PRIVACY POLICY
Privacy Policy Introduction and Overview
We have written this privacy policy (version 10.09.2022-322108339) in order to explain to you, inaccordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 andapplicable 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 legaloptions you have. The terms used are to be considered gender-neutral.
If you still have questions, we kindly ask you to contact the responsible body named below or in theimprint, follow the existing links and look at further information on third-party sites. You can ofcourse also find our contact details in the imprint.
Scope
This privacy policy applies to all personal data processed by our company and to all personal dataprocessed by companies commissioned by us (processors). With the term personal data, we referto information within the meaning of Article 4 No. 1 GDPR, such as the name, email address andpostal address of a person. The processing of personal data ensures that we can offer and invoice
our services and products, be it online or offline. The scope of this privacy policy includes:
all online presences (websites, online shops) that we operate
Social media presences and email communication
mobile apps for smartphones and other devices
Legal bases
In the following privacy policy, we provide you with transparent information on the legal principlesand regulations, i.e. the legal bases of the General Data Protection Regulation, which enable us toprocess personal data.
Whenever EU law is concerned, we refer to REGULATION (EU) 2016/679 OF THE EUROPEANPARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of April 27, 2016. You can of course access the General DataProtection Regulation of the EU online at EUR-Lex, the gateway to EU law, at
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32016R0679.
We only process your data if at least one of the following conditions applies:
1. Consent (Article 6 Paragraph 1 lit. a GDPR): You have given us your consent to process datafor a specific purpose. An example would be the storage of data you entered into a contactform.
2. Contract (Article 6 Paragraph 1 lit. b GDPR): We process your data in order to fulfill a contractor pre-contractual obligations with you. For example, if we conclude a sales contract with you,we need personal information in advance.
3. Legal obligation (Article 6 Paragraph 1 lit. c GDPR): If we are subject to a legal obligation, wewill process your data. For example, we are legally required to keep invoices for ourbookkeeping. These usually contain personal data.
4. Legitimate interests (Article 6 Paragraph 1 lit. f GDPR): In the case of legitimate intereststhat do not restrict your basic rights, we reserve the right to process personal data. Forexample, we have to process certain data in order to be able to operate our website securely
and economically. Therefore, the processing is a legitimate interest.Other conditions such as making recordings in the interest of the public, the exercise of officialauthority as well as the protection of vital interests do not usually occur with us. Should such a legalbasis be relevant, it will be disclosed in the appropriate place.In addition to the EU regulation, national laws also apply:
In Germany this is the Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz), in shortBDSG.
Should other regional or national laws apply, we will inform you about them in the following sections.
Contact details of the data protection controller
If you have any questions about data protection, you will find the contact details of the responsibleperson or controller below:
Anja Bohnhof
Wittekindstr. 5a
44139 Dortmund
E-Mail: kontakt@bohnhofphoto.de
Phone: +491778856172
Company details: https://www.bohnhofphoto.de/impressum/
Storage Period
It is a general criterion for us to store personal data only for as long as is absolutely necessary forthe provision of our services and products. This means that we delete personal data as soon as anyreason for the data processing no longer exists. In some cases, we are legally obliged to keep certain data stored even after the original purpose no longer exists, such as for accounting purposes.
If you want your data to be deleted or if you want to revoke your consent to data processing, thedata will be deleted as soon as possible, provided there is no obligation to continue its storage.We will inform you below about the specific duration of the respective data processing, providedwe have further information.
Rights in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation
In accordance with Articles 13, 14 of the GDPR, we inform you about the following rights you have to ensure fair and transparent processing of data:According to Article 15 DSGVO, you have the right to information about whether we areprocessing data about you. If this is the case, you have the right to receive a copy of the dataand to know the following information:
for what purpose we are 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 evaluated to arrive ata personal profile of you.You have a right to rectification of data according to Article 16 GDPR, which means that wemust correct data if you find errors.You have the right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”) according to Article 17 GDPR, whichspecifically means that you may request the deletion of your data.
According to Article 18 of the GDPR, you have the right to restriction of processing, which means that we may only store the data but not use it further. According to Article 20 of the GDPR, you have the right to data portability, which means thatwe will provide you with your data in a standard format upon request. According to Article 21 DSGVO, you have the right to object, which entails a change inprocessing after enforcement. If the processing of your data is based on Article 6(1)(e) (public interest, exercise ofofficial authority) or Article 6(1)(f) (legitimate interest), you may object to the processing.We will then check as soon as possible whether we can legally comply with thisobjection. If data is used to conduct direct advertising, you may object to this type of dataprocessing at any time. We may then no longer use your data for direct marketing.If data is used to conduct profiling, you may object to this type of data processing at anytime. We may no longer use your data for profiling thereafter. According to Article 22 of the GDPR, you may have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing (for example, profiling). You have the right to lodge a complaint under Article 77 of the GDPR. This means that you can complain to the data protection authority at any time if you believe that the data processing of personal data violates the GDPR. In Germany, there is a data protection officer for each federal state. For more information, you cancontact the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI). The following local data protection authority is responsible for our company:
Nordrhein-Westfalen Data protection authority
State Commissioner for Data Protection: Bettina Gayk
Address: Kavalleriestraße 2-4, 40213 Düsseldorf
Phone number: 02 11/384 24-0
E-mail address: poststelle@ldi.nrw.de
Website: https://www.ldi.nrw.de/
Cookies
Cookies Overview
Affected parties: visitors to the website
Purpose: depending on the respective cookie. You can find out more details below or from the software manufacturer that sets the cookie.
Processed data: depends on the cookie used. More details can be found below or from the
manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.
Storage duration: can vary from hours to years, depending on the respective cookie
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.
In the following 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 are using a browser. Common browsers are for example, Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge. Most websites store small text-files in your browser. These files are called cookies. It is important to note that cookies are very useful little helpers. Almost every website uses cookies. More precisely, these are HTTP cookies, as there are also other cookies for other uses. HTTP cookies are small files that our website stores on your computer. These cookie files are automatically placed into the cookie-folder, which is the “brain” of your browser. A cookie consists of a name and a value. Moreover, to define a cookie, one or multiple attributes must be specified. Cookies store certain user data about you, such as language or personal page settings. When you re-open our website to visit again, your browser submits these “user-related” information back to our site. Thanks to cookies, our website knows who you are and offers you the settings you are familiar to. In some browsers, each cookie has its own file, while in others, such as Firefox, all cookies are stored in one 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. The browser then uses this 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 site, while third-party cookies are created by partner-websites (e.g. Google Analytics). Each cookie must be evaluated individually, as each cookie stores different data. The 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 your PC’s information.
This is an example of how cookie-files can look:
Name: _ga
Value: GA1.2.1326744211.152322108339-9
Purpose: Differentiation between website visitors
Expiry date: after 2 years
A browser should support these minimum sizes:
At least 4096 bytes per cookie
At least 50 cookies per domain
At least 3000 cookies in total
Which types of cookies are there?
The exact cookies that we use, depend on the used services, which will be outlined in the following sections of this privacy policy. Firstly, we will briefly focus on the different types of HTTP-cookies. There are 4 different types of cookies:
Essential cookies
These cookies are necessary to ensure the basic functions of a website. They are needed when a user for example puts a product into their shopping cart, then continues surfing on different websites and comes back later in order to proceed to the checkout. These cookies ensure the shopping cart does not get deleted, even if the user closes their browser window.
Purposive cookies
These cookies collect information about user behaviour and whether the user receives any error messages. Furthermore, these cookies record the website’s loading time as well as its behaviour in different browsers.
Target-orientated cookies
These cookies ensure better user-friendliness. Thus, information such as previously entered locations, fonts sizes or data in forms stay stored.
Advertising cookies
These cookies are also known as targeting cookies. They serve the purpose of delivering customised advertisements to the user. This can be very practical, but also rather annoying. Upon your first visit to a website you are usually asked which of these cookie-types you want to accept. Furthermore, this decision will of course also be stored in a cookie.
Purpose of processing via cookies
The purpose ultimately depends on the respective cookie. You can find out more details below or from the software manufacturer that sets the cookie.
Which data are processed?
Cookies are little helpers for a wide variety of tasks. Unfortunately, it is not possible to tell which data is generally stored in cookies, but in the privacy policy below we will inform you on what data is processed or stored.
Storage period of cookies
The storage period depends on the respective cookie and is further specified below. Some cookies are erased after less than an hour, while others can remain on a computer for several years. You can also influence the storage duration yourself. You can manually erase all cookies at any time in your browser (also see “Right of objection” below). Furthermore, the latest instance cookies based on consent will be erased is after you withdraw your consent. The legality of storage will remain unaffected until then.
Right of objection – how can I erase cookies?
You can decide for yourself how and whether you want to use cookies. Regardless of which service or website the cookies originate from, you always have the option of erasing, deactivating or only partially accepting cookies. You can for example block third-party cookies but allow all other cookies. If you want to find out which cookies have been stored in your browser, or if you want to change or erase cookie settings, you can find this option in your browser settings:
Chrome: Clear, enable and manage cookies in Chrome
Safari: Manage cookies and website data in Safari
Firefox: Clear cookies and site data in Firefox
Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies
Microsoft Edge: Delete cookies in Microsoft Edge
If you generally do not want cookies, you can set up your browser in a way to notify you whenever a cookie is about to be set. This gives you the opportunity to manually decide to either permit or deny the placement of every single cookie. This procedure varies depending on the browser. Therefore, it might be best for you to search for the instructions in Google. If you are using Chrome, you could for example put the search term “delete cookies Chrome” or “deactivate cookies Chrome” into Google.
Legal basis
The so-called “cookie directive” has existed since 2009. It states that the storage of cookies requires your consent (Article 6 Paragraph 1 lit. a GDPR). Within countries of the EU, however, the reactions to these guidelines still vary greatly. In Austria, however, this directive was implemented in Section 96 (3) of the Telecommunications Act (TKG). In Germany, the cookie guidelines have not been implemented as national law. Instead, this guideline was largely implemented in Section 15 (3) of
the Telemedia Act (TMG). For absolutely 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 offer our visitors a pleasant user experience on our website. For this, certain cookies often are absolutely necessary. This is exclusively done with your consent, unless absolutely necessary cookies are used. The legal basis for this is Article 6 (1) (a) of the GDPR. In the following sections you will find more detail on the use of cookies, provided the used software does use cookies.
Web Hosting
Web hosting Overview
Affected parties: visitors to the website
Purpose: professional hosting of the website and security of operations
Processed data: IP address, time of website visit, browser used and other data. You can
find more details on this below or at the respective web hosting provider.
Storage period: dependent on the respective provider, but usually 2 weeks
Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)
What is web hosting?
Every time you visit a website nowadays, certain information – including personal data – is automatically created and stored, including on this website. This data should be processed as sparingly as possible, and only with good reason. By website, we mean the entirety of all websites on your domain, i.e. everything from the homepage to the very last subpage (like this one here). By domain we mean example.uk or examplepage.com. When you want to view a website on a screen, you use a program called a web browser. You probably know the names of some web browsers: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari. The web browser has to connect to another computer which stores the website’s code: the web server. Operating a web server is complicated and time-consuming, which is why this is usually done by professional providers. They offer web hosting and thus ensure the reliable and flawless storage of website data. Whenever the browser on your computer establishes a connection (desktop, laptop, smartphone) and whenever data is being transferred to and from the web server, personal data may be processed. After all, your computer stores data, and the web server also has to retain the data for a period of time in order to ensure it can operate properly.
Why do we process personal data?
The purposes of data processing are:
1. Professional hosting of the website and operational security
2. To maintain the operational as well as IT security
3. Anonymous evaluation of access patterns to improve our offer, and if necessary, for prosecution or the pursuit of claims.li>
Which data are processed?
Even while you are visiting our website, our web server, that is the computer on which this website is saved, usually automatically saves data such as the full address (URL) of the accessed website (e. g.
https://www.examplepage.uk/examplesubpage.html?tid=322108339)
browser and browser version (e.g. Chrome 87)
the operating system used (e.g. Windows 10)
the address (URL) of the previously visited page (referrer URL) (e. g.
https://www.examplepage.uk/icamefromhere.html/)
the host name and the IP address of the device from the website is being accessed from (e.g.
COMPUTERNAME and 194.23.43.121)
date and time
in so-called web server log files
How long is the data stored?
Generally, the data mentioned above are stored for two weeks and are then automatically deleted. We do not pass these data on to others, but we cannot rule out the possibility that this data may be viewed by the authorities in the event of illegal conduct.
Legal basis
The lawfulness of processing personal data in the context of web hosting is justified in Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (safeguarding of legitimate interests), as the use of professional hosting with a provider is necessary to present the company in a safe and user-friendly manner on the internet, as well as to have the ability to track any attacks and claims, if necessary.
STRATO Privacy Policy
We use STRATO for our website, which is a web hosting provider, among other things. The provider of this service is the German company STRATO AG, Pascalstraße 10, 10587 Berlin, Germany. You can find out more about the data that is processed through the use of STRATO in their Privacy Policy at https://www.strato.de/datenschutz.
Website Builders Introduction
Website Builders Privacy Policy Overview
Affected parties: website visitors
Purpose: service optimisation
Data processed: The data that is being processed includes but is not limited to technical usage information, browser activity, clickstream activity, session heat maps, contact details, IP addresses or geographic locations. You can find more details in the Privacy Policy below as well as in the providers’ Privacy Policies. Storage duration: depends on the provider Legal bases: Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests), Art. 6 (1) lit. a GDPR (consent)
What are website builders?
We use a modular website builder for our website. This is a special form of Content Management System (CMS). Website builders enable website operators to create websites very easily and without any programming knowledge. In many cases, web hosts also offer website builders. Your personal data may be collected, stored and processed if a website builder is being used. In this Privacy Policy, you will find general information about data that is processed by such modular website builder systems. You can find more information in the respective provider’s Privacy Policy.
Why do we use website builders for our website?
The greatest advantage of modular website builders is their ease of use. We want to offer you a clear, simple and nicely designed website that we can easily operate and maintain by ourselves – without needing any external support. Nowadays website builders offer many helpful functions that we can use even without having any programming knowledge. This enables us to design our website according to our wishes and therefore, to give you an informative and pleasant experience on our website.
Which data are stored by website builders?
First of all, the exact data that is stored depends on the website builder that is being used. Each provider processes and collects different data from website visitors. However, technical usage information such as users’ operating system, browser, screen resolution, language and keyboard settings, hosting provider as well as the date of the website visit are usually collected. Moreover, tracking data (e. g. browser activity, clickstream activities, session heat maps, etc.) may also be processed. The same goes for personal data, since data such as contact information e. g. email address, telephone number (if you have provided it), IP address and geographic location data may also be processed and stored. In the respective provider’s Privacy Policy, you can find out exactly which of your data is getting stored.
How long and where are the data stored?
Provided that we have any further information on this, we will inform you below about the duration of the data processing associated with the website builder we use. You can find detailed information on this in the provider’s Privacy Policy. Generally, we only process personal data for as long as is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. The provider may store your data according to their own specifications, over which we have no influence.
Right to object
You always retain the right to information, rectification and erasure of your personal data. If you have any questions, you can also contact the responsible parties at the respective website builder system at any time. You can find the corresponding contact details either in our Privacy Policy or on the website of the respective provider. What is more, in your browser you can clear, disable or manage cookies that providers use for their functions. Depending on the browser you use, this can be done in different ways. Please note, that this may lead to not all functions working as usual anymore.
Legal Bases
We have a legitimate interest in using a website builder system to optimise our online service andpresent it in an efficient and user-friendly way. The corresponding legal basis for this is Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use the website builder system if you have consented to it. If the processing of data is not absolutely necessary for the operation of the website, your data will only be processed on the basis of your consent. This particularly applies to tracking activities. The legal basis for this is Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR. With this Privacy Policy, we have made you more familiar with the most important general information on data processing. If you want to find out more about this, you will find further information – if available – in the following section or in the Privacy Policy of the provider.
Wix Privacy Policy
Wix Privacy Policy Overview
Affected parties: website visitors
Purpose: service optimisation
Processed data: data such as technical usage information like browser activity, clickstream activities, session heat maps and contact details, IP addresses or geographic locations. You can find more details on this in the Privacy Policy below.
Storage period: no precise information is known
Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate
interests)
What is Wix?
For our website we use the website construction-kit Wix by the Israeli company Wix.com Ltd., 40 Hanamal Tel Aviv St., Tel Aviv 6350671, Israel. In addition to the headquarters in Tel Aviv, the company also has other headquarters such as in Berlin, Dublin, Vancouver, or New York. Due to the use of Wix, your personal data may be collected, stored and processed. In this privacy policy we want to explain why we use Wix, what data is stored, where your data is stored and how you can prevent data retention. Wix is a website construction-kit that makes it very easy to create HTML5 websites as well as mobile websites. The online platform is based on the cloud principle and allows easy integration of various Wix or third-party provider functions into your own website.
Why do we use Wix on our website?
For working on our website, we need an easy-to-use system, that allows us to present you a beautiful design and interesting content quickly and easily. We have found Wix to be the right system for this. Thanks to both, Wix’s easy operation and its extensive functions, we can design our website as we wish, while ensuring its user-friendliness.
What data is stored by Wix?
Non-personal data include for example technical usage information such as browser activity, clickstream activity, session heat maps, as well as data about your computer, operating system,
browser, screen resolution, language and keyboard settings, internet provider and date of the page visit. Personal data are also recorded. These are primarily contact details (email address or telephone number, if you have provided them), IP address or your geographical location. Tracking systems such as cookies are used to collect data about your behaviour on our website. For example, it records which sub-pages you take a particular interest in, how much time you spend on individual pages, when you leave a page (bounce rate) or which pre-sets (e.g. language settings) you have made. Based on this data, Wix.com can adjust their marketing measures better to your interests and your user behaviour. Therefore, the next time you visit our website, you will get to view it with the settings you have chosen priorly. Wix.com may also forward personal data to third parties (such as service providers).
How long and where is the data stored?
Your data can be stored on various servers that are distributed across the globe. For example, the data can be stored in the USA, Ireland, South Korea, Taiwan, or Israel. Wix always stores data until it is no longer required for their provided service. We have not yet been able to find out more about the period the data is stored for.
How can I delete my data or prevent data retention?
You have the option to update, correct or delete your personal data at any time. You can also contact Wix’s data protection department directly at privacy@wix.com. To deactivate, delete, or manage cookies you have to select the appropriate settings in your browser. Depending on which browser you use, the cookie settings work a little differently. Wix.com Ltd. is headquartered in Israel. The European Commission declared Israel to be a country that provides adequate protection for personal data of EU citizens.
Legal basis
If you have consented to the use of Wix, your consent is the legal basis for the corresponding data processing. According to Art. 6 Paragraph 1 lit. (Consent) your consent is the legal basis for the
processing of personal data as may occur when collected by Wix. We also have a legitimate interest in using Wix to optimise our online service and to present our services nicely for you. The corresponding legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). Wix uses standard contractual clauses approved by the EU Commission (= Art. 46, paragraphs 2 and 3 of the GDPR) as basis for data processing by recipients based in third countries (which are outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) or for data transfer there. These clauses oblige Wix to comply with the EU‘s level of data protection when processing relevant data outside the EU. These clauses are based on an implementing order by the EU Commission. You can find the order and the clauses here: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_2847. With this Privacy Policy we have made you familiar with the most important information on data processing by Wix.com.
Web Analytics
Web Analytics Privacy Policy Overview
Affected parties: visitors to the website
Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimise the website.
Processed data: Access statistics that contain data such as access location, device data, access duration and time, navigation behaviour, click behaviour and IP addresses. You can find more details on this from the respective web analytics tool directly.
Storage period: depending on the respective 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, which is known as web analytics, in order to evaluate website visitor behaviour. Thus, data is collected, which the analytic tool provider (also called tracking tool) stores, manages and processes. Analyses of user behaviour on our website are created with this data, which we as the website operator receive. Most tools also offer various testing options. These enable us, to for example test which offers or content our visitors prefer. For this, we may show you two different offers for a limited period of time. After the test (a so-called A/B test) we know which product or content our website visitors find more interesting. For such testing as well as for various other analyses, user profiles are created and the respective data is stored in cookies.
Why do we run Web Analytics?
We have a clear goal in mind when it comes to our website: we want to offer our industry’s best website on the market. Therefore, we want to give you both, the best and most interesting offer as well as comfort when you visit our website. With web analysis tools, we can observe the behaviour of our website visitors, and then improve our website accordingly for you and for us. For example, we can see the average age of our visitors, where they come from, the times our website gets visited the most, and which content or products are particularly popular. All this information helps us to optimise our website and adapt it to your needs, interests and wishes.
Which data are processed?
The exact data that is stored depends on the analysis tools that are being used. But generally, data such as the content you view on our website are stored, as well as e. g. which buttons or links you click, when you open a page, which browser you use, which device (PC, tablet, smartphone, etc.) you visit the website with, or which computer system you use. If you have agreed that location data may also be collected, this data may also be processed by the provider of the web analysis tool. Moreover, 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 in a pseudonymised form (i.e. in an unrecognisable and abbreviated form). No directly linkable data such as your name, age, address or email address are stored for testing purposes, web analyses and web optimisations. If this data is collected, it is retained in a pseudonymised form. Therefore, it cannot be used to identify you as a person. The following example shows Google Analytics’ functionality as an example for client-based web tracking with JavaScript code. The storage period of the respective data always depends on the provider. Some cookies only retain data for a few minutes or until you leave the website, while other cookies can store data for several years.
Duration of data processing
If we have any further information on the duration of data processing, you will find it below. We generally only process personal data for as long as is absolutely necessary to provide products and services. The storage period may be extended if it is required by law, such as for accounting purposes for example for accounting.
Right to object
You also have the option and the right to revoke 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. For example, you can also prevent data processing by cookies by managing, deactivating or erasing cookies in your browser.
Legal basis
The use of Web Analytics requires your consent, which we obtained with our cookie popup. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a of the GDPR (consent), this consent represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data, such as by collection through Web Analytics tools. In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analysing the behaviour of website visitors, which enables us to technically and economically improve our offer. With Web Analytics, we can recognise website errors, identify attacks and improve profitability. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f of the GDPR (legitimate interests). Since Web Analytics tools use cookies, we recommend you to read our privacy policy on cookies. If you want to find out which of your data are stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools. If available, information on special Web Analytics tools can be found in the following sections.
Google Analytics Privacy Policy
Google Analytics Privacy Policy Overview
Affected parties: website visitors
Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimise the website.
Processed data: Access statistics that contain data such as the location of access, device
data, access duration and time, navigation behaviour, click behaviour and IP addresses. You
can find more details on this in the privacy policy below.
Storage period: depending on the properties used
Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)
What is Google Analytics?
We use the tracking and analysis tool Google Analytics (GA) of the US-American company Google
LLC (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View, CA 94043, USA). Google Analytics collects data on your actions on our website. Whenever you click a link for example, this action is saved in a cookie and transferred to Google Analytics. With the help of reports which we receive from Google Analytics, we can adapt our website and our services better to your wishes. In the following, we will explain the tracking tool in more detail, and most of all, we will inform you what data is saved and how you can prevent this. Google Analytics is a tracking tool with the purpose of conducting data traffic analysis of our website. For Google Analytics to work, there is a tracking code integrated to our website. Upon your visit to our website, this code records various actions you perform on your website. As soon as you leave our website, this data is sent to the Google Analytics server, where it is stored. Google processes this data and we then receive reports on your user behaviour. These reports can be one of the following:
Target audience reports: With the help of target audience reports we can get to know our users better and can therefore better understand who is interested in our service.
Advertising reports: Through advertising reports we can analyse our online advertising better and hence improve it.
Acquisition reports: Acquisition reports provide us helpful information on how we can get more people enthusiastic about our service.
Behaviour reports: With these reports, we can find out how you interact with our website. By the means of behaviour reports, we can understand what path you go on our website and what links you click.
Conversion reports: A conversion is the process of leading you to carry out a desired action due to a marketing message. An example of this would be transforming you from a mere website visitor into a buyer or a newsletter subscriber. Hence, with the help of these reports we can see in more detail, if our marketing measures are successful with you. Our aim is to increase our conversion rate.
Real time reports: With the help of these reports we can see in real time, what happens on our website. It makes us for example see, we can see how many users are reading this text right now.
Why do we use Google Analytics on our website?
The objective of our website is clear: We want to offer you the best possible service. Google Analytics’ statistics and data help us with reaching this goal. Statistically evaluated data give us a clear picture of the strengths and weaknesses of our website. On the one hand, we can optimise our page in a way, that makes it easier to be found by interested people on Google. On the other hand, the data helps us to get a better understanding of you as our visitor. Therefore, we can very accurately find out what we must improve on our website, in order to offer you the best possible service. The analysis of that data also enables us to carry out our advertising and marketing measures in a more individual and more cost-effective way. After all, it only makes sense to show our products and services exclusively to people who are interested in them.
What data is stored by Google Analytics?
With the aid of a tracking code, Google Analytics creates a random, unique ID which is connected to your browser cookie. That way, Google Analytics recognises you as a new user. The next time you visit our site, you will be recognised as a “recurring” user. All data that is collected gets saved together with this very user ID. Only this is how it is made possible for us to evaluate and analyse pseudonymous user profiles. To analyse our website with Google Analytics, a property ID must be inserted into the tracking code. The data is then stored in the corresponding property. Google Analytics 4-property is standard for every newly created property. An alternative however, is the Universal Analytics Property. Depending on the property that is being used, data are stored for different periods of time. Your interactions on our website are measured by tags such as cookies and app instance IDs. Interactions are all kinds of actions that you perform on our website. If you are also using other Google systems (such as a Google Account), data generated by Google Analytics can be linked with third-party cookies. Google does not pass on any Google Analytics data, unless we as the website owners authorise it. In case it is required by law, exceptions can occur. Below we will give you an overview of the most important data that can be evaluated by Google
Analytics:
Heatmaps: Google creates so-called Heatmaps an. These Heatmaps make it possible to see the exact areas you click on, so we can get information on what routes you make on our website.
Session duration: Google calls the time you spend on our website without leaving it session duration. Whenever you are inactive for 20 minutes, the session ends automatically.
Bounce rate If you only look at one page of our website and then leave our website again, it is called a bounce.
Account creation: If you create an account or make an order on our website, Google Analytics collects this data.
IP-Address: The IP address is only shown in a shortened form, to make it impossible to clearly allocate it.
Location: Your approximate location and the country you are in can be defined by the IP address. This process is called IP location determination.
Technical information: Information about your browser type, your internet provider and your screen resolution are called technical information.
Source: Both, Google Analytics as well as ourselves, are interested what website or what advertisement led you to our site.
Further possibly stored data include contact data, potential reviews, playing media (e.g. when you play a video on our site), sharing of contents via social media or adding our site to your favourites. This list is not exhaustive and only serves as general guidance on Google Analytics’ data retention.
How long and where is the data stored?
Google has servers across the globe. Most of them are in America and therefore your data is mainly saved on American servers. Here you can read detailed information on where Google’s data centres are located: https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/locations/?hl=en Your data is allocated to various physical data mediums. This has the advantage of allowing to retrieve the data faster, and of protecting it better from manipulation. Every Google data centre emergency programs for your data. Hence, in case of a hardware failure at Google or a server error due to natural disasters, the risk for a service interruption stays relatively low. The data retention period depends on the properties used. When using the newer Google Analytics 4-properties, the retention period of your user data is set to 14 months. For so-called event data, we have the option of choosing a retention period of either 2 months or 14 months. Google Analytics has a 26 months standardised period of retaining your user data. After this time, your user data is deleted. However, we have the possibility to choose the retention period of user data ourselves. There are the following five options:
Deletion after 14 months
Deletion after 26 months
Deletion after 38 months
Deletion after 50 months
No automatical deletion
Additionally, there is the option for data to be deleted only if you no longer visit our website within a period determined by us. In this case, the retention period will be reset every time you revisit our website within the specified period. As soon as the chosen period is expired, the data is deleted once a month. This retention period applies to any of your data which is linked to cookies, user identification and advertisement IDs (e.g. cookies of the DoubleClick domain). Any report results are based on aggregated information and are stored independently of any user data. Aggregated information is a merge of individual data into a single and bigger unit.
How can I delete my data or prevent data retention?
Under the provisions of the European Union’s data protection law, you have the right to obtain information on your data and to update, delete or restrict it. With the help of a browser add on that can deactivate Google Analytics’ JavaScript (ga.js, analytics.js, dc.js), you can prevent Google Analytics from using your data. You can download this add on at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en-GB. Please consider that this add on can only deactivate any data collection by Google Analytics.
Legal basis
The use of Google Analytics requires your consent, which we obtained via our cookie popup.
According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a of the GDPR (consent) , this is the legal basis for the processing of
personal data when collected via web analytics tools. In addition to consent, we have legitimate interest in analysing the behaviour of website visitors, in order to technically and economically improve our offer. With Google Analytics, we can recognise website errors, identify attacks and improve profitability. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit.
f of the GDPR (legitimate interests). Nevertheless, we only use Google Analytics if you have given your consent. Google also processes data in the USA, among other countries. We would like to note, that according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This can be associated with various risks to the legality and security of data processing. Google uses standard contractual clauses approved by the EU Commission as basis for data processing by recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and especially in the USA) or data transfer there (= Art. 46, paragraphs 2 and 3 of the GDPR). These clauses oblige Google to comply with the EU‘s level of data protection when processing relevant data outside the EU. These clauses are based on an implementing order by the EU Commission. You can find the order and the clauses here:
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_2847
The Google Ads Data Processing Terms, which reference the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://business.safety.google/intl/en/adsprocessorterms/.
Cookie Consent Management Platform
Cookie Consent Management Platform Overview
Affected parties: Website visitors
Purpose: Obtaining and managing consent to certain cookies and thus the use of certain
tools
Processed data: data for managing cookie settings such as IP address, time of consent, type
of consent and individual consent. You can find more details on this directly with the tool that
is being used.
Storage period: depends on the tool used, periods of several years can be assumed
Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate
interests)
What is a cookie consent management platform?
We use a Consent Management Platform (CMP) software on our website that makes it easier for us and you to handle the scripts and cookies used correctly and securely. The software automatically creates a cookie pop-up, scans and controls all scripts and cookies, provides you with the cookie consent required under data protection law and helps you and us 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 not.
Why do we use a cookie management tool?
Our goal 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 inform you as well as possible about all tools and all cookies that can save 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 actually landed on our website. Thanks to a cookie management tool, which regularly scans the website for all cookies present, we know about all cookies and can provide you with GDPR compliant information. You can then use the consent system to accept or reject cookies.
Which data are 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 saved either in an opt-in cookie or on a server. The storage time of your cookie consent varies depending on the provider of the cookie management tool. Usually this data (e.g. pseudonymous user ID, time of consent, detailed information on the cookie categories or tools, browser, device information) is stored for up to two years.
Duration of data processing
We will inform you below about the duration of the data processing if we have further information. In general, we only process personal data for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of our services and products. Data stored in cookies are stored for different lengths of time. Some cookies are deleted after you leave the website, others may be stored in your browser for a few years. The exact duration of the data processing depends on the tool used, in most cases you should be prepared for a storage period of several years. In the respective data protection declarations of the individual providers, you will usually receive precise information about the duration of the data processing.
Right of objection
You also have the right and the option to revoke 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 can be found – if available – in the following sections.
Legal basis
If you agree to cookies, your personal data will be processed and stored via these cookies. If we are allowed to use cookies with your consent (Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. a GDPR), this consent is also the legal basis for the use of cookies and the processing of your data. In order to be able to manage the consent to cookies and to enable you to give your consent, a cookie consent management platform software is used. The use of this software enables us to operate the website in an efficient and legally compliant manner, which is a legitimate interest (Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. f GDPR).
Online Map Services Introduction
Online Map Services Privacy Policy Overview
Affected parties: website visitors
Purpose: Improvement of user experience
Processed data: the data that is processed depends heavily on the services used. Usually, it is your IP address, location data, search queries and/or technical data. You can find more details on this under the respective tools used.
Storage duration: depends on the tools used
Legal bases: Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. f GDPR
(legitimate interests)
What are Online Map Services?
We also use online map services for our website as an extended service. Google Maps is probably
the service you are most familiar with. But there are also other providers out there that specialise in creating digital maps. These services allow the display of locations, route maps or other geographical information directly via our website. Thanks to an integrated map service, you no longer have to leave our website to e. g. view the route to a location. In order to ensure that the online map can run on our website, we have integrated map sections within our HTML code. This way the services can display street maps, the earth’s surface, or aerial or satellite imagery. If you use the built-in map service, your data will be transferred to the tool used, where it will be retained. This may also include your personal data.
Why do we use Online Map Services on our website?
Generally speaking, it is imperative for us to offer you a pleasant time on our website. Of course, we know that you will most likely only enjoy your time here if you can easily find your way around and find all the information you need quickly and easily. Therefore, we decided that an online map system may be a significant optimisation of our website’s service. After all, you can use the map system to easily view route descriptions, locations or any other points of interest – without leaving our site. Needless to say, it is certainly also very practical that you can easily see where our company headquarters are so that you can find us quickly and safely. As you can see, there are just a lot of advantages – and we clearly consider online map services on our website to be part of our customer service.
What data is stored by Online Map Services?
If you open a page on our website with an online map function installed, your personal data may be transmitted to the relevant service, where it may be stored. This usually includes your IP address, which may also be used to determine your approximate location. In addition to your IP address, data such as the search terms you entered, as well as your longitude and latitude coordinates will be stored. If you e. g. enter an address for route planning, this data will also be stored. This data is not stored by us but instead on the servers of the integrated tools. You can think of it like this: You may be on our website, but when you interact with a mapping service, that interaction is actually happening on their website. Moreover, in order for the service to function properly, at least one cookie is usually set in your browser. As an example, Google Maps also uses cookies to record user behaviour, with which it can optimise its own service and offer personalised advertising. You can find out more about cookies in our “Cookies” section.
How long and where is the data stored?
Every online map service process different user data. Provided we have further information, we will inform you about the duration of data processing in the corresponding sections on the individual tools below. Generally, personal data is only retained for as long as is necessary to provide the service. Google Maps e. g. stores certain data for a specified period of time, but you must erase other data yourself. At Mapbox, for example, your IP address is stored for 30 days after which it is deleted. As you can see, each tool stores data for different lengths of time. We thus recommend you take a closer look at the privacy policies of the tools used. The providers may use cookies to store data on your user behaviour in relation to their map services. You can find more information about cookies in our “Cookies” section, but in the individual providers’ privacy policies you can most probably also find out which cookies may be used. In most cases, however, this is only an indicative list and is not exhaustive.
Right to object
You always have the possibility and the right to access your personal data and to object to its use and processing. You can also revoke the consent you gave to us at any time. This is usually easiest through the cookie consent tool. However, there are other opt-out tools that you can use. You can also manage, erase or deactivate any cookies set by the used providers yourself with just a few mouse clicks. However, this may lead to some service functions stopping to work as usual. It also depends on your browser how you can manage cookies there. In our “Cookies” section you will find links to instructions of the most popular browsers.
Legal Basis
If you have agreed to the use of an online map service, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Article 6 Paragraph 1 lit. (consent) this consent is the legal basis for the processing of personal data as may occur when collected by an online map service. We also have a legitimate interest in using an online map service to optimise our service on our website. The corresponding legal basis for this is Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use an online map service if you have given your consent. We definitely wanted to stress this point once again. You can find information on specific online map services – if available – in the following sections.
Google Maps Privacy Policy
Google Maps Privacy Policy Overview
Affected parties: website visitors
Purpose: service optimisation
Processed data: data such as entered search terms, IP address as well as latitude and
longitude coordinates.
You can find more details on this in the Privacy Policy below.
Storage duration: depending on the retained data
Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate
interests)
What is Google Maps?
On our website we use Google Maps of the company Google Inc. (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View, CA 94043, USA). With the use of Google Maps, we can show you locations in a better way and can therefore adjust our service to your needs. Due to the utilisation of Google Maps, data gets transferred to Google and is saved on Google’s servers. In the following, we want to explain in detail what Google Maps is, why we use this Google service, what data is stored and how you can prevent this. Google Maps is an internet maps service of the company Google Inc. With Google Maps you can search for exact locations of cities, sights, accommodations or businesses online via a PC, a tablet or an app. If businesses are represented on Google My Business, the respective location as well as other information about the company are shown there. In order to show route directions, a location’s map sections can be integrated in a website through a HTML-code. Google Maps depicts the earth’s surface as either a road map or as air and satellite images. Due to the street view and high-quality satellite images, it is possible for exact representations to be made.
Why do we use Google Maps on our website?
The efforts we make on this page have the goal of giving you a useful and meaningful experience on our website. Through the integration of Google Maps, we can offer you essential information on various locations. Therefore, you can spot our office address with one glance. Furthermore, the route directions always show you the best and fastest way to us. You can retrieve the route directions for traveling either by car, by public transport, on foot or by bike. The integration of Google Maps is a part of our customer service.
What data is stored by Google Maps?
For Google Maps to offer its full services, the company must collect and store your data. This includes your entered search terms, your IP-address as well as your longitude and latitude coordinates. When you use the route-planner function, the entered start address is stored also. However, this data retention happens on Google Maps‘ websites. We can only inform you about it but cannot influence it in any way. Since we have included Google Maps on our website, Google will set at least one cookie (Name: NID) into your browser. This cookie saves data on your user behaviour. Google primarily uses this data to optimise is own services and to provide you with individual, personalised advertisements. The following cookies are set in your browser due to the integration of Google Maps:
Name: NID
Value: 188=h26c1Ktha7fCQTx8rXgLyATyITJ322108339-5
Purpose: Google uses NID in order to adjust advertisements to your Google searches. With the cookie’s help Google “remembers“ your most frequently entered search queries or your previous interaction with ads. That way you always receive customised advertisements. The cookie contains a unique ID, which Google uses to collect your personal settings for advertising purposes.
Expiration date: after 6 months
Note: We cannot guarantee completeness of the information on saved data. This is, because especially concerning the use of cookies, changes can happen anytime. To identify the cookie NID, a test page was created, to which Google Maps was included.
How long and where is the data stored?
There are Google servers in data centres across the entire planet. However, most servers are in America. For this reason, your data is widely stored in the USA. Here you can read in detail about where the Google servers are located: https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/locations/?hl=en
Google distributes data to various data carriers. This makes it possible to retrieve the data faster and to better protect it from possible attempted manipulations. Every server has emergency programs. Thus, should for example a problem with Google’s hardware occur or should a natural disaster impact the servers, any data will quite certainly stay protected. Moreover, Google saves some data for a specified period. With some other data on the other hand, Google only offers the opportunity for deleting it manually. Furthermore, the company anonymises information (e.g. advertising data) in server logs, by deleting a part of the IP-address and cookie information after 9 to 18 months.
How can I erase my data, or prevent data retention?
Due to the automatic delete function for location and activity data, which was introduced in 2019, information that is used for determining your location and web or app activity is saved for either 3 or 18 months, depending on your preferred decision, and is deleted thereafter. Furthermore, it is possible to delete this data manually from your browser history via your Google account anytime. If you want to prevent the determination of your location altogether, you must pause the category “Web and app activity” in your Google account. Click on “Data and personalisation” and then choose the option “Activity controls”. Here you can switch the activities on or off. Moreover, in your browser you can deactivate, delete or manage individual cookies. This function can differ a little, depending on what browser you are using. If you generally do not want to permit any cookies, you can set up your browser in a way that ensures you get informed whenever a cookie is about to be placed. That way you can decide to either permit or refuse every single cookie. Please note, that when using this tool, your data may also be stored and processed outside the EU. Most third countries (including the USA) are not considered secure under current European data protection law. Data to insecure third countries must not simply be transferred to, stored and processed there unless there are suitable guarantees (such as EU Standard Contractual Clauses) between us and the non-European service provider.
Legal basis
If you have consented to the use of Google Maps, your consent is the legal basis for the corresponding data processing. According to Art. 6 paragraph 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) this consent is the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as can occur when processed by Google Maps. We also have a legitimate interest in using Google Maps to optimise our online service. The corresponding legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). Nevertheless, we only use Google Maps if you have given your consent to it. Google also processes data in the USA, among other countries. We would like to note, that according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This can be associated with various risks to the legality and security of data processing. Google uses standard contractual clauses approved by the EU Commission as basis for data processing by recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and especially in the USA) or data transfer there (= Art. 46, paragraphs 2 and 3 of the GDPR). These clauses oblige Google to comply with the EU‘s level of data protection when processing relevant data outside the EU. These clauses are based on an implementing order by the EU Commission. You can find the order and the clauses here:
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_2847
The Google Ads Data Processing Terms, which reference the standard contractual clauses, can be found athttps://business.safety.google/intl/en/adsprocessorterms/.
If you want to find out more about Google’s data processing, we recommend you to read the
company’s own Privacy Policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en-GB.
All texts are copyrighted.