Privacy Policy

1. An overview of data protection

General information

The following information will provide you with an easy to navigate overview of what will happen with your personal data when you visit this website. The term “personal data” comprises all data that can be used to personally identify you. For detailed information about the subject matter of data protection, please consult our Data Protection Declaration, which we have included beneath this copy.

Data recording on this website

Who is the responsible party for the recording of data on this website (i.e., the “controller”)?

The data on this website is processed by the operator of the website, whose contact information is available under section “Information about the responsible party (referred to as the “controller” in the GDPR)” in this Privacy Policy.

How do we record your data?

We collect your data as a result of your sharing of your data with us. This may, for instance be information you enter into our contact form.

Other data shall be recorded by our IT systems automatically or after you consent to its recording during your website visit. This data comprises primarily technical information (e.g., web browser, operating system, or time the site was accessed). This information is recorded automatically when you access this website.

What are the purposes we use your data for?

A portion of the information is generated to guarantee the error free provision of the website. Other data may be used to analyze your user patterns.

What rights do you have as far as your information is concerned?

You have the right to receive information about the source, recipients, and purposes of your archived personal data at any time without having to pay a fee for such disclosures. You also have the right to demand that your data are rectified or eradicated. If you have consented to data processing, you have the option to revoke this consent at any time, which shall affect all future data processing. Moreover, you have the right to demand that the processing of your data be restricted under certain circumstances. Furthermore, you have the right to log a complaint with the competent supervising agency.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at any time if you have questions about this or any other data protection related issues.

Analysis tools and tools provided by third parties

There is a possibility that your browsing patterns will be statistically analyzed when your visit this website. Such analyses are performed primarily with what we refer to as analysis programs.

For detailed information about these analysis programs please consult our Data Protection Declaration below.

2. Hosting and Content Delivery Networks (CDN)

External Hosting

This website is hosted by an external service provider (host). Personal data collected on this website are stored on the servers of the host. These may include, but are not limited to, IP addresses, contact requests, metadata and communications, contract information, contact information, names, web page access, and other data generated through a web site.

The host is used for the purpose of fulfilling the contract with our potential and existing customers (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) and in the interest of secure, fast, and efficient provision of our online services by a professional provider (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6 (1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TTDSG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user's end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TTDSG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

Our host will only process your data to the extent necessary to fulfil its performance obligations and to follow our instructions with respect to such data.

We are using the following host:

netcup GmbH
Daimlerstraße 25
D-76185 Karlsruhe

Data processing

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) with the above-mentioned provider. This is a contract mandated by data privacy laws that guarantees that they process personal data of our website visitors only based on our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

Cloudflare

We use the “Cloudflare” service provided by Cloudflare Inc., 101 Townsend St., San Francisco, CA 94107, USA. (hereinafter referred to as “Cloudflare”).

Cloudflare offers a content delivery network with DNS that is available worldwide. As a result, the information transfer that occurs between your browser and our website is technically routed via Cloudflare’s network. This enables Cloudflare to analyze data transactions between your browser and our website and to work as a filter between our servers and potentially malicious data traffic from the Internet. In this context, Cloudflare may also use cookies or other technologies deployed to recognize Internet users, which shall, however, only be used for the herein described purpose.

The use of Cloudflare is based on our legitimate interest in a provision of our website offerings that is as error free and secure as possible (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/.

For more information on Cloudflare’s security precautions and data privacy policies, please follow this link: https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/.

Data processing

Amazon CloudFront CDN

We use the Content Delivery Network Amazon CloudFront CDN. The provider is Amazon Web Services EMEA SARL, 38 avenue John F. Kennedy, L-1855, Luxembourg (hereinafter referred to as “Amazon”).

Amazon CloudFront CDN is a globally distributed Content Delivery Network. During these transactions, the information transfer between your browser and our website is technically routed via the Content Delivery Network. This enables us to boost the global availability and performance capabilities of our website.

The use of Amazon CloudFront CDN is based on our legitimate interest in keeping the presentation of our web services as error free and secure as possible (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

The data transfer to the United States is based on the Standard Contract Clauses of the EU Commission. You can find the details here: https://aws.amazon.com/de/blogs/security/aws-gdpr-data-processing-addendum/.

For more information on Amazon CloudFront CDN please follow this link: https://d1.awsstatic.com/legal/privacypolicy/AWS_Privacy_Notice__German_Translation.pdf.

Data processing

3. General information and mandatory information

Data protection

The operators of this website and its pages take the protection of your personal data very seriously. Hence, we handle your personal data as confidential information and in compliance with the statutory data protection regulations and this Data Protection Declaration.

Whenever you use this website, a variety of personal information will be collected. Personal data comprises data that can be used to personally identify you. This Data Protection Declaration explains which data we collect as well as the purposes we use this data for. It also explains how, and for which purpose the information is collected.

We herewith advise you that the transmission of data via the Internet (i.e., through e-mail communications) may be prone to security gaps. It is not possible to completely protect data against third-party access.

Information about the responsible party (referred to as the “controller” in the GDPR)

The data processing controller on this website is:

Tobias Dietrich
c/o free!ndeed
Bergiusstr. 9
86199 Augsburg

Phone: +49 821 99869585
E-mail: [email protected]

The controller is the natural person or legal entity that single-handedly or jointly with others makes decisions as to the purposes of and resources for the processing of personal data (e.g., names, e-mail addresses, etc.).

Storage duration

Unless a more specific storage period has been specified in this privacy policy, your personal data will remain with us until the purpose for which it was collected no longer applies. If you assert a justified request for deletion or revoke your consent to data processing, your data will be deleted, unless we have other legally permissible reasons for storing your personal data (e.g., tax or commercial law retention periods); in the latter case, the deletion will take place after these reasons cease to apply.

General information on the legal basis for the data processing on this website

If you have consented to data processing, we process your personal data on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR or Art. 9 (2)(a) GDPR, if special categories of data are processed according to Art. 9 (1) DSGVO. In the case of explicit consent to the transfer of personal data to third countries, the data processing is also based on Art. 49 (1)(a) GDPR. If you have consented to the storage of cookies or to the access to information in your end device (e.g., via device fingerprinting), the data processing is additionally based on § 25 (1) TTDSG. The consent can be revoked at any time. If your data is required for the fulfillment of a contract or for the implementation of pre-contractual measures, we process your data on the basis of Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. Furthermore, if your data is required for the fulfillment of a legal obligation, we process it on the basis of Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR. Furthermore, the data processing may be carried out on the basis of our legitimate interest according to Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. Information on the relevant legal basis in each individual case is provided in the following paragraphs of this privacy policy.

Designation of a data protection officer

We have appointed a data protection officer for our company.

Datenschutzbeauftragter
free-indeed e.V.
Bergiusstr. 9
86199 Augsburg

Phone: 0821-99869585
E-mail: [email protected]

Information on data transfer to the USA and other non-EU countries

Among other things, we use tools of companies domiciled in the United States or other from a data protection perspective non-secure non-EU countries. If these tools are active, your personal data may potentially be transferred to these non-EU countries and may be processed there. We must point out that in these countries, a data protection level that is comparable to that in the EU cannot be guaranteed. For instance, U.S. enterprises are under a mandate to release personal data to the security agencies and you as the data subject do not have any litigation options to defend yourself in court. Hence, it cannot be ruled out that U.S. agencies (e.g., the Secret Service) may process, analyze, and permanently archive your personal data for surveillance purposes. We have no control over these processing activities.

Revocation of your consent to the processing of data

A wide range of data processing transactions are possible only subject to your express consent. You can also revoke at any time any consent you have already given us. This shall be without prejudice to the lawfulness of any data collection that occurred prior to your revocation.

Right to object to the collection of data in special cases; right to object to direct advertising (Art. 21 GDPR)

IN THE EVENT THAT DATA ARE PROCESSED ON THE BASIS OF ART. 6(1)(E) OR (F) GDPR, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO AT ANY TIME OBJECT TO THE PROCESSING OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA BASED ON GROUNDS ARISING FROM YOUR UNIQUE SITUATION. THIS ALSO APPLIES TO ANY PROFILING BASED ON THESE PROVISIONS. TO DETERMINE THE LEGAL BASIS, ON WHICH ANY PROCESSING OF DATA IS BASED, PLEASE CONSULT THIS DATA PROTECTION DECLARATION. IF YOU LOG AN OBJECTION, WE WILL NO LONGER PROCESS YOUR AFFECTED PERSONAL DATA, UNLESS WE ARE IN A POSITION TO PRESENT COMPELLING PROTECTION WORTHY GROUNDS FOR THE PROCESSING OF YOUR DATA, THAT OUTWEIGH YOUR INTERESTS, RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS OR IF THE PURPOSE OF THE PROCESSING IS THE CLAIMING, EXERCISING OR DEFENCE OF LEGAL ENTITLEMENTS (OBJECTION PURSUANT TO ART. 21(1) GDPR).

IF YOUR PERSONAL DATA IS BEING PROCESSED IN ORDER TO ENGAGE IN DIRECT ADVERTISING, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO OBJECT TO THE PROCESSING OF YOUR AFFECTED PERSONAL DATA FOR THE PURPOSES OF SUCH ADVERTISING AT ANY TIME. THIS ALSO APPLIES TO PROFILING TO THE EXTENT THAT IT IS AFFILIATED WITH SUCH DIRECT ADVERTISING. IF YOU OBJECT, YOUR PERSONAL DATA WILL SUBSEQUENTLY NO LONGER BE USED FOR DIRECT ADVERTISING PURPOSES (OBJECTION PURSUANT TO ART. 21(2) GDPR).

Right to log a complaint with the competent supervisory agency

In the event of violations of the GDPR, data subjects are entitled to log a complaint with a supervisory agency, in particular in the member state where they usually maintain their domicile, place of work or at the place where the alleged violation occurred. The right to log a complaint is in effect regardless of any other administrative or court proceedings available as legal recourses.

Right to data portability

You have the right to demand that we hand over any data we automatically process on the basis of your consent or in order to fulfil a contract be handed over to you or a third party in a commonly used, machine readable format. If you should demand the direct transfer of the data to another controller, this will be done only if it is technically feasible.

SSL and/or TLS encryption

For security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential content, such as purchase orders or inquiries you submit to us as the website operator, this website uses either an SSL or a TLS encryption program. You can recognize an encrypted connection by checking whether the address line of the browser switches from “https://” to “https://” and also by the appearance of the lock icon in the browser line.

If the SSL or TLS encryption is activated, data you transmit to us cannot be read by third parties.

Encrypted payment transactions on this website

If you are under an obligation to share your payment information (e.g. account number if you give us the authority to debit your bank account) with us after you have entered into a fee-based contract with us, this information is required to process payments.

Payment transactions using common modes of paying (Visa/MasterCard, debit to your bank account) are processed exclusively via encrypted SSL or TLS connections. You can recognize an encrypted connection by checking whether the address line of the browser switches from “https://” to “https://” and also by the appearance of the lock icon in the browser line.

If the communication with us is encrypted, third parties will not be able to read the payment information you share with us.

Information about, rectification and eradication of data

Within the scope of the applicable statutory provisions, you have the right to at any time demand information about your archived personal data, their source and recipients as well as the purpose of the processing of your data. You may also have a right to have your data rectified or eradicated. If you have questions about this subject matter or any other questions about personal data, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time.

Right to demand processing restrictions

You have the right to demand the imposition of restrictions as far as the processing of your personal data is concerned. To do so, you may contact us at any time. The right to demand restriction of processing applies in the following cases:

In the event that you should dispute the correctness of your data archived by us, we will usually need some time to verify this claim. During the time that this investigation is ongoing, you have the right to demand that we restrict the processing of your personal data.
If the processing of your personal data was/is conducted in an unlawful manner, you have the option to demand the restriction of the processing of your data in lieu of demanding the eradication of this data.
If we do not need your personal data any longer and you need it to exercise, defend or claim legal entitlements, you have the right to demand the restriction of the processing of your personal data instead of its eradication.
If you have raised an objection pursuant to Art. 21(1) GDPR, your rights and our rights will have to be weighed against each other. As long as it has not been determined whose interests prevail, you have the right to demand a restriction of the processing of your personal data.

If you have restricted the processing of your personal data, these data – with the exception of their archiving – may be processed only subject to your consent or to claim, exercise or defend legal entitlements or to protect the rights of other natural persons or legal entities or for important public interest reasons cited by the European Union or a member state of the EU.

Rejection of unsolicited e-mails

We herewith object to the use of contact information published in conjunction with the mandatory information to be provided in our Site Notice to send us promotional and information material that we have not expressly requested. The operators of this website and its pages reserve the express right to take legal action in the event of the unsolicited sending of promotional information, for instance via SPAM messages.

4. Recording of data on this website

Cookies

Our websites and pages use what the industry refers to as “cookies.” Cookies are small text files that do not cause any damage to your device. They are either stored temporarily for the duration of a session (session cookies) or they are permanently archived on your device (permanent cookies). Session cookies are automatically deleted once you terminate your visit. Permanent cookies remain archived on your device until you actively delete them, or they are automatically eradicated by your web browser.

In some cases, it is possible that third-party cookies are stored on your device once you enter our site (third-party cookies). These cookies enable you or us to take advantage of certain services offered by the third party (e.g., cookies for the processing of payment services).

Cookies have a variety of functions. Many cookies are technically essential since certain website functions would not work in the absence of the cookies (e.g., the shopping cart function or the display of videos). The purpose of other cookies may be the analysis of user patterns or the display of promotional messages.

Cookies, which are required for the performance of electronic communication transactions, or for the provision of certain functions you want to use (e.g., for the shopping cart function) or those that are necessary for the optimization (required cookies) of the website (e.g., cookies that provide measurable insights into the web audience), shall be stored on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, unless a different legal basis is cited. The operator of the website has a legitimate interest in the storage of required cookies to ensure the technically error free and optimized provision of the operator’s services. If your consent to the storage of the cookies and similar recognition technologies has been requested, processing occurs exclusively on the basis of the consent obtained (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TTDSG); this consent may be revoked at any time.

You have the option to set up your browser in such a manner that you will be notified any time cookies are placed and to permit the acceptance of cookies only in specific cases. You may also exclude the acceptance of cookies in certain cases or in general or activate the delete function for the automatic eradication of cookies when the browser closes. If cookies are deactivated, the functions of this website may be limited.

In the event that third-party cookies are used or if cookies are used for analytical purposes, we will separately notify you in conjunction with this Data Protection Policy and, if applicable, ask for your consent.

Consent with Borlabs Cookie

Our website uses the Borlabs consent technology to obtain your consent to the storage of certain cookies in your browser or for the use of certain technologies and for their data privacy protection compliant documentation. The provider of this technology is Borlabs GmbH, Rübenkamp 32, 22305 Hamburg, Germany (hereinafter referred to as Borlabs).

Whenever you visit our website, a Borlabs cookie will be stored in your browser, which archives any declarations or revocations of consent you have entered. These data are not shared with the provider of the Borlabs technology.

The recorded data shall remain archived until you ask us to eradicate them, delete the Borlabs cookie on your own or the purpose of storing the data no longer exists. This shall be without prejudice to any retention obligations mandated by law. To review the details of Borlabs’ data processing policies, please visit https://de.borlabs.io/kb/welche-daten-speichert-borlabs-cookie/

We use the Borlabs cookie consent technology to obtain the declarations of consent mandated by law for the use of cookies. The legal basis for the use of such cookies is Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR.

Server log files

The provider of this website and its pages automatically collects and stores information in so-called server log files, which your browser communicates to us automatically. The information comprises:

The type and version of browser used
The used operating system
Referrer URL
The hostname of the accessing computer
The time of the server inquiry
The IP address

This data is not merged with other data sources.

This data is recorded on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The operator of the website has a legitimate interest in the technically error free depiction and the optimization of the operator’s website. In order to achieve this, server log files must be recorded.

Contact form

If you submit inquiries to us via our contact form, the information provided in the contact form as well as any contact information provided therein will be stored by us in order to handle your inquiry and in the event that we have further questions. We will not share this information without your consent.

The processing of these data is based on Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR, if your request is related to the execution of a contract or if it is necessary to carry out pre-contractual measures. In all other cases the processing is based on our legitimate interest in the effective processing of the requests addressed to us (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) or on your agreement (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) if this has been requested; the consent can be revoked at any time.

The information you have entered into the contact form shall remain with us until you ask us to eradicate the data, revoke your consent to the archiving of data or if the purpose for which the information is being archived no longer exists (e.g., after we have concluded our response to your inquiry). This shall be without prejudice to any mandatory legal provisions, in particular retention periods.

Request by e-mail, telephone, or fax

If you contact us by e-mail, telephone or fax, your request, including all resulting personal data (name, request) will be stored and processed by us for the purpose of processing your request. We do not pass these data on without your consent.

These data are processed on the basis of Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR if your inquiry is related to the fulfillment of a contract or is required for the performance of pre-contractual measures. In all other cases, the data are processed on the basis of our legitimate interest in the effective handling of inquiries submitted to us (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) or on the basis of your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) if it has been obtained; the consent can be revoked at any time.

The data sent by you to us via contact requests remain with us until you request us to delete, revoke your consent to the storage or the purpose for the data storage lapses (e.g. after completion of your request). Mandatory statutory provisions - in particular statutory retention periods - remain unaffected.

Registration on this website

You have the option to register on this website to be able to use additional website functions. We shall use the data you enter only for the purpose of using the respective offer or service you have registered for. The required information we request at the time of registration must be entered in full. Otherwise, we shall reject the registration.

To notify you of any important changes to the scope of our portfolio or in the event of technical modifications, we shall use the e-mail address provided during the registration process.

We shall process the data entered during the registration process on the basis of your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR).

The data recorded during the registration process shall be stored by us as long as you are registered on this website. Subsequently, such data shall be deleted. This shall be without prejudice to mandatory statutory retention obligations.

5. Social media

Instagram

We have integrated functions of the public media platform Instagram into this website. These functions are being offered by Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland.

If the social media element has been activated, a direct connection between your device and Instagram’s server will be established. As a result, Instagram will receive information on your visit to this website.

If you are logged into your Instagram account, you may click the Instagram button to link contents from this website to your Instagram profile. This enables Instagram to allocate your visit to this website to your user account. We have to point out that we as the provider of the website and its pages do not have any knowledge of the content of the data transferred and its use by Instagram.

If your approval (consent) has been obtained the use of the abovementioned service shall occur on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 TTDSG (German Telecommunications Act). Such consent may be revoked at any time. If your consent was not obtained, the use of the service will occur on the basis of our legitimate interest in making our information as comprehensively visible as possible on social media.

Insofar as personal data is collected on our website with the help of the tool described here and forwarded to Facebook or Instagram, we and Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland are jointly responsible for this data processing (Art. 26 DSGVO). The joint responsibility is limited exclusively to the collection of the data and its forwarding to Facebook or Instagram. The processing by Facebook or Instagram that takes place after the onward transfer is not part of the joint responsibility. The obligations incumbent on us jointly have been set out in a joint processing agreement. The wording of the agreement can be found under: https://www.facebook.com/legal/controller_addendum. According to this agreement, we are responsible for providing the privacy information when using the Facebook or Instagram tool and for the privacy-secure implementation of the tool on our website. Facebook is responsible for the data security of Facebook or Instagram products. You can assert data subject rights (e.g., requests for information) regarding data processed by Facebook or Instagram directly with Facebook. If you assert the data subject rights with us, we are obliged to forward them to Facebook.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/legal/EU_data_transfer_addendum, https://help.instagram.com/519522125107875 and https://de-de.facebook.com/help/566994660333381.

For more information on this subject, please consult Instagram’s Data Privacy Declaration at: https://instagram.com/about/legal/privacy/.

6. Analysis tools and advertising

Google Analytics

This website uses functions of the web analysis service Google Analytics. The provider of this service is Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Google Analytics enables the website operator to analyze the behavior patterns of website visitors. To that end, the website operator receives a variety of user data, such as pages accessed, time spent on the page, the utilized operating system and the user’s origin. This data is summarized in a user-ID and assigned to the respective end device of the website visitor.

Google Analytics uses technologies that make the recognition of the user for the purpose of analyzing the user behavior patterns (e.g., cookies or device fingerprinting). The website use information recorded by Google is, as a rule transferred to a Google server in the United States, where it is stored.

The use of these services occurs on the basis of your consent pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25(1) TTDSG. You may revoke your consent at any time.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://privacy.google.com/businesses/controllerterms/mccs/.

Browser plug-in

You can prevent the recording and processing of your data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plugin available under the following link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en.

For more information about the handling of user data by Google Analytics, please consult Google’s Data Privacy Declaration at: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=en.

Contract data processing

We have executed a contract data processing agreement with Google and are implementing the stringent provisions of the German data protection agencies to the fullest when using Google Analytics.

Google Analytics E-Commerce-Tracking

This website uses the “E-Commerce Tracking” function of Google Analytics. With the assistance of E-Commerce Tracking, the website operator is in a position to analyze the purchasing patterns of website visitors with the aim of improving the operator’s online marketing campaigns. In this context, information, such as the orders placed, the average order values, shipping costs and the time from viewing the product to making the purchasing decision are tracked. These data may be consolidated by Google under a transaction ID, which is allocated to the respective user or the user’s device.

7. Newsletter

Newsletter data

If you would like to receive the newsletter offered on the website, we require an e-mail address from you as well as information that allows us to verify that you are the owner of the e-mail address provided and that you agree to receive the newsletter. Further data is not collected or only on a voluntary basis. For the handling of the newsletter, we use newsletter service providers, which are described below.

Sendinblue

This website uses Sendinblue for the sending of newsletters. The provider is the Sendinblue GmbH, Köpenicker Straße 126, 10179 Berlin, Germany.

Sendinblue services can, among other things, be used to organize and analyze the sending of newsletters. The data you enter for the purpose of subscribing to the newsletter are archived on Sendinblue’s servers in Germany.

Data analysis by Sendinblue

Sendinblue enables us to analyze our newsletter campaigns. For instance, it allows us to see whether a newsletter message has been opened and, if so, which links may have been clicked. This enables us to determine, which links drew an extraordinary number of clicks.

Moreover, we are also able to see whether once the e-mail was opened or a link was clicked, any previously defined actions were taken (conversion rate). This allows us to determine whether you have made a purchase after clicking on the newsletter.

Sendinblue also enables us to divide the subscribers to our newsletter into various categories (i.e., to “cluster” recipients). For instance, newsletter recipients can be categorized based on age, gender, or place of residence. This enables us to tailor our newsletter more effectively to the needs of the respective target groups.

If you do not want to permit an analysis by Sendinblue, you must unsubscribe from the newsletter. We provide a link for you to do this in every newsletter message. Moreover, you can also unsubscribe from the newsletter right on the website.

For detailed information on the functions of Sendinblue please follow this link: https://www.sendinblue.com/newsletter-software/.

Legal basis

The data is processed based on your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). You may revoke any consent you have given at any time by unsubscribing from the newsletter. This shall be without prejudice to the lawfulness of any data processing transactions that have taken place prior to your revocation.

Storage period

The data deposited with us for the purpose of subscribing to the newsletter will be stored by us until you unsubscribe from the newsletter or the newsletter service provider and deleted from the newsletter distribution list after you unsubscribe from the newsletter. Data stored for other purposes with us remain unaffected.

After you unsubscribe from the newsletter distribution list, your e-mail address may be stored by us or the newsletter service provider in a blacklist, if such action is necessary to prevent future mailings. The data from the blacklist is used only for this purpose and not merged with other data. This serves both your interest and our interest in complying with the legal requirements when sending newsletters (legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). The storage in the blacklist is indefinite. You may object to the storage if your interests outweigh our legitimate interest.

For more details, please consult the Data Protection Regulations of Sendinblue at: https://de.sendinblue.com/datenschutz-uebersicht/.

Data processing

8. Plug-ins and Tools

YouTube with expanded data protection integration

Our website embeds videos of the website YouTube. The website operator is Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

We use YouTube in the expanded data protection mode. According to YouTube, this mode ensures that YouTube does not store any information about visitors to this website before they watch the video. Nevertheless, this does not necessarily mean that the sharing of data with YouTube partners can be ruled out as a result of the expanded data protection mode. For instance, regardless of whether you are watching a video, YouTube will always establish a connection with the Google DoubleClick network.

As soon as you start to play a YouTube video on this website, a connection to YouTube’s servers will be established. As a result, the YouTube server will be notified, which of our pages you have visited. If you are logged into your YouTube account while you visit our site, you enable YouTube to directly allocate your browsing patterns to your personal profile. You have the option to prevent this by logging out of your YouTube account.

Furthermore, after you have started to play a video, YouTube will be able to place various cookies on your device or comparable technologies for recognition (e.g. device fingerprinting). In this way YouTube will be able to obtain information about this website’s visitors. Among other things, this information will be used to generate video statistics with the aim of improving the user friendliness of the site and to prevent attempts to commit fraud.

Under certain circumstances, additional data processing transactions may be triggered after you have started to play a YouTube video, which are beyond our control.

The use of YouTube is based on our interest in presenting our online content in an appealing manner. Pursuant to Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, this is a legitimate interest. If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TTDSG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TTDSG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

For more information on how YouTube handles user data, please consult the YouTube Data Privacy Policy under: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en.

Vimeo

This website uses plug-ins of the video portal Vimeo. The provider is Vimeo Inc., 555 West 18th Street, New York, New York 10011, USA.

If you visit one of the pages on our website into which a Vimeo video has been integrated, a connection to Vimeo’s servers will be established. As a consequence, the Vimeo server will receive information as to which of our pages you have visited. Moreover, Vimeo will receive your IP address. This will also happen if you are not logged into Vimeo or do not have an account with Vimeo. The information recorded by Vimeo will be transmitted to Vimeo’s server in the United States.

If you are logged into your Vimeo account, you enable Vimeo to directly allocate your browsing patterns to your personal profile. You can prevent this by logging out of your Vimeo account.

Vimeo uses cookies or comparable recognition technologies (e.g. device fingerprinting) to recognize website visitors.

The use of Vimeo is based on our interest in presenting our online content in an appealing manner. Pursuant to Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, this is a legitimate interest. If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TTDSG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TTDSG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission and, according to Vimeo, on “legitimate business interests”. Details can be found here: https://vimeo.com/privacy.

For more information on how Vimeo handles user data, please consult the Vimeo Data Privacy Policy under: https://vimeo.com/privacy.

Google Maps

This website uses the mapping service Google Maps. The provider is Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

To enable the use of the Google Maps features, your IP address must be stored. As a rule, this information is transferred to one of Google’s servers in the United States, where it is archived. The operator of this website has no control over the data transfer. In case Google Maps has been activated, Google has the option to use Google web fonts for the purpose of the uniform depiction of fonts. When you access Google Maps, your browser will load the required web fonts into your browser cache, to correctly display text and fonts.

We use Google Maps to present our online content in an appealing manner and to make the locations disclosed on our website easy to find. This constitutes a legitimate interest as defined in Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TTDSG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TTDSG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://privacy.google.com/businesses/gdprcontrollerterms/ and https://privacy.google.com/businesses/gdprcontrollerterms/sccs/.

For more information on the handling of user data, please review Google’s Data Privacy Declaration under: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en.

Wordfence

We have included Wordfence on this website. The provider is Defiant Inc, Defiant, Inc, 800 5th Ave Ste 4100, Seattle, WA 98104, USA (hereinafter “Wordfence”).

Wordfence is designed to protect our website from unwanted access or malicious cyberattacks. To accomplish this, our website establishes a permanent connection with Wordfence’s servers, which check and block their databases against access to our website.

The use of Wordfence is based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the most effective protection of his website against cyberattacks. If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TTDSG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TTDSG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

Data transmission to the USA is based on the standard contractual clauses of the EU Commission. Details can be found here: https://www.wordfence.com/help/general-data-protection-regulation/.

Data processing

SoundCloud

We may have integrated plug-ins of the social network SoundCloud (SoundCloud Limited, Berners House, 47-48 Berners Street, London W1T 3NF, Great Britain) into this website. You will be able to recognize such SoundCloud plug-ins by checking for the SoundCloud logo on the respective pages.

Whenever you visit this website, a direct connection between your browser and the SoundCloud server will be established immediately after the plug-in has been activated. As a result, SoundCloud will be notified that you have used your IP address to visit this website. If you click the “Like” button or the “Share” button while you are logged into your Sound Cloud user account, you can link the content of this website to your SoundCloud profile and/or share the content. Consequently, SoundCloud will be able to allocate the visit to this website to your user account. We emphasize that we as the provider of the websites do not have any knowledge of the data transferred and the use of this data by SoundCloud.

Data are stored and analyzed on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the highest possible visibility on social media. If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TTDSG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TTDSG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

Great Britain is considered a secure non-EU country as far as data protection legislation is concerned. This means that the data protection level in Great Britain is equivalent to the data protection level of the European Union.

For more information about this, please consult SoundCloud’s Data Privacy Declaration at: https://soundcloud.com/pages/privacy.

If you prefer not to have your visit to this website allocated to your SoundCloud user account by SoundCloud, please log out of your SoundCloud user account before you activate content of the SoundCloud plug-in.

9. eCommerce and payment service providers

Processing of Customer and Contract Data

We collect, process, and use personal customer and contract data for the establishment, content arrangement and modification of our contractual relationships. Data with personal references to the use of this website (usage data) will be collected, processed, and used only if this is necessary to enable the user to use our services or required for billing purposes. The legal basis for these processes is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.

The collected customer data shall be deleted upon completion of the order or termination of the business relationship and upon expiration of any existing statutory archiving periods. This shall be without prejudice to any statutory archiving periods.

Data transfer upon closing of contracts for online stores, retailers, and the shipment of merchandise

Whenever you order merchandise from us, we will share your personal data with the transportation company entrusted with the delivery as well as the payment service commissioned to handle the payment transactions. Only the data these respective service providers require to meet their obligations will be shared. The legal basis for this sharing is Art. 6 (1)(b) GDPR, which permits the processing of data for the fulfillment of contractual or pre-contractual obligations. If you give us your respective consent pursuant to Art. 6 (1)(a) GDPR, we will share your email address with the transportation company entrusted with the delivery so that this company can notify you on the shipping status for your order via email. You have the option to revoke your consent at any time.

Data transfer upon closing of contracts for services and digital content

We share personal data with third parties only if this is necessary in conjunction with the handling of the contract; for instance, with the financial institution tasked with the processing of payments.

Any further transfer of data shall not occur or shall only occur if you have expressly consented to the transfer. Any sharing of your data with third parties in the absence of your express consent, for instance for advertising purposes, shall not occur.

The basis for the processing of data is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR, which permits the processing of data for the fulfilment of a contract or for pre-contractual actions.

Payment services

We integrate payment services of third-party companies on our website. When you make a purchase from us, your payment data (e.g. name, payment amount, bank account details, credit card number) are processed by the payment service provider for the purpose of payment processing. For these transactions, the respective contractual and data protection provisions of the respective providers apply. The use of the payment service providers is based on Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (contract processing) and in the interest of a smooth, convenient, and secure payment transaction (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). Insofar as your consent is requested for certain actions, Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR is the legal basis for data processing; consent may be revoked at any time for the future.

We use the following payment services / payment service providers within the scope of this website:

PayPal

The provider of this payment service is PayPal (Europe) S.à.r.l. et Cie, S.C.A., 22-24 Boulevard Royal, L-2449 Luxembourg (hereinafter “PayPal”).

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://www.paypal.com/de/webapps/mpp/ua/pocpsa-full.

Details can be found in PayPal’s privacy policy: https://www.paypal.com/de/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full.

Stripe

The provider for customers within the EU is Stripe Payments Europe, Ltd,1 Grand Canal Street Lower, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin, Ireland (hereinafter “Stripe”).

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://stripe.com/de/privacy and https://stripe.com/de/guides/general-data-protection-regulation.

Details can be found in Stripe’s Privacy Policy at the following link: https://stripe.com/de/privacy.

instant transfer Sofort

The provider of this payment service is Sofort GmbH, Theresienhöhe 12, 80339 Munich, Germany (hereinafter “Sofort GmbH”). With the help of the “Sofortüberweisung” procedure, we receive a payment confirmation from Sofort GmbH in real time and can immediately begin to fulfill our obligations. If you have chosen the payment method “Sofortüberweisung”, please send the PIN and a valid TAN to Sofort GmbH, with which it can log into your online banking account. Sofort GmbH automatically checks your account balance after logging in and carries out the transfer to us with the help of the TAN you have transmitted. Afterwards, it immediately sends us a transaction confirmation. After you log in, your turnover, the credit limit of the overdraft facility and the existence of other accounts and their balances are also checked automatically. In addition to the PIN and the TAN, the payment data entered by you as well as personal data will be transmitted to Sofort GmbH. The data about your person are first and last name, address, telephone number(s), email address, IP address and possibly other data required for payment processing. The transmission of this data is necessary to determine your identity beyond doubt and to prevent fraud attempts. For details on payment with immediate bank transfer, please refer to the following links: https://www.sofort.de/datenschutz.html and https://www.klarna.com/sofort/.

giropay

The provider of this payment service is the paydirekt GmbH, Stephanstraße 14 – 16, 60313 Frankfurt am Main (hereinafter referred to as “giropay”).

For details, please consult giropay’s Data Privacy Policy at: https://www.paydirekt.de/agb/index.html.

10. Online-based Audio and Video Conferences (Conference tools)

Data processing

We use online conference tools, among other things, for communication with our customers. The tools we use are listed in detail below. If you communicate with us by video or audio conference using the Internet, your personal data will be collected and processed by the provider of the respective conference tool and by us. The conferencing tools collect all information that you provide/access to use the tools (email address and/or your phone number). Furthermore, the conference tools process the duration of the conference, start and end (time) of participation in the conference, number of participants and other “context information” related to the communication process (metadata).

Furthermore, the provider of the tool processes all the technical data required for the processing of the online communication. This includes, in particular, IP addresses, MAC addresses, device IDs, device type, operating system type and version, client version, camera type, microphone or loudspeaker and the type of connection.

Should content be exchanged, uploaded, or otherwise made available within the tool, it is also stored on the servers of the tool provider. Such content includes, but is not limited to, cloud recordings, chat/ instant messages, voicemail uploaded photos and videos, files, whiteboards, and other information shared while using the service.

Please note that we do not have complete influence on the data processing procedures of the tools used. Our possibilities are largely determined by the corporate policy of the respective provider. Further information on data processing by the conference tools can be found in the data protection declarations of the tools used, and which we have listed below this text.

Purpose and legal bases

The conference tools are used to communicate with prospective or existing contractual partners or to offer certain services to our customers (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). Furthermore, the use of the tools serves to generally simplify and accelerate communication with us or our company (legitimate interest in the meaning of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). Insofar as consent has been requested, the tools in question will be used on the basis of this consent; the consent may be revoked at any time with effect from that date.

Duration of storage

Data collected directly by us via the video and conference tools will be deleted from our systems immediately after you request us to delete it, revoke your consent to storage, or the reason for storing the data no longer applies. Stored cookies remain on your end device until you delete them. Mandatory legal retention periods remain unaffected.

We have no influence on the duration of storage of your data that is stored by the operators of the conference tools for their own purposes. For details, please directly contact the operators of the conference tools.

Conference tools used

We employ the following conference tools:

Zoom

We use Zoom. The provider of this service is Zoom Communications Inc, San Jose, 55 Almaden Boulevard, 6th Floor, San Jose, CA 95113, USA. For details on data processing, please refer to Zoom’s privacy policy: https://zoom.us/en-us/privacy.html.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://zoom.us/de-de/privacy.html.