Privacy policy

Responsible party pursuant to data protection laws, in particular the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), is

Julia Mucke

Your rights as the data subject

You can exercise the following rights at any time using the contact details of our data protection officer:

  • Information on your data stored by us and the processing thereof (Art. 15 GDPR),
  • Rectification of inaccurate personal data (Art. 16 GDPR),
  • Deletion of your data stored by us (Art. 17 GDPR),
  • Restriction of the data processing, provided that we may not delete your data due to legal obligations (Art. 18 GDPR),
  • Objection to the processing of your data with us (Art. 21 GDPR) and
  • Data portability, provide that you have consented to the data processing or have entered into a contract with us (Art. 20 GDPR).

If you have given us consent, you may withdraw it at any time, which will remain in effect in the future.

You can contact a supervisory authority with a complaint at any time, e.g. the supervisory authority of the state of your residence or the authority that oversees us as the responsible party.

You’ll find a list of supervisory authorities (for the non-public area) with their respective addresses at: https://www.bfdi.bund.de/DE/Infothek/Anschriften_Links/anschriften_links-node.html.

Collecting general information during a visit to our website

Type and purpose of the processing

When you access our website – i.e. if you do not register or submit information – information of a general nature will be collected automatically. This information (server log files) contains the type of web browser, the operating system used, the domain name of your Internet service provider, your IP address and the like.

It is processed in particular for the following purposes:

  • Ensuring an unproblematic website connection
  • Ensuring seamless use of our website
  • Analysis of system security and stability as well as
  • For additional administrative purposes.

We will not use your data to draw conclusions about your person. This type of information will be statistically analysed by us if necessary to optimise our website and its underlying technology.

Legal basis

The processing occurs according to Art. 6 Para. 1 (f) GDPR, based on our legitimate interest in improving the stability and functionality of our website.

Recipients

Recipients of the data may be technical service providers, who work on the operation and maintenance of our website as the processor.

Retention period

The data will be deleted as soon as they are no longer required for the reason they were collected. This is generally the case, after the respective session has ended, for data that are used to make the website available.

Mandatory or required provision

The provision of the aforementioned personal data is neither legally nor contractually mandatory. Without the IP address however, the service and functionality of our website are not guaranteed. Furthermore, individual services can be unavailable or limited. For this reason, an objection is excluded.

Commentary function

Type and purpose of the processing

When users leave comments on our website, the time of their creation and the username selected by the website visitor are saved. This is for our security, as we may be prosecuted for any illegal content on our website, even if it was created by users.

Legal basis

The processing of the data entered as a comment occurs on the basis of a legitimate interest (Art. 6 Para. 1 (a) GDPR).

With the commentary feature, our aim is to provide you with an uncomplicated way to interact. The information you enter will be stored for the purpose of processing the request as well as possible follow-up inquiries.

Recipients

Recipients of the data may be processors.

Retention period

The data will be deleted as soon as they are no longer required for the reason they were collected. This is generally the case, when the communication with the user has ended and the company can see from the circumstances that the respective issue has been clarified.

Mandatory or required provision

The provision of your personal data is voluntary. Without the provision of your personal data, we cannot guarantee you access to our commentary function.

Newsletter

Type and purpose of the processing

Your data will be used exclusively to send you the newsletter you subscribed for via e-mail. We request your name so that we can address you personally in the newsletter and identify you as needed should you want to exercise your rights as a data subject.

To receive the newsletter, providing your e-mail address is sufficient. When you subscribe to our newsletter, the data you provide will be used exclusively for this purpose. Subscribers can also be notified by e-mail about circumstances that are relevant to the service or registration (such as changes to the newsletter offer or technical matters).

We need a valid e-mail address to complete your registration. In order to verify that a registration is actually made by the owner of an e-mail address, we utilise the ‘double opt-in’ procedure. To this end, we log the newsletter subscription request, when a confirmation e-mail is sent and the receipt of the requested reply. Additional data is not collected. The data will be used exclusively for sending the newsletter and will not be shared with third parties.

Legal basis

Based on your express consent (Article 6 (1) a DSGVO), we will send you our newsletter on a regular basis or comparable information via e-mail to your specified e-mail address.

The consent to save and use your personal data for the newsletter may be withdrawn at any time and remain in effect in the future. Every newsletter contains a corresponding link, and you can also unsubscribe on this website at any time or inform us of your cancellation via the contact option indicated at the end of this privacy policy.

Recipients

Recipients of the data may be processors.

Retention period

Data are only processed in this context provided that the corresponding consent has been given. The data will be deleted thereafter.

Mandatory or required provision

The provision of your personal data is voluntary, based solely on your consent. Unfortunately, we cannot send you our newsletter without your consent.

Contact form

Type and purpose of the processing

The data you enter are used for individual communication with you. A valid e-mail address and your name are required for this communication, which serves to organize your inquiry and the respective subsequent reply. Providing additional information is optional.

Legal basis

The processing of the data entered in the contact form occurs on the basis of a legitimate interest (Art. 6 Para. 1 (f) GDPR).

By providing the contact form, our aim is to facilitate an uncomplicated means for you to contact us. The information you enter will be used to process the inquiry and saved for possible follow-up questions.

If you contact us to request an offer, the processing of the information provided in the contact form will occur in order to implement pre-contractual measures (Art. 6 Para. 1 (b) GDPR).

Recipients

Recipients of the data may be processors.

Retention period

The data will be deleted no later than 6 months after processing the inquiry.

Provided that we enter into a contract together, we will use the statutory retention periods in the German Commercial Code (Handelsgesetzbuch) and delete your data according to the respective stipulated deadlines.

Mandatory or required provision

The provision of your personal data is voluntary. However, we can only process your inquiry if you provide us with your name, e-mail address and the reason for your inquiry.

Using Google Analytics

Type and purpose of the processing

This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service of Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheater Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043 USA (hereinafter: ‘Google’). Google Analytics uses so-called ‘cookies’, i.e. text files that are stored on your computer and allow an analysis of your use of the website. The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website is typically transmitted to a Google server in the U.S. and stored there. However, due to the activation of IP anonymisation on these websites, your IP address will be truncated beforehand by Google within the member states of the European Union or in other contracting states of the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be sent to a Google server in the U.S. and truncated there. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google will use this information to evaluate your use of the website, summarise reports on website activities and provide other services related to website and Internet usage to the website operator. The IP address transferred from your browser as part of Google Analytics will not be combined with other data from Google.

The data processing purposes are the website-use analysis and the summary of reports on activities on the website. Based on the use of the website and the Internet, other related services will be provided.

Legal basis

The processing of the data occurs on the basis of the user’s consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 (a) GDPR).

Recipients

The recipient of the data is Google as the processor. For this, we have entered into the corresponding data-processing contract with Google.

Retention period

The deletion of the data occurs as soon as they are no longer necessary for our recording-keeping purposes.

Third country transfers

Google processes your data in the United States of America and is subject to the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield: https://www.privacyshield.gov/EU-US-Framework.

Mandatory or required provision

The provision of your personal data is voluntary, based solely on your consent. If you prevent access, this can lead to functional limitations on the website.

Revocation of consent

You can prevent the storage of cookies by a corresponding setting in your browser software; however, please note that in this case you may not be able to use all the functions of this website in their entirety. Furthermore, you can prevent the collected data generated by the cookie and the data related to your use of the website (including your IP address) being transmitted to Google, as well as the processing of this data by Google, by downloading and installing the browser plug-in available at the following link: browser add-on to deactivate Google Analytics.

In addition, or as an alternative to the browser add-on, you can prevent tracking by Google Analytics on our web pages by clicking this link, which will install an opt-out cookie on your device. This will prevent data collection by Google Analytics for this website and for this browser in the future, as long as the cookie remains installed in your browser.

Profiling

With the assistance of the tracking tool Google Analytics, the browsing behaviour of the website visitors can be evaluated and their respective interests can be analysed. For this analysis, we create a pseudonymous user profile.

Analysis via WiredMinds

Type and purpose of the processing

Our website uses the tracking pixel technology of WiredMinds AG (www.wiredminds.de) to analyse visitor behaviour. WiredMinds GmbH is located at Lindenspürstraße 32, 70176 Stuttgart, Germany.

Data is collected, processed and saved, from which usage profiles are created under a pseudonym. Wherever possible and useful, these usage profiles are completely anonymised. Cookies can be used for this purpose. Cookies are small text files that are stored in the visitor’s Internet browser and serve to recognise the Internet browser. The collected data, which may also contain personal data, will be transmitted to WiredMinds or collected directly by WiredMinds. WiredMinds may use the information from visits to the websites in order to create anonymised usage profiles. Without the express consent of the data subject, the data obtained will not be used to personally identify the visitor of this website, and they will not be combined with personal data about the bearer of the pseudonym.

An objection to the data collection, processing and storage may be made via the following link at any time, which will remain in effect in the future: exclusion from website tracking.

Additional information and the current privacy policy of WiredMinds can be found at: https://www.wiredminds.de/fileadmin/testimages/content/datenschutz/DSB_WiredMinds_16.pdf (in German).

Legal basis

The processing of the data occurs on the basis of the user’s consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 (a) GDPR).

Recipients

The recipient of the data is WiredMinds GmbH as the processor.

Retention period

Provided that the IP addresses are collected, their immediate anonymisation occurs by deleting the final numerical block.

Mandatory or required provision

The provision of your personal data is voluntary, based solely on your consent. If you prevent access, this can lead to functional limitations on the website.

Profiling

With the assistance of the WiredMinds tool, the browsing behaviour of the website visitors can be evaluated and their respective interests can be analysed, which also provides for an improved Internet offer. For this analysis, we create a pseudonymous user profile.

Use of the scalable central measurement procedures

Our website uses the measuring procedure (‘SZMnG’) of INFOnline GmbH (https://www.INFOnline.de/en/) to determine key statistical values for the use of our offers. The goal of the usage measurement is to statistically determine the number of visitors to our website and their browsing behaviour – based on a uniform standard procedure – and thus to obtain comparable market values.

For all providers of digital offers – who are members of the German Audit Bureau of Circulation (Informationsgemeinschaft zur Feststellung der Verbreitung von Werbeträgern e.V., (IVW: http://www.ivw.eu/englische-version) or participate in the studies of the German Association of Online Research (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Online-Forschung e.V., AGOF: https://www.agof.de/?lang=en) – the usage statistics are further processed on a regular basis by AGOF and the Labour Association for Media Analysis (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Media-Analyze e.V., AGMA – http://www.agma-mmc.de) into ranges and published with the performance values ‘unique user’, and by the IVW with ‘page impression’ and ‘visits’. These ranges and statistics can be viewed on the respective websites.

1. Legal foundation for the processing

The measurement, by means of the measuring method SZMnG via INFOnline GmbH, occurs with legitimate interest in accordance with Art. 6 Para. 1 (f) GDPR.

The purpose of processing personal data is the creation of statistics and the formation of user categories. The statistics are used to understand and substantiate the use of our offer. The user categories are the basis for an interest-oriented alignment of advertising material and advertising measures. For the marketing of this website, a usage measurement, which ensures comparability with other market participants, is essential. Our legitimate interest stems from the economic usability of the statistical findings and user categories and the market value of our website – also in direct comparison with third party websites – which can be determined from the statistics.

In addition, we have a legitimate interest in making the pseudonymised data of INFOnline, AGOF and IVW available for market research (AGOF, agma) and for statistical purposes (INFOnline, IVW). Furthermore, we have a legitimate interest in providing the pseudonymised data of INFOnline for the further development and provision of interest-oriented advertising material.

2. Type of data

INFOnline GmbH collects the following data, which indicate a personal reference in accordance with the EU-GDPR:

  • IP address: On the Internet, every device requires a unique address, the so-called IP address, for transmitting data. Temporary storage of the IP address is at least technically necessary due to how the Internet works. The IP addresses are truncated by 1 byte prior to every processing and only processed anonymously. No storage or further processing of the full IP addresses takes place.
  • A randomly generated client identifier: Range processing uses either a cookie with the ID ‘ioam.de’, a ‘local storage object’ or a signature created from various automatically transmitted data from your browser to recognise computer systems. This identifier is unique to a browser as long as the cookie or local storage object is not deleted. Therefore, a measurement of the data and the subsequent assignment to the respective client identifier is also possible if you access other websites that also use the measurement procedure (‘SZMnG ‘) of INFOnline GmbH. The validity of the cookie is limited to a maximum of 1 year.

3. Use of the data

The measurement procedure of INFOnline GmbH, which is used on this website, determines usage data. This occurs in order to collect the performance values of page impressions, visits and clients as well as to provide additional metrics (e.g. qualified clients). The measured data is additionally used as follows:

  • A so-called geolocalisation, i.e. the assignment of a website visit to the area where the website was accessed, occurs exclusively on the basis of the anonymised IP address and only up to the geographical level of the states/regions. From the geographic information obtained in this way, in no case can the specific location of a user be determined.
  • The usage data of a technical client (for example, a browser on a device) are combined across websites and saved in a database. This information is used for the technical assessment of social information such as age and gender and given to the service providers of AGOF for further range processing. Within the scope of the AGOF study, social characteristics based on a random sample are technically evaluated as to which can be assigned to the following categories: age, gender, nationality, occupation, marital status, general household information, household income, place of residence, internet usage, online Interests, place of use and user type.

4. Retention period of the data

The complete IP address will not be saved by INFOnline GmbH. The truncated IP address is stored for a maximum of 60 days. The usage data in connection with the unique identifier will be stored for a maximum of 6 months.

5. Disclosure of the data

The IP address as well as the truncated IP address are not forwarded. For the creation of the AGOF study, data with client identifiers are forwarded to the following service providers of the AGOF:

6. Rights of the data subjects

The data subject has the following rights:

  • Right of access (Art. 15 GDPR)
  • Right to rectification (Art. 16 GDPR)
  • Right to object (Art. 21 GDPR)
  • Right to erasure (Art. 17 GDPR)
  • Right to restriction of processing (Art. 18 (f) GDPR)
  • Right to data portability (Art. 20 GDPR)

For inquiries of this nature, please see the contact information provided at the end of this privacy policy. Please note that we have to ensure that the person making the inquiry is actually the data subject.

Right to object

If you do not want to participate in the measurement, you can opt-out at the following link: https://optout.ioam.de

In order to guarantee exclusion from the measurement, it is technically necessary to use a cookie. Should you delete the cookies in your browser, it is necessary to repeat the opt-out process at the link above.

The data subject has the right to file a complaint with a data protection authority.

Further information on data protection in the measurement process can be found on the website of INFOnline GmbH (https://www.INFOnline.de/en/), which operates the measurement process, the data protection website of AGOF (http://www.agof.de/datenschutz-allgemein/?lang=en) and the data protection website of IVW (http://www.ivw.eu/englische-version).

Using the scalable central measurement procedure via an application

Our application uses the measuring procedure (‘SZMnG’) of INFOnline GmbH (https://www.INFOnline.de/en/) to determine key statistical values for the use of our offers. The goal of the usage measurement is to statistically determine the usage intensity, number of uses and users of our application as well as their browsing behaviour – based on a uniform standard procedure – and thus to obtain comparable market values.

For all providers of digital offers – who are members of the German Audit Bureau of Circulation (Informationsgemeinschaft zur Feststellung der Verbreitung von Werbeträgern e.V., IVW: http://www.ivw.eu/englische-version) or part