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Privacy Policy

Information on the protection of your personal data

This privacy policy informs you about the nature, scope and purpose of the processing of personal data (hereinafter referred to as "data") within our online offering and the associated websites, functions and content, as well as external online presences, such as our social media profiles (hereinafter collectively referred to as "online offering").

The privacy policy for our apps can be found here.

Responsible Party

Simon-Daniel, März / ProjectMakers
Steinweg 2
34376 Immenhausen
Germany

Email address: [email protected]
Managing Director/Owner: Simon-Daniel, März

Link to imprint: https://projectmakers.de/impressum

Types of Data Processed:

  • Inventory data (e.g., names, addresses).
  • Contact data (e.g., email, phone numbers).
  • Content data (e.g., text entries, photographs, videos).
  • Usage data (e.g., websites visited, interest in content, access times).
  • Meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses).

Categories of Affected Persons

Visitors and users of the online offering (hereinafter we also refer to the affected persons collectively as "users").

Purpose of Processing

  • Provision of the online offering, its functions and content.
  • Responding to contact inquiries and communication with users.
  • Security measures.
  • Reach measurement/Marketing

Terminology Used

"Personal data" means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter "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. cookie) or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.

"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 encompasses practically any handling of data.

"Pseudonymisation" means the processing of personal data in such a manner that the personal data can no longer be attributed to a specific data subject without the use of additional information, provided that such additional information is kept separately and is subject to technical and organisational measures to ensure that the personal data are not attributed to an identified or identifiable natural person.

"Profiling" means any form of automated processing of personal data consisting of the use of personal data to evaluate certain personal aspects relating to a natural person, in particular to analyse or predict aspects concerning that natural person's performance at work, economic situation, health, personal preferences, interests, reliability, behaviour, location or movements.

"Controller" means 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.

"Processor" means a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which processes personal data on behalf of the controller.

Relevant Legal Bases

In accordance with Art. 13 GDPR, we inform you of the legal bases of our data processing. If the legal basis is not mentioned in the privacy policy, the following applies: The legal basis for obtaining consent is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a and Art. 7 GDPR, the legal basis for processing to fulfil our services and carry out contractual measures as well as to respond to inquiries is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b GDPR, the legal basis for processing to fulfil our legal obligations is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. c GDPR, and the legal basis for processing to protect our legitimate interests is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR. In the event that vital interests of the data subject or another natural person require the processing of personal data, Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. d GDPR serves as the legal basis.

Security Measures

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures in accordance with Art. 32 GDPR, taking into account the state of the art, the costs of implementation and the nature, scope, circumstances and purposes of processing as well as the different likelihood and severity of the risk 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 access to the data, as well as access to, input, disclosure, ensuring availability and separation of data. Furthermore, we have established procedures to ensure the exercise of data subject rights, deletion of data and response to data threats. We also take the protection of personal data into account from the outset in the development or selection of hardware, software and procedures, in accordance with the principle of data protection by design and by default (Art. 25 GDPR).

Cooperation with Processors and Third Parties

If, in the course of our processing, we disclose data to other persons and companies (processors or third parties), transmit data to them or otherwise grant them access to the data, this is only done on the basis of a legal permission (e.g. if a transmission of data to third parties, such as payment service providers, pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b GDPR is necessary for contract fulfilment), you have consented, a legal obligation provides for this, or on the basis of our legitimate interests (e.g. when using agents, web hosts, etc.).

If we commission third parties to process data on the basis of a so-called "data processing agreement", this is done on the basis of Art. 28 GDPR.

Transfers to Third Countries

If we process data in a third country (i.e. outside the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA)) or if this occurs in the context of using third-party services or disclosure or transmission of data to third parties, this only takes place if it is done to fulfil our (pre)contractual obligations, on the basis of your consent, due to a legal obligation or on the basis of our legitimate interests. Subject to legal or contractual permissions, we process or have data processed in a third country only if the special conditions of Art. 44 ff. GDPR are met. I.e. processing takes place, for example, on the basis of special guarantees, such as the officially recognised determination of a level of data protection corresponding to that of the EU (e.g. for the USA through the "Privacy Shield") or compliance with officially recognised special contractual obligations (so-called "standard contractual clauses").

Rights of Data Subjects

You have the right to request confirmation as to whether data in question is being processed and to information about this data as well as to further information and a copy of the data in accordance with Art. 15 GDPR.

You have the right in accordance with Art. 16 GDPR to request the completion of data concerning you or the correction of inaccurate data concerning you.

You have the right in accordance with Art. 17 GDPR to request that data concerned be deleted immediately, or alternatively to request a restriction of the processing of the data in accordance with Art. 18 GDPR.

You have the right to request that the data concerning you that you have provided to us be received in accordance with Art. 20 GDPR and to request its transmission to other controllers.

You also have the right pursuant to Art. 77 GDPR to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.

Right of Withdrawal

You have the right to withdraw consent granted pursuant to Art. 7 Para. 3 GDPR with effect for the future.

Right to Object

You can object to the future processing of data concerning you at any time in accordance with Art. 21 GDPR. The objection may in particular be made against processing for the purposes of direct marketing.

Cookies and Right to Object to Direct Marketing

"Cookies" are small files that are stored on users' computers. Different information can be stored within cookies. A cookie primarily serves to store information about a user (or the device on which the cookie is stored) during or after their visit to an online offering. Temporary cookies, or "session cookies" or "transient cookies", are cookies that are deleted after a user leaves an online offering and closes their browser. Such a cookie may store, for example, the contents of a shopping cart in an online shop or a login status. "Permanent" or "persistent" cookies are cookies that remain stored even after the browser is closed. For example, the login status can be saved if users visit the site after several days. The interests of users can also be stored in such a cookie, which are used for reach measurement or marketing purposes. "Third-party cookies" are cookies offered by providers other than the controller operating the online offering (otherwise, if they are only its cookies, they are referred to as "first-party cookies").

We may use temporary and permanent cookies and will clarify this in our privacy policy.

If users do not want cookies to be stored on their computer, they are asked to deactivate the corresponding option in their browser's system settings. Stored cookies can be deleted in the browser's system settings. The exclusion of cookies may lead to functional restrictions of this online offering.

A general objection to the use of cookies used for online marketing purposes can be declared for a large number of services, especially in the case of tracking, via the US site http://www.aboutads.info/choices/ or the EU site http://www.youronlinechoices.com/. Furthermore, the storage of cookies can be prevented by disabling them in the browser settings. Please note that in this case not all functions of this online offering may be available.

Deletion of Data

The data processed by us will be deleted or restricted in its processing in accordance with Art. 17 and 18 GDPR. Unless expressly stated in this privacy policy, the data stored by us will be deleted as soon as it is no longer required for its intended purpose and the deletion does not conflict with any statutory retention obligations. If the data is not deleted because it is required for other legally permissible purposes, its processing will be restricted. I.e. the data will be blocked and not processed for other purposes. This applies, for example, to data that must be retained for commercial or tax law reasons.

According to legal requirements in Germany, retention is in particular for 10 years pursuant to §§ 147 Para. 1 AO, 257 Para. 1 No. 1 and 4, Para. 4 HGB (books, records, management reports, accounting vouchers, commercial books, documents relevant for taxation, etc.) and 6 years pursuant to § 257 Para. 1 No. 2 and 3, Para. 4 HGB (commercial letters).

According to legal requirements in Austria, retention is in particular for 7 years pursuant to § 132 Para. 1 BAO (accounting documents, receipts/invoices, accounts, vouchers, business papers, statements of income and expenditure, etc.), for 22 years in connection with real estate and for 10 years for documents in connection with electronically provided services, telecommunications, radio and television services provided to non-entrepreneurs in EU member states for which the Mini-One-Stop-Shop (MOSS) is used.

Order Processing in Online Shop and Customer Account

We process the data of our customers in the context of orders in our online shop to enable them to select and order the chosen products and services, as well as their payment and delivery or execution.

The processed data includes inventory data, communication data, contract data, payment data, and the persons affected by the processing include our customers, prospects and other business partners. The processing is carried out for the purpose of providing contractual services in the operation of an online shop, billing, delivery and customer services. We use session cookies for storing shopping cart contents and permanent cookies for storing login status.

The processing takes place on the basis of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b (execution of orders) and c (legally required archiving) GDPR. The information marked as required is necessary for the establishment and fulfilment of the contract. We only disclose data to third parties in the context of delivery, payment or within the framework of legal permissions and obligations to legal advisors and authorities. Data is only processed in third countries if this is necessary for contract fulfilment (e.g. at the customer's request for delivery or payment).

Users can optionally create a user account where they can view their orders in particular. During registration, the required mandatory information is communicated to users. User accounts are not public and cannot be indexed by search engines. If users have cancelled their user account, their data regarding the user account will be deleted, subject to retention being necessary for commercial or tax law reasons pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. c GDPR. Information in the customer account remains until its deletion with subsequent archiving in the case of a legal obligation. It is the responsibility of users to secure their data before the end of the contract in the event of cancellation.

During registration and subsequent logins as well as use of our online services, we store the IP address and the time of the respective user action. Storage is based on our legitimate interests as well as those of users in protection against misuse and other unauthorised use. This data is generally not passed on to third parties unless it is necessary to pursue our claims or there is a legal obligation pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. c GDPR.

Deletion takes place after the expiry of statutory warranty and comparable obligations; the necessity of retaining the data is reviewed every three years; in the case of statutory archiving obligations, deletion takes place after their expiry (end of commercial (6 years) and tax (10 years) retention obligation).

Therapeutic Services and Coaching

We process the data of our clients and interested parties and other principals or contractual partners (uniformly referred to as "clients") in accordance with Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b) GDPR in order to provide them with our contractual or pre-contractual services. The data processed, the nature, scope and purpose and the necessity of their processing are determined by the underlying contractual relationship. The processed data generally includes inventory and master data of clients (e.g., name, address, etc.), as well as contact data (e.g., email address, telephone, etc.), contract data (e.g., services used, fees, names of contact persons, etc.) and payment data (e.g., bank details, payment history, etc.).

In the course of our services, we may also process special categories of data pursuant to Art. 9 Para. 1 GDPR, in particular information on the health of clients, possibly with reference to their sex life or sexual orientation, ethnic origin or religious or ideological beliefs. For this purpose, we obtain, where necessary, pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a., Art. 7, Art. 9 Para. 2 lit. a. GDPR, an express consent of the clients and otherwise process the special categories of data for the purposes of healthcare on the basis of Art. 9 Para. 2 lit h. GDPR, § 22 Para. 1 No. 1 b. BDSG.

If necessary for contract fulfilment or required by law, we disclose or transmit client data in the context of communication with other professionals, to third parties necessarily or typically involved in contract fulfilment, such as billing offices or comparable service providers, provided this serves the provision of our services pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit b. GDPR, is prescribed by law pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit c. GDPR, serves our interests or those of clients in efficient and cost-effective healthcare as a legitimate interest pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit f. GDPR, or is necessary pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit d. GDPR to protect vital interests of clients or another natural person, or within the framework of consent pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a., Art. 7 GDPR.

Data is deleted when it is no longer required to fulfil contractual or statutory duty of care obligations and to deal with any warranty and comparable obligations, whereby the necessity of retaining the data is reviewed every three years; otherwise, the statutory retention obligations apply.

External Payment Service Providers

We use external payment service providers through whose platforms users and we can carry out payment transactions (e.g., each with a link to the privacy policy, Paypal, Klarna, Skrill, Giropay, Visa, Mastercard, American Express)

In the context of fulfilling contracts, we use payment service providers on the basis of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b. GDPR. Furthermore, we use external payment service providers on the basis of our legitimate interests pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f. GDPR in order to offer our users effective and secure payment options.

The data processed by payment service providers includes inventory data, such as name and address, bank data, such as account numbers or credit card numbers, passwords, TANs and checksums, as well as contract, sum and recipient-related information. The information is necessary to carry out transactions. However, the data entered is only processed and stored by the payment service providers. I.e. we do not receive any account or credit card related information, but only information with confirmation or negative information about the payment. Under certain circumstances, data may be transmitted to credit agencies by payment service providers. This transmission is intended for identity and credit checks. For this we refer to the terms and conditions and privacy notices of the payment service providers.

The terms and conditions and privacy notices of the respective payment service providers apply to payment transactions and can be accessed within the respective websites or transaction applications. We also refer to these for further information and the assertion of withdrawal, information and other data subject rights.

Administration, Financial Accounting, Office Organisation, Contact Management

We process data in the context of administrative tasks and the organisation of our business, financial accounting and compliance with legal obligations, such as archiving. We process the same data that we process in the course of providing our contractual services. The processing bases are Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. c. GDPR, Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f. GDPR. Customers, prospects, business partners and website visitors are affected by the processing. The purpose and our interest in the processing lies in administration, financial accounting, office organisation, data archiving, i.e. tasks that serve to maintain our business activities, perform our tasks and provide our services. The deletion of data with regard to contractual services and contractual communication corresponds to the information stated in these processing activities.

We disclose or transmit data to the tax authorities, advisors such as tax consultants or auditors, as well as other fee offices and payment service providers.

Furthermore, on the basis of our business interests, we store information about suppliers, event organisers and other business partners, e.g. for the purpose of later contact. This predominantly company-related data is generally stored permanently.

Business Analysis and Market Research

In order to operate our business economically and to identify market trends, wishes of contractual partners and users, we analyse the data available to us on business transactions, contracts, inquiries, etc. We process inventory data, communication data, contract data, payment data, usage data, metadata on the basis of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f. GDPR, whereby the affected persons include contractual partners, prospects, customers, visitors and users of our online offering.

The analyses are carried out for the purpose of business evaluations, marketing and market research. We may take into account the profiles of registered users with information, e.g. on services they have used. The analyses serve to increase user-friendliness, optimise our offering and improve business efficiency. The analyses serve us alone and are not disclosed externally unless they are anonymous analyses with aggregated values.

If these analyses or profiles are personal, they are deleted or anonymised upon cancellation by the user, otherwise after two years from the conclusion of the contract. Overall business analyses and general trend determinations are created anonymously where possible.

Participation in Affiliate Partner Programs

Within our online offering, we use industry-standard tracking measures on the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in the analysis, optimisation and economic operation of our online offering) pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR, insofar as these are necessary for the operation of the affiliate system. Below we explain the technical background to users.

The services offered by our contractual partners can also be advertised and linked on other websites (so-called affiliate links or after-buy systems, if, for example, links or services of third parties are offered after a contract has been concluded). The operators of the respective websites receive a commission when users follow the affiliate links and subsequently take up the offers.

In summary, it is necessary for our online offering that we can track whether users who are interested in affiliate links and/or the offers available from us subsequently take up the offers at the instigation of the affiliate links or our online platform. For this purpose, the affiliate links and our offers are supplemented with certain values that form part of the link or can be set elsewhere, e.g. in a cookie. The values include in particular the source website (referrer), time, an online identifier of the operator of the website on which the affiliate link was located, an online identifier of the respective offer, an online identifier of the user, as well as tracking-specific values such as advertising material ID, partner ID and categorisations.

The online identifiers of users that we use are pseudonymous values. I.e. the online identifiers do not themselves contain personal data such as names or email addresses. They only help us to determine whether the same user who clicked on an affiliate link or was interested in an offer via our online offering took up the offer, i.e. concluded a contract with the provider, for example. However, the online identifier is personal insofar as the partner company and also we have the online identifier together with other user data. Only in this way can the partner company tell us whether that user took up the offer and we can, for example, pay out the bonus.

Amazon Partner Program

On the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in the economic operation of our online offering within the meaning of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f. GDPR), we are a participant in the Amazon EU partner program, which was designed to provide a medium for websites through which advertising cost reimbursement can be earned by placing advertisements and links to Amazon.de (so-called affiliate system). I.e. as an Amazon partner, we earn from qualified purchases.

Amazon uses cookies to track the origin of orders. Among other things, Amazon can recognise that you clicked the partner link on this website and subsequently purchased a product on Amazon.

For further information on data use by Amazon and opt-out options, please see the company's privacy policy: https://www.amazon.de/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201909010.
Note: Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Privacy Notice for Application Process

We process applicant data only for the purpose and in the context of the application process in accordance with legal requirements. The processing of applicant data is carried out to fulfil our (pre)contractual obligations in the context of the application process within the meaning of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b. GDPR Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f. GDPR insofar as data processing becomes necessary for us, e.g. in the context of legal proceedings (in Germany, § 26 BDSG additionally applies).

The application process requires applicants to provide us with applicant data. The necessary applicant data are, if we offer an online form, marked, otherwise result from the job descriptions and generally include information about the person, postal and contact addresses and the documents belonging to the application, such as cover letter, CV and certificates. In addition, applicants can voluntarily provide us with additional information.

By submitting the application to us, applicants consent to the processing of their data for the purposes of the application process in accordance with the nature and scope set out in this privacy policy.

Insofar as special categories of personal data within the meaning of Art. 9 Para. 1 GDPR are voluntarily communicated in the course of the application process, their processing is additionally carried out in accordance with Art. 9 Para. 2 lit. b GDPR (e.g. health data such as severe disability status or ethnic origin). Insofar as special categories of personal data within the meaning of Art. 9 Para. 1 GDPR are requested from applicants in the course of the application process, their processing is additionally carried out in accordance with Art. 9 Para. 2 lit. a GDPR (e.g. health data if these are necessary for the practice of the profession).

If available, applicants can submit their applications via an online form on our website. The data is transmitted to us encrypted in accordance with the state of the art.

Applicants can also submit their applications to us via email. However, please note that emails are generally not sent encrypted and applicants themselves must ensure encryption. We can therefore not accept any responsibility for the transmission path of the application between the sender and receipt on our server and therefore recommend using an online form or postal delivery instead. Instead of applying via the online form and email, applicants still have the option of sending us their application by post.

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 unsuccessful, the applicant's data will be deleted. Applicant data is also deleted if an application is withdrawn, which applicants are entitled to do at any time.

Deletion takes place, subject to a legitimate revocation by applicants, after the expiry of a period of six months so that we can answer any follow-up questions regarding the application and fulfil our obligations to provide evidence under the Equal Treatment Act. Invoices for any travel cost reimbursements are archived in accordance with tax law requirements.

Registration Function

Users can create a user account. During registration, the required mandatory information is communicated to users and processed on the basis of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b GDPR for the purposes of providing the user account. The processed data includes in particular login information (name, password and an email address). The data entered during registration is used for the purposes of using the user account and its purpose.

Users can be informed by email about information relevant to their user account, such as technical changes. If users have cancelled their user account, their data regarding the user account will be deleted, subject to a statutory retention obligation. It is the responsibility of users to secure their data before the end of the contract in the event of cancellation. We are entitled to irretrievably delete all data stored during the term of the contract.

In the context of using our registration and login functions and the use of the user account, we store the IP address and the time of the respective user action. Storage is based on our legitimate interests as well as those of users in protection against misuse and other unauthorised use. This data is generally not passed on to third parties unless it is necessary to pursue our claims or there is a legal obligation pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. c. GDPR. IP addresses are anonymised or deleted after 7 days at the latest.

Comments and Posts

When users leave comments or other posts, their IP addresses may be stored on the basis of our legitimate interests within the meaning of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f. GDPR for 7 days. This is done for our security in case someone leaves unlawful content in comments and posts (insults, prohibited political propaganda, etc.). In this case, we ourselves can be held liable for the comment or post and are therefore interested in the identity of the author.

Furthermore, we reserve the right, on the basis of our legitimate interests pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f. GDPR, to process user data for the purpose of spam detection.

On the same legal basis, in the case of surveys, we reserve the right to store users' IP addresses for the duration thereof and to use cookies to avoid multiple voting.

The data provided in the context of comments and posts will be stored by us permanently until the user objects.

Akismet Anti-Spam Check

Our online offering uses the "Akismet" service offered by Automattic Inc., 60 29th Street #343, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA. The use is based on our legitimate interests within the meaning of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f) GDPR. With the help of this service, comments from real people are distinguished from spam comments. For this purpose, all comment data is sent to a server in the USA where it is analysed and stored for comparison purposes for four days. If a comment has been classified as spam, the data is stored beyond this period. This information includes the name entered, the email address, the IP address, the comment content, the referrer, information about the browser used and the computer system, and the time of entry.

For more information on the collection and use of data by Akismet, please see the privacy notices of Automattic: https://automattic.com/privacy/.

Users are welcome to use pseudonyms or to refrain from entering their name or email address. You can completely prevent the transmission of data by not using our comment system. That would be a shame, but unfortunately we see no alternatives that work equally effectively.

Retrieval of Profile Pictures from Gravatar

Within our online offering and in particular in the blog, we use the Gravatar service of Automattic Inc., 60 29th Street #343, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA.

Gravatar is a service where users can register and store profile pictures and their email addresses. When users leave posts or comments on other online presences (especially blogs) with the respective email address, their profile pictures can be displayed alongside the posts or comments. For this purpose, the email address communicated by the users is transmitted to Gravatar in encrypted form for the purpose of checking whether a profile is stored for it. This is the sole purpose of transmitting the email address and it is not used for other purposes but is deleted afterwards.

The use of Gravatar is based on our legitimate interests within the meaning of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f) GDPR, as we use Gravatar to offer post and comment authors the opportunity to personalise their posts with a profile picture.

By displaying the images, Gravatar obtains the users' IP address, as this is necessary for communication between a browser and an online service. For more information on the collection and use of data by Gravatar, please see the privacy notices of Automattic: https://automattic.com/privacy/.

If users do not want a user image linked to their email address at Gravatar to appear in the comments, they should use an email address that is not registered with Gravatar for commenting. We also point out that it is also possible to use an anonymous or no email address at all if users do not wish their own email address to be sent to Gravatar. Users can completely prevent the transmission of data by not using our comment system.

Retrieval of Emojis and Smileys

Within our WordPress blog, graphical emojis (or smileys), i.e. small graphic files that express feelings, are used which are obtained from external servers. The providers of the servers collect the IP addresses of users. This is necessary so that the emoji files can be transmitted to the users' browsers. The emoji service is offered by Automattic Inc., 60 29th Street #343, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA. Privacy notices of Automattic: https://automattic.com/privacy/. The server domains used are s.w.org and twemoji.maxcdn.com, which to our knowledge are so-called content delivery networks, i.e. servers that serve only for fast and secure transmission of files and whose personal data of users are deleted after transmission.

The use of emojis is based on our legitimate interests, i.e. interest in an attractive design of our online offering pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f. GDPR.

Contact

When contacting us (e.g. via contact form, email, telephone or via social media), the user's data is processed for the purpose of handling the contact inquiry and its processing pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b. (in the context of contractual/pre-contractual relationships), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f. (other inquiries) GDPR. User data may be stored in a Customer Relationship Management System ("CRM System") or comparable inquiry organisation.

We delete inquiries if they are no longer required. We review the necessity every two years; furthermore, the statutory archiving obligations apply.

Newsletter

With the following information, we inform you about the content of our newsletter as well as the registration, dispatch and statistical evaluation procedures and your rights of objection. By subscribing to our newsletter, you agree to the receipt and the procedures described.

Content of the newsletter: We send newsletters, emails and other electronic notifications with promotional information (hereinafter "newsletter") only with the consent of the recipients or legal permission. If the content of the newsletter is specifically described in the context of a registration, it is decisive for the consent of the users. In addition, our newsletters contain information about our services and us.

Double opt-in and logging: Registration for our newsletter takes place in a so-called double opt-in procedure. I.e. after registration you will receive an email asking you to confirm your registration. This confirmation is necessary so that no one can register with third- party email addresses. Newsletter registrations are logged in order to be able to prove the registration process in accordance with legal requirements. This includes the storage of the registration and confirmation time as well as the IP address. Changes to your data stored with the mailing service provider are also logged.

Registration data: To register for the newsletter, it is sufficient to provide your email address. Optionally, we ask you to provide a name for the purpose of personal address in the newsletter.

The dispatch of the newsletter and the associated success measurement are based on the consent of the recipients pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a, Art. 7 GDPR in conjunction with § 7 Para. 2 No. 3 UWG or, if consent is not required, on the basis of our legitimate interests in direct marketing pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lt. f. GDPR in conjunction with § 7 Para. 3 UWG.

The logging of the registration process is based on our legitimate interests pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR. Our interest is directed at the use of a user-friendly and secure newsletter system that serves both our business interests and the expectations of users and also allows us to provide evidence of consent.

Cancellation/Revocation – You can cancel the receipt of our newsletter at any time, i.e. revoke your consent. You will find a link to cancel the newsletter at the end of each newsletter. We may store the unsubscribed email addresses for up to three years on the basis of our legitimate interests before deleting them in order to be able to prove a previously given consent. The processing of this data is limited to the purpose of a possible defence against claims. An individual request for deletion is possible at any time, provided that the former existence of consent is confirmed at the same time.

Newsletter – Mailchimp

The newsletter is sent by the mailing service provider "MailChimp", a newsletter delivery platform of the US provider Rocket Science Group, LLC, 675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE #5000, Atlanta, GA 30308, USA. The privacy policy of the mailing service provider can be viewed here: https://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy/. The Rocket Science Group LLC d/b/a MailChimp is certified under the Privacy Shield agreement and thus offers a guarantee of compliance with the European level of data protection (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000TO6hAAG&status=Active). The mailing service provider is used on the basis of our legitimate interests pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f. GDPR and a data processing agreement pursuant to Art. 28 Para. 3 S. 1 GDPR.

The mailing service provider may use the data of the recipients in pseudonymous form, i.e. without assignment to a user, to optimise or improve its own services, e.g. for technical optimisation of sending and presentation of newsletters or for statistical purposes. However, the mailing service provider does not use the data of our newsletter recipients to write to them itself or to pass the data on to third parties.

Hosting and Email Delivery

The hosting services we use serve to provide the following services: infrastructure and platform services, computing capacity, storage space and database services, email delivery, security services and technical maintenance services that we use for the purpose of operating this online offering.

In doing so, we or our hosting provider process inventory data, contact data, content data, contract data, usage data, meta and communication data of customers, prospects and visitors to this online offering on the basis of our legitimate interests in efficient and secure provision of this online offering pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR in conjunction with Art. 28 GDPR (conclusion of data processing agreement).

Collection of Access Data and Log Files

We or our hosting provider collect data on every access to the server on which this service is located (so-called server log files) on the basis of our legitimate interests within the meaning of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f. GDPR. Access data includes the name of the accessed webpage, file, date and time of access, amount of data transferred, notification of successful access, browser type and version, the user's operating system, referrer URL (the previously visited page), IP address and the requesting provider.

Log file information is stored for security reasons (e.g. to investigate abuse or fraud) for a maximum of 7 days and then deleted. Data whose further retention is required for evidentiary purposes is exempt from deletion until the final clarification of the respective incident.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics, a web analytics service of Google LLC ("Google"), on the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in the analysis, optimisation and economic operation of our online offering within the meaning of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f. GDPR). Google uses cookies. The information generated by the cookie about the use of the online offering by users is usually transmitted to and stored on a Google server in the USA.

Google is certified under the Privacy Shield agreement and thus offers a guarantee of compliance with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI&status=Active).

Google will use this information on our behalf to evaluate the use of our online offering by users, to compile reports on activities within this online offering and to provide us with further services associated with the use of this online offering and internet usage. Pseudonymous usage profiles of users can be created from the processed data.

We only use Google Analytics with IP anonymisation activated. This means that the IP address of users is shortened by Google within member states of the European Union or in other contracting states of the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases is the full IP address transmitted to a Google server in the USA and shortened there.

The IP address transmitted by the user's browser is not merged with other Google data. Users can prevent the storage of cookies by setting their browser software accordingly; users can also prevent the collection of data generated by the cookie and related to their use of the online offering to Google as well as the processing of this data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plugin available at the following link: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de.

For further information on data use by Google, settings and opt-out options, please see Google's privacy policy (https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads) and the settings for the display of advertisements by Google (https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated).

The personal data of users is deleted or anonymised after 14 months.

Google Universal Analytics

We use Google Analytics in the form of "Universal Analytics". "Universal Analytics" refers to a Google Analytics procedure in which user analysis is based on a pseudonymous user ID and thus a pseudonymous profile of the user is created with information from the use of different devices (so-called "cross-device tracking").

Audience Building with Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to display advertisements placed within Google's and its partners' 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 advertisements correspond to the potential interest of users.

Jetpack (WordPress Stats)

On the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in the analysis, optimisation and economic operation of our online offering within the meaning of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f. GDPR), we use the Jetpack plugin (here the sub-function "Wordpress Stats"), which integrates a tool for statistical evaluation of visitor access and is from Automattic Inc., 60 29th Street #343, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA. Jetpack uses so-called "cookies", text files that are stored on your computer and that enable an analysis of the use of the website by you.

The information generated by the cookie about your use of this online offering is stored on a server in the USA. Usage profiles of users can be created from the processed data, which are only used for analysis and not for advertising purposes. For further information, please see the privacy policies of Automattic: https://automattic.com/privacy/ and notes on Jetpack cookies: https://jetpack.com/support/cookies/.

Online Presences on Social Media

We maintain online presences within social networks and platforms in order to communicate with customers, prospects and users active there and to inform them about our services.

We point out that user data may be processed outside the European Union. This may entail risks for users because, for example, the enforcement of users' rights could be more difficult. With regard to US providers certified under the Privacy Shield, we point out that they are committed to complying with EU data protection standards.

Furthermore, user data is generally processed for market research and advertising purposes. For example, usage profiles can be created from usage behaviour and the resulting interests of users. The usage profiles can in turn be used, for example, to place advertisements inside and outside the platforms that presumably correspond to the interests of users. For these purposes, cookies are generally stored on users' computers in which the usage behaviour and interests of users are stored. Furthermore, data independent of the devices used by users may also be stored in the usage profiles (especially if users are members of the respective platforms and are logged in to them).

The processing of users' personal data takes place on the basis of our legitimate interests in effective information of users and communication with users pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f. GDPR. If users are asked by the respective providers to consent to data processing (i.e. declare their consent, e.g. by ticking a checkbox or confirming a button), the legal basis of the processing is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a., Art. 7 GDPR.

For a detailed description of the respective processing and opt-out options, we refer to the information linked below from the providers.

Also in the case of requests for information and the assertion of user rights, we 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.

Integration of Third-Party Services and Content

Within our online offering, we use content or service offerings from third-party providers on the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in the analysis, optimisation and economic operation of our online offering within the meaning of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f. GDPR) in order to integrate their content and services, such as videos or fonts (hereinafter uniformly referred to as "content").

This always presupposes that the third-party providers of this content perceive the IP address of users, since without the IP address they could not send the content to their browsers. The IP address is therefore required for the display of this content. We endeavour to use only such content whose respective providers use the IP address solely for the delivery of the content. Third-party providers may also use so-called pixel tags (invisible graphics, also known as "web beacons") for statistical or marketing purposes. Through the "pixel tags", information such as visitor traffic on the pages of this website can be evaluated. 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 offering, as well as being linked to such information from other sources.

YouTube

We integrate videos from the "YouTube" platform of the provider Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Privacy policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.

Google Fonts

We integrate fonts ("Google Fonts") from the provider Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Privacy policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.

Google ReCaptcha

We integrate the bot detection function, e.g. for entries in online forms ("ReCaptcha") from the provider Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Privacy policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.

Use of Facebook Social Plugins

We use social plugins ("plugins") of the social network facebook.com, operated by Facebook Ireland Ltd., 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland ("Facebook"), on the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in the analysis, optimisation and economic operation of our online offering within the meaning of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f. GDPR).

These may include, for example, content such as images, videos or texts and buttons with which users can share content of this online offering within Facebook. The list and appearance of Facebook Social Plugins can be viewed here: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins/.

Facebook is certified under the Privacy Shield agreement and thus offers a guarantee of compliance with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000GnywAAC&status=Active).

When a user accesses a function of this online offering that contains such a plugin, their device establishes a direct connection with the Facebook servers. The content of the plugin is transmitted directly from Facebook to the user's device and integrated into the online offering. Usage profiles of users can be created from the processed data. We therefore have no influence on the scope of data that Facebook collects with the help of this plugin and inform users accordingly to the best of our knowledge.

By integrating the plugins, Facebook receives the information that a user has accessed the corresponding page of the online offering. If the user is logged into Facebook, Facebook can associate the visit with their Facebook account. When users interact with the plugins, for example by clicking the Like button or making a comment, the corresponding information is transmitted directly from your device to Facebook and stored there. If a user is not a member of Facebook, there is still the possibility that Facebook may obtain and store their IP address. According to Facebook, only an anonymised IP address is stored in Germany.

The purpose and scope of data collection and the further processing and use of data by Facebook, as well as the related rights and settings options for protecting the privacy of users, can be found in Facebook's privacy notices: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/.

If a user is a Facebook member and does not want Facebook to collect data about them via this online offering and link it to their membership data stored on Facebook, they must log out of Facebook before using our online offering and delete their cookies. Further settings and objections to the use of data for advertising purposes are possible within the Facebook profile settings: https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=ads or via the US site http://www.aboutads.info/choices/ or the EU site http://www.youronlinechoices.com/. The settings are platform-independent, i.e. they are applied for all devices such as desktop computers or mobile devices.

Twitter

Functions and content of the Twitter service, offered by Twitter Inc., 1355 Market Street, Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA, can be integrated within our online offering. This may include, for example, content such as images, videos or texts and buttons with which users can share content of this online offering within Twitter.

If users are members of the Twitter platform, Twitter can associate the access to the above-mentioned content and functions with the users' profiles there. Twitter is certified under the Privacy Shield agreement and thus offers a guarantee of compliance with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000TORzAAO&status=Active). Privacy policy: https://twitter.com/de/privacy, Opt-Out: https://twitter.com/personalization.

Instagram

Functions and content of the Instagram service, offered by Instagram Inc., 1601 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA, can be integrated within our online offering. This may include, for example, content such as images, videos or texts and buttons with which users can share content of this online offering within Instagram. If users are members of the Instagram platform, Instagram can associate the access to the above-mentioned content and functions with the users' profiles there. Instagram privacy policy: http://instagram.com/about/legal/privacy/.

Google+

Functions and content of the Google+ platform, offered by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA ("Google"), can be integrated within our online offering. This may include, for example, content such as images, videos or texts and buttons with which users can share content of this online offering within Google. If users are members of the Google+ platform, Google can associate the access to the above-mentioned content and functions with the users' profiles there.

Google is certified under the Privacy Shield agreement and thus offers a guarantee of compliance with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI&status=Active). For further information on data use by Google, settings and opt-out options, please see Google's privacy policy (https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads) and the settings for the display of advertisements by Google (https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated).