Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Table of contents

  • Introduction and overview
  • scope
  • Legal basis
  • Contact details of the person responsible
  • Storage period
  • Rights under the General Data Protection Regulation
  • Data transfer to third countries
  • Security of data processing
  • communication
  • Cookies
  • Web hosting
  • Web Analytics
  • Email marketing
  • Messenger & Communication
  • Chatbots
  • Social media
  • Blogs and publication media
  • Online marketing
  • Partner programs
  • Content Delivery Networks
  • Cookie Consent Management Platform
  • Payment provider
  • External online platforms
  • Audio & Video
  • Single sign-on logins
  • Rating platforms
  • Miscellaneous

Introduction and overview

We have prepared this privacy policy to explain to you, in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and applicable national laws, which personal data (hereinafter "data") we as the controller – and the processors we have commissioned (e.g., providers) – process and will process in the future, and what legal options you have. The terms used are to be understood as gender-neutral.
In short: We provide you with comprehensive information about the data we process about you.

Data protection declarations usually sound very technical and use legal jargon. This data protection declaration, on the other hand, is intended to describe the most important things to you as simply and transparently as possible. Wherever it promotes transparency, technical terms are explained in a reader-friendly manner , links to further information are provided and graphics are used. We are thus informing you in clear and simple language that we only process personal data in the context of our business activities if there is a corresponding legal basis. This is certainly not possible if you give explanations that are as brief, unclear and legal-technical as possible, which are often the norm on the Internet when it comes to data protection. I hope you find the following explanations interesting and informative and that you may find some information there that you were not aware of.
If you still have any questions, please contact the responsible office listed below or in the imprint, follow the links provided, and view further information on third-party websites. Our contact details can also be found in the imprint.

scope

This privacy policy applies to all personal data processed by us within the company and to all personal data processed by companies commissioned by us (contract processors). By personal data, we mean information within the meaning of Art. 4 No. 1 GDPR, such as a person's name, email address, and postal address. The processing of personal data ensures that we can offer and bill our services and products, whether online or offline. The scope of this privacy policy includes:

  • all online presences (websites, online shops) that we operate
  • Social media presence and email communication
  • mobile apps for smartphones and other devices

In short: This privacy policy applies to all areas in which personal data is processed in a structured manner within the company via the aforementioned channels. Should we enter into legal relationships with you outside of these channels, we will inform you separately if necessary.

Legal basis

In the following privacy policy, we provide you with transparent information on the legal principles and regulations, i.e. the legal basis of the General Data Protection Regulation, that enable us to process personal data.
With regard to EU law, we refer to REGULATION (EU) 2016/679 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 27 April 2016. You can, of course, read this EU General Data Protection Regulation online on EUR-Lex, the gateway to EU law, at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32016R0679 .

We only process your data if at least one of the following conditions applies:

  1. Consent (Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR): You have given us your consent to process data for a specific purpose. An example would be the storage of the data you entered in a contact form.
  2. Contract (Article 6 (1) (b) GDPR): We process your data in order to fulfill a contract or pre-contractual obligations with you. For example, if we conclude a purchase agreement with you, we require personal information in advance.
  3. Legal obligation (Article 6 (1) (c) GDPR): We process your data if we are subject to a legal obligation. For example, we are legally obligated to retain invoices for accounting purposes. These usually contain personal data.
  4. Legitimate interests (Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR): In the case of legitimate interests that do not restrict your fundamental rights, we reserve the right to process personal data. For example, we need to process certain data in order to operate our website securely and economically efficiently. This processing therefore constitutes a legitimate interest.

We generally do not apply additional conditions, such as the processing of recordings in the public interest, the exercise of official authority, or the protection of vital interests. Should such a legal basis be applicable, it will be indicated at the appropriate point.

In addition to the EU regulation, national laws also apply:

  • In Austria, this is the Federal Act on the Protection of Natural Persons with regard to the Processing of Personal Data ( Data Protection Act ), or DSG for short.
  • In Germany, the Federal Data Protection Act , or BDSG for short, applies.

If other regional or national laws apply, we will inform you about them in the following sections.

Contact details of the person responsible

If you have any questions about data protection, you will find the contact details of the responsible person or body below:
Twicky Sticky
Burhan Yalcin
Hauptstraße 26, 72511 Bingen
Email: info@twicky-sticky.de
Imprint: https://twicky-sticky.de/pages/impressum

Storage period

Our general principle is that we only store personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. This means that we delete personal data as soon as the reason for data processing no longer exists. In some cases, we are legally obligated to retain certain data even after the original purpose no longer applies, for example, for accounting purposes.

If you wish to have your data deleted or withdraw your consent to data processing, the data will be deleted as quickly as possible and unless there is an obligation to store it.

We will inform you below about the specific duration of the respective data processing, provided we have further information on this.

Rights under the General Data Protection Regulation

According to Article 13 GDPR, you have the following rights to ensure fair and transparent data processing:

  • According to Article 15 of the GDPR, you have the right to information about whether we process your data. If so, you have the right to receive a copy of the data and the following information:
    • for what purpose we carry out the processing;
    • the categories, i.e. the types of data that are processed;
    • who receives this data and, if the data is transferred to third countries, how security can be guaranteed;
    • how long the data is stored;
    • the existence of the right to rectification, erasure or restriction of processing and the right to object to processing;
    • that you can complain to a supervisory authority (links to these authorities can be found below);
    • the origin of the data if we did not collect it from you;
    • whether profiling is carried out, i.e. whether data is automatically evaluated in order to create a personal profile of you.
  • According to Article 16 GDPR, you have the right to rectification of data, which means that we must correct data if you find any errors.
  • According to Article 17 GDPR, you have the right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”), which specifically means that you can request the deletion of your data.
  • According to Article 18 GDPR, you have the right to restriction of processing, which means that we may only store the data but not use it further.
  • According to Article 19 GDPR, you have the right to data portability, which means that we will provide you with your data in a common format upon request.
  • According to Article 21 GDPR, you have the right to object, which, if enforced, will result in a change in the processing.
    • If the processing of your data is based on Article 6 (1) (e) (public interest, exercise of official authority) or Article 6 (1) (f) (legitimate interest), you may object to the processing. We will then examine as quickly as possible whether we can legally comply with this objection.
    • If data is used for direct marketing purposes, you can object to this type of data processing at any time. We may no longer use your data for direct marketing purposes after this time.
    • If data is used for profiling purposes, you can object to this type of data processing at any time. We may no longer use your data for profiling purposes after this time.
  • According to Article 22 GDPR, you may have the right not to be subjected to a decision based solely on automated processing (e.g. profiling).

In short: You have rights – do not hesitate to contact the responsible body listed above!

If you believe that the processing of your data violates data protection law or that your data protection rights have been violated in any other way, you can lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority. In Austria, this is the Data Protection Authority, whose website can be found athttps://www.dsb.gv.at/ . In Germany, each federal state has a data protection officer. For further information, you can contact the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI) . The following local data protection authority is responsible for our company:

Baden-Württemberg Data Protection Authority

State Commissioner for Data Protection: Dr. Stefan Brink
Address: Königstraße 10a, 70173 Stuttgart
Telephone number: 07 11/61 55 41-0
Email address: poststelle@lfdi.bwl.de
Website: https://www.baden-wuerttemberg.datenschutz.de/

Data transfer to third countries

We only transfer or process data to countries outside the EU (third countries) if you consent to such processing, if it is required by law or contract, and in any case only to the extent generally permitted. Your consent is in most cases the most important reason for us to process data in third countries. Processing personal data in third countries such as the USA, where many software manufacturers provide services and have their servers located, may mean that personal data is processed and stored in unexpected ways.

We expressly point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfer to the USA. Data processing by US services (such as Google Analytics) may result in data not being processed and stored anonymously. Furthermore, US government authorities may gain access to individual data. Furthermore, collected data may be linked to data from other services of the same provider, provided you have a corresponding user account. Where possible, we try to use server locations within the EU, if offered.

We will provide you with more detailed information about data transfers to third countries, where applicable, at the appropriate points in this privacy policy.

Security of data processing

To protect personal data, we have implemented both technical and organizational measures. Where possible, we encrypt or pseudonymize personal data. This makes it as difficult as possible for third parties to derive personal information from our data.

Article 25 of the GDPR refers to "data protection through technology design and through data protection-friendly default settings," meaning that security must always be considered and appropriate measures implemented, both in software (e.g., forms) and hardware (e.g., access to the server room). Below, we will discuss specific measures where necessary.

TLS encryption with https

TLS, encryption, and https sound very technical, and they are. We use HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) to securely transmit data over the internet.
This means that the entire transmission of all data from your browser to our web server is secure – no one can “eavesdrop”.

We have thus introduced an additional security layer and comply with data protection by design ( Article 25, Paragraph 1 of the GDPR ). By using TLS (Transport Layer Security), an encryption protocol for secure data transmission over the Internet, we can ensure the protection of confidential data.
You can recognize the use of this data transmission security by the small lock symbol in the top left corner of the browser, to the left of the Internet address (e.g. examplepage.de) and the use of the https scheme (instead of http) as part of our Internet address.
If you want to know more about encryption, we recommend Google searching for “Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure wiki” to get good links to further information.

communication

Communication Summary
👥 Affected parties: All those who communicate with us by phone, email or online form
📓 Processed data: e.g., telephone number, name, email address, entered form data. You can find more details in the respective contact type used.
🤝 Purpose: Handling communication with customers, business partners, etc.
📅 Storage period: Duration of the business transaction and the legal regulations
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR (contract), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

If you contact us and communicate by telephone, email or online form, personal data may be processed.

The data will be processed for the purpose of handling and processing your inquiry and the related business transaction. The data will be stored for the same period of time or as long as required by law.

Affected persons

The above-mentioned processes affect everyone who contacts us via the communication channels we provide.

phone

When you call us, the call data is stored pseudonymously on the respective device and by the telecommunications provider used. Furthermore, data such as name and telephone number may subsequently be sent via email and stored for the purpose of responding to your inquiry. The data will be deleted as soon as the transaction is completed and as permitted by law.

e-mail

If you communicate with us via email, data may be stored on the respective device (computer, laptop, smartphone, etc.) and stored on the email server. The data will be deleted as soon as the transaction is completed and legal requirements permit.

Online forms

If you communicate with us via an online form, data will be stored on our web server and, if applicable, forwarded to an email address provided by us. The data will be deleted as soon as the transaction is completed and as permitted by law.

Legal basis

The processing of data is based on the following legal bases:

  • Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent): You give us your consent to store your data and to use it further for the purposes related to the business case;
  • Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR (contract): There is a need to fulfill a contract with you or a processor such as the telephone provider or we have to process the data for pre-contractual activities, such as preparing an offer;
  • Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (Legitimate Interests): We want to handle customer inquiries and business communications in a professional manner. To do this, certain technical facilities, such as email programs, Exchange servers, and mobile operators, are necessary to enable efficient communication.

Cookies

Cookies Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Depends on the specific cookie. You can find more details below or from the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.
📓 Data processed: Depends on the cookie used. You can find more details below or from the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.
📅 Storage period: depends on the respective cookie, can vary from hours to years
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are cookies?

Our website uses HTTP cookies to store user-specific data.
Below we explain what cookies are and why they are used so that you can better understand the following privacy policy.

Whenever you surf the internet, you use a browser. Common browsers include Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Edge. Most websites store small text files in your browser. These files are called cookies.

One thing is undeniable: cookies are truly useful little helpers. Almost all websites use cookies. To be more precise, they are HTTP cookies, as there are other cookies for other purposes as well. HTTP cookies are small files that our website stores on your computer. These cookie files are automatically stored in the cookie folder, the "brain" of your browser. A cookie consists of a name and a value. When defining a cookie, one or more additional attributes must be specified.

Cookies store certain user data about you, such as language or personal site settings. When you visit our site again, your browser transmits the "user-related" information back to our site. Thanks to cookies, our website knows who you are and offers you the settings you are used to. In some browsers, each cookie has its own file; in others, such as Firefox, all cookies are stored in a single file.

The following graphic shows a possible interaction between a web browser, such as Chrome, and the web server. The web browser requests a website and receives a cookie from the server, which the browser reuses whenever another page is requested.

There are both first-party and third-party cookies. First-party cookies are created directly by our site, while third-party cookies are created by partner websites (e.g., Google Analytics). Each cookie must be evaluated individually, as each cookie stores different data. The expiration time of a cookie also varies, from a few minutes to a few years. Cookies are not software programs and do not contain viruses, Trojans, or other "malware." Cookies also cannot access information on your PC.

Name: _ga
Value: GA1.2.1326744211.152311967867-9
Purpose: Differentiation of website visitors
Expiry date: after 2 years

A browser should be able to support these minimum sizes:

  • At least 4096 bytes per cookie
  • At least 50 cookies per domain
  • At least 3000 cookies in total

What types of cookies are there?

The question of which cookies we use specifically depends on the services used and is explained in the following sections of this privacy policy. At this point, we would like to briefly discuss the different types of HTTP cookies.

There are four types of cookies:

Essential cookies
These cookies are necessary to ensure basic website functions. For example, these cookies are needed when a user adds a product to their shopping cart, then continues browsing to other pages and only proceeds to checkout later. These cookies ensure that the shopping cart is not deleted even when the user closes their browser window.

Purposeful cookies
These cookies collect information about user behavior and whether the user receives any error messages. These cookies also measure the loading time and behavior of the website across different browsers.

Targeted cookies
These cookies improve user experience. For example, entered locations, font sizes, or form data are saved.

Advertising cookies
These cookies are also called targeting cookies. They are used to deliver customized advertising to the user. This can be very useful, but also very annoying.

Typically, when you first visit a website, you'll be asked which of these cookie types you'd like to allow. And, of course, this decision will also be saved in a cookie.

If you would like to know more about cookies and are not afraid of technical documentation, we recommend https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc6265 , the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Request for Comments called “HTTP State Management Mechanism”.

Purpose of processing via cookies

The purpose ultimately depends on the specific cookie. You can find more details below or contact the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.

What data is processed?

Cookies are small helpers for a variety of tasks. Unfortunately, it's not possible to generalize what data is stored in cookies, but we will inform you about the data processed and stored in the following privacy policy.

Storage period of cookies

The storage period depends on the respective cookie and is further specified below. Some cookies are deleted after less than an hour, while others can remain stored on a computer for several years.

You also have control over the storage period. You can manually delete all cookies at any time via your browser (see also "Right of Objection" below). Furthermore, cookies based on consent will be deleted at the latest after you revoke your consent, although the legality of their storage remains unaffected until then.

Right of objection – how can I delete cookies?

You decide how and whether you want to use cookies. Regardless of the service or website from which the cookies originate, you always have the option to delete, deactivate, or only partially accept cookies. For example, you can block third-party cookies but allow all other cookies.

If you want to find out which cookies have been stored in your browser, if you want to change or delete cookie settings, you can find this in your browser settings:

Chrome: Delete, enable, and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Managing cookies and website data with Safari

Firefox: Clear cookies to remove data that websites have stored on your computer

Internet Explorer: Deleting and managing cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

If you don't want cookies at all, you can set your browser to always notify you when a cookie is about to be set. This allows you to decide for each individual cookie whether to accept it or not. The process varies depending on your browser. The best way to find instructions is to search for "delete cookies in Chrome" or "disable cookies in Chrome" in the case of a Chrome browser.

Legal basis

The so-called "Cookie Directive" has been in place since 2009. It stipulates that the storage of cookies requires your consent (Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR). However, reactions to these guidelines vary widely across EU countries. In Austria, however, this directive was implemented in Section 96 (3) of the Telecommunications Act (TKG). In Germany, the Cookie Directive was not implemented as national law. Instead, this directive was largely implemented in Section 15 (3) of the Telemedia Act (TMG).

For absolutely necessary cookies, even if consent has not been given, legitimate interests exist (Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR), which in most cases are of an economic nature. We want to provide website visitors with a pleasant user experience, and for this, certain cookies are often absolutely necessary.

If non-essential cookies are used, this only happens with your consent. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR.

In the following sections you will be informed in more detail about the use of cookies, if the software used uses cookies.

Web hosting introduction

Web hosting summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: professional hosting of the website and securing its operation
📓 Data processed: IP address, time of website visit, browser used, and other data. You can find more details below or from the respective web hosting provider.
📅 Storage period: depends on the respective provider, but usually 2 weeks
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is web hosting?

When you visit websites these days, certain information—including personal data—is automatically created and stored, including on this website. This data should be processed as sparingly as possible and only with justification. By "website," we mean the entirety of all web pages on a domain, i.e., everything from the home page to the very last subpage (like this one). By "domain," we mean, for example, example.de or sampleexample.com.

When you want to view a website on a screen, you use a program called a web browser. You probably know a few web browsers by name: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari.

This web browser must connect to another computer where the website's code is stored: the web server. Operating a web server is a complex and time-consuming task, which is why it's usually handled by professional providers. These offer web hosting and thus ensure reliable and error-free storage of website data.

When the browser connects to your computer (desktop, laptop, smartphone) and during data transfer to and from the web server, personal data may be processed. On the one hand, your computer stores data, and on the other hand, the web server must also store data for a period of time to ensure proper operation.

Why do we process personal data?

The purposes of data processing are:

  1. Professional website hosting and operational security
  2. to maintain operational and IT security
  3. Anonymous evaluation of access behavior to improve our service and, if necessary, for criminal prosecution or the pursuit of claims

What data is processed?

Even while you are currently visiting our website, our web server, which is the computer on which this website is stored, usually automatically saves data such as

  • the complete Internet address (URL) of the website accessed
  • Browser and browser version (e.g. Chrome 87)
  • the operating system used (e.g. Windows 10)
  • the address (URL) of the previously visited page (referrer URL) (e.g. https://www.beispielquellsite.de/vondabinichgekommen.html/ )
  • the hostname and IP address of the device from which access is made (e.g. COMPUTERNAME and 194.23.43.121)
  • Date and time
  • in files, the so-called web server log files

How long is data stored?

As a rule, the above-mentioned data is stored for two weeks and then automatically deleted. We do not share this data, but we cannot rule out the possibility that it may be viewed by authorities in the event of illegal behavior.

In short: Your visit is logged by our provider (the company that runs our website on special computers (servers)), but we do not share your data without your consent!

Legal basis

The legality of the processing of personal data within the framework of web hosting arises from Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (protection of legitimate interests), because the use of professional hosting with a provider is necessary in order to present the company securely and user-friendly on the Internet and to be able to pursue attacks and claims arising from this if necessary.

As a rule, there is a contract for order processing between us and the hosting provider in accordance with Art. 28 f. GDPR, which ensures compliance with data protection and guarantees data security.

Web Analytics Introduction

Web Analytics Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimize the website.
📓 Processed data: Access statistics, which include data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior, click behavior, and IP addresses. Further details can be found in the respective web analytics tool used.
📅 Storage period: depends on the web analytics tool used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is web analytics?

We use software on our website to evaluate the behavior of website visitors, known as web analytics or web analysis for short. This data is collected and stored, managed and processed by the respective analytics tool provider (also known as a tracking tool). This data is used to create analyses of user behavior on our website and make it available to us as the website operator. In addition, most tools offer various testing options. For example, we can test which offers or content are most popular with our visitors. To do this, we show you two different offers for a limited period of time. After the test (a so-called A/B test), we know which product or content our website visitors find more interesting. For such testing procedures, as for other analytics procedures, user profiles can be created and the data stored in cookies.

Why do we use web analytics?

We have a clear goal in mind with our website: to provide the best web offering on the market for our industry. To achieve this goal, we want to offer the best and most interesting offerings on the market, while also ensuring that you feel completely at home on our website. With the help of web analysis tools, we can take a closer look at the behavior of our website visitors and then improve our web offering for you and us. For example, we can determine the average age of our visitors, where they come from, when our website is most visited, or which content or products are particularly popular. All of this information helps us optimize the website and thus adapt it as best as possible to your needs, interests, and wishes.

What data is processed?

Exactly which data is stored depends, of course, on the analysis tools used. However, as a general rule, we store information such as the content you view on our website, the buttons or links you click, the time you access a page, the browser you use, the device (PC, tablet, smartphone, etc.) you use to visit the website, and the computer system you use. If you have consented to the collection of location data, this may also be processed by the web analysis tool provider.

Your IP address is also stored. According to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), IP addresses are personal data. However, your IP address is usually stored pseudonymously (i.e., in an unrecognizable and abbreviated form). For the purposes of testing, web analysis, and web optimization, no direct data such as your name, age, address, or email address is stored. All of this data, if collected, is stored pseudonymously. This means that you cannot be identified as an individual.

How long the respective data is stored always depends on the provider. Some cookies only store data for a few minutes or until you leave the website again; other cookies can store data for several years.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you below about the duration of data processing, as soon as we have further information. Generally, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. If required by law, such as in the case of accounting, this retention period may be exceeded.

Right of objection

You also have the right and option to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third-party services at any time. This can be done either via our cookie management tool or through other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating, or deleting cookies in your browser.

Legal basis

The use of web analytics requires your consent, which we have obtained through our cookie popup. According to Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), this consent constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when collected through web analytics tools.

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analyzing the behavior of website visitors and thus improving our offering technically and economically. Web analytics helps us detect website errors, identify attacks, and improve efficiency. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests) . However, we only use these tools if you have given your consent.

Since web analytics tools use cookies, we also recommend reading our general privacy policy on cookies. To learn exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Information on specific web analytics tools, if available, can be found in the following sections.

Google Analytics Privacy Policy

Google Analytics Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimize the website.
📓 Data processed: Access statistics, which include data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior, click behavior, and IP addresses. You can find more details further down in this privacy policy.
📅 Storage period: depends on the properties used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Google Analytics?

We use the analysis tracking tool Google Analytics (GA) from the American company Google Inc. on our website. In Europe, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services. Google Analytics collects data about your actions on our website. For example, if you click on a link, this action is saved in a cookie and sent to Google Analytics. With the help of the reports we receive from Google Analytics, we can better tailor our website and our service to your needs. Below we will go into more detail about the tracking tool and inform you, above all, what data is saved and how you can prevent this.

Google Analytics is a tracking tool used to analyze our website traffic. For Google Analytics to work, a tracking code is embedded in our website code. When you visit our website, this code records various actions you perform on our website. Once you leave our website, this data is sent to and stored on Google Analytics servers.

Google processes the data and we receive reports about your user behavior. These reports may include, among others, the following:

  • Audience reports: Through audience reports, we get to know our users better and know more precisely who is interested in our service.
  • Ad Reporting: Ad reporting helps us analyze and improve our online advertising.
  • Acquisition reports: Acquisition reports give us helpful information about how we can get more people excited about our service.
  • Behavioral reports: This tells us how you interact with our website. We can track your path on our site and the links you click.
  • Conversion reports: A conversion is a process in which you perform a desired action based on a marketing message. For example, when you go from being a mere website visitor to a buyer or newsletter subscriber. These reports help us learn more about how our marketing efforts are being received. This is how we want to increase our conversion rate.
  • Real-time reports: This lets us know immediately what's happening on our website. For example, we can see how many users are currently reading this text.

Why do we use Google Analytics on our website?

Our goal with this website is clear: to provide you with the best possible service. The statistics and data from Google Analytics help us achieve this goal.

The statistically analyzed data provides us with a clear picture of our website's strengths and weaknesses. On the one hand, we can optimize our site so that it's easier for interested people to find on Google. On the other hand, the data helps us better understand you as a visitor. This means we know exactly what we need to improve on our website to provide you with the best possible service. The data also helps us implement our advertising and marketing measures more individually and cost-effectively. After all, it only makes sense to show our products and services to people who are interested in them.

What data does Google Analytics store?

Google Analytics uses a tracking code to create a random, unique ID linked to your browser cookie. This allows Google Analytics to recognize you as a new user. The next time you visit our site, you will be recognized as a "returning" user. All collected data is stored together with this user ID. This makes it possible to evaluate pseudonymous user profiles.

To analyze our website with Google Analytics, a property ID must be inserted into the tracking code. The data is then stored in the corresponding property. The Google Analytics 4 property is the default for every newly created property. Alternatively, you can also create the Universal Analytics property. Data is stored for different lengths of time depending on the property used.

Identifiers such as cookies and app instance IDs measure your interactions on our website. Interactions are all types of actions you perform on our website. If you also use other Google systems (such as a Google Account), data generated through Google Analytics may be linked to third-party cookies. Google does not share Google Analytics data unless we, as the website operator, authorize it. Exceptions may apply if required by law.

The following cookies are used by Google Analytics:

Name: _ga
Value: 2.1326744211.152311967867-5
Purpose: By default, analytics.js uses the cookie _ga to store the user ID. It is primarily used to distinguish website visitors.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: _gid
Value: 2.1687193234.152311967867-1
Purpose: The cookie is also used to distinguish between website visitors
Expiry date: after 24 hours

Name: _gat_gtag_UA_<property-id>
Value: 1
Purpose: Used to reduce the request rate. If Google Analytics is provided via Google Tag Manager, this cookie is named _dc_gtm_ <property-id>.
Expiry date: after 1 minute

Name: AMP_TOKEN
Value: not specified
Purpose: The cookie contains a token that can be used to retrieve a user ID from the AMP Client ID service. Other possible values ​​indicate a logout, a request, or an error.
Expiry date: after 30 seconds up to one year

Name: __utma
Value: 1564498958.1564498958.1564498958.1
Purpose: This cookie allows us to track your behavior on the website and measure performance. This cookie is updated each time information is sent to Google Analytics.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: __utmt
Value: 1
Purpose: The cookie is used like _gat_gtag_UA_<property-id> to throttle the request rate.
Expiry date: after 10 minutes

Name: __utmb
Value: 3.10.1564498958
Purpose: This cookie is used to determine new sessions. It is updated each time new data or information is sent to Google Analytics.
Expiry date: after 30 minutes

Name: __utmc
Value: 167421564

Purpose: This cookie is used to establish new sessions for returning visitors. This is a session cookie and is only stored until you close your browser.
Expiry date: After closing the browser

Name: __utmz
Value: m|utmccn=(referral)|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/
Purpose: This cookie is used to identify the source of traffic to our website. This means that the cookie stores where you came to our website from. This could be another page or an advertisement.
Expiry date: after 6 months

Name: __utmv
Value: not specified

Purpose: This cookie is used to store custom user data. It is updated whenever information is sent to Google Analytics.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Note: This list cannot claim to be complete, as Google continually changes the choice of its cookies.

Here we show you an overview of the most important data collected with Google Analytics:

Heatmaps: Google creates so-called heatmaps. Heatmaps show exactly the areas you click on. This gives us information about where you are on our site.

Session duration: Google defines the time you spend on our site without leaving the page as session duration. If you have been inactive for 20 minutes, the session ends automatically.

Bounce rate : A bounce occurs when you only view one page on our website and then leave our website again.

Account creation: When you create an account or place an order on our website, Google Analytics collects this data.

IP address: The IP address is only displayed in abbreviated form so that no clear assignment is possible.

Location: The IP address can be used to determine your country and approximate location. This process is also known as IP geolocation.

Technical information: Technical information includes, among other things, your browser type, your Internet service provider or your screen resolution.

Source: Google Analytics and we are of course also interested in which website or advertisement you came to our site from.

Other data includes contact information, any ratings, media playback (e.g., when you play a video on our site), sharing content via social media, or adding content to your favorites. This list is not exhaustive and serves only as a general guide to data storage by Google Analytics.

How long and where is the data stored?

Google has distributed its servers around the world. Most of its servers are located in the United States, and consequently, your data is mostly stored on American servers. You can find out exactly where Google's data centers are located here: https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/inside/locations/?hl=de

Your data is distributed across multiple physical storage devices. This has the advantage of making it faster to access and better protected against tampering. Every Google data center has emergency backup programs for your data. If, for example, Google's hardware fails or natural disasters cripple servers, the risk of service interruption at Google remains low.

The retention period for the data depends on the properties used. When using the newer Google Analytics 4 properties, the retention period for your user data is set to 14 months. For other so-called event data, we have the option of choosing a retention period of 2 months or 14 months.

For Universal Analytics properties, Google Analytics defaults to a retention period of 26 months for your user data. After that, your user data is deleted. However, we have the option of choosing the retention period for user data ourselves. We have five options available for this:

  • Deletion after 14 months
  • Deletion after 26 months
  • Deletion after 38 months
  • Deletion after 50 months
  • No automatic deletion

Additionally, you can choose to have data deleted only if you no longer visit our website within the period we select. In this case, the retention period will be reset each time you visit our website again within the specified period.

Once the specified period has expired, the data will be deleted once a month. This retention period applies to your data associated with cookies, user recognition, and advertising IDs (e.g., cookies from the DoubleClick domain). Report results are based on aggregated data and are stored independently of user data. Aggregated data is the merging of individual pieces of data into a larger unit.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

Under European Union data protection law, you have the right to access, update, delete, or restrict your data. You can prevent Google Analytics from using your data by using the browser add-on for deactivating Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js, analytics.js, dc.js). You can download and install the browser add-on at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de . Please note that this add-on only deactivates data collection by Google Analytics.

If you generally want to deactivate, delete or manage cookies, you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers in the “Cookies” section.

Legal basis

The use of Google Analytics requires your consent, which we have obtained through our cookie popup. According to Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), this consent constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when collected through web analytics tools.

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analyzing the behavior of website visitors and thus improving our offering technically and economically. With the help of Google Analytics, we can detect website errors, identify attacks, and improve efficiency. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests) . However, we only use Google Analytics if you have given your consent.

Google processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

Google uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Google undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Google Ads Data Processing Terms, which correspond to the standard contractual clauses and also apply to Google Analytics, can be found at https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms/ .

We hope we have been able to provide you with the most important information about data processing by Google Analytics. If you would like to learn more about the tracking service, we recommend these two links: https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/terms/de/ and https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=de .

Google Analytics Demographics and Interests Reports

We have enabled advertising reporting features in Google Analytics. The demographic and interest reports contain information about age, gender, and interests. This allows us to gain a better understanding of our users—without being able to assign this data to specific individuals. You can learn more about advertising features at https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/3450482?hl=de_AT&utm_id=ad .

You can stop the use of your Google Account activities and information by checking the box in “Advertising Settings” at https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated .

Google Analytics deactivation link

By clicking the following deactivation link , you can prevent Google from tracking future visits to this website. Please note: Deleting cookies, using your browser's incognito/private mode, or using a different browser will result in data being collected again.

Deactivate Google Analytics

Google Analytics IP anonymization

We have implemented Google Analytics IP address anonymization on this website. This feature was developed by Google to enable this website to comply with applicable data protection regulations and recommendations from local data protection authorities when these prohibit the storage of the full IP address. IP anonymization or masking occurs as soon as the IP addresses arrive in the Google Analytics data collection network and before the data is stored or processed.

More information about IP anonymization can be found at https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/2763052?hl=de .

Google Analytics Data Processing Addendum

We have entered into a direct customer agreement with Google for the use of Google Analytics by accepting the “Data Processing Addendum” in Google Analytics.

You can find out more about the Google Analytics data processing addendum here: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/3379636?hl=de&utm_id=ad

GoSquared Analytics Privacy Policy

We use GoSquared Analytics, a website analytics software, on our website. The service provider is the British company Go Squared Ltd, 3 Barn Hawe, High Street, Edenbridge, Kent, England. You can learn more about the data processed through the use of GoSquared Analytics in the Privacy Policy at https://www.gosquared.com/legal/privacy/ .

Email Marketing Introduction

Email Marketing Summary
👥 Affected: Newsletter subscribers
🤝 Purpose: Direct mailing via email, notification of system-relevant events
📓 Processed data: Data entered during registration, including at least the email address. Further details can be found in the respective email marketing tool used.
📅 Storage period: Duration of the subscription
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is email marketing?

To keep you up to date, we also use email marketing. If you have agreed to receive our emails or newsletters, your data will also be processed and stored. Email marketing is a subset of online marketing. It involves sending news or general information about a company, products, or services via email to a specific group of people who are interested.

If you would like to participate in our email marketing (usually via newsletter), you usually just need to register with your email address. To do so, you fill out an online form and submit it. However, we may also ask for your title and name so that we can contact you personally.

Generally, subscribing to newsletters works using the so-called "double opt-in process." After you have registered for our newsletter on our website, you will receive an email confirming your newsletter subscription. This ensures that the email address belongs to you and that no one has registered with someone else's. We, or a notification tool we use, logs each individual registration. This is necessary so that we can verify the legally correct registration process. Typically, the time of registration, the time of registration confirmation, and your IP address are saved. Additionally, any changes you make to your stored data are also logged.

Why do we use email marketing?

We naturally want to stay in touch with you and always provide you with the most important news about our company. To this end, we use email marketing – often simply referred to as “newsletter” – as an essential component of our online marketing. If you agree or if it is permitted by law, we will send you newsletters, system emails or other notifications by email. When we use the term “newsletter” in the following text, we primarily mean regularly sent emails. Of course, we do not want to bother you with our newsletter in any way. That's why we always strive to offer only relevant and interesting content. This way you can learn more about our company, our services or products. Because we are constantly improving our offerings, you will always find out about new developments or special, lucrative promotions via our newsletter. If we commission a service provider who offers a professional distribution tool for our email marketing, we do so so that we can offer you fast and secure newsletters. The purpose of our email marketing is basically to inform you about new offers and to get closer to our business goals.

What data is processed?

If you subscribe to our newsletter via our website, you will confirm your membership in an email list via email. In addition to your IP address and email address, your title, name, address, and telephone number may also be saved. However, only if you consent to this data storage. The data marked as such is necessary for you to participate in the service offered. Providing this information is voluntary; however, failure to provide it will prevent you from using the service. In addition, information about your device or your preferred content may also be saved on our website. You can find out more about the storage of data when you visit a website in the section "Automatic data storage." We record your declaration of consent so that we can always prove that it complies with our laws.

Duration of data processing

If you unsubscribe from our email/newsletter mailing list, we may store your address for up to three years based on our legitimate interests so that we can still verify your consent at the time. We may only process this data if we need to defend ourselves against potential claims.

However, if you confirm that you have given us your consent to subscribe to our newsletter, you can submit an individual deletion request at any time. If you permanently revoke your consent, we reserve the right to store your email address on a blocked list. As long as you have voluntarily subscribed to our newsletter, we will, of course, also retain your email address.

Right of objection

You have the option to cancel your newsletter subscription at any time. To do so, simply revoke your consent to the newsletter subscription. This usually only takes a few seconds or one or two clicks. You will usually find a link to cancel your newsletter subscription right at the end of every email. If you really cannot find the link in the newsletter, please contact us by email and we will cancel your newsletter subscription immediately.

Legal basis

Our newsletter is sent based on your consent (Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR). This means that we may only send you a newsletter if you have previously actively subscribed to it. If necessary, we may also send you advertising messages based on Section 7 (3) of the German Unfair Competition Act (UWG), provided you have become our customer and have not objected to the use of your email address for direct marketing purposes.

Information about specific email marketing services and how they process personal data can be found – if available – in the following sections.

Messenger & Communication Introduction

Messenger & Communication Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Contact requests and general communication between us and you
📓 Processed data: Data such as name, address, email address, telephone number, general content data, if applicable IP address
You can find more details in the respective tools used.
📅 Storage period: depends on the messenger & communication functions used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests), Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR (contractual or pre-contractual obligations)

What are messenger and communication features?

We offer various options on our website (e.g., messenger and chat functions, online or contact forms, email, and telephone) for communicating with us. Your data will also be processed and stored to the extent necessary to respond to your inquiry and our subsequent actions.

In addition to traditional means of communication such as email, contact forms, or telephone, we also use chats and messengers. The currently most frequently used messenger function is WhatsApp, but there are, of course, many different providers that offer messenger functions specifically for websites. If content is end-to-end encrypted, this will be indicated in the individual data protection texts or in the privacy policy of the respective provider. End-to-end encryption simply means that the content of a message is not visible even to the provider. However, information about your device, location settings, and other technical data may still be processed and stored.

Why do we use messenger and communication features?

Communication options with you are extremely important to us. Ultimately, we want to talk to you and answer any questions you may have about our service as best as possible. Effective communication is a key part of our service. With our practical messenger and communication functions, you can always choose the one you prefer. In exceptional cases, however, we may not be able to answer certain questions via chat or messenger. This is the case, for example, when it concerns internal contractual matters. In these cases, we recommend other communication options such as email or telephone.

We generally assume that we remain responsible for data protection even when we use the services of a social media platform. However, the European Court of Justice has ruled that in certain cases, the operator of the social media platform may be jointly responsible with us within the meaning of Art. 26 GDPR. Where this is the case, we will specifically point this out and work on the basis of a relevant agreement. The essence of the agreement is set out below for the relevant platform.

Please note that when using our integrated elements, your data may also be processed outside the European Union, as many providers, such as Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, are US companies. This may make it more difficult for you to assert or enforce your rights regarding your personal data.

What data is processed?

Exactly which data is stored and processed depends on the respective provider of the messenger and communication functions. This generally includes data such as name, address, telephone number, email address, and content data, such as any information you enter into a contact form. Information about your device and IP address is usually also stored. Data collected via a messenger and communication function is also stored on the provider's servers.

If you want to know exactly which data is stored and processed by the respective providers and how you can object to data processing, you should carefully read the respective company's privacy policy.

How long is data stored?

How long the data is processed and stored depends primarily on the tools we use. You can find out more about how the individual tools process data below. The providers' privacy policies usually state exactly which data is stored and processed for how long. In principle, personal data is only processed for as long as it is necessary to provide our services. When data is stored in cookies, the storage period varies greatly. The data can be deleted immediately after you leave a website, but it can also be stored for several years. You should therefore look at each individual cookie in detail if you want to know more about data storage. You can usually find informative information about the individual cookies in the privacy policies of the individual providers.

Right of objection

You also have the right and option to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third-party services at any time. This can be done either through our cookie management tool or through other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating, or deleting cookies in your browser. For further information, please refer to the section on consent.

Since cookies may be used in messenger and communication functions, we also recommend that you read our general privacy policy regarding cookies. To learn exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Legal basis

If you have consented to your data being processed and stored through integrated messenger and communication functions, this consent serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR) . We process your inquiry and manage your data within the framework of contractual or pre-contractual relationships in order to fulfill our pre-contractual and contractual obligations or to answer inquiries. The basis for this is Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR . In principle, if you have given your consent, your data will also be stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR) in fast and effective communication with you or other customers and business partners.

LiveAgent Privacy Policy

We also use the help desk software LiveAgent. The service provider is the American company Quality Unit LLC, 3 Germay Dr Unit 4-1130, Wilmington, DE 19804, USA.

We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfer to the USA. Data processing is primarily carried out by LiveAgent. This may result in data not being processed and stored anonymously. Furthermore, US government authorities may gain access to individual data. Furthermore, this data may be linked to data from other LiveAgent services for which you have a user account.

You can learn more about the data processed through the use of LiveAgent in the Privacy Policy at https://www.liveagent.de/privacy-policy/ .

Chatbots Introduction

Chatbots Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Contact requests and general communication between us and you
📓 Processed data: Data such as name, address, email address, telephone number, general content data, if applicable IP address
You can find more details in the respective tools used.
📅 Storage period: depends on the chatbots & chat functions used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests), Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR (contractual or pre-contractual obligations)

What are chatbots?

You can also communicate with us via chatbots or similar chat functions. A chat offers the opportunity to write or speak to each other with minimal delay. A chatbot is software that attempts to answer your questions and informs you about news, if necessary. Using these means of communication may also result in the processing and storage of your personal data.

Why do we use chatbots?

Communication options with you are important to us. Ultimately, we want to talk to you and answer all possible questions about our service in the best possible way. Effective communication is a key part of our service. Chatbots offer the great advantage that we can answer frequently asked questions automatically using this software. This saves us time, and you still receive detailed and helpful answers. If the chatbot can't help you, you can of course always contact us personally.

Please note that when using our integrated elements, your data may also be processed outside the European Union, as many providers are US companies. This may make it more difficult for you to assert or enforce your rights regarding your personal data.

What data is processed?

It may happen that you also use the chat services on other websites/platforms. In this case, your user ID will also be stored on this website's servers. We may also be informed about which user used the chat at what time. The content is also stored. Exactly which data is stored depends on the respective service. Typically, however, this includes contact information such as email address or telephone number, IP address, and various usage data.

If you have consented to the use of the chat function, this consent, along with any registration, will also be saved or logged. We do this so that we can provide evidence of registration or consent if required by law.

The provider of a chat platform can also learn when you chat and also receives technical information about the device you use. Exactly which information is stored and processed also depends on your PC settings. In many cases, data about your approximate location may be collected. This is done to optimize the chat services and to ensure greater security. Furthermore, the information can also be used to implement personalized advertising and marketing measures.

If you have consented to a chatbot sending you messages, you can of course deactivate this activation at any time. The chatbot also serves as a guide and shows you how to unsubscribe from this feature. All your related data will then be deleted from the recipient directory.

We use the above-mentioned data to address you personally via chat, to answer your questions and inquiries, or to send you potential content. It also allows us to generally improve our chat services.

How long is data stored?

How long the data is processed and stored depends primarily on the tools we use. You can find out more about how the individual tools process data below. The providers' privacy policies usually state exactly which data is stored and processed for how long. In principle, personal data is only processed for as long as it is necessary to provide our services. When data is stored in cookies, the storage period varies greatly. The data can be deleted immediately after you leave a website, but it can also be stored for several years. You should therefore look at each individual cookie in detail if you want to know more about data storage. You can usually find informative information about the individual cookies in the privacy policies of the individual providers.

Right of objection

You also have the right and option to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third-party services at any time. This can be done either via our cookie management tool or through other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating, or deleting cookies in your browser.

Since chat services may use cookies, we also recommend you read our general privacy policy on cookies. To learn exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Legal basis

We will ask for your permission via a pop-up window to process your data as part of the chat services. If you consent, this consent also serves as the legal basis (Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR) for data processing. We also process your inquiries and manage your data as part of contractual or pre-contractual relationships in order to fulfill our pre-contractual and contractual obligations or to answer inquiries. The basis for this is Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR . In principle, your data will also be stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR) in fast and effective communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the tools if you have given your consent.

LiveChat Privacy Policy

We also use the chat software LiveChat. The service provider is the American company LiveChat, Inc., 101 Arch Street, 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02110, USA.

LiveChat processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

LiveChat uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46, Paragraphs 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, LiveChat undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

Further information on data processing and standard contractual clauses at LiveChat can be found at https://www.livechat.com/legal/gdpr-faq/ .

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of LiveChat in the Privacy Policy at https://www.livechat.com/legal/privacy-policy/ .

Social Media Introduction

Social Media Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Presentation and optimization of our service, contact with visitors, interested parties, etc., advertising
📓 Data processed: Data such as telephone numbers, email addresses, contact details, user behavior data, information about your device and your IP address.
You can find more details in the social media tool used.
📅 Storage period: depends on the social media platforms used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is social media?

In addition to our website, we are also active on various social media platforms. User data may be processed so that we can specifically address users interested in us via social networks. Furthermore, elements of a social media platform may also be embedded directly into our website. This is the case, for example, if you click a so-called social button on our website and are redirected directly to our social media presence. Social media refers to websites and apps through which registered members can produce content, share content openly or in specific groups, and network with other members.

Why do we use social media?

For years, social media platforms have been the place where people communicate and connect online. Our social media presence allows us to bring our products and services closer to prospective customers. The social media elements integrated into our website help you quickly and seamlessly access our social media content.

The data stored and processed through your use of a social media channel primarily serves the purpose of conducting web analytics. The goal of these analyses is to develop more precise and personalized marketing and advertising strategies. Depending on your behavior on a social media platform, the evaluated data can be used to draw appropriate conclusions about your interests and create so-called user profiles. This also enables the platforms to present you with tailored advertisements. Cookies are usually placed in your browser for this purpose, which store data about your usage behavior.

We generally assume that we remain responsible for data protection, even when we use the services of a social media platform. However, the European Court of Justice has ruled that in certain cases, the operator of the social media platform may be jointly responsible with us within the meaning of Art. 26 GDPR. Where this is the case, we will specifically point this out and work on the basis of a relevant agreement. The essence of the agreement is then reproduced below for the relevant platform.

Please note that when using social media platforms or our integrated elements, your data may also be processed outside the European Union, as many social media channels, such as Facebook or Twitter, are American companies. This may make it more difficult for you to exercise or enforce your rights regarding your personal data.

What data is processed?

Exactly which data is stored and processed depends on the respective social media platform provider. However, it typically includes data such as telephone numbers, email addresses, data you enter into a contact form, user data such as which buttons you click, who you like or follow, when you visited which pages, information about your device, and your IP address. Most of this data is stored in cookies. Especially if you have a profile on the social media channel you visit and are logged in, data can be linked to your profile.

All data collected via a social media platform is also stored on the providers' servers. Therefore, only the providers have access to the data and can provide you with the appropriate information or make changes.

If you want to know exactly which data is stored and processed by social media providers and how you can object to data processing, you should carefully read the respective company's privacy policy. If you have any questions about data storage and processing or wish to assert your corresponding rights, we recommend that you contact the provider directly.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you below about the duration of data processing, as soon as we have further information. For example, the social media platform Facebook stores data until it is no longer needed for its own purposes. However, customer data that is compared with its own user data is deleted within two days. Generally, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. If required by law, such as in the case of accounting, this storage period may be exceeded.

Right of objection

You also have the right and option to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third-party services, such as embedded social media elements, at any time. This can be done either via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating, or deleting cookies in your browser.

Since social media tools may use cookies, we also recommend our general privacy policy regarding cookies. To learn exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Legal basis

If you have consented to your data being processed and stored by integrated social media elements, this consent serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR) . In principle, if you have given your consent, your data will also be stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR) in fast and effective communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the tools if you have given your consent. Most social media platforms also set cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our privacy policy on cookies carefully and view the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

Information on specific social media platforms can be found – where available – in the following sections.

AddThis Privacy Policy

AddThis Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimizing our service
📓 Data processed: Data such as user behavior data, information about your device, and your IP address.
You can find more details below in the privacy policy.
📅 Storage period: the collected data is stored for 13 months from the data collection
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is AddThis?

We use plug-ins from AddThis, provided by Oracle America, Inc. (500 Oracle Parkway, Redwood Shores, CA 94065, USA), on our website. These plug-ins allow you to quickly and easily share content from our website with other people. When you visit a website with an AddThis function, your data may be transferred to, stored, and processed by AddThis. This privacy policy explains why we use AddThis, what data is processed, and how you can prevent this data transfer.

Among other things, AddThis develops software tools that are integrated into websites to enable users to share content on various social media channels or via email. In addition, AddThis also offers features for website analysis. The collected data is also used to offer interest-based advertising to internet users. The service is used by more than 15 million website operators worldwide.

Why do we use AddThis on our website?

By using the AddThis buttons, you can share interesting content from our website on various social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest. If you like our content, we would be delighted if you would share it with your social community. And the easiest way to do this is via the AddThis buttons.

What data does AddThis store?

If you share content with AddThis and you are logged in to the respective social media account, data such as your visit to our website and the sharing of content can be assigned to the user account of the corresponding social media channel. AddThis uses cookies, pixels, HTTP headers, and browser identifiers to collect data about your visitor behavior. Some of this data is also shared with third parties after pseudonymization.
Here is an example list of the data that may be processed:

  • Unique ID of a cookie placed in the web browser
  • Address of the visited website
  • Time of website visit
  • Search queries through which a visitor reached the page with AddThis
  • Time spent on a website
  • The IP address of the computer or mobile device
  • Mobile advertising IDs (Apple IDFA or Google AAID)
  • Information contained in HTTP headers or other transmission protocols used
  • Which program was used on the computer (browser) or which operating system (iOS)

AddThis uses cookies, which we list below as examples and excerpts. You can find out more about AddThis cookies at https://www.oracle.com/legal/privacy/addthis-privacy-policy.html .

Name: bt2
Value: 8961a7f179d87qq69V69311967867-3
Purpose: This cookie is used to record parts of the website visited in order to recommend other parts of the website.
Expiry date: after 255 days

Name: bku
Value: ra/99nTmYN+fZWX7311967867-4

Purpose: This cookie registers anonymized user data such as your IP address, geographical location, websites visited and which ads you clicked on.
Expiry date: after 179 days

Note: Please keep in mind that this is an example list and we cannot claim to be complete.

AddThis also shares collected information with other companies. Further details can be found at https://www.oracle.com/legal/privacy/addthis-privacy-policy.html . AddThis also uses the data obtained to create target audiences and interest profiles and to offer interest-based advertising to users in the same advertising network.

How long and where is the data stored?

AddThis stores the collected data for 13 months from the date of data collection. 1% of the data is retained as a "sample data set" for a maximum of 24 months to preserve the business relationship. However, in this "sample data set," direct and indirect identification (such as your IP address and cookie ID) is hashed. This means that the personal data can no longer be linked to you without additional information. Since AddThis is headquartered in the USA, the collected data is also stored on American servers.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You have the right to access and delete your personal data at any time. If you no longer wish to see advertising based on data collected by AddThis, you can use the opt-out button at https://datacloudoptout.oracle.com/?tid=311967867 . This will set an opt-out cookie, which you must not delete to retain this setting.

You can also set your preferences for usage-based online advertising via https://www.youronlinechoices.com/at/ in the preference management.

Your browser offers the option of preventing data processing or managing it according to your preferences. Data processing works slightly differently depending on your browser. Under the "Cookies" section, you will find links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers.

Legal basis

If you have consented to your data being processed and stored by integrated social media elements, this consent serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR) . In principle, your data will also be stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR) in fast and effective communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the integrated social media elements if you have given your consent. Most social media platforms also place cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our privacy policy on cookies carefully and view the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

AddThis also processes data in the USA, among other places. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

AddThis uses standard contractual clauses approved by the EU Commission (Art. 46, Paragraphs 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and in particular the USA) or for data transfers there. These clauses oblige AddThis to comply with EU data protection standards when processing relevant data, even outside the EU. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the clauses here, among other places: https://germany.representation.ec.europa.eu/index_de .

If you would like to know more about how AddThis processes your data, you can find further information at https://www.oracle.com/legal/privacy/addthis-privacy-policy.html .

Facebook Privacy Policy

Facebook Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimizing our service
📓 Data processed: Data such as customer data, user behavior data, information about your device and your IP address.
You can find more details below in the privacy policy.
📅 Storage period: until the data is no longer useful for Facebook's purposes
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are Facebook tools?

We use selected tools from Facebook on our website. Facebook is a social media network operated by Meta Platforms Inc., or for the European region, Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland. These tools enable us to offer you and people interested in our products and services the best possible service.

If data is collected and forwarded from you via our embedded Facebook elements or via our Facebook page (fan page), both we and Facebook Ireland Ltd. are responsible for this. Facebook alone bears responsibility for the further processing of this data. Our joint obligations have also been anchored in a publicly accessible agreement at https://www.facebook.com/legal/controller_addendum . This states, for example, that we must clearly inform you about the use of Facebook tools on our site. Furthermore, we are also responsible for ensuring that the tools are securely integrated into our website in accordance with data protection law. Facebook, on the other hand, is responsible for the data security of Facebook products, for example. If you have any questions about data collection and processing by Facebook, you can contact the company directly. If you address the question to us, we are obliged to forward it to Facebook.

Below we provide an overview of the various Facebook tools, which data is sent to Facebook and how you can delete this data.

Among many other products, Facebook also offers the so-called "Facebook Business Tools." This is Facebook's official name. However, since the term is hardly known, we've decided to simply call them Facebook Tools. These include:

  • Facebook Pixel
  • social plug-ins (such as the “Like” or “Share” button)
  • Facebook Login
  • Account Kit
  • APIs (application programming interfaces)
  • SDKs (collection of programming tools)
  • Platform integrations
  • Plugins
  • Codes
  • Specifications
  • Documentation
  • Technologies and services

Through these tools, Facebook expands its services and has the ability to obtain information about user activities outside of Facebook.

Why do we use Facebook tools on our website?

We want to show our services and products only to people who are genuinely interested in them. With the help of advertisements (Facebook Ads), we can reach precisely these people. However, in order to show users suitable advertising, Facebook needs information about people's wishes and needs. This provides the company with information about user behavior (and contact details) on our website. This allows Facebook to collect better user data and show interested people suitable advertisements about our products or services. These tools thus enable customized advertising campaigns on Facebook.

Facebook calls data about your behavior on our website "event data." This is also used for measurement and analytics services. Facebook can thus create "campaign reports" on our behalf about the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns. Furthermore, analytics give us better insight into how you use our services, website, or products. This allows us to optimize your user experience on our website with some of these tools. For example, you can use the social plug-ins to share content from our site directly on Facebook.

What data are stored by Facebook tools?

By using certain Facebook tools, personal data (customer data) may be sent to Facebook. Depending on the tools used, customer data such as name, address, telephone number, and IP address may be sent.

Facebook uses this information to compare the data with the data it has about you (if you are a Facebook member). Before customer data is transmitted to Facebook, a process called "hashing" occurs. This means that a data set of any size is transformed into a character string. This also serves to encrypt data.

In addition to contact details, "event data" is also transmitted. "Event data" refers to the information we receive about you on our website. For example, which subpages you visit or which products you purchase from us. Facebook does not share the information received with third parties (such as advertisers) unless the company has explicit permission or is legally obligated to do so. "Event data" can also be linked to contact details. This enables Facebook to offer better, personalized advertising. After the aforementioned matching process, Facebook deletes the contact details.

In order to deliver optimized advertisements, Facebook only uses the event data if it has been combined with other data (collected by Facebook in other ways). Facebook also uses this event data for security, protection, development and research purposes. Much of this data is transferred to Facebook via cookies. Cookies are small text files that are used to store data or information in browsers. Depending on the tools used and whether you are a Facebook member, different numbers of cookies will be created in your browser. We go into more detail about individual Facebook cookies in the descriptions of the individual Facebook tools. General information about the use of Facebook cookies can also be found at https://www.facebook.com/policies/cookies .

How long and where is the data stored?

Facebook generally stores data until it is no longer needed for its own services and Facebook products. Facebook has servers distributed around the world where its data is stored. However, customer data is deleted within 48 hours after it has been compared with its own user data.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

According to the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the right to information, rectification, portability and erasure of your data.

Complete deletion of your data will only occur if you completely delete your Facebook account. Here's how to delete your Facebook account:

1) Click on Settings on the right side of Facebook.

2) Then click on “Your Facebook information” in the left column.

3) Now click “Deactivation and deletion”.

4) Now select “Delete account” and then click “Continue and delete account”

5) Now enter your password, click “Next” and then “Delete account”

The data that Facebook receives via our site is stored, among other things, via cookies (e.g., social plugins). You can deactivate, delete, or manage individual or all cookies in your browser. This works differently depending on the browser you use. Under the "Cookies" section, you will find links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers.

If you prefer not to accept cookies, you can set your browser to always notify you when a cookie is about to be placed. This allows you to decide whether to accept or reject each individual cookie.

Legal basis

If you have consented to your data being processed and stored by integrated Facebook tools, this consent serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR) . In principle, your data will also be stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR) in fast and effective communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the tools if you have given your consent. Most social media platforms also set cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our privacy policy on cookies carefully and view Facebook's privacy policy or cookie guidelines.

Facebook processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

Facebook uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Facebook undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Facebook data processing conditions, which correspond to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing .

We hope we have provided you with the most important information about the use and data processing by Facebook tools. If you would like to learn more about how Facebook uses your data, we recommend you read the data policy at https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/update .

Facebook Login Privacy Policy

We have integrated the practical Facebook login into our website. This allows you to easily log in with your Facebook account without having to create another user account. If you choose to register using Facebook login, you will be redirected to the social media network Facebook. There, you will log in using your Facebook user data. Through this login process, data about you and your user behavior will be stored and transmitted to Facebook.

Facebook uses various cookies to store data. Below, we list the most important cookies that are set in your browser or already exist when you log in to our site using Facebook:

Name: fr
Value: 0jieyh4c2GnlufEJ9..Bde09j…1.0.Bde09j

Purpose: This cookie is used to ensure that the social plugin on our website works as well as possible.
Expiry date: after 3 months

Name: datr
Value: 4Jh7XUA2311967867SEmPsSfzCOO4JFFl
Purpose: Facebook sets the “datr” cookie when a web browser accesses facebook.com, and the cookie helps identify login activities and protect users.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: _js_datr
Value: deleted
Purpose: This session cookie is set by Facebook for tracking purposes, even if you do not have a Facebook account or are logged out.
Expiry date: after end of session

Note: The cookies listed are only a small selection of the cookies available to Facebook. Other cookies include, for example, fbp, sb, and wd. A complete list is not possible, as Facebook has a large number of cookies and uses them variably.

The Facebook Login offers you a quick and easy registration process, and it also allows us to share data with Facebook. This allows us to better tailor our offerings and promotions to your interests and needs. Data we receive from Facebook in this way is public data, such as

  • Your Facebook name
  • Your profile picture
  • a stored email address
  • Friends lists
  • Button information (e.g. “Like” button)
  • Date of birth
  • Language
  • Place of residence

In return, we provide Facebook with information about your activities on our website. This includes information about the device you use, which subpages you visit, and which products you have purchased from us.

By using Facebook Login, you consent to data processing. You can revoke this agreement at any time. If you would like more information about data processing by Facebook, we recommend that you read the Facebook privacy policy at https://www.facebook.com/policy.php?tid=311967867 .

If you are logged in to Facebook, you can change your ad settings yourself at https://www.facebook.com/adpreferences/advertisers/?entry_product=ad_settings_screen .

Facebook Social Plug-ins Privacy Policy

Our website contains so-called social plug-ins from Meta Platforms Inc. You can recognize these buttons by the classic Facebook logo, such as the "Like" button (a hand with a raised thumb) or by a clear "Facebook plug-in" label. A social plug-in is a small part of Facebook that is integrated into our site. Each plug-in has its own function. The most frequently used functions are the familiar "Like" and "Share" buttons.

The following social plug-ins are offered by Facebook:

  • “Save” button
  • Like, Share, Send and Quote
  • Page plug-in
  • Comments
  • Messenger plug-in
  • Embedded posts and video players
  • Group plug-in

You can find more information about how the individual plug-ins are used at https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins . We use social plug-ins both to offer you a better user experience on our site and because they allow Facebook to optimize our advertising.

If you have a Facebook account or have already visited https://www.facebook.com/ , Facebook has already placed at least one cookie on your browser. In this case, your browser sends information to Facebook via this cookie as soon as you visit our page or interact with social plug-ins (e.g., the "Like" button).

The information collected will be deleted or anonymized within 90 days. According to Facebook, this data includes your IP address, the website you visited, the date and time, and other information related to your browser.

To prevent Facebook from collecting a lot of data during your visit to our website and linking it to Facebook data, you must log out of Facebook while visiting the website.

If you are not logged into Facebook or do not have a Facebook account, your browser will send less information to Facebook because you have fewer Facebook cookies. However, data such as your IP address or which website you visit may still be transmitted to Facebook. We would like to expressly point out that we do not know the exact content of the data. However, we will try to inform you about data processing as best as possible based on our current knowledge. You can also read about how Facebook uses the data in the company's data policy at https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/update .

The following cookies are set in your browser at least when you visit a website with social plug-ins from Facebook:

Name: dpr
Value: not specified
Purpose: This cookie is used to enable the social plug-ins on our website to function.
Expiry date: after end of session

Name: fr
Value: 0jieyh4311967867c2GnlufEJ9..Bde09j…1.0.Bde09j
Purpose: The cookie is also necessary for the plug-ins to function properly.
Expiry date: after 3 months

Note: These cookies were set after a test, even if you are not a Facebook member.

If you are logged in to Facebook, you can change your ad settings yourself at https://www.facebook.com/adpreferences/advertisers/ . If you are not a Facebook user, you can generally manage your usage-based online advertising at https://www.youronlinechoices.com/de/praferenzmanagement/?tid=311967867 . There you have the option to deactivate or activate providers.

If you would like to learn more about Facebook's privacy practices, we recommend that you read the company's own data policy at https://www.facebook.com/policy.php?tip=311967867 .

Instagram Privacy Policy

Instagram Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimizing our service
📓 Data processed: Data such as user behavior data, information about your device, and your IP address.
You can find more details below in the privacy policy.
📅 Storage period: until Instagram no longer needs the data for its purposes
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Instagram?

We have integrated Instagram functions into our website. Instagram is a social media platform of the company Instagram LLC, 1601 Willow Rd, Menlo Park CA 94025, USA. Instagram has been a subsidiary of Meta Platforms Inc. since 2012 and is one of the Facebook products. Embedding Instagram content on our website is called embedding. This allows us to show you content such as buttons, photos or videos from Instagram directly on our website. When you visit web pages on our website that have an integrated Instagram function, data is transmitted to, stored and processed by Instagram. Instagram uses the same systems and technologies as Facebook. Your data is therefore processed across all Facebook companies.

Below, we want to give you a more detailed insight into why Instagram collects data, what data it collects, and how you can largely control data processing. Since Instagram is part of Meta Platforms Inc., we obtain our information from both the Instagram guidelines and the Meta privacy policy itself.

Instagram is one of the most popular social media networks in the world. Instagram combines the benefits of a blog with those of audiovisual platforms like YouTube or Vimeo. You can upload photos and short videos to "Insta" (as many users casually call the platform), edit them with various filters, and share them on other social networks. And if you don't want to be active yourself, you can also just follow other interesting users.

Why do we use Instagram on our website?

Instagram is the social media platform that has really taken off in recent years. And of course, we've responded to this boom. We want you to feel as comfortable as possible on our website. That's why we take a natural approach to presenting our content in a varied way. Embedded Instagram features allow us to enrich our content with helpful, funny, or exciting content from the Instagram world. Since Instagram is a subsidiary of Facebook, the data collected can also be used to personalize advertising on Facebook. This way, our ads only reach people who are genuinely interested in our products or services.

Instagram also uses the collected data for measurement and analysis purposes. We receive aggregated statistics and thus gain more insight into your preferences and interests. It's important to note that these reports do not identify you personally.

What data does Instagram store?

When you visit one of our pages that has integrated Instagram features (such as Instagram images or plug-ins), your browser automatically connects to Instagram's servers. Data is sent to Instagram, stored, and processed, regardless of whether you have an Instagram account or not. This includes information about our website, your computer, purchases made, advertisements you see, and how you use our services. Furthermore, the date and time of your interaction with Instagram are also stored. If you have an Instagram account or are logged in, Instagram stores significantly more data about you.

Facebook differentiates between customer data and event data. We assume that this is also the case with Instagram. Customer data includes, for example, name, address, telephone number, and IP address. This customer data will only be transmitted to Instagram after it has been "hashed." Hashing means converting a data set into a character string. This allows contact details to be encrypted. The aforementioned "event data" will also be transmitted. Facebook – and consequently Instagram too – defines "event data" as data about your user behavior. It may also happen that contact details are combined with event data. The collected contact details will be compared with the data that Instagram already has about you.

The collected data is transmitted to Facebook via small text files (cookies), which are usually placed in your browser. Depending on the Instagram features used and whether you have an Instagram account, different amounts of data are stored.

We assume that data processing on Instagram works the same way as on Facebook. This means: if you have an Instagram account or have visited www.instagram.com , Instagram has at least set a cookie. If this is the case, your browser sends information to Instagram via the cookie as soon as you interact with an Instagram function. This data is deleted or anonymized after 90 days at the latest (after comparison). Although we have studied Instagram's data processing in detail, we cannot say exactly what data Instagram collects and stores.

Below, we show you the cookies that are set in your browser at a minimum when you click on an Instagram function (such as a button or an Instagram image). For our test, we assume that you don't have an Instagram account. If you are logged in to Instagram, significantly more cookies will naturally be set in your browser.

These cookies were used in our test:

Name: csrftoken
Value: ""
Purpose: This cookie is most likely set for security reasons to prevent forged requests. However, we were unable to determine this further.
Expiry date: after one year

Name: mid
Value: ""

Purpose: Instagram sets this cookie to optimize its own services and offers on and off Instagram. The cookie sets a unique user ID.
Expiry date: after the end of the session

Name: fbsr_311967867124024
Value: not specified
Purpose: This cookie stores the log-in request for users of the Instagram app.
Expiry date:
after the end of the session

Name: rur
Value: ATN
Purpose: This is an Instagram cookie that ensures functionality on Instagram.
Expiry date: after the end of the session

Name: urlgen
Value: “{”194.96.75.33”: 1901}:1iEtYv:Y833k2_UjKvXgYe311967867”

Purpose: This cookie is used for Instagram’s marketing purposes.
Expiry date: after the end of the session

Note: We cannot claim to be comprehensive here. Which cookies are set in each individual case depends on the embedded functions and your use of Instagram.

How long and where is the data stored?

Instagram shares the information it receives between Facebook companies, external partners, and people you connect with around the world. Data processing is carried out in compliance with its own data policy. Your data is distributed across Facebook servers around the world, partly for security reasons. Most of these servers are located in the USA.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

Thanks to the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the right to access, transfer, rectification, and erasure of your data. You can manage your data in your Instagram settings. If you want to completely delete your data on Instagram, you must permanently delete your Instagram account.

Here's how to delete your Instagram account:

First, open the Instagram app. On your profile page, scroll down and click on "Help Center." This will take you to the company's website. On the website, click on "Manage Account" and then "Delete Your Account."

If you delete your account entirely, Instagram will delete posts such as your photos and status updates. Information that other people have shared about you is not part of your account and therefore will not be deleted.

As mentioned above, Instagram primarily stores your data via cookies. You can manage, deactivate, or delete these cookies in your browser. Managing cookies works slightly differently depending on your browser. Under the "Cookies" section, you'll find links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers.

You can also generally configure your browser so that you are always informed when a cookie is about to be set. You can then decide individually whether you want to accept the cookie or not.

Legal basis

If you have consented to your data being processed and stored by integrated social media elements, this consent serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR) . In principle, your data will also be stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR) in fast and effective communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the integrated social media elements if you have given your consent. Most social media platforms also place cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our privacy policy on cookies carefully and view the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

Instagram and Facebook also process data in the USA, among other places. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

Facebook uses standard contractual clauses approved by the EU Commission (Art. 46, Paragraphs 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and in particular the USA) or for data transfers there. These clauses oblige Facebook to comply with EU data protection standards when processing relevant data, even outside the EU. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the clauses here, among other places: https://germany.representation.ec.europa.eu/index_de .

We have tried to provide you with the most important information about data processing by Instagram. At https://help.instagram.com/519522125107875
You can learn more about Instagram’s data policies here.

Pinterest Privacy Policy

Pinterest Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimizing our service
📓 Data processed: Data such as user behavior data, information about your device, your IP address, and search terms.
You can find more details below in the privacy policy.
📅 Storage period: until Pinterest no longer needs the data for its purposes
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Pinterest?

We use buttons and widgets from the social media network Pinterest, operated by Pinterest Inc., 808 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA, on our website. For the European region, the Irish company Pinterest Europe Ltd. (Palmerston House, 2nd Floor, Fenian Street, Dublin 2, Ireland) is responsible for all data protection-related aspects.

Pinterest is a social network specializing in graphic representations and photography. The name is a combination of the two words "pin" and "interest." Users can exchange ideas about various hobbies and interests on Pinterest and view profiles and images openly or in defined groups.

Why do we use Pinterest?

Pinterest has been around for several years now, and this social media platform is still one of the most visited and valued. Pinterest is particularly well-suited to our industry because it's primarily known for beautiful and interesting images. That's why we're also on Pinterest and want to showcase our content appropriately outside of our website. The data collected may also be used for advertising purposes so that we can show advertising messages to precisely those people who are interested in our services or products.

What data does Pinterest process?

So-called log data may be stored. This includes information about your browser, IP address, the address of our website and the activities performed on it (for example, when you click the Save or Pin button), search history, the date and time of the request, and cookie and device data. If you interact with an embedded Pinterest function, cookies that store various data may also be set in your browser. The aforementioned log data, preset language settings, and clickstream data are usually stored in cookies. Pinterest defines clickstream data as information about your website behavior.

If you have a Pinterest account and are logged in, the data collected through our site may be added to your account and used for advertising purposes. When you interact with our integrated Pinterest features, you will generally be redirected to the Pinterest page. Here is an example of the cookies that will then be set in your browser.

Name: _auth
Value: 0
Purpose: This cookie is used for authentication. It can store a value such as your "username," for example.
Expiry date:
after one year

Name: _pinterest_referrer
Value: 1
Purpose: This cookie stores that you accessed Pinterest via our website. It therefore stores the URL of our website.

Expiry date: after end of session

Name: _pinterest_sess
Value: …9HRHZvVE0rQlUxdG89
Purpose: The cookie is used to log in to Pinterest and contains user IDs, authentication tokens and timestamps.
Expiry date:
after one year

Name: _routing_id
Value: “8d850ddd-4fb8-499c-961c-77efae9d4065311967867-8”
Purpose: The cookie contains an assigned value that is used to identify a specific routing destination.
Expiry date:
after one day

Name: cm_sub
Value: denied
Purpose: This cookie stores a user ID and timestamp.
Expiry date:
after one year

Name: csrftoken
Value: 9e49145c82a93d34fd933b0fd8446165311967867-1
Purpose: This cookie is most likely set for security reasons to prevent forged requests. However, we were unable to determine this further.
Expiry date:
after one year

Name: sessionFunnelEventLogged
Value: 1
Purpose: We have not yet been able to find out any further information about this cookie.
Expiry date:
after one day

How long and where is the data stored?

Pinterest generally stores the collected data until it is no longer needed for the company's purposes. Once data retention is no longer necessary, for example, to comply with legal requirements, the data is either deleted or anonymized so that you can no longer be identified as an individual. The data may also be stored on American servers.

Right of objection

You also have the right and option to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third-party providers such as Pinterest at any time. This can be done either via our cookie management tool or through other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating, or deleting cookies in your browser.

Since embedded Pinterest elements may use cookies, we also recommend reading our general privacy policy on cookies. To learn exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Legal basis

If you have consented to your data being processed and stored by integrated social media elements, this consent serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR) . In principle, your data will also be stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR) in fast and effective communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the tool if you have given your consent. Most social media platforms also place cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our privacy policy on cookies carefully and view the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

Pinterest also processes your data in the USA, among other places. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

Pinterest uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Pinterest undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de.

More information about Pinterest’s standard contractual clauses can be found at https://policy.pinterest.com/de/privacy-policy#section-residents-of-the-eea .

We have tried to provide you with the most important information about data processing by Pinterest. You can learn more about Pinterest's data policy at https://policy.pinterest.com/de/privacy-policy .

TikTok Privacy Policy

We also use TikTok, a social media and video channel. The service provider is the Chinese company Beijing Bytedance Technology Ltd. The Irish company TikTok Technology Limited, 10 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin, D02 T380, Ireland, is responsible for the European region.

TikTok processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

TikTok uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, TikTok undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

You can find out more about the standard contractual clauses and the data processed through the use of TikTok Pixel in the Privacy Policy at https://www.tiktok.com/legal/privacy-policy-eea?lang=de or https://ads.tiktok.com/i18n/official/policy/controller-to-controller .

Twitter Privacy Policy

Twitter Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimizing our service
📓 Data processed: Data such as user behavior data, information about your device, and your IP address.
You can find more details below in the privacy policy.
📅 Storage period: Twitter deletes data collected from other websites after 30 days at the latest
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Twitter?

We have integrated Twitter features on our website. These include, for example, embedded tweets, timelines, buttons, and hashtags. Twitter is a short message service and social media platform provided by Twitter Inc., One Cumberland Place, Fenian Street, Dublin 2 D02 AX07, Ireland.

To our knowledge, in the European Economic Area and Switzerland, simply integrating Twitter functionality does not result in any personal data or data relating to your web activity being transferred to Twitter. Only when you interact with Twitter functions, such as clicking a button, can data be sent to Twitter, stored there, and processed. We have no influence on this data processing and bear no responsibility for it. This privacy policy provides you with an overview of the data Twitter stores, what Twitter does with this data, and how you can protect yourself from data transfer.

For some, Twitter is a news service, for others a social media platform, and still others call it a microblogging service. All of these terms are valid and mean more or less the same thing.

Both private individuals and companies use Twitter to communicate with interested parties via short messages. Twitter allows only 280 characters per message. These messages are called "tweets." Unlike Facebook, for example, the service doesn't focus on building a network of "friends" but rather aims to be seen as a global and open messaging platform. On Twitter, you can also have an anonymous account, and tweets can be deleted by the company or by the users themselves.

Why do we use Twitter on our website?

Like many other websites and companies, we try to offer our services and communicate with our customers through various channels. We've grown particularly fond of Twitter as a useful "little" news service. We frequently tweet or retweet exciting, funny, or interesting content. We realize that you can't follow every channel separately. After all, you have other things to do. That's why we've integrated Twitter functions into our website. You can experience our Twitter activity "in person" or access our Twitter page via a direct link. Through this integration, we want to strengthen our service and make our website more user-friendly.

What data does Twitter store?

On some of our subpages you will find built-in Twitter functions. If you interact with the Twitter content, for example, clicking on a button, Twitter can collect and store data. This happens even if you do not have a Twitter account. Twitter calls this data "log data". This includes demographic data, browser cookie IDs, your smartphone ID, hashed email addresses, and information about which pages you have visited on Twitter and which actions you have performed. Twitter naturally stores more data if you have a Twitter account and are logged in. This storage usually happens via cookies. Cookies are small text files that are usually placed in your browser and transmit various information to Twitter.

We'll now show you which cookies are set when you're not logged in to Twitter but visit a website with built-in Twitter features. Please consider this list as an example. We cannot guarantee completeness, as the choice of cookies is constantly changing and depends on your individual interactions with Twitter content.

These cookies were used in our test:

Name: personalization_id
Value: “v1_cSJIsogU51SeE311967867”
Purpose: This cookie stores information about how you use the website and which advertisements may have brought you to Twitter.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: long
Value: de
Purpose: This cookie stores your default or preferred language.

Expiry date: after end of session

Name: guest_id
Value: 311967867v1%3A157132626
Purpose: This cookie is set to identify you as a guest. 
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: fm
Value: 0
Purpose: Unfortunately, we were unable to determine the purpose of this cookie.
Expiry date: after end of session

Name: external_referer
Value: 3119678672beTA0sf5lkMrlGt
Purpose: This cookie collects anonymous data, such as how often you visit Twitter and how long you visit Twitter.
Expiry date: After 6 days

Name: eu_cn
Value: 1

Purpose: This cookie stores user activity and is used for various advertising purposes by Twitter.
Expiry date:
After one year

Name: ct0
Value: c1179f07163a365d2ed7aad84c99d966
Purpose: Unfortunately, we have not found any information about this cookie.
Expiry date: after 6 hours

Name: _twitter_sess
Value: 53D%253D–dd0248311967867-
Purpose: This cookie allows you to use functions within the Twitter website.
Expiry date: after end of session

Note: Twitter also works with third-party providers. Therefore, we also detected the three Google Analytics cookies _ga, _gat, and _gid in our test.

Twitter uses the collected data to better understand user behavior and thus improve its own services and advertising offers, and the data also serves internal security measures.

How long and where is the data stored?

If Twitter collects data from other websites, it is deleted, aggregated, or otherwise concealed after a maximum of 30 days. Twitter's servers are located at various server centers in the United States. Therefore, it can be assumed that the collected data is collected and stored in America. Based on our research, we were unable to definitively determine whether Twitter also has its own servers in Europe. In principle, Twitter can store the collected data until it is no longer useful to the company, you delete the data, or a statutory deletion period applies.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

Twitter repeatedly emphasizes in its privacy policy that it does not store data from external website visits if you or your browser are located in the European Economic Area or Switzerland. However, if you interact with Twitter directly, Twitter will of course also store your data.

If you have a Twitter account, you can manage your data by clicking "More" under the "Profile" button. Then click "Settings and Privacy." Here you can individually manage data processing.

If you don't have a Twitter account, you can go to twitter.com and click on "Personalization." Under "Personalization and Data," you can manage the data collected.

As mentioned above, most data is stored via cookies, which you can manage, deactivate, or delete in your browser. Please note that you can only "edit" cookies in the browser you have chosen. This means that if you use a different browser in the future, you will have to manage your cookies again according to your preferences. Under the "Cookies" section, you will find links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers.

You can also configure your browser to notify you about each individual cookie. Then you can always decide individually whether to accept a cookie or not.

Twitter also uses the data for personalized advertising on and off Twitter. You can disable personalized advertising in the settings under "Personalization and Data." If you use Twitter on a browser, you can disable personalized advertising at https://optout.aboutads.info/?c=2&lang=EN .

Legal basis

If you have consented to your data being processed and stored by integrated social media elements, this consent serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR) . In principle, your data will also be stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR) in fast and effective communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the integrated social media elements if you have given your consent. Most social media platforms also place cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our privacy policy on cookies carefully and view the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

Twitter processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

Twitter uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Twitter undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

More information about Twitter’s standard contractual clauses can be found at https://gdpr.twitter.com/en/controller-to-controller-transfers.html .

We hope we have given you a basic overview of data processing by Twitter. We do not receive any data from Twitter and are not responsible for what Twitter does with your data. If you have any further questions on this topic, we recommend you read the Twitter privacy policy at https://twitter.com/de/privacy .

Blogs and publication media Introduction

Blogs and publication media Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Presentation and optimization of our service as well as communication between website visitors, security measures and administration
📓 Data processed: Data such as contact details, IP address and published content.
You can find more details in the tools used.
📅 Storage period: depends on the tools used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests), Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR (contract)

What are blogs and publication media?

We use blogs and other communication tools on our website that allow us to communicate with you, and you to communicate with us. We may also store and process your data in the process. This may be necessary so that we can display content appropriately, ensure effective communication, and increase security. Our privacy policy provides a general overview of which of your data may be processed. Precise details regarding data processing always depend on the tools and functions used. You can find detailed information about data processing in the privacy policies of the individual providers.

Why do we use blogs and publication media?

Our primary goal with our website is to offer you interesting and engaging content, and at the same time, your opinions and content are important to us. Therefore, we strive to foster a positive, interactive exchange between us and you. We can achieve just that with various blogs and publishing options. For example, you can post comments on our content, respond to other comments, or, in some cases, even write your own posts.

What data is processed?

Exactly which data is processed always depends on the communication functions we use. IP addresses, user names, and published content are often stored. This is primarily done to ensure security, prevent spam, and take action against illegal content. Cookies may also be used for data storage. These are small text files that are stored in your browser with information. You can find more information about the data collected and stored in our individual sections and in the privacy policy of the respective provider.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you below about the duration of data processing, as soon as we have further information. For example, post and comment functions store data until you revoke your consent. Generally, personal data is only stored for as long as absolutely necessary to provide our services.

Right of objection

You also have the right and option to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third-party communication tools at any time. This can be done either via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating, or deleting cookies in your browser.

Since cookies may also be used in publication media, we recommend that you also read our general privacy policy regarding cookies. To learn exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Legal basis

We use these means of communication primarily based on our legitimate interests (Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR) in fast and effective communication with you or other customers, business partners, and visitors. To the extent that the use serves the processing of contractual relationships or their initiation, the legal basis is also Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR.

Certain processing operations, in particular the use of cookies and the use of comment or messaging functions, require your consent. If and to the extent that you have consented to the processing and storage of your data by integrated publication media, this consent serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR). Most of the communication functions we use place cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you carefully read our privacy policy on cookies and review the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

Information on specific tools – where available – can be found in the following sections.

Blog posts and comment functions Privacy Policy

There are various online communication tools that we can use on our website. For example, we use blog posts and comment functions. This gives you the opportunity to comment on content or write contributions. If you use this function, your IP address may be saved for security reasons. This way we protect ourselves from illegal content such as insults, unauthorized advertising or prohibited political propaganda. In order to determine whether comments are spam, we may also save and process user data based on our legitimate interest. If we start a survey, we also save your IP address for the duration of the survey so that we can be sure that everyone who takes part really only votes once. Cookies may also be used for storage purposes. All data that we save from you (such as content or information about you) will remain saved until you object.

Online Marketing Introduction

Online Marketing Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimize the website.
📓 Processed data: Access statistics, which include data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior, click behavior, and IP addresses. Personal data such as name or email address may also be processed. Further details can be found in the respective online marketing tool used.
📅 Storage period: depends on the online marketing tools used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is online marketing?

Online marketing refers to all measures conducted online to achieve marketing goals such as increasing brand awareness or closing a business deal. Furthermore, our online marketing measures aim to draw people's attention to our website. In order to present our offerings to as many interested people as possible, we engage in online marketing. This usually involves online advertising, content marketing, or search engine optimization. To ensure that we can use online marketing efficiently and effectively, personal data is also stored and processed. This data helps us, on the one hand, to show our content only to those who are actually interested in it, and on the other hand, it allows us to measure the advertising success of our online marketing measures.

Why do we use online marketing tools?

We want to show our website to everyone who is interested in what we offer. We realize that this isn't possible without consciously implemented measures. That's why we use online marketing. There are various tools that make our online marketing efforts easier and also provide us with continuous suggestions for improvement based on data. This allows us to target our campaigns more precisely to our target audience. The ultimate purpose of these online marketing tools is to optimize our offering.

What data is processed?

To ensure that our online marketing works and the success of our measures can be measured, user profiles are created and data is stored, for example, in cookies (small text files). With the help of this data, we can not only place advertisements in the traditional sense, but also present our content directly on our website in a way that you prefer. There are various third-party tools that offer these functions and therefore also collect and store data from you. The named cookies store, for example, which web pages you have visited on our website, how long you viewed these pages, which links or buttons you clicked or which website you came to us from. In addition, technical information can also be stored. For example, your IP address, which browser you use, which device you use to visit our website or the time when you accessed our website and when you left it again. If you have consented to us determining your location, we can also store and process this information.

Your IP address is stored in pseudonymized form (i.e., shortened). Unique data that directly identifies you as a person, such as your name, address, or email address, is also stored only in pseudonymized form for advertising and online marketing purposes. This means we cannot identify you as a person; we only store the pseudonymized information in the user profiles.

The cookies may also be deployed, analyzed, and used for advertising purposes on other websites that use the same advertising tools. The data may then also be stored on the servers of the advertising tool providers.

In exceptional cases, unique data (name, email address, etc.) may also be stored in user profiles. This storage occurs, for example, if you are a member of a social media channel that we use for our online marketing activities and the network links previously received data to the user profile.

With all the advertising tools we use that store your data on their servers, we only receive aggregated information and never data that identifies you as an individual. The data merely shows how well our advertising measures worked. For example, we can see which actions prompted you or other users to visit our website and purchase a service or product there. Based on these analyses, we can improve our advertising offerings in the future and tailor them even more precisely to the needs and wishes of interested parties.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you below about the duration of data processing, if we have further information. Generally, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. Data stored in cookies is stored for different lengths of time. Some cookies are deleted as soon as you leave the website, while others can remain stored in your browser for several years. The respective privacy policies of the individual providers usually provide detailed information about the individual cookies used by the provider.

Right of objection

You also have the right and option to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third-party providers at any time. This can be done either via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating, or deleting cookies in your browser. The legality of the processing up to the point of revocation remains unaffected.

Since online marketing tools typically use cookies, we also recommend reading our general privacy policy on cookies. To learn exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of third-party providers, this consent forms the legal basis for the corresponding data processing. According to Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), this consent constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when collected through online marketing tools.

We also have a legitimate interest in measuring online marketing measures in an anonymized form in order to use the data obtained to optimize our offering and our measures. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests) . However, we only use these tools if you have given your consent.

Information on specific online marketing tools – where available – can be found in the following sections.

Facebook Conversions API Privacy Policy

We use Facebook Conversions API, a server-side event tracking tool, on our website. The service provider is the American company Meta Platforms Inc. Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland) is responsible for the European region.

Facebook processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

Facebook uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Facebook undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Facebook data processing conditions, which correspond to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing .

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Facebook Conversions API in the Privacy Policy at https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy .

Facebook Custom Audiences Privacy Policy

We use Facebook Custom Audiences, a server-side event tracking tool, on our website. The service provider is the American company Meta Platforms Inc. Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland) is responsible for the European region.

Facebook processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

Facebook uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Facebook undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Facebook data processing conditions, which correspond to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing .

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Facebook Custom Audiences in the Privacy Policy at https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy .

Google Ads (Google AdWords) Conversion Tracking Privacy Policy

Google Ads (Google AdWords) Conversion Tracking Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: economic success and the optimization of our service.
📓 Processed data: Access statistics, which include data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior, click behavior, and IP addresses. Personal data such as name or email address may also be processed.
📅 Storage period: Conversion cookies usually expire after 30 days and do not transmit any personal data
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Google Ads Conversion Tracking?

We use Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) as an online marketing measure to advertise our products and services. In this way, we want to make more people aware of the high quality of our offerings on the internet. As part of our advertising measures through Google Ads, we use conversion tracking from Google Inc. on our website. In Europe, however, the company responsible for all Google services is Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland). With the help of this free tracking tool, we can better tailor our advertising to your interests and needs. In the following article, we want to go into more detail about why we use conversion tracking, what data is stored, and how you can prevent this data from being stored.

Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) is Google Inc.'s proprietary online advertising system. We are confident in the quality of our offering and want as many people as possible to get to know our website. Google Ads offers the best online platform for this. Of course, we also want to gain a precise overview of the cost-benefit ratio of our advertising campaigns. That's why we use the Google Ads conversion tracking tool.

But what exactly is a conversion? A conversion occurs when you go from being a purely interested website visitor to a user who actually acts. This happens whenever you click on our ad and then perform another action, such as visiting our website. Using Google's conversion tracking tool, we record what happens after a user clicks on our Google Ads ad. For example, we can see whether products are purchased, services are used, or whether users have signed up for our newsletter.

Why do we use Google Ads conversion tracking on our website?

We use Google Ads to draw attention to our offerings on other websites. The goal is to ensure that our advertising campaigns only reach those people who are interested in our offerings. With the conversion tracking tool, we see which keywords, ads, ad groups, and campaigns lead to the desired customer actions. We see how many customers interact with our ads on a device and then convert. This data allows us to calculate our cost-benefit factor, measure the success of individual advertising measures, and consequently optimize our online marketing efforts. Furthermore, we can use the data we collect to make our website more interesting for you and tailor our advertising even more closely to your individual needs.

What data is stored in Google Ads Conversion Tracking?

We have integrated a conversion tracking tag or code snippet on our website to better analyze certain user actions. When you click on one of our Google Ads ads, a "conversion" cookie from a Google domain is stored on your computer (usually in your browser) or mobile device. Cookies are small text files that store information on your computer.

Here are the data of the most important cookies for Google conversion tracking:

Name: Conversion
Value: EhMI_aySuoyv4gIVled3Ch0llweVGAEgt-mr6aXd7dYlSAGQ311967867-3
Purpose: This cookie saves every conversion you make on our site after you came to us via a Google Ad.
Expiry date: after 3 months

Name: _gac
Value: 1.1558695989.EAIaIQobChMIiOmEgYO04gIVj5AYCh2CBAPrEAAYASAAEgIYQfD_BwE

Purpose: This is a classic Google Analytics cookie and is used to record various actions on our website.
Expiry date: after 3 months

Note: The _gac cookie only appears in conjunction with Google Analytics. The above list is not exhaustive, as Google also frequently uses other cookies for analytical evaluations.

As soon as you complete an action on our website, Google recognizes the cookie and saves your action as a so-called conversion. As long as you are browsing our website and the cookie has not yet expired, we and Google recognize that you found us via our Google Ads ad. The cookie is read and sent back to Google Ads with the conversion data. It is also possible that other cookies are used to measure conversions. Google Ads conversion tracking can be further refined and improved with the help of Google Analytics. For ads that Google displays in various places on the web, cookies called "__gads" or "_gac" may be set under our domain. Since September 2017, various campaign information has been stored by analytics.js using the _gac cookie. The cookie saves this data as soon as you visit one of our pages for which automatic tagging by Google Ads has been set up. Unlike cookies that are set for Google domains, Google can only read these conversion cookies when you are on our website. We do not collect or receive any personal data. We receive a report from Google with statistical evaluations. For example, we learn the total number of users who clicked on our ad and see which advertising measures were well received.

How long and where is the data stored?

At this point, we would like to point out that we have no influence on how Google uses the collected data. According to Google, the data is encrypted and stored on secure servers. In most cases, conversion cookies expire after 30 days and do not transmit any personal data. The cookies named "Conversion" and "_gac" (which is used in conjunction with Google Analytics) have an expiration date of 3 months.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You have the option of not participating in Google Ads conversion tracking. If you deactivate the Google Conversion Tracking cookie in your browser, you block conversion tracking. In this case, you will not be included in the tracking tool's statistics. You can change the cookie settings in your browser at any time. This works slightly differently for each browser. Under the "Cookies" section, you will find the relevant links to the respective instructions for the most popular browsers.

If you do not want cookies at all, you can set your browser to always notify you when a cookie is about to be placed. This allows you to decide for each individual cookie whether or not to accept it. Downloading and installing this browser plug-in from https://support.google.com/ads/answer/7395996 will also deactivate all "advertising cookies." Please note that deactivating these cookies will not prevent you from seeing advertisements, only personalized advertising.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of Google Ads Conversion Tracking, this consent forms the legal basis for the corresponding data processing. According to Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), this consent constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when collected through Google Ads Conversion Tracking.

We also have a legitimate interest in using Google Ads Conversion Tracking to optimize our online service and marketing measures. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests) . However, we only use Google Ads Conversion Tracking if you have given your consent.

Google processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

Google uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Google undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The data processing terms for Google advertising products (Google Ads Controller-Controller Data Protection Terms), which correspond to the standard contractual clauses and also apply to Google Ads, can be found at https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms/ .

If you would like to learn more about data protection at Google, we recommend that you read Google's general privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de .

Google AdSense Privacy Policy

Google AdSense Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: economic success and the optimization of our service.
📓 Processed data: Access statistics, which include data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior, click behavior, and IP addresses. Personal data such as name or email address may also be processed.
📅 Storage period: depends on the cookies used and stored data
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Google AdSense?

We use Google AdSense on this website. This is an advertising program from Google Inc. In Europe, Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services. With Google AdSense, we can display advertisements on this website that are relevant to our topic. This way, we offer you ads that ideally represent real added value for you. In this privacy statement about Google AdSense, we explain why we use Google AdSense on our website, which of your data is processed and stored, and how you can prevent this data storage.

The Google AdSense advertising program has been around since 2003. Unlike Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords), you cannot place your own advertising here. Google AdSense displays advertisements on websites, such as ours. The biggest advantage of this advertising service compared to some others is that Google AdSense only shows you ads that match our content. Google has its own algorithm that calculates which ads you see. Naturally, we only want to show you advertising that interests you and offers added value. Google checks which advertisements are suitable for our website and our users based on your interests and user behavior, as well as our offerings. We would also like to point out at this point that we are not responsible for the selection of advertisements. We merely provide the advertising space on our website. Google selects the advertisements displayed. Since August 2013, the ads have also been adapted to the respective user interface. This means that whether you visit our website from your smartphone, PC or laptop, the ads adapt to your device.

Why do we use Google AdSense on our website?

Operating a high-quality website requires a lot of dedication and hard work. We're never done working on our website. We always strive to maintain our site and keep it as up-to-date as possible. Of course, we also want this work to be financially successful. That's why we've chosen advertisements as a source of income. The most important thing for us, however, is that these ads don't disrupt your visit to our website. With the help of Google AdSense, you'll only be shown advertisements that match our topics and your interests.

Similar to Google's indexing of a website, a bot examines the relevant content and offers on the page. The ads are then tailored and presented accordingly. In addition to the content overlap between the ad and the website's offerings, AdSense also supports interest-based targeting. This means that Google also uses your data to offer ads tailored to you. This way, you receive advertising that ideally offers you real added value, and we have a greater chance of earning a little extra money.

What data does Google AdSense store?

Google AdSense uses cookies, among other things, to enable it to display customized advertising tailored to you. Cookies are small text files that store certain information on your computer.

In AdSense, cookies are intended to enable better advertising. The cookies do not contain any personally identifiable data. However, it should be noted that Google considers data such as "pseudonymous cookie IDs" (a name or other identifier is replaced by a pseudonym) or IP addresses to be non-personally identifiable information. However, under the GDPR, this data may be considered personal data. Google AdSense sends a cookie to the browser after every impression (this is always the case when you see an ad), every click, and every other activity that leads to a call to the Google AdSense servers. If the browser accepts the cookie, it is stored there.

As part of AdSense, third parties may place and read cookies on your browser or use web beacons to store data they receive from the delivery of ads on the website. Web beacons are small graphics that perform log file analysis and record the log file. This analysis enables statistical evaluation for online marketing.

Google may use these cookies to collect certain information about your user behavior on our website. This includes:

  • Information on how you interact with an ad (clicks, impressions, mouse movements)
  • Information about whether an ad has previously appeared in your browser. This data helps prevent an ad from appearing more often.

Google analyzes and evaluates the data relating to the displayed advertisements and your IP address. Google primarily uses this data to measure the effectiveness of an ad and to improve its advertising offerings. This data is not linked to any personal information that Google may have about you through other Google services.

Below, we present cookies that Google AdSense uses for tracking purposes. This refers to a test website that has only Google AdSense installed: 

Name: uid
Value: 891269189311967867-8
Purpose: The cookie is stored under the domain adform.net. It provides a unique, machine-generated user ID and collects data about activity on our website.
Expiry date: after 2 months

Name: C
Value: 1
Purpose: This cookie identifies whether your browser accepts cookies. The cookie is stored under the domain track.adform.net.
Expiry date: after 1 month

Name: cid
Value: 8912691894970695056,0,0,0,0
Purpose: This cookie is stored under the domain track.adform.net, stands for client ID, and is used to improve advertising for you. It can deliver more relevant ads to the visitor and helps improve campaign performance reports.
Expiry date: after 2 months

Name: IDE
Value: zOtj4TWxwbFDjaATZ2TzNaQmxrU311967867-1

Purpose: The cookie is stored under the domain doubleclick.net. It is used to record your actions after viewing or clicking on the ad. This allows us to measure how well an ad is received by our visitors.
Expiry date: after 1 month

Name: test_cookie
Value: not specified
Purpose: The "test_cookie" can be used to check whether your browser supports cookies. The cookie is stored under the domain doubleclick.net.
Expiry date: after 1 month

Name: CT592996
Value: 733366
Purpose: Stored under the domain adform.net. The cookie is set when you click on an ad. We have not been able to obtain further information about the use of this cookie.

Expiry date: after one hour

Note: This list cannot claim to be complete, as experience has shown that Google continually changes its choice of cookies.

How long and where is the data stored?

Google collects your IP address and various activities you perform on the website. Cookies store this information about your interactions on our website. According to Google, the company securely collects and stores the information provided on its own servers in the US.

If you don't have a Google Account or aren't logged in, Google stores the collected data with a unique identifier (ID), usually on your browser. The unique IDs stored in cookies are used, for example, to ensure personalized advertising. If you are logged in to a Google Account, Google may also collect personal data.

You can delete some of the data Google stores at any time (see the next section). Much of the information stored in cookies is automatically deleted after a certain period of time. However, some data is also stored by Google for a longer period of time. This is the case when Google is required to store certain data for an indefinite period of time for economic or legal reasons.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You always have the option to delete or disable cookies stored on your computer. Exactly how this works depends on your browser. Under the "Cookies" section, you'll find links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers.

If you do not want cookies at all, you can set your browser to always notify you when a cookie is about to be placed. This allows you to decide for each individual cookie whether or not to accept it. Downloading and installing this browser plug-in from https://support.google.com/ads/answer/7395996 will also deactivate all "advertising cookies." Please note that deactivating these cookies will not prevent you from seeing advertisements, only personalized advertising.

If you have a Google Account, you can opt out of personalized advertising at https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated . You will still see ads, but they will no longer be tailored to your interests. However, ads will still be displayed based on a few factors, such as your location, browser type, and search terms used.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of Google AdSense, this consent forms the legal basis for the corresponding data processing. According to Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), this consent constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when collected by Google AdSense.

We also have a legitimate interest in using Google AdSense to optimize our online service and marketing efforts. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests) . However, we only use Google AdSense if you have given your consent.

Google processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

Google uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Google undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The data processing conditions for Google advertising products (Google Ads Controller-Controller Data Protection Terms), which correspond to the standard contractual clauses and also apply to Google AdSense, can be found at https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms/ .

You can find out what data Google generally collects and what they use this data for at https://www.google.com/intl/de/policies/privacy/ .

PayPal Marketing Solutions Privacy Policy

We use PayPal Marketing Solutions, a sales optimization tool, on our website. The service provider is the American company PayPal Pte. Ltd, 2211 North First Street, San Jose, California 95131, USA.

PayPal processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

PayPal uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46, Paragraphs 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, PayPal undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

For more information about the standard contractual clauses and the data processed through the use of PayPal Marketing Solutions, please see the Privacy Policy at https://www.paypal.com/c2/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full .

You can learn more about the data processed through the use of PayPal Marketing Solutions in the Privacy Policy at https://www.paypal.com/c2/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full .

Pinterest Web Analytics Privacy Policy

We use Pinterest Web Analytics, a web analytics program, on our website. The service provider is the American company Pinterest Inc. The company also has an Irish headquarters at Pinterest Europe Ltd., Palmerston House, 2nd Floor, Fenian Street, Dublin 2, Ireland.

Pinterest also processes your data in the USA, among other places. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

Pinterest uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Pinterest undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

More information about Pinterest’s standard contractual clauses can be found at https://policy.pinterest.com/de/privacy-policy#section-residents-of-the-eea .

You can learn more about the data processed through the use of Pinterest Web Analytics in the full Privacy Policy at https://policy.pinterest.com/de/privacy-policy .

TikTok Pixel Privacy Policy

We use TikTok Pixel, a conversion tracking tool for advertisers, on our website. The service provider is the Chinese company TikTok. TikTok Technology Limited (10 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin, D02 T380, Ireland) is responsible for the European region.

TikTok processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

TikTok uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, TikTok undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

You can find out more about the standard contractual clauses and the data processed through the use of TikTok Pixel in the Privacy Policy at https://www.tiktok.com/legal/privacy-policy-eea?lang=de or https://ads.tiktok.com/i18n/official/policy/controller-to-controller .

Partner Programs Introduction

Affiliate Programs Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: economic success and the optimization of our service.
📓 Processed data: Access statistics, which include data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior, click behavior, and IP addresses. Personal data such as name or email address may also be processed.
📅 Storage period: personal data is usually stored by partner programs until it is no longer needed
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are affiliate programs?

We use partner programs from various providers on our website. By using a partner program, your data may be transferred, stored, and processed by the respective partner program provider. In this privacy statement, we provide you with a general overview of data processing by partner programs and show you how you can prevent or revoke data transfer. Every partner program (also called an affiliate program) is based on the principle of commission. A link or advertisement with a link is placed on our website. If you are interested in it, click on it, and purchase a product or service in this way, we receive a commission (advertising cost reimbursement).

Why do we use affiliate programs on our website?

Our goal is to provide you with a pleasant experience and plenty of helpful content. To achieve this, we invest a lot of time and effort into developing our website. Through affiliate programs, we have the opportunity to receive some compensation for our work. Of course, every affiliate link is always related to our topic and displays offers that might be of interest to you.

What data is processed?

In order to track whether you clicked on a link we use, the affiliate program provider needs to know that it was you who followed the link through our website. Therefore, the affiliate program links used must be correctly assigned to the subsequent actions (business transaction, purchase, conversion, impression, etc.). Only then can commissions be billed.

For this assignment to work, a value can be appended to a link (in the URL) or information can be stored in cookies. These cookies store information such as the page you came from (referrer), when you clicked on the link, an identifier of our website, the offer involved, and a user ID.

This means that as soon as you interact with products and services from an affiliate program, that provider also collects data from you. Exactly which data is stored depends on the individual provider. For example, the Amazon affiliate program distinguishes between active and automatic information. Active information includes name, email address, phone number, age, payment information, and location information. Automatically stored information, in this case, includes user behavior, IP address, device information, and the URL.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you below about the duration of data processing, if we have further information. In general, personal data is only processed for as long as it is necessary to provide the services and products. Data stored in cookies is stored for different lengths of time. Some cookies are deleted as soon as you leave the website, while others can remain stored in your browser for several years unless they are actively deleted. The exact duration of data processing depends on the provider used; in most cases, you should expect a storage period of several years. The respective privacy policies of the individual providers usually provide precise information about the duration of data processing.

Right of objection

You always have the right to access, correct, and delete your personal data. If you have any questions, you can also contact the responsible person of the affiliate program provider you use at any time. Contact details can be found either in our specific privacy policy or on the website of the respective provider.

You can delete, deactivate, or manage cookies that providers use for their functions in your browser. This works differently depending on the browser you use.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of partner programs, this consent forms the legal basis for the corresponding data processing. According to Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), this consent constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when collected through a partner program.

We also have a legitimate interest in using an affiliate program to optimize our online service and marketing measures. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests) . However, we only use the affiliate program if you have given your consent.

Information on special partner programs, if available, can be found in the following sections.

Amazon Affiliate Program Privacy Policy

Amazon Affiliate Program Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: economic success and the optimization of our service.
📓 Processed data: Access statistics, which include data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior, click behavior, and IP addresses. Personal data such as name or email address may also be processed.
📅 Storage period: personal data is stored by Amazon until it is no longer needed
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is the Amazon Affiliate Program?

We use the Amazon affiliate program of Amazon.com, Inc. on our website. The responsible parties within the meaning of this privacy policy are Amazon Europe Core S.à.rl, Amazon EU S.à.rl, Amazon Services Europe S.à.rl, and Amazon Media EU S.à.rl, all located at 5, Rue Plaetis, L-2338 Luxembourg, and Amazon Instant Video Germany GmbH, Domagkstr. 28, 80807 Munich, Germany. Amazon Deutschland Services GmbH, Marcel-Breuer-Str. 12, 80807 Munich, Germany, acts as the data processor. By using this Amazon affiliate program, your data may be transferred to, stored, and processed by Amazon.

In this privacy policy, we inform you about what data is involved, why we use the program and how you can manage or prevent data transfer.

The Amazon Associates Program is an affiliate marketing program of the online retailer Amazon.de . Like any affiliate program, the Amazon Associates Program is based on the commission principle. Amazon, or rather, we, place advertisements or affiliate links on our website, and if you click on them and purchase a product through Amazon, we receive a commission.

Why do we use the Amazon affiliate program on our website?

Our goal is to provide you with a pleasant experience and plenty of helpful content. To achieve this, we put a lot of work and energy into developing our website. Through the Amazon Affiliate Program, we have the opportunity to receive some compensation for our work. Every affiliate link to Amazon is, of course, always related to our topic and displays offers that might be of interest to you.

What data is stored by the Amazon affiliate program?

As soon as you interact with Amazon's products and services, Amazon collects data from you. Amazon distinguishes between information that you actively provide to the company and information that is automatically collected and stored. "Active information" includes, for example, name, email address, telephone number, age, payment information, or location information. So-called "automatic information" is primarily stored via cookies. This includes information about user behavior, IP address, device information (browser type, location, operating system), or the URL. Amazon also stores the clickstream. This refers to the path (sequence of pages) that you take as a user to reach a product. Amazon also stores cookies in your browser to be able to trace the origin of an order. This allows the company to recognize that you have clicked on an Amazon ad or an affiliate link via our website.

If you have an Amazon account and are logged in while browsing our website, the data collected may be assigned to your account. You can prevent this by logging out of Amazon before browsing our website.

Here we show you example cookies that are set in your browser when you click on an Amazon link on our website.

Name : uid
Value: 3230928052675285215311967867-9
Purpose: This cookie stores a unique user ID and collects information about your website activity.
Expiry date: after 2 months

Name : ad-id
Value: AyDaInRV1k-Lk59xSnp7h5o
Purpose: This cookie is provided by amazon-adsystem.com and is used by the company for various advertising purposes.
Expiry date: after 8 months

Name : uuid2
Value: 8965834524520213028311967867-2
Purpose: This cookie enables targeted and interest-based advertising via the AppNexus platform. The cookie collects and stores anonymous data via the IP address, for example, about which advertisements you have clicked on and which pages you have visited.
Expiry date: after 3 months

Name : session-id
Value: 262-0272718-2582202311967867-1
Purpose: This cookie stores a unique user ID that the server assigns to you for the duration of your website visit (session). If you visit the same page again, the information stored there will be retrieved.
Expiry date: after 15 years

Name : APID
Value: UP9801199c-4bee-11ea-931d-02e8e13f0574

Purpose: This cookie stores information about how you use a website and what advertisements you viewed before visiting the website.
Expiry date: after one year

Name : session-id-time
Value: tb:s-STNY7ZS65H5335FZEVPE|1581329862486&t:1581329864300&adb:adblk_no
Purpose: This cookie records the time you spend on a website with a unique cookie ID.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name : csm-hit
Value: 2082754801l
Purpose: We could not find out any precise information about this cookie.
Expiry date: after 15 years

Note: Please note that this list only shows examples of cookies and cannot claim to be complete.

Amazon uses this information to tailor advertisements more closely to users’ interests.

How long and where is the data stored?

Amazon retains personal data for as long as necessary for Amazon's business services or as required by law. Since Amazon is headquartered in the United States, the collected data is also stored on American servers.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You have the right to access and delete your personal data at any time. If you have an Amazon account, you can manage or delete much of the data collected within your account.

Another option for managing Amazon's data processing and storage according to your preferences is provided by your browser. There, you can manage, disable, or delete cookies. This works slightly differently for each browser. Under the "Cookies" section, you'll find links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of the Amazon affiliate program, this consent forms the legal basis for the corresponding data processing. According to Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), this consent constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when collected through the Amazon affiliate program.

We also have a legitimate interest in using the Amazon affiliate program to optimize our online service and marketing measures. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests) . However, we only use the Amazon affiliate program if you have given your consent.

Amazon processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

Amazon uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46, Paragraphs 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Amazon undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Amazon Data Processing Terms (AWS GDPR DATA PROCESSING), which correspond to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://d1.awsstatic.com/legal/aws-gdpr/AWS_GDPR_DPA.pdf .

We hope we have provided you with the most important information about data transfer through the use of the Amazon Affiliate Program. You can find more information at https://www.amazon.de/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201909010 .

eBay Partner Network Privacy Policy

We use the eBay affiliate program for our website. The service provider is the American company eBay Partner Network, Inc., 2145 Hamilton Ave., San Jose, CA 95125, USA.

eBay also processes data in the USA, among other places. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

eBay uses standard contractual clauses approved by the EU Commission (Article 46, Paragraphs 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and in particular the USA) or for data transfers there. These clauses oblige eBay to comply with EU data protection standards when processing relevant data, even outside the EU. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the clauses here, among other places: https://germany.representation.ec.europa.eu/index_de

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of eBay Partner Network in the privacy policy at https://partnernetwork.ebay.de/page/network-agreement#privacy-policy .

Content Delivery Networks Introduction

Content Delivery Networks Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimizing our service (to load the website faster)
📓 Processed data: Data such as your IP address
You can find more details below and in the individual data protection texts.
📅 Storage period: most data is stored until it is no longer needed to provide the service
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is a content delivery network?

We use a so-called content delivery network on our website. This type of network is usually simply called a CDN. A CDN helps us load our website quickly and smoothly, regardless of your location. Your personal data is also stored, managed, and processed on the servers of the CDN provider used. Below, we provide more general information about the service and its data processing. Detailed information about how your data is handled can be found in the respective provider's privacy policy.

Every content delivery network (CDN) is a network of regionally distributed servers, all connected via the internet. This network allows website content (especially very large files) to be delivered quickly and smoothly, even during peak loads. The CDN creates a copy of our website on its servers. Because these servers are distributed worldwide, the website can be delivered quickly. Consequently, the CDN significantly reduces data transfer time to your browser.

Why do we use a content delivery network for our website?

A fast-loading website is part of our service. We know how annoying it is when a website loads at a snail's pace. Often, you even lose patience and leave before the site has fully loaded. We naturally want to avoid that. Therefore, a fast-loading website is a natural part of our website offering. With a content delivery network, our website loads significantly faster in your browser. Using a CDN is especially helpful if you are abroad, because the website is delivered from a server near you.

What data is processed?

When you request a website or website content that is cached in a CDN, the CDN forwards the request to the server closest to you, which then delivers the content. Content delivery networks are designed so that JavaScript libraries can be downloaded and hosted on npm and Github servers. Alternatively, most CDNs can also load WordPress plugins if they are hosted on WordPress.org . Your browser can send personal information to the content delivery network we use. This includes data such as your IP address, browser type, browser version, which web page is loaded, and the time and date of the page visit. This data is collected and stored by the CDN. Whether cookies are used to store data depends on the network used. Please read the privacy policies of the respective service.

Right of objection

If you want to completely prevent this data transfer, you can install a JavaScript blocker (see, for example, https://noscript.net/ ) on your PC. Of course, this will prevent our website from providing the usual service (such as fast loading speed).

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of a content delivery network, this consent forms the legal basis for the corresponding data processing. According to Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), this consent constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when collected by a content delivery network.

We also have a legitimate interest in using a content delivery network to optimize and secure our online service. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests) . However, we only use this tool if you have given your consent.

Information on specific content delivery networks can be found – where available – in the following sections.

Cookie Consent Management Platform Introduction

Cookie Consent Management Platform Summary
👥 Affected: Website visitors
🤝 Purpose: Obtaining and managing consent to certain cookies and thus the use of certain tools
📓 Data processed: Data for managing the cookie settings, such as IP address, time of consent, type of consent, and individual consents. You can find more details in the respective tool used.
📅 Storage period: Depends on the tool used; you have to be prepared for periods of several years
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is a Cookie Consent Management Platform?

We use Consent Management Platform (CMP) software on our website to make it easier for us and you to handle scripts and cookies correctly and securely. The software automatically creates a cookie popup, scans and controls all scripts and cookies, provides you with the cookie consent required by data protection law, and helps us and you keep track of all cookies. Most Cookie Consent Management tools identify and categorize all existing cookies. You, as the website visitor, then decide for yourself whether and which scripts and cookies you allow or deny. The following graphic illustrates the relationship between browser, web server, and CMP.

Why do we use a cookie management tool?

Our goal is to offer you the greatest possible transparency in the area of ​​data protection. We are also legally obligated to do so. We want to inform you as fully as possible about all tools and cookies that can store and process your data. It is also your right to decide for yourself which cookies you accept and which you do not. In order to grant you this right, we first need to know exactly which cookies have landed on our website. Thanks to a cookie management tool that regularly scans the website for all existing cookies, we know about all cookies and can provide you with GDPR-compliant information. You can then accept or reject cookies using the consent system.

What data is processed?

Using our cookie management tool, you can manage each individual cookie yourself and have complete control over the storage and processing of your data. Your consent will be saved so that we don't have to ask you each time you visit our website, and we can also verify your consent if required by law. This consent is saved either in an opt-in cookie or on a server. The storage period for your cookie consent varies depending on the provider of the cookie management tool. This data (such as pseudonymous user ID, time of consent, details on cookie categories or tools, browser, device information) is usually saved for up to two years.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you below about the duration of data processing, if we have further information. In general, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. Data stored in cookies is stored for different lengths of time. Some cookies are deleted as soon as you leave the website, while others can remain stored in your browser for several years. The exact duration of data processing depends on the tool used; in most cases, you should expect a storage period of several years. The respective privacy policies of the individual providers usually provide precise information about the duration of data processing.

Right of objection

You also have the right and option to revoke your consent to the use of cookies at any time. This can be done either via our cookie management tool or through other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating, or deleting cookies in your browser.

Information on specific cookie management tools, if available, can be found in the following sections.

Legal basis

If you consent to cookies, your personal data will be processed and stored via these cookies. If we are permitted to use cookies based on your consent (Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR), this consent also serves as the legal basis for the use of cookies and the processing of your data. Cookie consent management platform software is used to manage consent to cookies and enable you to give your consent. The use of this software enables us to operate the website efficiently and in compliance with the law, which represents a legitimate interest (Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR).

AdSimple Cookie Manager Privacy Policy

AdSimple Cookie Manager Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Website visitors
🤝 Purpose: Obtaining consent to certain cookies and thus the use of certain tools
📓 Processed data: Data for managing cookie settings, such as IP address, time of consent, type of consent, and individual consents. You can find more details further down in this privacy policy.
📅 Storage period: the cookie used expires after one year
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is the AdSimple Cookie Manager?

We use the AdSimple Cookie Manager from the software development and online marketing company AdSimple GmbH, Fabriksgasse 20, 2230 Gänserndorf, on our website. Among other things, the AdSimple Cookie Manager offers us the option of providing you with a comprehensive and privacy-compliant cookie notice so that you can decide for yourself which cookies you allow and which you do not. By using this software, your data is sent to AdSimple and stored. In this privacy policy, we inform you why we use the AdSimple Cookie Manager, which data is transmitted and stored, and how you can prevent this data transmission.

The AdSimple Cookie Manager is a software that scans our website and identifies and categorizes all existing cookies. Furthermore, you, as a website visitor, are informed about the use of cookies via a cookie notice script, allowing you to decide for yourself which cookies you accept and which you deny.

Why do we use the AdSimple Cookie Manager on our website?

We want to offer you maximum transparency in the area of ​​data protection. To ensure this, we first need to know exactly which cookies have landed on our website over time. Because AdSimple's Cookie Manager regularly scans our website and locates all cookies, we have full control over these cookies and can therefore act in compliance with the GDPR. This allows us to provide you with precise information about the use of cookies on our website. Furthermore, you will always receive an up-to-date and data protection-compliant cookie notice and can decide for yourself which cookies you accept or block using the checkbox system.

What data is stored by the AdSimple Cookie Manager?

If you accept cookies on our website, the following cookie will be set by the AdSimple Cookie Manager:

Name: acm_status
Value: “:true,”statistics”:true,”marketing”:true,”socialmedia”:true,”settings”:true}
Purpose: This cookie stores your consent status. This allows our website to read and follow your current status on future visits.
Expiry date: after one year

How long and where is the data stored?

All data collected by the AdSimple Cookie Manager is transferred and stored exclusively within the European Union. The collected data is stored on AdSimple's servers at Hetzner GmbH in Germany. Only AdSimple GmbH and Hetzner GmbH have access to this data.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You have the right to access and delete your personal data at any time. You can prevent data collection and storage, for example, by rejecting the use of cookies using the cookie notice script. Your browser offers another option for preventing data processing or managing it according to your preferences. Cookie management works slightly differently depending on the browser. Under the "Cookies" section, you will find the relevant links to the respective instructions for the most popular browsers.

Legal basis

If you consent to cookies, your personal data will be processed and stored via these cookies. If we are permitted to use cookies based on your consent (Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR), this consent also serves as the legal basis for the use of cookies and the processing of your data. AdSimple Cookie Manager is used to manage consent to cookies and enable you to give your consent. The use of this software enables us to operate the website efficiently and in compliance with the law, which represents a legitimate interest (Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR).

We hope we've provided you with a good overview of the traffic and data processing performed by the AdSimple Cookie Manager. If you'd like to learn more about this tool, we recommend visiting the description page at https://www.adsimple.at/adsimple-cookie-manager/.

Payment provider introduction

Payment provider privacy policy summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Enabling and optimizing the payment process on our website
📓 Processed data: Data such as name, address, bank details (account number, credit card number, passwords, TANs, etc.), IP address and contract data
You can find more details in the respective payment provider tool used.

📅 Storage period: depends on the payment provider used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR (performance of a contract)

What is a payment provider?

We use online payment systems on our website that enable a secure and seamless payment process for both us and you. Personal data may, among other things, be sent to the respective payment provider, stored there, and processed there. Payment providers are online payment systems that allow you to place an order via online banking. The payment is processed by the payment provider you choose. We then receive information about the payment made. This method is available to any user with an active online banking account with a PIN and TAN. There are hardly any banks that do not offer or accept such payment methods.

Why do we use payment providers on our website?

Naturally, we want to offer the best possible service with our website and our integrated online shop, so that you feel comfortable on our site and can use our services. We know that your time is valuable and that payment processing, in particular, must be quick and smooth. For these reasons, we offer you various payment providers. You can choose your preferred payment provider and pay as usual.

What data is processed?

Exactly which data is processed depends, of course, on the respective payment provider. However, data such as name, address, and bank details (account number, credit card number, passwords, TANs, etc.) are generally stored. This is necessary data to be able to carry out a transaction at all. In addition, any contract data and user data, such as when you visit our website, which content you are interested in, or which subpages you click on, may also be stored. Most payment providers also store your IP address and information about the computer you are using.

The data is generally stored and processed on the payment providers' servers. We, as the website operator, do not receive this data. We are only informed whether the payment was successful or not. Payment providers may forward data to the relevant department for identity and credit checks. The respective provider's business and data protection principles always apply to all payment transactions. Therefore, please always read the payment provider's general terms and conditions and privacy policy. You also have the right, for example, to have data deleted or corrected at any time. Please contact the respective service provider regarding your rights (right of withdrawal, right of information, and right to be affected).

Duration of data processing

We will inform you below about the duration of data processing, as soon as we have further information. Generally, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. If required by law, such as in the case of accounting, this retention period may be exceeded. For example, we retain accounting documents related to a contract (invoices, contract documents, bank statements, etc.) for 10 years (Section 147 of the German Fiscal Code [AO]) and other relevant business documents for 6 years (Section 247 of the German Commercial Code [HGB]) after they are acquired.

Right of objection

You always have the right to access, correct, and delete your personal data. If you have any questions, you can also contact the responsible person of the payment provider you use at any time. Contact details can be found either in our specific privacy policy or on the website of the respective payment provider.

You can delete, deactivate, or manage cookies that payment providers use for their functions in your browser. This works differently depending on the browser you use. Please note, however, that if you do this, the payment process may no longer work.

Legal basis

In addition to traditional banking/credit institutions, we also offer other payment service providers for the processing of contractual or legal relationships (Article 6 (1) (b) GDPR) . The privacy policies of the individual payment providers (such as Amazon Payments, Apple Pay, or Discover) provide you with a detailed overview of data processing and storage. You can also always contact the responsible parties with any questions regarding data protection-related issues.

Information about the specific payment providers – if available – can be found in the following sections.

giropay privacy policy

We use the online payment provider giropay on our website. The service provider is the German company paydirekt GmbH, Stephanstraße 14-16, 60313 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. You can learn more about the data processed through the use of giropay in the privacy policy at https://www.giropay.de/rechtliches/datenschutzerklaerung/ .

Google Pay Privacy Policy

We use the online payment provider Google Pay on our website. The service provider is the American company Google Inc. For the European region, Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services.

Google processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

Google uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Google undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The data processing terms for Google advertising products (Google Ads Controller-Controller Data Protection Terms), which correspond to the standard contractual clauses and also apply to Google Pay, can be found at https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms/ .

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Google Pay in the Privacy Policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy .

Klarna Checkout Privacy Policy

Klarna Checkout Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimization of the payment process on our website
📓 Processed data: Data such as name, address, bank details (account number, credit card number, passwords, TANs, etc.), IP address and contract data
You can find more details about this further down in this privacy policy.
📅 Storage period: Data will be stored as long as Klarna needs it for the processing purpose.
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (c) GDPR (legal obligation), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Klarna Checkout?

We use the online payment system Klarna Checkout from the Swedish company Klarna Bank AB on our website. Klarna Bank has its headquarters at Sveavägen 46, 111 34 Stockholm, Sweden. If you choose to use this service, personal data, among other things, will be sent to Klarna, stored, and processed. In this privacy policy, we would like to provide you with an overview of Klarna's data processing.

Klarna Checkout is a payment system for orders in an online store. The user selects the payment method, and Klarna Checkout handles the entire payment process. Once a user has made a payment through the checkout system and entered the relevant information, future online purchases can be made even faster and easier. The Klarna system then recognizes the existing customer simply by entering their email address and postal code.

Why do we use Klarna Checkout for our website?

Our goal with our website and our integrated online shop is to offer you the best possible service. This includes not only the overall website experience and our offers, but also smooth, fast, and secure payment processing for your orders. To ensure this, we use the Klarna Checkout payment system.

What data does Klarna Checkout store?

As soon as you choose the Klarna payment service and pay using the Klarna Checkout payment method, you also transmit personal data to the company. On the Klarna Checkout page, technical data such as browser type, operating system, our Internet address, date and time, language settings, time zone settings, and IP address are collected from you and transmitted to Klarna's servers, where they are stored. This data is stored even if you have not yet completed an order.

When you order a product or service through our shop, you must enter your personal information in the specified fields. This data will be processed by Klarna for payment processing. Klarna may specifically store and process the following personal data (as well as general product information) for credit and identity verification purposes:

  • Contact information: name, date of birth, national ID number, title, billing and shipping address, email address, phone number, nationality or salary.
  • Payment information such as credit card details or your account number
  • Product information such as tracking number, type of item and price of the product

There is also data that can be collected optionally, provided you consciously choose to do so. These include political, religious, or ideological beliefs, or various health data.

In addition to the above-mentioned data, Klarna may also collect data about the goods or services you purchase or order, either directly or through third parties (such as us or public databases). This may include, for example, the tracking number or the type of item ordered, but also information about your creditworthiness, income, or credit approval. Klarna may also share your personal data with service providers such as software providers, data storage providers, or us as a merchant.

When data is automatically entered into a form, cookies are always involved. If you do not wish to use this feature, you can deactivate these cookies at any time. Further down in the text, you will find instructions on how to delete, deactivate, or manage cookies in your browser. Our tests have shown that Klarna does not set any cookies directly. If you select the "Klarna Sofort" payment method and click "Order," you will be redirected to the Sofort website. After successful payment, you will be taken to our thank you page. There, sofort.com sets the following cookie:

Name : SOFUEB
Value: e8cipp378mdscn9e17kajlfhv7311967867-4
Purpose: This cookie stores your session ID.
Expiry date: after the browser session ends

How long and where is the data stored?

Klarna strives to store your data only within the EU or the European Economic Area (EEA). However, it may also happen that data is transferred outside the EU/EEA. If this happens, Klarna ensures that data protection is in compliance with the GDPR and that the third country has been subject to an adequacy decision by the European Union. The data will always be stored for as long as Klarna needs it for the processing purpose.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You can revoke your consent to Klarna processing your personal data at any time. You also always have the right to access, correct, and delete your personal data. To do so, simply contact the company or its data protection team by email at datenschutz@klarna.de . You can also contact Klarna directly via the Klarna website's "My Data Protection Request."

You can delete, disable, or manage cookies that Klarna may use for its functions in your browser. This works differently depending on the browser you use. You'll find links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers under the "Cookies" section.

Legal basis

In addition to traditional banking/credit institutions, we also offer the payment service provider Klarna Checkout for the processing of contractual or legal relationships (Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR) .

We hope we have provided you with a good overview of Klarna's data processing practices. If you would like to learn more about how your data is handled, we recommend reading Klarna's privacy policy at https://cdn.klarna.com/1.0/shared/content/legal/terms/0/de_at/privacy .

 

PayPal Privacy Policy

We use the online payment service PayPal on our website. The service provider is the American company PayPal Inc. PayPal Europe (S.à rl et Cie, SCA, 22-24 Boulevard Royal, L-2449 Luxembourg) is responsible for the European region.

PayPal processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

PayPal uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46, Paragraphs 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, PayPal undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

For more information about the standard contractual clauses and the data processed through the use of PayPal Marketing Solutions, please see the Privacy Policy at https://www.paypal.com/c2/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full .

Shop Pay Privacy Policy

We use Shop Pay, an online payment service, on our website. The service provider is the American company Shopify Inc. The company responsible for the European region is Shopify International Limited (Victoria Buildings, 2nd Floor, 1-2 Haddington Road, Dublin 4, D04 XN32, Ireland).

We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfer to the USA. Data processing is primarily carried out by Shop Pay. This may result in data not being processed and stored anonymously. Furthermore, US government authorities may gain access to individual data. Furthermore, this data may be linked to data from other Shop Pay services for which you have a user account.

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Shop Pay in the Privacy Policy at https://www.shopify.de/legal/datenschutz .

Sofortüberweisung privacy policy

Sofortüberweisung Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimization of the payment process on our website
📓 Processed data: Data such as name, address, bank details (account number, credit card number, passwords, TANs, etc.), IP address and contract data
You can find more details below in the privacy policy
📅 Storage period: Data is stored within the legal retention period
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (c) GDPR (legal obligation), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is an “instant transfer”?

We offer the "Sofortüberweisung" payment method from Sofort GmbH for cashless payments on our website. Sofort GmbH has been part of the Swedish company Klarna since 2014, but is headquartered in Germany at Theresienhöhe 12, 80339 Munich.

If you choose this payment method, personal data will be transmitted to, stored by, and processed by Sofort GmbH or Klarna. This privacy statement provides you with an overview of data processing by Sofort GmbH.

Sofortüberweisung is an online payment system that allows you to place an order via online banking. Payment processing is handled by Sofort GmbH, and we immediately receive notification of the payment. This method is available to any user with an active online banking account with a PIN and TAN. Only a few banks do not yet support this payment method.

Why do we use “Sofortüberweisung” on our website?

Our goal with our website and our integrated online shop is to offer you the best possible service. This includes not only the overall website experience and our offerings, but also smooth, fast, and secure payment processing for your orders. To ensure this, we use "Sofortüberweisung" as our payment system.

What data is stored by “Sofortüberweisung”?

When you make an instant bank transfer using the Sofort/Klarna service, data such as your name, account number, bank code, subject, amount, and date are stored on the company's servers. We also receive this information via the payment confirmation.

As part of the account balance check, Sofort GmbH verifies whether your account balance and overdraft limit cover the payment amount. In some cases, it also checks whether any Sofort transfers have been successfully completed within the last 30 days. Furthermore, your user identification (such as your authorisation number or contract number) is collected and stored in abbreviated (hashed) form, as well as your IP address. For SEPA transfers, your BIC and IBAN are also stored.

According to the company, no other personal data (such as account balances, sales data, credit limit, account lists, mobile phone numbers, authentication certificates, security codes or PIN/TAN) will be collected, stored or passed on to third parties.

Sofortüberweisung also uses cookies to make its service more user-friendly. When you order a product, you will be redirected to the Sofort or Klarna website. After successful payment, you will be redirected to our thank you page. The following three cookies are set here:

Name : SOFUEB
Value: e8cipp378mdscn9e17kajlfhv7311967867-5
Purpose: This cookie stores your session ID.
Expiry date: after the browser session ends

Name : User[user_cookie_rules]
Value: 1

Purpose: This cookie stores your consent to the use of cookies.
Expiry date: after 10 years

Name: _ga
Value: GA1.2.69759879.1589470706
Purpose: By default, analytics.js uses the cookie _ga to store the user ID. It is primarily used to distinguish website visitors. This is a Google Analytics cookie.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Note: The cookies listed here do not claim to be complete. Sofortüberweisung may also use other cookies.

How long and where is the data stored?

All collected data will be stored within the statutory retention period. This retention period can last between three and ten years.

Klarna/Sofort GmbH strives to store data only within the EU or the European Economic Area (EEA). If data is transferred outside the EU/EEA, data protection regulations must comply with the GDPR and the country must be subject to an EU adequacy decision.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You can revoke your consent to Klarna processing your personal data at any time. You also always have the right to access, correct, and delete your personal data. To do so, simply contact the company's data protection team by email at datenschutz@sofort.com.

You can manage, delete, or deactivate any cookies that Sofortüberweisung uses in your browser. This works differently depending on your preferred browser. Under the "Cookies" section, you'll find links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers.

Legal basis

For the processing of contractual or legal relationships (Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR), we offer the payment service provider Sofortüberweisung (instant bank transfer) in addition to traditional banking/credit institutions. Successful use of this service also requires your consent (Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR) , insofar as the acceptance of cookies is necessary for its use.

If you would like to learn more about data processing through the “Sofortüberweisung” service provided by Sofort GmbH, we recommend that you read the privacy policy at https://www.sofort.de/datenschutz.html .

Visa Privacy Policy

We use Visa, a global payment provider, on our website. The service provider is the American company Visa Inc. Visa Europe Services Inc. (1 Sheldon Square, London W2 6TT, United Kingdom) is responsible for the European region.

Visa processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

Visa uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Visa undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

More information on Visa's standard contractual clauses can be found at https://www.visa.de/nutzungsbedingungen/visa-globale-datenschutzmitteilung/mitteilung-zu-zustandigkeitsfragen-fur-den-ewr.html .

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Visa in the Privacy Policy at https://www.visa.de/nutzungsbedingungen/visa-privacy-center.html .

External online platforms Introduction

External online platforms Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected parties: Visitors to the website or visitors to external online platforms
🤝 Purpose: Presentation and optimization of our service, contact with visitors, interested parties
📓 Data processed: Data such as telephone numbers, email addresses, contact details, user behavior data, information about your device and your IP address.
You can find more details on the respective platform used.
📅 Storage period: depends on the platforms used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are external online platforms?

In order to offer our services or products outside of our website, we also use external platforms. These are usually online marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay. In addition to our responsibility for data protection, the data protection regulations of the external platforms we use also apply. This is especially the case if our products are purchased via the platform, i.e., if there is a payment transaction. Furthermore, most platforms also use your data to optimize their own marketing measures. For example, with the help of collected data, the platform can tailor advertisements precisely to the interests of customers and website visitors.

Why do we use external online platforms?

In addition to our website, we also want to offer our services on other platforms to bring our offerings closer to more customers. External online marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, and Digistore24 offer large sales websites that offer our products to people who may not be familiar with our website. It may also happen that built-in elements on our site redirect to an external online platform. Data processed and stored by the online platform used is used by the company to log the payment transaction and also to conduct web analytics.

The goal of these analyses is to develop more precise and personalized marketing and advertising strategies. Depending on your behavior on a platform, the analyzed data can be used to draw appropriate conclusions about your interests and create so-called user profiles. This also enables the platforms to present you with tailored advertisements or products. Cookies are usually placed in your browser for this purpose, which store data about your usage behavior.

Please note that when using the Platforms or our integrated elements, your data may also be processed outside the European Union, as online platforms such as Amazon or eBay are US companies. This may make it more difficult for you to assert or enforce your rights regarding your personal data.

What data is processed?

Exactly which data is stored and processed depends on the respective external platform. But it usually includes data such as telephone numbers, email addresses, data that you enter into a contact form, user data such as which buttons you click, when you visited which pages, information about your device and your IP address. Very often most of this data is stored in cookies. If you have your own profile on an external platform and are logged in there, data can be linked to the profile. The data collected is stored on the servers of the platforms used and processed there. You can find out exactly how an external platform stores, manages and processes data in the respective privacy policy. If you have any questions about data storage and data processing or wish to assert corresponding rights, we recommend that you contact the platform directly.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you below about the duration of data processing, as soon as we have further information. For example, Amazon stores data until it is no longer needed for its own purposes. In general, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products.

Right of objection

You also have the right and option to revoke your consent to the use of cookies at any time. This can be done either via our cookie management tool or via opt-out functions on the respective external platform. You can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating, or deleting cookies in your browser.

Since cookies may be used, we also recommend that you read our general privacy policy regarding cookies. To learn exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective external platforms.

Legal basis

If you have consented to your data being processed and stored by external platforms, this consent serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR) . In principle, if you have given your consent, your data will also be stored and processed on the basis of a legitimate interest (Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR) in fast and effective communication with you or other customers and business partners. If we have integrated elements from external platforms on our website, we will only use them if you have given your consent.

Information on specific external platforms – where available – can be found in the following sections.

Amazon (Europe) Privacy Policy

We also use the online trading platform Amazon (Europe). The service provider is the American company Amazon Inc. The company responsible for the European region is Amazon Europe Core S.à rl (Société à responsabilité limitée), 38 avenue John F. Kennedy, L-1855 Luxembourg.

Amazon processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

Amazon uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46, Paragraphs 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Amazon undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Amazon Data Processing Terms (AWS GDPR DATA PROCESSING), which correspond to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://d1.awsstatic.com/legal/aws-gdpr/AWS_GDPR_DPA.pdf .

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Amazon in the privacy policy at https://www.amazon.de/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201909010&ref_=footer_privacy .

eBay Privacy Policy

We use the online trading platform eBay. The service provider is the American company eBay Inc., 2025 Hamilton Avenue, San Jose, CA 95125, USA.

eBay also processes data in the USA, among other places. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

eBay uses standard contractual clauses approved by the EU Commission (Article 46, Paragraphs 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and in particular the USA) or for data transfers there. These clauses oblige eBay to comply with EU data protection standards when processing relevant data, even outside the EU.

These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the clauses here: https://germany.representation.ec.europa.eu/index_de

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of eBay in the privacy policy at https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/member-behaviour-policies/user-privacy-notice-privacy-policy?id=4260 .

Shopify Privacy Policy

We use the online marketplace Shopify. The service provider is the American company Shopify International Limited, Victoria Buildings, 2nd Floor, 1-2 Haddington Road, Dublin 4, D04 XN32, Ireland.

Shopify processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

Shopify uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Shopify undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

For more information about the standard contractual clauses and the data processed through the use of Shopify, please see the Privacy Policy at https://www.shopify.de/legal/datenschutz or https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/your-account/privacy/GDPR/gdpr-faq#will-shopify-sign-standard-contractual-clauses .

Audio & Video Introduction

Audio & Video Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimizing our service
📓 Data processed: Data such as contact details, user behavior data, information about your device and your IP address may be stored.
You can find more details below in the relevant data protection texts.
📅 Storage period: Data remains stored as long as it is necessary for the service purpose
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are audio and video elements?

We have integrated audio and video elements into our website so that you can watch videos or listen to music/podcasts directly through our website. The content is provided by service providers. All content is therefore also retrieved from the providers' respective servers.

These are integrated functional elements from platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, or Spotify. Using these portals is generally free, but paid content may also be published. Using these integrated elements, you can listen to or view the respective content on our website.

If you use audio or video elements on our website, your personal data may also be transmitted, processed and stored by the service providers.

Why do we use audio and video elements on our website?

Naturally, we want to provide you with the best possible service on our website. And we're aware that content is no longer conveyed solely through text and static images. Instead of simply providing you with a link to a video, we offer audio and video formats directly on our website that are entertaining or informative, and ideally even both. This expands our service and makes it easier for you to access interesting content. Therefore, in addition to our text and images, we also offer video and/or audio content.

What data is stored by audio and video elements?

When you visit a page on our website that, for example, has an embedded video, your server connects to the service provider's server. In the process, your data is also transferred to the third-party provider and stored there. Some data is collected and stored regardless of whether you have an account with the third-party provider or not. This usually includes your IP address, browser type, operating system, and other general information about your device. Furthermore, most providers also collect information about your web activity. This includes session duration, bounce rate, which button you clicked on, and which website you used to access the service. All of this information is usually stored via cookies or pixel tags (also called web beacons). Pseudonymized data is usually stored in cookies in your browser. You can always find out exactly which data is stored and processed in the privacy policy of the respective provider.

Duration of data processing

You can find out exactly how long the data is stored on the third-party providers' servers either further down in the data protection text of the respective tool or in the provider's privacy policy. As a general rule, personal data is only processed for as long as is absolutely necessary to provide our services or products. This generally also applies to third-party providers. You can usually assume that certain data will be stored on third-party servers for several years. Data can be stored for different lengths of time, especially in cookies. Some cookies are deleted as soon as you leave the website, while others can remain in your browser for several years.

Right of objection

You also have the right and option to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third-party providers at any time. This can be done either via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating, or deleting cookies in your browser. The legality of the processing up to the point of revocation remains unaffected.

Since the integrated audio and video features on our site usually also use cookies, you should also read our general privacy policy regarding cookies. The privacy policies of the respective third-party providers provide detailed information about how your data is handled and stored.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the processing and storage of your data through embedded audio and video elements, this consent serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR) . In principle, your data will also be stored and processed based on our legitimate interest (Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR) in fast and effective communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the embedded audio and video elements if you have given your consent.

YouTube Privacy Policy

YouTube Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimizing our service
📓 Data processed: Data such as contact details, user behavior data, information about your device and your IP address may be stored.
You can find more details about this further down in this privacy policy.
📅 Storage period: Data remains stored as long as it is necessary for the service purpose
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is YouTube?

We have integrated YouTube videos into our website. This allows us to present interesting videos directly to you on our site. YouTube is a video portal that has been a subsidiary of Google since 2006. The video portal is operated by YouTube, LLC, 901 Cherry Ave., San Bruno, CA 94066, USA. When you visit a page on our website that has an embedded YouTube video, your browser automatically connects to the YouTube or Google servers. Depending on your settings, various data is transferred. Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all data processing within Europe.

In the following, we would like to explain in more detail which data is processed, why we have embedded YouTube videos and how you can manage or delete your data.

On YouTube, users can watch, rate, comment on, and upload videos for free. Over the past few years, YouTube has become one of the most important social media channels worldwide. To enable us to display videos on our website, YouTube provides a code snippet that we have integrated into our site.

Why do we use YouTube videos on our website?

YouTube is the most visited video platform with the best content. We strive to offer you the best possible user experience on our website. And, of course, interesting videos are a must. With the help of our embedded videos, we provide you with additional helpful content alongside our text and images. Furthermore, the embedded videos make our website easier to find on the Google search engine. Even though we place advertisements via Google Ads, thanks to the data collected, Google can only show these ads to people who are interested in our offerings.

What data does YouTube store?

As soon as you visit one of our pages that contains a YouTube video, YouTube sets at least one cookie that stores your IP address and our URL. If you are logged into your YouTube account, YouTube can usually associate your interactions on our website with your profile using cookies. This includes data such as session duration, bounce rate, approximate location, and technical information such as browser type, screen resolution, or your internet service provider. Other data may include contact details, any ratings, sharing content via social media, or adding it to your favorites on YouTube.

If you aren't signed in to a Google Account or YouTube Account, Google stores data with a unique identifier associated with your device, browser, or app. For example, your preferred language setting is retained. However, much interaction data cannot be saved because fewer cookies are set.

The following list shows cookies that were set in the browser during a test. We show cookies that were set without a logged-in YouTube account. We also show cookies that were set with a logged-in account. This list cannot claim to be complete, as user data always depends on interactions on YouTube.

Name: YSC
Value: b9-CV6ojI5Y311967867-1
Purpose: This cookie registers a unique ID to store statistics of the video viewed.
Expiry date: after end of session

Name: PREF
Value: f1=50000000
Purpose: This cookie also records your unique ID. PREF provides Google with statistics on how you use YouTube videos on our website.
Expiry date: after 8 months

Name: GPS
Value: 1
Purpose: This cookie registers your unique ID on mobile devices to track GPS location.
Expiry date: after 30 minutes

Name: VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
Value: 95Chz8bagyU
Purpose: This cookie attempts to estimate the user's bandwidth on our websites (with embedded YouTube video).
Expiry date: after 8 months

Other cookies that are set when you are logged in to your YouTube account:

Name: APISID
Value: zILlvClZSkqGsSwI/AU1aZI6HY7311967867-
Purpose: This cookie is used to create a profile of your interests. The data is used for personalized advertising.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: CONSENT
Value: YES+AT.de+20150628-20-0
Purpose: This cookie stores the user's consent status for using various Google services. CONSENT also serves security purposes to verify users and protect user data from unauthorized attacks.
Expiry date: after 19 years

Name: HSID
Value: AcRwpgUik9Dveht0I
Purpose: This cookie is used to create a profile of your interests. This data helps to display personalized advertising.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: LOGIN_INFO
Value: AFmmF2swRQIhALl6aL…
Purpose: This cookie stores information about your login data.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: SAPISID
Value: 7oaPxoG-pZsJuuF5/AnUdDUIsJ9iJz2vdM
Purpose: This cookie works by uniquely identifying your browser and device. It is used to build a profile of your interests.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: SID
Value: oQfNKjAsI311967867-
Purpose: This cookie stores your Google Account ID and your last login time in a digitally signed and encrypted form.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: SIDCC
Value: AN0-TYuqub2JOcDTyL
Purpose: This cookie stores information about how you use the website and what advertising you may have seen before visiting our site.
Expiry date: after 3 months

How long and where is the data stored?

The data that YouTube receives and processes from you is stored on Google servers. Most of these servers are located in the United States. You can see exactly where Google's data centers are located at https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/inside/locations/?hl=de . Your data is distributed across the servers. This makes it faster to access and better protected against manipulation.

Google stores the collected data for different lengths of time. Some data can be deleted at any time, some is automatically deleted after a limited period, and still others are stored by Google for a longer period. Some data (such as items from "My Activity," photos or documents, and products) stored in your Google Account remains stored until you delete it. Even if you aren't signed in to a Google Account, you can delete some data associated with your device, browser, or app.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

In principle, you can manually delete data from your Google Account. With the automatic deletion of location and activity data, introduced in 2019, information is stored for either three or 18 months, depending on your choice, and then deleted.

Regardless of whether you have a Google Account or not, you can configure your browser to delete or disable Google cookies. This works differently depending on the browser you use. You'll find links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers under the "Cookies" section.

If you prefer not to accept cookies, you can set your browser to always notify you when a cookie is about to be placed. This allows you to decide whether to accept or reject each individual cookie.

Legal basis

If you have consented to your data being processed and stored through embedded YouTube elements, this consent serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR) . In principle, your data will also be stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR) in fast and effective communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the embedded YouTube elements if you have given your consent. YouTube also sets cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our privacy policy on cookies carefully and view the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

YouTube also processes data in the USA, among other places. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

YouTube uses standard contractual clauses approved by the EU Commission (Art. 46, Paragraphs 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and in particular the USA) or for data transfers there. These clauses oblige YouTube to comply with EU data protection standards when processing relevant data, even outside the EU. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the clauses here, among other places: https://germany.representation.ec.europa.eu/index_de .

Since YouTube is a subsidiary of Google, they have a shared privacy policy. If you would like to learn more about how your data is handled, we recommend reading the privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

YouTube Subscribe Button Privacy Policy

We have integrated the YouTube Subscribe button on our website. You can usually recognize the button by its classic YouTube logo. The logo features the words "Subscribe" or "YouTube" in white lettering against a red background, with the white "Play" symbol to the left. However, the button can also be displayed in a different design.

Our YouTube channel regularly offers you funny, interesting, or exciting videos. Using the built-in "Subscribe" button, you can subscribe to our channel directly from our website without having to visit the YouTube website. We want to make access to our comprehensive content as easy as possible for you. Please note that this allows YouTube to store and process your data.

If you see a built-in subscription button on our site, YouTube – according to Google – sets at least one cookie. This cookie stores your IP address and our URL. YouTube can also learn information about your browser, your approximate location, and your default language. In our test, the following four cookies were set without being logged in to YouTube:

Name: YSC
Value: b9-CV6ojI5311967867Y

Purpose: This cookie registers a unique ID to store statistics of the video viewed.
Expiry date: after end of session

Name: PREF
Value: f1=50000000
Purpose: This cookie also records your unique ID. PREF provides Google with statistics on how you use YouTube videos on our website.
Expiry date: after 8 months

Name: GPS
Value: 1
Purpose: This cookie registers your unique ID on mobile devices to track GPS location.
Expiry date: after 30 minutes

Name: VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
Value: 31196786795Chz8bagyU
Purpose: This cookie attempts to estimate the user's bandwidth on our websites (with embedded YouTube video).

Expiry date: after 8 months

Note: These cookies were set after a test and cannot claim to be complete.

If you are logged into your YouTube account, YouTube can save many of your actions/interactions on our website using cookies and associate them with your YouTube account. This allows YouTube to receive information, for example, about how long you browse our site, what browser type you use, your preferred screen resolution, or what actions you perform.

YouTube uses this data to improve its own services and offers, and to provide analyses and statistics for advertisers (who use Google Ads).

Single Sign-On Logins Introduction

Single Sign-On Logins Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Simplify the authentication process
📓 Data processed: Depends heavily on the respective provider, usually email address and user name can be saved.
You can find more details in the tool used.
📅 Storage period: depends on the tools used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR (performance of contract), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are single sign-on logins?

On our website, you have the option of quickly and easily registering for our online service using a user account from another provider (e.g., Facebook). This authentication process is also known as "single sign-on registration." This registration process only works, of course, if you are registered with the other provider or have a user account and enter the relevant login details into the online form. In many cases, you are already registered; the login details are automatically entered into the form, and you only have to confirm the single sign-on registration using a button. During this registration, your personal data may also be processed and stored. In this privacy policy, we generally address data processing through single sign-on registrations. Further information can be found in the privacy statements of the respective providers.

Why do we use single sign-on logins?

We want to make your experience on our website as easy and convenient as possible. That's why we offer single sign-on logins. This saves you valuable time because you only need to authenticate once. Since you only have to remember one password, and it's only transmitted once, security is also increased. In many cases, you have already automatically saved your password using cookies, so the login process on our website only takes a few seconds.

What data is stored through single sign-on logins?

Although you log in to our website using this special registration process, the actual authentication takes place with the corresponding single sign-on provider. We, as the website operator, receive a user ID during the authentication process. This ID records that you are logged in to the relevant provider using this ID. This ID cannot be used for any other purposes. Other data may also be transmitted to us, but this depends on the single sign-on provider used. It also depends on which data you voluntarily provide during the authentication process and which data you generally release to the provider in your settings. In most cases, this is data such as your email address and user name. We do not know your password, which is required for registration, and we do not store it. It is also important for you to know that data stored by us can be automatically compared with the data of the respective user account during the registration process.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you below about the duration of data processing, as soon as we have further information. For example, the social media platform Facebook stores data until it is no longer needed for its own purposes. However, customer data that is compared with our own user data is deleted within two days. In general, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products.

Right of objection

You also have the right and option to revoke your consent to the use of single sign-on logins at any time. This usually works via the provider's opt-out functions. If available, you will also find links to the corresponding opt-out functions in our privacy statements for the individual tools.

Legal basis

If it has been agreed with you and this occurs within the scope of the contract fulfilment (Article 6 paragraph 1 letter b GDPR) and the consent (Article 6 paragraph 1 letter a GDPR), we can use the single sign-on procedure on their legal basis.

In addition to your consent, we have a legitimate interest in offering you a quick and easy registration process. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use single sign-on registration if you have given your consent.

If you no longer wish to have this link to the provider with the single sign-on login, please delete it in your user account with the respective provider. If you also want to delete data from us, you will need to cancel your registration.

Facebook Single Sign-On Privacy Policy

We also use the Facebook Single Sign-On authentication service for logging in to our website. The service provider is the American company Meta Platforms Inc. Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland, is responsible for the European region.

Facebook processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

Facebook uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Facebook undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Facebook data processing conditions, which correspond to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing

If you are logged in to Facebook or Instagram, you can revoke your consent to the use of single sign-on registrations via the opt-out function at https://www.facebook.com/adpreferences/ad_settings . You can learn more about the data processed through the use of Facebook in the privacy policy at https://www.facebook.com/policy.php .

Google Single Sign-On Privacy Policy

We also use the Google Single Sign-On authentication service for logging in to our website. The service provider is the American company Facebook Inc. For the European region, Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services.

Google processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

Google uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Google undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

You can find out more about Google’s standard contractual clauses in the Google Ads Data Processing Terms at https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms/ .

With Google, you can revoke your consent to the use of single sign-on logins via the opt-out function at https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated . You can learn more about the data processed through the use of Google Single Sign-On in the Privacy Policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de .

Instagram Single Sign-On Privacy Policy

We also use the Instagram Single Sign-On authentication service for logging in to our website. The service provider is the American company Instagram Inc., 1601 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA. Instagram has been a subsidiary of Meta Platforms Inc. since 2012 and is part of the Facebook products.

Instagram and Meta also process data in the USA, among other places. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

Meta uses standard contractual clauses approved by the EU Commission (Article 46, Paragraphs 2 and 3 GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and in particular the USA) or for data transfers there. These clauses oblige Instagram/Meta to comply with EU data protection standards when processing relevant data, even outside the EU. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the clauses here, among other places: https://germany.representation.ec.europa.eu/index_de

If you are logged in to Meta or Instagram, you can revoke your consent to the use of single sign-on logins via the opt-out function at https://www.facebook.com/adpreferences/ad_settings . You can learn more about the data processed through the use of Instagram/Meta in the privacy policy at https://help.instagram.com/519522125107875 .

Rating platforms Introduction

Review platforms summary
👥 Affected parties: Visitors to the website or a review platform
🤝 Purpose: Feedback on our products and/or services
📓 Data processed: IP address, email address, name, among others. Further details can be found below or on the respective review platforms used.
📅 Storage period: depends on the respective platform
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests),

What are review platforms?

You can rate our products or services on various review platforms. We participate in some of these platforms so that we can receive feedback from you and thus optimize our offering. If you rate us via a review platform, the privacy policy and general terms and conditions of the respective review service apply. You often also have to register to submit a review. Rating technologies (widgets) may also be integrated into our website. By using such an integrated tool, data is also transferred to the corresponding provider, processed, and stored.

Many of these integrated programs work according to a similar principle. After you order a product or use a service from us, you will be asked to submit a review via email or on the website. You will usually be redirected to a review page via a link, where you can quickly and easily create a review. Some review systems also offer an interface to various social media channels to make the feedback accessible to more people.

Why do we use review platforms?

Review platforms collect feedback and ratings about our offerings. Your ratings provide us with quick, relevant feedback and allow us to improve our products and/or services much more effectively. The ratings therefore help us optimize our offerings, while also providing you and all our future customers with a good overview of the quality of our products and services.

What data is processed?

With your consent, we transmit information about you and the services you have used to the relevant review platform. We do this to ensure that you have actually used one of our services. Only then can you provide genuine feedback. The transmitted data is only used to identify the user. Which data is stored and processed depends, of course, on the providers used. In most cases, personal data such as your IP address, email address or your name is also made available to the review platforms. Order information such as the order number of a purchased item is also forwarded to the relevant platform after you have submitted your review. If your email address is transmitted, this is so that the review platform can send you an email after you have purchased a product. So that we can also integrate your review into our website, we also inform the providers that you have visited our site. The review platform used is responsible for the personal data collected.

How long and where is the data stored?

You can find out more about the duration of data processing below in the provider's privacy policy, if we have further information on this. Generally, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. Personal data mentioned in a review is usually anonymized by employees of the platform used and is therefore only visible to the company's administrators. The collected data is stored on the provider's servers and, for most providers, deleted after the order has been completed.

Right of objection

You also have the right and option to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third-party services at any time. This can be done either via our cookie management tool or through other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating, or deleting cookies in your browser.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of a review platform, this consent forms the legal basis for the corresponding data processing. According to Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), this consent constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when collected by a review platform.

We also have a legitimate interest in using a rating platform to optimize our online service. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use a rating platform if you have given your consent.

We hope we have been able to provide you with the most important general information regarding data processing by review platforms. Further information can be found below in the privacy statements or in the linked privacy statements of the companies.

Google Customer Reviews Privacy Policy

We also use the Google Customer Reviews platform for our website. The service provider is the American company Google Inc. For the European region, Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services.

Google processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

Google uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Google undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The data processing terms for Google advertising products (Google Ads Controller-Controller Data Protection Terms), which correspond to the standard contractual clauses and also apply to Google AdMob, can be found at https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms/ .

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Google in the privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en-US .

Trusted Shops Privacy Policy

We also use the Trusted Shops rating platform for our website. The service provider is the German company Trusted Shops GmbH, Subbelrather Straße 15c, 50823 Cologne, Germany.

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Trusted Shops in the privacy policy at https://www.trustedshops.de/impressum-datenschutz/#datenschutz .

Other Introduction

Miscellaneous Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Improving the user experience
📓 Data processed: Which data is processed depends largely on the services used. This usually involves IP addresses and/or technical data. You can find more details in the respective tools used.
📅 Storage period: depends on the tools used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What falls under “other”?

The "Other" category includes services that do not fit into any of the above categories. These typically include various plugins and embedded elements that enhance our website. These features are typically obtained from third-party providers and integrated into our website. For example, these include web search services such as Algolia Place, Giphy, Programmable Search Engine, or online weather data services such as OpenWeather.

Why do we use other third parties?

With our website, we want to offer you the best web experience in our industry. A website has long been more than just a business card for a company. Rather, it's a place that should help you find what you're looking for. To continually make our website even more interesting and helpful for you, we use various third-party services.

What data is processed?

Whenever elements are integrated into our website, your IP address will be transmitted to the respective provider, saved and processed there. This is necessary because otherwise the content would not be sent to your browser and therefore not displayed accordingly. Service providers may also use pixel tags or web beacons. These are small graphics on websites that record a log file and can also create analyses of this file. The providers can use the information obtained to improve their own marketing measures. In addition to pixel tags, such information (such as which button you click or when you access a particular page) can also be saved in cookies. In addition to analysis data on your web behavior, technical information such as your browser type or operating system can also be saved in these cookies. Some providers may also link the data obtained with other internal services or with third parties. Each provider handles your data differently. We therefore recommend that you carefully read the privacy policies of the respective services. We generally endeavor to only use services that handle data protection very carefully.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you below about the duration of data processing, as soon as we have further information. In general, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products.

Legal basis

If we ask for your consent and you agree to us using the service, this serves as the legal basis for processing your data (Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR). In addition to your consent, we have a legitimate interest in analyzing the behavior of website visitors and thus improving our offering technically and economically. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use the tools if you have given your consent.

Information about the special tools, if available, can be found in the following sections.

Google Maps Privacy Policy

Google Maps Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimizing our service
📓 Processed data: Data such as search terms entered, your IP address and also the latitude and longitude coordinates.
You can find more details about this further down in this privacy policy.
📅 Storage period: depends on the stored data
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Google Maps?

We use Google Maps from Google Inc. on our website. Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services in Europe. Google Maps allows us to better show you locations and thus tailor our service to your needs. When you use Google Maps, data is transferred to Google and stored on Google's servers. Here, we'll explain in more detail what Google Maps is, why we use this Google service, what data is stored, and how you can prevent this.

Google Maps is an online mapping service provided by Google. With Google Maps, you can search for the exact locations of cities, attractions, accommodations, or businesses online using a PC, tablet, or app. If a company is listed on Google My Business, additional information about the company is displayed in addition to the location. To show directions, map sections of a location can be embedded into a website using HTML code. Google Maps displays the Earth's surface as a street map or as an aerial or satellite image. Thanks to Street View images and high-quality satellite images, very accurate representations are possible.

Why do we use Google Maps on our website?

All our efforts on this site are aimed at providing you with a useful and meaningful experience. By integrating Google Maps, we can provide you with the most important information about various locations. You can see our headquarters at a glance. The directions always show you the best and fastest way to reach us. You can access directions for routes by car, public transport, on foot, or by bike. We consider providing Google Maps part of our customer service.

What data does Google Maps store?

In order for Google Maps to fully offer its service, the company must collect and store data from you. This includes, among other things, the search terms entered, your IP address and also the latitude and longitude coordinates. If you use the route planner function, the entered starting address will also be saved. However, this data storage occurs on the Google Maps website. We can only inform you about this, but have no influence. Because we have integrated Google Maps into our website, Google sets at least one cookie (name: NID) in your browser. This cookie stores data about your user behavior. Google primarily uses this data to optimize its own services and to provide you with individual, personalized advertising.

The following cookie is set in your browser due to the integration of Google Maps:

Name: NID
Value: 188=h26c1Ktha7fCQTx8rXgLyATyITJ311967867-5
Purpose: NID is used by Google to tailor ads to your Google search. With the help of the cookie, Google "remembers" your most frequently entered search queries or your previous interactions with ads. This way, you always receive tailored ads. The cookie contains a unique ID that Google uses to collect your personal preferences for advertising purposes.
Expiry date: after 6 months

Note: We cannot guarantee the completeness of the stored data. Changes can never be ruled out, especially when using cookies. To identify the cookie NID, a separate test page was created that exclusively integrated Google Maps.

How long and where is the data stored?

Google servers are located in data centers around the world. However, most of the servers are located in the United States. For this reason, your data is increasingly stored in the US. You can find out exactly where Google's data centers are located here: https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/inside/locations/?hl=de

Google distributes the data across various storage devices. This makes it faster to access and better protected against any attempts at tampering. Each data center also has special emergency programs. If, for example, there are problems with Google's hardware or a natural disaster shuts down the servers, the data will almost certainly remain protected.

Google stores some data for a specified period of time. For other data, Google only offers the option to delete it manually. Furthermore, the company also anonymizes information (such as advertising data) in server logs by deleting part of the IP address and cookie information after 9 or 18 months, respectively.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

With the automatic deletion of location and activity data introduced in 2019, information about location determination and web/app activity is stored for either three or 18 months, depending on your choice, and then deleted. You can also manually delete this data from your history at any time via your Google Account. If you want to completely prevent your location tracking, you must pause the "Web and App Activity" section in your Google Account. Click "Data and Personalization" and then the "Activity Settings" option. There you can turn activities on or off.

You can also deactivate, delete, or manage individual cookies in your browser. This works slightly differently depending on the browser you use. Under the "Cookies" section, you'll find links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers.

If you prefer not to accept cookies, you can set your browser to always notify you when a cookie is about to be placed. This allows you to decide whether to accept or reject each individual cookie.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of Google Maps, this consent forms the legal basis for the corresponding data processing. According to Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), this consent constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when collected by Google Maps.

We also have a legitimate interest in using Google Maps to optimize our online service. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests) . However, we only use Google Maps if you have given your consent.

Google processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

Google uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Google undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Google Ads Data Processing Terms, which correspond to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms/ .

If you would like to learn more about Google's data processing, we recommend that you read the company's own privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de .

Google reCAPTCHA Privacy Policy

Google reCAPTCHA Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimizing our service and protecting against cyberattacks
📓 Data processed: Data such as IP address, browser information, your operating system, limited location and usage data
You can find more details about this further down in this privacy policy.
📅 Storage period: depends on the stored data
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is reCAPTCHA?

Our primary goal is to make our website as secure and safe as possible for you and for us. To ensure this, we use Google reCAPTCHA from Google Inc. In Europe, Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services. With reCAPTCHA, we can determine whether you are really a flesh-and-blood human and not a robot or other spam software. By spam we mean any unsolicited information sent to us via electronic means. With classic CAPTCHAS, you usually had to solve text or image puzzles for verification. With reCAPTCHA from Google, we usually don't have to bother you with such puzzles. In most cases, it is enough if you simply tick a box to confirm that you are not a bot. With the new Invisible reCAPTCHA version, you don't even have to tick a box. You can find out exactly how this works and, above all, which data is used for this purpose in the course of this privacy policy.

reCAPTCHA is a free CAPTCHA service from Google that protects websites from spam software and abuse by non-human visitors. This service is most commonly used when filling out forms on the internet. A CAPTCHA service is a type of automated Turing test designed to ensure that an action on the internet is performed by a human and not a bot. In the classic Turing test (named after computer scientist Alan Turing), a human distinguishes between a bot and a human. With CAPTCHA, a computer or software program does the same. Classic CAPTCHAs work with small tasks that are easy for humans to solve but considerable difficulty for machines. With reCAPTCHA, you no longer have to actively solve puzzles. The tool uses modern risk techniques to distinguish humans from bots. Here, you only have to check the text box "I am not a robot," or with Invisible reCAPTCHA, even that is no longer necessary. With reCAPTCHA, a JavaScript element is embedded in the source code, and the tool then runs in the background, analyzing your user behavior. The software calculates a so-called CAPTCHA score from these user actions. Google uses this score to calculate the probability that you are a human before you enter the CAPTCHA. reCAPTCHA, or CAPTCHAs in general, are used whenever bots could manipulate or misuse certain actions (such as registrations, surveys, etc.).

Why do we use reCAPTCHA on our website?

We only want to welcome real people to our site. Bots and spam software of all kinds can safely stay at home. That's why we do everything we can to protect ourselves and offer you the best possible user experience. For this reason, we use Google reCAPTCHA from Google. This way we can be pretty sure that we remain a "bot-free" website. By using reCAPTCHA, data is transmitted to Google to determine whether you are actually a human. reCAPTCHA therefore serves to ensure the security of our website and, subsequently, your security as well. For example, without reCAPTCHA, a bot could register as many email addresses as possible during registration in order to then "spam" forums or blogs with unwanted advertising content. With reCAPTCHA, we can prevent such bot attacks.

What data is stored by reCAPTCHA?

reCAPTCHA collects personal data from users to determine whether the actions on our website are actually performed by humans. This means that the IP address and other data required by Google for the reCAPTCHA service may be sent to Google. Within EU member states or other contracting states to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, IP addresses are almost always shortened before being transferred to a server in the USA. The IP address is not combined with other Google data unless you are logged in to your Google Account while using reCAPTCHA. First, the reCAPTCHA algorithm checks whether Google cookies from other Google services (YouTube, Gmail, etc.) are already placed on your browser. Then, reCAPTCHA sets an additional cookie in your browser and captures a snapshot of your browser window.

The following list of collected browser and user data is not intended to be exhaustive. Rather, it provides examples of data that, to our knowledge, Google processes.

  • Referrer URL (the address of the page from which the visitor comes)
  • IP address (e.g. 256.123.123.1)
  • Information about the operating system (the software that enables your computer to operate. Common operating systems include Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux)
  • Cookies (small text files that store data in your browser)
  • Mouse and keyboard behavior (every action you perform with the mouse or keyboard is saved)
  • Date and language settings (which language or date you have preset on your PC will be saved)
  • All JavaScript objects (JavaScript is a programming language that allows websites to adapt to the user. JavaScript objects can collect all kinds of data under one name)
  • Screen resolution (shows how many pixels the image consists of)

It's undisputed that Google uses and analyzes this data even before you click the "I am not a robot" checkbox. With the Invisible reCAPTCHA version, you don't even have to check the box, and the entire recognition process runs in the background. Google doesn't provide details about exactly how much and what kind of data Google stores.

The following cookies are used by reCAPTCHA: This refers to the Google reCAPTCHA demo version at https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api2/demo . All of these cookies require a unique identifier for tracking purposes. Here is a list of cookies that Google reCAPTCHA has set on the demo version:

Name: IDE
Value: WqTUmlnmv_qXyi_DGNPLESKnRNrpgXoy1K-pAZtAkMbHI-311967867-8
Purpose: This cookie is set by DoubleClick (also owned by Google) to register and report a user's actions on the website when interacting with ads. This allows advertising effectiveness to be measured and appropriate optimization measures to be taken. IDE is stored in browsers under the domain doubleclick.net.
Expiry date: after one year

Name: 1P_JAR
Value: 2019-5-14-12
Purpose: This cookie collects statistics on website usage and measures conversions. A conversion occurs, for example, when a user becomes a purchaser. The cookie is also used to display relevant ads to users. Furthermore, the cookie can be used to prevent a user from seeing the same ad more than once.
Expiry date: after one month

Name: ANID
Value: U7j1v3dZa3119678670xgZFmiqWppRWKOr
Purpose: We were unable to gather much information about this cookie. In Google's privacy policy, the cookie is mentioned in connection with "advertising cookies" such as "DSID," "FLC," "AID," and "TAID." ANID is stored under the domain google.com.
Expiry date: after 9 months

Name: CONSENT
Value: YES+AT.de+20150628-20-0
Purpose: This cookie stores the user's consent status for using various Google services. CONSENT also serves security purposes to verify users, prevent credential fraud, and protect user data from unauthorized attacks.
Expiry date: after 19 years

Name: NID
Value: 0WmuWqy311967867zILzqV_nmt3sDXwPeM5Q
Purpose: NID is used by Google to tailor ads to your Google search. With the help of the cookie, Google "remembers" your most frequently entered search queries or your previous interactions with ads. This way, you always receive tailored ads. The cookie contains a unique ID to collect the user's personal preferences for advertising purposes.

Expiry date: after 6 months

Name: DV
Value: gEAABBCjJMXcI0dSAAAANbqc311967867-4
Purpose: This cookie is set once you have checked the "I am not a robot" checkbox. This cookie is used by Google Analytics for personalized advertising. DV collects information in an anonymized form and is also used to differentiate between users.
Expiry date: after 10 minutes

Note: This list cannot claim to be complete, as experience has shown that Google continually changes the choice of its cookies.

How long and where is the data stored?

By integrating reCAPTCHA, your data is transferred to the Google server. Google does not clarify where exactly this data is stored, even after repeated inquiries. Without confirmation from Google, it can be assumed that data such as mouse interaction, time spent on the website, or language settings are stored on Google's European or American servers. The IP address that your browser transmits to Google is generally not merged with other Google data from other Google services. However, if you are logged into your Google Account while using the reCAPTCHA plug-in, the data will be merged. In this case, Google’s different data protection regulations apply.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

If you do not want any data about you and your behavior to be transmitted to Google, you must completely log out of Google and delete all Google cookies before visiting our website or using the reCAPTCHA software. Generally, the data is automatically transmitted to Google as soon as you visit our site. To delete this data, you must contact Google Support at https://support.google.com/?hl=de&tid=311967867 .

Therefore, by using our website, you agree that Google LLC and its agents automatically collect, process and use data.

Please note that when using this tool, your data may also be stored and processed outside the EU. Most third countries (including the USA) are not considered secure under current European data protection law. Therefore, data may not simply be transferred to, stored in, and processed in unsafe third countries unless appropriate safeguards (such as EU standard contractual clauses) are in place between us and the non-European service provider.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of Google reCAPTCHA, this consent forms the legal basis for the corresponding data processing. According to Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), this consent constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when collected by Google reCAPTCHA.

We also have a legitimate interest in using Google reCAPTCHA to optimize our online service and make it more secure. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests) . However, we only use Google reCAPTCHA if you have given your consent.

Google processes your data, among other places, in the USA. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks to the legality and security of data processing.

Google uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR) as the basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and therefore in particular in the USA) or for data transfers there. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through these clauses, Google undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among other places: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Google Ads Data Processing Terms, which correspond to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms/ .

You can learn more about reCAPTCHA on Google's web developer page at https://developers.google.com/recaptcha/ . While Google provides more detailed information on the technical development of reCAPTCHA there, you won't find precise information about data storage and privacy-related topics there either. A good overview of Google's general use of data can be found in its privacy policy at https://www.google.com/intl/de/policies/privacy/ .

All texts are protected by copyright.

Source: Created with the Data Protection Generator from AdSimple