Datenschutzerklärung

1. An overview of data protection

General

The following gives a simple overview of what happens to your personal information when you visit our website. Personal information is any data with which you could be personally identified. Detailed information on the subject of data protection can be found in our privacy policy found below.
Data collection on our website

Who is responsible for the data collection on this website?

The data collected on this website are processed by the website operator. The operator’s contact details can be found in the website’s required legal notice.

How do we collect your data?

Some data are collected when you provide it to us. This could, for example, be data you enter on a contact form.

Other data are collected automatically by our IT systems when you visit the website. These data are primarily technical data such as the browser and operating system you are using or when you accessed the page. These data are collected automatically as soon as you enter our website.

What do we use your data for?

Part of the data is collected to ensure the proper functioning of the website. Other data can be used to analyze how visitors use the site.

What rights do you have regarding your data?

You always have the right to request information about your stored data, its origin, its recipients, and the purpose of its collection at no charge. You also have the right to request that it be corrected, blocked, or deleted. You can contact us at any time using the address given in the legal notice if you have further questions about the issue of privacy and data protection. You may also, of course, file a complaint with the competent regulatory authorities.

Analytics and third-party tools

When visiting our website, statistical analyses may be made of your surfing behavior. This happens primarily using cookies and analytics. The analysis of your surfing behavior is usually anonymous, i.e. we will not be able to identify you from this data. You can object to this analysis or prevent it by not using certain tools. Detailed information can be found in the following privacy policy.

You can object to this analysis. We will inform you below about how to exercise your options in this regard.

2. General information and mandatory information

Data protection

The operators of this website take the protection of your personal data very seriously. We treat your personal data as confidential and in accordance with the statutory data protection regulations and this privacy policy.

If you use this website, various pieces of personal data will be collected. Personal information is any data with which you could be personally identified. This privacy policy explains what information we collect and what we use it for. It also explains how and for what purpose this happens.

Please note that data transmitted via the internet (e.g. via email communication) may be subject to security breaches. Complete protection of your data from third-party access is not possible.

Note on the responsible body

You can reach our data protection officer at the following email address:

The controller is the natural or legal person who alone or jointly with others determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data (e.g. names, e-mail addresses, etc.).

Revocation of your consent to the processing of your data

Many data processing operations are only possible with your express consent. You may revoke your consent at any time with future effect. An informal email making this request is sufficient. The data processed before we receive your request may still be legally processed.

Right to file complaints with regulatory authorities

If there has been a breach of data protection legislation, the person affected may file a complaint with the competent regulatory authorities. The competent regulatory authority for matters related to data protection legislation is the data protection officer of the German state in which our company is headquartered. A list of data protection officers and their contact details can be found at the following link: https://www.bfdi.bund.de/DE/Infothek/Anschriften_Links/anschriften_links-node.html.

Right to data portability

You have the right to have data which we process based on your consent or in fulfillment of a contract automatically delivered to yourself or to a third party in a standard, machine-readable format. If you require the direct transfer of data to another responsible party, this will only be done to the extent technically feasible.
SSL or TLS encryption

This site uses SSL or TLS encryption for security reasons and for the protection of the transmission of confidential content, such as the inquiries you send to us as the site operator. You can recognize an encrypted connection in your browser’s address line when it changes from “http://” to “https://” and the lock icon is displayed in your browser’s address bar.

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

Information, blocking, deletion

As permitted by law, you have the right to be provided at any time with information free of charge about any of your personal data that is stored as well as its origin, the recipient and the purpose for which it has been processed. You also have the right to have this data corrected, blocked or deleted. You can contact us at any time using the address given in our legal notice if you have further questions on the topic of personal data.
Opposition to promotional emails

We hereby expressly prohibit the use of contact data published in the context of website legal notice requirements with regard to sending promotional and informational materials not expressly requested. The website operator reserves the right to take specific legal action if unsolicited advertising material, such as email spam, is received.

3. Data collection on our website

Cookies

Some of our web pages use cookies. Cookies do not harm your computer and do not contain any viruses. Cookies help make our website more user-friendly, efficient, and secure. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your computer and saved by your browser.

Most of the cookies we use are so-called “session cookies.” They are automatically deleted after your visit. Other cookies remain in your device’s memory until you delete them. These cookies make it possible to recognize your browser when you next visit the site.

You can configure your browser to inform you about the use of cookies so that you can decide on a case-by-case basis whether to accept or reject a cookie. Alternatively, your browser can be configured to automatically accept cookies under certain conditions or to always reject them, or to automatically delete cookies when closing your browser. Disabling cookies may limit the functionality of this website.

Cookies which are necessary to allow electronic communications or to provide certain functions you wish to use (such as the shopping cart) are stored pursuant to Art. 6 paragraph 1, letter f of DSGVO. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the storage of cookies to ensure an optimized service provided free of technical errors. If other cookies (such as those used to analyze your surfing behavior) are also stored, they will be treated separately in this privacy policy.
Server log files

The website provider automatically collects and stores information that your browser automatically transmits to us in “server log files”. These are:

Browser type and browser version
Operating system used
Referrer URL
Host name of the accessing computer
Time of the server request
IP address

These data will not be combined with data from other sources.

The basis for data processing is Art. 6 (1) (f) DSGVO, which allows the processing of data to fulfill a contract or for measures preliminary to a contract.

Contact form

Should you send us questions via the contact form, we will collect the data entered on the form, including the contact details you provide, to answer your question and any follow-up questions. We do not share this information without your permission.

We will, therefore, process any data you enter onto the contact form only with your consent per Art. 6 (1)(a) DSGVO. You may revoke your consent at any time. An informal email making this request is sufficient. The data processed before we receive your request may still be legally processed.

We will retain the data you provide on the contact form until you request its deletion, revoke your consent for its storage, or the purpose for its storage no longer pertains (e.g. after fulfilling your request). Any mandatory statutory provisions, especially those regarding mandatory data retention periods, remain unaffected by this provision.

4. Analytics and advertising

Google Analytics

This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service. It is operated by Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.

Google Analytics uses so-called “cookies”. These are text files that are stored on your computer and that allow an analysis of the use of the website by you. The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website is usually transmitted to a Google server in the USA and stored there.

Google Analytics cookies are stored based on Art. 6 (1) (f) DSGVO. The website operator has a legitimate interest in analyzing user behavior to optimize both its website and its advertising.

Browser plugin

You can prevent these cookies being stored by selecting the appropriate settings in your browser. However, we wish to point out that doing so may mean you will not be able to enjoy the full functionality of this website. You can also prevent the data generated by cookies about your use of the website (incl. your IP address) from being passed to Google, and the processing of these data by Google, by downloading and installing the browser plugin available at the following link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en.

Objecting to the collection of data

You can prevent the collection of your data by Google Analytics by clicking on the following link. An opt-out cookie will be set to prevent your data from being collected on future visits to this site: Disable Google Analytics.

For more information about how Google Analytics handles user data, see Google’s privacy policy: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=en.
Matomo (formerly Piwik)

This website uses the open source web analytics service Matomo. Matomo uses so-called “cookies”. These are text files that are stored on your computer and that allow an analysis of the use of the website by you. For this purpose, the information generated by the cookie about the use of this website is stored on our server. The IP address is anonymized before it is stored.

Matomo cookies remain on your device until you delete them.

The storage of Matomo cookies is based on Art. 6 (1) (f) DSGVO. The website operator has a legitimate interest in analyzing user behavior in order to optimize both its website and its advertising.

The information generated by the cookies about your use of this website will not be disclosed to third parties. You can prevent these cookies being stored by selecting the appropriate settings in your browser. However, we wish to point out that doing so may mean you will not be able to enjoy the full functionality of this website.

If you do not agree with the storage and use of your data, you can disable this feature here. In this case, an opt-out cookie will be stored in your browser to prevent Matomo from storing your usage data. If you delete your cookies, this will mean that the opt-out cookie will also be deleted. You will then need to reactivate it when you return to our site if you wish your activity not to be tracked.

Meta Pixel (formerly Facebook Pixel)

To measure conversion rates, this website uses the visitor activity pixel of Meta. The provider of this service is Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2, Ireland. According to Meta’s statement the collected data will be transferred to the USA and other third-party countries too.

This tool allows the tracking of page visitors after they have been linked to the website of the provider after clicking on a Meta ad. This makes it possible to analyze the effectiveness of Meta ads for statistical and market research purposes and to optimize future advertising campaigns.

For us as the operators of this website, the collected data is anonymous. We are not in a position to arrive at any conclusions as to the identity of users. However, Meta archives the information and processes it, so that it is possible to make a connection to the respective user profile on Facebook or Instagram and Meta is in a position to use the data for its own promotional purposes in compliance with the Meta Data Usage Policy (https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/). This enables Meta to display ads on Facebook or Instagram and other advertising channels. We as the operator of this website have no control over the use of such data.

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

Within the meta pixel, we are using the expanded alignment function.

The expanded alignment allows us to transfer to Meta different types of data (e.g., place of residence, federal state, zip code, hashed email addresses, names, gender, date of birth or phone number) of our customers and prospects we collect through our website. Herewith, we can tailor the offers presented in our advertising campaigns on Facebook and Instagram to individuals interested in what we offer even more precisely. Moreover, this expanded alignment optimizes the allocation of website conversions and expands custom audiences.

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

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

In Meta’s Data Privacy Policies, you will find additional information about the protection of your privacy at: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/.

You also have the option to deactivate the remarketing function “Custom Audiences” in the ad settings section under https://www.facebook.com/ads/preferences/?entry_product=ad_settings_screen. To do this, you first have to log into Facebook.

If you do not have a Facebook or Instagram account, you can deactivate any user-based advertising by Meta on the website of the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance: http://www.youronlinechoices.com/de/praferenzmanagement/.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link: https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/4452.

WhatsApp

If you apply to us via WhatsApp, you are using the messenger service provided by WhatsApp Ireland Ltd., 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland. This involves the processing of personal data (e.g. name, telephone number, profile picture, application documents).

WhatsApp may also process this data for its own purposes and share it within the Meta Group with affiliated companies, including Meta Platforms Inc., USA. In this context, it cannot be ruled out that data may be transferred to third countries outside the EU/EEA.

The legal basis for the processing of your data in the context of the application process is Section 26 BDSG and Art. 6 (1) lit. b GDPR (initiation of an employment relationship).

Mouseflow

This website uses Mouseflow, a web analysis tool from Mouseflow ApS, Flaesketorvet 68, 1711 Copenhagen, Denmark. The data processing serves the purpose of analyzing this website and its visitors. For this purpose, data is collected and stored for marketing and optimization purposes. This data can be used to create user profiles under a pseudonym. Cookies can be used for this purpose.

The web analysis tool Mouseflow records randomly selected individual visits (only with anonymized IP addresses). This creates a log of mouse movements and clicks with the intention of randomly playing back individual website visits and deriving potential improvements for the website. The data collected with Mouseflow will not be used to personally identify the visitor to this website and will not be merged with personal data about the bearer of the pseudonym without the separately granted consent of the person concerned. Dhe processing is carried out on the basis of Art. 6 (1) f) GDPR from the legitimate interest in direct customer communication and in the needs-based design of the website. 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 Art. 6 (1) f GDPR. To do this, you can globally deactivate recording on all websites that use Mouseflow for the browser you are currently using by clicking on the following link: https://mouseflow.de/opt-out/

Metricool

This website uses Metricool. The provider is METRICOOL SOFTWARE, SL, c / Téllez, nº 12, Entreplanta H, 28007, Madrid- Spain, NIF: B87527115 (VAT: ESB87527115), duly registered in the Commercial Registry of Madrid under Volume 34.491, Folio 123, Section 8, Page M-620.321. (Website: https://www.metricool.com).

Metricool is a tool for statistical analysis of your user behavior on this website.

Technologies are used that enable the recognition of the user for the purpose of analyzing user behavior (e.g. cookies, pixels).

The use of this analysis tool is based on Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR.

The website operator has a legitimate interest in the analysis of user behavior in order to optimize both its website and its advertising. If a corresponding consent has been requested (e.g. consent to the storage of cookies), the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR; the consent can be revoked at any time.

For more information about Metricool and the data collected, please refer to Metricool’s privacy policy at the following link https://metricool.com/privacy-policy/ and https://metricool.com/cookies-policy/

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

CleverReach
This website uses CleverReach for the sending of newsletters. The provider is the CleverReach GmbH & Co. KG, Schafjückenweg 2, 26180 Rastede, Germany (hereinafter “CleverReach”). CleverReach is a service that can be used to organize and analyze the sending of newsletters. The data you have entered for the purpose of subscribing to our newsletter (e.g., e-mail address) are stored on servers of CleverReach in Germany or in Ireland.

Newsletters we send out via CleverReach allow us to analyze the user patterns of our newsletter recipients. Among other things, in conjunction with this, it is possible how many recipients actually opened the newsletter e-mail and how often which link inside the newsletter has been clicked. With the assistance of a tool called Conversion Tracking, we can also determine whether an action that has been predefined in the newsletter actually occurred after the link was clicked (e.g., purchase of a product on this website). For more information on the data analysis services by CleverReach newsletters, please go to: https://www.cleverreach.com/en/features/reporting-tracking/.

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

If you do not want to permit an analysis by CleverReach, you must unsubscribe from the newsletter. We provide a link for you to do this in every newsletter message.

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

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

You may object to the storage if your interests outweigh our legitimate interest.

For more details, please consult the Data Protection Provisions of CleverReach at: https://www.cleverreach.com/en/privacy-policy/.

6. Plugins and tools

YouTube

Our website uses plugins from YouTube, which is operated by Google. The operator of the pages is YouTube LLC, 901 Cherry Ave., San Bruno, CA 94066, USA.

If you visit one of our pages featuring a YouTube plugin, a connection to the YouTube servers is established. Here the YouTube server is informed about which of our pages you have visited.

If you’re logged in to your YouTube account, YouTube allows you to associate your browsing behavior directly with your personal profile. You can prevent this by logging out of your YouTube account.

YouTube is used to help make our website appealing. This constitutes a justified interest pursuant to Art. 6 (1) (f) DSGVO.

Further information about handling user data, can be found in the data protection declaration of YouTube under https://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy.

7. Contest
Contest rules for our current giveaway are available for download here.

Privacy policy: e-recht24.de

8. Communication via WhatsApp

We use, among other things, the instant messaging service WhatsApp to communicate with our customers and other third parties. The provider is WhatsApp Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Communication is carried out using end-to-end encryption (peer-to-peer), which prevents WhatsApp or other third parties from gaining access to the communication content. However, WhatsApp does have access to metadata generated during the communication process (e.g., sender, recipient, and time). We would also like to point out that WhatsApp, according to its own statements, shares its users‘ personal data with its US-based parent company, Meta. Further details on data processing can be found in WhatsApp’s privacy policy at: https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/privacy-policy-eea.

The use of WhatsApp is based on our legitimate interest in communicating as quickly and effectively as possible with customers, interested parties, and other business and contractual partners (Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR). If consent has been requested, data processing will be carried out exclusively on the basis of this consent; this consent can be revoked at any time with future effect.

The communication content exchanged between and on WhatsApp will remain with us until you request deletion, revoke your consent to storage, or the purpose for storing the data no longer applies (e.g., after your request has been processed). Mandatory legal provisions – in particular retention periods – remain unaffected.

The company is certified according to the „EU-US Data Privacy Framework“ (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the USA designed to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the USA. Every company certified according to the DPF is committed to complying with these data protection standards. Further information on this can be obtained from the provider at the following link: https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/s/participant-search/participant-detail?contact=true&id=a2zt00000011sfnAAA&status=Active

We use WhatsApp in the „WhatsApp Business“ variant.

Data transfer to the USA is based on the EU Commission’s standard contractual clauses. Details can be found here: https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/business-data-transfer-addendum.

8.1. Data Transfer Notice

Please carefully check which personal data you share with us via WhatsApp. As long as you are logged into your WhatsApp account and interact with our WhatsApp profile, WhatsApp can track this. We expressly point out that WhatsApp stores its users‘ data (e.g., personal information, IP address, communication data), may also use it for business purposes, and may share it with affiliated companies of the Meta Group.

8.2. Data Protection Officer

You can contact the data protection officer of WhatsApp Ireland Ltd., the operator of WhatsApp, using the provided online contact form at https://www.whatsapp.com/contact/forms/4363383090404717/.