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Data protection

Introduction

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

The terms used are not gender-specific.

Data Protection Officer:

IITR Datenschutz GmbH, Dr. Sebastian Kraska, Marienplatz 2, 80331 Munich, e-mail: [email protected], phone: +49 (0) 89-18917360

Overview of processing

The following overview summarizes the types of data processed, the purposes of their processing, and refers to the affected individuals.

Types of processed data

  • Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses).
  • Content data (e.g. text entries, photographs, videos).
  • Contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers).
  • Meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times).
  • Contract data (e.g. subject matter of the contract, term, customer category).
  • Payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history).

Categories of data subjects

  • Employees (e.g. employees, applicants, former employees).
  • Business and contractual partners.
  • Interested parties.
  • Communication partners.
  • Customers.
  • Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).

Purposes of the processing

  • Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness.
  • Office and organizational procedures.
  • Direct marketing (e.g. by email or post).
  • Interest-based and behavioral marketing.
  • Contact requests and communication.
  • Profiling (creation of user profiles).
  • Remarketing.
  • Reach measurement (e.g. access statistics, recognition of returning visitors).
  • Security measures.
  • Tracking (e.g. interest/behavioral profiling, use of cookies).
  • Contractual services and service.
  • Managing and responding to inquiries.

Relevant legal bases

In the following, we inform you of the legal basis of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), on the basis of which we process personal data. Please note that in addition to the provisions of the GDPR, the national data protection regulations in your or our country of residence and domicile may apply.

  • Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a GDPR) – The data subject has given their consent to the processing of their personal data for a specific purpose or several specific purposes.
  • Performance of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b. GDPR) – Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract.
  • Legal obligation (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. c. GDPR) – Processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject.
  • Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f. GDPR) – Processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require protection of personal data.

National data protection regulations in Germany: In addition to the data protection regulations of the General Data Protection Regulation, national data protection regulations apply in Germany. These include, in particular, the Act on Protection against Misuse of Personal Data in Data Processing (Federal Data Protection Act – BDSG). In particular, the BDSG contains special regulations on the right to information, the right to erasure, the right to object, the processing of special categories of personal data, processing for other purposes and transmission as well as automated decision-making in individual cases, including profiling. It also regulates data processing for the purposes of the employment relationship (Section 26 BDSG), in particular with regard to the establishment, implementation or termination of employment relationships and the consent of employees. The data protection laws of the individual federal states may also apply.

Security measures

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

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

Shortening of the IP address: If it is possible for us or if it is not necessary to store the IP address, we shorten or have your IP address shortened. In the case of IP address truncation, also known as “IP masking”, the last octet, i.e. the last two digits of an IP address, are deleted (in this context, the IP address is an identifier individually assigned to an Internet connection by the online access provider). The purpose of shortening the IP address is to prevent or make it much more difficult to identify a person by their IP address.

SSL encryption (https): We use SSL encryption to protect your data transmitted via our online offering. You can recognize such encrypted connections by the prefix https:// in the address bar of your browser.

Transfer and disclosure of personal data

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

Data processing in third countries

If we process data in a third country (i.e. outside the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA)) or if the processing takes place in the context of the use of third-party services or the disclosure or transfer of data to other persons, bodies or companies, this will only take place in accordance with the legal requirements.

Subject to express consent or transfer required by contract or law, we only process or have the data processed in third countries with a recognized level of data protection, including US processors certified under the “Privacy Shield”, or on the basis of special guarantees, such as contractual obligations through so-called standard protection clauses of the EU Commission, the existence of certifications or binding internal data protection regulations (Art. 44 to 49 GDPR, information page of the EU Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection/international-dimension-data-protection_de).

Use of cookies

Cookies are text files that contain data from websites or domains visited and are stored by a browser on the user’s computer. A cookie is primarily used to store information about a user during or after their visit to an online service. The information stored may include, for example, the language settings on a website, the login status, a shopping cart or the location where a video was watched. The term “cookies” also includes other technologies that perform the same functions as cookies (e.g. when user information is stored using pseudonymous online identifiers, also known as “user IDs”)

A distinction is made between the following cookie types and functions:

  • Temporary cookies (also: session cookies): Temporary cookies are deleted at the latest after a user has left an online service and closed their browser.
  • Permanent cookies: Permanent cookies remain stored even after the browser is closed. For example, the login status can be saved or preferred content can be displayed directly when the user visits a website again. The interests of users that are used to measure reach or for marketing purposes can also be stored in such a cookie.
  • First-party cookies: First-party cookies are set by us.
  • Third-party cookies (also: third-party cookies): Third-party cookies are mainly used by advertisers (so-called third parties) to process user information.
  • Necessary (also: essential or absolutely necessary) cookies: Cookies can be absolutely necessary for the operation of a website (e.g. to save logins or other user input or for security reasons).
  • Statistical, marketing and personalization cookies: Cookies are also generally used to measure reach and when a user’s interests or behaviour (e.g. viewing certain content, using functions, etc.) on individual websites are stored in a user profile. Such profiles are used, for example, to show users content that matches their potential interests. This process is also referred to as “tracking”, i.e. tracing the potential interests of users. . If we use cookies or “tracking” technologies, we will inform you separately in our privacy policy or when obtaining consent.

Notes on legal bases: The legal basis on which we process your personal data with the help of cookies depends on whether we ask you for your consent. If this is the case and you consent to the use of cookies, the legal basis for processing your data is the declared consent. Otherwise, the data processed using cookies will be processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (e.g. in the business operation of our online offering and its improvement) or, if the use of cookies is necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations.

General information on revocation and objection (opt-out): Depending on whether the processing is based on consent or legal permission, you have the right at any time to withdraw consent or object to the processing of your data through cookie technologies (collectively referred to as “Opt-Out”). You can initially express your objection by adjusting your browser settings, for example, by disabling the use of cookies (which may also limit the functionality of our online services). An objection to the use of cookies for online marketing purposes, particularly in the case of tracking, can also be made through a variety of services, particularly on the websites http://optout.aboutads.info and http://www.youronlinechoices.com. Additionally, you may find further information on objections within the details of the service providers and cookies used.

Processing of cookie data on the basis of consent: Before we process or have data processed in the context of the use of cookies, we ask users for their consent, which can be revoked at any time. Before consent has not been given, cookies that are necessary for the operation of our online offering are used. Their use is based on our interest and the interest of users in the expected functionality of our online offering.

  • Processed data types: Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a GDPR), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Commercial and business services

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

We process this data to fulfil our contractual obligations, to safeguard our rights and for the purposes of the administrative tasks associated with this information as well as for business organization. We only pass on the data of the contractual partners to third parties within the framework of the applicable law insofar as this is necessary for the aforementioned purposes or to fulfill legal obligations or with the consent of the contractual partners (e.g. to participating telecommunications, transport and other auxiliary services as well as subcontractors, banks, tax and legal advisors, payment service providers or tax authorities). The contractual partners will be informed about other forms of processing, e.g. for marketing purposes, as part of this privacy policy.

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

We delete the data after the expiry of statutory warranty and comparable obligations, i.e. generally after 4 years, unless the data is stored in a customer account, e.g. as long as it must be retained for legal archiving reasons (e.g. for tax purposes, generally 10 years). We delete data disclosed to us by the contractual partner as part of an order in accordance with the specifications of the order, generally after the end of the order.

Insofar as we use third-party providers or platforms to provide our services, the terms and conditions and data protection notices of the respective third-party providers or platforms apply in the relationship between the users and the providers.

Mobile application: We process the data of the users of our apps, registered users and any test users (hereinafter uniformly referred to as “users”) in order to be able to provide them with our contractual services and on the basis of legitimate interests in order to ensure the security of our app and to be able to develop it further. The required information is identified as such in the context of the conclusion of the usage, order, purchase order or comparable contract and may include the information required for the provision of services and for any billing as well as contact information in order to be able to hold any consultations. If our apps are obtained from platforms of other providers (e.g. Apple App Store or Google Play), the terms and conditions and data protection notices of the respective platforms apply in the relationship between the users and the providers.

  • Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), Payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history), Contact data (e.g. email, telephone numbers), Contract data (e.g. subject matter of the contract, duration, customer category).
  • Data subjects: Interested parties, business and contractual partners.
  • Purposes of processing: Contractual performance and service, contact inquiries and communication, office and organizational procedures, administration and answering inquiries.
  • Legal bases: Fulfillment of contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b. GDPR), Legal obligation (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. c. GDPR), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Registration and login

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

Users can be informed by email about processes that are relevant to their user account, such as technical changes. If users have terminated their user account, their data relating to the user account will be deleted, subject to a statutory retention obligation. It is the responsibility of users to back up their data before the end of the contract in the event of termination. We are entitled to irretrievably delete all user data stored during the term of the contract.

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

  • Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), Contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers), Content data (e.g. text input, photographs, videos), Meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Contractual performance and service, security measures, managing and responding to inquiries.
  • Legal bases: Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a GDPR), Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b. GDPR), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Contacting

When contacting us (e.g. by contact form, e-mail, telephone or via social media), the data of the inquiring persons are processed insofar as this is necessary to answer the contact inquiries and any requested measures.

The response to contact requests in the context of contractual or pre-contractual relationships is carried out to fulfill our contractual obligations or to respond to (pre)contractual inquiries and otherwise on the basis of the legitimate interests in responding to the inquiries.

Chat function: We offer a chat function within our online offering for the purposes of communication and responding to inquiries. Users’ entries within the chat are processed for the purpose of responding to their inquiries.

  • Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), Contact data (e.g. email, telephone numbers), Content data (e.g. text input, photographs, videos), Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), Meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Data subjects: Communication partners, interested parties.
  • Purposes of processing: Contact requests and communication, managing and responding to requests.
  • Legal bases: Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b. GDPR), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Provision of the online offer and web hosting

In order to provide our online offering securely and efficiently, we use the services of one or more web hosting providers from whose servers (or servers managed by them) the online offering can be accessed. For these purposes, we may use infrastructure and platform services, computing capacity, storage space and database services as well as security services and technical maintenance services.

The data processed in the context of providing the hosting service may include all information relating to the users of our online service that is generated in the context of use and communication. This regularly includes the IP address, which is necessary in order to be able to deliver the content of online offers to browsers, and all entries made within our online offer or from websites.

Collection of access data and log files: We ourselves (or our web hosting provider) collect data on every access to the server (so-called server log files). The server log files may include the address and name of the web pages and files accessed, date and time of access, data volumes transferred, notification of successful access, browser type and version, the user’s operating system, referrer URL (the previously visited page) and, as a rule, IP addresses and the requesting provider.

The server log files can be used for security purposes, e.g. to avoid overloading the servers (especially in the case of abusive attacks, so-called DDoS attacks) and to ensure the utilization of the servers and their stability.

  • Processed data types: Content data (e.g. text input, photographs, videos), usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Cloud services

We use software services accessible via the Internet and running on the servers of their providers (so-called “cloud services”, also referred to as “software as a service”) for the following purposes: document storage and management, calendar management, sending e-mails, spreadsheets and presentations, exchanging documents, content and information with specific recipients or publishing websites, forms or other content and information as well as chats and participation in audio and video conferences.

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

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

Notes on legal bases: If we ask for consent to the use of cloud services, the legal basis for processing is consent. Furthermore, their use may be part of our (pre-)contractual services, provided that the use of cloud services has been agreed in this context. Otherwise, user data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in efficient and secure administrative and collaboration processes)

  • Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), Contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers), Content data (e.g. text input, photographs, videos), Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), Meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Data subjects: Customers, employees (e.g. employees, applicants, former employees), interested parties, communication partners.
  • Purposes of processing: Office and organizational procedures.
  • Legal bases: Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a GDPR), Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b. GDPR), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Services used and service providers:

  • Google Cloud services: Cloud storage services; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, parent company: Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA; Website: https://cloud.google.com/; Privacy Policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy, Security information: https://cloud.google.com/security/privacy; Privacy Shield (ensuring the level of data protection when processing data in the USA): https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000000001L5AAI&status=Aktive; Standard Contractual Clauses (ensuring the level of data protection when processing data in third countries): https://cloud.google.com/terms/data-processing-terms; Additional information on data protection: https://cloud.google.com/terms/data-processing-terms.
  • Content Delivery Network (“CDN”): Service provider Cloudflare, Inc (101 Townsend St., San Francisco, CA 94107, USA). A CDN is a network of servers connected worldwide via the Internet to increase the website display speed and to protect the website, e.g. DDoS protection and web application firewalls. Cloudflare blocks threats and limits abusive bots and crawlers.

    Cloudflare may collect certain information about the use of the website and process data that is sent or for which Cloudflare has received appropriate approvals from us. As a rule, this is IP addresses, DNS log data and performance data for websites derived from browser activity. The processing is carried out in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f) GDPR on the basis of our legitimate interest in the secure and efficient provision and improvement of the stability and functionality of our website.

    Cloudflare also uses a cookie (__cfduid) to identify individual users behind a shared IP address and to apply security settings for each individual user. Personal data is not stored by this cookie. The cookie is absolutely necessary to be able to use the Cloudflare security architecture. It is therefore technically necessary and its use does not require consent.

    Personal data is only stored by Cloudflare for as long as is necessary for the purposes described. As a rule, this data is deleted after 24 hours.

    Cloudflare also stores data in the USA. We base the transfer of data from the EU on the so-called standard data protection clauses of the European Commission, which guarantee compliance with the European level of data protection in the USA.

    Further information can be found in Cloudflare’s privacy policy at: https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/.

  • AgeChecker.net: AgeChecker.net (2625 Townsgate RD STE 100, Westlake Village, CA 91361) verifies a person’s identity and age.
    The verification process requires you to submit information to verify your age and identity (the “Verification Process”). AgeChecker collects all information that you provide by filling out forms on the Platform. The information listed below is used to carry out the Verification Process. Generally, AgeChecker is able to complete the verification process by collecting the following information:

    – First and last name
    – Date of birth
    – address data
    – Image data of an identification document

    Further information can be found in the privacy policy of agechecker.com: https://agechecker.net/privacy

Newsletter and broad communication

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

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

Double opt-in procedure: Registration for our newsletter is always carried out in a so-called double opt-in procedure. This means that after registering you will receive an e-mail asking you to confirm your registration. This confirmation is necessary so that nobody can register with other people’s e-mail addresses. Subscriptions to the newsletter are logged in order to be able to prove the registration process in accordance with legal requirements. This includes storing the time of registration and confirmation as well as the IP address. Changes to your data stored by the mailing service provider are also logged.

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

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

Notes on legal bases: The newsletter is sent on the basis of the consent of the recipient or, if consent is not required, on the basis of our legitimate interests in direct marketing, if and insofar as this is permitted by law, e.g. in the case of advertising to existing customers. If we commission a service provider to send e-mails, this is done on the basis of our legitimate interests. The registration process is recorded on the basis of our legitimate interests in order to prove that it has been carried out in accordance with the law.

Contents: Information about us, our services, promotions and offers.

Performance measurement: The newsletters contain a so-called “web-beacon”, i.e. a pixel-sized file that is retrieved from our server when the newsletter is opened or, if we use a mailing service provider, from their server. As part of this retrieval, technical information, such as information about the browser and your system, as well as your IP address and the time of retrieval, is initially collected.

This information is used for the technical improvement of our newsletter based on the technical data or the target groups and their reading behavior based on their retrieval locations (which can be determined with the help of the IP address) or the access times. This analysis also includes determining whether the newsletters are opened, when they are opened and which links are clicked. For technical reasons, this information can be assigned to individual newsletter recipients. However, it is neither our intention nor, if used, that of the mailing service provider to observe individual users. Rather, we use the evaluations to recognize the reading habits of our users and to adapt our content to them or to send different content according to the interests of our users.

Subject to the express consent of the user, the evaluation of the newsletter and the measurement of success are carried out on the basis of our legitimate interests for the purposes of using a user-friendly and secure newsletter system that serves both our business interests and the expectations of users.

A separate revocation of the performance measurement is unfortunately not possible; in this case, the entire newsletter subscription must be canceled or objected to.

Prerequisite for the use of free services: Consent to the sending of mailings may be made a condition for the use of free services (e.g. access to certain content or participation in certain promotions). If users wish to take advantage of the free service without subscribing to the newsletter, please contact us.

  • Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), Contact data (e.g. email, telephone numbers), Meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses), Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times).
  • Data subjects: Communication partners, users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of Processing: Direct marketing (e.g. by e-mail or postal), Contractual services and support.
  • Legal bases: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a GDPR), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f. GDPR).
  • Possibility of objection (opt-out): You can cancel the receipt of our newsletter at any time, i.e. revoke your consent or object to further receipt. You will find a link to unsubscribe from the newsletter either at the end of each newsletter or you can otherwise use one of the contact options listed above, preferably email.

Services used and service providers:

Presence in social networks

We maintain online presences within social networks in order to communicate with the users active there or to offer information about us there.

We would like to point out that user data may be processed outside the European Union. This may result in risks for users because, for example, it could make it more difficult to enforce users’ rights. With regard to US providers that are certified under the Privacy Shield or offer comparable guarantees of a secure level of data protection, we would like to point out that they thereby undertake to comply with the data protection standards of the EU.

Furthermore, user data within social networks is generally processed for market research and advertising purposes. For example, user profiles can be created based on user behavior and the resulting interests of users. The user profiles can in turn be used, for example, to place advertisements within and outside the networks that presumably correspond to the interests of the users. For these purposes, cookies are generally stored on the user’s computer, in which the user’s usage behavior and interests are stored. Furthermore, data can also be stored in the user profiles independently of the devices used by the users (especially if the users are members of the respective platforms and are logged in to them).

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

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

  • Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), Contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers), Content data (e.g. text input, photographs, videos), Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), Meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of Processing: Contact requests and communication, Tracking (e.g. profiling based on interests and behavior, use of cookies), Remarketing, Web Analytics (e.g. access statistics, recognition of returning visitors).
  • Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Services used and service providers:

Plugins and embedded functions and content

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

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

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

  • Processed data types: Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), Meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses), Contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers), Content data (e.g. text input, photographs, videos), Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services), communication partners.
  • Purposes of Processing: Provision of our online services and usability, Contractual services and support, Contact requests and communication, Direct marketing (e.g. by e-mail or postal), Targeting (e.g. profiling based on interests and behavior, use of cookies), Interest-based and behavioral marketing, Profiling (Creating user profiles), Security measures, Managing and responding to inquiries.
  • Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f. GDPR), consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a GDPR), contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b. GDPR).

Services used and service providers:

Purchase of a Premium Membership

If you opt for premium status, this is a paid service. The entire contract and payment transactions are processed by our payment service providers. To make a booking, you can select different terms and will then be redirected to the payment service provider’s page for the booking. There you can choose between different payment methods. The following information is collected for your order:

First name, surname, address, date of birth, email address, IP address, telephone number and the data required to process payments. The payment information depends on the type of payment; possible personal data includes bank details, card number, expiry date and CVC code, data on goods/services and price as well as the duration of your subscription.

The transmission of this data is necessary for identity verification, payment processing and, with regard to IP address storage, the prevention of criminal offenses. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR. The controller will only transfer personal data to its contractual partner if there is a legitimate interest in the transfer. The personal data transmitted to the payment service provider may be transmitted by it to credit agencies. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR.

The payment service providers pass on the personal data to subcontractors and service providers insofar as this is necessary to fulfill the contractual obligations. You can withdraw your consent to the handling of personal data from the payment service providers at any time. A revocation does not affect personal data that must be processed, used or transmitted for (contractual) payment processing.

The storage of this data results from the fulfillment of contractual obligations in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b GDPR. The data is deleted as soon as it is no longer required to achieve the purpose for which it was collected and is no longer required under tax law.

We transmit your membership number to the payment service providers for the purpose of allocating the booking. In return, the payment service providers send us the customer number generated for the transaction, the booking number, the duration of Premium access and the booking status (chargeback, revocation, etc.). This is all necessary to ensure that only authorized users can use the premium functions.

The storage of this data results from the fulfillment of contractual obligations in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b GDPR. The data is deleted as soon as it is no longer required to achieve the purpose for which it was collected and is no longer required under tax law.

Deletion of data

The data processed by us will be deleted in accordance with the legal requirements as soon as the consent given for processing is revoked or other permissions no longer apply (e.g. if the purpose for processing this data no longer applies or it is not required for the purpose).

If the data is not deleted because it is required for other and legally permissible purposes, its processing will be restricted to these purposes. This means that the data is blocked and not processed for other purposes. This applies, for example, to data that must be retained for commercial or tax law reasons or whose storage is necessary for the assertion, exercise or defense of legal claims or to protect the rights of another natural or legal person.

Further information on the deletion of personal data can also be found in the individual data protection notices of this privacy policy.

Changes and updates to the privacy policy

We ask you to inform yourself regularly about the content of our privacy policy. We will amend the privacy policy as soon as changes to the data processing we carry out make this necessary. We will inform you as soon as the changes require an act of cooperation on your part (e.g. consent) or other individual notification.

Rights of the data subjects

As a data subject, you are entitled to various rights under the GDPR, which arise in particular from Art. 15 to 18 and 21 GDPR:

  • Right to object: You have the right to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, at any time to processing of personal data concerning you which is based on point (e) or (f) of Article 6(1) GDPR, including profiling based on those provisions. If the personal data concerning you are processed for direct marketing purposes, you have the right to object at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you for such marketing, which includes profiling to the extent that it is related to such direct marketing.
  • Right to withdraw consent: You have the right to withdraw any consent you have given at any time.
  • Right of access: You have the right to obtain confirmation as to whether or not personal data concerning you is being processed and access to this data as well as further information and a copy of the data in accordance with the legal requirements.
  • Right to rectification: You have the right to request the completion of data concerning you or the rectification of inaccurate data concerning you in accordance with the legal requirements.
  • Right to erasure and restriction of processing: In accordance with the legal requirements, you have the right to demand that data concerning you be erased immediately or, alternatively, to demand that the processing of the data be restricted in accordance with the legal requirements.
  • Right to data portability: You have the right to receive the data concerning you, which you have provided to us, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format in accordance with the legal requirements or to request its transmission to another controller.
    Complaint to the supervisory authority: You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your habitual residence, place of work or place of the alleged infringement if you consider that the processing of personal data relating to you infringes the GDPR.

Definitions of terms

This section provides you with an overview of the terms used in this privacy policy. Many of the terms are taken from the law and defined above all in Art. 4 GDPR. The legal definitions are binding. The following explanations, on the other hand, are primarily intended to aid understanding. The terms are listed in alphabetical order.

  • Interest-based and behavioral marketing: Interest-based and/or behavioral marketing is when users’ potential interests in ads and other content are predetermined as precisely as possible. This is done on the basis of information about their previous behavior (e.g. visiting certain websites and spending time on them, purchasing behavior or interaction with other users), which is stored in a so-called profile. Cookies are generally used for these purposes.
  • Personal data: “Personal data” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter “data subject”); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier (e.g. a cookie) or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.
  • Profiling: “Profiling” means any form of automated processing of personal data consisting of the use of personal data to analyze, evaluate or predict certain personal aspects relating to a natural person (depending on the type of profiling, this includes information relating to age, gender, location data and movement data, interaction with websites and their content, shopping behavior, social interactions with other people) (e.g. interests in certain content or products, click behavior on a website or location). Cookies and web beacons are often used for profiling purposes.
  • Reach measurement: Reach measurement (also known as web analytics) is used to evaluate the flow of visitors to an online offering and can include the behavior or interests of visitors in certain information, such as website content. With the help of reach analysis, website owners can, for example, recognize at what time visitors visit their website and what content they are interested in. This enables them to better adapt the content of the website to the needs of their visitors, for example. For the purposes of reach analysis, pseudonymous cookies and web beacons are often used to recognize returning visitors and thus obtain more precise analyses of the use of an online offer.
  • Remarketing: The term “remarketing” or “retargeting” is used when, for example, it is noted for advertising purposes which products a user was interested in on a website in order to remind the user of these products on other websites, e.g. in advertisements.
  • Tracking: The term “tracking” is used when the behavior of users can be traced across several online offers. As a rule, behavioral and interest information is stored in cookies or on the servers of the providers of the tracking technologies with regard to the online offers used (so-called profiling). This information can then be used, for example, to display advertisements to users that are likely to correspond to their interests.
  • Controller: The term “controller” refers to the natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data.
  • Processing: “Processing” means any operation or set of operations which is performed on personal data, whether or not by automated means. The term is broad and covers practically every handling of data, be it collection, analysis, storage, transmission or deletion.