Privacy Policy

Introduction and Overview

We have written this privacy policy (version 22.10.2025-323071275) in order to explain to you, in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and applicable national laws, which personal data (data for short) we as the controller – and the processors commissioned by us (e.g. providers) – process, will process in the future and what legal options you have. The terms used are to be considered gender-neutral.
In short: We provide you with comprehensive information about any of your personal data we process.

Privacy policies usually sound very technical and use legal terminology. However, this privacy policy is intended to describe the most important things to you as simply and transparently as possible. So long as it aids transparency, technical terms are explained in a reader-friendly manner, links to further information are provided and graphics are used. We are thus informing in clear and simple language that we only process personal data in the context of our business activities if there is a legal basis for it. This is certainly not possible with brief, unclear and legal-technical statements, as is often standard on the internet when it comes to data protection. I hope you find the following explanations interesting and informative. Maybe you will also find some information that you have not been familiar with.
If you still have questions, we kindly ask you to contact the responsible body named below or in the imprint, follow the existing links and look at further information on third-party sites. You can of course also find our contact details in the imprint.

Scope

This privacy policy applies to all personal data processed by our company and to all personal data processed by companies commissioned by us (processors). With the term personal data, we refer to information within the meaning of Article 4 No. 1 GDPR, such as the name, email address and postal address of a person. The processing of personal data ensures that we can offer and invoice our services and products, be it online or offline. The scope of this privacy policy includes:

• all online presences (websites, online shops) that we operate

• Social media presences and email communication

• mobile apps for smartphones and other devices

In short: This privacy policy applies to all areas in which personal data is processed in a structured manner by the company via the channels mentioned. Should we enter into legal relations with you outside of these channels, we will inform you separately if necessary.

Legal bases

In the following privacy policy, we provide you with transparent information on the legal principles and regulations, i.e. the legal bases of the General Data Protection Regulation, which enable us to process personal data.
Whenever EU law is concerned, we refer to REGULATION (EU) 2016/679 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of April 27, 2016. You can of course access the General Data Protection Regulation of the EU online at EUR-Lex, the gateway to EU law, at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32016R0679.

We only process your data if at least one of the following conditions applies:

1. Consent (Article 6 Paragraph 1 lit. a GDPR): You have given us your consent to process data for a specific purpose. An example would be the storage of data you entered into a contact form.

2. Contract (Article 6 Paragraph 1 lit. b GDPR): We process your data in order to fulfill a contract or pre-contractual obligations with you. For example, if we conclude a sales contract with you, we need personal information in advance.

3. Legal obligation (Article 6 Paragraph 1 lit. c GDPR): If we are subject to a legal obligation, we will process your data. For example, we are legally required to keep invoices for our bookkeeping. These usually contain personal data.

4. Legitimate interests (Article 6 Paragraph 1 lit. f GDPR): In the case of legitimate interests that do not restrict your basic rights, we reserve the right to process personal data. For example, we have to process certain data in order to be able to operate our website securely and economically. Therefore, the processing is a legitimate interest.

Other conditions such as making recordings in the interest of the public, the exercise of official authority as well as the protection of vital interests do not usually occur with us. Should such a legal basis be relevant, it will be disclosed in the appropriate place.

In addition to the EU regulation, national laws also apply:

• In Austria this is the Austrian Data Protection Act (Datenschutzgesetz), in short DSG.

• In Germany this is the Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz), in short BDSG.

Should other regional or national laws apply, we will inform you about them in the following sections.

Contact details of the data protection controller

If you have any questions about data protection or the processing of personal data, you will find below the contact details of the controller in accordance with Article 4(7) of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):
Alexander Gerstendörfer
Authorised to represent: Alexander Gerstendörfer
E-Mail: alexander@blackmountain.io

Storage Period

It is a general criterion for us to store personal data only for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of our services and products. This means that we delete personal data as soon as any reason for the data processing no longer exists. In some cases, we are legally obliged to keep certain data stored even after the original purpose no longer exists, such as for accounting purposes.

If you want your data to be deleted or if you want to revoke your consent to data processing, the data will be deleted as soon as possible, provided there is no obligation to continue its storage.

We will inform you below about the specific duration of the respective data processing, provided we have further information.

Rights in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation

In accordance with Articles 13, 14 of the GDPR, we inform you about the following rights you have to ensure fair and transparent processing of data:

• According to Article 15 DSGVO, you have the right to information about whether we are processing data about you. If this is the case, you have the right to receive a copy of the data and to know the following information:

  • for what purpose we are processing;

  • the categories, i.e. the types of data that are processed;

  • who receives this data and if the data is transferred to third countries, how security can be guaranteed;

  • how long the data will be stored;

  • the existence of the right to rectification, erasure or restriction of processing and the right to object to processing;

  • that you can lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (links to these authorities can be found below);

  • the origin of the data if we have not collected it from you;

  • Whether profiling is carried out, i.e. whether data is automatically evaluated to arrive at a personal profile of you.

• You have a right to rectification of data according to Article 16 GDPR, which means that we must correct data if you find errors.

• You have the right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”) according to Article 17 GDPR, which specifically means that you may request the deletion of your data.

• According to Article 18 of the GDPR, you have the right to restriction of processing, which means that we may only store the data but not use it further.

• According to Article 20 of the GDPR, you have the right to data portability, which means that we will provide you with your data in a standard format upon request.

• According to Article 21 DSGVO, you have the right to object, which entails a change in processing after enforcement.

  • If the processing of your data is based on Article 6(1)(e) (public interest, exercise of official authority) or Article 6(1)(f) (legitimate interest), you may object to the processing. We will then check as soon as possible whether we can legally comply with this objection.

  • If data is used to conduct direct advertising, you may object to this type of data processing at any time. We may then no longer use your data for direct marketing.

  • If data is used to conduct profiling, you may object to this type of data processing at any time. We may no longer use your data for profiling thereafter.

• According to Article 22 of the GDPR, you may have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing (for example, profiling).

• You have the right to lodge a complaint under Article 77 of the GDPR. This means that you can complain to the data protection authority at any time if you believe that the data processing of personal data violates the GDPR.

In short: you have rights – do not hesitate to contact the responsible party listed above with us!

If you believe that the processing of your data violates data protection law or your data protection rights have been violated in any other way, you can complain to the supervisory authority. For Austria, this is the data protection authority, whose website can be found at https://www.dsb.gv.at/. In Germany, there is a data protection officer for each federal state. For more information, you can contact the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI). The following local data protection authority is responsible for our company:

Security of data processing operations

In order to protect personal data, we have implemented both technical and organisational measures. We encrypt or pseudonymise personal data wherever this is possible. Thus, we make it as difficult as we can for third parties to extract personal information from our data.

Article 25 of the GDPR refers to “data protection by technical design and by data protection-friendly default” which means that both software (e.g. forms) and hardware (e.g. access to server rooms) appropriate safeguards and security measures shall always be placed. If applicable, we will outline the specific measures below.

TLS encryption with https

The terms TLS, encryption and https sound very technical, which they are indeed. We use HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) to securely transfer data on the Internet.
This means that the entire transmission of all data from your browser to our web server is secured – nobody can “listen in”.

We have thus introduced an additional layer of security and meet privacy requirements through technology design Article 25 Section 1 GDPR). With the use of TLS (Transport Layer Security), which is an encryption protocol for safe data transfer on the internet, we can ensure the protection of confidential information.
You can recognise the use of this safeguarding tool by the little lock-symbol

, which is situated in your browser’s top left corner in the left of the internet address (e.g. examplepage.uk), as well as by the display of the letters https (instead of http) as a part of our web address.
If you want to know more about encryption, we recommend you to do a Google search for “Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure wiki” to find good links to further information.

Communications

If you contact us and communicate with us via phone, email or online form, your personal data may be processed.

The data will be processed for handling and processing your request and for the related business transaction. The data is stored for this period of time or for as long as is legally required.

Affected persons

The above-mentioned processes affect all those who seek contact with us via the communication channels we provide.

Telephone

When you call us, the call data is stored in a pseudonymised form on the respective terminal device, as well as by the telecommunications provider that is being used. In addition, data such as your name and telephone number may be sent via email and stored for answering your inquiries. The data will be erased as soon as the business case has ended and the legal requirements allow for its erasure.

Email

If you communicate with us via email, your data is stored on the respective terminal device (computer, laptop, smartphone, …) as well as on the email server. The data will be deleted as soon as the business case has ended and the legal requirements allow for its erasure.

Online forms

If you communicate with us using an online form, your data is stored on our web server and, if necessary, forwarded to our email address. The data will be erased as soon as the business case has ended and the legal requirements allow for its erasure.

Legal bases

Data processing is based on the following legal bases:

• Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent): You give us your consent to store your data and to continue to use it for the purposes of the business case;

• Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR (contract): For the performance of a contract with you or a processor such as a telephone provider, or if we have to process the data for pre-contractual activities, such as preparing an offer;

• Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests): We want to conduct our customer inquiries and business communication in a professional manner. Thus, certain technical facilities such email programs, Exchange servers and mobile network operators are necessary to efficiently operate our communications.

Data Processing Agreement (DPA)

In this section, we would like to explain what a Data Processing Agreement is and why it is needed. As the term “Data Processing Agreement” is quite lengthy, we will often only use the acronym DPA here in this text. Like most companies, we do not work alone, but also use the services of other companies or individuals. By involving different companies or service providers, we may pass on personal data for processing. These partners then act as processors with whom we conclude a contract, the so-called Data Processing Agreement (DPA). Most importantly for you to know is that any processing of your personal data takes place exclusively according to our instructions and must be regulated by the DPA.

Who are the processors?

As a company and website owner, we are responsible for any of your data that is processed by us. In addition to the controller, there may also be so-called processors involved. This includes any company or person who processes your personal data. More precisely and according to the GDPR’s definition, this means: Any natural or legal person, authority, institution or other entity that processes your personal data is considered a processor. Processors can therefore be service providers such as hosting or cloud providers, payment or newsletter providers or large companies such as Google or Microsoft.

To make the terminology easier to comprehend, here is an overview of the GDPR’s three roles:

Data subject (you as a customer or interested party) → Controller (we as a company and contracting entity) → Processors (service providers such as web hosts or cloud providers)

Contents of a Data Processing Agreement

As mentioned above, we have concluded a DPA with our partners who act as processors. First and foremost, it states that the processor processes the data exclusively in accordance with the GDPR. The contract must be concluded in writing, although an electronic contract completion is also considered a “written contract”. Any processing of personal data only takes place after this contract is concluded. The contract must contain the following:

• indication to us as the controller

• obligations and rights of the controller

• categories of data subjects

• type of personal data

• type and purpose of data processing

• subject and duration of data processing

• location of data processing

Furthermore, the contract contains all obligations of the processor. The most important obligations are:

• ensuring data security measures

• taking possible technical and organisational measures to protect the rights of the data subject

• maintaining a data processing record

• cooperation with the data protection authority upon request

• performing a risk analysis for any received personal data

• subprocessors may only be appointed with the written consent of the controller

You can see an example of what a DPA looks like at https://gdpr.eu/data-processing-agreement/. This link shows a sample contract.

Cookies

What are cookies?

Our website uses HTTP-cookies to store user-specific data.
In the following we explain what cookies are and why they are used, so that you can better understand the following privacy policy.

Whenever you surf the Internet, you are using a browser. Common browsers are for example, Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge. Most websites store small text-files in your browser. These files are called cookies.

It is important to note that cookies are very useful little helpers. Almost every website uses cookies. More precisely, these are HTTP cookies, as there are also other cookies for other uses. HTTP cookies are small files that our website stores on your computer. These cookie files are automatically placed into the cookie-folder, which is the “brain” of your browser. A cookie consists of a name and a value. Moreover, to define a cookie, one or multiple attributes must be specified.

Cookies store certain user data about you, such as language or personal page settings. When you re-open our website to visit again, your browser submits these “user-related” information back to our site. Thanks to cookies, our website knows who you are and offers you the settings you are familiar to. In some browsers, each cookie has its own file, while in others, such as Firefox, all cookies are stored in one single file.

The following graphic shows a possible interaction between a web browser such as Chrome and the web server. The web browser requests a website and receives a cookie back from the server. The browser then uses this again as soon as another page is requested.

There are both first-party cookies and third-party cookies. First-party cookies are created directly by our site, while third-party cookies are created by partner-websites (e.g. Google Analytics). Each cookie must be evaluated individually, as each cookie stores different data. The expiry time of a cookie also varies from a few minutes to a few years. Cookies are not software programs and do not contain viruses, trojans or other malware. Cookies also cannot access your PC’s information.

This is an example of how cookie-files can look:

Name: _ga
Value: GA1.2.1326744211.152323071275-9
Purpose: Differentiation between website visitors
Expiry date: after 2 years

A browser should support these minimum sizes:

• At least 4096 bytes per cookie

• At least 50 cookies per domain

• At least 3000 cookies in total

Which types of cookies are there?

The exact cookies that we use, depend on the used services, which will be outlined in the following sections of this privacy policy. Firstly, we will briefly focus on the different types of HTTP-cookies.

There are 4 different types of cookies:

Essential cookies
These cookies are necessary to ensure the basic functions of a website. They are needed when a user for example puts a product into their shopping cart, then continues surfing on different websites and comes back later in order to proceed to the checkout. These cookies ensure the shopping cart does not get deleted, even if the user closes their browser window.

Purposive cookies
These cookies collect information about user behaviour and whether the user receives any error messages. Furthermore, these cookies record the website’s loading time as well as its behaviour in different browsers.

Target-orientated cookies
These cookies ensure better user-friendliness. Thus, information such as previously entered locations, fonts sizes or data in forms stay stored.

Advertising cookies
These cookies are also known as targeting cookies. They serve the purpose of delivering customised advertisements to the user. This can be very practical, but also rather annoying.

Upon your first visit to a website you are usually asked which of these cookie-types you want to accept. Furthermore, this decision will of course also be stored in a cookie.

If you want to learn more about cookies and do not mind technical documentation, we recommend https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6265, the Request for Comments of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) called “HTTP State Management Mechanism”.

Purpose of processing via cookies

The purpose ultimately depends on the respective cookie. You can find out more details below or from the software manufacturer that sets the cookie.

Which data are processed?

Cookies are little helpers for a wide variety of tasks. Unfortunately, it is not possible to tell which data is generally stored in cookies, but in the privacy policy below we will inform you on what data is processed or stored.

Storage period of cookies

The storage period depends on the respective cookie and is further specified below. Some cookies are erased after less than an hour, while others can remain on a computer for several years.

You can also influence the storage duration yourself. You can manually erase all cookies at any time in your browser (also see “Right of objection” below). Furthermore, the latest instance cookies based on consent will be erased is after you withdraw your consent. The legality of storage will remain unaffected until then.

Right of objection – how can I erase cookies?

You can decide for yourself how and whether you want to use cookies. Regardless of which service or website the cookies originate from, you always have the option of erasing, deactivating or only partially accepting cookies. You can for example block third-party cookies but allow all other cookies.

If you want to find out which cookies have been stored in your browser, or if you want to change or erase cookie settings, you can find this option in your browser settings:

Chrome: Clear, enable and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data in Safari

Firefox: Clear cookies and site data in Firefox

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete cookies in Microsoft Edge

If you generally do not want cookies, you can set up your browser in a way to notify you whenever a cookie is about to be set. This gives you the opportunity to manually decide to either permit or deny the placement of every single cookie. This procedure varies depending on the browser. Therefore, it might be best for you to search for the instructions in Google. If you are using Chrome, you could for example put the search term “delete cookies Chrome” or “deactivate cookies Chrome” into Google.

Legal basis

The so-called “cookie directive” has existed since 2009. It states that the storage of cookies requires your consent (Article 6 Paragraph 1 lit. a GDPR). Within countries of the EU, however, the reactions to these guidelines still vary greatly. In Austria, however, this directive was implemented in Section 165 (3) of the Telecommunications Act (2021). In Germany, the cookie guidelines have not been implemented as national law. Instead, this guideline was largely implemented in Section 15 (3) of the Telemedia Act (TMG), which has been replaced by the Digital Services Act (DSA) since May 2024.

For absolutely necessary cookies, even if no consent has been given, there are legitimate interests (Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR), which in most cases are of an economic nature. We want to offer our visitors a pleasant user experience on our website. For this, certain cookies often are absolutely necessary.

This is exclusively done with your consent, unless absolutely necessary cookies are used. The legal basis for this is Article 6 (1) (a) of the GDPR.

In the following sections you will find more detail on the use of cookies, provided the used software does use cookies.

Application Data

What is application data?

You can apply for a job at our company via email, online form, or a recruiting tool. All data we receive and process as part of an application is considered application data. This includes personal data such as name, date of birth, address, and phone number.

Why do we process application data?

We process your data to carry out a proper selection process for the advertised position. Additionally, we may retain your application documents in our applicant archive. Often, we are impressed by a candidate and their application but cannot proceed with collaboration for various reasons. With your consent, we archive your documents so we can easily contact you for future opportunities in our company.

We assure you that we handle your data with the utmost care and always process it within the legal framework. Within our company, your data is only shared with individuals directly involved in your application process. In short: Your data is safe with us!

What data is processed?

For example, when you apply via email, we naturally receive personal data as mentioned above. Even the email address itself is considered personal data. During the application process, only data relevant to deciding whether we would like to welcome you to our team is processed.

The specific data processed depends primarily on the job listing. However, it usually includes your name, date of birth, contact details, and proof of qualifications. If you submit your application via an online form, the data is transmitted to us in encrypted form. If you send your application via email, this encryption does not occur, and we cannot take responsibility for the transmission method. Once the data is on our servers, we are responsible for its lawful handling.

During the application process, information about your health or ethnic origin may also be requested. This helps us comply with legal obligations related to labor law, social security, and social protection. These are considered special category data.

Here is a list of possible data we receive and process:

• Name

• Contact address

• Email address

• Phone number

• Date of birth

• Information from cover letters and resumes

• Proof of qualifications (e.g., certificates)

• Special category data (e.g., ethnic origin, health data, religious beliefs)

• Usage data (visited websites, access data, etc.)

• Metadata (IP address, device information)

How long is the data stored?

If you join our team, your data will be further processed for employment purposes and retained at least until the employment relationship ends. All application documents will then become part of your employee file.

If we do not offer you the position, you decline our offer, or withdraw your application, we may retain your data for up to 6 months after the application process ends under legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). After that, both electronic data and physical documents will be fully deleted or destroyed. We retain your data, for example, to answer follow-up questions or to provide evidence of the application in case of legal disputes. If a legal dispute arises and we need the data beyond the 6-month period, we will delete it only when there is no longer any reason to retain it. If there are statutory retention obligations, we must store the data longer than 6 months.

Furthermore, we may retain your data longer if you provide explicit consent. This might be the case if we see potential for future collaboration. In such cases, your data will be included in our applicant pool. Of course, you can withdraw your consent for extended retention at any time. If no withdrawal is made and no new consent is given, your data will be deleted after a maximum of 2 years.

Legal Basis

The legal bases for processing your data are Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (contract or pre-contractual measures), Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interests), and Art. 9(2)(a) GDPR (processing special categories of data).

If we include you in our applicant tool, it is based on your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). We emphasize that your consent to join our applicant pool is voluntary, does not affect the application process, and can be withdrawn at any time. The legality of processing until the point of withdrawal remains unaffected.

In cases where vital interests are at stake, data processing occurs under Art. 9(2)(c) GDPR. For purposes related to healthcare, occupational medicine, medical diagnosis, provision of health or social care, or the management of systems and services in health or social care, data is processed under Art. 9(2)(h) GDPR. If you voluntarily provide special category data, processing is based on Art. 9(2)(a) GDPR.

Contact Form

What is a contact form?

A contact form is a web form you can fill out on our website to get in touch with us easily. Typically, personal data such as your name, email address, and your message are transmitted to us. This information helps us respond to your inquiries more effectively and contact you directly.

Why do we use a contact form?

We offer a contact form to make it quick and easy for you to communicate with us. Whether you have questions about our services, want to give feedback, or have other concerns – the contact form allows you to reach out directly. The information you provide will be used solely to process your inquiry and to contact you. If the inquiry leads to further steps, such as providing an offer or entering into a contract, we may also use the data for those purposes.

What data is processed?

The specific data we process depends on the information you provide in the contact form. In general, this includes:

• Name

• Email address

• Phone number (optional)

• Message content

• Date and time of submission

• IP address and technical metadata (for security and traceability)

This information helps us understand and respond to your inquiry more efficiently.

How long is the data stored?

We store contact form data only as long as necessary to process your inquiry. If a business relationship arises, the same retention periods as for customer data apply. In certain cases (e.g., legal disputes), longer retention periods may be required. Of course, we do not share your data with third parties without your explicit consent.

Legal basis

The legal bases for processing your data via the contact form are Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent – by submitting the form), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR (pre-contractual measures), and Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interest – efficient communication and organization of inquiries). If you voluntarily provide special categories of personal data, processing is based on Art. 9 para. 2 lit. a GDPR (explicit consent).

Web hosting

What is web hosting?

Every time you visit a website nowadays, certain information – including personal data – is automatically created and stored, including on this website. This data should be processed as sparingly as possible, and only with good reason. By website, we mean the entirety of all websites on your domain, i.e. everything from the homepage to the very last subpage (like this one here). By domain we mean example.uk or examplepage.com.

When you want to view a website on a screen, you use a program called a web browser. You probably know the names of some web browsers: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari.

The web browser has to connect to another computer which stores the website’s code: the web server. Operating a web server is complicated and time-consuming, which is why this is usually done by professional providers. They offer web hosting and thus ensure the reliable and flawless storage of website data.

Whenever the browser on your computer establishes a connection (desktop, laptop, smartphone) and whenever data is being transferred to and from the web server, personal data may be processed. After all, your computer stores data, and the web server also has to retain the data for a period of time in order to ensure it can operate properly.

Illustration:

Why do we process personal data?

The purposes of data processing are:

1. Professional hosting of the website and operational security

2. To maintain the operational as well as IT security

3. Anonymous evaluation of access patterns to improve our offer, and if necessary, for prosecution or the pursuit of claims.li>

Which data are processed?

Even while you are visiting our website, our web server, that is the computer on which this website is saved, usually automatically saves data such as

• the full address (URL) of the accessed website (e. g. https://www.examplepage.uk/examplesubpage.html?tid=323071275)

• browser and browser version (e.g. Chrome 87)

• the operating system used (e.g. Windows 10)

• the address (URL) of the previously visited page (referrer URL) (e. g. https://www.examplepage.uk/icamefromhere.html/)

• the host name and the IP address of the device from the website is being accessed from (e.g. COMPUTERNAME and 194.23.43.121)

• date and time

• in so-called web server log files

How long is the data stored?

Generally, the data mentioned above are stored for two weeks and are then automatically deleted. We do not pass these data on to others, but we cannot rule out the possibility that this data may be viewed by the authorities in the event of illegal conduct.

In short: Your visit is logged by our provider (company that runs our website on special computers (servers)), but we do not pass on your data without your consent!

Legal basis

The lawfulness of processing personal data in the context of web hosting is justified in Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (safeguarding of legitimate interests), as the use of professional hosting with a provider is necessary to present the company in a safe and user-friendly manner on the internet, as well as to have the ability to track any attacks and claims, if necessary.

Web Analytics

What is Web Analytics?

We use software on our website, which is known as web analytics, in order to evaluate website visitor behaviour. Thus, data is collected, which the analytic tool provider (also called tracking tool) stores, manages and processes. Analyses of user behaviour on our website are created with this data, which we as the website operator receive. Most tools also offer various testing options. These enable us, to for example test which offers or content our visitors prefer. For this, we may show you two different offers for a limited period of time. After the test (a so-called A/B test) we know which product or content our website visitors find more interesting. For such testing as well as for various other analyses, user profiles are created and the respective data is stored in cookies.

Why do we run Web Analytics?

We have a clear goal in mind when it comes to our website: we want to offer our industry’s best website on the market. Therefore, we want to give you both, the best and most interesting offer as well as comfort when you visit our website. With web analysis tools, we can observe the behaviour of our website visitors, and then improve our website accordingly for you and for us. For example, we can see the average age of our visitors, where they come from, the times our website gets visited the most, and which content or products are particularly popular. All this information helps us to optimise our website and adapt it to your needs, interests and wishes.

Which data are processed?

The exact data that is stored depends on the analysis tools that are being used. But generally, data such as the content you view on our website are stored, as well as e. g. which buttons or links you click, when you open a page, which browser you use, which device (PC, tablet, smartphone, etc.) you visit the website with, or which computer system you use. If you have agreed that location data may also be collected, this data may also be processed by the provider of the web analysis tool.

Moreover, your IP address is also stored. According to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), IP addresses are personal data. However, your IP address is usually stored in a pseudonymised form (i.e. in an unrecognisable and abbreviated form). No directly linkable data such as your name, age, address or email address are stored for testing purposes, web analyses and web optimisations. If this data is collected, it is retained in a pseudonymised form. Therefore, it cannot be used to identify you as a person.

The following example shows Google Analytics’ functionality as an example for client-based web tracking with JavaScript code.

The storage period of the respective data always depends on the provider. Some cookies only retain data for a few minutes or until you leave the website, while other cookies can store data for several years.

Duration of data processing

If we have any further information on the duration of data processing, you will find it below. We generally only process personal data for as long as is absolutely necessary to provide products and services. The storage period may be extended if it is required by law, such as for accounting purposes for example for accounting.

Right to object

You also have the option and the right to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third-party providers at any time. This works either via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data processing by cookies by managing, deactivating or erasing cookies in your browser.

Legal basis

The use of Web Analytics requires your consent, which we obtained with our cookie popup. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a of the GDPR (consent), this consent represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data, such as by collection through Web Analytics tools.

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analysing the behaviour of website visitors, which enables us to technically and economically improve our offer. With Web Analytics, we can recognise website errors, identify attacks and improve profitability. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f of the GDPR (legitimate interests). Nevertheless, we only use these tools if you have given your consent.

Since Web Analytics tools use cookies, we recommend you to read our privacy policy on cookies. If you want to find out which of your data are stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

If available, information on special Web Analytics tools can be found in the following sections.

Google Analytics Privacy Policy

What is Google Analytics?

On our website, we use the analytics tracking tool Google Analytics in the Google Analytics 4 (GA4) version provided by the American company Google Inc. For the European region, Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services. Google Analytics collects data about your actions on our website. By combining various technologies such as cookies, device IDs, and login information, you can be identified as a user across different devices. This allows your actions to be analyzed across platforms as well.

For example, when you click on a link, this event is stored in a cookie and sent to Google Analytics. With the reports we receive from Google Analytics, we can better tailor our website and service to your needs. In the following, we will provide more information about the tracking tool and specifically inform you about the data processed and how you can prevent it.

Google Analytics is a tracking tool used for website traffic analysis. The basis for these measurements and analyses is a pseudonymous user identification number. This number does not include personally identifiable information such as name or address but is used to assign events to a device. GA4 utilizes an event-based model that captures detailed information about user interactions such as page views, clicks, scrolling, and conversion events. Additionally, GA4 incorporates various machine learning features to better understand user behavior and certain trends. GA4 employs modeling through machine learning capabilities, meaning that based on the collected data, missing data can be extrapolated to optimize the analysis and provide forecasts.

In order for Google Analytics to function properly, a tracking code is embedded in the code of our website. When you visit our website, this code records various events that you perform on our website. With GA4’s event-based data model, we, as website operators, can define and track specific events to obtain analyses of user interactions. This allows us to track not only general information such as clicks or page views but also specific events that are important for our business, such as submitting a contact form or making a purchase.

Once you leave our website, this data is sent to and stored on Google Analytics servers.

Google processes the data, and we receive reports on your user behavior. These reports can include, among others, the following:

• Audience reports: Audience reports help us get to know our users better and gain a more precise understanding of who is interested in our service.

• Advertising reports: Advertising reports make it easier for us to analyze and improve our online advertising.

• Acquisition reports: Acquisition reports provide helpful information on how we can attract more people to our service.

• Behavior reports: Here, we learn about how you interact with our website. We can track the path you take on our site and which links you click on.

• Conversion reports: Conversion refers to an action you take as a result of a marketing message, such as going from being a website visitor to becoming a buyer or newsletter subscriber. Through these reports, we gain insights into how our marketing efforts resonate with you, with the aim of improving our conversion rate.

• Real-time reports: With real-time reports, we can see what is currently happening on our website. For example, we can see how many users are currently reading this text.

In addition to the above-mentioned analysis reports, Google Analytics 4 also offers the following functions:

• Event-based data model: This model captures specific events that can occur on our website, such as playing a video, making a purchase, or subscribing to our newsletter.

• Advanced analytics features: With these features, we can gain a better understanding of your behavior on our website or certain general trends. For example, we can segment user groups, conduct comparative analyses of target audiences, or track your path on our website.

• Predictive modeling: Based on the collected data, missing data can be extrapolated through machine learning to predict future events and trends. This can help us develop better marketing strategies.

• Cross-platform analysis: Data collection and analysis are possible from both websites and apps. This enables us to analyze user behavior across platforms, provided you have consented to data processing.

Why do we use Google Analytics on our website?

Our goal with this website is clear: we want to provide you with the best possible service. The statistics and data from Google Analytics help us achieve this goal.

The statistically evaluated data gives us a clear picture of the strengths and weaknesses of our website. On one hand, we can optimize our site to make it more easily found by interested people on Google. On the other hand, the data helps us better understand you as a visitor. We know exactly what we need to improve on our website in order to provide you with the best possible service. The data also helps us conduct our advertising and marketing activities in a more personalized and cost-effective manner. After all, it only makes sense to show our products and services to people who are interested in them.

What data is stored by Google Analytics?

With the help of a tracking code, Google Analytics creates a random, unique ID associated with your browser cookie. This way, Google Analytics recognizes you as a new user, and a user ID is assigned to you. When you visit our site again, you are recognized as a “returning” user. All collected data is stored together with this user ID, making it possible to evaluate pseudonymous user profiles.

To analyze our website with Google Analytics, a property ID must be inserted into the tracking code. The data is then stored in the corresponding property. For each newly created property, the default is Google Analytics 4 Property. The data storage duration varies depending on the property used.

Through identifiers such as cookies, app instance IDs, user IDs, or custom event parameters, your interactions, if you have consented, are measured across platforms. Interactions encompass all types of actions you perform on our website. If you also use other Google systems (such as a Google account), data generated through Google Analytics can be linked to third-party cookies. Google does not disclose Google Analytics data unless we, as website operators, authorize it, except when required by law.

According to Google, IP addresses are not logged or stored in Google Analytics 4. However, IP address data is used by Google for deriving location data and is immediately deleted thereafter. All IP addresses collected from users in the EU are deleted before the data is stored in a data center or on a server.

Since GA4 focuses on event-based data, the tool uses significantly fewer cookies compared to previous versions such as Google Universal Analytics. However, there are still some specific cookies used by GA4. These can include:

Name: _ga
Value: 2.1326744211.152323071275-5
Purpose: By default, analytics.js uses the _ga cookie to store the user ID. It is used to distinguish website visitors.
Expiration: After 2 years

Name: _gid
Value: 2.1687193234.152323071275-1
Purpose: This cookie is also used to distinguish website visitors.
Expiration: After 24 hours

Name: gat_gtag_UA Value: 1
Purpose: Used to reduce the request rate. If Google Analytics is deployed via Google Tag Manager, this cookie will be named dc_gtm .
Expiration: After 1 minute

Note: This list cannot claim to be exhaustive, as Google may change their choice of cookies from time to time. GA4 aims to improve data privacy and offers several options for controlling data collection. For example, we can determine the storage duration ourselves and control data.

Here we provide an overview of the main types of data collected by Google Analytics:

Heatmaps: Google creates heatmaps to show the exact areas you click on. This provides us with information about your interactions on our site.

Session Duration: Google refers to session duration as the time you spend on our site without leaving. If you are inactive for 20 minutes, the session automatically ends.

Bounce Rate: Bounce rate refers to when you view only one page on our website and then leave.

Account Creation: If you create an account or place an order on our website, Google Analytics collects this data.

Location: IP addresses are not logged or stored in Google Analytics. However, location data is derived shortly before the IP address is deleted.

Technical Information: Technical information includes your browser type, internet service provider, and screen resolution, among others.

Source of Origin: Google Analytics is interested in the website or advertisement that brought you to our site.

Additional data may include contact information, reviews, media playback (e.g., if you play a video on our site), sharing of content via social media, or adding to favorites. This list is not exhaustive and serves only as a general guide to the data storage by Google Analytics.

Where and how long are the data stored?

Google has servers distributed worldwide. You can find precise information about the locations of Google data centers at: https://datacenters.google/

Your data is distributed across multiple physical storage devices. This ensures faster access to data and better protection against manipulation. Each Google data center has emergency programs in place for your data. In the event of hardware failure or natural disasters, the risk of service interruption at Google remains low.

The retention period of data depends on the properties used. The storage duration is always set separately for each individual property. Google Analytics offers us four options for controlling the storage duration:

• 2 months: This is the shortest storage period.

• 14 months: By default, data is stored in GA4 for 14 months.

• 26 months: Data can also be stored for 26 months.

• Data is only deleted manually.

In addition, there is also the option for data to be deleted only if you do not visit our website within the selected time period. In this case, the retention period is reset every time you revisit our website within the defined time frame.

Once the defined period has expired, the data is deleted once a month. This retention period applies to data linked to cookies, user identification, and advertising IDs (e.g., cookies from the DoubleClick domain). Report results are based on aggregated data and are stored independently of user data. Aggregated data is a combination of individual data into larger units.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

Under the data protection laws of the European Union, you have the right to access, update, delete, or restrict your data. By using the browser add-on to deactivate Google Analytics JavaScript (analytics.js, gtag.js), you can prevent Google Analytics 4 from using your data. You can download and install the browser add-on at: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en Please note that this add-on only disables data collection by Google Analytics.

If you want to disable, delete, or manage cookies in general, you can find the respective instructions for the most common browsers in the “Cookies” section.

Legal basis

The use of Google Analytics requires your consent, which we obtained through our cookie popup. According to Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR, this consent constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data that may occur during the collection by web analytics tools.

In addition to consent, we also have a legitimate interest in analyzing the behavior of website visitors to improve our offering technically and economically. By using Google Analytics, we can identify website errors, detect attacks, and improve efficiency. The legal basis for this is Art. 6(1)(f) of the GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use Google Analytics if you have given your consent.

Google processes data from you, among other things, in the USA. Google is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. More information can be found at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Additionally, Google uses so-called Standard Contractual Clauses (Article 46(2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) are template clauses provided by the EU Commission and are designed to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards, even when transferred and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the Standard Contractual Clauses, Google commits to maintaining the European data protection level when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding Standard Contractual Clauses here: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_2847.

You can find the Google Ads Data Processing Terms, which refer to the Standard Contractual Clauses, at: https://business.safety.google/intl/en/adsprocessorterms/

We hope we have provided you with the most important information regarding the data processing by Google Analytics. If you want to learn more about the tracking service, we recommend the following links: https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/terms/en/ and https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=en

If you want to learn more about data processing, you can refer to the Google Privacy Policy at: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en.

Data Processing Agreement (DPA) Google Analytics

In accordance with Article 28 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we have entered into a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) with Google Analytics. What exactly a DPA is and especially what must be included in a DPA, you can read in our general section “Data Processing Agreement (DPA)”.

This contract is required by law because Google Analytics processes personal data on our behalf. It clarifies that Google Analytics may only process data they receive from us according to our instructions and must comply with the GDPR. You can find the link to the Data Processing Terms under https://business.safety.google/intl/en/adsprocessorterms/.

Google Analytics Reports on demographic characteristics and interests

We have turned on Google Analytics’ functions for advertising reports. These reports on demographic characteristics and interests contain details about age, gender and interests. Through them we can get a better picture of our users – without being able to allocate any data to individual persons. You can learn more about advertising functions at auf https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/3450482?hl=en&amp%3Butm_id=ad.

You can terminate the use of your Google Account’s activities and information in “Ads Settings” at https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated via a checkbox.

Google Analytics in Consent Mode

Depending on your consent, Google Analytics will progress your personal data in the so-called “consent mode”. You can choose whether or not you want to accept Google Analytics cookies, and thus which of your data Google Analytics may process. The retained data is mainly used to measure user behaviour on the website, to serve targeted advertising and to provide us with web analysis reports. Usually, you would consent to Google’s data processing via a cookie consent tool. If you do not consent to data processing, only aggregated data will be collected and processed. This means that data cannot be assigned to individual users and therefore no user profile will be created for you. You also have the option to only agree to statistical measurement, meaning that none of your personal data will be processed and used for advertising or advertising measurement sequences.

Google Analytics IP Anonymisation

We implemented Google Analytics’ IP address anonymisation to this website. Google developed this function, so this website can comply with the applicable privacy laws and the local data protection authorities’ recommendations, should they prohibit the retention of any full IP addresses.
The anonymisation or masking of IP addresses takes place, as soon as they reach Google Analytics’ data collection network, but before the data would be saved or processed.

You can find more information on IP anonymisation at https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/2763052?hl=en.

Google Tag Manager Privacy Policy

What is Google Tag Manager?

We use Google Tag Manager by the company Google Inc. (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View, CA 94043, USA) for our website.
This Tag Manager is one of Google’s many helpful marketing products. With it, we can centrally integrate and manage code sections of various tracking tools, that we use on our website.

In this privacy statement we will explain in more detail, what Google Tag Manager does, why we use it and to what extent your data is processed.

Google Tag Manager is an organising tool with which we can integrate and manage website tags centrally and via a user interface. Tags are little code sections which e.g. track your activities on our website. For this, segments of JavaScript code are integrated to our site’s source text. The tags often come from Google’s intern products, such as Google Ads or Google Analytics, but tags from other companies can also be integrated and managed via the manager. Since the tags have different tasks, they can collect browser data, feed marketing tools with data, embed buttons, set cookies and track users across several websites.

Why do we use Google Tag Manager for our website?

Everybody knows: Being organised is important! Of course, this also applies to maintenance of our website. In order to organise and design our website as well as possible for you and anyone who is interested in our products and services, we rely on various tracking tools, such as Google Analytics.
The collected data shows us what interests you most, which of our services we should improve, and which other persons we should also display our services to. Furthermore, for this tracking to work, we must implement relevant JavaScript Codes to our website. While we could theoretically integrate every code section of every tracking tool separately into our source text, this would take too much time and we would lose overview. This is the reason why we use Google Tag Manager. We can easily integrate the necessary scripts and manage them from one place. Additionally, Google Tag Manager’s user interface is easy to operate, and requires no programming skills. Therefore, we can easily keep order in our jungle of tags.

What data is stored by Google Tag Manager?

Tag Manager itself is a domain that neither uses cookies nor stores data. It merely functions as an “administrator“ of implemented tags. Data is collected by the individual tags of the different web analysis tools. Therefore, in Google Tag Manager the data is sent to the individual tracking tools and does not get saved.

However, with the integrated tags of different web analysis tools such as Google Analytics, this is quite different. Depending on the analysis tool used, various data on your internet behaviour is collected, stored and processed with the help of cookies. Please read our texts on data protection for more information on the articular analysis and tracking tools we use on our website.

We allowed Google via the account settings for the Tag Manager to receive anonymised data from us. However, this exclusively refers to the use of our Tag Manager and not to your data, which are saved via code sections. We allow Google and others, to receive selected data in anonymous form. Therefore, we agree to the anonymised transfer of our website data. However, even after extensive research we could not find out what summarised and anonymous data it is exactly that gets transmitted. What we do know is that Google deleted any info that could identify our website. Google combines the data with hundreds of other anonymous website data and creates user trends as part of benchmarking measures. Benchmarking is a process of comparing a company’s results with the ones of competitors. As a result, processes can be optimised based on the collected information.

How long and where is the data stored?

When Google stores data, this is done on Google’s own servers. These servers are located all over the world, with most of them being in America. At https://datacenters.google/ you can read in detail where Google’s servers are.

In our individual data protection texts on the different tools you can find out how long the respective tracking tools store your data.

How can I delete my data or prevent data retention?

Google Tag Manager itself does not set any cookies but manages different tracking websites’ tags. In our data protection texts on the different tracking tools you can find detailed information on how you can delete or manage your data.

Please note that when using this tool, your data may also be stored and processed outside the EU. Most third countries (including the USA) are not considered secure under current European data protection law. Data must not be transferred, stored and processed to insecure third countries, unless there are suitable guarantees (such as EU standard contractual clauses) between us and the non-European service provider.

Legal basis

The use of the Google Tag Manager requires your consent, which we obtained via our cookie popup. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), this consent is the legal basis for personal data processing, such as when it is collected by web analytics tools.

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analysing the behaviour of website visitors and thus technically and economically improving our offer. With the help of Google Tag Managers we can also improve profitability. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). We only use Google Tag Manager if you have given us your consent.

Google processes data from you, among other things, in the USA. Google is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. More information can be found at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Additionally, Google uses so-called Standard Contractual Clauses (Article 46(2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) are template clauses provided by the EU Commission and are designed to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards, even when transferred and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the Standard Contractual Clauses, Google commits to maintaining the European data protection level when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding Standard Contractual Clauses here: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_2847.

You can find the Google Ads Data Processing Terms, which refer to the Standard Contractual Clauses, at: https://business.safety.google/intl/en/adsprocessorterms/

If you want to learn more about Google Tag Manager, we recommend their FAQs at https://support.google.com/tagmanager/?hl=en#topic=3441530.

Meta Conversions API Privacy Policy

What is the Meta Conversions API?

We use Meta Conversions API on our website, a server-side event tracking tool. The service provider is the American company Meta Platforms Inc. For the European region, the responsible company is Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland).

The Meta Conversions API is a tool or function that can measure the performance of our advertising campaigns in real time. The API is an interface that connects our website with Meta and thus measures certain actions on our website. A conversion occurs when you, as a visitor to a website, perform a desired action. This can be, for example, clicking a button or filling out a registration form. This conversion tracking method is an alternative to the Meta Pixel and aims to optimize conversion tracking through precision and reliability. The API sends data directly from our server to Meta server-side. Personal data may also be processed in the process. In this privacy policy, we delve deeper into the data processing by us and Meta.

Why do we use the Meta Conversions API on our website?

We use the Meta Conversions API to improve the quality of our website, our offerings, and our advertising campaigns. Our goal is to provide you with the best possible service. We want you to feel comfortable on our website and get exactly what you expect. To achieve this, we need to tailor our offerings as closely as possible to your needs and preferences. The Meta Conversions API helps us adapt to this effectively and customize content and offers. This flexibility allows us to consider various needs while improving our online presence. The data also helps us conduct our advertising measures more economically and individually. We aim to present our offerings only to people who are genuinely interested in them.

What data is stored by the Meta Conversions API?

Using the Meta Conversions API, we can collect and provide Meta with various data on events occurring on our website. The specific data stored and processed depends on our individual settings and the specific events and parameters. Generally, event data, user data, device data, and the time at which an event (e.g., button click) occurred are recorded and sent to Meta. Event data includes actions such as registration, product purchase, page views, or button clicks on our website. User data may include personal information such as IP address, name, address, or email address. Device data refers to your device type, operating system, browser, and screen resolution.

How long and where is the data stored?

In general, Meta stores data until it is no longer needed for its own services and Meta products. Meta has servers distributed worldwide where data is stored. Customer data, however, is deleted within 48 hours after being matched with its user data.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You have the right and opportunity to access your personal data at any time and object to its use and processing. You can also file a complaint with a government supervisory authority at any time. You can generally prevent data storage by not consenting to data processing via the Consent Management Tool. Meta Conversions API operates server-side, making data deletion different from client-side methods. Nevertheless, you can review and adjust the privacy and security settings in your browser and, if possible, block tracking resources (pixels, cookies, scripts).

Legal Basis

If you have consented to your data being processed and stored by the Meta Conversions API, this consent serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). Your data is also generally stored and processed based on our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in effective and efficient communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the Meta Conversions API if you have given your consent.

Metaprocesses your data in the USA, among other places. Meta Platforms is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which governs the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. More information can be found at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Meta also uses so-called Standard Contractual Clauses (= Art. 46 para. 2 and 3 GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission to ensure that your data also complies with European data protection standards when transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the Standard Contractual Clauses, Meta commits to complying with the European level of data protection when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an EU Commission implementation decision. You can find the decision and the corresponding Standard Contractual Clauses here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de.

You can find Meta’s data processing terms, which refer to the Standard Contractual Clauses, at https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing.

Learn more about the data processed through the use of the Meta Conversions API in the privacy policy at https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy.

Meta-Pixel Privacy Policy

We use Facebook’s Meta pixel on our website. For that, we have implemented a code on our website. The Meta pixel is a segment of a JavaScript code, which, in case you came to our website via Facebook ads, loads an array or functions that enable Facebook to track your user actions. For example, if you buy a product on our website, the Facebook pixel is triggered and stores your actions on our website in one or more cookies. These cookies enable Facebook to match your user data (customer data such as IP address, user ID) with the data of your Facebook account. After that, Facebook deletes your data again. The collected data is anonymous as well as inaccessible and can only be used for ad placement purposes. If you are a Facebook user and you are logged in, your visit to our website is automatically assigned to your Facebook user account.

We exclusively want to show our products or services to persons, who are interested in them. With the aid of the Meta pixel, our advertising measures can get better adjusted to your wishes and interests. Therefore, Facebook users get to see suitable advertisement (if they allowed personalised advertisement). Moreover, Facebook uses the collected data for analytical purposes and for its own advertisements.

In the following we will show you the cookies, which were set on a test page with the Meta pixel integrated to it. Please consider that these cookies are only examples. Depending on the interaction that is made on our website, different cookies are set.

Name: _fbp
Value: fb.1.1568287647279.257405483-6323071275-7
Purpose: Facebook uses this cookie to display advertising products.
Expiration date: after 3 months

Name: fr
Value: 0aPf312HOS5Pboo2r..Bdeiuf…1.0.Bdeiuf.
Purpose: This cookie is used for Meta pixels to function properly.
Expiration date: after 3 months

Name: comment_author_50ae8267e2bdf1253ec1a5769f48e062323071275-3
Value: Name of the author
Purpose: This cookie saves the text and name of a user who e.g. leaves a comment.
Expiration date: after 12 months

Name: comment_author_url_50ae8267e2bdf1253ec1a5769f48e062
Value: https%3A%2F%2Fwww.testseite…%2F (URL of the author)
Purpose: This cookie saved the URL of the website that the user types into a text box on our website.
Expiration date: after 12 months

Name: comment_author_email_50ae8267e2bdf1253ec1a5769f48e062
Value: email address of the author
Purpose: This cookie saves the email address of the user, if they provided it on the website.
Expiration date: after 12 months

Note: The above-mentioned cookies relate to an individual user behaviour. Moreover, especially concerning the usage of cookies, changes at Facebook can never be ruled out.

If you are registered on Facebook, you can change the settings for advertisements yourself at https://www.facebook.com/ads/preferences/?entry_product=ad_settings_screen. If you are not a Facebook user, you can manage your user based online advertising at https://www.youronlinechoices.com/uk/your-ad-choices. You have the option to activate or deactivate any providers there.

Facebook processes data from you, among other things, in the USA. Facebook respectively Meta Platforms is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. More information can be found at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Additionally, Facebook uses so-called Standard Contractual Clauses (Article 46(2) and (3) GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) are template clauses provided by the EU Commission and are designed to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards, even when transferred and stored in third countries (such as the USA). Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the Standard Contractual Clauses, Facebook commits to maintaining the European data protection level when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding Standard Contractual Clauses here: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_2847.

The Facebook Data Processing Term, which references the Standard Contractual Clauses, can be found at https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing.

If you want to learn more about Facebook’s data protection, we recommend you the view the company’s in-house data policies at https://www.facebook.com/policy.php.

Privacy Policy for Facebook‘s Automatic Advanced Matching

Along with Facebook’s pixel function, we have also activated Automatic Advanced Matching. This function allows us to send hashed emails, names, genders, cities, states, postcodes and dates of birth or telephone numbers as additional information to Facebook, provided you have made them available to us. This activation gives us the opportunity to customise advertising campaigns even better to persons who are interested in our services or products.

Content Delivery Networks

What is a Content Delivery Network?

On our website we use a so-called content delivery network or CDN. This helps to load our website quickly and easily, regardless of your location. Moreover, your personal data will also be stored, managed and processed on the respective CDN provider’s servers. In the following, we will go into more general detail on this service and the data processing associated with it. You can find detailed information on how your data is handled in the provider’s Privacy Policy.

Each content delivery network (CDN) is a network of regionally distributed servers that are connected to each other via the internet. Through this network, website content (especially very large files) can be delivered quickly and smoothly, even when large loading peaks occur. To make this possible, CDNs create a copy of our website on their servers. The website can be delivered quickly because these servers are distributed all around the world. Any data transfer to your browser is therefore significantly shortened by the CDN.

Why do we use a Content Delivery Network for our website?

A fast loading website is part of our service. Of course, we know how annoying it is when a website loads at a snail’s pace. Most of the time, you lose your patience and click away before the website is fully loaded. But of course we want to avoid that. Therefore, to us a fast loading website is an obligatory part of our website offer. With the use of a content delivery network, our website loads significantly faster in your browser. Furthermore, CDNs are particularly helpful when you are abroad, as the website is always delivered from a server in your area.

Which data are processed?

If you access a website or its content and it gets cached in a CDN, the CDN forwards the request to the server closest to you which then delivers the content. Content delivery networks are built in a way that JavaScript libraries can be downloaded and hosted on npm and Github servers. Alternatively, WordPress plugins can also be loaded on most CDNs, provided they are hosted on WordPress.org. Moreover, your browser can send personal data to the content delivery network we use. This includes data such as IP addresses, browser type, browser version, the accessed website or the time and date of the page visit. This data is collected and stored by the CDN. Whether cookies are used for data storage depends on the network that is being used. For more information on this, please read the Privacy Policy of the respective service.

Right to object

If you want to prevent this data transfer altogether, you can use a JavaScript blocker (see for example https://noscript.net/) on your computer. However, our website can then of course no longer offer its usual service (such as a fast loading speeds).

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of a content delivery network, your consent represents the the legal basis for the corresponding data processing. According to Art. 6 paragraph 1 lit. a (consent) your consent represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as it can occur when collected by a content delivery network.

We also have a legitimate interest in using a content delivery network to optimise our online service and make it more secure. The corresponding legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). Nevertheless, we only use the tool if you have consented to it.

Provided this information is available, you can find out more about the particular content delivery networks in the following sections.

Cookie Consent Management Platform

What is a cookie consent management platform?

We use a Consent Management Platform (CMP) software on our website that makes it easier for us and you to handle the scripts and cookies used correctly and securely. The software automatically creates a cookie pop-up, scans and controls all scripts and cookies, provides you with the cookie consent required under data protection law and helps you and us to keep track of all cookies. Most cookie consent management tools identify and categorize all existing cookies. As a website visitor, you then decide for yourself whether and which scripts and cookies you allow or not. The following graphic shows the relationship between browser, web server and CMP.

Why do we use a cookie management tool?

Our goal is to offer you the best possible transparency in the area of ​​data protection. We are also legally obliged to do so. We want to inform you as well as possible about all tools and all cookies that can save and process your data. It is also your right to decide for yourself which cookies you accept and which you do not. In order to grant you this right, we first need to know exactly which cookies actually landed on our website. Thanks to a cookie management tool, which regularly scans the website for all cookies present, we know about all cookies and can provide you with GDPR-compliant information. You can then use the consent system to accept or reject cookies.

Which data are processed?

As part of our cookie management tool, you can manage each individual cookie yourself and have complete control over the storage and processing of your data. The declaration of your consent is stored so that we do not have to ask you every time you visit our website and we can also prove your consent if required by law. This is saved either in an opt-in cookie or on a server. The storage time of your cookie consent varies depending on the provider of the cookie management tool. Usually this data (e.g. pseudonymous user ID, time of consent, detailed information on the cookie categories or tools, browser, device information) is stored for up to two years.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you below about the duration of the data processing if we have further information. In general, we only process personal data for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of our services and products. Data stored in cookies are stored for different lengths of time. Some cookies are deleted after you leave the website, others may be stored in your browser for a few years. The exact duration of the data processing depends on the tool used, in most cases you should be prepared for a storage period of several years. In the respective data protection declarations of the individual providers, you will usually receive precise information about the duration of the data processing.

Right of objection

You also have the right and the option to revoke your consent to the use of cookies at any time. This works either via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection by cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser.

Information on special cookie management tools can be found – if available – in the following sections.

Legal basis

If you agree to cookies, your personal data will be processed and stored via these cookies. If we are allowed to use cookies with your consent (Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. a GDPR), this consent is also the legal basis for the use of cookies and the processing of your data. In order to be able to manage the consent to cookies and to enable you to give your consent, a cookie consent management platform software is used. The use of this software enables us to operate the website in an efficient and legally compliant manner, which is a legitimate interest (Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. f GDPR).

Cookiebot Privacy Policy

What is Cookiebot?

We use functions of Cookiebot on our website. The company behind Cookiebot is Cybot A/S, Havnegade 39, 1058 Copenhagen, DK. Cookiebot offers us the opportunity to provide you with an extensive cookie notice (also known as a cookie banner or cookie notice).
By using this function, your data can be sent to Cookiebot or Cybot, where it may be saved and processed. In this privacy policy we will inform you on why we use Cookiebot, what data is transmitted and how you can prevent the transmission of data.

Cookiebot is a software product from Cybot. The software automatically creates a GDPR-compliant cookie notice for our website visitors. The technology behind Cookiebot also scans, controls and evaluates all cookies and tracking measures on our website.

Why do we use Cookiebot on our website?

We take data protection very seriously. We want to show you exactly what is happening on our website and which of your data is stored. Cookiebot helps us to get a good overview of all our cookies (first- and third-party cookies). This enables us to be transparent and to inform you precisely on the use of cookies on our website. Cookiebot ensures you always receive an up-to-date and GDPR compliant cookie notice, so you can decide yourself which cookies you allow or deny.

What data are stored by Cookiebot?

If you allow cookies, the following data will be transmitted to Cybot, where it is stored and processed.

• IP address (in anonymous form, the last 3 digits are replaced with 0)

• date and time of your consent

• our website‘s URL

• technical browser data

• encrypted, anonymous key

• the cookies you allowed (as status of consent)

If you have allowed the use of cookies, the following cookies get set by Cookiebot:

Name: CookieConsent
Value: {stamp:’P7to4eNgIHvJvDerjKneBsmJQd9323071275-2
Purpose:Your consent status is stored in this cookie. This enables our website to read and follow the current status even for future visits.
Expiry date: after one year

Name: CookieConsentBulkTicket
Value: kDSPWpA%2fjhljZKClPqsncfR8SveTnNWhys5NojaxdFYBPjZ2PaDnUw%3d%3323071275-6
Purpose:This cookie is placed if you allow all cookies and thus have activated “collective consent”. The cookie then stores its own, random and unique ID.
Expiry date: after one year

Note: Please keep in mind that this is an exemplary list and that we do not claim for this list to be exhaustive. In the cookie statement at https://www.cookiebot.com/en/cookie-declaration/ you can read which further cookies may be used.

According to Cybot’s privacy policy, the company does not sell any personal information. However, Cybot shares data with trustworthy third-parties or subcontractors who help the company achieve its business goals. Data may also be transferred if it is legally required.

How long and where is the data stored?

All collected data is only transferred and stored within the European Union. The data is saved in an Azure data centre (with the cloud provider Microsoft). At https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/global-infrastructure/regions/ you can find out more on all “Azure regions”. All user data will be deleted by Cookiebot 12 months after registration (cookie consent) or immediately after termination of the Cookiebot service.

How can I erase my data or prevent data retention?

You have the right to access and delete your personal data at any time. You can prevent data collection and storage, by e.g. rejecting the use of cookies via the cookie notice. Furthermore, your browser offers another option to prevent data processing or to manage it according to your wishes. Depending on the browser, the cookie settings work a little differently. Here you will find the instructions for the most popular browsers:

Chrome: Clear, enable and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data in Safari

Firefox: Clear cookies and site data in Firefox

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete cookies in Microsoft Edge

Legal basis

If you agree to cookies, your personal data will be processed and stored via these cookies. If we are allowed to use cookies with your consent (Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR), your consent is the legal basis for the use of cookies and the processing of your data. Cookiebot is used to give you the option to give your consent and to manage your cookie consent. The use of this software enables us to operate the website in an efficient and legally compliant manner, which is a legitimate interest (Article 6 (1) lit.f GDPR).

If you want to learn more about the data protection guidelines of “Cookiebot” or the company Cybot, we recommend you to read their privacy policy at https://www.cookiebot.com/en/privacy-policy/.

Explanation of the terminology used

We always strive to make our privacy policy as clear and comprehensible as possible. However, this is not always easy, especially when it comes to technical and legal matters. It is often sensible to use legal terms (such as ‘personal data)’ or certain technical terms (such as ‘cookies’ or ‘IP address’). But we don’t want to use such terms without any explanation. This is why you will find an alphabetical list of important terms used below. These are terms we may not yet have sufficiently explained in the privacy policy. In case we have adopted any of these terms from the GDPR which are definitions, we will also list the GDPR texts here and add our own further explanations if necessary.

Consent

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term means:

“consent” of the data subject means any freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous indication of the data subject’s wishes by which he or she, by a statement or by a clear affirmative action, signifies agreement to the processing of personal data relating to him or her;

Explanation: With websites, such consent is usually given via a cookie consent tool. You’ve most certainly come across these. Whenever you visit a website for the first time, you will usually be asked via a banner whether you agree or consent to the data processing. You can usually also make individual settings and thus decide for yourself which level of data processing you want to allow. If you do not give your consent, no personal data may be processed. Consent can of course also be given in writing, i.e. not via a tool.

Personal Data

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term means:

“personenal data” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (‘data subject’); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person;

Explanation: Personal data is all data that can identify you as a person. This is usually data such as:

• name

• address

• email address

• postal address

• phone number

• birthday

• identification numbers such as social security number, tax identification number, ID card number or matriculation number

• banking data such as account number, credit information, account balances and more.

According to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), your IP address is also personal data. IT experts can use your IP address to determine at least the approximate location of your device and subsequently your location as the connection owner. Therefore, storing an IP address also requires a legal basis within the scope of the GDPR. There are also so-called “special categories” of personal data, which are particularly worthy of protection. These include:

• racial and ethnic origin

• political opinions

• religious or ideological beliefs

• Union membership

• genetic data such as data obtained from blood or saliva samples

• biometric data (this is information about psychological, physical or behavioural characteristics that can identify an individual).
  health Data

• Data relating to sexual orientation or sex life

Closing Remarks

Congratulations! If you are reading these lines, you have most likely familiarised yourself with our entire Privacy Policy – or at least scrolled down here. As you can see from the scope of our Privacy Policy, we do not take the protection of your personal data lightly.
We find it important to inform you about the processing of your personal data to the best of our abilities. In doing so, we not only want to tell you which data is processed but also explain to you why we use various software programs. In general, Privacy Policies have very technical and legal jargon. However, since most of you are not web developers or solicitors, we wanted to take a different approach and explain the facts in simple and clear language. Of course, this is not always possible due to the subject matter. Therefore, you can also find a more detailed explanation of the most important terms at the end of the Privacy Policy.
If you have any questions about data protection on our website, please do not hesitate to contact us or the responsible body. We wish you all the best and hope to soon welcome you to our website again.

All texts are copyrighted.