Data protection declaration

Unless stated otherwise below, the provision of your personal data is neither legally nor contractually obligatory, nor required for conclusion of a contract. You are not obliged to provide your data. Not providing it will have no consequences. This only applies as long as the processing procedures below do not state otherwise.
“Personal data” is any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person.


Server log files
You can use our websites without submitting personal data. 
Every time our website is accessed, user data is transferred to us or our web hosts/IT service providers by your internet browser and stored in server log files. This stored data includes for example the name of the site called up, date and time of the request, the IP address, amount of data transferred and the provider making the request. The processing is carried out on the basis of Article 6(1) f) GDPR due to our legitimate interests in ensuring the smooth operation of our website as well as improving our services.

Evaluation         Newsletter      

Data collection when you post a comment 
When you comment on an article or a contribution, we collect your personal data (name, email address, comment text) only in the scope provided by you. The processing serves to allow you to comment and to display comments. By submitting the comment you agree to the processing of the transmitted data. The processing will be carried out on the basis of art. 6 (1) lit. a GDPR with your consent. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us without affecting the legality of the processing carried out with your consent up to the withdrawal. You personal data will then be deleted.

On publication of your comment the name and email address you have enteredwill be published.

On submission of your comment your IP address will also be saved in order to prevent misuse of the comment function and to ensure the security of our IT systems. By submitting the comment you agree to the processing of the transmitted data. The processing will be carried out on the basis of art. 6 (1) lit. a GDPR with your consent. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us without affecting the legality of the processing carried out with your consent up to the withdrawal. Your IP address will then be deleted.

Use of your email address for mailing of newsletters
We use your email address outside of contractual processing exclusively to send you a newsletter for our own marketing purposes, if you have explicitly agreed to this. The processing will be carried out on the basis of art. 6 (1) lit. a GDPR with your consent. You can withdraw your consent at any time without affecting the legality of the processing carried out with your consent up to the withdrawal. You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time using the relevant link in the newsletter or by contacting us. Your email address will then be removed from the distributor.

Your data will be forwarded to a service provider for email marketing in the course of order processing. It will not be forwarded to other third parties.

Use of your email address for mailing of direct marketing 
We use your email address, which we obtained in the course of selling a good or service, for the electronic transmission of marketing for our own goods or services which are similar to those you have already purchased from us, unless you have objected to this use. You must provide your email address in order to conclude a contract. Failure to provide it will prevent the conclusion of any contract. The processing will be carried out on the basis of art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR due to our justified interest in direct marketing. You can object to this use of your email address at any time by contacting us. You will find the contact details for exercising your right to object in our imprint. You can also use the link provided in the marketing email. This will not involve any costs other than transmission costs at basic tariffs.



Cookies

Our website uses cookies. Cookies are small text files which are saved in a user’s internet browser or by the user’s internet browser on their computer system. When a user calls up a website, a cookie may be saved on the user’s operating system. This cookie contains a characteristic character string which allows the browser to be clearly identified when the website is called up again.
We use these cookies to make our offering more user-friendly, effective and secure. Cookies also allow our systems to recognise your browser after a page change and to offer you services. Some functions of our website cannot be offered without the use of cookies. These services require the browser to be recognised again after a page change.
Processing is carried out on the basis of art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR due to our largely justified interest in ensuring the optimal functionality of the website as well as a user-friendly and effective design of our range of services.
Cookies will be stored on your computer. You therefore have full control over the use of cookies. By choosing corresponding technical settings in your internet browser, you can be notified before the setting of cookies and you can decide whether to accept this setting in each individual case as well as prevent the storage of cookies and transmission of the data they contain. Cookies which have already been saved may be deleted at any time. We would, however, like to point out that this may prevent you from making full use of all the functions of this website.
Using the links below, you can find out how to manage cookies (or deactivate them, among other things) in major browsers:
Chrome Browser: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/61416?hl=en
Internet Explorer: https://support.microsoft.com/de-de/help/17442/windows-internet-explorer-delete-manage-cookies
Mozilla Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/de/kb/cookies-erlauben-und-ablehnen
Safari: https://support.apple.com/de-de/guide/safari/manage-cookies-and-website-data-sfri11471/mac



Analysis      

The data processing described subsequently in this section, especially the setting of cookies, will be carried out on the basis of art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR due to our largely justified interest:

- in the needs-based and target-oriented design of our website, for example, with tools for analysis and statistics

You have the right to veto this processing of your personal data according to art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR, for reasons relating to your personal situation.

Use of Google Analytics 
Our website uses the web analysis service Google Analytics by Google LLC (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA; “Google”). The processing of data serves to analyse this website and its visitors. Google will use this information on behalf of the operator of this website to evaluate your use of the website, to compile reports on website activity and to provide other services to the website operator relating to website and internet use. The IP address communicated by your browser as part of Google Analytics is not associated with any other data held by Google. Google Analytics uses cookies, which make it possible to analyse your use of the website. The information generated by the cookie regarding your use of this website is usually transferred to a Google server in the USA and stored there. IP anonymisation is activated on this website. Google uses this to shorten your IP address beforehand within Member States of the European Union or in other signatories to the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be transferred to a Google server in the USA and shortened there. Your data may be transmitted to the USA. Following the US-EU Data Protection Agreement, Google has become “Privacy Shield“ certified and is therefore obliged to observe European data protection laws.  You can prevent collection of the data (including your IP address) generated by the cookies and related to your use of the website by Google as well as the processing of this data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plug-in available at the following link [https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en]. You can set an opt-out cookie to prevent collection by Google Analytics across devices. Opt-out cookies prevent the future collection of your data when you visit this website. You need to opt-out on all systems and devices in use for this to work comprehensively. If you click here, the opt-out cookie is set: Disable Google Analytics.  
You can find more detailed information on the terms and conditions of use and data protection at https://www.google.com/analytics/terms/gb.html and at https://policies.google.com/?hl=en.



Plug-ins

Use of Facebook plug-ins
This Internet site uses plug-ins of the social network facebook.com operated by Facebook Inc., 1601 S. California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA ("Facebook").
Whenever you display one of our Internet pages that hosts a Facebook plug-in you will be linked to the Facebook servers, a message is sent to your browser, and the plug-in is run on the Internet page. This is telling the Facebook server which of our pages you have visited. Assuming you are logged on to your Facebook member account while running the Facebook plug-in, Facebook will allocate the information to your personal Facebook user account. Further information collected and allocated by Facebook is the use of plug-in functions (like clicking on the Like button or posting a comment). To prevent this data collection and allocation, you must log off your Facebook user account before running the plug-in.
If you do not wish Facebook to collect and directly allocate the above information to your Facebook profile, you will either have to log off from Facebook before visiting our site or run a "Facebook blocker" which stops the Facebook plug-ins from running on our pages.
To learn more about the collection and use of your personal data by Facebook as well as about your rights and what options you have to protect your privacy, please read Facebook's Privacy Policy at: https://www.facebook.com/policy.php
Use of YouTube
Our website uses the function for the embedding of YouTube videos provided by Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; “YouTube”). YouTube is an affiliated company of Google LLC (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA;“Google”).
This feature shows YouTube videos in an iFrame on the website. The option “advanced privacy mode” is enabled here. This prevents YouTube from storing information on visitors to the website. It is only if you watch a video that information is transmitted to and stored by YouTube.
Your data may also be transmitted to the USA. Following the US-EU Data Protection Agreement, Google has become “Privacy Shield“ certified and is therefore obliged to observe European data protection laws. 
Further information on the data collected and used by YouTube and Google, your rights and privacy can be found in YouTube’s privacy policy (https://www.youtube.com/t/privacy).
Use of GoogleMaps
Our website uses Google LLC’s feature for the embedding of Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland). Google Ireland Limited is an affiliated company of Google LLC (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA).
This feature visually represents geographical information and interactive maps. Google also collects, processes and uses data on visitors to the website when they call up pages with embedded Google maps. Your data may also be transmitted to the USA. Following the US-EU Data Protection Agreement, Google has become “Privacy Shield“ certified and is therefore obliged to observe European data protection laws. 
Processing is carried out on the basis of art. 6 par. 1 point (f) GDPR due to our justified interest in needs-based and targeted design of the website.
Further information on the data collected and used by Google, your rights and privacy can be found in Google’s privacy policy at https://www.google.com/privacypolicy.html. You also have the option of changing your settings in the data protection centre, allowing you to administer and protect the data processed by Google.


Rights of persons affected and storage duration

Duration of storage 
After contractual processing has been completed, the data is initially stored for the duration of the warranty period, then in accordance with the retention periods prescribed by law, especially tax and commercial law, and then deleted after the period has elapsed, unless you have agreed to further processing and use.
Rights of the affected person
If the legal requirements are fulfilled, you have the following rights according to art. 15 to 20 GDPR: Right to information, correction, deletion, restriction of processing, data portability. You also have a right of objection against processing based on art. 6 (1) GDPR, and to processing for the purposes of direct marketing, according to art. 21 (1) GDPR.
Contact us at any time. Our contact details can be found in our imprint.
Right to complain to the regulatory authority
You have the right to complain to the regulatory authority according to art. 77 GDPR if you believe that your data is not being processed legally.
Right to object
If the data processing outlined here is based on our legitimate interests in accordance with Article 6(1)f) GDPR, you have the right for reasons arising from your particular situation to object at any time to the processing of your data with future effect.
If the objection is successful, we will no longer process the personal data, unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing that outweigh your interests or rights and freedoms, or the processing is intended for the assertion, exercise or defence of legal claims.
If personal data is being processed for the purposes of direct advertising, you can object to this at any time by notifying us. If the objection is successful, we will no longer process the personal data for the purposes of direct advertising.

last update: 19.11.2018