, the IP address of the user is not transmitted to Google. Instead, the data is first transmitted to our server, where the user data records are assigned to our internal user identification number. The subsequent transmission only takes place in this pseudonymized form from our server to Google. The identification number does not contain any unique data, such as names or e-mail addresses. It is used to assign analysis information to an end device in order to recognize which content users have called up within one or more usage processes, which search terms they have used, which they have called up again or which they have interacted with our online offer. The time of use and its duration are also stored, as well as the sources of the users who refer to our online offer and technical aspects of their end devices and browsers. Pseudonymous profiles of users are created with information from the use of various devices, whereby cookies can be used. Analytics provides high-level geographic location data by collecting the following metadata from the IP search: “City” (and the derived latitude and longitude of the city), “Continent”, “Country”, “Region”, “Subcontinent” (and the ID-based equivalents); Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https://marketingplatform.google.com/intl/de/about/analytics/; Privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Data processing agreement: https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms/; basis for third country transfers: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF), standard contractual clauses(https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms/). Further information: https://business.safety.google/adsservices/ (types of processing and data processed).
  • Google Signals (Google Analytics function): Google signals are session data from websites and apps that Google associates with users who have signed in to their Google accounts and activated ad personalization. This assignment of data to these registered users is used to enable cross-device reports, cross-device remarketing and cross-device conversion measurement. These include: Cross-platform reporting – linking data about devices and activity from different sessions using your User ID or Google Signals data, providing an understanding of user behavior at each step of the conversion process, from first contact to conversion and beyond; Remarketing with Google Analytics – creating remarketing audiences from Google Analytics data and sharing those audiences with linked advertising accounts; Demographics and interests – Google Analytics collects additional information about demographics and interests from users who are logged into their Google accounts and have ad personalization enabled; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/7532985?hl=de; Privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Data processing agreement: https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms; basis for third country transfers: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF), standard contractual clauses(https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms). Further information: https://business.safety.google/adsservices/ (types of processing and data processed).
  • Target group formation with Google Analytics: We use Google Analytics to display the ads placed by Google and its partners within advertising services only to those users who have also shown an interest in our online offering or who have certain characteristics (e.g. interests in certain topics or products determined on the basis of the websites visited) that we transmit to Google (so-called “remarketing” or “Google Analytics audiences”). With the help of remarketing audiences, we also want to ensure that our ads correspond to the potential interest of users; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https://marketingplatform.google.com; Legal basis: https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms/; Privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Data processing agreement: https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms/; Basis for transfer to third countries: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF); Further information: Types of processing and data processed: https://business.safety.google/adsservices/. Data processing conditions for Google advertising products and standard contractual clauses for third country transfers of data: https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms.
  • No collection of detailed location and device data (Google Analytics function): No detailed location and device data is collected (further information: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/12017362).
  • Google Tag Manager: Google Tag Manager is a solution with which we can manage so-called website tags via an interface and thus integrate other services into our online offer (please refer to further information in this data protection declaration). The Tag Manager itself (which implements the tags) therefore does not yet create user profiles or store cookies, for example. Google only learns the IP address of the user, which is necessary to run the Google Tag Manager; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https://marketingplatform.google.com; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Data processing agreement:
    https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms. Basis for third country transfers: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF), standard contractual clauses(https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms).
  • Mouseflow: Data processing serves the purpose of analyzing websites and their visitors (heat maps and click tracking). Cookies can be used for this purpose and user profiles can be created. This creates a log of mouse movements and clicks with the intention of randomly playing back individual website visits and deriving potential improvements for the website. The data collected with Mouseflow will not be used to personally identify the user without the user’s separate consent and will not be merged with personal data about the bearer of the pseudonym; Service provider: Mouseflow ApS, Flaesketorvet 68, 1711 Copenhagen, Denmark; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https://mouseflow.com/de/; Privacy Policy: https://mouseflow.com/legal/visitor/. Option to object (opt-out): https://mouseflow.com/de/opt-out/.

Online marketing

We process personal data for online marketing purposes, which may include in particular the marketing of advertising space or the presentation of advertising and other content (collectively referred to as “content”) based on the potential interests of users and the measurement of its effectiveness.

For these purposes, so-called user profiles are created and stored in a file (so-called “cookie”) or similar procedures are used by means of which the user data relevant for the presentation of the aforementioned content is stored. This information may include, for example, content viewed, websites visited, online networks used, but also communication partners and technical information such as the browser used, the computer system used and information on usage times and functions used. If users have consented to the collection of their location data, this can also be processed.

The IP addresses of users are also stored. However, we use available IP masking procedures (i.e. pseudonymization by shortening the IP address) to protect users. In general, no clear user data (such as e-mail addresses or names) is stored as part of the online marketing process, but pseudonyms. This means that neither we nor the providers of the online marketing processes know the actual identity of the users, but only the information stored in their profiles.

The information in the profiles is generally stored in cookies or by means of similar procedures. These cookies can later generally also be read on other websites that use the same online marketing procedure and analyzed for the purpose of displaying content as well as supplemented with further data and stored on the server of the online marketing procedure provider.

As an exception, clear data can be assigned to the profiles. This is the case, for example, if the users are members of a social network whose online marketing processes we use and the network links the user profiles with the aforementioned data. Please note that users can make additional agreements with the providers, e.g. by giving their consent during registration.

We only receive access to summarized information about the success of our advertisements. However, as part of so-called conversion measurements, we can check which of our online marketing processes have led to a so-called conversion, i.e., for example, to the conclusion of a contract with us. Conversion measurement is used solely to analyze the success of our marketing measures.

Unless otherwise stated, we ask you to assume that cookies used are stored for a period of two years.

  • Processed data types: Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); meta, communication and procedural data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, consent status).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of Processing: Web Analytics (e.g. access statistics, recognition of returning visitors); Targeting (e.g. profiling based on interests and behavior, use of cookies); Marketing; Profiles with user-related information (Creating user profiles); Conversion tracking (Measurement of the effectiveness of marketing activities); Provision of our online services and usability. Remarketing.
  • Security measures: IP masking (pseudonymization of the IP address).
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
  • Possibility of objection (opt-out): We refer to the data protection notices of the respective providers and the objection options (so-called “opt-out”) specified for the providers. If no explicit opt-out option has been specified, you have the option of deactivating cookies in your browser settings. However, this may limit the functions of our online offer. We therefore recommend the following additional opt-out options, which are offered in summary form for the respective areas:

    a) Europe: https://www.youronlinechoices.eu.
    b) Canada: https://www.youradchoices.ca/choices.
    c) USA: https://www.aboutads.info/choices.
    d) Cross-territory: https://optout.aboutads.info.

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

  • Google Ad Manager: We use the “Google Ad Manager” service to place ads in the Google advertising network (e.g. in search results, in videos, on websites, etc.). The Google Ad Manager is characterized by the fact that ads are displayed in real time based on the presumed interests of users. This allows us to display ads for our online offering to users who may have a potential interest in our offering or have previously shown an interest in it, and to measure the success of the ads; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://marketingplatform.google.com; Privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for third country transfer: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF); Further information: Types of processing and data processed: https://business.safety.google/adsservices/; Data processing conditions for Google advertising products: Information on the services Data processing terms between controllers and standard contractual clauses for third country transfers of data: https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms. where Google acts as a processor, data processing terms for Google advertising products and standard contractual clauses for third country transfers of data: https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms.
  • AdMob: Platform for the display of advertising content in mobile applications; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https://admob.google.com/home/; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for transfer to third countries: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF), Standard Contractual Clauses(https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms/). Further information: Processing by Google as controller: https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms/.
  • Google Ads and conversion measurement: online marketing process for the purpose of placing content and ads within the service provider’s advertising network (e.g. in search results, in videos, on websites, etc.) so that they are displayed to users who are presumed to be interested in the ads. In addition, we measure the conversion of the ads, i.e. whether users have taken them as an opportunity to interact with the ads and use the advertised offers (so-called conversion). However, we only receive anonymous information and no personal information about individual users; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://marketingplatform.google.com; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for third country transfers: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF); Further information: Types of processing and data processed: https://business.safety.google/adsservices/. Data processing conditions between controllers and standard contractual clauses for third country transfers of data: https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms.
  • Google Ads Remarketing: Google Remarketing, also known as retargeting, is a technology that allows users who use an online service to be added to a pseudonymous remarketing list so that users can be shown ads on other online offers based on their visit to the online service; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https://marketingplatform.google.com; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for third country transfers: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF); Further information: Types of processing and data processed: https://business.safety.google/adsservices/. Data processing conditions between controllers and standard contractual clauses for third country transfers of data: https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms.
  • Extended conversions for Google Ads: If customers click on our Google ads and subsequently use the advertised service (so-called “conversion”), the data entered by the user, such as the e-mail address, name, home address or telephone number, can be transmitted to Google. The hash values are then compared with existing Google accounts of the users in order to better evaluate and improve the interaction of the users with the ads (e.g. clicks or views) and thus their performance; legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR) .Website: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9888656.
  • Google Adsense with personalized ads: We use the Google Adsense service with personalized ads, with the help of which ads are displayed within our online offer and we receive remuneration for their display or other use; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https://marketingplatform.google.com; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for third country transfers: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF); Further information: Types of processing and data processed: https://business.safety.google/adsservices/. Data processing conditions for Google advertising products: Information on the services Data processing terms between controllers and standard contractual clauses for third country transfers of data: https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms.
  • Google Adsense with non-personalized ads: We use the Google Adsense service with non-personalized ads, with the help of which ads are displayed within our online offer and we receive remuneration for their display or other use; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https://marketingplatform.google.com; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for third country transfers: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF); Further information: Types of processing and data processed: https://business.safety.google/adsservices/. Google Ads Controller-Controller Data Protection Terms and standard contractual clauses for data transfers to third countries: https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms.

Customer reviews and evaluation process

We take part in review and evaluation processes in order to evaluate, optimize and promote our services. If users rate us or otherwise provide feedback via the evaluation platforms or procedures involved, the general terms and conditions or terms of use and the providers’ data protection notices also apply. As a rule, the evaluation also requires registration with the respective provider.

In order to ensure that the reviewers have actually used our services, we transmit the necessary data relating to the customer and the service used (including name, email address and order number or item number) to the relevant review platform with the customer’s consent. This data is used solely to verify the authenticity of the user.

  • Processed data types: Contract data (e.g. subject matter of the contract, duration, customer category); usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, consent status).
  • Data subjects: Customers; users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form). Marketing.
  • Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

  • Rating widget: We integrate so-called “rating widgets” into our online offering. A widget is a functional and content element integrated into our online offering that displays variable information. It can be displayed, for example, in the form of a seal or comparable element, sometimes also called a “badge”. Although the corresponding content of the widget is displayed within our online offering, it is retrieved from the servers of the respective widget provider at that moment. This is the only way to always show the current content, especially the current rating. For this purpose, a data connection must be established from the website accessed within our online offering to the server of the widget provider and the widget provider receives certain technical data (access data, including IP address), which is necessary so that the content of the widget can be delivered to the user’s browser. Furthermore, the widget provider receives information that users have visited our website. This information can be stored in a cookie and used by the widget provider to recognize which online offers participating in the evaluation process have been visited by the user. The information may be stored in a user profile and used for advertising or market research purposes; legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
  • Google Customer Reviews: Service for obtaining and/or presenting customer satisfaction and customer opinions; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.google.com/; Privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for third country transfer: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF); Further information: As part of the collection of customer reviews, an identification number and time for the business transaction to be evaluated, in the case of review requests sent directly to customers, the customer’s e-mail address and their country of residence as well as the review details themselves are processed; further information on the types of processing and the data processed: https://business.safety.google/adsservices/. Data processing conditions for Google advertising products: Information on the services Data processing terms between controllers and standard contractual clauses for third country transfers of data: https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms.

Presence in social networks (social media)

We maintain online presences within social networks and process user data in this context in order to communicate with the users active there or to offer information about us.

We would like to point out that user data may be processed outside the European Union. This may result in risks for users because, for example, it could make it more difficult to enforce users’ rights.

Furthermore, user data within social networks is generally processed for market research and advertising purposes. For example, user profiles can be created based on user behavior and the resulting interests of users. The user profiles can in turn be used, for example, to place advertisements within and outside the networks that presumably correspond to the interests of the users. For these purposes, cookies are usually stored on the user’s computer, in which the user’s usage behavior and interests are stored. Furthermore, data can also be stored in the user profiles independently of the devices used by the users (especially if the users are members of the respective platforms and are logged in to them).

For a detailed description of the respective forms of processing and the opt-out options, please refer to the data protection declarations and information provided by the operators of the respective networks.

In the case of requests for information and the assertion of data subject rights, we would also like to point out that these can be asserted most effectively with the providers. Only the providers have access to the users’ data and can take appropriate measures and provide information directly. If you still need help, you can contact us.

  • Processed data types: Contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers); Content data (e.g. entries in online forms); Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, consent status).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: contact requests and communication; feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form). Marketing.
  • Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

  • Facebook pages: Profiles within the social network Facebook; Service provider: Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.facebook.com; Privacy Policy: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy; Basis for third country transfers: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF), Standard Contractual Clauses(https://www.facebook.com/legal/EU_data_transfer_addendum); Further information: We are jointly responsible with Meta Platforms Ireland Limited for the collection (but not the further processing) of data of visitors to our Facebook page (so-called “fan page”). This data includes information about the types of content users view or interact with, or the actions they take (see “Things you and others do and provide” in the Facebook Data Policy: https://www.facebook.com/policy), as well as information about the devices used by the users (e.g. B. IP addresses, operating system, browser type, language settings, cookie data; see under “Device information” in the Facebook Data Policy: https://www.facebook.com/policy). As explained in the Facebook Data Policy under “How do we use this information?”, Facebook also collects and uses information to provide analytics services, known as “Page Insights”, for page operators to help them understand how people interact with their pages and the content associated with them. We have concluded a special agreement with Facebook (“Information on Page Insights”, https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/page_controller_addendum), which regulates in particular which security measures Facebook must observe and in which Facebook has agreed to fulfill the rights of data subjects (i.e. users can, for example, send information or deletion requests directly to Facebook). The rights of users (in particular to information, deletion, objection and complaint to the competent supervisory authority) are not restricted by the agreements with Facebook. Further information can be found in the “Information on Page Insights”(https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/information_about_page_insights_data). The joint controllership is limited to the collection by and transfer of data to Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, a company based in the EU. The further processing of the data is the sole responsibility of Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, which includes in particular the transmission of the data to the parent company Meta Platforms, Inc. in the USA.
  • LinkedIn: Social network; Service provider: LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.linkedin.com; Privacy policy: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy; Basis for third country transfer: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF), Standard Contractual Clauses(https://legal.linkedin.com/dpa); Opt-out: https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/guest-controls/retargeting-opt-out; Further information: We are jointly responsible with LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company for the collection (but not the further processing) of visitors’ data for the purpose of creating the “page insights” (statistics) of our LinkedIn profiles.
    This data includes information about the types of content that users view or interact with, or the actions they take, as well as information about the devices used by users (e.g. IP addresses, operating system, browser type, language settings, cookie data) and information from the users’ profile, such as job function, country, industry, hierarchy level, company size and employment status. Data protection information on the processing of user data by LinkedIn can be found in LinkedIn’s privacy policy: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy
    We have entered into a special agreement with LinkedIn Ireland (“Page Insights Joint Controller Addendum (the ‘Addendum’)”, https://legal.linkedin.com/pages-joint-controller-addendum), which regulates in particular which security measures LinkedIn must observe and in which LinkedIn has agreed to fulfill the rights of data subjects (i.e. users can, for example, send information or deletion requests directly to LinkedIn). The rights of users (in particular to information, deletion, objection and complaint to the competent supervisory authority) are not restricted by the agreements with LinkedIn. The joint controllership is limited to the collection of data by and transfer to Ireland Unlimited Company, a company based in the EU. The further processing of the data is the sole responsibility of Ireland Unlimited Company, which in particular concerns the transmission of the data to the parent company LinkedIn Corporation in the USA.
  • Xing: Social network; Service provider: New Work SE, Am Strandkai 1, 20457 Hamburg, Germany; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.xing.com/. Privacy Policy: https://privacy.xing.com/de/datenschutzerklaerung.

Plugins and embedded functions and content

We incorporate functional and content elements into our online offering that are obtained from the servers of their respective providers (hereinafter referred to as “third-party providers”). This may include, for example, graphics, videos or city maps (hereinafter uniformly referred to as “content”).

The integration always requires that the third-party providers of this content process the IP address of the user, as they would not be able to send the content to their browser without the IP address. The IP address is therefore required to display this content or function. We endeavor to only use content whose respective providers only use the IP address to deliver the content. Third-party providers may also use so-called pixel tags (invisible graphics, also known as “web beacons”) for statistical or marketing purposes. The “pixel tags” can be used to analyze information such as visitor traffic on the pages of this website. The pseudonymous information may also be stored in cookies on the user’s device and may contain, among other things, technical information about the browser and operating system, referring websites, time of visit and other information about the use of our online offer, as well as being linked to such information from other sources.

  • Processed data types: Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); metadata, communication data and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, consent status); inventory data (e.g. names, addresses); contact data (e.g. email, telephone numbers); content data (e.g. entries in online forms). Location data (information on the geographical position of a device or person).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness. Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations.
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

  • Integration of third-party software, scripts or frameworks (e.g. jQuery): We integrate software into our online offering that we retrieve from servers of other providers (e.g. function libraries that we use for the purpose of displaying or user-friendliness of our online offering). The respective providers collect the IP address of the user and can process it for the purpose of transmitting the software to the user’s browser and for security purposes, as well as for the evaluation and optimization of their offer. – We integrate software into our online offering that we retrieve from servers of other providers (e.g. function libraries that we use for the purpose of displaying or user-friendliness of our online offering). The respective providers collect the IP address of the users and may process it for the purpose of transmitting the software to the user’s browser and for security purposes, as well as for the evaluation and optimization of their offer; legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
  • Google Fonts (provision on own server): Provision of font files for the purpose of a user-friendly presentation of our online offer; Service provider: The Google Fonts are hosted on our server, no data is transmitted to Google; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
  • Font Awesome (provision on own server): Display of fonts and icons; Service provider: The Font Awesome icons are hosted on our server, no data is transmitted to the provider of Font Awesome; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
  • Google Maps: We integrate the maps of the “Google Maps” service of the provider Google. The processed data may include, in particular, IP addresses and user location data; Service provider: Google Cloud EMEA Limited, 70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https: //mapsplatform.google.com/; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy. Basis for third country transfers: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
  • Google Maps APIs and SDKs: Interfaces to Google’s map and location services, which allow, for example, the addition of address entries, location determination, distance calculations or the provision of supplementary information on locations and other places; Service provider: Google Cloud EMEA Limited, 70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https: //mapsplatform.google.com/; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy. Basis for third country transfers: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
  • reCAPTCHA: We integrate the “reCAPTCHA” function in order to be able to recognize whether entries (e.g. in online forms) are made by humans and not by automatically acting machines (so-called “bots”). The processed data may include IP addresses, information on operating systems, devices or browsers used, language settings, location, mouse movements, keyboard strokes, time spent on websites, previously visited websites, interactions with ReCaptcha on other websites, possibly cookies and results of manual recognition processes (e.g. answering questions asked or selecting objects in images). Data processing is carried out on the basis of our legitimate interest in protecting our online offering from abusive automated crawling and spam; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.google.com/recaptcha/; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for transfer to third countries: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Option to object (opt-out): Opt-out plugin: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de, settings for the display of advertisements: https://myadcenter.google.com/personalizationoff.
  • YouTube videos: Video content; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https://www.youtube.com; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for transfer to third countries: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Possibility of objection (opt-out): Opt-out plug-in: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de; Settings for the display of advertisements: https://myadcenter.google.com/personalizationoff.

Management, organization and support tools

We use services, platforms and software from other providers (hereinafter referred to as “third-party providers”) for the purposes of organizing, managing, planning and providing our services. When selecting third-party providers and their services, we observe the legal requirements.

In this context, personal data may be processed and stored on the servers of third-party providers. This may affect various data that we process in accordance with this privacy policy. This data may include, in particular, master data and contact data of users, data on transactions, contracts, other processes and their content.

If users are referred to the third-party providers or their software or platforms in the context of communication, business or other relationships with us, the third-party providers may process usage data and metadata for security purposes, service optimization or marketing purposes. We therefore ask you to observe the data protection notices of the respective third-party providers.

  • Processed data types: Content data (e.g. entries in online forms); usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); meta, communication and procedural data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, consent status).
  • Data subjects: Communication partners; users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations. Office and organizational procedures.

Amendment and updating of the privacy policy

We ask you to inform yourself regularly about the content of our privacy policy. We will adapt the privacy policy as soon as changes to the data processing we carry out make this necessary. We will inform you as soon as the changes require an act of cooperation on your part (e.g. consent) or other individual notification.

If we provide addresses and contact information of companies and organizations in this privacy policy, please note that the addresses may change over time and please check the information before contacting us.

Definitions of terms

This section provides you with an overview of the terms used in this privacy policy. Insofar as the terms are defined by law, their legal definitions apply. The following explanations, on the other hand, are primarily intended to aid understanding.

  • A/B tests: A/B tests are used to improve the user-friendliness and performance of online offers. For example, users are shown different versions of a website or its elements, such as input forms, on which the placement of the content or the labels of the navigation elements may differ. Subsequently, user behavior, e.g. longer time spent on the website or more frequent interaction with the elements, can be used to determine which of these websites or elements are more likely to meet the needs of the users.
  • Credit information: Automated decisions are based on automatic data processing without human intervention (e.g. in the case of an automatic rejection of a purchase on account, an online credit application or an online application procedure without any human intervention). According to Art. 22 GDPR, such automated decisions are only permitted if the data subject consents, if they are necessary for the performance of a contract or if national laws permit these decisions.
  • Heatmaps: “Heatmaps” are user mouse movements that are summarized into an overall picture, which can be used, for example, to recognize which website elements are preferred and which website elements users prefer less.
  • Click tracking: Click tracking makes it possible to monitor the movements of users within an entire online offering. Since the results of these tests are more accurate if the interaction of the users can be tracked over a certain period of time (e.g. so that we can find out whether a user likes to return), cookies are usually stored on the users’ computers for these test purposes.
  • Conversion measurement: Conversion measurement (also known as “visit action evaluation”) is a procedure that can be used to determine the effectiveness of marketing measures. For this purpose, a cookie is usually stored on the user’s device within the websites on which the marketing measures are carried out and then retrieved again on the target website. For example, we can track whether the ads we have placed on other websites have been successful.
  • Personal data: “Personal data” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter referred to as “data subject”); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier (e.g. a cookie) or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.
  • Profiles with user-related information: The processing of “profiles with user-related information”, or “profiles” for short, includes any type of automated processing of personal data that consists of using this personal data to analyze, evaluate or predict certain personal aspects relating to a natural person (depending on the type of profiling, this may include various information relating to demographics, behavior and interests, such as interaction with websites and their content, etc.) (e.g. interests in certain content or products, click behavior on a website or location). Cookies and web beacons are often used for profiling purposes.
  • Reach measurement: Reach measurement (also known as web analytics) is used to evaluate the flow of visitors to an online offering and can include the behavior or interests of visitors in certain information, such as website content. With the help of reach analysis, operators of online offerings can, for example, recognize at what time users visit their websites and what content they are interested in. This enables them, for example, to better adapt the content of their websites to the needs of their visitors. For the purposes of reach analysis, pseudonymous cookies and web beacons are often used to recognize returning visitors and thus obtain more precise analyses of the use of an online offer.
  • Remarketing: The term “remarketing” or “retargeting” is used when, for example, it is noted for advertising purposes which products a user was interested in on a website in order to remind the user of these products on other websites, e.g. in advertisements.
  • Location data: Location data is generated when a mobile device (or another device with the technical requirements for location determination) connects to a radio cell, a WLAN or similar technical means and functions of location determination. Location data is used to indicate the geographically determinable position on earth at which the respective device is located. Location data can be used, for example, to display map functions or other information dependent on a location.
  • Tracking: The term “tracking” is used when the behavior of users can be tracked across several online offers. As a rule, behavioral and interest information is stored in cookies or on the servers of the providers of the tracking technologies with regard to the online offers used (so-called profiling). This information can then be used, for example, to display advertisements to users that are likely to match their interests.
  • Controller: The term “controller” refers to the natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data.
  • Processing: “Processing” means any operation or set of operations which is performed on personal data, whether or not by automated means. The term is broad and covers practically every handling of data, be it collection, analysis, storage, transmission or deletion.
  • Target group formation: Custom audiences are defined as target groups for advertising purposes, e.g. the display of advertisements. For example, based on a user’s interest in certain products or topics on the Internet, it can be concluded that this user is interested in advertisements for similar products or the online store in which they viewed the products. The term “lookalike audiences” (or similar target groups) is used when the content deemed suitable is displayed to users whose profiles or interests presumably correspond to the users for whom the profiles were created. Cookies and web beacons are generally used for the purpose of creating custom audiences and lookalike audiences.

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