Legal Basis

The legal basis for the use of cookies that are strictly necessary for the website’s functionality (e.g., shopping cart cookie, session cookie) is Article 6(1)(f) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (Legitimate Interest in Data Processing). The legitimate interest arises from our need to provide you with a functioning website. Cookies are necessary because they are an integral part of current internet technology, and without cookies, many features of current websites would not be available. Therefore, we require cookies to be able to provide you with the website upon your request.

You can oppose the processing of your data based on our legitimate interest at any time under the conditions of Article 21 of the GDPR. Please use the contact details provided in the imprint for this purpose.

However, we would like to point out that the processing of your data in certain cookies is mandatory according to Article 21(1) of the GDPR, as the website cannot be operated otherwise, and we do not have the technical ability to prevent the setting of cookies on certain individual devices. You may be able to do this in your browser yourself. Please refer to your browser’s instructions for more information.

The legal basis for the use of cookies that are not strictly necessary for the website’s functionality is Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR (Consent of the Data Subject). When you first access the website, we ask for your consent to the use of non-essential cookies through a displayed message. You can revoke your consent at any time for the future by accessing the cookie banner again and changing the settings you have selected.

Web Storage

What Is Web Storage?

Web Storage is a technique for web applications that allows data to be stored in a web browser. Web Storage can be seen as an advancement of cookies, but it differs from them in several ways.

Unlike cookies, which can be accessed by both the server and the client, Web Storage is completely controlled by the client. This means that data is not transmitted to the server with each website visit. Access is solely local through scripts on the website. Specifically, this means that third-party access to the stored information through the website is excluded. Only you and we can access the locally stored data.

Legal Basis

The legal basis for the use of Web Storage that is strictly necessary for the website’s functionality is Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR (Legitimate Interest in Data Processing) and Section 25(2)(2) of the German Telemedia Act (TTDSG) (Unconditional Necessity for Providing a Telemedia Service Explicitly Desired by the User). The legitimate interest arises from our need to provide you with a functioning website. Web Storage is necessary because it is an integral part of current internet technology, and without it, many features of current websites would not be available. Therefore, we require Web Storage to be able to provide you with the website upon your request. You can oppose the processing of your data based on our legitimate interest at any time under the conditions of Article 21 of the GDPR. Please use the contact details provided in the imprint for this purpose.

However, we would like to point out that the processing of your data in Web Storage may be mandatory according to Article 21(1) of the GDPR, as the website cannot be operated otherwise, and we do not have the technical ability to prevent the use on certain individual devices. You may be able to do this in your browser yourself. Please refer to your browser’s instructions for more information.

The legal basis for the use of Web Storage that is not strictly necessary for the website’s functionality is Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR (Consent of the Data Subject). When you first access the website, we ask for your consent to the use of Web Storage through a displayed message. You can revoke your consent at any time for the future by accessing the cookie banner again and changing the settings you have selected.

Contacting Us

Our website offers ways to directly get in touch with us. The data you provide to us during your contact will be processed solely for the purpose of fulfilling the respective intent of your contact, unless legal retention periods oppose this. If the purpose of your contact is to assert data subject rights, the information provided in the section “Your Rights as a Data Subject” applies.

Regarding the provision of particularly sensitive personal data according to Article 9 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (e.g., health data), we emphasize that there are risks associated with transmitting such data over the internet, especially due to data interception or espionage. If you are uncertain about this, we recommend contacting us via postal mail or phone. The legal basis for using the particularly sensitive personal data you provide is Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR (Consent of the Data Subject). You can revoke your consent at any time for the future by using the contact details provided in the imprint.

The following data will be processed through the contact form:

Name, email address, optionally telephone number, address, and the content of the message.

The legal basis for using the data you transmit to us through the contact form in the context of contractual or pre-contractual relationships, or for answering (pre)contractual inquiries, is Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR (Data Processing for Contractual Fulfillment).

The legal basis for processing the data you transmit to us through contact in cases other than for contractual or pre-contractual purposes or inquiries is Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR (Legitimate Interest in Data Processing). Our legitimate interest in processing arises from our interest in responding to inquiries and maintaining user relationships.

You can object to the processing of your data based on our legitimate interest at any time under the conditions of Article 21 of the GDPR. Please use the contact details provided in the imprint for this purpose.

Third-Party Services

To simplify our data processing and expand the functionality of our website, we use services/resources from third parties, such as plugins, external content, software, or other external service providers (Services). Personal data may also be transmitted to the service provider. To protect your data, we have, if necessary according to Article 28 of the GDPR, contractually obligated the service providers to process your data only according to our instructions.

We expressly point out that we are only responsible for data collection and transmission by the service in accordance with the GDPR, and not for any potential subsequent processing by the respective service provider.

In detail, we use the following services:

Google Services

Our website uses the following services from Google Ireland Limited (“Google EU”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland. This company represents Google LLC (“Google US”), 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View, CA 94043, USA, in the EU. By using these services, data is transferred to Google EU and, under certain circumstances, from Google EU to Google US. The Google group may process the transmitted data to create anonymized user profiles for statistical purposes. Additionally, if you have a Google account and are logged in, Google may associate the transmitted data with your account across devices. We generally have no influence on this data processing. Google EU is responsible for this data processing.

Your data will only be transferred to Google if you expressly consent to the processing. By providing your consent, you acknowledge and agree to the data transfer to the USA as described under “Data Transfer to Third Countries outside the EU” according to Article 49(1)(a) of the GDPR.

For more information on how Google handles user data, please refer to Google’s Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy. You can find details of the concluded standard contractual clauses (ensuring an adequate level of data protection in third countries) here: https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/10042247?hl=en You can manage your Google ad settings on the following webpage: https://adssettings.google.com/?hl=en (This setting will be deleted if you delete your cookies).

We use:

Google DoubleClick

We utilize Google’s advertising service “DoubleClick.” DoubleClick offers digital advertising on the internet. The core of DoubleClick consists of ad servers that allow marketers, advertisers, and advertising networks to target users with targeted internet advertising. DoubleClick enables monetization of websites, execution of online campaigns, and establishment of advertising contacts. DoubleClick typically uses cookies to display relevant ads to users, improve campaign performance reports, or prevent a user from seeing the same ads repeatedly. Through a cookie ID, Google captures which ads are displayed in which browser and can prevent them from being displayed multiple times. Additionally, DoubleClick can capture conversions related to ad requests using cookie IDs. This occurs, for example, when a user sees a DoubleClick ad and later visits the advertiser’s website with the same browser and makes a purchase. According to Google, DoubleClick cookies do not contain personal information. Due to the marketing tools used, your browser automatically establishes a direct connection with Google’s server. We have no influence over the scope and further use of data collected by Google through the use of this tool and therefore inform you based on our current knowledge: By incorporating DoubleClick, Google receives information that you accessed the corresponding part of our website or clicked on an ad from us. If you are registered with a Google service, Google can associate the visit with your account. Even if you are not registered with Google or not logged in, it is possible that the provider will learn and store your IP address. You can prevent participation in this tracking procedure in several ways:

By configuring your browser software to not accept cookies (see above, “How to Avoid Cookies”),

By deactivating cookies for conversion tracking on the following webpage: https://www.google.com/settings/ads (This setting will be deleted if you delete your cookies), or

By permanently deactivating it in your browsers Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Google Chrome using this link: http://www.google.com/settings/ads/plugin. We advise you that in this case, you may not be able to fully utilize all the functions of our website. The legal basis for the use of Google DoubleClick is Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR (Consent of the Data Subject). When you first visit the website, we ask for your consent to use this service through a displayed message. You can revoke your consent at any time for the future by accessing the cookie banner again and changing your settings.

Google Fonts

Our website uses the external font service “Google Fonts” by Google. This service allows us to display our website uniformly and attractively across various user devices with different configurations by loading fonts from an external server instead of the user’s device. The required fonts are typically requested from a server by Google in the USA. As part of this request, the following information, among others, is transmitted to Google’s server and stored there: your IP address, product and version information about the browser and operating system used (so-called user agent), the internet page from which your access originated (so-called referer), date and time of the request, and, if applicable, your internet service provider. The legal basis for using Google Fonts is Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR (Consent of the Data Subject). When you first visit the website, we ask for your consent to use this service through a displayed message. You can revoke your consent at any time for the future by accessing the cookie banner again and changing your settings.

Google Maps

Our website uses the external map service “Google Maps” by Google. Google Maps is used to provide an interactive map on our website that shows you how to find and reach us. This service allows us to present our website in an attractive manner by loading map material from an external server. The required data is typically requested from a server by Google in the USA. Through this request, the following information, among others, is transmitted to Google’s server and stored there: your IP address, product and version information about the browser and operating system used (so-called user agent), the internet page from which your access originated (so-called referer), date and time of the request, and, if applicable, your internet service provider. The legal basis for using Google Maps is Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR (Consent of the Data Subject). When you first visit the website, we ask for your consent to use this service through a displayed message. You can revoke your consent at any time for the future by accessing the cookie banner again and changing your settings.

YouTube

Our website uses the support service “Google Tag Manager” by Google. This service does not process personal data itself. However, the Google Tag Manager triggers scripts required by other services to collect data. The Google Tag Manager does not have access to this data.

Our website uses the video service “YouTube” by Google. YouTube is used to embed videos in various parts of our website. When videos are played, the following information is typically transmitted to a server of Google in the USA and stored there for several months: your IP address, product and version information about the browser and operating system used (so-called user agent), the internet page from which your access originated (so-called referer), date and time of the request, and, if applicable, your internet service provider. YouTube uses this data, among other things, to collect statistics and improve the service. The service stores and evaluates cookies (see “Cookies” above) on your end device. This service uses your browser’s Web Storage. More information about this can be found in the “Web Storage” section above. The legal basis for using YouTube is Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR (Consent of the Data Subject). When you first visit the website, we ask for your consent to use this service through a displayed message. You can revoke your consent at any time for the future by accessing the cookie banner again and changing your settings.

Hosting Services

Our website is hosted by an external provider. With each visit to the website, general information is automatically transmitted to the server from your browser (so-called server log files). For more information, please see above under “Server Log Files”. The legal basis for the use of hosting services and the associated processing of your data is Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR (Legitimate Interest in Data Processing), unless otherwise specified for the respective service. The legitimate interest arises from our need for a technically flawless presentation of our website without requiring in-depth knowledge of website programming and IT system maintenance. You can object to the processing of your data based on our legitimate interest at any time under the conditions of Article 21 of the GDPR. Please use the contact details provided in the imprint for this purpose.

We use:

Siteground Spain S.L.

Calle Prim 19

28004 Madrid, Spain

iThemes Security

We have integrated iThemes Security on this website. The provider is iThemes Media LLC, 1720 South Kelly Avenue Edmond, OK 73013, USA (hereinafter referred to as iThemes Security). iThemes Security is used to protect our website from unauthorized access or malicious cyber attacks. For this purpose, iThemes Security captures, among other things, your IP address, timing and source of login attempts, and log data (such as the browser used). iThemes Security is installed locally on our servers. iThemes Security transmits IP addresses of recurring attackers to a central database of iThemes in the USA (Network Brute Force Protection) to prevent such attacks in the future. The use of iThemes Security is based on Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the most effective protection of his website against cyber attacks. If corresponding consent has been requested, the processing is based exclusively on Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR; consent can be revoked at any time.

Content Delivery Networks

Our website uses so-called Content Delivery Networks (CDN). A CDN is a network of powerful servers that cache content at various locations around the world. A CDN has essentially two tasks: on the one hand, it should provide content in the shortest possible time and, on the other hand, relieve the web host by distributing the data traffic. CDNs transmit two types of content: static and dynamic content. Static content is delivered to all website visitors in the same form, such as video content from streaming services or code frameworks (e.g., JavaScript, jQuery). Dynamic content is initially adapted to the user and only created at the moment of the request. This includes content that is delivered through web applications, emails, or online shops and is personalized. In order to use the latter, information about the website visitor must first be transmitted to the CDN. This may also involve the transmission of personal data from you. With each use of the application, general information is automatically transmitted to the server from your browser (so-called server log files). For more information, please see above under “Server Log Files”.

We use:

jQuery

We use the CDN service “jQuery” from StackPath LLC (“StackPath”), 2021 McKinney Ave., Suite 1100, Dallas, TX 75201, USA. For more information about how user data is handled, please refer to StackPath’s privacy policy: https://www.stackpath.com/privacy-statement/. The legal basis for using jQuery is Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR (Consent of the Data Subject). When you first visit the website, we ask for your consent to use this service through a displayed message. You can revoke your consent at any time for the future by accessing the cookie banner again and changing your settings.

Analytics Tools

We utilize specific services that record data from website visitors and provide us with analysis. We use this data to improve our website, services, and offerings based on user behavior. In particular, the following information about visitor behavior can be collected: your IP address, product and version information about the browser and operating system used (so-called user agent), the website from which your access originated (so-called referer), date and time of the request, and potentially your internet service provider, approximate origin (country and city), language, clicks on content, and duration of views. The legal basis for using analytics tools is Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR (Consent of the Data Subject). When you first visit the website, we ask for your consent to use this service through a displayed message. You can revoke your consent at any time for the future by accessing the cookie banner again and changing your settings.

We use:

Matomo (formerly Piwik)

Our website uses the service “Matomo” (formerly “Piwik”) from InnoCraft Ltd. (InnoCraft), 150 Willis St, 6011 Wellington, New Zealand. Matomo is a so-called web analytics service. Matomo uses a so-called cookie. The usage information generated by the cookie (including your truncated IP address) is transmitted to our server and stored for usage analysis purposes. Your IP address is anonymized immediately during this process, so that you remain anonymous to us as a user. You can prevent the use of cookies by adjusting your browser software accordingly, but it may be possible that you will not be able to use all the features of this website to their full extent in this case. For more information about data protection at Matomo, please refer to: https://matomo.org/privacy-policy/

Media Services

We use specific services to populate and complement our website with digital content. For this purpose, we usually use the embedding functions of external platforms. This involves transmitting data to the provider’s server when content is retrieved, which is then typically stored there, such as your IP address, product and version information about the browser and operating system used (so-called user agent), the website from which your access originated (so-called referer), date and time of the request, and potentially your internet service provider. For more information, please refer to “Server Log Files” above.

We use:

Google Fonts

Our website uses the service “Google Fonts” from Google. Refer to the privacy policy information above.

Google Maps

Our website uses the service “Google Maps” from Google. Refer to the privacy policy information above.

YouTube

Our website uses the service “YouTube” from Google. Refer to the privacy policy information above.

Advertising Services

We use services on our website that help us promote the sales and popularity of our offerings. These services may, for example:

• Record the browsing behavior of our website visitors and provide corresponding advertisements
• Collect statistical data about interaction with advertisements on our website, which we can use to optimize our advertising expenses, or
• Display an average of opinions from other customers about our company (so-called reviews/testimonials).

These services can particularly collect the following data: origin (country and city), language, operating system, device (PC, tablet, smartphone), browser, and all used add-ons, referer (source from where the user came), clicks on advertising banners, viewing duration, actions after clicking on advertising banners. This data or parts thereof may also be transmitted to the respective service provider to enable the use of the service. The collected data is automatically processed, among other things, to display advertisements that match your supposed preferences based on your user behavior, for market research purposes, or for the needs-based design of our website. This constitutes automated decision-making or profiling according to Article 4(4); Article 22 of the GDPR. This automated processing is permissible under Article 22(2)(2) of the GDPR due to § 15(3) of the German Telemedia Act (TMG). You have the right to object to this type of data processing at any time. For this purpose, please use the contact details provided in the imprint. The legal basis for using advertising services is Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR (Consent of the Data Subject). When you first visit the website, we ask for your consent to process your data through a displayed message. You can revoke your consent at any time for the future by accessing the cookie banner again and changing your settings.

We Use:

Google DoubleClick

Our website uses the service “Google DoubleClick” from Google. Refer to the privacy policy information above.

OTHER SERVICES

COOKIEFIRST

Our website uses the service “COOKIEFIRST” from Digital Data Solutions B.V., Plantage Middenlaa 42a, 1018DH, Amsterdam, Netherlands. COOKIEFIRST is used to comply with legal obligations and to store the consent of a website visitor.

The COOKIEFIRST Management Plug-In collects logfile and consent data using JavaScript. This allows us to manage and document a website visitor’s consent to specific tags on the website.

The following data is collected and transmitted to COOKIEFIRST through the service: browser information, device information, time of website visit, anonymized IP address, geographic location, opt-in and opt-out data.

Cookies are set and data is stored in the website visitor’s local storage through the service. Data processing takes place in the European Union. The retention period is the time span during which the collected data is stored for processing. The data must be deleted once it is no longer needed for the specified processing purposes.

For more information on how user data is handled, please refer to the Usercentrics privacy policy: https://cookiefirst.com/legal/privacy-policy/

The legal basis for using the plugin is Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR (Legitimate Interest in Data Processing). The legitimate interest arises from our need to offer a compliant website and provide you with the ability to manage your cookie settings. You can object to the processing of your data based on our legitimate interest at any time under the conditions of Article 21 of the GDPR. Please use the contact details provided in the imprint for this purpose.

Privacy Policy Status: August 11, 2023

Source: Süddeutsche Datenschutzgesellschaft mbH