Privacy Policy

Preamble

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

The terms used are not gender specific.

Status: 15 April 2024

Table of contents

• Preamble
• Person responsible
• Contact data protection officer
• Overview of processing
• Relevant legal bases
• Security measures
• Transmission of personal data
• International data transfers
• Storage and deletion of data
• Rights of the data subjects
• Business services
• Providers and services used in the course of business activities
• Credit assessment
• Provision of the online offer and web hosting
• Use of cookies
• Registration, login and user account
• Blogs and publication media
• Contact and enquiry management
• Communication via Messenger
• Chatbots and chat functions
• Video conferences, online meetings, webinars and screen sharing
• Cloud services
• Newsletter and electronic notifications
• Web analysis, monitoring and optimisation
• Online marketing
• Customer reviews and evaluation process
• Presence in social networks (social media)
• Plug-ins and embedded functions and content
• Management, organisation and support tools
• Application procedure
• Data protection information for whistleblowers
• Whistleblower systems
• Amendment and updating of the privacy policy
• Definitions of terms

Person responsible

Reitz Holding GmbH & Co KG
Konrad-Reitz-Straße 1
DE 37671 Höxter

E-mail address:

info@reitzgroup.com

Phone: +49 5271 964 000

Imprint:
https://www.reitzgroup.com/impressum/

Contact data protection officer

Mr Sven Kröning
Konrad-Reitz-Straße 1
DE 37671 Höxter
Phone: +49 5271 964081
E-Mail: datenschutz@reitzgroup.com

Overview of processing

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

Types of data processed

• Inventory data.
• Employee data.
• Payment data.
• Location data.
• Contact details.
• Content data.
• Contract data.
• Usage data.
• Meta, communication and process data.
• Applicant data.
• Event data (Facebook).

Categories of affected persons

• Customers.
• Employees.
• Interested parties.
• Communication partner.
• Users.
• Applicants.
• Business and contractual partners.
• People depicted.
• Third parties.
• Whistleblower.

Purposes of the processing

• Provision of contractual services and fulfilment of contractual obligations.
• Contact enquiries and communication.
• Safety measures.
• Direct marketing.
• Reach measurement.
• Tracking.
• Office and organisational procedures.
• Remarketing.
• Conversion measurement.
• Target group formation.
• Managing and responding to enquiries.
• Application procedure.
• Firewall.
• Feedback.
• Marketing.
• Profiles with user-related information.
• Provision of our online services and user-friendliness.
• Assessment of creditworthiness and credit standing.
• Information technology infrastructure.
• Whistleblower protection.

Automated decisions in individual cases

• Credit report.

Relevant legal bases

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

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

National data protection regulations in Germany: In addition to the data protection regulations of the GDPR, national data protection regulations apply in Germany. These include, in particular, the Act on the Protection against Misuse of Personal Data in Data Processing (Federal Data Protection Act – BDSG). In particular, the BDSG contains special regulations on the right to information, the right to erasure, the right to object, the processing of special categories of personal data, processing for other purposes and transmission as well as automated decision-making in individual cases, including profiling. The data protection laws of the individual federal states may also apply.

Security measures

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

The measures include, in particular, safeguarding the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data by controlling physical and electronic access to the data as well as the access, input, disclosure, safeguarding of availability and its separation. Furthermore, we have established procedures that ensure the exercise of data subject rights, the deletion of data and responses to data threats. Furthermore, we already take the protection of personal data into account during the development and selection of hardware, software and processes in accordance with the principle of data protection, through technology design and data protection-friendly default settings.

Securing online connections using TLS/SSL encryption technology (HTTPS): To protect user data transmitted via our online services from unauthorised access, we use TLS/SSL encryption technology. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) are the cornerstones of secure data transmission on the Internet. These technologies encrypt the information transmitted between the website or app and the user’s browser (or between two servers), protecting the data from unauthorised access. TLS, as the more advanced and secure version of SSL, ensures that all

data transmissions meet the highest security standards. If a website is secured by an SSL/TLS certificate, this is signalled by the display of HTTPS in the URL. This serves as an indicator to users that their data is being transmitted securely and encrypted.

Transmission of personal data

As part of our processing of personal data, it may be transmitted to other bodies, companies, legally independent organisational units or persons or disclosed to them. The recipients of this data may include, for example, service providers commissioned with IT tasks or providers of services and content that are integrated into a website. In such cases, we observe the legal requirements and, in particular, conclude corresponding contracts or agreements with the recipients of your data that serve to protect your data.

Data transfer within the group of companies

We may transfer personal data to other companies within our group of companies or grant them access to this data. If this transfer takes place for administrative purposes, the transfer of the data is based on our legitimate business and commercial interests or takes place if it is necessary to fulfil our contractual obligations or if the consent of the data subjects or a legal permission exists.

Data transfer within the organisation: Data transfer within the group of companies: We may transfer personal data to other companies within our group of companies or grant them access to it. If the data transfer is for administrative purposes, it is based on our legitimate business and commercial interests or takes place if it is necessary to fulfil our contractual obligations or if the consent of the data subjects or legal permission has been obtained.

International data transfers

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

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

Storage and deletion of data

The data processed by us will be deleted in accordance with the legal requirements as soon as the consent given for processing is revoked or other authorisations cease to apply (e.g. if the purpose for processing this data no longer applies or it is not required for the purpose). If the data is not deleted because it is required for other and legally permissible purposes, its processing is restricted to these purposes. This means that the data is blocked and not processed for other purposes. This applies, for example, to data that must be retained for commercial or tax law reasons or whose storage is necessary for the assertion, exercise or defence of legal claims or to protect the rights of another natural or legal person. As part of our data protection information, we may provide users with further information on the deletion and retention of data that applies specifically to the respective processing operations. If, with regard to a date, several details are provided on the retention period or deletion periods, the longer details apply in each case. If no start of the periods is specified for periods, they generally begin at the end of the calendar year in which the event triggering the period took place if the period is at least one year. If data is not stored or archived for the purpose for which it was collected, but is stored or archived for legal or other reasons, this data is processed exclusively for the purposes for which it was stored or archived.

Rights of the data subjects

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

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

Business services

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

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

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

We delete the data after the expiry of statutory warranty and comparable obligations, i.e. generally after four years, unless the data is stored in a customer account, e.g. as long as it must be retained for legal archiving reasons (e.g. for tax purposes, generally ten years). We delete data disclosed to us by the contractual partner as part of an order in accordance with the specifications and generally after the end of the order.

• Processed data types: inventory data (e.g. full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history); contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers). Contract data (e.g. subject matter of the contract, term, customer category).
• Persons concerned: Interested parties. Business and contractual partners.
• Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and fulfilment of contractual obligations; contact requests and communication; office and organisational procedures. Managing and responding to enquiries.
• Legal bases: Contract fulfilment and pre-contractual enquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b) GDPR); Legal obligation (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. c) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services

• Technical services: We process the data of our customers and clients (hereinafter uniformly referred to as “customers”) in order to enable them to select, purchase or commission the selected services or works and related activities as well as their payment and provision or execution or performance.
  
  The required information is labelled as such in the context of the conclusion of the contract, order or comparable contract and includes the information required for the provision of services and billing as well as contact information in order to be able to hold any consultations. Insofar as we receive access to information from end customers, employees or other persons, we process this in accordance with the legal and contractual requirements; legal basis: contract fulfilment and pre-contractual enquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Providers and services used in the course of business activities

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

• Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g. full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); Payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history); Contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); Content data (e.g. text or image messages and contributions as well as the information relating to them, such as authorship or time of creation); Contract data (e.g. subject matter of the contract, term, customer category); Usage data (e.g. page views and length of stay, click history). (e.g. information on authorship or time of creation); contract data (e.g. subject matter of the contract, duration, customer category); usage data (e.g. page views and length of stay, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved).
• Data subjects: Customers; interested parties; users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services); business and contractual partners; employees (e.g. employees, applicants, temporary staff and other employees). Communication partners.
• Purposes of Processing: Provision of contractual services and performance of contractual obligations; Office and organisational procedures; Contact requests and communication; Conversion tracking (Measurement of the effectiveness of marketing activities); Managing and responding to enquiries; Feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form). Marketing.
• Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services

• DATEV: Software for accounting, communication with tax advisors and authorities and with document storage; Service provider: DATEV eG, Paumgartnerstr. 6 – 14, 90429 Nuremberg, Germany; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website:https://www.datev.de/web/de/mydatev/datev-cloud-anwendungen/; Privacy Policy: https://www.datev.de/web/de/m/ueber-datev/datenschutz/. Data processing agreement: Provided by the service provider.
• Salesforce Sales Cloud: Offer and sales support as well as process management with creation of prospect and customer profiles, analysis and feedback functions; Service provider:salesforce.com Deutschland GmbH, Erika-Mann-Str. 31, 80636 Munich, Germany; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website:https://www.salesforce.com/de; Privacy Policy:https://www.salesforce.com/de/company/privacy; Data processing agreement:https://www.salesforce.com/company/privacy/; Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Further information: Data Transfer Impact Assessments: https://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/
  www/documents/legal/Privacy/dpia-and-salesforce-services.pdf.

Credit assessment

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

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

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

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

• Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g. full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history); contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); contract data (e.g. subject matter of the contract, term, customer category). Usage data (e.g. page views and dwell time, click paths, usage intensity and frequency, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions).
• Persons affected: Customers; interested parties. Business and contractual partners.
• Purposes of processing: Assessment of creditworthiness and credit standing.
• Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• Automated decisions in individual cases: Credit information (decision based on a credit check).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

• Verband der Vereine Creditreform e.V.: Credit reference agency; Service provider: Verband der Vereine Creditreform e.V., Hellersbergstraße 12, D-41460 Neuss, Germany; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.creditreform.de/. Privacy Policy: https://www.creditreform.de/datenschutz.

Provision of the online offer and web hosting

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

• Processed data types: Usage data (e.g. page views and dwell time, click paths, usage intensity and frequency, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions); meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved). Content data (e.g. textual or visual messages and contributions as well as the information relating to them, such as information on authorship or time of creation).
• Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
• Purposes of processing: Provision of our online services and user-friendliness; information technology infrastructure (operation and provision of information systems and technical devices (computers, servers, etc.)); security measures. Firewall.
• Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

• Provision of online offer on rented storage space: For the provision of our online offer, we use storage space, computing capacity and software that we rent or otherwise obtain from a corresponding server provider (also called “web host”); Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• Collection of access data and log files: Access to our online offering is logged in the form of so-called “server log files”. The server log files may include the address and name of the web pages and files accessed, date and time of access, data volumes transferred, notification of successful access, browser type and version, the user’s operating system, referrer URL (the previously visited page) and, as a rule, IP addresses and the requesting provider. The server log files may be used for security purposes, e.g. to avoid overloading the servers (especially in the event of abusive attacks, so-called DDoS attacks) and to ensure the utilisation of the servers and their stability; legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR). Deletion of data:Log file information is stored for a maximum of 30 days and then deleted or anonymised. Data whose further storage is required for evidentiary purposes is exempt from erasure until the respective incident has been finally clarified.
• E-mail dispatch and hosting: The web hosting services we use also include the dispatch, receipt and storage of e-mails. For these purposes, the addresses of the recipients and senders as well as other information relating to the sending of emails (e.g. the providers involved) and the content of the respective emails are processed. The aforementioned data may also be processed for the purpose of recognising SPAM. Please note that emails on the Internet are generally not sent in encrypted form. As a rule, e-mails are encrypted during transport, but not on the servers from which they are sent and received (unless an end-to-end encryption method is used). We can therefore assume no responsibility for the transmission path of the emails between the sender and receipt on our server; legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• Wordfence: Firewall, security and error detection functions to detect and prevent unauthorised access attempts and technical vulnerabilities that could enable such access. For these purposes, cookies and similar storage procedures required for this purpose may be used and security logs may be created during the check and in particular in the event of unauthorised access. In this context, the IP addresses of the users, a user identification number and their activities, including the time of access, are processed and stored and compared with the data provided by the provider of the firewall and security function and transmitted to it; Service provider: Defiant, Inc, 800 5th Ave Ste 4100, Seattle, WA 98104, USA; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.wordfence.com; Privacy Policy: https://www.wordfence.com/privacy-policy/; Basis for third country transfers: Standard Contractual Clauses (https://www.wordfence.com/standard-contractual-clauses/). Further information: https://www.wordfence.com/help/general-data-protection-regulation/.
• WP-Optimize: WP-Optimize Cache is a WordPress performance plugin that caches websites, cleans up databases and compresses images; Service provider: Execution on servers and/or computers under own responsibility under data protection law; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR). Website:https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-optimize/.
• MK Netzdienste GmbH: WebHosting / E-Mail; Service provider: MK Netzdienste GmbH
  Dresdener Straße 18
  32423 Minden; Website: https://www.mk.de/. Privacy Policy: https://www.mk.de/datenschutz.

Use of cookies

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

Notes on consent: We use cookies in accordance with the statutory provisions. We therefore obtain prior consent from users, unless this is not required by law. In particular, consent is not required if the storage and reading of information, including cookies, is absolutely necessary in order to provide users with a telemedia service they have expressly requested (i.e. our online offering). The revocable consent is clearly communicated to you and contains the information on the respective use of cookies.

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

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

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

General information on cancellation and objection (opt-out)

Users can revoke the consent they have given at any time and also object to the processing in accordance with the legal requirements, also by means of the privacy settings of their browser.

• Processed data types: Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved).
• Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
• Purposes of processing: Provision of our online services and user-friendliness.
• Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR). Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services

• Processing of cookie data on the basis of consent: We use a consent management solution in which user consent is obtained for the use of cookies or for the procedures and providers mentioned in the consent management solution. This procedure is used to obtain, log, manage and revoke consent, in particular with regard to the use of cookies and comparable technologies that are used to store, read and process information on users’ end devices. As part of this procedure, user consent is obtained for the use of cookies and the associated processing of information, including the specific processing and providers mentioned in the consent management procedure. Users also have the option of managing and revoking their consent. The declarations of consent are stored in order to avoid repeated requests and to be able to provide proof of consent in accordance with legal requirements. The storage takes place on the server side and/or in a cookie (so-called opt-in cookie) or by means of comparable technologies in order to be able to assign the consent to a specific user or their device. If no specific information on the providers of consent management services is available, the following general information applies: Consent is stored for up to two years. A pseudonymous user identifier is created, which is stored together with the time of consent, information on the scope of consent (e.g. relevant categories of cookies and/or service providers) and information on the browser, the system and the end device used; legal basis: consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR).
• CookieYes: Consent management: Process for obtaining, logging, managing and revoking consent, in particular for the use of cookies and similar technologies for storing, reading and processing information on users’ end devices and their processing; Service provider: CookieYes Limited, 3 Warren Yard Warren Park, Wolverton Mill, Milton Keynes, MK12 5NW, United Kingdom; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.cookieyes.com; Privacy Policy: https://www.cookieyes.com/privacy-policy/. Data processing agreement:https://www.cookieyes.com/dpa/.

Registration, login and user account

Users can create a user account. As part of the registration process, users are provided with the required mandatory information and processed for the purpose of providing the user account on the basis of contractual fulfilment of obligations. The processed data includes in particular the login information (user name, password and an e-mail address).

As part of the use of our registration and login functions as well as the use of the user account, we store the IP address and the time of the respective user action. This data is stored on the basis of our legitimate interests and those of the user in protection against misuse and other unauthorised use. This data is not passed on to third parties unless it is necessary to pursue our claims or there is a legal obligation to do so.

Users can be informed by email about processes that are relevant to their user account, such as technical changes.

• Processed data types: inventory data (e.g. full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); content data (e.g. text or image messages and contributions as well as the information relating to them, such as information on authorship or time of creation). Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved).
• Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
• Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and fulfilment of contractual obligations; security measures; administration and responding to enquiries. Provision of our online services and user-friendliness.
• Legal bases: Contract fulfilment and pre-contractual enquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services

• User profiles are not public: User profiles are not visible or accessible to the public.
• Deletion of data after cancellation: If users have cancelled their user account, their data will be deleted with regard to the user account, subject to a legal permission, obligation or consent of the users; legal basis: Contract fulfilment and pre-contractual enquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).
• No obligation to retain data: It is the responsibility of users to back up their data before the end of the contract in the event of cancellation. We are entitled to irretrievably delete all user data stored during the term of the contract; legal basis: fulfilment of the contract and pre-contractual enquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Blogs and publication media

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

• Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g. full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); Contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); Content data (e.g. text or image messages and contributions as well as the information relating to them, such as information on authorship or time of creation); Usage data (e.g. page views and length of stay, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved).
• Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
• Purposes of Processing: Provision of contractual services and fulfilment of contractual obligations; Feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form); Provision of our online services and usability; Security measures. Managing and responding to enquiries.
• Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services

• Comments and contributions: When users leave comments or other contributions, their IP addresses may be stored on the basis of our legitimate interests. This is done for our security in case someone leaves illegal content in comments and posts (insults, prohibited political propaganda, etc.). In this case, we ourselves may be prosecuted for the comment or post and are therefore interested in the identity of the author.
  
  Furthermore, we reserve the right to process user data for the purpose of spam detection on the basis of our legitimate interests.
  
  On the same legal basis, we reserve the right to store users’ IP addresses for the duration of surveys and to use cookies in order to avoid multiple votes.
  
  The personal information provided in the context of comments and contributions, any contact and website information as well as the content information will be stored permanently by us until the user objects; legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• ManageWP: Management of WordPress websites; Service provider:ManageWP, LLC, 14455 N. Hayden Rd, Ste. 219, Scottsdale, AZ 85260, USA; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://managewp.com/; Privacy Policy: https://managewp.com/privacy; Data processing agreement: https://managewp.com/data-processing-addendum. Basis for third country transfers: Standard Contractual Clauses (https://managewp.com/data-processing-addendum).

Contact and enquiry management

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

• Processed data types: Contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); Content data (e.g. text or image messages and contributions as well as the information relating to them, such as information on authorship or time of creation); Usage data (e.g. page views and length of stay page views and dwell time, click paths, usage intensity and frequency, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions); meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved); inventory data (e.g. full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history). Contract data (e.g. subject matter of the contract, term, customer category).
• Data subjects: Communication partners; customers; interested parties; users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services). Business and contractual partners.
• Purposes of Processing: Contact requests and communication; Managing and responding to enquiries; Feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form); Provision of our online services and usability; Provision of contractual services and fulfilment of contractual obligations; Conversion tracking (Measurement of the effectiveness of marketing activities); Marketing; Direct marketing (e.g. by e-mail or postal); Information technology infrastructure (Operation and provision of information systems and technical equipment (computers, servers, etc.). Profiles with user-related information (creation of user profiles).
• Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR). Contract fulfilment and pre-contractual enquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services

• Contact form: If users contact us via our contact form, e-mail or other communication channels, we process the data provided to us in this context to process the communicated request; legal basis: fulfilment of contract and pre-contractual enquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• Salesforce Service Cloud: Customer management as well as process and sales support with personalised customer care with multi-channel communication, i.e. management of customer enquiries from different channels as well as analysis and feedback functions; Service provider: salesforce.com Deutschland GmbH, Erika-Mann-Str. 31, 80636 Munich, Germany; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.salesforce.com/de; Privacy Policy:https://www.salesforce.com/de/company/privacy; Data processing agreement:https://www.salesforce.com/company/privacy/; Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Further information: Data transfer impact assessment: https://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/
  www/documents/legal/Privacy/dpia-and-salesforce-services.pdf.
• WhatsApp: WhatsApp Messenger with end-to-end encryption; Service provider: WhatsApp Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland; Legal basis:Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website:https://www.whatsapp.com/; Privacy Policy:https://www.whatsapp.com/legal. Basis for third country transfers:Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
• WhatsApp groups: We use the WhatsApp platform to create interest groups within which WhatsApp users can contact each other or us and exchange information; Service provider: WhatsApp Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Quay, Dublin 2, D02 KH28, Ireland; Legal basis:Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website:https://www.whatsapp.com/. Privacy Policy:https://www.whatsapp.com/legal.
• TikTok: Social network / video platform; Service provider: TikTok Technology Limited, 10 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin, D02 T380, Ireland and TikTok Information Technologies UK Limited, Kaleidoscope, 4 Lindsey Street, London, United Kingdom, EC1A 9HP; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.tiktok.com. Privacy Policy: https://www.tiktok.com/de/privacy-policy.
• TikTok plugins and content: TikTok plugins and content – This may include, for example, content such as images, videos or text and buttons; Service provider: TikTok Technology Limited, 10 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin, D02 T380, Ireland and TikTok Information Technologies UK Limited, Kaleidoscope, 4 Lindsey Street, London, United Kingdom, EC1A 9HP; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website:https://www.tiktok.com. Privacy Policy:https://www.tiktok.com/legal/privacy-policy?lang=de

Communication via Messenger

We use messengers for communication purposes and therefore ask you to observe the following information on the functionality of the messengers, on encryption, on the use of communication metadata and on your objection options.

You can also contact us by alternative means, e.g. by telephone or e-mail. Please use the contact options provided to you or the contact options specified within our online offer.

In the case of end-to-end encryption of content (i.e. the content of your message and attachments), we would like to point out that the communication content (i.e. the content of the message and attached images) is encrypted from end to end. This means that the content of the messages cannot be viewed, not even by the messenger providers themselves. You should always use an up-to-date version of the messenger with encryption enabled to ensure that the message content is encrypted.

However, we would also like to point out to our communication partners that although the providers of the messengers cannot view the content, they can find out that and when communication partners communicate with us and that technical information about the device used by the communication partners and, depending on the settings of their device, location information (so-called metadata) is also processed.

Notes on legal bases: If we ask communication partners for permission before communicating with them via Messenger, the legal basis for our processing of their data is their consent. Otherwise, if we do not ask for consent and you contact us, for example, on your own initiative, we use Messenger in relation to our contractual partners and in the context of contract initiation as a contractual measure and, in the case of other interested parties and communication partners, on the basis of our legitimate interests in fast and efficient communication and fulfilment of our communication partners’ needs for communication via Messenger. We would also like to point out that we will not transmit the contact data provided to us to Messenger for the first time without your consent.

Cancellation, objection and deletion

You can revoke your consent at any time and object to communication with us via Messenger at any time. In the case of communication via Messenger, we delete the messages in accordance with our general deletion guidelines (i.e., for example, as described above, after the end of contractual relationships, in the context of archiving requirements, etc.) and otherwise as soon as we can assume that we have answered any information from the communication partners, if no reference to a previous conversation is to be expected and the deletion does not conflict with any statutory retention obligations.

Reservation of reference to other communication channels: Finally, we would like to point out that, for reasons of your security, we reserve the right not to answer enquiries via Messenger. This is the case if, for example, internal contractual information requires special confidentiality or a reply via Messenger does not fulfil formal requirements. In such cases, we will refer you to more appropriate communication channels.

• Processed data types: Contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); Usage data (e.g. page views and length of stay, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions); Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved). Content data (e.g. textual or visual messages and contributions as well as the information relating to them, such as information on authorship or time of creation).
• Affected persons: Communication partner.
• Purposes of processing: Contact requests and communication. Direct marketing (e.g. by e-mail or post).
• Legal bases: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services

• Instagram: Sending messages via the social network Instagram; Service provider: Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website:https://www.instagram.com. Privacy Policy:https://instagram.com/about/legal/privacy.
• Facebook Messenger: Facebook Messenger with end-to-end encryption (the end-to-end encryption of Facebook Messenger requires activation if it is not activated by default); Service provider: Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.facebook.com; Privacy Policy: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy; Data processing agreement: https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing. Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
• Microsoft Teams: Microsoft Teams – Messenger; Service provider: Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, One Microsoft Place, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, D18 P521, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/microsoft-365; Privacy Policy: https://privacy.microsoft.com/de-de/privacystatement, Security information: https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/trustcenter. Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
• WhatsApp: WhatsApp Messenger with end-to-end encryption; Service provider: WhatsApp Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland; Legal basis:Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website:https://www.whatsapp.com/; Privacy Policy:https://www.whatsapp.com/legal. Basis for third country transfers:Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
• Microsoft Teams: Conferencing and communication software; Service provider: Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, One Microsoft Place, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, D18 P521, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/microsoft-365; Privacy Policy:https://privacy.microsoft.com/de-de/privacystatement, Security information: https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/trustcenter. Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).

Chatbots and chat functions

We offer online chats and chatbot functions (collectively referred to as “chat services”) as a means of communication. A chat is an online conversation conducted with a certain degree of timeliness. A chatbot is software that answers users’ questions or informs them of messages. If you use our chat functions, we may process your personal data.

If you use our chat services within an online platform, your identification number will also be stored within the respective platform. We may also collect information about which users interact with our chat services and when. We also store the content of your conversations via the chat services and log registration and consent processes in order to be able to prove these in accordance with legal requirements.

We would like to point out to users that the respective platform provider may find out that and when users communicate with our chat services and may collect technical information about the user’s device used and, depending on their device settings, also location information (so-called metadata) for the purposes of optimising the respective services and for security purposes. The metadata of communication via chat services (i.e. e.g. information on who has communicated with whom) may also be used by the respective platform providers for marketing purposes or to display advertising tailored to users in accordance with their provisions, to which we refer for further information.

If users declare their willingness to a chatbot to activate information with regular messages, they have the option of cancelling the information for the future at any time. The chatbot informs users how and with which terms they can unsubscribe from the messages. Unsubscribing from the chatbot messages deletes the user’s data from the list of message recipients.

We use the aforementioned data to operate our chat services, e.g. to address users personally, to answer their enquiries, to transmit any requested content and also to improve our chat services (e.g. to “teach” chatbots answers to frequently asked questions or to recognise unanswered enquiries).

Notes on legal bases

We use chat services on the basis of consent if we have previously obtained permission from users to process their data as part of our chat services (this applies to cases in which users are asked for consent, e.g. for a chatbot to send them regular messages). If we use chat services to answer users’ enquiries about our services or our company, this is done for contractual and pre-contractual communication. We also use chat services on the basis of our legitimate interests in optimising the chat services, their cost-effectiveness and enhancing the positive user experience.

Revocation, objection and deletion: You can revoke your consent or object to the processing of your data in the context of our chat services at any time.

• Processed data types: Contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); Content data (e.g. text or image messages and contributions as well as the information relating to them, such as information on authorship or time of creation); Usage data (e.g. page views and length of stay, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved).
• Affected persons: Communication partner.
• Purposes of processing: Contact requests and communication. Direct marketing (e.g. by e-mail or post).
• Legal bases: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); fulfilment of contract and pre-contractual enquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Video conferences, online meetings, webinars and screen sharing

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

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

Logging and recordings

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

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

Notes on legal bases

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

• Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g. full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); Contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); Content data (e.g. text or image messages and contributions as well as the information relating to them, such as information on authorship or time of creation); Usage data (e.g. page views and length of stay, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved).
• Data subjects: Communication partners; users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services). Depicted persons.
• Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and fulfilment of contractual obligations; contact requests and communication. Office and organisational procedures.
• Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services

• Google Hangouts / Meet: Conferencing and communication software; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis:Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website:https://hangouts.google.com/; Privacy Policy:https://policies.google.com/privacy; Data processing agreement:https://cloud.google.com/terms/data-processing-addendum. Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
• Microsoft Teams: Conferencing and communication software; Service provider: Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, One Microsoft Place, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, D18 P521, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/microsoft-365; Privacy Policy:https://privacy.microsoft.com/de-de/privacystatement, Security information: https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/trustcenter. Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).

Cloud services

We use software services accessible via the internet and running on the servers of their providers (so-called “cloud services”, also referred to as “software as a service”) for the storage and management of content (e.g. document storage and management, exchange of documents, content and information with certain recipients or publication of content and information).

In this context, personal data may be processed and stored on the provider’s servers if they are part of communication processes with us or are otherwise processed by us as set out in this privacy policy. This data may include, in particular, master data and contact data of users, data on transactions, contracts, other processes and their content. Cloud service providers also process usage data and metadata that they use for security purposes and to optimise their services.

If we use cloud services to provide other users or publicly accessible websites with forms or other documents and content, the providers may store cookies on users’ devices for the purposes of web analysis or to remember user settings (e.g. in the case of media control).

• Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g. full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); Contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); Content data (e.g. text or image messages and contributions as well as the information relating to them, such as information on authorship or time of creation); Usage data (e.g. page views and length of stay, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved).
• Data subjects: Customers; employees (e.g. employees, applicants, temporary staff and other employees); interested parties; communication partners; users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services). Business and contractual partners.
• Purposes of processing: Office and organisational procedures; information technology infrastructure (operation and provision of information systems and technical equipment (computers, servers, etc.)). Provision of our online services and user-friendliness.
• Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services

• Microsoft cloud services: cloud storage, cloud infrastructure services and cloud-based application software; Service provider: Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, One Microsoft Place, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, D18 P521, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://microsoft.com/de-de; Privacy Policy: https://privacy.microsoft.com/de-de/privacystatement, Security information: https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/trustcenter; Data processing agreement:https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/d ocs/view/Microsoft-Products-and-Services-Data-Protection-Addendum-DPA. Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
• Microsoft Azure: Interface access (so-called “API”) to AI-based services designed to understand and generate natural language and related input and data, analyse information and make predictions (“AI”, i.e. “artificial intelligence”, is to be understood in the applicable legal sense of the term); Service provider: Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, One Microsoft Place, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, D18 P521, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://azure.microsoft.com; Privacy Policy: https://privacy.microsoft.com/de-de/privacystatement; Data processing agreement: https://azure.microsoft.com/de-de/support/legal/. Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).

Newsletter and electronic notifications

We only send newsletters, emails and other electronic notifications (hereinafter “newsletter”) with the consent of the recipient or with legal authorisation. If the contents of the newsletter are specifically described when registering for the newsletter, they are decisive for the user’s consent. Otherwise, our newsletters contain information about our services and ourselves.

To subscribe to our newsletter, it is generally sufficient to provide your e-mail address. However, we may ask you to provide a name so that we can address you personally in the newsletter or other information if this is necessary for the purposes of the newsletter.

Double opt-in procedure: Registration for our newsletter is always carried out in a so-called double opt-in procedure. This means that you will receive an e-mail asking you to confirm your registration. This is necessary to ensure that no-one can register using other people’s e-mail addresses. Subscriptions to the newsletter are logged in order to be able to prove the registration process in accordance with legal requirements. This includes storing the time of registration and confirmation as well as the IP address. Changes to your data stored by the mailing service provider are also logged.

Deletion and restriction of processing: We may store the unsubscribed email addresses for up to three years on the basis of our legitimate interests before deleting them in order to be able to prove that consent was previously given. The processing of this data is limited to the purpose of a potential defence against claims. An individual request for erasure is possible at any time, provided that the former existence of consent is confirmed at the same time. In the event of obligations to permanently observe objections, we reserve the right to store the e-mail address in a block list solely for this purpose.

The registration process is logged on the basis of our legitimate interests for the purpose of verifying that it is carried out properly. If we commission a service provider to send e-mails, this is done on the basis of our legitimate interests in an efficient and secure dispatch system.

Contents:

Information about us, our services, promotions and offers.

• Processed data types: inventory data (e.g. full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved). Usage data (e.g. page views and length of visit, click paths, intensity of use and frequency, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions).
• Affected persons: Communication partner.
• Purposes of processing: Direct marketing (e.g. by email or post).
• Legal bases: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• Option to object (opt-out): You can cancel the receipt of our newsletter at any time, i.e. revoke your consent or object to further receipt. You will find a link to cancel the newsletter either at the end of each newsletter or you can otherwise use one of the contact options given above, preferably e-mail.

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services

• Reminder emails for the order process: If users do not complete an order process, we can remind them of the order process by email and send them a link to continue it. This function can be useful, for example, if the purchase process could not be continued due to a browser crash, oversight or forgetting. Sending is based on consent, which users can revoke at any time; legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR).
• Sending via SMS: The electronic notifications can also be sent as SMS text messages (or are sent exclusively via SMS if the sending authorisation, e.g. consent, only includes sending via SMS); legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR).
• Mailchimp: Email marketing, automation of marketing processes, collection. Storage and management of contact data, measurement of campaign performance, recording and analysis of recipients’ interaction with content, personalisation of content; Service provider: Rocket Science Group, LLC, 675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE #5000, Atlanta, GA 30308, USA; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://mailchimp.com; Privacy Policy: https://mailchimp.com/legal/; Data processing agreement: https://mailchimp.com/legal/; Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Further information: Special security measures: https://mailchimp.com/de/help/mailchimp-european-data-transfers/.

Web analysis, monitoring and optimisation

Web analysis (also referred to as “reach measurement”) is used to evaluate the flow of visitors to our online offering and may include behaviour, interests or demographic information about visitors, such as age or gender, as pseudonymous values. With the help of reach analysis, we can, for example, recognise at what time our online offering or its functions or content are most frequently used or invite visitors to reuse them. It also enables us to understand which areas require optimisation.

In addition to web analysis, we may also use test procedures, for example to test and optimise different versions of our online offering or its components.

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

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

Notes on legal bases

If we ask users for their consent to the use of third-party providers, the legal basis for data processing is consent. Otherwise, user data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in efficient, economical and recipient-friendly services). In this context, we would also like to draw your attention to the information on the use of cookies in this privacy policy.

• Processed data types: Usage data (e.g. page views and dwell time, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved).
• Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
• Purposes of processing: Remarketing; target group formation; reach measurement (e.g. access statistics, recognition of returning visitors); profiles with user-related information (creation of user profiles). Provision of our online services and user-friendliness.
• Security measures: IP masking (pseudonymisation of the IP address).
• Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services

• Google Analytics: We use Google Analytics to measure and analyse the use of our online offering on the basis of a pseudonymous user identification number. This identification number does not contain any unique data, such as names or e-mail addresses. It is used to assign analysis information to an end device in order to recognise which content users have called up within one or more usage processes, which search terms they have used, which they have called up again or which they have interacted with our online offering. The time of use and its duration are also stored, as well as the sources of the users who refer to our online offering and technical aspects of their end devices and browsers.
  Pseudonymised user profiles are created with information from the use of various devices, whereby cookies may be used. Google Analytics does not log or store individual IP addresses for EU users. However, Analytics provides rough geographic location data by deriving the following metadata from IP addresses: City (and the city’s inferred latitude and longitude), Continent, Country, Region, Subcontinent (and ID-based counterparts). For EU traffic, the IP address data is used exclusively for this derivation of geolocalisation data before it is immediately deleted. It is not logged, is not accessible and is not used for other purposes. When Google Analytics collects measurement data, all IP queries are performed on EU-based servers before the traffic is forwarded to Analytics servers for processing; service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website:https://marketingplatform.google.com/intl/de/about/analytics/; Security measures: IP masking (pseudonymisation of the IP address); Privacy Policy:https://policies.google.com/privacy; Data processing agreement:https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms/; Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF); Opt-out: Opt-out plug-in: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de; Settings for the display of adverts: https://myadcenter.google.com/personalizationoff. Further information: https://business.safety.google/adsservices/ (Types of processing and processed data).
• Notes on consent recipients: The consent given by users in the context of a consent dialogue (also known as “cookie opt-in/consent”, ‘cookie banner’, etc.) fulfils several purposes. On the one hand, it serves to fulfil our obligation to obtain consent to the storage and reading of information on and from the user’s end device (in accordance with ePrivacy guidelines). Secondly, it covers the processing of users’ personal data in accordance with data protection regulations. In addition, this consent also applies to Google, as the company is obliged under the Digital Markets Act to obtain consent for personalised services. We therefore share the status of the consents given by users with Google. Our consent management software informs Google whether consent has been granted or not. The aim is to ensure that the consents given or not given by users are taken into account when using Google Analytics and when integrating functions and external services. For example, user consents and their revocation in the context of Google Analytics and other Google services in our online offering can be adjusted dynamically and depending on the user selection; service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9976101?hl=de. Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy.
• Target group formation with Google Analytics: We use Google Analytics to display the adverts placed by Google and its partners within advertising services only to those users who have also shown an interest in our online offering or who have certain characteristics (e.g. interests in certain topics or products determined on the basis of the websites visited), which we transmit to Google (so-called “remarketing” or “Google Analytics audiences”). With the help of remarketing audiences, we also want to ensure that our adverts correspond to the potential interest of users; service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https://marketingplatform.google.com; Legal basis:https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms/; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Data processing agreement:https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms/; Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF); Further information: Types of processing and data processed: https://business.safety.google/adsservices/. Data processing conditions for Google advertising products and standard contractual clauses for third country transfers of data: https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms.
• Google Tag Manager: We use Google Tag Manager, a tool from Google, to manage so-called website tags centrally via a user interface. Tags are small code elements on our website that are used, among other things, to measure and analyse visitor activity. This technology helps us to improve our website and the services offered on it. The Google Tag Manager itself does not create any user profiles, does not store any cookies and does not carry out any independent analyses. It merely serves to integrate the tools and services that we use for our website more easily and efficiently. Nevertheless, when Google Tag Manager is used, the user’s IP address is transmitted to Google, which is technically necessary in order to perform the various services we use. It is important to know that this data processing only takes place if services are integrated via the Tag Manager that require this. For details on these services and how they process data, please refer to the further sections in this privacy policy; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website:https://marketingplatform.google.com; Privacy Policy:https://policies.google.com/privacy; Data processing agreement:
  https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms. Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
• Google Tag Manager (server-side use): Google Tag Manager is an application with which we can manage so-called website tags via an interface and thus integrate other services into our online offering (see also the further information in this privacy policy). The Tag Manager itself (which implements the tags) does not store any user profiles or cookies. The other services are integrated on the server side. This means that user data is not transmitted directly from their end device to the respective service or Google. In particular, the user’s IP address is not transmitted to the other service. Instead, the data is first transmitted to our server, where the user’s data records are assigned to our internal user identification number. The subsequent transmission of the data from our server to the servers of the respective service providers only takes place in this pseudonymised form. The user identification number does not contain any unique data, such as names or email addresses; service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website:https://marketingplatform.google.com/intl/de/about/analytics/; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Data processing agreement:https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms/; Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Further information: https://business.safety.google/adsservices/ (Types of processing and processed data).
• SalesViewer®: This website uses SalesViewer® technology from SalesViewer® GmbH to collect and store data for marketing, market research and optimisation purposes on the basis of the website operator’s legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). For this purpose, a javascript-based code is used to collect company-related data and the corresponding use. The data collected using this technology is encrypted using a non-reversible one-way function (known as hashing). The data is immediately pseudonymised and is not used to personally identify the visitor to this website. The data stored within the framework of SalesViewer® is deleted as soon as it is no longer required for its intended purpose and the deletion does not conflict with any statutory retention obligations. You can object to the collection and storage of data at any time with effect for the future by clicking on this link https://www.salesviewer.com/opt-outanklicken to prevent SalesViewer® from collecting data on this website in the future. An opt-out cookie for this website will be stored on your device. If you delete your cookies in this browser, you must click on this link again.

Online marketing

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

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

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

The statements in the profiles are generally stored in the cookies or by means of similar procedures. These cookies can generally also be read later on other websites that use the same online marketing process and analysed ort he purpose of displaying content and supplemented with further data and stored on the server ort h online marketing process provider.

In exceptional cases, it is possible to assign clear data ort h profiles, primarily if the users are, for example, members of a social network whose online marketing processes we use and the network links the user profiles with the aforementioned data. Please note that users can make additional agreements with the providers, for example by giving their consent during registration.

In principle, we only receive access to summarised information about the success of our advertisements. However, ort he of so-called conversion measurements, we can check which of our online marketing procedures have led to a so-called conversion, i.e., for example, ort h conclusion of a contract with us. The conversion measurement is used solely to analyse the success of our marketing measures.

Unless otherwise stated, we ask you to assume that the cookies used are stored for a period ort h years.

Notes on legal bases: If we ask users for their consent ort h use of third-party providers, the legal basis for data processing is permission. Otherwise, user data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in efficient, economical and recipient-friendly services). In this context, we would also like to draw your attention ort h information on the use of cookies in this privacy policy.

• Processed data types: Usage data (e.g. page views and dwell time, click paths, usage intensity and frequency, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions); meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved). Location data (information on the geographical position of a device or person).
• Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
• Purposes of Processing: Web Analytics (e.g. access statistics, recognition of returning visitors); Targeting (e.g. profiling based on interests and behaviour, use of cookies); Marketing; Profiles with user-related information (Creating user profiles); Conversion tracking (Measurement ort h effectiveness of marketing activities); Remarketing; Provision of our online services and usability. Target group formation.
• Security measures: IP masking (pseudonymisation ort h IP address).
• Legal bases: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. A) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. F) GDPR).
• Possibility of objection (opt-out): We refer you to the data protection notices of the respective providers and the opt-out options specified for the providers (so-called “opt-out”). If no explicit opt-out option has been specified, you have the option of switching off cookies in your browser settings. However, this may restrict the functions of our online offering. We therefore recommend the following additional opt-out options, which are summarised ort he respective areas:
  
  a) Europe: https://www.youronlinechoices.eu.
  b) Canada: https://www.youradchoices.ca/choices.
  c) USA: https://www.aboutads.info/choices.
  d) Cross-territory: https://optout.aboutads.info.

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services

• Google Ads and conversion measurement: online marketing process for the purpose of placing content and adverts within the service provider’s advertising network (e.g. in search results, in videos, on websites, etc.) so that they are displayed to users who are presumed to be interested in the adverts. In addition, we measure the conversion of the adverts, i.e. whether users have taken them as an opportunity to interact with the adverts and use the advertised offers (so-called conversion). However, we only receive anonymous information and no personal information about individual users; service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://marketingplatform.google.com; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF); Further information: Types of processing and data processed: https://business.safety.google/adsservices/. Data processing conditions between controllers and standard contractual clauses for third country transfers of data: https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms.
• Google Ads Remarketing: Google Remarketing, also known as retargeting, is a technology that allows users who use an online service to be added to a pseudonymous remarketing list so that users can be shown ads on other online offers based on their visit to the online service; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https://marketingplatform.google.com; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for transfers to third countries: Data Privacy Framework (DPF); Further information: Types of processing and data processed: https://business.safety.google/adsservices/. Data processing conditions between controllers and standard contractual clauses for third country transfers of data: https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms.
• Extended conversions for Google Ads: When customers click on our Google adverts and subsequently use the advertised service (known as a “conversion”), the data entered by the user, such as their email address, name, home address or telephone number, may be transmitted to Google. The hash values are then compared with existing Google accounts of the users in order to better analyse and improve the interaction of the users with the ads (e.g. clicks or views) and thus their performance; legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR). Website: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9888656.
• Google Adsense with personalised ads: We use the Google Adsense service with personalised ads, with the help of which ads are displayed within our online offer and we receive remuneration for their display or other use; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis:Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website:https://marketingplatform.google.com; Privacy Policy:https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for third country transfers:Data Privacy Framework (DPF); Further information: Types of processing and data processed: https://business.safety.google/adsservices/. Data processing conditions for Google advertising products: Information on the services Data processing terms between controllers and standard contractual clauses for third country transfers of data: https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms.
• Google Adsense with non-personalised ads: We use the Google Adsense service with non-personalised ads, with the help of which ads are displayed within our online offer and we receive remuneration for their display or other use; service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https://marketingplatform.google.com; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF); Further information: Types of processing and data processed: https://business.safety.google/adsservices/. Google Ads Controller-Controller Data Protection Terms and standard contractual clauses for data transfers to third countries: https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms.
• LinkedIn Insights Tag: Code that is loaded when a user visits our website and tracks the user’s behaviour and conversions and stores them in a profile (possible purposes: measuring campaign performance, optimising ad delivery, building custom and lookalike audiences); Service provider: LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https://www.linkedin.com; Privacy Policy:https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy, Cookie Policy: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/cookie_policy; Data processing agreement:https://www.linkedin.com/legal/l/dpa; Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Possibility of objection (opt-out):https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/guest-controls/retargeting-opt-out.
• Google Search Ads 360: Search management platform that allows agencies and advertisers to manage and target search marketing campaigns across multiple search engines and media channels; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website:https://marketingplatform.google.com/intl/de/about/search-ads-360/; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Data processing agreement:  https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms/; Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Further information: https://business.safety.google/adsservices/ (Types of processing and data processed).

Customer reviews and evaluation process

We participate in review and rating procedures in order to evaluate, optimise and advertise our services. If users rate us or otherwise provide feedback via the participating review platforms or procedures, the general terms and conditions or terms of use and the providers’ data protection notices also apply. As a rule, the evaluation also requires registration with the respective providers.

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

• Processed data types: Contract data (e.g. subject matter of the contract, duration, customer category); usage data (e.g. page views and length of stay, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved).
• Persons affected: Customers. Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
• Purposes of processing: Feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form). Marketing.
• Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services

• Google Customer Reviews: Service for obtaining and/or presenting customer satisfaction and customer opinions; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.google.com/; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF); Additional information: As part of the collection of customer reviews, an identification number and time for the business transaction to be evaluated, in the case of review requests sent directly to customers, the customer’s e-mail address and their country of residence as well as the review details themselves are processed; Further information on the types of processing and the data processed: https://business.safety.google/adsservices/. Data processing conditions for Google advertising products: Information on the services Data processing terms between controllers and standard contractual clauses for third country transfers of data: https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms.

Presence in social networks (social media)

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

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

Furthermore, user data within social networks is generally processed for market research and advertising purposes. For example, user profiles can be created based on user behaviour and the resulting interests of users. The latter may in turn be used, for example, to place adverts within and outside the networks that presumably correspond to the interests of the users. Cookies are therefore generally stored on users’ computers, in which the user behaviour and interests of the users are stored. In addition, data can also be stored in the user profiles independently of the devices used by the users (especially if they are members of the respective platforms and are logged in there).

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

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

• Processed data types: Contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); Content data (e.g. text or image messages and contributions as well as the information relating to them, such as information on authorship or time of creation); Usage data (e.g. page views and length of stay, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved).
• Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
• Purposes of processing: Contact requests and communication; feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form). Marketing.
• Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services

• Instagram: Social network; Service provider: Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.instagram.com; Privacy Policy: https://instagram.com/about/legal/privacy. Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
• Facebook pages: Profiles within the social network Facebook; Service provider: Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website:https://www.facebook.com; Privacy Policy:https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy; Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF); Further information: We are jointly responsible with Meta Platforms Ireland Limited for the collection (but not the further processing) of data of visitors to our Facebook page (so-called “fan page”). This data includes information about the types of content users view or interact with, or the actions they take (see under “Things you and others do and provide” in the Facebook Data Policy: https://www.facebook.com/policy), as well as information about the devices used by users (e.g. IP addresses, operating system, browser type, language settings, cookie data; see under “Device information” in the Facebook Data Policy: https://www.facebook.com/policy). As explained in the Facebook Data Policy under “How do we use this information?”, Facebook also collects and uses information to provide analytics services, known as “Page Insights”, for page operators so that they can gain insights into how people interact with their pages and the content associated with them. We have concluded a special agreement with Facebook (“Information on Page Insights”, https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/page_controller_addendum), which regulates in particular which security measures Facebook must observe and in which Facebook has agreed to fulfil the rights of data subjects (i.e. users can, for example, send information or deletion requests directly to Facebook). The rights of users (in particular to information, deletion, objection and complaint to the competent supervisory authority) are not restricted by the agreements with Facebook. Further information can be found in the “Information on Page Insights” (https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/information_about_page_insights_data). The joint responsibility is limited to the collection by and transfer of data to Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, a company based in the EU. The further processing of the data is the sole responsibility of Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, which in particular concerns the transfer of data to the parent company Meta Platforms, Inc. in the USA.
• Facebook groups: We use the “Groups” function of the Facebook platform to create interest groups within which Facebook users can get in touch with each other or with us and exchange information. In doing so, we process personal data of the users of our groups to the extent necessary for the purpose of group use and moderation. Our guidelines within the groups may contain further specifications and information on the use of the respective group. This data includes information on first and last names, as well as published or privately shared content, as well as values on the status of group membership or group-related activities, such as joining or leaving, as well as the time details for the aforementioned data. We also refer to the processing of user data by Facebook itself. This data includes information about the types of content users view or interact with, or the actions they take (see under “Things you and others do and provide” in the Facebook Data Policy: https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/), as well as information about the devices used by users (e.g. IP addresses, operating system, browser type, language settings, cookie data; see under “Device information” in the Facebook Data Policy: https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/). As explained in the Facebook Data Policy under “How do we use this information?”, Facebook also collects and uses information to provide analytics services, known as “Insights”, to group operators to provide them with insights into how people interact with their groups and with the content associated with them; service provider: Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.facebook.com; Privacy Policy: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy. Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
• Facebook events: Event profiles within the social network Facebook – We use the “Events” function of the Facebook platform to draw attention to events and dates and to get in touch with users (participants and interested parties) and to exchange information. In doing so, we process personal data of the users of our event pages, insofar as this is necessary for the purpose of the event page and its moderation. This data includes details of first and last names, as well as published or privately communicated content, as well as values on the status of participation and the time details for the aforementioned data. We also refer to the processing of user data by Facebook itself. This data includes information about the types of content users view or interact with, or the actions they take (see under “Things you and others do and provide” in the Facebook Data Policy: https://www.facebook.com/policy), as well as information about the devices used by users (e.g. IP addresses, operating system, browser type, language settings, cookie data; see under “Device information” in the Facebook Data Policy: https://www.facebook.com/policy). As explained in the Facebook Data Policy under “How do we use this information?”, Facebook also collects and uses information to provide analytics services, known as “Insights”, to event providers so that they can gain insights into how people interact with their event pages and the content associated with them; service providers: Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.facebook.com; Privacy Policy: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy. Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
• LinkedIn: Social network; Service provider: LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.linkedin.com; Privacy Policy: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy; Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF); Opt-Out: https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/guest-controls/retargeting-opt-out. Further information: We are jointly responsible with LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company for the collection (but not the further processing) of data of visitors who visit our LinkedIn profiles for the purpose of creating “page insights” (statistics).

This data includes information about the types of content that users view or interact with, or the actions they take, as well as information about the devices used by users (e.g. IP addresses, operating system, browser type, language settings, cookie data) and information from the user’s profile, such as job function, country, industry, hierarchy level, company size and employment status. Data protection information on the processing of user data by LinkedIn can be found in LinkedIn’s privacy policy: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy
We have concluded a special agreement with LinkedIn Ireland (“Page Insights Joint Controller Addendum (the ‘Addendum’)”, https://legal.linkedin.com/pages-joint-controller-addendum), which regulates in particular which security measures LinkedIn must observe and in which LinkedIn has agreed to fulfil the rights of data subjects (i.e. users can, for example, send information or deletion requests directly to LinkedIn). The rights of users (in particular to information, deletion, objection and complaint to the competent supervisory authority) are not restricted by the agreements with LinkedIn. The joint responsibility is limited to the collection of data by and transfer to Ireland Unlimited Company, a company based in the EU. Further processing of the data is the sole responsibility of Ireland Unlimited Company, in particular the transfer of data to the parent company LinkedIn Corporation in the USA.

• Pinterest: Social network; Service provider: Pinterest Europe Limited, 2nd Floor, Palmerston House, Fenian Street, Dublin 2, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.pinterest.com. Privacy Policy: https://policy.pinterest.com/de/privacy-policy.
• TikTok: Social network / video platform; Service provider: TikTok Technology Limited, 10 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin, D02 T380, Ireland and TikTok Information Technologies UK Limited, Kaleidoscope, 4 Lindsey Street, London, United Kingdom, EC1A 9HP; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.tiktok.com. Privacy Policy: https://www.tiktok.com/de/privacy-policy.
• YouTube: Social network and video platform; Service provider:Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Privacy Policy:https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for third country transfers:Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Option to object (opt-out): https://myadcenter.google.com/personalizationoff.
• Xing: Social network; Service provider: New Work SE, Am Strandkai 1, 20457 Hamburg, Germany; Legal basis:Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website:https://www.xing.com/. Privacy Policy:https://privacy.xing.com/de/datenschutzerklaerung.

Plug-ins and embedded functions and content

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

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

Notes on legal bases: If we ask users for their consent to the use of third-party providers, the legal basis for data processing is permission. Otherwise, user data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in efficient, economical and recipient-friendly services). In this context, we would also like to draw your attention to the information on the use of cookies in this privacy policy.

• Processed data types: Usage data (e.g. page views and length of stay, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions); metadata, communication data and procedural data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved); inventory data (e.g. full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); content data (e.g. textual data, email addresses or telephone numbers). (e.g. full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); content data (e.g. text or image messages and contributions as well as the information relating to them, such as information on authorship or time of creation); location data (information on the geographical position of a device or person); event data (Facebook) (“event data” is data that can be transmitted by us to Facebook via Facebook pixels (via apps or in other ways) and relates to people or their actions; the data includes, for example, information on visits to websites, interactions with content, functions, app installations, product purchases, etc.; the event data is processed for the purpose of creating target groups for content and advertising information (custom audiences). Event data does not include the actual content (such as comments written), no login information and no contact information (i.e. no names, email addresses and telephone numbers). Event data is deleted by Facebook after a maximum of two years, and the target groups created from it are deleted when our Facebook account is deleted.)
• Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
• Purposes of processing: Provision of our online services and user-friendliness; provision of contractual services and fulfilment of contractual obligations; marketing. Profiles with user-related information (creation of user profiles).
• Legal bases: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

• Facebook plugins and content: Facebook social plugins and content – This may include, for example, content such as images, videos or text and buttons with which users can share content from this online offering within Facebook. The list and appearance of Facebook social plugins can be viewed here: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins/ – We are jointly responsible withMeta Platforms Ireland Limited for the collection or receipt in the context of a transmission (but not the further processing) of “event data” that Facebook collects using the Facebook social plugins (and embedding functions for content) that are executed on our online offer, or receives in the context of a transmission for the following purposes: a) Display of content and advertising information that corresponds to the presumed interests of the users; b) Delivery of commercial and transaction-related messages (e.g. addressing users via Facebook). (e.g. addressing users via Facebook Messenger); c) improving the delivery of ads and personalisation of functions and content (e.g. improving the recognition of which content or advertising information presumably corresponds to the interests of users). We have concluded a special agreement with Facebook (“Addendum for Data Controllers”, https://www.facebook.com/legal/controller_addendum), which regulates in particular which security measures Facebook must observe (https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/data_security_terms) and in which Facebook has agreed to fulfil the rights of data subjects (i.e. users can, for example, send information or deletion requests directly to Facebook). Note: If Facebook provides us with measured values, analyses and reports (which are aggregated, i.e. do not contain any information about individual users and are anonymous to us), this processing is not carried out within the framework of joint responsibility, but on the basis of a data processing agreement (“Data Processing Terms”, https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing) the “Data Security Terms” (https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/data_security_terms) and, with regard to processing in the USA, on the basis of standard contractual clauses (“Facebook-EU Data Transfer Addendum, https://www.facebook.com/legal/EU_data_transfer_addendum). The rights of users (in particular to information, deletion, objection and complaint to the competent supervisory authority) are not restricted by the agreements with Facebook; service provider: Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https://www.facebook.com; Privacy Policy: https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/. Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
• Google Fonts (provision on own server): Provision of font files for the purpose of a user-friendly presentation of our online offer; Service provider: The Google Fonts are hosted on our server , no data is transmitted to Google; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• Google Fonts (obtained from the Google server): Obtaining fonts (and symbols) for the purpose of a technically secure, maintenance-free and efficient use of fonts and symbols with regard to up-to-dateness and loading times, their uniform presentation and consideration of possible licence restrictions. The provider of the fonts is informed of the user’s IP address so that the fonts can be made available in the user’s browser. In addition, technical data (language settings, screen resolution, operating system, hardware used) are transmitted that are necessary for the provision of the fonts depending on the devices used and the technical environment. This data may be processed on a server of the font provider in the USA – When visiting our online offering, users’ browsers send their browser HTTP requests to the Google Fonts Web API (i.e. a software interface for retrieving fonts). The Google Fonts Web API provides users with the Google Fonts Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and then the fonts specified in the CCS. These HTTP requests include (1) the IP address used by the respective user to access the Internet, (2) the requested URL on the Google server and (3) the HTTP headers, including the user agent, which describes the browser and operating system versions of the website visitors, as well as the referral URL (i.e. the web page on which the Google font is to be displayed). IP addresses are neither logged nor stored on Google servers and are not analysed. The Google Fonts Web API logs details of HTTP requests (requested URL, user agent and referrer URL). Access to this data is restricted and strictly controlled. The requested URL identifies the font families for which the user wishes to load fonts. This data is logged so that Google can determine how often a particular font family is requested. With the Google Fonts Web API, the user agent must adapt the font that is generated for the respective browser type. The user agent is primarily logged for debugging and used to generate aggregated usage statistics to measure the popularity of font families. These summarised usage statistics are published on the “Analyses” page of Google Fonts. Finally, the referral URL is logged so that the data can be used for production maintenance and to generate an aggregated report on the top integrations based on the number of font requests. According to its own information, Google does not use any of the information collected by Google Fonts to create profiles of end users or to place targeted adverts; service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://fonts.google.com/; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Further information: https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq/privacy?hl=de.
• Google Maps: We integrate the maps of the “Google Maps” service provided by Google. The processed data may include, in particular, IP addresses and user location data; Service provider: Google Cloud EMEA Limited, 70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website:  https://mapsplatform.google.com/; Privacy Policy:https://policies.google.com/privacy. Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
• Google Maps APIs and SDKs: Interfaces to Google’s map and location services, which allow, for example, the addition of address entries, location determination, distance calculations or the provision of additional information on locations and other places; Service provider: Google Cloud EMEA Limited, 70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website:  https://mapsplatform.google.com/; Privacy Policy:https://policies.google.com/privacy. Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
• Instagram plugins and content: Instagram plugins and content – This may include, for example, content such as images, videos or text and buttons with which users can share content from this online offering within Instagram. – We are jointly responsible with Meta Platforms Ireland Limited for the collection or receipt in the context of a transmission (but not the further processing) of “event data” that Facebook collects using Instagram functions (e.g. embedding functions for content) that are executed on our online offer or receives in the context of a transmission for the following purposes: a) Display of content and advertising information that corresponds to the presumed interests of the users; b) Delivery of commercial and transaction-related messages (e.g. addressing users via Instagram). (e.g. addressing users via Facebook Messenger); c) improving the delivery of ads and personalisation of functions and content (e.g. improving the recognition of which content or advertising information presumably corresponds to the interests of users). We have concluded a special agreement with Facebook (“Addendum for Data Controllers”, https://www.facebook.com/legal/controller_addendum), which regulates in particular which security measures Facebook must observe (https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/data_security_terms) and in which Facebook has agreed to fulfil the rights of data subjects (i.e. users can, for example, send information or deletion requests directly to Facebook). Note: If Facebook provides us with measured values, analyses and reports (which are aggregated, i.e. do not contain any information about individual users and are anonymous to us), this processing is not carried out within the framework of joint responsibility, but on the basis of a data processing agreement (“Data Processing Terms”, https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing) the “Data Security Terms” (https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/data_security_terms) and, with regard to processing in the USA, on the basis of standard contractual clauses (“Facebook-EU Data Transfer Addendum, https://www.facebook.com/legal/EU_data_transfer_addendum). The rights of users (in particular to information, deletion, objection and complaint to the competent supervisory authority) are not restricted by the agreements with Facebook; service provider: Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland; Legal basis:Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website:https://www.instagram.com. Privacy Policy:https://instagram.com/about/legal/privacy/.
• LinkedIn plugins and content: LinkedIn plugins and content – This may include, for example, content such as images, videos or text and buttons with which users can share content from this online offering within LinkedIn; Service provider: LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.linkedin.com; Privacy Policy: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy; Data processing agreement:https://legal.linkedin.com/dpa; Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Possibility of objection (opt-out):https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/guest-controls/retargeting-opt-out.
• Pinterest plugins and content: Pinterest plugins and content – This may include, for example, content such as images, videos or text and buttons with which users can share content from this online service within Pinterest; Service provider: Pinterest Inc, 635 High Street, Palo Alto, CA, 94301, USA; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.pinterest.com. Privacy Policy: https://policy.pinterest.com/de/privacy-policy.
• reCAPTCHA: We integrate the “reCAPTCHA” function to be able to recognise whether entries (e.g. in online forms) are made by humans and not by automatically acting machines (so-called “bots”). The processed data may include IP addresses, information on operating systems, devices or browsers used, language settings, location, mouse movements, keyboard strokes, time spent on websites, previously visited websites, interactions with ReCaptcha on other websites, possibly cookies and results of manual recognition processes (e.g. answering questions asked or selecting objects in images). Data processing is carried out on the basis of our legitimate interest in protecting our online offering from abusive automated crawling and spam; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.google.com/recaptcha/; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Possibility of objection (opt-out): Opt-out plug-in: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de; Settings for the display of adverts: https://myadcenter.google.com/personalizationoff.
• YouTube videos: Video content; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https://www.youtube.com; Privacy Policy:https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for third country transfers:Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Possibility of objection (opt-out): Opt-out plug-in: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de; Settings for the display of adverts: https://myadcenter.google.com/personalizationoff.
• YouTube videos: Video content; YouTube videos are integrated via a special domain (recognisable by the component “youtube-nocookie”) in the so-called “extended data protection mode”, whereby no cookies are collected on user activities in order to personalise video playback. Nevertheless, information on user interaction with the video (e.g. remembering the last playback point) may be stored; service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Website: https://www.youtube.com; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy. Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
• Xing plugins and buttons: Xing plugins and buttons – This may include, for example, content such as images, videos or text and buttons with which users can share content from this online offering within Xing; Service provider:New Work SE, Am Strandkai 1, 20457 Hamburg, Germany; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.xing.com. Privacy Policy:https://privacy.xing.com/de/datenschutzerklaerung.

Management, organisation and support tools

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

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

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

• Processed data types: Content data (e.g. text or image messages and posts and the information relating to them, such as information on authorship or time of creation); usage data (e.g. page views and length of stay, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions); meta, communication and procedural data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved); contract data (e.g. subject matter of contract, term, customer category). Contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers).
• Data subjects: Communication partners; users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services); business and contractual partners. Interested parties.
• Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and fulfilment of contractual obligations; office and organisational procedures. Contact requests and communication.
• Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

• DocuSign: Electronic signature of documents, sending documents for signature, tracking the status of documents, storing signed documents; Service provider: DocuSign, Inc., 221 Main Street Suite 1000 San Francisco, CA 94105, USA; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.docusign.com/; Privacy Policy: https://www.docusign.com/privacy; Data processing agreement: https://www.docusign.com/legal/terms-and-conditions/data-protection-attachment; Basis for third country transfers: Standard Contractual Clauses (https://www.docusign.com/legal/terms-and-conditions/data-protection-attachment). Further information: Processing as a processor and controller is also carried out on the basis of approved binding internal data protection regulations that ensure a level of data protection that meets the requirements of the GDPR ( “Binding Corporate Rules”, Art. 47 GDPR): https://www.docusign.com/trust/privacy/binding-corporate-rules.
• Google Forms: Online forms (collection, storage and processing of input); Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.google.com/forms/about/; Privacy Policy: https://cloud.google.com/privacy; Data processing agreement: https://cloud.google.com/terms/data-processing-addendum; Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Further information: https://cloud.google.com/privacy.
• Google Calendar: Software for the planning and management of appointments, with functions for payment processing, customer management and interfaces for integration with external calendars and online platforms; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://calendar.google.com; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy. Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).

Application procedure

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

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

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

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

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

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

Deletion of data: The data provided by applicants may be further processed by us for the purposes of the employment relationship in the event of a successful application. Otherwise, if the application for a job offer is unsuccessful, the applicant’s data will be deleted. Applicants’ data will also be deleted if an application is withdrawn, which applicants are entitled to do at any time. Subject to a justified cancellation by the applicant, the deletion will take place at the latest after a period of six months so that we can answer any follow-up questions about the application and fulfil our obligations to provide evidence under the regulations on equal treatment of applicants. Invoices for any reimbursement of travel expenses will be archived in accordance with tax regulations.

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

• Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g. full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); content data (e.g. textual or visual messages and contributions as well as the information relating to them, such as information on authorship or time of creation). Applicant data (e.g. personal details, postal and contact addresses, the documents belonging to the application and the information contained therein, such as cover letter, CV, certificates and other information relating to a specific position or voluntarily provided by applicants regarding their person or qualifications).
• Persons concerned: Applicants.
• Purposes of processing: Application procedure (justification and possible subsequent implementation and possible subsequent termination of the employment relationship).
• Legal basis: Application procedure as a pre-contractual or contractual relationship (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

• Facebook Jobs: Job search and application-related services within the Facebook platform; Service provider: Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website:https://www.facebook.com; Privacy Policy:https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy; Data Processing Agreement:https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing. Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
• Haufe Talent Management – Applicant Management: Recruitment platform and applicant management services (job advertisements, applicant search and application process); Service provider: Haufe Service Center GmbH, Munzinger Straße 9, 79111 Freiburg, Germany; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.umantis.com/. Privacy Policy:https://www.umantis.com/legal/datenschutzerklaerung.
• LinkedIn Recruiter: Job search and application-related services within the LinkedIn platform; Service provider:LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.linkedin.com; Terms and conditions:https://legal.linkedin.com/dpa; Privacy policy:https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy; Data processing agreement: https://legal.linkedin.com/dpa. Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
• Stepstone: Services in connection with employee acquisition/recruitment (search for employees, communication, application process, contract negotiations); Service provider: StepStone Deutschland GmbH, Völklinger Straße 1, 40219 Düsseldorf, Germany; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website:https://www.stepstone.de. Privacy Policy:https://www.stepstone.de/Ueber-StepStone/Rechtliche-Hinweise/datenschutzerklaerung/.
• Xing: Job search and application-related services within the Xing platform; Service provider: New Work SE, Am Strandkai 1, 20457 Hamburg, Germany; Legal basis:Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website:https://www.xing.com. Privacy Policy:https://privacy.xing.com/de/datenschutzerklaerung.

Data protection information for whistleblowers

In this section you will find information on how we handle data from people who provide information (whistleblowers) and from affected and involved parties as part of our whistleblowing procedure. Our aim is to provide an uncomplicated and secure way to report possible misconduct by us, our employees or service providers, especially for actions that violate laws or ethical guidelines. We also ensure that reports are processed and handled appropriately.

Legal basis (Germany): Insofar as we process data to fulfil our legal obligations in accordance with the Whistleblower Protection Act (HinSchG), the legal basis for processing is Article 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. c) GDPR and, in the case of special categories of personal data, Article 9 para. 2 lit. g) GDPR, Section 22 BDSG, in each case in conjunction with Section 10 HinSchG. This relates to the obligation to set up and operate an internal whistleblower reporting office, the fulfilment of its statutory duties and, in the case of the use of the data collected in the reporting procedure, the taking of further investigations or steps under labour law against persons who have been found guilty of an infringement.

Insofar as we process data (in particular in the event of identified misconduct) in the context of or in preparation for legal defence, this is done on the basis of our legitimate interests in legally compliant and ethical action in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR.

If you have given us your consent to process personal data for specific purposes, the processing is based on this consent in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR and, in the case of special categories of personal data, Art. 9 para. 2 lit. a) GDPR. An example of this would be the disclosure of the identity of the whistleblower or the preparation of a verbatim record during a personal meeting. Any consent given can be revoked at any time with effect for the future.

Processed data types:

We may collect various data in the course of receiving and processing reports and in the subsequent whistleblowing procedure. This includes, in particular, the data provided by a whistleblower, such as

• Name, contact details and location of the person providing the information,
• Names and details of possible witnesses or persons affected by the tip-off,
• Names and details of the persons against whom the notice is directed,
• Data on the alleged misconduct,
• Further relevant details, if provided by the whistleblower.

We also process the following personal data for the purposes of analysing the facts and further proceedings:

• Clear labelling of the message,
• Contact details of the person providing the information, if specified,
• Personal data of persons named in the notice, if provided,
• Personal data of persons indirectly affected by the examination of the facts, if applicable,
• Personal data of persons from other participating companies (e.g. in the context of legal advice), if relevant,
• Other data related to the facts of the case.

Special categories of personal data:

In the course of our activities, we may collect special types of personal data, especially if these are provided by a whistleblower. This includes

• Health-related data of a person,
• Data on the racial or ethnic origin of persons,
• Information about a person’s religious or philosophical beliefs,
• Information on a person’s sexual orientation.

This data is only processed if it is relevant for the processing of the respective report and has been expressly provided by the whistleblower.

Use of our online forms: Please note that it is possible to submit comments anonymously. To ensure the security of your data when using our online forms, we recommend that you access them in the so-called ‘incognito mode’ of your browser. You can open an incognito window as follows: a) On a Windows PC: Open your browser and press Ctrl+Shift+N; b) On a Mac: Open your browser and press Command+Shift+N; c) On mobile devices: Switch to private mode via the tab menu.

When you access our website in normal mode, your browser automatically sends certain information to our server, such as browser type and version, date and time of your access. This also includes the IP address of your end device. This data is temporarily stored in a log file and automatically deleted after 30 days at the latest.

The IP address is processed for technical and administrative purposes to establish a connection to our website. It ensures the security, stability and functionality of the whistleblower form and is an important part of our measures to ensure the confidential submission of information.

The processing of the logged data is based on Article 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR. Our legitimate interest here lies in the need for security and the need to ensure the technical requirements for smooth and trouble-free notification.

Indication of names: You have the option of submitting comments anonymously. However, unless prohibited by national legislation, we recommend that you provide your name and contact details. This enables us to investigate the report more effectively and contact you directly if necessary.

If you provide your name and contact details, your identity will be kept strictly confidential. Exceptions to this confidentiality only exist if we are legally obliged to disclose your identity. This may be necessary to protect or defend our rights or the rights of our employees, customers, suppliers or business partners. A further exception exists if it is established that the allegations were made with malicious intent.

Provision of data to third parties: We will only pass on data in connection with the information provided to third parties under certain circumstances. This happens either a) if you have given us your express consent to do so, or b) if there is a legal obligation to pass on the data. Possible third parties include public authorities, government, regulatory or tax authorities if the disclosure is necessary to fulfil a legal or regulatory obligation. In addition, we may instruct lawyers and other professional advisors within the framework of legal provisions. They are authorised to investigate suspected misconduct and take any necessary action following an investigation, such as initiating disciplinary or legal proceedings. In addition, service providers carefully selected and monitored by us may receive data for these purposes (e.g. operators of a web-based reporting system). However, these service providers are contractually obliged to comply with the applicable data protection regulations as part of commissioned data processing.

Data retention and erasure: Personal data will only be processed for as long as is necessary to fulfil the processing purposes described above. If this data is no longer necessary for the stated purposes, it will be deleted. In certain situations, however, the data may be kept for longer to fulfil legal requirements, as long as this is necessary and proportionate. In such cases, the data will be deleted as soon as it is no longer required for these purposes.

Technical and organisational measures: We have implemented the necessary contractual, technical and organisational measures to ensure the security of all data processed by us. This data is processed exclusively for the specified purposes. Incoming reports are processed by authorised persons who are given access to the respective reports and carry out the subsequent review of the facts. Our employees are specially trained to carry out the factual checks properly and are obliged to maintain the strictest confidentiality.

• Processed data types: inventory data (e.g. full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); employee data (information on employees and other persons in an employment relationship, including personal identification data, salary information, working hours, and health data, etc.); contact data (e.g. postal and e-mail addresses or telephone numbers); content data (e.g. text or image messages and contributions as well as the information relating to them, such as information on authorship or time of creation). Usage data (e.g. page views and length of visit, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions).
• Affected persons: Employees (e.g. salaried employees, applicants, temporary staff and other employees); third parties. Whistleblower.
• Purposes of processing: whistleblower protection.
• Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Legal obligation (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. c) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Whistleblower systems

We use external providers as part of our whistleblowing procedure. In doing so, we act within the framework of the legal requirements and ensure that the technical and organisational requirements we adhere to with regard to security measures are also met by the external providers.

• Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g. full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); Employee data (information on employees and other persons in an employment relationship, including personal identification data, salary information, working hours, and health data, etc.); Contact data (e.g. postal and e-mail addresses or telephone numbers); Content data (e.g. text or image messages and contributions as well as the information relating to them, such as information on authorship or time of creation). Usage data (e.g. page views and dwell time, click paths, usage intensity and frequency, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions).
• Data subjects: Employees (e.g. employees, applicants, temporary staff and other employees); third parties; whistleblowers; users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services). Business and contractual partners.
• Purposes of processing: whistleblower protection. Security measures.
• Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Legal obligation (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. c) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

• LegalTegrity: Reporting channel and whistleblowing system; Service provider: LegalTegrity GmbH, Platz der Einheit 2, 60327 Frankfurt, Germany; Legal basis: Legal obligation (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. c) GDPR); Website:https://legaltegrity.com/; Privacy Policy:https://legaltegrity.com/datenschutz/. Data processing agreement: Provided by the service provider.

Amendment and updating of the privacy policy

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

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

Definitions of terms

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

• Employees: Employees are defined as persons who are in an employment relationship, whether as employees, staff or in similar positions. An employment relationship is a legal relationship between an employer and an employee that is defined by an employment contract or agreement. It involves the employer’s obligation to pay remuneration to the employee while the employee performs work. The employment relationship comprises various phases, including the establishment phase, in which the employment contract is concluded, the performance phase, in which the employee carries out their work activities, and the termination phase, when the employment relationship ends, whether by termination, cancellation agreement or otherwise. Employee data is all information relating to these persons and in the context of their employment. This includes aspects such as personal identification data, identification numbers, salary and bank details, working hours, holiday entitlements, health data and performance appraisals.
• Inventory data: Inventory data includes essential information that is necessary for the identification and management of contractual partners, user accounts, profiles and similar assignments. This data may include personal and demographic information such as names, contact information (addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses), dates of birth and specific identifiers (user IDs). Inventory data forms the basis for any formal interaction between people and services, facilities or systems by enabling clear assignment and communication.
• Credit information: Automated decisions are based on automatic data processing without human intervention (e.g. in the case of an automatic rejection of a purchase on account, an online credit application or an online application process without any human intervention). According to Art. 22 GDPR, such automated decisions are only permitted if the data subject consents, if they are necessary for the fulfilment of a contract or if national laws permit these decisions.
• Firewall: A firewall is a security system that protects a computer network or an individual computer from unwanted network access.
• Content data: Content data comprises information that is generated in the course of creating, editing and publishing content of all kinds. This category of data can include texts, images, videos, audio files and other multimedia content that is published on various platforms and media . Content data is not limited to the actual content, but also includes metadata that provides information about the content itself, such as tags, descriptions, author information and publication dates
• Contact details: Contact data is essential information that enables communication with individuals or organisations. It includes telephone numbers, postal addresses and email addresses, as well as communication tools such as social media handles and instant messaging identifiers.
• Conversion measurement: Conversion measurement (also referred to as “visit action evaluation”) is a process that can be used to determine the effectiveness of marketing measures. For this purpose, a cookie is usually stored on the user’s device within the websites on which the marketing measures take place and then retrieved again on the target website. For example, this allows us to track whether the adverts we have placed on other websites have been successful.
• Meta, communication and procedural data: Meta, communication and procedural data are categories that contain information about the way in which data is processed, transmitted and managed. Meta data, also known as data about data, includes information that describes the context, origin and structure of other data. It can include information about the file size, the creation date, the author of a document and the change histories. Communication data records the exchange of information between users via various channels, such as e-mail traffic, call logs, messages in social networks and chat histories, including the persons involved, time stamps and transmission paths. Process data describes the processes and procedures within systems or organisations, including workflow documentation, logs of transactions and activities, and audit logs used to track and review processes.
• Usage data: Usage data refers to information that captures how users interact with digital products, services or platforms. This data includes a wide range of information that shows how users use applications, which functions they favour, how long they stay on certain pages and which paths they take to navigate through an application. Usage data can also include frequency of use, timestamps of activities, IP addresses, device information and location data. It is particularly valuable for analysing user behaviour, optimising user experiences, personalising content and improving products or services. In addition, usage data plays a crucial role in recognising trends, preferences and potential problem areas within digital offerings
• Personal data: “Personal data” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter “data subject”); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier (e.g. a cookie) or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.
• Profiles with user-related information: The processing of “profiles with user-related information”, or “profiles” for short, includes any type of automated processing of personal data that consists of using this personal data to analyse, evaluate or predict (e.g. interests in certain content or products, click behaviour on a website or location) certain personal aspects, relating to a natural person (depending on the type of profiling, this may include various information relating to demographics, behaviour and interests, such as interaction with websites and their content, etc.). Cookies and web beacons are often used for profiling purposes.
• Reach measurement: Reach measurement (also known as web analytics) is used to evaluate the flow of visitors to an online offering and can include the behaviour or interests of visitors in certain information, such as website content. With the help of reach analysis, operators of online services can, for example, recognise at what time users visit their websites and what content they are interested in. This enables them, for example, to better customise the content of their websites to the needs of their visitors. Pseudonymous cookies and web beacons are often used for reach analysis purposes in order to recognise returning visitors and thus obtain more precise analyses of the use of an online offering.
• Remarketing: The term “remarketing” or “retargeting” is used when, for example, it is noted for advertising purposes which products a user was interested in on a website in order to remind the user of these products on other websites, e.g. in adverts.
• Location data: Location data is generated when a mobile device (or another device with the technical requirements for location determination) connects to a radio cell, a WLAN or similar technical means and functions of location determination. Location data is used to indicate the geographically determinable position on earth at which the respective device is located. Location data can be used, for example, to display map functions or other location-dependent information.
• Tracking: The term “tracking” is used when the behaviour of users can be traced across several online offers. As a rule, behaviour and interest information is stored in cookies or on the servers of the providers of the tracking technologies with regard to the online offers used (so-called profiling). This information can then be used, for example, to display adverts to users that are likely to match their interests.
• Controller: The “controller” is the natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data.
• Processing: “Processing” means any operation or set of operations which is performed on personal data, whether or not by automated means. The term is broad and encompasses practically every handling of data, whether it is collecting, analysing, storing, transmitting or deleting.
• Contract data: Contract data is specific information that relates to the formalisation of an agreement between two or more parties. It documents the conditions under which services or products are provided, exchanged or sold. This category of data is essential for the management and fulfilment of contractual obligations and includes both the identification of the contracting parties and the specific terms and conditions of the agreement. Contract data may include start and end dates of the contract, the type of services or products agreed, price agreements, payment terms, cancellation rights, renewal options and special terms or clauses. They serve as the legal basis for the relationship between the parties and are crucial for the clarification of rights and obligations, the enforcement of claims and the resolution of disputes.
• Payment data: Payment data includes all information required to process payment transactions between buyers and sellers. This data is crucial for e-commerce, online banking and any other form of financial transaction. It includes details such as credit card numbers, bank details, payment amounts, transaction data, verification numbers and billing information. Payment data can also include information about payment status, chargebacks, authorisations and fees.
• Target group formation: Target group formation (custom audiences) is when target groups are determined for advertising purposes, e.g. the display of adverts. For example, based on a user’s interest in certain products or topics on the internet, it can be concluded that this user is interested in adverts for similar products or the online shop in which they viewed the products. In turn, “lookalike audiences” (or similar target groups) are when the content deemed suitable is displayed to users whose profiles or interests presumably correspond to the users for whom the profiles were created. Cookies and web beacons are generally used for the purpose of creating custom audiences and lookalike audiences.