Imprint and privacy policy

Imprint

Information about the service provider.

Albizia Hotel GmbH

Grieselstein-Therme 99
8380 Jennersdorf
Austria

Phone: 03329452880
E-mail: office@albizia.at

Company register number: 242831f
Company register court: Landesgericht 7000 Eisenstadt
Registered office: Wiener Straße 9 7000Eisenstadt
Business purpose: Hotel
UID number: ATU57902158
GLN (Global Location Number): 9110016609737
GISA(Gewerbeinformationssystem Austria): 10207260
Member of: e.g. WKO (Austrian Chamber of Commerce), regional guild,etc. Professional law: Mod el professional regulation e.g. e.g. WKO, regional guild, etc.
Professional law: Sample professional law regulation
e.g.: www.ris.bka.gv.at

Supervisory authority:
Bezirkshauptmannschaft Jennersdorf
Hauptplatz 15
8380 Jennersdorf
Österreich

Job title: Hotelier
State of award: Austria

Managing Directors: Karl-Heinz Semlitsch, Tatiana Semlitsch
Shareholdings: 51% Secar Technologie GmbH.
49% T&KH Immobilien GmbH.

Data protection officer
Karl-Heinz Semlitsch
Wiener Neustätter Strasse 11
A 2823 Pitten
E-mail: kh.semlitsch@secar.at
Phone: 06644100230

EU dispute resolution

In accordance with the Regulation on Online Dispute Resolution in Consumer Matters (ODR Regulation), we would like to inform you about the online dispute resolution platform (ODR platform).
Consumers have the opportunity to submit complaints to the European Commission’s online dispute resolution platform at https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/main/index.cfm?event=main.home2.show&lng=DE. You will find the necessary contact details above in our legal notice.

However, we would like to point out that we are not willing or obliged to participate in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board.

Picture credits

The images, photos and graphics on this website are protected by copyright.

The image rights are held by:

All texts are protected by copyright.

Source: Created with the imprint generator from AdSimple

Privacy policy

Introduction and overview

We have prepared this privacy policy (version 15.05.2025-122997017) to explain to you, in accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and applicable national laws, which personal data (data for short) we as the controller – and the processors commissioned by us (e.g. providers) – process, will process in the future and what lawful options you have. The terms used are to be understood as gender-neutral.
In short: We provide you with comprehensive information about the data we process about you.

Data protection declarations usually sound very technical and use legal jargon. This privacy policy, on the other hand, is intended to describe the most important things to you as simply and transparently as possible. Where it is conducive to transparency, technical terms are explained in a reader-friendly way, links to further information are provided and graphics are used. We thus inform you in clear and simple language that we only process personal data as part of our business activities if there is a corresponding legal basis. This is certainly not possible by providing explanations that are as concise, unclear and legally technical as possible, as is often standard on the Internet when it comes to data protection. I hope you find the following explanations interesting and informative and perhaps there is one or two pieces of information that you did not yet know.
If you still have any questions, please contact the responsible body named below or in the legal notice, follow the links provided and look at further information on third-party websites. Our contact details can of course also be found in the legal notice.

Area of application

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

all online presences (websites, online stores) that we operate
Social media presences and email communication
Mobile apps for smartphones and other devices

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

Legal basis

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

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

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

Other conditions such as recording in the public interest, the exercise of official authority and the protection of vital interests do not generally apply to us. If such a legal basis is relevant, it will be indicated at the appropriate point.

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

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

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

Contact details of the controller

If you have any questions about data protection or the processing of personal data, please find below the contact details of the controller in accordance with Article 4(7) of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):
Karl-Heinz Semlitsch
Wiener Neustätter Strasse 11
A2823 Pitten

E-mail: kh.semlitsch@secar.at
Phone: 06644100230

Storage duration

It is a general criterion for us that we only store personal data for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of our services and products. This means that we delete personal data as soon as the reason for the data processing no longer exists. In some cases, we are legally obliged to store certain data even after the original purpose has ceased to exist, for example for accounting purposes.

If you wish your data to be deleted or revoke your consent to data processing, the data will be deleted as quickly as possible and insofar as there is no obligation to store it.

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

Rights under the General Data Protection Regulation

In accordance with Articles 13, 14 GDPR, we inform you of the following rights to which you are entitled in order to ensure fair and transparent processing of data:

According to Article 15 GDPR, you have a right to information as to whether we process your data. If this is the case, you have the right to receive a copy of the data and the following information:
- the purpose for which we carry out the processing
- the categories, i.e. the types of data that are processed
- who receives this data and, if the data is transferred to third countries, how security can be guaranteed
- how long the data will be stored;
- the existence of the right to rectification, erasure or restriction of processing and the right to object to processing
- that you can lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (links to these authorities can be found below)
- the origin of the data if we have not collected it from you
- whether profiling is carried out, i.e. whether data is automatically analyzed in order to create a personal profile of you.
According to Article 16 GDPR, you have a right to rectification of data, which means that we must correct data if you find errors.
According to Article 17 GDPR, you have the right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”), which specifically means that you may request the erasure of your data.
According to Article 18 GDPR, you have the right to restriction of processing, which means that we may only store the data but no longer use it.
According to Article 20 GDPR, you have the right to data portability, which means that we will provide you with your data in a commonly used format upon request.
According to Article 21 GDPR, you have the right to object, which will result in a change to the processing after enforcement.
- If the processing of your data is based on Article 6(1)(e) (public interest, exercise of official authority) or Article 6(1)(f) (legitimate interest), you can object to the processing. We will then check as quickly as possible whether we can legally comply with this objection.
- If data is used for direct marketing purposes, you can object to this type of data processing at any time. We may then no longer use your data for direct marketing.
- If data is used for profiling, you can object to this type of data processing at any time. We may then no longer use your data for profiling.
Under Article 22 GDPR, you may have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing (e.g. profiling).
According to Article 77 GDPR, you have the right to lodge a complaint. This means that you can lodge a complaint with the data protection authority at any time if you believe that the processing of personal data violates the GDPR.

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

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

Austria Data Protection Authority

Director: Dr. Matthias Schmidl
Address: Barichgasse 40-42, 1030 Wien
Number.: +43 1 52 152-0
E-Mail: dsb@dsb.gv.at
Website: https://www.dsb.gv.at/

Security of data processing

In order to protect personal data, we have implemented both technical and organizational measures. Where possible, we encrypt or pseudonymize personal data. In this way, we make it as difficult as possible for third parties to infer personal information from our data.

Art. 25 GDPR speaks here of “data protection by design and by default” and thus means that both software (e.g. forms) and hardware (e.g. access to the server room) should always be designed with security in mind and appropriate measures should be taken. If necessary, we will discuss specific measures below.

TLS encryption with https

TLS, encryption and https sound very technical – and they are. We use HTTPS (the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure stands for “secure hypertext transfer protocol”) to transmit data tap-proof on the Internet.
This means that the complete transmission of all data from your browser to our web server is secured – nobody can “eavesdrop”.

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

Data processing agreement (DPA)

In this section, we would like to explain what a data processing agreement is and why it is needed. Because the word “data processing agreement” is a bit of a mouthful, we will often only use the acronym DPA in this text. Like most companies, we do not work alone, but also use the services of other companies or individuals. By involving various companies or service providers, we may pass on personal data for processing. These partners then act as processors with whom we conclude a contract, the so-called data processing agreement (DPA). The most important thing for you to know is that the processing of your personal data takes place exclusively in accordance with our instructions and must be regulated by the DPA.

Who are processors?

As a company and website owner, we are responsible for all data that we process from you. In addition to controllers, there may also be so-called processors. This includes any company or person who processes personal data on our behalf. More precisely and according to the GDPR definition: any natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which processes personal data on our behalf is considered a processor. Processors can therefore be service providers such as hosting or cloud providers, payment or newsletter providers or large companies such as Google or Microsoft.

To make the terminology easier to understand, here is an overview of the three roles in the GDPR

Data subject (you as a customer or interested party) → Controller (we as a company and client) → Processor (service provider such as web host or cloud provider)

Content of an order processing contract

As mentioned above, we have concluded a DPA with our partners who act as processors. This states above all that the processor processes the data to be processed exclusively in accordance with the GDPR. The contract must be concluded in writing, although the electronic conclusion of the contract is also considered “written” in this context. The processing of personal data only takes place on the basis of the contract. The contract must contain the following:

Commitment to us as the controller
Obligations and rights of the controller
Categories of data subjects
Type of personal data
Type and purpose of data processing
Subject and duration of data processing
Place of data processing

Furthermore, the contract contains all obligations of the processor. The most important obligations are

to ensure data security measures
take possible technical and organizational measures to protect the rights of the data subject
to keep a data processing register
cooperate with the data protection supervisory authority at its request
carry out a risk analysis in relation to the personal data received
Sub-processors may only be commissioned with the written consent of the controller

You can find out what such an AVV looks like in concrete terms at https://www.wko.at/service/wirtschaftsrecht-gewerberecht/eu-dsgvo-mustervertrag-auftragsverarbeitung.html, for example. A sample contract is presented here.

Cookies

Cookies Summary
👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Depending on the cookie. More details can be found below or from the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.
📓 Processed data: Depending on the cookie used. You can find more details on this below or from the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.
📅 Storage period: depending on the cookie, can vary from hours to years
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit.f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are cookies?

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

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

One thing cannot be denied: Cookies are really useful little helpers. Almost all websites use cookies. More precisely, they are HTTP cookies, as there are also other cookies for other areas of application. HTTP cookies are small files that are stored on your computer by our website. These cookie files are automatically stored in the cookie folder, the “brain” of your browser, so to speak. A cookie consists of a name and a value. When defining a cookie, one or more attributes must also be specified.

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

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

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

Cookie data can look like this, for example:

Name: _ga
Value: GA1.2.1326744211.152122997017-9
Purpose: Differentiation of website visitors
Expiry date: after 2 years

A browser should be able to support these minimum sizes:

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

What types of cookies are there?

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

A distinction can be made between 4 types of cookies:

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

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

Targeted cookies
These cookies ensure better user-friendliness. For example, entered locations, font sizes or form data are saved.

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

When you visit a website for the first time, you are usually asked which of these cookie types you would like to allow. And of course this decision is also stored in a cookie.

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

Purpose of processing via cookies

The purpose ultimately depends on the cookie in question. You can find more details on this below or from the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.

What data is processed?

Cookies are little helpers for many different tasks. Unfortunately, it is not possible to generalize which data is stored in cookies, but we will inform you about the processed or stored data in the following privacy policy.

Storage duration of cookies

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

You can also influence the storage period yourself. You can delete all cookies manually at any time via your browser (see also “Right to object” below). Furthermore, cookies that are based on consent will be deleted at the latest after you withdraw your consent, whereby the legality of the storage until then remains unaffected.

Right to object – how can I delete cookies?

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

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

Chrome: Delete, activate and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Managing cookies and website data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Deleting and managing cookies

Microsoft Edge: Deleting and managing cookies

If you generally do not want to have cookies, you can set up your browser so that it always informs you when a cookie is to be set. You can then decide for each individual cookie whether or not to allow it. The procedure differs depending on the browser. It is best to search for the instructions in Google using the search term “delete cookies Chrome” or “deactivate cookies Chrome” in the case of a Chrome browser.

Legal basis

The so-called “Cookie Guidelines” have been in place since 2009. These state that the storage of cookies requires your consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR). However, there are still very different reactions to these directives within the EU countries. In Austria, however, this directive was implemented in Section 165 (3) of the Telecommunications Act (2021). In Germany, the cookie directives have not been implemented as national law. Instead, this directive was largely implemented in Section 15 (3) of the Telemedia Act (TMG), which has been replaced by the Digital Services Act (DDG) since May 2024.

For strictly necessary cookies, even if no consent has been given, there are legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR), which in most cases are of an economic nature. We want to provide visitors to the website with a pleasant user experience and certain cookies are often absolutely necessary for this.

If cookies that are not absolutely necessary are used, this will only take place with your consent. The legal basis in this respect is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR.

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

Website builder systems Introduction

Website Building Kit Systems Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Data subjects: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service performance
📓 Processed data: Data such as technical usage information such as browser activity, clickstream activity, session heatmaps as well as contact details, IP address or your geographical location. You can find more details on this below in this privacy policy and in the privacy policy of the providers.
📅 Storage duration: depends on the provider
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent)

What are website builder systems?

We use a modular website system for our website. Modular systems are special forms of a content management system (CMS). With a modular system, website operators can create a website very easily and without programming knowledge. In many cases, web hosters also offer modular systems. By using a modular system, your personal data can also be collected, stored and processed. In this data protection text, we provide you with general information about data processing by modular systems. You can find more detailed information in the provider’s data protection declarations.

Why do we use website builder systems for our website?

The biggest advantage of a modular system is its ease of use. We want to offer you a clear, simple and well-organized website that we can easily operate and maintain ourselves – without external support. A modular system now offers many helpful functions that we can use even without programming knowledge. This allows us to design our web presence according to our wishes and offer you an informative and enjoyable time on our website.

What data is stored by a modular system?

Exactly which data is stored depends, of course, on the website builder system used. Each provider processes and collects different data from the website visitor. As a rule, however, technical usage information such as operating system, browser, screen resolution, language and keyboard settings, hosting provider and the date of your website visit are collected. Tracking data (e.g. browser activity, clickstream activity, session heatmaps, etc.) may also be processed. Personal data may also be collected and stored. This usually involves contact data such as email address, telephone number (if you have provided this), IP address and geographical location data. You can find out exactly which data is stored in the provider’s privacy policy.

How long and where is the data stored?

We will inform you about the duration of data processing below in connection with the website building block system used, if we have further information on this. You can find detailed information about this in the provider’s privacy policy. In general, we only process personal data for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of our services and products. The provider may store your data according to its own specifications, over which we have no influence.

Right of objection

You always have the right to information, correction and deletion of your personal data. If you have any questions, you can also contact the person responsible for the website builder system used at any time. Contact details can be found either in our privacy policy or on the website of the relevant provider.

You can delete, deactivate or manage cookies that providers use for their functions in your browser. Depending on which browser you use, this works in different ways. Please note, however, that not all functions may then work as usual.

Legal basis

We have a legitimate interest in using a website building block system to optimize our online service and to present it to you in an efficient and user-friendly manner. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). Nevertheless, we only use the modular system if you have given your consent.

Insofar as the processing of data is not absolutely necessary for the operation of the website, the data will only be processed on the basis of your consent. This applies in particular to tracking activities. The legal basis in this respect is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR.

In this privacy policy, we have provided you with the most important general information about data processing. If you would like more detailed information in this regard, you will find further information – if available – in the following section or in the provider’s privacy policy.

WordPress.com privacy policy

WordPress.com privacy policy summary
👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service performance
📓 Processed data: Data such as technical usage information such as browser activity, clickstream activity, session heatmaps as well as contact details, IP address or your geographical location. More details can be found below in this privacy policy.
📅 Storage duration: It depends primarily on the type of data stored and the specific settings.
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is WordPress?

We use the well-known content management system WordPress.com for our website. The service provider is the American company Automattic Inc, 60 29th Street #343, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA.

In 2003, the company saw the light of day and developed into one of the best-known content management systems (CMS) in the world in a relatively short space of time. A CMS is a piece of software that helps us to design our website and present content in an attractive and organized way. The content can be text, audio and video.
By using WordPress, your personal data may also be collected, stored and processed. As a rule, mainly technical data such as operating system, browser, screen resolution or hosting provider are stored. However, personal data such as IP address, geographical data or contact details may also be processed.

Why do we use WordPress on our website?

We have many strengths, but real programming is not one of our core competencies.

Nevertheless, we want to have a powerful and attractive website that we can also manage and maintain ourselves. With a modular website system or a content management system like WordPress, we can do just that. With WordPress, we don’t have to be programming aces to offer you a beautiful website. Thanks to WordPress, we can operate our website quickly and easily even without prior technical knowledge. If technical problems occur or we have special requests for our website, there are always our specialists who feel at home in HTML, PHP, CSS and co.

Thanks to the ease of use and comprehensive functions of WordPress, we can design our website according to our wishes and offer you a good user experience.

What data is processed by WordPress?

Non-personal data includes technical usage information such as browser activity, clickstream activity, session heatmaps and data about your computer, operating system, browser, screen resolution, language and keyboard settings, internet provider and date of the page visit.

Personal data is also collected. These are primarily contact data (e-mail address or telephone number, if you provide these), IP address or your geographical location.

WordPress can also use cookies to collect data. This often includes data about your behavior on our website. For example, it can record which subpages you particularly like to view, how long you spend on individual pages, when you leave a page again (bounce rate) or which default settings (e.g. language selection) you have made. Based on this data, WordPress can also better adapt its own marketing measures to your interests and user behavior. The next time you visit our website, you will therefore be shown our website as you have previously set it.

WordPress may also use technologies such as pixel tags (web beacons), for example to clearly identify you as a user and possibly offer interest-based advertising.

How long and where is the data stored?

How long the data is stored depends on various factors. So it mainly depends on the type of data stored and the specific settings of the website. In principle, WordPress deletes the data when it is no longer needed for its own purposes. There are of course exceptions, especially if legal obligations require the data to be stored for longer. Web server logs containing your IP address and technical data are deleted by WordPress or Automattic after 30 days. Automattic uses the data for this period to analyze the traffic on its own websites (e.g. all WordPress pages) and to resolve potential problems. Deleted content on WordPress websites is also stored in the recycle bin for 30 days to enable recovery, after which it may remain in backups and caches until it is deleted. The data is stored on Automattic’s American servers.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You have the right and opportunity to access your personal data at any time and to object to its use and processing. You can also lodge a complaint with a state supervisory authority at any time.

In your browser, you also have the option of individually managing, deleting or deactivating cookies. However, please note that deactivating or deleting cookies may have a negative impact on the functions of our WordPress site. Depending on which browser you use, the management of cookies works slightly differently. In the “Cookies” section, you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of WordPress, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), this consent constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when WordPress collects data.

We also have a legitimate interest in using WordPress to optimize our online service and present it to you in an attractive manner. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). Nevertheless, we only use WordPress if you have given your consent.

WordPress or Automattic processes your data in the USA, among other places. Automattic is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

In addition, Automattic uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Automattic undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

You can find more details about the privacy policy and which data is processed by WordPress and how at https://automattic.com/privacy/.

Data processing agreement (DPA) WordPress.com

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) with WordPress.com in accordance with Article 28 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). You can find out exactly what a DPA is and, above all, what must be included in a DPA in our general section “Data processing agreement (DPA)”.

This contract is required by law because WordPress.com processes personal data on our behalf. It clarifies that WordPress.com may only process data that it receives from us in accordance with our instructions and must comply with the GDPR. You can find the link to the data processing agreement (DPA) at https://wordpress.com/support/data-processing-agreements/.

Web Analytics Introduction

Web Analytics privacy policy summary
👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimize the website.
📓 Processed data: Access statistics containing data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior, click behavior and IP addresses. You can find more details on this in the web analytics tool used.
📅 Storage duration: depending on the web analytics tool used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is web analytics?

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

Why do we use web analytics?

With our website, we have a clear goal in mind: we want to deliver the best web offering on the market for our industry. In order to achieve this goal, we want to offer the best and most interesting services on the one hand and make sure that you feel completely at ease on our website on the other. With the help of web analysis tools, we can take a closer look at the behavior of our website visitors and then improve our website accordingly for you and for us. For example, we can see how old our visitors are on average, where they come from, when our website is visited the most or which content or products are particularly popular. All this information helps us to optimize the website and thus adapt it to your needs, interests and wishes.

What data is processed?

Exactly which data is stored depends, of course, on the analysis tools used. However, the content you view on our website, the buttons or links you click on, when you access a page, the browser you use, the device (PC, tablet, smartphone, etc.) you use to visit the website or the computer system you use are generally stored. If you have agreed that location data may also be collected, this may also be processed by the web analysis tool provider.

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

The following example shows schematically how Google Analytics works as an example of client-based web tracking with Java Script code.

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

Duration of data processing

We will inform you about the duration of data processing below, if we have further information on this. In general, we only process personal data for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of our services and products. If required by law, for example in the case of accounting, this storage period may also be exceeded.

Right of objection

Legal basis

The use of web analytics requires your consent, which we have obtained with our cookie pop-up. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data as it may occur when collected by web analytics tools.

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analyzing the behavior of website visitors in order to improve our offer technically and economically. With the help of web analytics, we can detect errors on the website, identify attacks and improve efficiency. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests) . Nevertheless, we only use the tools if you have given your consent.

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

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

Google Analytics privacy policy

Google Analytics privacy policy summary
👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimize the website.
📓 Processed data: Access statistics containing data such as locations of access, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior and click behavior. You can find more details on this below in this privacy policy.
📅 Storage duration: individually adjustable, by default Google Analytics stores 4 data for 14 months
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Google Analytics?

On our website, we use the analysis tracking tool Google Analytics in the version Google Analytics 4 (GA4) of the American company Google Inc. For the European area, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services. Google Analytics collects data about your actions on our website. However, by combining various technologies such as cookies, device IDs and login information, you can be identified as a user across different devices. This means that your actions can also be analyzed across platforms.

For example, when you click on a link, this event is stored in a cookie and sent to Google Analytics. The reports we receive from Google Analytics enable us to better tailor our website and our service to your wishes. In the following, we will go into more detail about the tracking tool and inform you in particular about which data is processed and how you can prevent this.

Google Analytics is a tracking tool that is used to analyze the traffic on our website. These measurements and analyses are based on a pseudonymous user identification number. This number does not contain any personal data such as name or address, but is used to assign events to an end device. GA4 uses an event-based model that records detailed information on user interactions such as page views, clicks, scrolling and conversion events. GA4 also incorporates various machine learning functions to better understand user behavior and certain trends. GA4 relies on modeling with the help of machine learning functions. This means that missing data can also be extrapolated on the basis of the collected data in order to optimize the analysis and also to be able to make forecasts.

For Google Analytics to work in principle, a tracking code is built into the code of our website. When you visit our website, this code records various events that you perform on our website. With GA4’s event-based data model, we as website operators can define and track specific events in order to obtain analyses of user interactions. In addition to general information such as clicks or page views, specific events that are important for our business can also be tracked. Such specific events can be, for example, the sending of a contact form or the purchase of a product.

As soon as you leave our website, this data is sent to the Google Analytics servers and stored there.

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

Target group reports: Target group reports allow us to get to know our users better and know more precisely who is interested in our service.
Ad reports: Ad reports make it easier for us to analyze and improve our online advertising.
Acquisition reports: Acquisition reports provide us with helpful information on how we can get more people interested in our service.
Behavioral reports: This tells us how you interact with our website. We can see which path you take on our site and which links you click on.
Conversion reports: Conversion is a process in which you perform a desired action based on a marketing message. For example, when you convert from a mere website visitor to a buyer or newsletter subscriber. With the help of these reports, we learn more about how our marketing measures are received by you. This is how we want to increase our conversion rate.
Real-time reports: Here we always know immediately what is happening on our website. For example, we can see how many users are currently reading this text.

In addition to the analysis reports mentioned above, Google Analytics 4 also offers the following functions, among others:

Event-based data model: This model captures very specific events that can take place on our website. For example, playing a video, purchasing a product or subscribing to our newsletter.
Advanced analytics: These functions allow us to understand your behavior on our website or certain general trends even better. For example, we can segment user groups, carry out comparative analyses of target groups or track your path on our website.
Predictive modeling: Based on collected data, missing data can be extrapolated through machine learning to predict future events and trends. This can help us to develop better marketing strategies.
Cross-platform analysis: Data can be collected and analyzed from both websites and apps. This gives us the opportunity to analyze user behavior across platforms, provided you have of course consented to data processing.

Why do we use Google Analytics on our website?

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

The statistically analyzed data gives us a clear picture of the strengths and weaknesses of our website. On the one hand, we can optimize our site so that it can be found more easily by interested people on Google. On the other hand, the data helps us to better understand you as a visitor. We therefore know exactly what we need to improve on our website in order to offer you the best possible service. The data also helps us to carry out our advertising and marketing measures more individually and cost-effectively. After all, it only makes sense to show our products and services to people who are interested in them.

What data is stored by Google Analytics?

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

In order to be able to analyze our website with Google Analytics, a property ID must be inserted into the tracking code. The data is then saved in the corresponding property. The Google Analytics 4 property is standard for every newly created property. Depending on the property used, data is stored for different lengths of time.

Through identifiers such as cookies, app instance IDs, user IDs or user-defined event parameters, your interactions are measured across platforms if you have given your consent. Interactions are all types of actions that you perform on our website. If you also use other Google systems (such as a Google account), data generated via Google Analytics may be linked to third-party cookies. Google does not pass on any Google Analytics data unless we as the website operator authorize this. Exceptions may be made if required by law.

According to Google, no IP addresses are logged or stored in Google Analytics 4. However, Google uses the IP address data to derive location data and deletes it immediately afterwards. All IP addresses collected from users in the EU are therefore deleted before the data is stored in a data center or on a server.

Since Google Analytics 4 focuses on event-based data, the tool uses significantly fewer cookies compared to previous versions (such as Google Universal Analytics). Nevertheless, there are some specific cookies that are used by GA4. These include, for example:

Name: _ga
Wert: 2.1326744211.152122997017-5
Intended use: By default, analytics.js uses the _ga cookie to store the user ID. It is basically used to differentiate between website visitors.
Expiration date: after 2 years

Name: _gid
Value: 2.1687193234.152122997017-1
Purpose: The cookie is alsoused to distinguish website visitors
Expiry date: after 24 hours

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

Note: This list cannot claim to be exhaustive, as Google is constantly changing its choice of cookies. The aim of GA4 is also to improve data protection. The tool therefore offers a number of options for controlling data collection. For example, we can set the storage duration ourselves and also control data collection.

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

Heatmaps: Google creates so-called heatmaps. Heatmaps allow you to see exactly those areas that you click on. This gives us information about where you are “traveling” on our site.

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

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

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

Location: IP addresses are not logged or stored in Google Analytics. However, shortly before the IP address is deleted, derivations are used for location data.

Technical information: Technical information includes your browser type, your internet provider or your screen resolution.

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

Other data includes contact details, any ratings, the playing of media (e.g. when you play a video on our site), the sharing of content via social media or adding it to your favorites. The list is not exhaustive and is only intended to provide a general overview of data storage by Google Analytics.

How long and where is the data stored?

Google has distributed its servers all over the world. Here you can read exactly where the Google data centers are located: https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/locations/?hl=de

Your data is distributed on different physical data carriers. This has the advantage that the data can be accessed more quickly and is better protected against manipulation. There are appropriate emergency programs for your data in every Google data center. If, for example, the hardware at Google fails or natural disasters paralyze servers, the risk of a service interruption at Google remains low.

The retention period of the data depends on the properties used. The storage period is always defined separately for each individual property. Google Analytics offers us four options to control the storage period:

2 months: this is the shortest storage period.
14 months: by default, GA4 stores the data for 14 months.
26 months: data can also be stored for 26 months.
Data is only deleted when we delete it manually

In addition, there is also the option that data will only be deleted if you no longer visit our website within the period selected by us. In this case, the retention period is reset each time you visit our website again within the specified period.

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

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

Under European Union data protection law, you have the right to obtain information about your data and to update, delete or restrict it. You can use the browser add-on to deactivate Google Analytics JavaScript (analytics.js, gtag.js) to prevent Google Analytics 4 from using your data. You can download and install the browser add-on at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de. Please note that this add-on only deactivates data collection by Google Analytics.

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

Legal basis

The use of Google Analytics requires your consent, which we have obtained with our cookie pop-up. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data as it may occur when collected by web analytics tools.

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

Google also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Google is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Google also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Google undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

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

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

If you want to find out more about data processing, use the Google privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

Data processing agreement (DPA) Google Analytics

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) with Google in accordance with Article 28 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). You can find out exactly what a DPA is and, in particular, what must be included in a DPA in our general section “Data processing agreement (DPA)”.

This contract is required by law because Google processes personal data on our behalf. It clarifies that Google may only process data that it receives from us in accordance with our instructions and must comply with the GDPR. You can find the link to the order data processing conditions at https://business.safety.google/intl/de/adsprocessorterms/

Google Analytics reports on demographic characteristics and interests

We have activated the functions for advertising reports in Google Analytics. The reports on demographic characteristics and interests contain information on age, gender and interests. This allows us to get a better picture of our users without being able to assign this data to individual persons. You can find out more about the advertising functions at https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/3450482?hl=de_AT&utm_id=ad.

You can stop the use of the activities and information of your Google account under “Settings for advertising” at https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated via a checkbox.

Google Analytics in consent mode

Depending on your consent, your personal data will be processed by Google Analytics in the so-called consent mode. You can choose whether or not to consent to Google Analytics cookies. This also allows you to choose which of your data Google Analytics may process. This collected data is mainly used to measure user behavior on the website, to display targeted advertising and to provide us with web analytics reports. As a rule, you consent to data processing by Google via a cookie consent tool. If you do not consent to data processing, only aggregated data will be collected and processed. This means that data cannot be assigned to individual users and therefore no user profile is created for you. You can also only consent to statistical measurement. No personal data is processed and therefore not used for advertising or advertising success.

Jetpack privacy policy

Jetpack Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimize the website.
📓 Processed data: Access statistics containing data such as locations of access, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior, click behavior and IP addresses.
📅 Storage period: until the data is no longer required for the services
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Jetpack?

We use the WordPress plug-in Jetpack on our website. Jetpack is a software that provides us with web analytics, among other things. Jetpack is operated by the company Automattic (Inc. 132 Hawthorne Street San Francisco, CA 94107, USA), which uses the technology of the company Quantcast (Inc., 201 3rd St, Floor 2, San Francisco, CA 94103-3153, USA) for this product. The integrated tracking tool also collects, stores and processes your personal data. In this privacy policy, we show you exactly what data is involved, why we use Jetpack and how you can prevent this data storage.

Jetpack is a plug-in for WordPress websites with many different functions and modules. All these tools help us to make our website more beautiful, more secure and to welcome more visitors here. The tool can also be used to display related posts, content can be shared and Jetpack can also improve the loading speed of our website. All functions are hosted and provided by WordPress.

Why do we use Jetpack?

It is crucial for us that you feel comfortable on our website and find what you are looking for. We can only be successful if you are satisfied with our service. And so that we know how and where we can improve our website, we need information. Jetpack allows us to see, for example, how often and for how long you visit an individual web page or which buttons you like to click. With the help of this information, we can improve our website and adapt it to your wishes and preferences.

What data is stored by Jetpack?

The built-in tracking tool WordPress.com statistics in particular also collects, stores and processes your personal data. In order for the Jetpack tool to work, Jetpack sets a cookie in your browser when you open a website that has components of the tool built in. The collected data is synchronized with Automattic and stored there.

In addition to IP address (anonymized before storage) and data on user behaviour, this includes, for example, browser type, unique device identifier, preferred language, data and time of page access, operating system and information on the mobile network. Jetpack uses this information to improve its own services and offers and to gain better insights into the use of its own service. The following data can also be synchronized and stored:

For Google Ads customers, the email address and the physical address of the account are synchronized
Successful and unsuccessful login attempts. Your IP address and the user agent are also stored for this purpose
The user IDs, usernames, email addresses, roles and skills of registered users. But no passwords are stored
The user ID of users who make changes on the website
Twitter username, if this has been configured with Jetpack

Jetpack also uses cookies to store data. Below we show you a few selected, exemplary cookies that Jetpack uses:

Name: eucookielaw
Value: 1613651061376122997017-6
Purpose: Saves the status of the user’s consent to the use of cookies.
Expiry date: after 180 days

Name: tk_ai
Value: 0
Purpose: This cookie stores a randomly generated anonymous ID. It is only used within the administration area to track general analyses.
Expiration date: after the end of the session

Name: tk_tc
Value: E3%2BgJ1Pw6iYKk%2Fvj122997017-3
Intended use: This is a so-called referral cookie. This is used to analyze the connection between WooCommerce and a website with a Jetpack plugin.
Expiration date: after the end of the session

Note: Jetpack uses many different cookies. Which cookies are actually used depends on the Jetpack functions used on the one hand and on your actions on the websites with integrated Jetpack plug-in on the other. At https://de.jetpack.com/support /cookies/ you can see a list of possible cookies that Jetpack uses.

How long and where is the data stored?

Automattic stores the collected data until it is no longer used for its own services. Beyond this period, the data is only stored if the company is obliged to do so for legal reasons. Web server logs such as your IP address, browser type and operating system are deleted after around 30 days. The data is stored on the company’s American servers.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

As mentioned above, Jetpack uses cookies to store data. If you do not want Jetpack to collect data from you in the future, you can request an “opt-out” cookie at https://www.quantcast.com/opt-out/. Quantcast will set this cookie and no visitor data will be saved. This is the case until you delete this cookie.

Alternatively, you can simply manage, deactivate or delete cookies in your browser as you wish. Depending on the browser type, cookie management works slightly differently. In the “Cookies” section, you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers.

Legal basis

The use of Jetpack requires your consent, which we have obtained with our cookie popup. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data as it may occur when collected by web analytics tools.

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analyzing the behavior of website visitors in order to improve our offer technically and economically. With the help of Jetpack, we can detect errors on the website, identify attacks and improve efficiency. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests) . Nevertheless, we only use Jetpack if you have given your consent.

Automattic also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Jetpack or Automattic is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

If you want to learn more about the privacy policy and the processing of data by Jetpack or Automattic, we recommend the privacy policy at https://automattic.com/privacy/, the cookie policy at https://automattic.com/cookies/ and also the information page https://jetpack.com/support/what-data-does-jetpack-sync/. We hope we have been able to give you a good insight into data processing by Jetpack.

Email marketing introduction

Email marketing summary
👥 Data subjects: Newsletter subscribers
🤝 Purpose: Direct marketing by email, notification of system-relevant events
📓 Processed data: Data entered during registration, but at least the e-mail address. More details can be found in the email marketing tool used.
📅 Storage duration: Duration of the existence of the subscription
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is email marketing?

In order to keep you up to date, we also use the option of e-mail marketing. If you have agreed to receive our e-mails or newsletters, your data will also be processed and stored. Email marketing is a sub-area of online marketing. It involves sending news or general information about a company, products or services by email to a specific group of people who are interested in them.

If you want to take part in our e-mail marketing (usually by newsletter), you normally just need to register with your e-mail address. To do this, you fill out an online form and send it off. However, we may also ask you to provide your title and name so that we can write to you personally.

Basically, the registration for newsletters works with the help of the so-called “double opt-in procedure”. After you have registered for our newsletter on our website, you will receive an e-mail confirming your newsletter registration. This ensures that the e-mail address belongs to you and that no one has registered with a third-party e-mail address. We or a notification tool used by us logs each individual registration. This is necessary so that we can prove that the registration process is legally correct. As a rule, the time of registration, the time of registration confirmation and your IP address are saved. In addition, it is also logged when you make changes to your stored data.

Why do we use email marketing?

We naturally want to stay in contact with you and always present you with the most important news about our company. To do this, we use email marketing – often simply referred to as “newsletters” – as an essential part of our online marketing. If you agree to this or if it is permitted by law, we will send you newsletters, system e-mails or other notifications by e-mail. When we use the term “newsletter” in the following text, we mainly mean regularly sent e-mails. Of course, we do not want to bother you in any way with our newsletters. That is why we make every effort to offer only relevant and interesting content. For example, you can find out more about our company, our services or products. As we are also constantly improving our offers, you will always find out via our newsletter when there is news or when we are offering special, lucrative promotions. If we commission a service provider who offers a professional mailing tool for our email marketing, we do so in order to be able to offer you fast and secure newsletters. The purpose of our email marketing is basically to inform you about new offers and also to achieve our business goals.

What data is processed?

If you become a subscriber to our newsletter via our website, you confirm your membership of an e-mail list by e-mail. In addition to your IP address and e-mail address, your title, name, address and telephone number may also be stored. However, only if you consent to this data storage. The data marked as such is necessary so that you can participate in the service offered. Providing this information is voluntary, but if you do not provide it, you will not be able to use the service. In addition, information about your device or your preferred content on our website may also be stored. You can find out more about the storage of data when you visit a website in the “Automatic data storage” section. We record your declaration of consent so that we can always prove that it complies with our laws.

Duration of data processing

If you unsubscribe your e-mail address from our e-mail/newsletter distribution list, we may store your address for up to three years on the basis of our legitimate interests so that we can still prove your consent at that time. We may only process this data if we have to defend ourselves against any claims.

However, if you confirm that you have given us your consent to the newsletter registration, you can submit an individual deletion request at any time. If you permanently revoke your consent, we reserve the right to store your e-mail address in a blacklist. As long as you have voluntarily subscribed to our newsletter, we will of course retain your e-mail address.

Right of objection

You can cancel your newsletter subscription at any time. All you have to do is withdraw your consent to the newsletter subscription. This usually only takes a few seconds or one or two clicks. You will usually find a link to cancel your newsletter subscription at the end of every email. If you really cannot find the link in the newsletter, please contact us by e-mail and we will cancel your newsletter subscription immediately.

Legal basis

Our newsletter is sent on the basis of your consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR). This means that we may only send you a newsletter if you have actively subscribed to it beforehand. We may also send you advertising messages if you have become our customer and have not objected to the use of your email address for direct advertising.

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

Messenger & Communication Introduction

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

What are messenger & communication functions?

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

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

Why do we use messenger & communication functions?

Communication options with you are of great importance to us. After all, we want to talk to you and answer all possible questions about our service in the best possible way. Well-functioning communication is an important part of our service. With the practical messenger & communication functions, you can choose the ones you prefer at any time. In exceptional cases, however, we may not be able to answer certain questions via chat or messenger. This is the case, for example, when it comes to internal contractual matters. In this case, we recommend other means of communication such as e-mail or telephone.

As a rule, we assume that we remain responsible under data protection law, even if we use the services of a social media platform. However, the European Court of Justice has ruled that in certain cases the operator of the social media platform may be jointly responsible with us within the meaning of Art. 26 GDPR. If this is the case, we will point this out separately and work on the basis of an agreement to this effect. The essence of the agreement is set out below for the platform concerned.

Please note that when using our built-in elements, your data may also be processed outside the European Union, as many providers, such as Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, are American companies. As a result, you may no longer be able to claim or enforce your rights in relation to your personal data as easily.

What data is processed?

Exactly which data is stored and processed depends on the respective provider of the messenger & communication functions. Basically, it is data such as name, address, telephone number, email address and content data such as all information that you enter in a contact form. In most cases, information about your device and IP address is also stored. Data that is collected via a messenger & communication function is also stored on the provider’s servers.

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

How long is data stored?

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

Right of objection

As cookies may be used for messenger & communication functions, we also recommend that you read our general privacy policy on cookies. To find out exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Legal basis

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

WhatsApp privacy policy

WhatsApp privacy policy summary
👥 Affected parties: WhatsApp users
🤝 Purpose: Communication
📓 Processed data: Contact details, messages, media
📅 Storage duration: after account deletion or deactivation
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is WhatsApp?

We use the WhatsApp instant messaging service on our website. The service provider is the American company WhatsApp Inc, a subsidiary of Meta Platforms Inc (until October 2021 Facebook Inc.). WhatsApp Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland, is responsible for the European region.

We probably don’t need to introduce WhatsApp to you in detail. The likelihood that you yourself use this well-known messaging service on your smartphone is relatively high. For many years, there have been voices criticizing WhatsApp and its parent company Meta Platforms with regard to the handling of personal data. In recent years, the main criticism has related to the merging of WhatsApp user data with Facebook. Facebook responded to this in 2021 and amended its terms of use. Facebook stated that currently (as of 2021) no personal data of WhatsApp users is shared with Facebook.
Nevertheless, WhatsApp will of course process a number of your personal data if you use WhatsApp and have consented to data processing. In addition to your phone number and chat messages, this also includes photos, videos and profile data that you send. However, photos and videos are only stored temporarily and all messages and phone calls are provided with end-to-end encryption. They should therefore not be visible to Meta itself. WhatsApp also stores information from your address book and other metadata.

Why do we use WhatsApp?

We want to stay in touch with you and the best way to do that is via WhatsApp. Firstly, because the service works flawlessly, and secondly because WhatsApp is still the most widely used instant messaging tool worldwide. The service is practical and allows us to communicate with you quickly and easily.

What data is processed by WhatsApp?

By using WhatsApp, various types of data, including personal data, may be processed. This includes account information such as your telephone number, your profile picture, your user name or other information that you provide to WhatsApp in the course of creating and managing your WhatsApp account. Of course, WhatsApp also stores the content of your messages (text, photos, videos, voice messages). WhatsApp also stores so-called metadata, such as the date and time a message was sent or received. Telephone numbers of the people involved and technical data such as device type, operating system or location data are also stored.

How long and where is the data stored?

In principle, WhatsApp stores data for as long as is necessary for legitimate purposes and to fulfill legal obligations. It is not possible to give a specific answer here as to exactly how long the data is stored, as this depends heavily on the type of data. As a rule, messages are only stored in encrypted form by WhatsApp during delivery and are deleted from the servers as soon as a message has been delivered. Messages are only stored on your own device for longer. When media is sent, WhatsApp stores this data in encrypted form for up to 30 days in order to optimize delivery. Account data is stored for as long as you have an active WhatsApps account. If you delete or deactivate the account, your account data will normally also be deleted. The data stored by WhatsApp is stored on the company’s own servers, which are located all over the world. In order to operate the web-based WhatsApp services, data is also collected with the help of cookies.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You have the right to information, correction or deletion and restriction of the processing of your personal data at any time. You can also withdraw your consent to the processing of data at any time.

If you do not want cookies to be set for the desktop version and data to be saved as a result, you can also prevent cookies from being set in your browser. This is because you can manage, deactivate or delete cookies in your browser. This always works slightly differently depending on your browser. You can find out more in our section on cookies.

Legal basis

The use of WhatsApp requires your consent, which we have obtained using our consent tool (pop-up). According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) The legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when it is collected by WhatsApp.

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in improving our communication services. With the help of WhatsApp, we can respond faster and better to your inquiries, communicate important messages to you and thus take our service to the next level. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests) . Nevertheless, we only use WhatsApp if you have given your consent.

WhatsApp also processes your data in the USA, among other places. WhatsApp is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information about this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

WhatsApp also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the Standard Contractual Clauses, WhatsApp undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de.

Information on data transmission at WhatsApp, which corresponds to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-data-transfer-addendum-20210927

We hope we have provided you with the most important information about the use and data processing by WhatsApp. You can find out more about the data that is processed through the use of WhatsApp in the privacy policy at https://www.whatsapp.com/privacy.

Social media privacy policy summary
👥 Data subjects: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Presentation and optimization of our services, contact with visitors, interested parties, etc., advertising
📓 Processed data: Data such as telephone numbers, email addresses, contact details, data on user behavior, information on your device and your IP address.
You can find more details on this in the respective social media tool used.
📅 Storage duration: depending on the social media platforms used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is social media?

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

Why do we use social media?

For years, social media platforms have been the place where people communicate and get in touch online. Our social media presence allows us to bring our products and services closer to interested parties. The social media elements integrated on our website help you to switch to our social media content quickly and without complications.

The data that is stored and processed through your use of a social media channel is primarily for the purpose of carrying out web analyses. The aim of these analyses is to be able to develop more precise and personalized marketing and advertising strategies. Depending on your behavior on a social media platform, the evaluated data can be used to draw conclusions about your interests and create user profiles. This also enables the platforms to present you with customized advertisements. Cookies are usually set in your browser for this purpose, which store data on your usage behavior.

Please note that when using the social media platforms or our built-in elements, your data may also be processed outside the European Union, as many social media channels, such as Facebook or Twitter, are American companies. As a result, you may not be able to claim or enforce your rights in relation to your personal data as easily.

What data is processed?

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

All data that is collected via a social media platform is also stored on the provider’s servers. This means that only the providers have access to the data and can provide you with the appropriate information or make changes.

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

Duration of data processing

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

Right of objection

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

As social media tools may use cookies, we also recommend that you read our general privacy policy on cookies. To find out exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Legal basis

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

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

Facebook privacy policy

Facebook privacy policy summary
👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service performance
📓 Processed data: Data such as customer data, user behavior data, information about your device and your IP address.
More details can be found below in the privacy policy.
📅 Storage period: until the data is no longer useful for Facebook’s purposes
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are Facebook tools?

We use selected tools from Facebook on our website. Facebook is a social media network of Meta Platforms Inc. or, for the European region, Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland. With the help of these tools, we can offer you and people who are interested in our products and services the best possible offer.

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

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

In addition to many other products, Facebook also offers the so-called “Facebook Business Tools”. This is the official term used by Facebook. However, as the term is hardly known, we have decided to simply call them Facebook tools. These include, among others:

Facebook pixel
Social plug-ins (such as the “Like” or “Share” button)
Facebook login
account kit
APIs (programming interface)
SDKs (collection of programming tools)
Platform integrations
plugins
codes
specifications
Documentation
Technologies and services

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

Why do we use Facebook tools on our website?

We only want to show our services and products to people who are really interested in them. With the help of advertisements (Facebook ads), we can reach precisely these people. However, Facebook needs information about people’s wishes and needs in order to show users suitable advertising. The company is therefore provided with information about user behavior (and contact details) on our website. As a result, Facebook collects better user data and can show interested people suitable advertising about our products or services. The tools thus enable customized advertising campaigns on Facebook.

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

What data is stored by Facebook tools?

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

Facebook uses this information to match the data with the data it has about you (if you are a Facebook member). Before customer data is transmitted to Facebook, it is hashed. This means that a data record of any size is transformed into a character string. This is also used to encrypt data.

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

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

How long and where is the data stored?

In principle, Facebook stores data until it is no longer needed for its own services and Facebook products. Facebook has servers all over the world where its data is stored. However, customer data is deleted within 48 hours after it has been compared with the company’s own user data.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the right to information, correction, transferability and deletion of your data.

The data will only be completely deleted if you delete your Facebook account completely. And this is how deleting your Facebook account works:

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

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

3) Now click on “Deactivation and deletion”.

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

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

The data that Facebook receives via our site is stored using cookies (e.g. for social plugins). You can deactivate, delete or manage individual or all cookies in your browser. Depending on which browser you use, this works in different ways. In the “Cookies” section, you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers.

If you generally do not want to have cookies, you can set up your browser so that it always informs you when a cookie is to be set. This allows you to decide for each individual cookie whether you want to allow it or not.

Legal basis

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

Facebook also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Facebook and Meta Platforms are active participants in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Facebook also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Facebook undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

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

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

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

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

Name: fr
Value: 0jieyh4c2GnlufEJ9..Bde09j…1.0.Bde09j
Purpose: This cookie is used to make the social plugin on our website work as well as possible.
Expiry date: after 3 months

Name: datr
Value: 4Jh7XUA2122997017SEmPsSfzCOO4JFFl
Purpose: Facebook sets the “datr” cookie when a web browser accesses facebook.com, and the cookie helps identify login activity and protect users.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: _js_datr
Value: deleted
Purpose: Facebook sets this session cookie for tracking purposes, even if you do not have a Facebook account or are logged out.
Expiry date: at the end of the session

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

The Facebook login offers you a quick and easy registration process on the one hand, and on the other hand it gives us the opportunity to share data with Facebook. This allows us to better tailor our offers and advertising campaigns to your interests and needs. Data that we receive from Facebook in this way is public data such as

Your Facebook name
Your profile picture
a stored e-mail address
friend lists
Button details (e.g. “Like” button)
birthday date
your language
Place of residence

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

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

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

Facebook social plug-ins privacy policy

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

The following social plug-ins are offered by Facebook:

“Save” button
“Like” button, share, send and quote
Page plug-in
Comments plug-in
Messenger plug-in
Embedded posts and video player
Group plug-in

Auf https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins erhalten Sie nähere Informationen, wie die einzelnen Plug-ins verwendet werden. Wir nützen die sozialen Plug-ins einerseits, um Ihnen ein besseres Usererlebnis auf unserer Seite zu bieten, andererseits weil Facebook dadurch unsere Werbeanzeigen optimieren kann.

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

The information received is deleted or anonymized within 90 days. According to Facebook, this data includes your IP address, which website you visited, the date, time and other information relating to your browser.

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

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

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

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

Name: fr
Value: 0jieyh4122997017c2GnlufEJ9..Bde09j…1.0.Bde09j
Purpose: The cookie is also necessary for the plug-ins to function properly.
Expiry date:: after 3 months

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

If you are logged in to Facebook, you can change your settings for advertisements yourself at https://www.facebook.com/adpreferences/advertisers/. If you are not a Facebook user, you can manage your usage-based online advertising at https://www.youronlinechoices.com/de/praferenzmanagement/?tid=122997017. There you have the option of deactivating or activating providers.

If you want to find out more about Facebook’s data protection, we recommend that you read the company’s own data policy at https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/.

Instagram privacy policy

Instagram privacy policy summary
👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service performance
📓 Processed data: Data such as user behavior data, information about your device and your IP address.
More details can be found below in the privacy policy.
📅 Storage period: until Instagram no longer needs the data for its purposes
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Instagram?

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

In the following, we want to give you a more detailed insight into why Instagram collects data, what data is involved and how you can largely control data processing. Since Instagram belongs to Meta Platforms Inc., we obtain our information from the Instagram guidelines on the one hand, but also from the Meta privacy policy itself on the other.

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

Why do we use Instagram on our website?

Instagram is the social media platform that has really gone through the roof in recent years. And of course we have also responded to this boom. We want you to feel as comfortable as possible on our website. That’s why a varied presentation of our content is a matter of course for us. The embedded Instagram functions allow us to enrich our content with helpful, funny or exciting content from the Instagram world. As Instagram is a subsidiary of Facebook, the data collected can also be useful to us for personalized advertising on Facebook. This means that only people who are genuinely interested in our products or services receive our advertisements.

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

What data is stored by Instagram?

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

Facebook distinguishes between customer data and event data. We assume that this is exactly the case with Instagram. Customer data includes, for example, name, address, telephone number and IP address. This customer data is only transmitted to Instagram once it has been hashed. Hashing means that a data record is converted into a character string. This allows the contact data to be encrypted. The “event data” mentioned above is also transmitted. By “event data”, Facebook – and consequently Instagram – means data about your user behavior. Contact data may also be combined with event data. The contact data collected is compared with the data that Instagram already has about you.

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

We assume that Instagram processes data in the same way as Facebook. This means that if you have an Instagram account or have visited www.instagram.com, Instagram has at least set a cookie. If this is the case, your browser sends information to Instagram via the cookie as soon as you come into contact with an Instagram function. This data is deleted or anonymized after 90 days at the latest (after reconciliation). Although we have looked closely at Instagram’s data processing, we cannot say exactly what data Instagram collects and stores.

Below we will show you the minimum cookies that are set in your browser when you click on an Instagram function (such as a button or an Insta image). In our test, we assume that you do not have an Instagram account. If you are logged in to Instagram, significantly more cookies will of course be set in your browser.

These cookies were used in our test:

Name: csrftoken
Value: “”
Purpose: This cookie is most likely set for security reasons to prevent falsification of requests. However, we were unable to find out more about this.
Expiration date: after one year

Name: mid
Value: “”
Purpose: Instagram sets this cookie to optimize its own services and offers in and outside of Instagram. The cookie defines a unique user ID.
Expiration date: after the end of the session

Name: fbsr_122997017124024
Value: not specified
Purpose: This cookie stores the log-in request for users of the Instagram app.
Expiration date: after the end of the session

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

Name: urlgen
Value: “{“194.96.75.33”: 1901}:1iEtYv:Y833k2_UjKvXgYe122997017”
Purpose: This cookie is used for Instagram’s marketing purposes.
Expiry date: at the end of the session

Note: We cannot claim completeness here. Which cookies are set in individual cases depends on the embedded functions and your use of Instagram.

How long and where is the data stored?

Instagram shares the information received between the Facebook companies with external partners and with people you connect with worldwide. Data processing is carried out in compliance with its own data policy. For security reasons, among others, your data is distributed on Facebook servers around the world. Most of these servers are located in the USA.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

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

And this is how deleting your Instagram account works:

First open the Instagram app. Go to the bottom of your profile page and click on “Help section”. You will now be taken to the company’s website. On the website, click on “Manage your account” and then on “Delete your account”.

If you delete your account completely, Instagram will delete posts such as your photos and status updates. Information that other people have shared about you does not belong to your account and is therefore not deleted.

As mentioned above, Instagram stores your data primarily via cookies. You can manage, deactivate or delete these cookies in your browser. Depending on your browser, the management always works a little differently. In the “Cookies” section, you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers.

You can also set up your browser so that you are always informed when a cookie is to be set. Then you can always decide individually whether you want to allow the cookie or not.

Legal basis

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

Instagram also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Instagram or Meta Platforms is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data of EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Instagram also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the Standard Contractual Clauses, Instagram undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

We have tried to provide you with the most important information about data processing by Instagram. You can find out more about Instagram’s data policy at https://privacycenter.instagram.com/policy/.

Instagram Lookalike Audience privacy policy

We also use the Instagram Lookalike Audience advertising tool. The service provider is the American company Meta Platforms Inc. Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland) is responsible for the European region.

Instagram and Meta also process your data in the USA, among other places. Facebook and Meta Platforms are active participants in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Meta Platforms also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the Standard Contractual Clauses, Meta Platforms undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here, among others: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

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

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Instagram Lookalike Audience in the privacy policy at https://privacycenter.instagram.com/policy/.

ShareThis privacy policy summary
👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service performance
📓 Processed data: Data such as user behavior data, information about your device and your IP address.
More details can be found below in the privacy policy.
📅 Storage period: the collected data is stored for up to 14 months
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is ShareThis?

We have integrated ShareThis functions from ShareThis Inc (4005 Miranda Ave, Suite 100, Palo Alto, 94304 California, USA) on our website. These are, for example, “share” plug-ins for various social media channels. You can use these functions to share content from our website on social media channels. When you access a website with a ShareThis function, your data may be transferred to the company, stored and processed. This privacy policy explains why we use ShareThis, what data is processed and how you can prevent this data transfer.

ShareThis is a technology company that offers website operators tools to increase website quality. By using the social plugins from ShareThis, you can share content from our website on various social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others. The company offers content sharing for over 40 different channels and is used by over 3 million website operators worldwide. The data collected by ShareThis is also used for individual advertisements.

Why do we use ShareThis on our website?

We want to convince with our content and of course we are happy when our content is recommended to others. Then we know we’re on the right track. The easiest way to do this is via “share/share buttons” directly on our website. Thanks to the large number of different social media channels, our content can also be presented to a wide audience. This helps us to become better known and more successful on the Internet. In addition, the plug-ins also serve you, because you can share interesting content with your social media community with just one click.

What data is stored by ShareThis?

If you share content with ShareThis and you are logged in with the respective social media account, data such as the visit to our website and the sharing of content can be assigned to the user account of the corresponding social media channel. ShareThis uses cookies, pixels, HTTP headers and browser identifiers to collect data on your visitor behavior. In addition, some of this data is shared with third parties after pseudonymization.

Here is a list of the data that may be processed:

Unique ID of a cookie placed in the web browser
General click behavior
Addresses of the websites visited
Search queries via which a visitor reached the ShareThis page
Navigation from website to website if this has taken place via ShareThis services
Time spent on a website
Which elements were clicked on or highlighted
The IP address of the computer or mobile device
Mobile advertising IDs (Apple IDFA or Google AAID)
Information contained in HTTP headers or other transmission protocols used
Which program was used on the computer (browser) or which operating system was used (iOS)

ShareThis uses cookies, examples of which are listed below. You can find out more about ShareThis cookies at https://sharethis.com/de/privacy/.

Name: __unam
Value: 8961a7f179d1d017ac27lw87qq69V69122997017-5
Purpose: This cookie counts the “clicks” and “shares” on a website.
Expiry date: after 9 months

Name: __stid
Value: aGCDwF4hjVEI+oIsABW7122997017Ag==
Purpose: This cookie stores user behavior, such as the web pages accessed, navigation from page to page and the time spent on the website.
Expiration date: after 2 years

Name: __sharethis_cookie_test__
Value: 0
Purpose: This cookie monitors “clickstream” activity. This means it monitors where you have clicked on the website.
Expiration date: after the end of the session

Note: We cannot claim completeness here. Which cookies are set in individual cases depends on the embedded functions and their use.

How long and where is the data stored?

ShareThis retains collected data for a period of up to 14 months from the date of data collection. ShareThis cookies expire 13 months after the last update. As ShareThis is an American company, data is transferred and stored on American ShareThis servers.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

If you no longer wish to see advertising based on data collected by ShareThis, you can use the opt-out button at https://sharethis.com/de/privacy/. This sets an opt-out cookie that you must not delete in order to retain this setting.

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

You also have the option of managing, deactivating or deleting data stored via cookies in your browser. Exactly how the management works depends on your browser. In the “Cookies” section, you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers.

You can also set up your browser so that you are always informed when a cookie is to be set.

Legal basis

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

ShareThis also processes your data in the USA, among other places. ShareThis is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

In addition, ShareThis uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46. para. 2 and 3 GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the Standard Contractual Clauses, ShareThis undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de.

You can find out more about the standard contractual clauses and data processed through the use of ShareThis in the privacy policy at https://sharethis.com/de/privacy/.

Blogs and publication media Introduction

Blogs and publication media Privacy policy summary
👥 Data subjects: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Presentation and optimization of our services as well as communication between website visitors, security measures and administration
📓 Processed data: Data such as contact details, IP address and published content.
You can find more details on this in the tools used.
📅 Storage duration: depending on the tools used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests), Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b. GDPR (contract)

What are blogs and publication media?

We use blogs or other means of communication on our website with which we can communicate with you on the one hand and you with us on the other. We may also store and process your data in the process. This may be necessary so that we can display content appropriately, communication works and security is increased. In our data protection text, we provide a general description of which of your data may be processed. Exact details on data processing always depend on the tools and functions used. You can find detailed information on data processing in the data protection notices of the individual providers.

Why do we use blogs and publication media?

Our greatest concern with our website is to offer you interesting and exciting content and at the same time your opinions and content are also important to us. That’s why we want to create a good interactive exchange between us and you. With various blogs and publication options, we can achieve exactly that. For example, you can write comments on our content, comment on other comments or, in some cases, write articles yourself.

What data is processed?

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

Duration of data processing

We will inform you about the duration of data processing below if we have further information on this. For example, contribution and comment functions store data until you revoke the data storage. In general, personal data is only stored for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of our services.

Right of objection

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

As publication media may also use cookies, we also recommend that you read our general privacy policy on cookies. To find out exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Legal basis

We use the means of communication mainly on the basis of our legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in fast and good communication with you or other customers, business partners and visitors. Insofar as the use serves the processing of contractual relationships or their initiation, the legal basis is also Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b. GDPR.

Certain processing operations, in particular the use of cookies and the use of comment or message functions, require your consent. If and insofar as you have consented to your data being processed and stored by integrated publication media, this consent is the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). Most of the communication functions we use set cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text on cookies carefully and view the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

Information on special tools – if available – can be found in the following sections.

Blog posts and comment functions Privacy policy

There are various online communication tools that we can use on our website. For example, we use blog posts and comment functions. This gives you the opportunity to comment on content or write articles. If you use this function, your IP address may be stored for security reasons. In this way, we protect ourselves against illegal content such as insults, unauthorized advertising or prohibited political propaganda. In order to recognize whether comments are spam, we may also store and process user information on the basis of our legitimate interest. If we start a survey, we also store your IP address for the duration of the survey so that we can ensure that all participants only vote once. Cookies may also be used for storage purposes. All data that we store about you (such as content or personal information) will remain stored until you object.

WordPress emojis privacy policy

We also use so-called emojis and smilies in our blog. We probably don’t need to explain exactly what emojis are here. You know those smiling, angry or sad faces. They are graphic elements or files that we make available and are loaded from another server. The service provider for retrieving WordPress emojis and smilies is Automattic Inc, 60 29th Street #343, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA. This third-party provider stores your IP address in order to be able to transmit the emoji files to your browser.

Automattic also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Automattic is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. You can find more information on this at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

The data processing conditions (Data Processing Agreements), which correspond to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://wordpress.com/support/data-processing-agreements/.

You can find out more about the data that is processed through the use of WordPress emojis in the privacy policy at https://automattic.com/privacy/.

Cookie Consent Management Platform Summary
👥 Data subjects: Website visitors
🤝 Purpose: To obtain and manage consent for certain cookies and therefore the use of certain tools
📓 Processed data: Data for managing the cookie settings set, such as IP address, time of consent, type of consent, individual consents. You can find more details on this in the respective tool used.
📅 Storage period: Depends on the tool used, you must be prepared for periods of several years
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para.

What is a Cookie Consent Management Platform?

We use Consent Management Platform (CMP) software on our website, which makes it easier for us and you to handle scripts and cookies correctly and securely. The software automatically creates a cookie pop-up, scans and checks all scripts and cookies, provides you with the cookie consent required under data protection law and helps us and you to keep track of all cookies. Most cookie consent management tools identify and categorize all existing cookies. As a website visitor, you then decide for yourself whether and which scripts and cookies you allow or do not allow. The following graphic shows the relationship between browser, web server and CMP.

Why do we use a cookie management tool?

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

What data is processed?

As part of our cookie management tool, you can manage each individual cookie yourself and have complete control over the storage and processing of your data. The declaration of your consent is stored so that we do not have to ask you every time you visit our website and we can also prove your consent if required by law. This is stored either in an opt-in cookie or on a server. The storage period of your cookie consent varies depending on the provider of the cookie management tool. In most cases, this data (e.g. pseudonymous user ID, time of consent, details of cookie categories or tools, browser, device information) is stored for up to two years.

Duration of data processing

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

Right of objection

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

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

Legal basis

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

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

What is the AdSimple Consent Manager?

We use the AdSimple Consent Manager of the software development and online marketing company AdSimple GmbH, Fabriksgasse 20, 2230 Gänserndorf on our website. The AdSimple Consent Manager offers us, among other things, the opportunity to provide you with a comprehensive and data protection-compliant cookie notice so that you can decide for yourself which cookies you allow and which you do not. By using this software, data is sent from you to AdSimple and stored. In this privacy policy, we inform you why we use the AdSimple Consent Manager, what data is transferred and stored and how you can prevent this data transfer.

The AdSimple Consent Manager is a software that scans our website and identifies and categorizes all existing cookies. In addition, as a website visitor, you are informed about the use of cookies via a cookie notice script and decide for yourself which cookies you allow and which you do not.

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

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

What data is stored by the AdSimple Consent Manager?

If you consent to cookies on our website, the following cookie will be set by the AdSimple Consent Manager:

Name: acm_status
Value: “:true, “statistics”:true, “marketing”:true, “socialmedia”:true, “settings”:true}
Purpose: Your consent status is stored in this cookie. This enables our website to read and follow the current status on future visits.
Expiration date: after one year

How long and where is the data stored?

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

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You have the right to access and delete your personal data at any time. You can prevent data collection and storage, for example, by rejecting the use of cookies via the cookie hint script. Another option to prevent data processing or to manage it according to your wishes is offered by your browser. Depending on the browser, cookie management works slightly differently. In the “Cookies” section, you will find the relevant links to the instructions for the most popular browsers.

Legal basis

If you consent to cookies, your personal data will be processed and stored via these cookies. If we are permitted to use cookies on the basis of your consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR), this consent is also the legal basis for the use of cookies and the processing of your data. The AdSimple Consent Manager is used to manage consent to cookies and to enable you to give your consent. The use of this software enables us to operate the website in an efficient and legally compliant manner, which constitutes a legitimate interest (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR).

We hope we have provided you with a good overview of the data traffic and data processing by the AdSimple Consent Manager. If you would like to find out more about this tool, we recommend you visit the description page at https://www.adsimple.at/consent-manager/.

Security & Anti-Spam

Security & Anti-Spam Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Data subjects: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Cybersecurity
📓 Processed data: Data such as your IP address, name or technical data such as browser version
More details can be found below and in the individual data protection texts.
📅 Storage period: Most of the data is stored until it is no longer required to provide the service
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is security & anti-spam software?

With so-called security and anti-spam software, you and we can protect ourselves from various spam or phishing emails and possible other cyberattacks. Spam refers to advertising emails from a mass mailing that you did not request yourself. Such emails are also known as data junk and can also cause costs. Phishing emails, on the other hand, are messages that aim to build trust via fake messages or websites in order to obtain personal data. Anti-spam software generally protects against unwanted spam messages or malicious emails that could introduce viruses into our system. We also use general firewall and security systems to protect our computers from unwanted network attacks.

Why do we use security & anti-spam software?

We attach great importance to security on our website. After all, it’s not just about our security, but above all about yours. Unfortunately, cyber threats have become part of everyday life in the world of IT and the Internet. Hackers often try to steal personal data from an IT system with the help of a cyber attack. And that is why a good defense system is absolutely essential. A security system monitors all incoming and outgoing connections to our network or computer. To achieve even greater security against cyber attacks, we also use other external security services in addition to the standardized security systems on our computer. This prevents unauthorized data traffic and protects us from cybercrime.

What data is processed by security & anti-spam software?

Exactly which data is collected and stored depends of course on the respective service. However, we always strive to use only programs that collect data very sparingly or only store data that is necessary for the performance of the service offered. In principle, the service may store data such as name, address, IP address, e-mail address and technical data such as browser type or browser version. Any performance and log data may also be collected in order to detect possible incoming threats in good time. This data is processed as part of the services and in compliance with the applicable laws. This also includes the GDPR for US providers (via the standard contractual clauses). In some cases, these security services also work with third-party providers who may store and/or process data under instructions and in accordance with the data protection guidelines and other security measures. Data is usually stored via cookies.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you about the duration of data processing below if we have further information on this. For example, security programs store data until you or we revoke the data storage. In general, personal data is only stored for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of the services. In many cases, unfortunately, we do not receive precise information from the providers about the length of storage.

Right of objection

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

As such security services may also use cookies, we recommend that you read our general privacy policy on cookies. To find out exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Legal basis

We use the security services mainly on the basis of our legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in a good security system against various cyber attacks.

Certain processing operations, in particular the use of cookies and the use of security functions, require your consent. If you have consented to your data being processed and stored by integrated security services, this consent is the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). Most of the services we use set cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text on cookies carefully and view the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

Information on special tools – if available – can be found in the following sections.

External online platforms Introduction

External online platforms Privacy policy summary
👥 Data subjects: Visitors to the website or visitors to the external online platforms
🤝 Purpose: Presentation and optimization of our services, contact with visitors, interested parties
📓 Processed data: Data such as telephone numbers, email addresses, contact details, data on user behavior, information on your device and your IP address.
You can find more details on this in the respective platform used.
📅 Storage duration: depending on the platforms used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are external online platforms?

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

Why do we use external online platforms?

In addition to our website, we also want to offer our products on other platforms in order to bring our range closer to more customers. External online marketplaces such as Amazon, Ebay or Digistore24 offer large sales websites that offer our products to people who may not be familiar with our website. It may also be the case that embedded elements on our site redirect to an external online platform. Data that is processed and stored by the online platform used is used by the company to record the payment process on the one hand and to carry out web analyses on the other.

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

Please note that when using the platforms or our built-in elements, your data may also be processed outside the European Union, as online platforms such as Amazon or eBay are American companies. As a result, you may not be able to claim or enforce your rights in relation to your personal data as easily.

What data is processed?

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

Duration of data processing

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

Right of objection

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

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

Legal basis

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

Information on special external platforms – if available – can be found in the following sections.

Audio & Video Introduction

Audio & Video Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service performance
📓 Processed data: Data such as contact details, user behavior data, information about your device and your IP address may be stored.
You can find more details on this below in the corresponding data protection texts.
📅 Storage duration: Data is generally stored for as long as it is required for the purpose of the service
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are audio and video elements?

We have integrated audio and video elements on our website so that you can watch videos or listen to music/podcasts directly via our website. The content is provided by service providers. All content is therefore also obtained from the corresponding servers of the providers.

These are integrated functional elements from platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo or Spotify. The use of these portals is usually free of charge, but paid content can also be published. With the help of these integrated elements, you can listen to or watch the respective content via our website.

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

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

Of course we want to provide you with the best offer on our website. And we are aware that content is no longer simply conveyed in text and static images. Instead of simply giving you a link to a video, we offer you audio and video formats directly on our website that are entertaining or informative and ideally even both. This expands our service and makes it easier for you to access interesting content. We therefore offer video and/or audio content in addition to our texts and images.

What data is stored by audio & video elements?

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

Duration of data processing

You can find out exactly how long the data is stored on the servers of the third-party providers either below in the data protection text of the respective tool or in the provider’s privacy policy. In principle, personal data is only ever processed for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of our services or products. This generally also applies to third-party providers. In most cases, you can assume that certain data will be stored on the servers of third-party providers for several years. Data can be stored for different lengths of time, especially in cookies. Some cookies are deleted as soon as you leave the website, while others may be stored in your browser for several years.

Right of objection

Since the integrated audio and video functions on our website usually also use cookies, you should also read our general privacy policy on cookies. You can find out more about the handling and storage of your data in the privacy policies of the respective third-party providers.

Legal basis

If you have consented to your data being processed and stored by integrated audio and video elements, this consent is the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data is also stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. Nevertheless, we only use the integrated audio and video elements if you have given your consent.

Web design introduction

Web design privacy policy summary
👥 Data subjects: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Improvement of the user experience
📓 Processed data: Which data is processed depends heavily on the services used. In most cases, this includes the IP address, technical data, language settings, browser version, screen resolution and browser name. You can find more details on this in the respective web design tools used.
📅 Storage duration: depending on the tools used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is web design?

We use various tools on our website that serve our web design. Web design is not, as is often assumed, just about making our website look pretty, but also about functionality and performance. But of course, the right look of a website is also one of the major goals of professional web design. Web design is a branch of media design and deals with the visual as well as the structural and functional design of a website. The aim of web design is to improve your experience on our website. In web design jargon, this is referred to as user experience (UX) and usability. User experience refers to all impressions and experiences that website visitors have on a website. Usability is a sub-item of user experience. This is about the user-friendliness of a website. The main focus here is on ensuring that content, subpages or products are clearly structured and that you can find what you are looking for quickly and easily. In order to offer you the best possible experience on our website, we also use third-party web design tools. In this privacy policy, the category “web design” therefore includes all services that improve the design of our website. These can be, for example, fonts, various plugins or other integrated web design functions.

Why do we use web design tools?

How you absorb information on a website depends very much on the structure, functionality and visual perception of the website. This is why good and professional web design has become increasingly important for us. We are constantly working on improving our website and also see this as an extended service for you as a website visitor. Furthermore, a beautiful and functioning website also has economic advantages for us. After all, you will only visit us and make use of our services if you feel completely at ease.

What data is stored by web design tools?

When you visit our website, web design elements may be integrated into our pages that can also process data. Exactly what data is involved naturally depends heavily on the tools used. Below you can see exactly which tools we use for our website. For more detailed information about data processing, we recommend that you also read the respective privacy policies of the tools used. In most cases, this will tell you what data is processed, whether cookies are used and how long the data is stored. Fonts such as Google Fonts also automatically transmit information such as language settings, IP address, browser version, browser screen resolution and browser name to the Google servers.

Duration of data processing

How long data is processed is very individual and depends on the web design elements used. If cookies are used, for example, the storage period can be as short as one minute or as long as a few years. Please find out more about this. We recommend that you read our general text section on cookies as well as the data protection declarations of the tools used. There you can usually find out exactly which cookies are used and what information is stored in them. Google font files, for example, are stored for one year. This is to improve the loading time of a website. In principle, data is only stored for as long as is necessary to provide the service. Data can also be stored for longer if required by law.

Right of objection

You also have the right and the option to withdraw your consent to the use of cookies or third-party providers at any time. This works either via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. You can also prevent data collection by cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser. Under web design elements (mostly fonts), however, there is also data that cannot be deleted quite so easily. This is the case when data is automatically collected directly when a page is accessed and transmitted to a third-party provider (such as Google). In this case, please contact the support of the relevant provider. In the case of Google, you can contact support at https://support.google.com/?hl=de.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of web design tools, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), this consent constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when it is collected by web design tools. We also have a legitimate interest in improving the web design on our website. After all, only then can we provide you with an attractive and professional website. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). Nevertheless, we only use web design tools if you have given your consent. We would like to emphasize this again here in any case.

Information on special web design tools – if available – can be found in the following sections.

Font Awesome Privacy Policy

Font Awesome Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service performance
📓 Processed data: such as IP address and which icon files are loaded
You can find more details below in this privacy policy.
📅 Storage duration: Files in identifiable form are stored for a few weeks
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Font Awesome?

We use Font Awesome from the American company Fonticons (307 S. Main St., Suite 202, Bentonville, AR 72712, USA) on our website. When you access one of our websites, the Font Awesome web font (in particular icons) is loaded via the Font Awesome Content Delivery Network (CDN). This ensures that the texts, fonts and icons are displayed appropriately on every device. In this privacy policy, we go into more detail about data storage and data processing by this service.

Icons are playing an increasingly important role for websites. Font Awesome is a web font that has been specially developed for web designers and web developers. With Font Awesome, icons can be scaled and colored as desired using the CSS style sheet language. They thus replace old image icons. Font Awesome CDN is the easiest way to load icons or fonts onto your website. All we had to do was add a small line of code to our website.

Why do we use Font Awesome on our website?

Font Awesome allows content on our website to be better presented. This makes it easier for you to find your way around our website and grasp the content more easily. The icons can sometimes even be used to replace entire words and save space. This is particularly practical when we optimize content specifically for smartphones. These icons are inserted as HMTL code instead of images. This allows us to edit the icons with CSS exactly as we want. At the same time, we also improve our loading speed with Font Awesome because these are only HTML elements and not icon images. All these advantages help us to make the website even clearer, fresher and faster for you.

What data is stored by Font Awesome?

The Font Awesome Content Delivery Network (CDN) is used to load icons and symbols. CDNs are networks of servers that are distributed worldwide and make it possible to quickly load files from nearby. Thus, as soon as you call up one of our pages, the corresponding icons are provided by Font Awesome.

In order for the web fonts to be loaded, your browser must establish a connection to the servers of Fonticons, Inc. Your IP address is recognized in the process. Font Awesome also collects data about which icon files are downloaded and when. In addition, technical data such as your browser version, screen resolution or the time the page was called up is also transmitted.

This data is collected and stored for the following reasons:

to optimize content delivery networks
to detect and correct technical errors
to protect CDNs from abuse and attacks
to be able to calculate fees from Font Awesome Pro customers
to find out the popularity of icons
to know which computer and software you are using

If your browser does not allow web fonts, a standard font from your PC will be used automatically. As far as we are currently aware, no cookies are set. We are in contact with Font Awesome’s data protection department and will let you know as soon as we find out more.

How long and where is the data stored?

Font Awesome stores data about the use of the Content Delivery Network on servers in the United States of America. However, the CDN servers are located worldwide and store user data wherever you are. The data is usually only stored in identifiable form for a few weeks. Aggregated statistics on the use of CDNs can also be stored for longer. Personal data is not included here.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

To the best of our knowledge, Font Awesome does not store any personal data about the content delivery networks. If you do not want data about the icons used to be stored, you will unfortunately not be able to visit our website. If your browser does not allow web fonts, no data will be transmitted or stored. In this case, your computer’s default font will simply be used.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of Font Awesome, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data as it may occur during the collection by Font Awesome.

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

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

If you would like to find out more about Font Awesome and how they handle data, we recommend the privacy policy at https://fontawesome.com/privacy and the help page at https://fontawesome.com/support.

Google Fonts privacy policy

Google Fonts privacy policy summary
👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service performance
📓 Processed data: Data such as IP address and CSS and font requests
More details can be found below in this privacy policy.
📅 Storage period: Font files are stored by Google for one year
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are Google Fonts?

We use Google Fonts on our website. These are the “Google fonts” of Google Inc. For the European area, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services.

You do not need to log in or enter a password to use Google fonts. Furthermore, no cookies are stored in your browser. The files (CSS, fonts) are requested via the Google domains fonts.googleapis.com and fonts.gstatic.com. According to Google, requests for CSS and fonts are completely separate from all other Google services. If you have a Google account, you do not need to worry that your Google account data will be transmitted to Google while using Google Fonts. Google records the use of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and the fonts used and stores this data securely. We will take a closer look at exactly how the data is stored.

Google Fonts (formerly Google Web Fonts) is a directory of over 800 fonts that Google makes available to its users free of charge.

Many of these fonts are published under the SIL Open Font License, while others are published under the Apache License. Both are free software licenses.

Why do we use Google Fonts on our website?

With Google Fonts, we can use fonts on our own website without having to upload them to our own server. Google Fonts is an important component in keeping the quality of our website high. All Google fonts are automatically optimized for the web and this saves data volume and is a great advantage, especially for use on mobile devices. When you visit our site, the low file size ensures a fast loading time. Furthermore, Google Fonts are secure web fonts. Different image synthesis systems (rendering) in different browsers, operating systems and mobile devices can lead to errors. Such errors can sometimes visually distort texts or entire websites. Thanks to the fast Content Delivery Network (CDN), there are no cross-platform problems with Google Fonts. Google Fonts supports all common browsers (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera) and works reliably on most modern mobile operating systems, including Android 2.2+ and iOS 4.2+ (iPhone, iPad, iPod). We use Google Fonts so that we can present our entire online service as beautifully and uniformly as possible.

What data is stored by Google?

When you visit our website, the fonts are reloaded via a Google server. This external call transmits data to the Google server. In this way, Google also recognizes that you or your IP address is visiting our website. The Google Fonts API was developed to reduce the use, storage and collection of end user data to what is necessary for the proper provision of fonts. Incidentally, API stands for “Application Programming Interface” and is used, among other things, as a data transmitter in the software sector.

Google Fonts stores CSS and font requests securely at Google and is therefore protected. Google can use the collected usage figures to determine how well the individual fonts are received. Google publishes the results on internal analysis pages, such as Google Analytics. Google also uses data from its own web crawler to determine which websites use Google fonts. This data is published in the Google Fonts BigQuery database. Entrepreneurs and developers use the Google web service BigQuery to analyze and move large amounts of data.

However, it should also be noted that each Google Font request also automatically transmits information such as language settings, IP address, browser version, browser screen resolution and browser name to the Google servers. It is not clear whether this data is also stored or whether it is clearly communicated by Google.

How long and where is the data stored?

Google stores requests for CSS assets for one day on its servers, which are mainly located outside the EU. This allows us to use the fonts with the help of a Google stylesheet. A stylesheet is a format template that can be used to quickly and easily change the design or font of a website, for example.

The font files are stored by Google for one year. Google’s aim is to fundamentally improve the loading time of websites. If millions of websites refer to the same fonts, they are cached after the first visit and immediately reappear on all other websites visited later. Sometimes Google updates font files to reduce the file size, increase language coverage and improve the design.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

The data that Google stores for one day or one year cannot simply be deleted. The data is automatically transmitted to Google when the page is accessed. To delete this data prematurely, you must contact Google support at https://support.google.com/?hl=de&tid=122997017. In this case, you can only prevent data storage if you do not visit our site.

Unlike other web fonts, Google allows us unrestricted access to all fonts. This means we have unlimited access to a sea of fonts and can therefore get the most out of our website. You can find out more about Google Fonts and other issues at https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq?tid=122997017. Although Google addresses data protection issues there, it does not provide any really detailed information about data storage. It is relatively difficult to get really precise information from Google about stored data.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of Google Fonts, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when Google Fonts is used to collect data.

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

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

You can also find out which data is generally collected by Google and what this data is used for at https://www.google.com/intl/de/policies/privacy/.

Google Fonts Local Privacy Policy

We use Google Fonts from Google Inc. on our website. Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for the European region. We have integrated the Google fonts locally, i.e. on our web server – not on Google’s servers. This means that there is no connection to Google servers and therefore no data transfer or storage.

What are Google Fonts?

Google Fonts used to also be called Google Web Fonts. This is an interactive directory with over 800 fonts that Google provides free of charge. With Google Fonts, you could use fonts without uploading them to your own server. However, in order to prevent any transfer of information to Google servers in this respect, we have downloaded the fonts to our server. In this way, we act in compliance with data protection regulations and do not send any data to Google Fonts.

Online booking systems Introduction

Online booking systems Privacy policy summary
👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Improvement of the user experience and organization
📓 Processed data: Which data is processed depends heavily on the services used. It is usually IP address, contact and payment data and/or technical data. You can find more details on this in the respective tools used.
📅 Storage duration: depending on the tools used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is an online booking system?

We use one or more booking systems so that you can make bookings via our website. Appointments, for example, can be easily created online. A booking system is a software application integrated into our website that displays available resources (such as free dates) and allows you to book and usually also pay directly online. You are probably already familiar with such booking systems from the hospitality or hotel industry. However, such systems are now used in a wide range of industries. Depending on the tool and settings, booking systems can be used both internally for us and for customers like you. As a rule, your personal data is also collected and stored.

Booking usually works as follows: You will find the booking system on our website, where you can book an appointment for a service directly by clicking the mouse and entering your details, and usually pay for it straight away. You may be able to use a form to enter various details about yourself. Please be aware that all the data you enter may be stored and managed in a database.

Why do we use an online booking system?

In a way, we see our website as a free service for you. We want you to receive helpful information and feel completely at ease on our site. This also includes an online service that makes it as easy as possible for you to book appointments or services. Gone are the days when you had to wait days for a booking confirmation by phone or e-mail. With an online booking system, everything is done in just a few clicks and you can get on with other things. The system also makes it easier for us to manage all bookings and appointments. We therefore consider such a booking system to be absolutely sensible for both you and us.

What data is processed?

Of course, we cannot tell you exactly which data is processed in this general information text about booking systems. This always depends on the tool used and the functions and options it contains. In addition to the conventional booking function, many booking systems also offer a range of other features. For example, many systems also have an integrated external online payment system (e.g. from Stripe, Klarna or Paypal) and a calendar synchronization function. Accordingly, depending on the functions, different and varying amounts of data can be processed. Data such as IP address, name and contact details, technical information about your device and the time of a booking are usually processed. If you also make a payment in the system, bank details such as account number, credit card number, passwords, TANs etc. are also stored and forwarded to the respective payment provider. We recommend that you read the privacy policy of the tool used carefully so that you know which of your data is specifically processed.

Duration of data processing

Each booking system stores data for different lengths of time. We are therefore unable to provide any specific information about the duration of data processing here. In principle, however, personal data is only stored for as long as is absolutely necessary to provide the services. Booking systems generally also use cookies, which store information for different lengths of time. Some cookies are deleted immediately after leaving the site, others can be stored for several years. You can find out more about this in our “Cookies” section. Please also take a look at the respective data protection declarations of the providers. These should explain how long your data is stored in each specific case.

Right of objection

If you have consented to data processing by a booking system, you naturally always have the option and the right to withdraw this consent. So please always be aware that you have rights in relation to your personal data and that you can exercise these rights at any time. If you do not want personal data to be processed, then no personal data may be processed. It’s as simple as that. The easiest way to revoke data processing is via a cookie consent tool or other opt-out functions offered. You can also manage data storage by cookies directly in your browser, for example. The legality of data processing remains unaffected until you withdraw your consent.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of booking systems, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), it represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur through booking systems.

Furthermore, we also have a legitimate interest in using booking systems because they allow us to expand our customer service and optimize our internal booking organization. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). Nevertheless, we only use the tools if you have given your consent. We would like to make this clear at this point.

Information on special booking systems – if available – can be found in the following sections.

Explanation of terms used

We always endeavor to write our privacy policy as clearly and comprehensibly as possible. However, this is not always easy, especially when it comes to technical and legal topics. It often makes sense to use legal terms (such as personal data) or certain technical terms (such as cookies, IP address). However, we do not want to use these without explanation. Below you will find an alphabetical list of important terms used, which we may not have sufficiently addressed in the previous privacy policy. If these terms have been taken from the GDPR and are definitions, we will also quote the GDPR texts here and add our own explanations if necessary.

Processor

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term:

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

Explanation: As a company and website owner, we are responsible for all data that we process from you. In addition to controllers, there may also be so-called processors. This includes any company or person that processes personal data on our behalf. In addition to service providers such as tax consultants, processors can therefore also be hosting or cloud providers, payment or newsletter providers or large companies such as Google or Microsoft.

Consent

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term:

“Consent” of the data subject means any freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous indication of the data subject’s wishes by which he or she, by a statement or by a clear affirmative action, signifies agreement to the processing of personal data relating to him or her;

Explanation: As a rule, websites obtain such consent via a cookie consent tool. You are probably familiar with this. Whenever you visit a website for the first time, you are usually asked via a banner whether you agree or consent to data processing. In most cases, you can also make individual settings and decide for yourself which data processing you allow and which you do not. If you do not give your consent, your personal data may not be processed. In principle, consent can of course also be given in writing, i.e. not via a tool.

Personal data

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term:

“personal data” 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 or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person;

Explanation: Personal data is therefore all data that can identify you as a person. This is usually data such as:

Your name
Your address
E-mail address
Postal address
Telephone number
Date of birth
Identification numbers such as social security number, tax identification number, identity card number or matriculation number
Bank details such as account number, credit information, account balances, etc.

According to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), your IP address is also considered personal data. IT experts can use your IP address to determine at least the approximate location of your device and, subsequently, you as the owner of the connection. Therefore, the storage of an IP address also requires a legal basis within the meaning of the GDPR. There are also so-called “special categories” of personal data, which are also particularly worthy of protection. These include

racial and ethnic origin
political opinions
religious or ideological convictions
trade union membership
genetic data, such as data taken from blood or saliva samples
biometric data (i.e. information on mental, physical or behavioral characteristics that can identify a person).
Health data
Data on sexual orientation or sexual life

Profiling

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term:

“Profiling” means any form of automated processing of personal data consisting of the use of personal data to evaluate certain personal aspects relating to a natural person, in particular to analyze or predict aspects concerning that natural person’s performance at work, economic situation, health, personal preferences, interests, reliability, behavior, location or movements;

Explanation: Profiling involves collecting various pieces of information about a person in order to find out more about them. In the web sector, profiling is often used for advertising purposes or for credit checks. For example, web and advertising analysis programs collect data about your behavior and interests on a website. This results in a special user profile that can be used to target advertising to a specific target group.

Person responsible

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term:

“controller” means the natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data; where the purposes and means of such processing are determined by Union or Member State law, the controller or the specific criteria for its nomination may be provided for by Union or Member State law;

Explanation: In our case, we are responsible for the processing of your personal data and are therefore the “controller”. If we pass on collected data to other service providers for processing, they are “processors”. An “order processing contract (AVV)” must be signed for this.

Processing

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term:

“processing” any operation or set of operations which is performed on personal data or on sets of personal data, whether or not by automated means, such as collection, recording, organization, structuring, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, restriction, erasure or destruction;

Note: When we refer to processing in our privacy policy, we mean any kind of data processing. As mentioned above in the original GDPR declaration, this includes not only the collection but also the storage and processing of data.

All texts are protected by copyright.

Source: Privacy Policy created with the Privacy Policy Generator for Austria by AdSimple