Privacy Statement

Introduction and overview

We have written this data protection declaration (version March 15, 2024-112747205) to provide you with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and applicable national laws to explain which personal data (data for short) we as controllers – 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 understood as gender-neutral.
In short: We will inform you comprehensively about data that we process about you.

Privacy policies usually sound very technical and use legal terms. This data protection declaration, however, is intended to describe the most important things to you as simply and transparently as possible. To the extent that it is conducive to transparency, technical terms are explained in a reader-friendly way, links to further information are provided and Graphics used. We thereby inform you in clear and simple language that we only process personal data as part of our business activities if there is a corresponding legal basis. This is certainly not possible if you make as brief, unclear and legal-technical statements as possible, as are often standard on the Internet when it comes to data protection. I hope you find the following explanations interesting and informative and perhaps there is one or two pieces of information that you did not know.
If you still have any questions, we would like to ask you to contact them below or the responsible body named in the legal notice, follow the existing links and view further information on third-party sites. You can of course also find our contact details in the legal notice.

Application

This data protection declaration applies to all personal data processed by us in the company and to all personal data that companies (processors) commissioned by us process . By personal data we mean information within the meaning of Article 4 No. 1 GDPR such as a person’s name, email address and postal address. The processing of personal data ensures that we can offer and bill our services and products, whether online or offline. The scope of this data protection declaration includes:

In short: The data protection declaration applies to all areas in which personal data is processed in a structured manner within the company via the channels mentioned. If we enter into legal relationships with you outside of these channels, we will inform you separately if necessary.

Legal basis

In the following data protection declaration we provide you with transparent information about the legal principles and regulations, i.e. the legal basis of the General Data Protection Regulation, which enables us , to process personal data.
As far as EU law is concerned, we refer to REGULATION (EU) 2016/679 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of April 27, 2016. This General Data Protection Regulation You can of course access the EU online at EUR-Lex, the access to EU law, at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/DE/ALL/?uri=celex%3A32016R0679 read it.

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

Other conditions such as the perception of recordings in the public interest and the exercise of public authority as well as the protection of vital interests do not generally apply to us . If such a legal basis is relevant, it will be shown in the appropriate place.

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

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

Contact details of the person responsible

If you have any questions about data protection or the processing of personal data, you will find the contact details of the responsible person or body below:
Hans Sergej Pumper
Karl-Schönherr-Straße 13
5020 Salzburg, Austria

Email: office@sergej.co
Telephone: +43 650 800 4 300
Imprint: https:// sergej.co/imprint/

Storage duration

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

If you wish to have your data deleted or revoke your consent to data processing, the data will be processed as quickly as possible and to the extent that there is no obligation to store it exists, deleted.

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

Rights according to the General Data Protection Regulation

According to Articles 13, 14 GDPR, we inform you about the following rights to which you are entitled so that there is fair and transparent processing of Data is coming:

In short: You have rights – do not hesitate to contact the responsible body listed above!

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 you can visit at https ://www.dsb.gv.at/ find. In Germany there is a data protection officer for each federal state. For further 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:

Austria Data Protection Authority

Head: Mag. Dr. Andrea Jelinek
Address: Barichgasse 40-42, 1030 Vienna
Phone number: +43 1 52 152-0 E-mail address: dsb@dsb.gv.at
Website: https://www.dsb.gv.at/

Data transfer to third countries

We only transfer or process data to countries outside the scope of the GDPR (third countries) if you consent to this processing or otherwise legal permission exists. This applies in particular if the processing is required by law or necessary to fulfill a contractual relationship and in any case only to the extent that this is generally permitted. In most cases, your consent is the most important reason why we have data processed in third countries. Processing personal data in third countries such as the USA, where many software manufacturers provide services and have their server locations, may mean that personal data is processed and stored in unexpected ways.

We expressly point out that, in the opinion of the European Court of Justice, there is currently only an adequate level of protection for data transfer to the USA if a US company that processes personal data of EU citizens in the US is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. You can find more information about this at: https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en

Data processing by US services that are not active participants in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework may result in data cannot be processed and stored anonymously. Furthermore, US government authorities may have access to individual data. It can also happen that collected data is linked to data from other services from the same provider, provided you have a corresponding user account. If possible, we try to use server locations within the EU, if this is offered.
We will inform you in more detail about data transfer to third countries in the appropriate places in this data protection declaration, if this applies.

Security of data processing

To protect personal data, we have implemented both technical and organizational measures. Where possible, we encrypt or pseudonymize personal data. In doing so, we make it as difficult as possible for third parties to infer personal information from our data.

Art. 25 GDPR speaks here of “data protection through technology design and through data protection-friendly default settings” and means that one always thinks about security and takes appropriate measures for both software (e.g. forms) and hardware (e.g. access to the server room). . Below we will go into specific measures if necessary.

TLS encryption with https

TLS, encryption and https sound very technical and they are. We use HTTPS (the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure stands for “secure hypertext transfer protocol”) to transmit data on the Internet in a secure manner.
This means that the complete transfer of all data from your browser to ours Web server is secured – no one can “eavesdrop”.

We have thus introduced an additional security layer and comply with data protection through technical design (Article 25 Paragraph 1 GDPR). By using TLS (Transport Layer Security), an encryption protocol for secure data transmission on the Internet, we can ensure the protection of confidential data.
You can recognize the use of this data transmission protection by the small lock symbol at the top left of the browser, to the left of the internet address (e.g. examplepage.de) and the use of the https scheme (instead of http) as part our internet address.
If you would like to know more about encryption, we recommend searching Google for “Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure wiki” to get good links to further information.

Communication

If you contact us and communicate by telephone, email or online form, personal data may be processed.

The data is processed to process and process your question and the related business transaction. The data is stored for as long as the law requires.

Affected people

The above-mentioned processes affect everyone who tries to contact us via the communication channels we provide.

Phone

When you call us, the call data is stored pseudonymously on the respective device and by the telecommunications provider used. In addition, data such as name and telephone number can then be sent by email and saved to answer your query. The data will be deleted as soon as the business transaction has ended and legal requirements allow it.

Email

If you communicate with us via email, data may be stored on the respective device (computer, laptop, smartphone,…). and data is stored on the email server. The data will be deleted as soon as the business transaction has ended and legal requirements allow it.

Online forms

If you communicate with us using an online form, data will be stored on our web server and, if necessary, sent to an email address from us forwarded. The data will be deleted as soon as the business transaction has ended and legal requirements allow it.

Legal basis

The processing of the data is based on the following legal bases:

Order processing agreement (AVV)

In this section we would like to explain to you what a data processing agreement is and why it is needed. Because the word “order processing agreement” is quite a tongue twister, we will often only use the acronym AVV here in the text. Like most companies, we do not work alone, but also use the services of other companies or individuals. Due to the involvement of various 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 (AVV). The most important thing for you to know is that the processing of your personal data takes place exclusively according to our instructions and must be regulated by the AVV.

Who are processors?

As a company and website owner, we are responsible for all data that we process from you. In addition to those responsible, there can also be so-called processors. This includes every company or person who processes personal data on our behalf. More specifically and according to the GDPR definition: any natural or legal person, authority, institution or other body that processes personal data on our behalf 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 understand, here is an overview of the three roles in the GDPR:

Affected (you as a customer or interested party) → Responsible person (we as a company and client) → Processor (service providers such as web hosts or cloud providers)

Content of an order processing contract

As already mentioned above, we have concluded an AVV with our partners who act as processors. Above all, this states that the processor processes the data to be processed exclusively in accordance with the GDPR. The contract must be concluded in writing, although in this context the electronic contract conclusion is also considered “written”. The processing of personal data only takes place on the basis of the contract. The contract must contain the following:

The contract also contains all of the processor’s obligations. The most important duties are:

You can find out exactly what such an AVV looks like at https://www.wko.at/service/wirtschaftsrecht-gewerberecht/eu- DSGVO-sample contract-order processing.html view. A sample contract is presented here.

Cookies

What are cookies?

Our website uses HTTP cookies to store user-specific data.
Below we explain: what cookies are and why they are used so that you can better understand the following data protection declaration.

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

One thing cannot be denied: Cookies are really useful little helpers. Almost all websites use cookies. To be more precise, they are HTTP cookies, as there are also other cookies for other areas of application. HTTP cookies are small files that our website stores on your computer. These cookie files are automatically stored in the cookie folder, the “brain” of your browser. A cookie consists of a name and a value. When defining a cookie, one or more attributes must also be specified.

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

The following graphic shows a possible interaction between a web browser such as. B. Chrome and the web server. The web browser requests a website and receives a cookie back from the server, which the browser uses 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, third-party cookies are created by partner websites (e.g. Google Analytics). Each cookie must be evaluated individually because 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 “malicious” things. Cookies also cannot access information on your PC.

For example, cookie data can look like this:

Name: _ga
Value: GA1.2.1326744211.152112747205-9
Intended use: Distinguishing website visitors
Expiry date :after 2 years

A browser should be able to support these minimum sizes:

What types of cookies are there?

The question of which cookies we use in particular depends on the services used and is clarified in the following sections of the data protection declaration. At this point we would like to briefly discuss the different types of HTTP cookies.

There are 4 types of cookies:

Essential cookies
These cookies are necessary to ensure basic functions of the website. For example, these cookies are needed when a user puts a product in the shopping cart, then continues surfing on other pages and only later checks out. These cookies do not delete the shopping cart, even if the user closes their browser window.

Purpose cookies
These cookies collect information about user behavior and whether the user receives any error messages. These cookies are also used to measure the loading time and behavior of the website on different browsers.

Target-oriented cookies
These cookies ensure better user experience. For example, entered locations, font sizes or form data are saved.

Advertising cookies
These cookies are also called targeting cookies. They serve to provide the user with individually tailored advertising. This can be very practical, but also very annoying.

Usually when you first visit a website you will be asked which of these types of cookies you would like to allow. And of course this decision is also saved in a cookie.

If you would like to know more about cookies and are not afraid of technical documentation, we recommend https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc6265, dem Request for Comments from 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 more details about this below or from the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.

What data is processed?

Cookies are little helpers for many different tasks. Unfortunately, it is not possible to generalize which data is stored in cookies, but we will inform you about the data processed or stored in the following data protection declaration.

Storage duration of cookies

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

You also have an influence on the storage period. You can delete all cookies manually at any time via your browser (see also “Right to object” below). Furthermore, cookies that are based on consent will be deleted at the latest after you revoke your consent, although the legality of storage remains unaffected until then.

Right to object – how can I delete cookies?

You decide for yourself how and whether you want to use cookies. Regardless of which service or website the cookies come from, you always have them Possibility to delete cookies, deactivate them or only partially allow them. For example, you can block third-party cookies but allow all other cookies.

If you would like to find out which cookies have been stored in your browser, if you want to change or delete cookie settings, you can do this in Find your browser settings:

Chrome: Delete, activate and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Managing cookies and site data with Safari

Firefox: Delete cookies to remove data that websites have placed on your computer

Internet Explorer: Deleting and managing cookies

Microsoft Edge: Deleting and managing cookies

If you generally do not want cookies, you can set your browser so that it always informs you when a cookie is to be set . This means you can decide for each individual cookie whether you allow the cookie or not. The procedure varies depending on the browser. It’s best to search for the instructions in Google using the search term “delete cookies Chrome” or “deactivate cookies Chrome” in the case of a Chrome browser.

Legal basis

The so-called “cookie guidelines” have existed since 2009. It states that the storage of cookies requires consent (Article 6 Paragraph 1 lit. a GDPR) is required from you. However, there are still very different reactions to these guidelines within the EU countries. In Austria, however, this directive was implemented in Section 165 Paragraph 3 of the Telecommunications Act (2021). In Germany, the cookie guidelines have not been implemented as national law. Instead, this directive was largely implemented in Section 15 Paragraph 3 of the Telemedia Act (TMG).

Strictly necessary cookies, even if no consent has been given, exist legitimate interests (Article 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR), which in most cases are of an economic nature. We want to provide visitors to the website with a pleasant user experience and certain cookies are often absolutely necessary for this.

If non-essential cookies are used, this will only happen with your consent. The legal basis in this respect is Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter a GDPR.

In the following sections you will be informed in more detail about the use of cookies, if the software used uses cookies.

Web Analytics Introduction

What is Web Analytics?

We use software on our website to evaluate the behavior of website visitors, known as web analytics for short. Data is collected, which the respective analytical tool provider (also called tracking tool) stores, manages and processes. The data is used to create analyzes of user behavior on our website and make them available to us as the website operator. In addition, most tools offer various testing options. For example, we can test which offers or content are best received by our visitors. We will show you two different offers for a limited period of time. After the test (so-called A/B test), we know which product or content our website visitors find more interesting. For such test procedures, as well as for other analytics procedures, user profiles can also be created and the data can be stored in cookies.

Why do we do web analytics?

We have a clear goal in mind with our website: we want to provide the best web offering on the market for our industry. In order to achieve this goal, we want to offer the best and most interesting offer on the one hand and, on the other hand, make sure that you feel completely comfortable on our website. With the help of web analysis tools, we can take a closer look at the behavior of our website visitors and then improve our website accordingly for you and us. For example, we can see how old our visitors are on average, where they come from, when our website is most visited or which content or products are particularly popular. All of this information helps us to optimize the website and adapt it to your needs, interests and wishes.

What data is processed?

Exactly which data is stored depends of course on the analysis tools used. However, it is usually stored, for example, what content you view on our website, what buttons or links you click on, when you access a page, what browser you use, what device (PC, tablet, smartphone, etc.) you use website you visit or what computer system you use. If you agreed that location data may also be collected, this can also be processed by the web analysis tool provider.

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 pseudonymously (i.e. in an unrecognizable and shortened form). For the purpose of testing, web analysis and web optimization, no direct data such as your name, age, address or email address is stored. All of this data, if collected, is stored pseudonymously. This means you cannot be identified as a person.

The following example shows schematically how Google Analytics works as an example of client-based web tracking with Java script code.

How long the respective data is stored always depends on the provider. Some cookies only store data for a few minutes or until you leave the website, other cookies can store data for several years.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you below about the duration of data processing if we have further information about it. In general, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. If required by law, for example in the case of accounting, this storage period can also be exceeded.

Right to object

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 GDPR (consent) represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when it is collected by web analytics tools.

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analyzing the behavior of website visitors and thus improving our offering technically and economically . With the help of web analytics, we detect website errors, identify attacks and improve profitability. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use the tools if you have given your consent.

Since cookies are used in web analytics tools, we also recommend that you read our general privacy policy on cookies. To find out exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the data protection declarations of the respective tools.

You can find information about special web analytics tools – if available – in the following sections.

Jetpack privacy policy

What is Jetpack?

We use the WordPress plugin Jetpack on our website. Jetpack is software that, among other things, provides us with web analytics. Jetpack is operated by Automattic (Inc. 132 Hawthorne Street San Francisco, CA 94107, USA), which uses the technology of Quantcast (Inc., 201 3rd St, Floor 2, San Francisco, CA 94103-3153, USA). The integrated tracking tool also collects, stores and processes your personal data. In this data protection declaration we will show you exactly what data this is, why we use Jetpack and how you can prevent this data storage.

Jetpack is a plugin for WordPress websites with many different functions and modules. All of these tools help us make our website more beautiful, safer and welcome more visitors. The tool can also be used to display related posts, content can be shared and Jetpack can also improve the loading speed of our website. All features are hosted and provided by WordPress.

Why do we use Jetpack?

It is crucial to us that you feel comfortable on our website and find what you are looking for. We can only be successful if you are satisfied with our service. And so that we know how and where we can improve our website, we need information. Jetpack allows us to see, for example, how often and for how long you are on a single website or which buttons you like to click. We can use this information to improve our website and adapt it to your wishes and preferences.

What data does Jetpack store?

Your personal data is also collected, stored and processed specifically through the built-in tracking tool WordPress.com statistics. In order for the Jetpack tool to work, Jetpack sets a cookie in your browser when you open a website that has built-in components of the tool. The collected data is synchronized with Automattic and stored there.

In addition to the IP address (is anonymized before storage) and data on user behavior, for example, browser type, unique device identifier, preferred language, dates and times of entering the page, operating system and mobile network information. Jetpack uses this information to improve its services and offers and to obtain better insights into the use of its own service. The following data can also be synchronized and saved:

Jetpack also uses cookies to store data. Below we will show you a few selected, exemplary cookies that Jetpack uses:

Name: eucookielaw
Value: 1613651061376112747205-6
Intended use: Stores the status of the user’s consent to the use of cookies.
Expiry date: after 180 days

Name: tk_ai
Value: 0
Intended use: This cookie stores a randomly generated anonymous ID. It is only used within the administration area to track general analytics.
Expiry date: after the end of the session

Name: tk_tc
Value: E3%2BgJ1Pw6iYKk%2Fvj112747205-3
Intended use: This is a so-called referral cookie. This analyzes the connection between WooCommerce and a website with a Jetpack plugin.
Expiry date: after the end of the session

Note: Jetpack uses many different cookies. Which cookies are specifically used depends, on the one hand, on the Jetpack functions used and, on the other hand, on your actions on the websites with an integrated Jetpack plug-in. At https://de.jetpack.com /support/cookies/ see a list of possible cookies that Jetpack uses.

How long and where is the data stored?

Automattic stores the collected data until it is no longer used for its own services. Beyond this period, the data will only be retained if the company is obliged to do so for legal reasons. Web server logs such as your IP address, browser type and operating system are deleted after approximately 30 days. The data is stored on the company’s American servers.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

As mentioned above, Jetpack uses cookies to store data. If you do not want Jetpack to collect data from you in the future, you can do so at https://www.quantcast.com/opt-out/ request an “opt-out” cookie. Quantcast sets this cookie and no visitor data from you is stored. This is the case until you delete this cookie again.

Alternatively, you can also easily manage, deactivate or delete cookies yourself in your browser as you wish. Depending on the browser type, cookie management works slightly differently. Under the “Cookies” section you will find the corresponding links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers.

Legal basis

The use of Jetpack requires your consent, which we obtained with our cookie popup. According to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when it is collected by web analytics tools.

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analyzing the behavior of website visitors and thus improving our offering technically and economically . With the help of Jetpack we detect website errors, identify attacks and improve profitability. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use Jetpack if you have given your consent.

Automattic also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Jetpack or Automattic 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. You can find more information on https ://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Automattic also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 Paragraphs 2 and 3 GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the Standard Contractual Clauses, Automattic undertakes to comply with European data protection levels 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 resolution and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de.

If you would like to find out more about the data protection guidelines and the processing of data by Jetpack or Automattic, we recommend the data protection declaration at https://automattic.com/privacy/, the cookie policy at https://automattic.com/cookies/ and also the information page https://jetpack.com/support/what-data-does-jetpack-sync/. We hope we were able to give you a good insight into Jetpack’s data processing.

Matomo Cloud privacy policy

What is Matomo Cloud?

We use the web analysis software Matomo Cloud on our website. The service provider is the New Zealand company InnoCraft Ltd, 7 Waterloo Quay PO625, 6140 Wellington, New Zealand.

Matomo is a web analytics platform that takes data protection very seriously and yet provides us as website operators with precise statistics about your behavior on our website. We have access to a Matomo dashboard and can use various functions for web analysis. Matomo also offers various options for anonymizing the IP addresses of our website visitors and deactivating cookies.

Why do we use Matomo Cloud?

Many of the usual analysis tools collect huge amounts of personal data and can also pass it on to third parties. This means that control over your data is now very difficult to maintain. Data protection is very important to us and that is why we chose Matomo and therefore a much more data protection-friendly alternative. However, we don’t want to completely forego web analysis. Finally, we can use statistics about website behavior to optimize our service and adapt it to your individual needs.

What data is stored by Matomo Cloud?

In addition to personal data such as your IP address or information about yourself (e.g. name, address, date of birth), you If you actively transmit information to us, information about your visitor behavior will be stored. This is usually not personal data, but rather information such as the number of visitors to the website, page views, length of stay or search terms used. Technical data such as browser type, the operating system you use and your screen resolution can also be stored. Matomo may also collect information about which website you came to us from. The data collected is never passed on or sold to third parties.

How long and where is the data stored?

Matomo offers “Matomo Cloud” a hosted version in which the data is stored on its own Matomo servers. All data is stored in Europe, although the headquarters is in New Zealand.

Basically, the data at Matomo Cloud is stored for as long as business purposes require. Unfortunately, we cannot specify exact retention periods at this point because these depend very much on the individual configurations.

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 to object to the use and processing of it. You can also file a complaint with a government supervisory authority at any time.

In your browser you also have the option of individually managing, deleting or deactivating cookies. However, please note that deactivated or deleted cookies may have negative effects on the functions of our website. Depending on which browser you use, managing cookies works slightly differently. Under the “Cookies” section you will find the corresponding links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers. If you would like to request data deletion, you can also contact us.

Legal basis

The use of Matomo Cloud requires your consent, which we obtained using our consent management tool (popup). According to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), this consent represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when collected by web analytics tools.

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analyzing the behavior of website visitors and thus improving our offering technically and economically . With the help of Matomo Cloud, we identify optimization potential for our website and can improve profitability. The legal basis for this is Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter f GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use Matomo Cloud if you have given your consent.

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Matomo Cloud in the Privacy Policy on https://matomo.org/matomo-cloud-privacy -policy/. You can send questions about data protection by email to privacy@matomo.org .

Email Marketing Introduction

What is email marketing?

In order to keep you up to date, we also use email marketing. If you have agreed to receive our emails or newsletters, your data will also be processed and stored. Email marketing is a part of online marketing. This involves sending news or general information about a company, product or service via email to a specific group of people who are interested in it.

If you want to participate in our email marketing (usually via newsletter), you usually just have to register with your email -Register email address. To do this, fill out an online form and submit it. However, it may also happen that we ask you for your title and name so that we can write to you personally.

Basically, registering for newsletters works using the so-called “double opt-in procedure”. After you have registered for our newsletter on our website, you will receive an email confirming your newsletter registration. This ensures that the email address belongs to you and that no one has logged in with someone else’s email address. We, or a notification tool we use, logs each login. This is necessary so that we can prove that the registration process was legally correct. The time of registration, the time of registration confirmation and your IP address are usually stored. In addition, it will also be logged if you make changes to your saved data.

Why do we use email marketing?

Of course we want to stay in touch with you and always present you with the most important news about our company. For this purpose, we use, among other things, email marketing – often just called “newsletter” – as an essential part of our online marketing. If you agree or as permitted by law, we will send you newsletters, system emails or other notifications by email. When we use the term “newsletter” in the following text, we mainly mean emails sent on a regular basis. Of course, we do not want to bother you in any way with our newsletter. That’s why we always strive to only offer relevant and interesting content. You can find out more about our company, our services or products. Since we are always improving our offers, you will always find out via our newsletter when there is news or when we are currently offering special, lucrative promotions. If we commission a service provider who offers a professional sending tool for our email marketing, we do this in order to be able to offer you fast and secure newsletters. The purpose of our email marketing is basically to inform you about new offers and also to get closer to our business goals.

What data is processed?

If you become a subscriber to our newsletter via our website, you will confirm your membership in an email list by email. In addition to your IP address and email address, your title, name, address and telephone number can also be stored. However, only if you agree to this data storage. The data marked as such is necessary so that you can participate in the service offered. Providing information is voluntary, but failure to provide it will result in you not being able to use the service. In addition, information about your device or your preferred content on our website may also be stored. To learn more about how data is stored when you visit a website, see the “Automatic data storage” section. We record your declaration of consent so that we can always prove that it complies with our laws.

Duration of data processing

If you unsubscribe your email address from our email/newsletter distribution list, we may use your address for up to three years based on our legitimate interests so that we can still prove your consent at the time. We are only allowed to process this data if we have to defend ourselves against any claims.

However, if you confirm that you have given us your consent to subscribe to the newsletter, you can submit an individual deletion request at any time. If you permanently object to your consent, we reserve the right to save your email address in a blacklist. As long as you have voluntarily subscribed to our newsletter, we will of course also keep your email address.

Right to object

You have the option to cancel your newsletter subscription at any time. All you have to do is revoke your consent to subscribe to the newsletter. This usually only takes a few seconds or one or two clicks. You will usually find a link to unsubscribe from the newsletter right at the end of each email. If you really cannot find the link in the newsletter, please contact us by email and we will cancel your newsletter subscription immediately.

Legal basis

Sending of our newsletter is based on your consent (Article 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR). This means that we can only send you a newsletter if you have previously actively registered for it. If necessary, we may also send you advertising messages if you have become our customer and have not objected to the use of your email address for direct advertising.

You can find information about special email marketing services and how they process personal data – if available – in the following sections.

Social Media Introduction

What is social media?

In addition to our website, we are also active on various social media platforms. User data can be processed so that we can specifically address users who are interested in us via social networks. In addition, elements of a social media platform may also be embedded directly into our website. This is the case, for example, if you click on a so-called social button on our website and are redirected directly to our social media presence. So-called social media or social media are websites and apps through which registered members can produce content, exchange content openly or in specific groups and network with other members.

Why do we use social media?

For years, social media platforms have been the place where people communicate and get in touch online. With our social media presence we can bring our products and services closer to interested parties. The social media elements integrated on our website help you to switch to our social media content quickly and without complications.

The data that is stored and processed through your use of a social media channel primarily has the purpose of carrying out web analysis to be able to. The aim of these analyzes is to be able to develop more precise and personal marketing and advertising strategies. Depending on your behavior on a social media platform, appropriate conclusions can be drawn about your interests using the evaluated data and so-called user profiles can be created. This also makes it possible for the platforms to present you with tailored advertisements. Cookies are usually set in your browser for this purpose and store data about your usage behavior.

We generally assume that we remain responsible under data protection law, even if we use the services of a social media platform. However, the European Court of Justice has decided that in certain cases the operator of the social media platform can be jointly responsible with us within the meaning of Article 26 GDPR. If this is the case, we will point this out separately and work on the basis of a relevant agreement. The essence of the agreement is then reproduced below for the affected platform.

Please note that when you use the social media platforms or our built-in elements, your data will also be processed outside the European Union because many social media channels, such as Facebook or Twitter, are American companies. This may make it difficult for you to request or enforce your rights in relation to your personal data.

What data is processed?

Exactly which data is stored and processed depends on the respective provider of the social media platform. But usually it is data such as telephone numbers, email addresses, data that you enter in a contact form, user data such as which buttons you click, who you like or follow, when you visited which pages, information about Your device and your IP address. Most of this data is stored in cookies. Especially if you have a profile on the social media channel you are visiting and are logged in, data can be linked to your profile.

All data collected via a social media platform is also stored on the provider’s servers. This means that only the providers have access to the data and can give you the appropriate information or make changes.

If you want to know exactly what data is stored and processed by social media providers and how you can object to data processing, You should read the company’s respective privacy policy carefully. Even if you have questions about data storage and data processing or want to assert corresponding rights, we recommend that you contact the provider directly.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you below about the duration of data processing if we have further information about it. For example, the social media platform Facebook stores data until it is no longer needed for its own purpose. However, customer data that is compared with your own user data will be deleted within two days. In general, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. If required by law, for example in the case of accounting, this storage period can also be exceeded.

Right to object

You also have the right and the opportunity to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third-party providers such as embedded social media elements 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 through cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser.

Since cookies can be used in social media tools, we also recommend our general data protection declaration about cookies. To find out exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the data protection declarations of the respective tools.

Legal basis

If you have consented that your data can be processed and stored through integrated social media elements, this consent is considered the legal basis data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, if consent is given, your data will also be processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) stored and processed for fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the tools if you have given your consent. Most social media platforms also set cookies on your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text about cookies carefully and view the data protection declaration or the cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

You can find information about specific social media platforms – if available – in the following sections.

Facebook privacy policy

What are Facebook tools?

We use selected tools from Facebook on our website. Facebook is a social media network of the company Meta Platforms Inc. or for the European area of the company Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland. These tools enable us to offer you and people who are interested in our products and services the best possible offer.

If data from you is collected and forwarded via our embedded Facebook elements or via our Facebook page (fan page), both we as well as Facebook Ireland Ltd. responsible for. Facebook is solely responsible for the further processing of this data. Our joint commitments have also been reflected in a publicly available agreement at https:// www.facebook.com/legal/controller_addendum anchored. This states, for example, that we must clearly inform you about the use of Facebook tools on our site. Furthermore, we are also responsible for ensuring that the tools are integrated into our website in a secure manner in accordance with data protection law. Facebook, on the other hand, is responsible for the data security of Facebook products, for example. If you have any questions about data collection and data processing by Facebook, you can contact the company directly. If you address the question to us, we are obliged to forward it to Facebook.

Below we provide an overview of the various Facebook tools, what data is sent to Facebook and how you can delete this data.

In addition to many other products, Facebook also offers the so-called “Facebook Business Tools”. This is the official name of Facebook. Since the term is hardly known, we have decided to just call them Facebook tools. These include, among others:

Through these tools, Facebook expands services and has the ability to obtain information about user activities outside of Facebook.

Why do we use Facebook tools on our website?

We only want to show our services and products to people who are really interested in them. With the help of advertisements (Facebook Ads) we can reach exactly these people. However, in order to show users appropriate advertising, Facebook needs information about people’s wishes and needs. The company is provided with information about user behavior (and contact details) on our website. This means that Facebook collects better user data and can show interested people the appropriate advertising about our products or services. The tools thus enable tailor-made advertising campaigns on Facebook.

Facebook calls data about your behavior on our website “event data”. These are also used for measurement and analysis services. This allows Facebook to create “campaign reports” on our behalf about the impact of our advertising campaigns. We also use analyzes to gain a better insight into how you use our services, website or products. This allows us to use some of these tools to optimize your user experience on our website. For example, you can use the social plug-ins to share content on our site directly on Facebook.

What data is stored by Facebook tools?

By using individual Facebook tools, personal data (customer data) can be sent to Facebook. Depending on the tools used, customer data such as name, address, telephone number and IP address may be sent.

Facebook uses this information to compare the data with the data it has about you (if you are a Facebook member). . Before customer data is transmitted to Facebook, so-called “hashing” takes place. This means that a data set of any size is transformed into a character string. This also serves to encrypt data.

In addition to the contact details, “event data” is also transmitted. “Event data” means the information that we receive about you on our website. For example, which subpages you visit or which products you buy from us. Facebook does not share the information it receives with third parties (such as advertisers) unless the company has explicit permission or is legally required to do so. “Event data” can also be linked to contact details. This allows Facebook to offer better personalized advertising. After the matching process already mentioned, Facebook deletes the contact data again.

In order to be able to deliver advertisements in an optimized manner, Facebook only uses the event data if it is combined with other data (which is provided by Facebook in a different way recorded) were summarized. Facebook also uses this event data for security, protection, development and research purposes. Much of this data is transferred to Facebook via cookies. Cookies are small text files that are used to store data or information in browsers. Depending on the tools used and whether you are a Facebook member, different numbers of cookies are created in your browser. In the descriptions of the individual Facebook tools we go into more detail about individual Facebook cookies. You can also find out general information about the use of Facebook cookies at https://www.facebook.com/policies/cookies.

How long and where is the data stored?

Facebook basically stores data until it is no longer needed for its own services and Facebook products. Facebook has servers around the world where its data is stored. However, customer data will be deleted within 48 hours after it has been compared with your own user data.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

According to the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the right to information, correction, portability and deletion of your data.

The data will only be completely deleted if you completely delete your Facebook account. Here’s how deleting your Facebook account works:

1) Click on Settings on the right side of Facebook.

2) Then click on “Your Facebook information” in the left column.

3) Now click “Deactivation and deletion”.

4) Now select “Delete Account” and then click “Next and Delete Account”

5) Now enter your password, click “Next” and then “Delete account”

The data that Facebook receives via our site is stored, among other things, via cookies (e.g. social plugins). You can deactivate, delete or manage individual or all cookies in your browser. Depending on which browser you use, this works in different ways. Under the “Cookies” section you will find the corresponding links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers.

Legal basis

If you have consented that your data can be processed and stored by integrated Facebook tools, this consent is considered the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data will also be processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) stored and processed for fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the tools if you have given your consent. Most social media platforms also set cookies on your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text about cookies carefully and view Facebook’s data protection declaration or cookie guidelines.

Facebook also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Facebook or 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. You can find more information on https ://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Facebook also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 Paragraphs 2 and 3 GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the Standard Contractual Clauses, Facebook undertakes to comply 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 implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the resolution and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Facebook data processing conditions, which refer to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing.

We hope we have provided you with the most important information about the use and data processing by Facebook tools. If you want to learn more about how Facebook uses your data, we recommend reading the data policy at https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/.

Gravatar Privacy Policy

What is Gravatar?

We have the Gravatar plug-in from Automattic Inc. (60 29th Street #343, San Francisco, CA) on our website 94110, USA). Among other things, Gravatar is automatically activated on all WordPress websites. The function makes it possible to display user images (avatars) in published posts or comments, provided that the corresponding email address is at www.gravatar.com is registered.

Through this function, data is sent to Gravatar or Automattic Inc., stored and processed there. In this data protection declaration we want to inform you what data is involved, how the network uses this data and how you can manage or prevent data storage.

Gravatar basically stands for “Globally Recognized Avatar” and this means a globally available avatar (a user image) that is linked to the e- Email address is connected. Gravatar is the world’s leading provider of this service. As soon as a user enters the email address on a website that is also available to Gravatar at www.gravatar.com is registered, a previously stored image is automatically displayed together with a published post or comment.

Why do we use Gravatar on our website?

People often talk about anonymity on the Internet. Through an avatar, users get a face to the people commenting. In addition, it is generally easier to be recognized online and can therefore build up a certain level of popularity. Many users enjoy the advantages of such a user image and also want to appear personally and authentically online. Of course, we want to offer you the opportunity to display your Gravatar on our website. We also like to see the faces of our commenting users. With the Gravatar function activated, we are also expanding our service on our website. Ultimately, we want you to feel comfortable on our website and to receive a comprehensive and interesting offer.

What data does Gravatar store?

For example, as soon as you publish a comment on a blog post that requires an email address, WordPress checks whether the email address linked to an avatar on Gravatar. For this request, your email address will be sent in encrypted or hashed form, including your IP address and our URL, to the Gravatar or Automattic servers. This will verify that this email address is registered with Gravatar.

If this is the case, the image stored there (Gravatar) will be displayed together with the published comment. If you have registered an email address with Gravatar and comment on our website, further data will be transferred to Gravatar, stored and processed. In addition to the IP address and data on user behavior, this includes, for example, browser type, unique device identifier, preferred language, date and time of page entry, operating system and information about the mobile network. Gravatar uses this information to improve its services and offers and to obtain better insights into the use of its own service.

The following cookies are set by Automattic when a user uses an email address registered with Gravatar to leave a comment:

Name: gravatar
Value: 16b3191024acc05a238209d51ffcb92bdd710bd19112747205-7
Intended use: We were unable to find out any precise information about the cookie.
Expiry date: after 50 years

Name: is-logged-in
Value: 1112747205-1
Intended use: This cookie stores the information that the user is logged in using the registered email address.
Expiry date: after 50 years

How long and where is the data stored?

Automattic deletes the collected data when it is no longer used for its own services and the company is not legally obliged to do so to keep. Web server logs such as IP address, browser type and operating system are deleted after approximately 30 days. As long as Automattic uses the data to analyze the traffic on its own websites (e.g. all WordPress sites) and to fix possible problems. The data is also stored on Automattic’s American servers.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You have the right to access and delete your personal data at any time. If you have registered with Gravatar with an email address, you can delete your account or email address at any time.

Since an image is only displayed and data is transferred to Gravatar when using an email address registered with Gravatar, you can You can also prevent your data from being transferred to Gravatar by commenting or posting on our website using an email address that is not registered with Gravatar.

You can manage, deactivate or delete possible cookies that are set while commenting in your browser. Please just note that any comment functions will then no longer be fully available. Depending on which browser you use, cookie management works a little differently. Under the “Cookies” section you will find the corresponding links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers.

Legal basis

If you have consented that your data can be processed and stored through integrated social media elements, this consent is considered the legal basis data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data will also be processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) stored and processed for fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the integrated social media elements if you have given your consent. Most social media platforms also set cookies on your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text about cookies carefully and view the data protection declaration or the cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

Gravatar also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Gravatar or Automattic 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. You can find more information on https ://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

You can find out more about the standard contractual clauses and data processed through the use of Gravatar in the privacy policy on https://automattic.com/privacy/, general information about Gravatar on http://de.gravatar.com/.

Instagram privacy policy

What is Instagram?

We have installed Instagram functions on our website. Instagram is a social media platform owned by Instagram LLC, 1601 Willow Rd, Menlo Park CA 94025, USA. Instagram has been a subsidiary of Meta Platforms Inc. since 2012 and is one of the Facebook products. Embedding Instagram content on our website is called embedding. This allows us to show you content such as buttons, photos or videos from Instagram directly on our website. If you access websites on our website that have an Instagram function integrated, data will be transmitted to Instagram, stored and processed. Instagram uses the same systems and technologies as Facebook. Your data will therefore be processed across all Facebook companies.

In the following we want to give you a more detailed insight into why Instagram collects data, what data it is and how you can largely handle the data processing can control. Since Instagram belongs to Meta Platforms Inc., we obtain our information from the Instagram guidelines on the one hand, but also from the Meta data protection guidelines themselves on the other.

Instagram is one of the most famous social media networks in the world. Instagram combines the advantages of a blog with the advantages of audiovisual platforms such as YouTube or Vimeo. You can upload photos and short videos to “Insta” (as many users casually call the platform), edit them with various filters and also distribute them on other social networks. And if you don’t want to be active yourself, you can just follow other interesting users.

Why do we use Instagram on our website?

Instagram is the social media platform that has really exploded in recent years. And of course we also reacted to this boom. We want you to feel as comfortable as possible on our website. That’s why it’s a matter of course for us to prepare our content in a varied manner. The embedded Instagram functions allow us to enrich our content with helpful, funny or exciting content from the Instagram world. Since Instagram is a subsidiary of Facebook, the data collected can also be useful to us for personalized advertising on Facebook. This means our advertisements only reach people who are really interested in our products or services.

Instagram also uses the collected data for measurement and analysis purposes. We get summarized statistics and thus more insight into your wishes and interests. It is important to note that these reports do not identify you personally.

What data does Instagram store?

If you come across one of our pages that have built-in Instagram functions (such as Instagram images or plug-ins), your browser will reset automatically connects to Instagram’s servers. Data is sent to Instagram, stored and processed. Regardless of whether you have an Instagram account or not. This includes information about our website, about your computer, about purchases you make, about advertisements you see and how you use our services. The date and time of your interaction with Instagram are also stored. If you have an Instagram account or are logged in, Instagram stores significantly more data about you.

Facebook differentiates between customer data and event data. We assume that this is exactly the case with Instagram. Customer data includes, for example, name, address, telephone number and IP address. This customer data will only be transmitted to Instagram once it has been “hashed”. Hashing means turning a data set into a string. This allows you to encrypt the contact details. In addition, the above-mentioned “event data” is also transmitted. By “event data” Facebook – and consequently also Instagram – means data about your user behavior. It can also happen that contact data is combined with event data. The contact details collected will be compared with the data Instagram already has about you.

The collected data is transmitted to Facebook via small text files (cookies), which are usually set in your browser. Depending on the Instagram functions used and whether you have an Instagram account, different amounts of data are stored.

We assume that data processing works the same on Instagram as it does on Facebook. This means: if you have an Instagram account or www.instagram .com , Instagram has at least set a cookie. If this is the case, your browser will send information to Instagram via the cookie as soon as you come into contact with an Instagram function. This data will be deleted or anonymized after 90 days at the latest (after comparison). Although we have looked intensively into Instagram’s data processing, we cannot say exactly what data Instagram collects and stores.

In the following we will show you the minimum cookies that are set in your browser when you click on an Instagram function (such as a button or an Insta picture). In our test, we assume that you don’t have an Instagram account. If you are logged in to Instagram, significantly more cookies will of course be set in your browser.

These cookies were used in our test:

Name: csrftoken
Value: “”
Intended use: This cookie is most likely set for security reasons to prevent forged requests. However, we couldn’t find out more precisely.
Expiry date: after one year

Name: mid
Value: “”
Intended use: Instagram sets this cookie to optimize its own services and offers on and outside of Instagram. The cookie sets a unique user ID.
Expiry date: after the end of the Session

Name: fbsr_112747205124024
Value: no information
Purpose: This cookie stores the log-in request for users of the Instagram app.
Expiry date: after the end of the session

Name: rur
Value: ATN
Intended use: This is an Instagram cookie that ensures functionality on Instagram.
Expiry date: after the end of the session

Name: urlgen
Value: “{”194.96.75.33”: 1901}: 1iEtYv:Y833k2_UjKvXgYe112747205”
Intended use: This cookie is used for Instagram’s marketing purposes. Expiry date: after the end of the session

Note: We cannot claim completeness here. Which cookies are set in each individual case depends on the embedded functions and your use of Instagram.

How long and where is the data stored?

Instagram shares the information it receives between the Facebook companies, with external partners and with people you connect with around the world. Data processing takes place in compliance with our own data guidelines. Your data is distributed on Facebook servers around the world, among other things for security reasons. Most of these servers are located in the USA.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

Thanks to the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the right to information, portability, correction and deletion of your data. You can manage your data in Instagram settings. If you want to completely delete your data on Instagram, you must permanently delete your Instagram account.

And this is how the Instagram account deletion works:

First open the Instagram app. On your profile page, go down and click on “Help Section.” Now you come to the company’s website. On the website, click “Manage Account” and then click “Delete your account.”

If you delete your account entirely, Instagram will delete posts such as your photos and status updates. Information that other people have shared about you is not part of your account and will therefore not be deleted.

As mentioned above, Instagram primarily stores your data via cookies. You can manage, deactivate or delete these cookies in your browser. Depending on your browser, administration always works a little differently. Under the “Cookies” section you will find the corresponding links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers.

You can also set up your browser so that you are always informed when a cookie is to be set. Then you can always decide individually whether you want to allow the cookie or not.

Legal basis

If you have consented that your data can be processed and stored through integrated social media elements, this consent is considered the legal basis data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data will also be processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) stored and processed for fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the integrated social media elements if you have given your consent. Most social media platforms also set cookies on your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text about cookies carefully and view the data protection declaration or the cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

Instagram also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Instagram or 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. You can find more information on https ://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Instagram also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 Paragraphs 2 and 3 GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the Standard Contractual Clauses, Instagram undertakes to comply with European data protection levels 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 resolution and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

We have tried to provide you with the most important information about data processing by Instagram. On https://privacycenter.instagram.com/policy/ you can take a closer look at Instagram’s data policies.

Blogs and publication media introduction

What are blogs and publication media?

We use blogs or other means of communication on our website with which we can communicate with you on the one hand and you can also communicate with us on the other. We may also store and process your data. This may be necessary so that we can display content appropriately, communication works and security is increased. In our data protection text we go into general information about which data can be processed about you. Exact information on data processing always depends on the tools and functions used. You can find detailed information about data processing in the data protection information of the individual providers.

Why do we use blogs and publication media?

Our greatest concern with our website is to offer you interesting and exciting content and at the same time your opinions and content are important to us. That’s why we want to create a good interactive exchange between us and you. With various blogs and publication options we can achieve exactly that. For example, you can write comments on our content, comment on other comments or, in some cases, write posts yourself.

What data is processed?

Exactly which data is processed always depends on the communication functions we use. Very often the IP address, username and the published content are stored. This is primarily done to ensure security protection, prevent spam and be able to take action against illegal content. Cookies can also be used to store data. These are small text files that contain information and are stored in your browser. You can find more information about the data collected and stored in our individual sections and in the data protection declaration of the respective provider.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you below about the duration of data processing if we have further information about it. For example, post and comment features retain data until you revoke data retention. In general, personal data is only stored for as long as is absolutely necessary to provide our services.

Right to object

You also have the right and the opportunity to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third-party communication tools 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 through cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser.

Since cookies can also be used in publication media, we also recommend our general data protection declaration about cookies. To find out exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the data protection declarations of the respective tools.

Legal basis

We use the means of communication primarily based on our legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in a quick and good manner Communication with you or other customers, business partners and visitors. Insofar as the use serves to process contractual relationships or to initiate them, the legal basis is also Article 6 Paragraph 1 Sentence 1 Letter b. GDPR.

Certain processing, in particular the use of cookies and the use of comment or message functions, requires your consent. If and to the extent that you have consented to your data being processed and stored through integrated publication media, this consent is considered the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR). Most communication features we use set cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text about cookies carefully and view the data protection declaration or the cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

Information about special tools – if available – can be found in the following sections.

Blog posts and comment functions Data protection declaration

There are various online communication tools that we can use on our website. For example, we use blog posts and comment functions. This gives you the opportunity to comment on content or write posts. If you use this function, your IP address may be stored for security reasons. This is how we protect ourselves from illegal content such as insults, unauthorized advertising or prohibited political propaganda. In order to identify whether comments are spam, we can also store and process user information based on our legitimate interest. If we start a survey, we will also store your IP address for the duration of the survey so that we can ensure that everyone involved only votes once. Cookies can also be used for storage purposes. All data that we store about you (such as content or information about you) will remain stored until you object.

WordPress Emojis Privacy Policy

We also use so-called emojis and smilies in our blog. We probably don’t need to explain in more detail what emojis are. You know those laughing, angry or sad faces. They are graphic elements or files that we provide and are loaded from another server. The service provider for retrieving WordPress emojis and smilies is Automattic Inc., 60 29th Street #343, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA. This third party stores your IP address in order to be able to transmit the emoji files to your browser.

Automattic also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Automattic 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. You can find more information on https ://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

The data processing agreements, which correspond to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://wordpress.com/support/data-processing-agreements/.

You can find out more about the data processed through the use of WordPress emojis in the Privacy Policy on https://automattic.com/privacy/ .

Audio & Video Introduction

What are audio and video elements?

We have integrated audio and video elements onto our website so that you can watch videos or listen to music/podcasts directly via our website can. The content is provided by service providers. All content is also obtained from the providers’ corresponding servers.

These are integrated functional elements from platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo or Spotify. The use of these portals is usually free, but paid content can also be published. With the help of these integrated elements you can listen to or view the respective content on our website.

If you use audio or video elements on our website, your personal data may also be transmitted to the service providers, processed and stored.

Why do we use audio & Video elements on our website?

Of course we want to provide you with the best offer on our website. And we are aware that content is no longer just conveyed in text and static images. Instead of simply giving you a link to a video, we offer you audio and video formats directly on our website that are entertaining or informative, and ideally both. This expands our service and makes it easier for you to access interesting content. In addition to our texts and images, we also offer video and/or audio content.

What data is used by audio & Video elements saved?

When you visit a page on our website that has, for example, an embedded video, your server connects to the service provider’s server. Your data will also be transferred to the third-party provider and stored there. Some data is collected and stored regardless of whether you have an account with the third party or not. This usually includes your IP address, browser type, operating system, and other general information about your device. Furthermore, most providers also collect information about your web activity. This includes session duration, bounce rate, which button you clicked on or which website you use the service to use. All of this information is usually stored via cookies or pixel tags (also called web beacons). Pseudonymized data is usually stored in cookies in your browser. You can always find out exactly which data is stored and processed in the data protection declaration of the respective provider.

Duration of data processing

You can find out exactly how long the data is stored on the third-party servers either in the data protection text of the respective tool below or in the data protection declaration of the provider. In principle, personal data is only processed for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services or products. This usually also applies to third-party providers. You can usually assume that certain data will be stored on the third-party servers for several years. Data can be stored for different lengths of time, especially in cookies. Some cookies are deleted after you leave the website, others can be stored in your browser for several years.

Right to object

Since the integrated audio and video functions on our site usually also use cookies, you should also read our general data protection declaration Read through cookies. You can find out more about how your data is handled and stored in the data protection declarations of the respective third-party providers.

Legal basis

If you have consented that your data can be processed and stored through integrated audio and video elements, this consent is deemed to be valid Legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data will also be processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) stored and processed for fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the integrated audio and video elements if you have given your consent.

Vimeo privacy policy

What is Vimeo?

We also use videos from Vimeo on our website. The video portal is operated by Vimeo LLC, 555 West 18th Street, New York, New York 10011, USA. With the help of a plug-in, we can show you interesting video material directly on our website. Certain data from you may be transferred to Vimeo. In this data protection declaration we will show you what data is involved, why we use Vimeo and how you can manage or prevent your data or data transfer.

Vimeo is a video platform that was founded in 2004 and has enabled streaming videos in HD quality since 2007. Since 2015 it has also been possible to stream in 4k Ultra HD. The portal is free to use, but paid content can also be published. Compared to the market leader YouTube, Vimeo places particular emphasis on high-quality content. On the one hand, the portal offers a lot of artistic content such as music videos and short films, but on the other hand it also offers useful documentaries on a wide variety of topics.

Why do we use Vimeo on our website?

The aim of our website is to provide you with the best possible content. And as easily accessible as possible. Only when we have achieved this will we be satisfied with our service. The video service Vimeo helps us achieve this goal. Vimeo offers us the opportunity to present you high-quality content directly on our website. Instead of just giving you a link to an interesting video, you can watch the video right away with us. This expands our service and makes it easier for you to access interesting content. In addition to our texts and images, we also offer video content.

What data is stored on Vimeo?

When you access a page on our website that has a Vimeo video embedded, your browser connects to Vimeo’s servers. This results in a data transfer. This data is collected, stored and processed on the Vimeo servers. Regardless of whether you have a Vimeo account or not, Vimeo collects information about you. This includes your IP address, technical information about your browser type, your operating system or very basic device information. Vimeo also stores information about which website you use the Vimeo service and what actions (web activities) you carry out on our website. These web activities include, for example, session duration, bounce rate or which button you clicked on our website with the built-in Vimeo function. Vimeo can track and store these actions using cookies and similar technologies.

If you are logged in to Vimeo as a registered member, more data can usually be collected because more cookies may have already been set in your browser . In addition, your actions on our website are linked directly to your Vimeo account. To prevent this, you must log out of Vimeo while surfing our website.

Below we will show you cookies that are set by Vimeo when you are on a website with an integrated Vimeo function. This list is not exhaustive and assumes that you do not have a Vimeo account.

Name: player
Value: “”
Intended use: This cookie saves your preferences before playing an embedded Vimeo video. This will restore your preferred settings the next time you watch a Vimeo video.
Expiry Date: after a year

Name: vuid
Value: pl1046149876.614422590112747205-4
Intended use: This cookie collects information about your actions on websites that have embedded a Vimeo video.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Note: These two cookies are always set as soon as you are on a website with an embedded Vimeo video. If you watch the video and click on the button, for example to “share” or “like” the video, further cookies will be set. These are also third-party cookies such as _ga or _gat_UA-76641-8 from Google Analytics or _fbp from Facebook. Exactly which cookies are set here depends on your interaction with the video.

The following list shows an excerpt of possible cookies that are set when you interact with the Vimeo video:

Name: _abexps
Value: %5B%5D
Intended use: This Vimeo cookie helps Vimeo remember the settings you have made. This can be, for example, a preset language, a region or a user name. In general, the cookie stores data about how you use Vimeo.
Expiry date: after a year

Name: continuous_play_v3
Value: 1
Intended use: This cookie is a first-party cookie from Vimeo. The cookie collects information about how you use the Vimeo service. For example, the cookie stores when you pause or replay a video.
Expiry date: after a year

Name: _ga
Value: GA1.2.1522249635.1578401280112747205-7
Purpose: This cookie is a third-party cookie from Google. By default, analytics.js uses the _ga cookie to store the user ID. Basically, it is used to distinguish website visitors.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: _gcl_au
Value: 1.1.770887836.1578401279112747205-3
Intended use: This third-party cookie from Google AdSense is used to improve the effectiveness of advertisements on websites .
Expiry date: after 3 months

Name: _fbp
Value: fb.1.1578401280585.310434968
Intended use: This is a Facebook cookie. This cookie is used to display advertisements or advertising products from Facebook or other advertisers.
Expiry date: after 3 months

Vimeo uses this data, among other things, to improve its own service, to communicate with you and to implement its own targeted advertising measures set. Vimeo emphasizes on its website that only first-party cookies (i.e. cookies from Vimeo itself) are used for embedded videos as long as you do not interact with the video.

How long and where is the data stored?

Vimeo is headquartered in White Plains, New York State (USA). However, the services are offered worldwide. The company uses computer systems, databases and servers in the USA and also in other countries. Your data can therefore also be stored and processed on servers in America. The data will remain stored at Vimeo until the company no longer has an economic reason for storing it. The data will then be deleted or anonymized.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You always have the option to manage cookies in your browser according to your preferences. For example, if you do not want Vimeo to set cookies and collect information about you, you can delete or deactivate cookies at any time in your browser settings. Depending on the browser, this works a little differently. Please note that after deactivating/deleting cookies, various functions may no longer be fully available. Under the “Cookies” section you will find the corresponding links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers.

If you are a registered Vimeo member, you can also manage the cookies used in the Vimeo settings.

Legal basis

If you have consented to your data being processed and stored through integrated Vimeo elements, this consent is considered the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data will also be processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) stored and processed for fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the integrated Vimeo elements if you have given your consent. Vimeo also sets cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text about cookies carefully and view the data protection declaration or the cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

Vimeo also processes your data in the USA, among other places. We would like to point out that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfer to the USA. This may involve various risks to the lawfulness and security of data processing.

As the basis for data processing for recipients based in third countries (outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, especially in the USA ) or data transfer there, Vimeo uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 Paragraphs 2 and 3 GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through these clauses, Vimeo undertakes to comply with European data protection standards 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 resolution and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

More information about the standard contractual clauses at Vimeo can be found at https://vimeo.com/privacy#international_data_transfers_and_certain_user_rights.

You can find out more about the use of cookies on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/cookie_policy, you can find information about data protection at Vimeo on https://vimeo.com/privacyread.

YouTube privacy policy

What is YouTube?

We have integrated YouTube videos on our website. This means we can present you interesting videos directly on our site. YouTube is a video portal that has been a subsidiary of Google since 2006. The video portal is operated by YouTube, LLC, 901 Cherry Ave., San Bruno, CA 94066, USA. If you access a page on our website that has an embedded YouTube video, your browser automatically connects to the YouTube or Google servers. Various data is transferred (depending on the settings). Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all data processing in Europe.

In the following we would like to explain to you in more detail what data is processed, why we have included YouTube videos and how you manage your data can delete.

On YouTube, users can watch, rate, comment and upload videos for free. Over the last few years, YouTube has become one of the most important social media channels worldwide. So that we can display videos on our website, YouTube provides a code snippet that we have integrated into our site.

Why do we use YouTube videos on our website?

YouTube is the video platform with the most visitors and the best content. We strive to offer you the best possible user experience on our website. And of course interesting videos shouldn’t be missing. With the help of our embedded videos, we provide you with other helpful content in addition to our texts and images. In addition, our website is easier to find on the Google search engine thanks to the embedded videos. Even if we place advertisements via Google Ads, thanks to the data collected, Google can only show these advertisements to people who are interested in our offers.

What data does YouTube store?

As soon as you visit one of our pages that has a YouTube video installed, YouTube sets at least one cookie that contains your IP address and our URL stores. If you are logged in to your YouTube account, YouTube can usually assign your interactions on our website to your profile using cookies. This includes data such as session duration, bounce rate, approximate location, technical information such as browser type, screen resolution or your internet provider. Other data may include contact details, any reviews, sharing content on social media or adding it to your favorites on YouTube.

If you are not signed in to a Google account or a YouTube account, Google stores data with a unique identifier that is associated with your Device, browser or app are linked. For example, your preferred language setting is retained. But a lot of interaction data cannot be saved because fewer cookies are set.

In the following list we show cookies that were set in the browser in a test. On the one hand, we show cookies that are set without a logged in YouTube account. On the other hand, we show cookies that are set when the account is logged in. The list cannot claim to be complete because user data always depends on interactions on YouTube.

Name: YSC
Value: b9-CV6ojI5Y112747205-1
Intended use: This cookie registers a unique ID to store statistics of the video viewed.
Expiry date: after the end of the session

Name: PREF
Value: f1=50000000
Intended use: This cookie also registers your unique ID. Google receives statistics about how you use YouTube videos on our website via PREF.
Expiry date: after 8 months

Name: GPS
Value: 1
Intended use: This cookie registers your unique ID on mobile devices to track GPS location.
Expiry date:after 30 minutes

Name: VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
Value: 95Chz8bagyU
Intended use: This cookie tries to estimate the user’s bandwidth on our websites (with built-in YouTube video).
Expiry date: after 8 months

Other cookies set when you are logged in to your YouTube account:

Name: APISID
Value: zILlvClZSkqGsSwI/AU1aZI6HY7112747205-
Intended use: This cookie is used to create a profile about your interests. The data is used for personalized advertisements.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: CONSENT
Value: YES+AT.de+20150628-20-0
Intended use: The cookie stores the status of a user’s consent to the use of different services from Google. CONSENT also serves security purposes to verify users and protect user data from unauthorized attacks.
Expiry date: after 19 years

Name: HSID
Value: AcRwpgUik9Dveht0I
Intended use: This cookie is used to create a profile about your interests. This data helps to display personalized advertising.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: LOGIN_INFO
Value: AFmmF2swRQIhALl6aL…
Intended use: This cookie stores information about your login data.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: SAPISID
Value: 7oaPxoG-pZsJuuF5/AnUdDUIsJ9iJz2vdM
Intended use: This cookie works by uniquely identifying your browser and device. It is used to create a profile about your interests.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: SID
Value: oQfNKjAsI112747205-
Intended use: This cookie stores your Google account ID and your last login time in a digitally signed and encrypted form.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: SIDCC
Value: AN0-TYuqub2JOcDTyL
Intended use: This cookie stores information about how you use the website and what advertising you may have seen before visiting our site have seen.
Expiry date: after 3 months

How long and where is the data stored?

The data that YouTube receives and processes from you is stored on Google servers. Most of these servers are located in America. At https://www.google .com/about/datacenters/locations/?hl=de see exactly where the Google data centers are located. Your data is distributed across the servers. This means that the data can be accessed more quickly and is better protected against manipulation.

Google stores the collected data for different lengths of time. You can delete some data at any time, others are automatically deleted after a limited period of time, and others are stored by Google for a longer period of time. Some data (such as My Activity items, photos or documents, products) stored in your Google Account remains stored until you delete it. Even if you’re not signed in to a Google Account, you can delete some data associated with your device, browser, or app.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

Basically, you can delete data in your Google account manually. With the automatic deletion function of location and activity data introduced in 2019, information is stored for either 3 or 18 months and then deleted, depending on your decision.

Regardless of whether you have a Google account or not, you can configure your browser to delete or deactivate Google cookies become. Depending on which browser you use, this works in different ways. Under the “Cookies” section you will find the corresponding links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers.

Legal basis

If you have consented to your data being processed and stored through integrated YouTube elements, this consent is considered the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data will also be processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) stored and processed for fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners. However, we only use the integrated YouTube elements if you have given your consent. YouTube also sets cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text about cookies carefully and view the data protection declaration or the cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

Youtube also processes your data in the USA, among other places. YouTube or 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. You can find more information on https ://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

Google 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 and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the Standard Contractual Clauses, Google undertakes to comply 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 implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the resolution and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Google Ads Data Processing Terms, which refer to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://business.safety.google/intl/de/adsprocessorterms/.

Since YouTube is a subsidiary of Google, there is a common data protection declaration. If you would like to find out more about how your data is handled, we recommend the data protection declaration at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

Web design introduction

What is web design?

We use various tools on our website that serve our web design. Web design is not, as is often assumed, just about making our website look pretty, but also about functionality and performance. But of course the right look of a website is also one of the major goals of professional web design. Web design is a sub-area of media design and deals with the visual as well as the structural and functional design of a website. The aim is to use web design to improve your experience on our website. In web design jargon, this is referred to as user experience (UX) and usability. User experience refers to all the impressions and experiences that website visitors experience on a website. A sub-point of the user experience is usability. This is about the user-friendliness of a website. The main emphasis here is on ensuring that content, subpages or products are clearly structured and that you can find what you are looking for easily and quickly. In order to offer you the best possible experience on our website, we also use so-called third-party web design tools. In this data protection declaration, the “web design” category includes all services that improve the design of our website. These can be, for example, fonts, various plugins or other integrated web design functions.

Why do we use web design tools?

How you absorb information on a website depends very much on the structure, functionality and visual perception of the website. Therefore, good and professional web design became more and more important for us. We are constantly working on improving our website and see this as an extended service for you as a website visitor. Furthermore, a beautiful and functioning website also has economic advantages for us. After all, you will only visit us and take advantage of our offers if you feel completely comfortable.

What data is stored by web design tools?

When you visit our website, web design elements may be integrated into our pages, which can also process data. Exactly what data is involved, of course, depends heavily on the tools used. Below you can see exactly which tools we use for our website. We recommend that you read the respective data protection declaration of the tools used for more information about data processing. You will usually find out what data is being processed, whether cookies are being used and how long the data is being kept. Fonts such as Google Fonts also automatically transmit information such as language settings, IP address, browser version, browser screen resolution and browser name to the Google servers.

Duration of data processing

How long data is processed is very individual and depends on the web design elements used. For example, if cookies are used, the retention period can last as little as a minute or as long as a few years. Please be smart about this. On the one hand, we recommend our general text section on cookies and the data protection declarations of the tools used. There you can usually find out exactly which cookies are used and what information is stored in them. For example, Google Font files are stored for one year. This is intended to improve the loading time of a website. In principle, data is only retained for as long as is necessary to provide the service. If required by law, data can also be stored longer.

Right to object

You also have the right and the opportunity 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. You can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser. However, there is also data among web design elements (mostly fonts) that cannot be deleted so easily. This is the case when data is automatically collected directly when a page is accessed and transmitted to a third-party provider (such as Google). Then please contact the support of the relevant provider. In the case of Google, you can reach support at https://support .google.com/?hl=de.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of web design tools, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), this consent represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when it is collected by web design tools. We also have a legitimate interest in web design to improve our website. After all, only then can we provide you with a beautiful and professional website. The corresponding legal basis for this is Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter f GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use web design tools if you have given your consent. We definitely want to emphasize this again here.

Information about special web design tools – if available – can be found in the following sections.

Google Fonts privacy policy

What are Google Fonts?

We use Google Fonts on our website. These are the “Google fonts” from Google Inc. For Europe, Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services.

You do not need to register or provide a password to use Google fonts. Furthermore, no cookies are stored in your browser. The files (CSS, fonts/fonts) are requested via the Google domains fonts.googleapis.com and fonts.gstatic.com. According to Google, requests for CSS and fonts are completely separate from all other Google services. If you have a Google Account, you do not need to worry that your Google Account information will be transmitted to Google while using Google Fonts. Google records the use of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and the fonts used and stores this data securely. We will take a closer look at what data storage looks like.

Google Fonts (formerly Google Web Fonts) is a directory with over 800 fonts that Google to make available to your users free of charge.

Many of these fonts are released under the SIL Open Font License, while others are released under the Apache License. Both are free software licenses.

Why do we use Google Fonts on our website?

With Google Fonts we can use fonts on our own website and don’t have to upload them to our own server. Google Fonts is an important component in keeping the quality of our website high. All Google fonts are automatically optimized for the web and this saves data volume and is a big advantage, especially for use on mobile devices. When you visit our site, the low file size ensures a fast loading time. Furthermore, Google Fonts are secure web fonts. Different image synthesis systems (rendering) in different browsers, operating systems and mobile devices can lead to errors. Such errors can visually distort some texts or entire websites. Thanks to the fast Content Delivery Network (CDN), there are no cross-platform issues with Google Fonts. Google Fonts supports all major browsers (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera) and works reliably on most modern mobile operating systems, including Android 2.2+ and iOS 4.2+ (iPhone, iPad, iPod). We use Google Fonts so that we can present our entire online service as beautifully and consistently as possible.

What data does Google store?

When you visit our website, the fonts are reloaded via a Google server. Through this external call, data is transmitted to the Google servers. This is how Google also recognizes that you or your IP address visits our website. The Google Fonts API is designed to reduce the use, storage, and collection of end-user data to what is necessary for proper font delivery. By the way, API stands for “Application Programming Interface” and serves, among other things, as a data transmitter in the software sector.

Google Fonts stores CSS and font requests securely on Google and is therefore protected. By collecting usage figures, Google can determine how well the individual fonts are received. Google publishes the results on internal analysis sites, such as Google Analytics. Google also uses data from its own web crawler to determine which websites use Google fonts. This data is published in the Google Fonts BigQuery database. Entrepreneurs and developers use the Google web service BigQuery to examine and move large amounts of data.

However, it should be remembered that every Google Font request also includes information such as language settings, IP address, browser version, screen resolution Browser and name of the browser are automatically transmitted to the Google servers. Whether this data is also stored cannot be clearly determined or is not clearly communicated by Google.

How long and where is the data stored?

Google stores requests for CSS assets for one day on its servers, which are mainly located outside the EU. This allows us to use the fonts using a Google stylesheet. A style sheet is a format template that you can use to quickly and easily change the design or font of a website, for example.

The font files are stored by Google for one year. Google’s goal is to fundamentally improve the loading time of websites. When millions of websites reference the same fonts, they are cached after the first visit and immediately appear on all other websites visited later. Sometimes Google updates font files to reduce file size, increase language coverage, and improve design.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

The data that Google stores for a day or a year cannot simply be deleted. The data is automatically transmitted to Google when the page is accessed. In order to delete this data early, you must contact Google Support at https://support.google.com/?hl=de&tid=112747205 contact. In this case, you can only prevent data storage if you do not visit our site.

Unlike other web fonts, Google allows us unrestricted access to all fonts. So we have unlimited access to a sea of fonts and get the best for our website. You can find out more about Google Fonts and other questions at https ://developers.google.com/fonts/faq?tid=112747205. Although Google addresses data protection-related matters there, it does not contain any really detailed information about data storage. It is relatively difficult to get really precise information about stored data from Google.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of Google Fonts, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent) represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when it is collected by Google Fonts.

We also have a legitimate interest in using Google Font to optimize our online service. The corresponding legal basis for this is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use Google Font if you have given your consent.

Google also processes your data in the USA, among other places. 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. You can find more information on https ://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

The Google Ads Data Processing Terms, which refer to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://business.safety.google/intl/de/adsprocessorterms/.

You can also see which data is generally collected by Google and what this data is used for on https://www.google.com/intl/de/policies/privacy/ read it.

Google Fonts Local Privacy Policy

On our website we use Google Fonts from Google Inc. For the European area, the company is Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland). We have integrated the Google fonts locally, i.e. on our web server – not on Google’s servers. This means there is no connection to Google servers and therefore no data transfer or storage.

What are Google Fonts?

Google Fonts used to be called Google Web Fonts. This is an interactive directory with over 800 fonts that Google provides for free. With Google Fonts you could use fonts without uploading them to your own server. However, in order to prevent any information transfer to Google servers, we have downloaded the fonts to our server. In this way, we act in accordance with data protection regulations and do not send any data to Google Fonts.

Explanation of terms used

We always strive to make our data protection declaration as clear and understandable as possible. However, this is not always easy, especially when it comes to technical and legal issues. It often makes sense to use legal terms (such as personal data) or certain technical terms (such as cookies, IP address). But we don’t want to use them without explanation. Below you will find an alphabetical list of important terms used that we may not have addressed sufficiently in the previous data protection declaration. If these terms were taken from the GDPR and they are definitions, we will also cite the GDPR texts here and add our own explanations if necessary.