Privacy and Cookies Policy

Introduction

In this policy, we would like to inform you about which types of your personal data (hereinafter also referred to as “data”) we process for which purposes and to what extent. The data protection declaration applies to all processing of personal data carried out by us, both within the framework 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”).

Last updated March 2, 2024

Responsible in the sense of the GDPR

MAHO on Earth GmbH
Bürgermeister-Rummer-Str. 1
82377 Penzberg

If you feel something is not addressed in this Privacy Policy or have further questions, you can reach us using the following contact options: 

Email: dpo[at]earthmaho.com
Impressum: https://earthmaho.com/impressum-legal-notice

Relevant legal bases

Relevant legal bases according to the GDPR: Below you will find an overview of the legal bases of the GDPR, on the basis of which we process personal data. Please note that, in addition to the provisions of the GDPR, national data protection regulations may apply in your or our country of residence or domicile. If more specific legal bases are relevant in individual cases, we will inform you of them in the data protection declaration.

• Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a) GDPR) – The person concerned has given their consent to the processing of their personal data for a specific purpose or several specific purposes.
• Fulfillment of contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b) GDPR) – The processing is necessary for the fulfillment of a contract to which the data subject is party, or for the implementation of pre-contractual measures which are required at the request of the data subject take place.
• Legal obligation (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. c) GDPR) – The processing is necessary to fulfill a legal obligation to which the person responsible is subject.
• Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR) – Processing is necessary to safeguard the legitimate interests of the person responsible or a third party, unless the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject, which require protection of personal data prevail.

National data protection regulations in Germany: In addition to the data protection regulations of the GDPR, national data protection regulations apply in Germany. This includes in particular the law on the 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. Furthermore, state data protection laws of the individual federal states may apply.

Note on the validity of the GDPR and Swiss DSG: These data protection notices serve to provide information in accordance with the Swiss Federal Data Protection Act (Swiss DSG) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). For this reason, we ask you to note that due to the broader spatial application and comprehensibility, the terms of the GDPR are used. In particular, instead of the terms “processing” of “personal data”, “overriding interest” and “particularly sensitive personal data” used in the Swiss DSG, the terms “processing” of “personal data” as well as “legitimate interest” and “special categories of data” used. However, the legal meaning of the terms will continue to be determined according to the Swiss DSG within the scope of the validity of the Swiss DSG.

Overview of processing

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

Types of data processed

• personal data ( e.g. names, addresses)
• payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history)
• location data (data indicating the location of an end user’s end device).
• contact details (e.g. email, telephone numbers)
• content data (e.g. text input, photographs, videos)
• contract data (e.g. subject of the contract, term, customer category)
• usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times)
• meta/communication and procedural data (e.g. device information, IP addresses)

Categories of data subjects

• customers
• Interested persons
• communication partner
• user
• business and contractual partners

Purposes of processing

• Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations.
• Contact Requests and Communication.
• Safety measures.
• direct marketing.
• range measurement.
• tracking.
• office and organizational procedures.
• conversion measurement.
• Management and response to inquiries.
• feedback.
• Marketing.
• Profiles with user-related information.
• Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness.
• information technology infrastructure.

Safety 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 type, 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 to ensure a level of protection appropriate to the risk.

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

TLS encryption (https): In order to protect your data transmitted via our online offer, we use TLS encryption. You can recognize such encrypted connections by the prefix https:// in the address line of your browser.

Transmission of personal data

As part of our processing of personal data, it may happen that the data is transmitted to other bodies, companies, legally independent organizational units or persons or that it is disclosed to them. The recipients of this data can include, for example, 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 appropriate contracts or agreements with the recipients of your data that serve to protect your data.

International data transfers

In the circumstances where your personal data is transferred to countries outside of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA)), or processed within the framework of the use of third-party services (e.g. Upwork, hosting), or disclosed to other persons, positions or companies, this is only done in accordance with the legal requirements. 

Subject to express consent or contractually or legally required transmission (see Art. 49 GDPR), we only process or leave the data in third countries with a recognized level of data protection (Art. 45 GDPR), if there is compliance with contractual obligations through so-called standard protection clauses of the EU Commission (Art. 46 GDPR) or if certifications or binding internal data protection regulations exist (see Art. 44 to 49 GDPR, information page of the EU Commission: https://commission.europa.eu/law/law-topic/data-protection/international-dimension-data-protection_en

The hosting servers for our website are currently situated in France. In the event that these servers are migrated either temporarily or permanently, transfers to the country where the hosting facilities are situated will be protected by appropriate safeguards, namely the use of binding data protection clauses.

You acknowledge that personal data that you publish on our website or submit for publication on our website may be available, via the internet, around the world. We cannot prevent the use (or misuse) of such personal data by others.

Storage and deletion of data

The data processed by us will be deleted in accordance with the legal requirements as soon as your consent to processing is revoked or other permissions are no longer applicable (e.g. if the purpose of 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, legally permissible purposes, its processing will be limited to these purposes. This means that the data will be blocked and not processed for other purposes. This applies, for example, to data that must be stored for commercial or tax reasons or whose storage is necessary to assert, exercise or defend legal claims or to protect the rights of another natural or legal person.

Our data protection information can also contain further information on the storage and deletion of data, which apply primarily to the respective processing.

Rights of data subjects

Rights of the person concerned from the GDPR: As a person concerned, you have various rights under the GDPR, which result in particular from Articles 15 to 21 GDPR:

• Right of objection: You have the right, for reasons arising from your particular situation, to object at any time to the processing of your personal data, which is based on Article 6 Paragraph 1 lit. e or f GDPR; this also applies to profiling based on these provisions. If the personal data concerning you is processed in order to operate direct advertising, you have the right to object at any time to the processing of your personal data for the purpose of such advertising; this also applies to profiling insofar as it is associated with such direct advertising.
• Right of withdrawal for consent: You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
• Right to information: You have the right to request confirmation as to whether the data in question is being processed and to request information about this data as well as further information and a copy of the data in accordance with legal requirements.
• Right to rectification: In accordance with legal requirements, you have the right to request the completion of the data concerning you or the correction of incorrect data concerning you.
• Right to deletion and restriction of processing: You have the right, in accordance with the legal requirements, to request that data concerning you be deleted immediately, or alternatively to request a restriction of the processing of the data in accordance with the legal requirements.
• Right to data portability: You have the right to receive the data that you have provided to us in accordance with the legal requirements in a structured, common and machine-readable format or to request that it be transmitted to another person responsible.
• Complaint to supervisory authority: Without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your habitual residence, your place of work or the place of the alleged infringement, if you believe that the processing of data concerning you personal data violates the provisions of the GDPR.

Use of Cookies

Cookies are small text files or other memory notes that store information on end devices and read information from the end devices. For example, to save the login status in a user account, the content of a shopping cart in an e-shop, the content accessed or the functions used in an online offer. Cookies can also be used for various purposes, e.g. for the purpose of functionality, security and comfort of online offers as well as the creation of analyzes of visitor flows.

Notes on consent: We use cookies in accordance with legal regulations. Therefore, we obtain prior consent from users, except where not required by law. In particular, consent is not necessary if the storage and reading of the information, including cookies, is absolutely necessary in order to provide the users with a telemedia service (i.e. our online offer) that they have expressly requested. Strictly necessary cookies usually include cookies with functions that enable the display and operation of the online offer, load balancing, security, storage of user preferences and choices, or similar ones that enable the provision of the main and ancillary functions requested by users to serve purposes related to the online offer. The revocable consent is clearly communicated to the users and contains the information on the respective cookie use.

Notes on the legal basis for data protection: The legal basis under data protection law on which we process the personal data of users with the help of cookies depends on whether we ask users for their consent. If the users consent, the legal basis for the processing of your data is the declared consent. Otherwise, the data processed with the help of cookies will be processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (e.g. in the commercial operation of our online offer and improving its usability) or, if this is done in the context of fulfilling our contractual obligations, if the use of cookies is necessary to enable our to fulfill contractual obligations. We will explain the purposes for which we process cookies in the course of this data protection declaration or as part of our consent and processing processes.

Storage period: With regard to the storage period, the following types of cookies are distinguished:

• Temporary cookies (also: session or session cookies): Temporary cookies are deleted at the latest after a user has left an online offer and closed his end device (e.g. browser or mobile application).
• Permanent cookies: Permanent cookies remain stored even after the end device is closed. For example, the login status can be saved or preferred content can be displayed directly when the user visits a website again. Likewise, the user data collected with the help of cookies can be used to measure reach. Unless we provide users with explicit information on the type and storage period of cookies (e.g. when obtaining consent), users should assume that cookies are permanent and the storage period can be up to two years.

General information on revocation and objection (so-called “opt-out”): Users can revoke the consent they have given at any time and object to the processing in accordance with the legal requirements. For this purpose, users can, among other things, restrict the use of cookies in their browser settings (which can also limit the functionality of our online offer). An objection to the use of cookies for online marketing purposes can also be declared via the websites  https://optout.aboutads.info  and https://www.youronlinechoices.com/.

• Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR). Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a) GDPR).

Further information on processing processes, procedures and services:

• Processing of cookie data on the basis of consent: We use a cookie consent management procedure, in the context of which the user consents to the use of cookies or the processing mentioned in the context of the cookie consent management procedure and providers can be obtained and managed and revoked by the users. The declaration of consent is stored here so that the query does not have to be repeated and to be able to prove the consent in accordance with the legal obligation. The storage can take place on the server side and/or in a cookie (so-called opt-in cookie, or with the help of comparable technologies) in order to be able to assign the consent to a user or his device. Subject to individual information about the providers of cookie management services, the following information applies: The duration of the storage of the consent can be up to two years. A pseudonymous user identifier is created and stored with the time of the consent, information on the scope of the consent (e.g. which categories of cookies and/or service providers) and the browser, system and end device used; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a) GDPR).

Business Services

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

We process this data to fulfill our contractual obligations. This includes in particular the obligations to provide the agreed services, any updating obligations and remedy in the case of warranty and other service disruptions. In addition, we process the data to protect our rights and for the purpose of the administrative tasks associated with these obligations and the corporate organization. In addition, we process the data on the basis of our legitimate interests in proper and economical business management and security measures to protect our contractual partners and our business operations from misuse, endangerment of their data, secrets, information and rights (e.g. to involve telecommunications, transport and other auxiliary services as well as subcontractors, banks, tax and legal advisors, payment service providers or tax authorities). Within the framework of the applicable law, we only pass on the data of contractual partners to third parties to the extent that this is necessary for the aforementioned purposes or to fulfill legal obligations. The contractual partners will be informed about other forms of processing, e.g. for marketing purposes, within the scope of this data protection declaration.

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

We delete the data after the expiry of statutory warranty and comparable obligations, i.e., in principle after 4 years, unless the data is stored in a customer account, e.g. for as long as it must be kept for legal archiving reasons. The statutory retention period is ten years for documents relevant to tax law and for trading books, inventories, opening balance sheets, annual financial statements, the work instructions and other organizational documents and accounting documents required to understand these documents, and six years for received commercial and business letters and reproductions of the commercial and business letters sent. The period begins at the end of the calendar year in which the last entry was made in the book, the inventory, the opening balance sheet, the annual financial statements or the management report were drawn up, the commercial or business letter was received or sent or the accounting document was created, and the recording was also made has been made or the other documents have been created.

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.

Travel related services: We process the data of our customers and prospects (uniformly referred to as “customers”) in accordance with the underlying contractual relationship. We can also process information about the characteristics and circumstances of people or things belonging to them if this is necessary within the framework of the contractual relationship. This can be, for example, information about personal living conditions, movable property and the financial situation.

As part of our contractual relationship, it may be necessary for us to process special categories of data within the meaning of Art. 9 Para. 1 GDPR, in particular information on a person’s health. The processing takes place in order to protect the health interests of the customers and otherwise only with the consent of the customers.

If necessary for the fulfillment of the contract or by law, or if the customer has consented or based on our legitimate interests, we disclose or transmit the customer data, e.g. to the service providers involved in the fulfillment of the travel services.

• Types of data processed: personal data (e.g. names, addresses); payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history); Contact information (e.g. email, phone numbers); Contract data (e.g. subject of the contract, term, customer category); Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times). Meta, communication and procedural data (e.g. IP addresses, times, identification numbers, consent status).
• Affected persons: customers; Interested persons. business and contractual partners.
• Purposes of processing: provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations; Safety measures; contact requests and communication; office and organizational procedures; managing and responding to inquiries; Conversion measurement (measurement of the effectiveness of marketing measures). Profiles with user-related information (creating user profiles).
• Legal basis: Fulfillment of contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b) GDPR); Legal obligation (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. c) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing processes, procedures and services:

• Customer account: Customers can create an account within our online offer (e.g. customer or user account, “customer account” for short). If it is necessary to register a customer account, customers will be informed of this as well as the information required for registration. Customer accounts are not public and cannot be indexed by search engines. As part of the registration and subsequent registrations and uses of the customer account, we store the IP addresses of the customers together with the access times in order to be able to prove the registration and to prevent any misuse of the customer account. If the customer account has been terminated, the data in the customer account will be deleted after the time of termination, unless they are stored for purposes other than provision in the customer account or must be stored for legal reasons (e.g. internal storage of customer data, order processes or invoices). It is the customer’s responsibility to back up their data upon termination of the customer account; Legal basis: Fulfillment of contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b) GDPR).
• Economic analyzes and market research: For business reasons and in order to be able to identify market trends and the wishes of contractual partners and users, we analyze the data available to us on business transactions, contracts, inquiries, etc., whereby the group of persons concerned includes contractual partners, interested parties, customers, Visitors and users of our online offer can fall. The analyzes are carried out for the purpose of business evaluations, marketing and market research (e.g. to determine customer groups with different characteristics). If available, we can take into account the profiles of registered users together with their information, e.g. on services used. The analyzes serve us alone and are not disclosed externally, unless they are anonymous analyzes with summarized, i.e. anonymous values. Furthermore, we take the privacy of the users into account and process the data for analysis purposes as pseudonymously as possible and, if feasible, anonymously (e.g. as summarized data); Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• Shop and e-commerce: We process the data of our customers in order to enable them to select, purchase or order the selected products, goods and associated services, as well as their payment and delivery or execution. If necessary for the execution of an order, we use service providers, in particular postal, forwarding and shipping companies, to carry out the delivery or execution for our customers. We use the services of banks and payment service providers to process payment transactions. The required information is marked as such in the context of the ordering or comparable acquisition process and includes the information required for delivery or provision and billing as well as contact information in order to be able to hold any consultation; Legal basis: Fulfillment of contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b) GDPR).
• Agency services: We process our customers’ data as part of our contractual services, including, for example, conceptual and strategic advice, campaign planning, software and design development/consulting or maintenance, implementation of campaigns and processes, handling, server administration, data analysis/consulting services and training services may belong; Legal basis: Fulfillment of contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b) GDPR).
• Events: We process the data of the participants of the events, events and similar activities offered or organized by us (hereinafter referred to as “participants” and “events”) in order to enable them to participate in the events and use the services associated with participation enable services or actions. If we process health-related data, religious, political or other special categories of data in this context, then this is done within the scope of obviousness (e.g. in the case of thematically oriented events or is used for health care, security or with the consent of those affected). The information required is marked as such within the framework of the conclusion of the contract, order or comparable contract and includes the information required for the provision of services and billing as well as contact information in order to be able to hold any consultations. Insofar as we receive access to information from end customers, employees or other persons, we process this in accordance with the legal and contractual requirements; Legal basis: Fulfillment of contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b) GDPR).
• Plug-ins: As part of our business activities, we use additional services, platforms, interfaces or plug-ins from third-party providers (“services” for short) in compliance with legal requirements. Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Payment procedure

As part of contractual and other legal relationships, due to legal obligations or otherwise on the basis of our legitimate interests, we offer the data subjects efficient and secure payment options and use other service providers in addition to banks and credit institutions (collectively “payment service providers”).

The data processed by the payment service provider includes personal data, such as name and address, bank data, such as account numbers or credit card numbers, passwords, TANs and checksums, as well as contract, total and recipient-related information. The information is required to carry out the transactions. However, the data entered will only be processed and stored by the payment service providers. This means that we do not receive any account or credit card-related information, only information with confirmation or negative information about the payment. Under certain circumstances, the payment service provider may transmit the data to credit agencies. The purpose of this transmission is to check identity and creditworthiness. For this we refer to the terms and conditions and the data protection information of the payment service provider.

The terms and conditions and data protection notices of the respective payment service providers apply to the payment transactions, which can be accessed within the respective websites or transaction applications. We also refer to this for the purpose of further information and the assertion of revocation, information and other data subject rights.

• Types of data processed: Personal data (e.g. names, addresses); payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history); Contract data (e.g. subject of the contract, term, customer category); Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times). Meta, communication and procedural data (e.g. IP addresses, times, identification numbers, consent status).
• Data Subjects: Customers. Interested persons.
• Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations.
• Legal basis: Fulfillment of contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Further information on processing processes, procedures and services:

• Stripe: payment services (technical connection of online payment methods); Service Provider: Stripe, Inc., 510 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA; Legal basis: Fulfillment of contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b) GDPR); Website: https://stripe.com; Privacy Policy: https://stripe.com/de/privacy. Basis for transfer to third countries: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF).

Provision of the online offer and web hosting

We process user data in order to be able to provide our online services to them. For this purpose we process the IP address of the user, which is necessary to transmit the content and functions of our online services to the browser or the end device of the user.

• Types of data processed: usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); Meta, communication and procedural data (e.g. IP addresses, times, identification numbers, consent status). Content data (e.g. entries in online forms).
• Affected persons: users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
• Purposes of processing: Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness; Information technology infrastructure (operation and provision of information systems and technical devices (computers, servers, etc.).). Safety measures.
• Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing processes, procedures and services:

• Provision of online offer on rented storage space: For the provision of our online offer, we use storage space, computing capacity and software that we rent from a corresponding server provider (also called “web hoster”) or obtain from another source; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• Collection of access data and log files: Access to our online offer is logged in the form of so-called “server log files”. The address and name of the retrieved websites and files, date and time of retrieval, amounts of data transferred, notification of successful retrieval, 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 belong. The server log files can be used on the one hand for security purposes, e.g. to avoid overloading the server (especially in the case of abusive attacks, so-called DDoS attacks) and on the other hand to ensure server utilization and stability; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR). Deletion of data: Log file information is stored for a maximum of 30 days and then deleted or made anonymous. Data whose further storage is required for evidence purposes are excluded from deletion until the respective incident has been finally clarified.
• Email dispatch and hosting: The web hosting services we use also include the dispatch, receipt and storage of emails. For these purposes, the addresses of the recipients and senders as well as other information regarding the email dispatch (e.g. the providers involved) and the content of the respective e-mails are processed. The aforementioned data can also be processed for SPAM detection purposes. We ask you to note that e-mails are generally not sent in encrypted form on the Internet. As a rule, emails are encrypted during transport, but (unless a so-called end-to-end encryption method is used) not on the servers from which they are sent and received. We can therefore assume no responsibility for the transmission path of the e-mails between the sender and receipt on our server; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• Content Delivery Network: We use a “Content Delivery Network” (CDN). A CDN is a service with the help of which the content of an online offer, in particular large media files such as graphics or program scripts, can be delivered faster and more securely with the help of regionally distributed servers connected via the Internet; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Registration, login and user account

Users can create a user account. As part of the registration, the users are informed of the required mandatory information and processed for the purpose of providing the user account on the basis of contractual fulfillment of obligations. The processed data includes in particular the login information (user name, password and an e-mail address).

When using our registration and login functions and when using the user account, we store the IP address and the time of the respective user action. The storage takes place on the basis of our legitimate interests as well as those of the users in protection against misuse and other unauthorized use. In principle, this data will not be passed on to third parties, unless it is necessary to pursue our claims or there is a legal obligation to do so.

Users can be informed by email about processes that are relevant to their user account, such as technical changes.

• Types of data processed: personal data (e.g. names, addresses); Contact information (e.g. email, phone numbers); Content data (e.g. entries in online forms). Meta, communication and procedural data (e.g. IP addresses, times, identification numbers, consent status).
• Affected persons: users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
• Purposes of processing: provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations; Safety measures; Management and response to inquiries. Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness.
• Legal basis: Fulfillment of contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing processes, procedures and services:

• Registration with real names: Due to the nature of our community, we ask users to only use our offer using real names. I.e. the use of pseudonyms is not permitted; Legal basis: Fulfillment of contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b) GDPR).
• User profiles are not public: User profiles are not publicly visible and not accessible.
• Deletion of data after termination: If users have terminated their user account, their data with regard to the user account will be deleted, subject to a legal permission, obligation or consent of the user; Legal basis: Fulfillment of contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Blogs and publication media

We use blogs or comparable means of online communication and publication (hereinafter “publication medium”). The data of the readers are processed for the purposes of the publication medium only insofar as it is necessary for its presentation and the communication between authors and readers or for reasons of security. In addition, we refer to the information on the processing of visitors to our publication medium in the context of this data protection notice.

• Types of data processed: Personal data (e.g. names, addresses); Contact information (e.g. email, phone numbers); Content data (e.g. entries in online forms); Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times). Meta, communication and procedural data (e.g. IP addresses, times, identification numbers, consent status).
• Affected persons: users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
• Purposes of processing: provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations; Feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form); Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness; Safety measures. Management and response to inquiries.
• Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing processes, procedures and services:

• Comments and Posts: When users leave comments or other posts, their IP addresses may be stored based on our legitimate interests. This is for our security if someone leaves illegal content in comments and posts (insults, forbidden political propaganda, etc.). In this case, we can be prosecuted for the comment or contribution and are therefore interested in the identity of the author. Furthermore, we reserve the right to process user information for the purpose of spam detection on the basis of our legitimate interests. On the same legal basis, in the case of surveys, we reserve the right to store the IP addresses of users for the duration of the survey and to use cookies to avoid multiple votes. The personal information provided in the comments and posts, any contact and website information as well as the content will be stored by us permanently until the user objects; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• Retrieval of WordPress emojis and smileys: Retrieval of WordPress emojis and smileys – Graphic emojis (or smilies), i.e. small graphic files that express feelings, are used within our WordPress blog for the purpose of efficiently integrating content elements , obtained from external servers. The server providers collect the IP addresses of the users. This is necessary so that the emoji files can be transmitted to the users’ browsers; Service Provider: Aut O’Mattic A8C Ireland Ltd., Grand Canal Dock, 25 Herbert Pl, Dublin, D02 AY86, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://automattic.com; Privacy Policy: https://automattic.com/privacy. Basis for transfer to third countries: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF).

Contact and enquiries management

When contacting us (e.g. by post, contact form, e-mail, telephone or via social media) and in the context of existing user and business relationships, the details of the requesting person are processed to the extent necessary to answer the contact request and any requested measures.

• Types of data processed: contact details (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers); Content data (e.g. entries in online forms); Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times). Meta, communication and procedural data (e.g. IP addresses, times, identification numbers, consent status).
• Affected persons: communication partners.
• Purposes of processing: contact requests and communication; managing and responding to inquiries; Feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form). Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness.
• Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR). Fulfillment of contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Further information on processing processes, procedures and services:

• Contact form: If users contact us via our contact form, e-mail or other communication channels, we process the data communicated to us in this context to process the communicated request; Legal basis: Fulfillment of contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b) GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Newsletters and electronic notifications

We send newsletters, e-mails and other electronic notifications (hereinafter “newsletters”) only with the consent of the recipient or legal permission. If the content of the newsletter is specifically described when registering for it, it is decisive for the consent of the user. Our newsletter also contains information about our services and us.

In order to register for our newsletters, it is generally sufficient if you enter 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 takes place in a so-called double opt-in procedure. This means that after registration you will receive an email in which you will be asked to confirm your registration. This confirmation is necessary so that nobody can register with someone else’s email address. The registrations for the newsletter are logged in order to be able to prove the registration process in accordance with the legal requirements. This includes storing the time of registration and confirmation as well as the IP address. Changes to your data stored by the shipping service provider are also logged.

Deletion and restriction of processing: We can store the unsubscribed e-mail addresses for up to three years on the basis of our legitimate interests before we delete them in order to be able to prove a previously given consent. The processing of this data is limited to the purpose of a possible defense against claims. An individual request for deletion is possible at any time, provided that the previous existence of consent is confirmed at the same time. In the case of obligations to permanently observe contradictions, we reserve the right to store the e-mail address in a blacklist (so-called “blocklist”) solely for this purpose.

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

Content:

Information about us, our services, promotions and offers.

• Types of data processed: Personal data (e.g. names, addresses); Contact information (e.g. email, phone numbers); Meta, communication and procedural data (e.g. IP addresses, times, identification numbers, consent status). Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times).
• Affected persons: communication partners. Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
• Purposes of processing: direct marketing (e.g. by email or post). Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations.
• Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 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 cancel the newsletter either at the end of each newsletter or you can use one of the contact options given above, preferably e-mail.

Further information on processing processes, procedures and services:

• Measurement of opening and click rates: 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 shipping service provider, from their server 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 to technically improve our newsletter on the basis of the technical data or the target groups and their reading behavior on the basis of their retrieval locations (which can be determined using 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. This information is assigned to the individual newsletter recipients and in their profiles are stored until they are deleted.The evaluations help us 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. Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a) GDPR).
• Prerequisite for the use of free services: Consent to the sending of mailings can be made dependent on the use of free services (e.g. access to certain content or participation in certain campaigns). If users would like to take advantage of the free service without registering for the newsletter, we ask that you contact us.
• Mailchimp: email sending and email sending and automation services; Service Provider: Rocket Science Group, LLC, 675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE #5000, Atlanta, GA 30308, USA; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://mailchimp.com; Privacy Policy: https://mailchimp.com/legal/; Order processing contract: https://mailchimp.com/legal/; Basis for third country transfer: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF), Standard Contractual Clauses (Provided by the service provider). More information: Special security measures: https://mailchimp.com/help/Mailchimp-european-data-transfers/.

Promotional communication via email, post, fax or telephone

We process personal data for the purposes of advertising communication, which can take place via various channels, such as email, telephone, post or fax, in accordance with legal requirements.

The recipients have the right to revoke their consent at any time or to object to advertising communication at any time.

After revocation or objection, we store the data required to prove the previous authorization for contacting or sending up to three years after the end of the year of the revocation or objection on the basis of our legitimate interests. The processing of this data is limited to the purpose of a possible defense against claims. On the basis of the legitimate interest in permanently observing the revocation or objection of the user, we also store the data required to avoid being contacted again (e.g. depending on the communication channel, the email address, telephone number, name).

• Types of data processed: Personal data (e.g. names, addresses). Contact information (e.g. email, telephone numbers).
• Affected persons: communication partners.
• Purposes of processing: direct marketing (e.g. by email or post).
• Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Web analysis, monitoring and optimization

The web analysis (also referred to as “reach measurement”) serves to evaluate the flow of visitors to our online offer and can include behavior, interests or demographic information about the visitors, such as age or gender, as pseudonymous values. With the help of the range analysis, we can, for example, recognize at what time our online offer or its functions or content are used most frequently or invite you to reuse them. We can also understand which areas need optimization.

In addition to web analysis, we can also use test procedures, e.g. to test and optimize different versions of our online offer or its components.

Unless otherwise stated below, profiles, i.e. data summarized for a usage process, can be created for these purposes and information can be stored in a browser or in a terminal device and read out from it. The information collected includes, in particular, websites visited and elements used there, as well as technical information such as the browser used, the computer system used and information on usage times. If users have given their consent to us or the providers of the services we use to collect their location data, location data can also be processed.

The IP addresses of the users are also saved. However, we use an IP masking process (i.e. pseudonymization by shortening the IP address) to protect users. In general, no clear user data (e.g. e-mail addresses or names) are stored in the context of web analysis, A/B testing and optimization, but pseudonyms. This means that we and the providers of the software used do not know the actual identity of the users, but only the information stored in their profiles for the purposes of the respective process.

• Types of data processed: usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times). Meta, communication and procedural data (e.g. IP addresses, times, identification numbers, consent status).
• Affected persons: users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
• Purposes of processing: range measurement (e.g. access statistics, recognition of returning visitors); Profiles with user-related information (creating user profiles). Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness.
• Security measures: IP masking (pseudonymization of the IP address).
• Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing processes, procedures and services:

• Google Analytics 4: We use Google Analytics to measure and analyze the use of our online offering based on a pseudonymous user identification number. This identification number does not contain any unique data, such as names or e-mail addresses. It is used to assign analysis information to an end device in order to recognize which content the user has called up within one or more usage processes, which search terms they have used, called them up again or interacted with our online offer. The time of use and its duration are also stored, as well as the sources of the users who refer to our online offer and technical aspects of their end devices and browsers. Pseudonymous profiles of users are created with information from the use of various devices, whereby cookies can be used. Google Analytics does not log and store individual IP addresses for EU users. However, Analytics provides coarse geographic location data by deriving the following metadata from IP addresses: city (and the city’s derived latitude and longitude), continent, country, region, subcontinent (and ID-based counterparts). For EU traffic, the IP address data is used solely for this derivation of geolocation data before being immediately deleted. They are not logged, are not accessible and are not used for further purposes. When Google Analytics collects metrics, all IP queries are performed on EU-based servers before forwarding traffic to Analytics servers for processing; Service Provider Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website:https://marketingplatform.google.com/intl/de/about/analytics/; Privacy policy:https://policies.google.com/privacy; Order processing agreement: https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms/; Basis for third-country transmission: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF), standard contractual clauses  (https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms); Possibility of objection (Opt-Out): Opt-Out-Plugin: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout, settings for the display of advertisements: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated. More information: https://privacy.google.com/businesses/adsservices (types of processing and the data processed).
• Google Tag Manager: Google Tag Manager is a solution with which we can manage so-called website tags via an interface and thus integrate other services into our online offering (refer to further information in this data protection declaration). The Tag Manager itself (which implements the tags) is therefore used, for example: For example, user profiles have not yet been created or cookies have been stored. Google only learns the user’s IP address, which is necessary to run Google Tag Manager; Service Provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Irland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 Sentence 1 Letter a) GDPR); Website:https://marketingplatform.google.com; Privacy Policy:https://policies.google.com/privacy; Order processing contract:
  https://business.safety.google/adsprocessorterms. Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).

Online Marketing

We process personal data for online marketing purposes, which may include in particular the marketing of advertising space or the presentation of advertising and other content (collectively referred to as “content”) based on the potential interests of users and the measurement of their effectiveness.

For these purposes, so-called user profiles are created and stored in a file (so-called “cookie”) or similar processes are used, by means of which the information about the user relevant to the presentation of the aforementioned content is stored. This information can include, for example, content viewed, websites visited, online networks used, but also communication partners and technical information such as the browser used, the computer system used and information on usage times and functions used. If users have consented to the collection of their location data, this can also be processed.

The IP addresses of the users are also saved. However, we use available IP masking procedures (i.e. pseudonymization by shortening the IP address) to protect users. In general, no clear user data (e.g. e-mail addresses or names) are stored as part of the online marketing process, but pseudonyms. This means that we and the providers of the online marketing process do not know the actual identity of the users, only the information stored in their profiles.

The information in the profiles is usually stored in the cookies or by means of similar processes. These cookies can later generally also be read on other websites that use the same online marketing process and analyzed for the purpose of displaying content, as well as supplemented with further data and stored on the server of the online marketing process provider.

As an exception, clear data can be assigned to the profiles. This is the case, for example, if the users are members of a social network whose online marketing process we use and the network connects the user’s profile with the aforementioned information. We ask you to note that users can make additional agreements with the providers, e.g. by giving their consent during registration.

In principle, we only receive access to summarized information about the success of our advertisements. However, we can use so-called conversion measurements to check which of our online marketing processes have led to a so-called conversion, i.e. e.g. to the conclusion of a contract with us. The conversion measurement is only used to analyze the success of our marketing measures.

Unless otherwise stated, please assume that cookies used will be stored for a period of two years.

• Types of data processed: usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times). Meta, communication and procedural data (e.g. IP addresses, times, identification numbers, consent status).
• Affected persons: users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
• Purposes of processing: range measurement (e.g. access statistics, recognition of returning visitors); Tracking (e.g. interest/behavioral profiling, use of cookies); Marketing; Profiles with user-related information (creating user profiles). Conversion measurement (measurement of the effectiveness of marketing measures).
• Security measures: IP masking (pseudonymization of the IP address).
• Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• Possibility of objection (opt-out): We refer to the data protection notices of the respective providers and the possibilities of objection specified for the providers (so-called “opt-out”). If no explicit opt-out option has been specified, you can turn off cookies in your browser settings. However, this can limit the functions of our online offer. We therefore also recommend the following opt-out options, which are offered in summary for the respective areas: a) Europe: https://www.youronlinechoices.eu. b) Canada: https://www.youradchoices.ca/choices. c) USA: https://www.aboutads.info/choices. d) Cross-territory: https://optout.aboutads.info.

Further information on processing processes, procedures and services:

• Google Ads and conversion measurement: Online marketing practices for the purpose of placing content and ads within the service provider’s advertising network (e.g. in search results, in videos, on websites, etc.) so that they are displayed to users who have a presumed interest in the ads. In addition, we measure the conversion of the ads, i.e. whether the users took the opportunity to interact with the ads and use the advertised offers (so-called conversion). However, we only receive anonymous information and no personal information about individual users; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal bases: Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a) GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR);  Website: https://marketingplatform.google.com;  Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for transfer to third countries: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF); More information: Types of processing and the data processed: https://privacy.google.com/businesses/adsservices. Data processing terms between controllers and standard contractual clauses for third-country transfers of data: https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms.

Presence in social networks (social media)

We maintain online presences within social networks and process user data in this context in order to communicate with the users active there or to offer information about us.

We would like to point out that user data can be processed outside of the European Union. This can result in risks for users, for example because it could make it more difficult to enforce user rights.

Furthermore, user data is usually processed within social networks for market research and advertising purposes. For example, user profiles can be created based on usage behavior and the resulting interests of users. The usage profiles can in turn be used, for example, to place advertisements inside and outside the networks that presumably correspond to the interests of the users. For these purposes, cookies are usually stored on the users’ computers, in which the usage behavior and the interests of the users are stored. Furthermore, data can also be stored in the usage 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 possibility of objection (opt-out), we refer to the data protection declarations and information provided by the operators of the respective networks.

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

• Types of data processed: contact details (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers); Content data (e.g. entries in online forms); Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times). Meta, communication and procedural data (e.g. IP addresses, times, identification numbers, consent status).
• Affected persons: users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
• Purposes of processing: contact requests and communication; Feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form). Marketing.
• Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing processes, procedures and services:

• Instagram: social network; Service Provider: Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.instagram.com. Privacy Policy: https://instagram.com/about/legal/privacy.
• Facebook pages: Profiles within the Facebook social network – we are jointly responsible with Meta Platforms Ireland Limited for the collection (but not further processing) of data from visitors to our Facebook page. This data includes information about the types of content users view or interact with, or the actions they take (see “Things Done and Provided by You and Others” in the Facebook Data Policy: https:// www.facebook.com/policy), as well as information about the devices used by the users (e.g. IP addresses, operating system, browser type, language settings, cookie data; see under “Device information” in the Facebook data policy. As explained in the Facebook Data Policy under “How do we use this information?”. Facebook also collects and uses information to provide analytics services, called “Page Insights,” to site operators so that they can gain insights into how people are using their Pages and interact with the content associated with them. We have entered into a special agreement with Facebook (“Information about Page Insights”, https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/page_controller_addendum), in which it is regulated in particular which security measures Facebook must observe and in which Facebook has declared its willingness to fulfill the rights of those affected (i.e. users can, for example, send information or requests for deletion directly to Facebook). The rights of users (in particular to information, deletion, objection and complaints to the competent supervisory authority) are not restricted by the agreements with Facebook. Further information can be found in the “Information about page insights” (https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/information_about_page_insights_data); Service Provider: Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland; Legal bases: Legitimate Interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.facebook.com; Privacy policy: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy; Basis for transfer to third countries: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF), Standard Contractual Clauses (https://www.facebook.com/legal/EU_data_transfer_addendum). More information: Joint Controllership Agreement: https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/information_about_page_insights_data. Joint controllership is limited to the collection and transmission of data to Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, an EU based company. Further processing of the data is the sole responsibility of Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, which in particular concerns the transmission of the data to the parent company Meta Platforms, Inc. in the USA (on the basis of the agreement between Meta Platforms Ireland Limited and Meta Platforms, Inc. concluded standard contractual clauses).
• LinkedIn: social network; Service Provider: LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Plaza Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.linkedin.com; Privacy Policy: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy; Order processing contract: https://legal.linkedin.com/dpa; Basis for transfer to third countries: standard contractual clauses (https://legal.linkedin.com/dpa). Opt-out option: https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/guest-controls/retargeting-opt-out.
• Pinterest: social network; Service Provider: Pinterest Europe Limited, 2nd Floor, Palmerston House, Fenian Street, Dublin 2, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.pinterest.com; Privacy Policy https://policy.pinterest.com/de/privacy-policy. More information: Pinterest Data Sharing Annex (APPENDIX A): https://business.pinterest.com/de/pinterest-advertising-services-agreement/.
• YouTube: social network and video platform; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR); Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for transfer to third countries: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Possibility of objection (opt-out):https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.
• WhatsApp Business: communication platform; Service provider: WhatsApp Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Quay, Square, Dublin, D02 X525, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR); Privacy Policy: https://www.whatsapp.com/privacy; Basis for transfer to third countries: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Possibility of objection (opt-out):https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/cookies.

Plugins and embedded functions and content

We integrate functional and content elements into our online offer that are obtained from the servers of their respective providers (hereinafter referred to as “third-party providers”). These can be, for example, graphics, videos or city maps (hereinafter uniformly referred to as “content” ).

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

• Types of data processed: usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); Meta, communication and procedural data (e.g. IP addresses, times, identification numbers, consent status); personal data (e.g. names, addresses); Contact information (e.g. email, phone numbers); Content data (e.g. entries in online forms). Location data (information about the geographical position of a device or a person).
• Affected persons: users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
• Purposes of processing: Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness.
• Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing processes, procedures and services:

• Google Fonts (obtained from the Google server): Obtaining fonts (and symbols) for the purpose of technically safe, maintenance-free and efficient use of fonts and symbols with regard to topicality and loading times, their uniform display and consideration of possible license restrictions. The provider of the fonts is informed of the IP address of the user so that the fonts can be made available in the user’s browser. In addition, technical data (language settings, screen resolution, operating system, hardware used) are transmitted that are necessary for the provision of the fonts depending on the devices used and the technical environment. This data can be processed on a server of the font provider in the USA – When visiting our online offer, the user’s browser sends their browser HTTP requests to the Google Fonts Web API (i.e. a software interface for retrieving the fonts). The Google Fonts Web API provides users with the Google Fonts Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and then the fonts specified in the CCS. These HTTP requests include (1) the IP address used by the respective user to access the Internet, (2) the requested URL on the Google server and (3) the HTTP headers, including the user agent, which describes the browser and operating system versions of the website visitors, as well as the referrer URL (i.e. the web page on which the Google font is to be displayed). IP addresses are not logged or stored on Google servers and they are not analyzed. The Google Fonts Web API logs details of HTTP requests (requested URL, user agent, and referrer URL). Access to this data is restricted and strictly controlled. The requested URL identifies the font families for which the user wants to download fonts. This data is logged so that Google can determine how often a specific font family is requested. The Google Fonts Web API requires the user agent to customize the font that is generated for each browser type. The user-agent is logged primarily for debugging and is used to generate aggregate usage statistics that measure font family popularity. These aggregate usage statistics are published on the Google Fonts Analytics page. Finally, the referrer URL is logged so the data can be used for production maintenance and an aggregated report can be generated on the top integrations based on the number of font requests. According to its own information, Google does not use any of the information collected by Google Fonts to create profiles of end users or to place targeted ads; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://fonts.google.com/; Privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis third country transmission: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF). More information: https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq/privacy.
• Google Maps: We integrate the maps of the service “Google Maps” from the provider Google. The processed data may include, in particular, IP addresses and location data of the users; Service Provider: Google Cloud EMEA Limited, 70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://mapsplatform.google.com/; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy. Basis for transfer to third countries: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
• Google Forms: We integrate the forms of the service “Google Forms” from the provider Google. The processed data may include, in particular, IP addresses and location data of the users; Service Provider: Google Cloud EMEA Limited, 70 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://docs.google.com/forms; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy. Basis for transfer to third countries: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
• YouTube videos: video content; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.youtube.com; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for transfer to third countries: EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Possibility of objection (opt-out): opt-out plugin: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout, settings for the display of advertisements: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.

Change and update of the privacy policy

We ask you to inform yourself regularly about the content of our data protection declaration. We will adapt the data protection declaration as soon as the changes in the data processing we carry out make this necessary. We will inform you as soon as the changes require your participation (e.g. consent) or other individual notification.

If we provide addresses and contact information of companies and organizations in this data protection declaration, please note that the addresses can change over time and ask you to check the information before contacting us.

Translated from German version generated by free tool Datenschutz-Generator.de by Dr. Thomas Schwenke