Scope of processing of personal data

In principle we only collect and use our users’ personal data to the extent necessary to provide a functioning website together with our content and data lines. The collection and use of personal data of our users is normally conducted only with the consent of the user. An exception applies in cases where it is not practicably possible to obtain prior consent and processing this data is permitted by law.

Legal basis for processing personal data

Processing of your personal data is conducted on the following legal basis:

• Consent

• Contractual performance or pre-contractual measures

• Legal obligations

• When this is necessary to safeguard a legitimate interest of our company or of a third party and when the interests and fundamental rights and freedoms of the stakeholder do not outweigh the former interest

Erasure of data and storage period

The personal data of the stakeholder is erased or blocked as soon as the purpose of storage is fulfilled. Furthermore, storage can take place when erasure is in conflict with a legal obligation to store data, e.g. derived from the German Tax Code and the German Commercial Code.

Description and scope of data processing

Each time our website is called up, our system gathers automated data and information from the computer system of the visiting computer. The following data is collected here:

• Data regarding the browser type and the used version

• The user’s operating system 

• The user’s internet service provider 

• The user’s IP address

• The date and time of the visit

• Websites from which the user’s system accesses our website

• Websites which are accessed by the user’s system through our website

• The users organisation if possible on basis of the IP adress

On the basis of statutory provisions we are allowed to temporarily store this data and these log files. The temporary storage of the IP address (duration of use) is necessary to enable provision of the website to you. The temporary storage of the IP address by the system is necessary in order to enable provision of the website to the user’s computer. To this end the user’s IP address must remain stored for the duration of the session. The data is stored by us until the end of the session in question and then automatically erased. Since this data is crucial to the operation of the website, you as user have no possibility to object to the processing.

Newsletter

Our website offers the possibility of subscribing to a free newsletter. When you register for this newsletter the data from the input mask is transmitted to us. This involves the following data:

• IP address as well as date and time of the registration

• Name, telephone number and email address

Your consent to processing of the data is obtained as part of the registration procedure, and you are referred to this data privacy statement. Your data is not passed on to third parties. Thus this data is used exclusively for dispatch of the newsletter. If personal data is collected and processed for both the registration to and the dispatch of the newsletter, this is in order to prevent misuse of the services and to correctly deliver the newsletter.

Your data is erased when it is no longer required for the aforementioned purpose. The email address is stored as long as you remain subscribed to our newsletter. Unsubscription is possible by following the unsubscribe link in each newsletter.

Registration

You can also register on our website. In this case the personal data entered by you will be processed by us. Here too the data is not passed to third parties. The following data is collected in the course of the registration process:

• IP address as well as data and time of registration

• Company name, name, telephone number and email address

The processing of your personal data is necessary for contract performance or a pre-contractual measure. This can however also take place on the basis of your consent. Your registration is necessary in order to perform the contract or to carry out a pre-contractual measure. Furthermore this is necessary for the provision of the content and services on our website. Storage ends as a matter of course when the purpose has been fulfilled. If the collection and processing of your personal data is necessary for a pre-contractual measure or for performance of the contract, we are then obliged to observe statutory storage periods. In this case erasure is not possible until expiry of this period.

Contact form and email contact

Our website also contains a contact form, which can be used to contact us in electronic form. We process the data entered in this form. The following data is processed as part of the contact process:

• IP address as well as data and time of the data entry

• Email address

• Name

• Telephone number

Your consent to processing of the data is obtained as part of the transmission procedure, and you are referred to this data privacy statement. You can also use our email address to contact us. Your email is processed by us. Your data is not passed to third parties. None of this data is passed to third parties in this context. Thus this data is used exclusively for processing the conversation. Your consent forms the legal basis for the data processing. If you seek contact with us in order to conclude a contract then the legal basis is formed by the contract performance or a pre-contractual measure. The purpose of data entry in the contact form is to establish contact with us. The data is erased once the purpose of the data processing has been achieved. This may depend on the circumstances of the individual case involved in the establishment of contact. Immediate erasure may possibly be prevented by a statutory storage period. You can revoke the consent you have given us.

Rights of data subjects

You are a data subject (stakeholder) and you have the following rights with regard to us:

• You can request information about which personal data of which origin is stored about you for which purposes. You also have the right to be informed when your data is passed to third parties. In this case you can be informed about the identity of the recipient or the categories of recipients.

• Should your personal data be incorrect or incomplete, you can request correction or addition.

• You can object to the processing of your personal data for advertising purposes. Your data must then be blocked for these purposes.

• You have the right to limit processing if you contest the correctness of the personal data relating to you for a period that enables the responsible party to check the correctness of the personal data; if the processing is unlawful and you reject the erasure of the personal data and instead request limitation of the use of the personal data; if the responsible party no longer requires the personal data for the purposes of the processing, you however require this data for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, or when you have lodged an objection to the processing under Art. 21 (1) GDPR and it is not yet clear whether the proper reasons of the responsible party prevail over your reasons.

• You can request the erasure of your personal data. This is possible when the legal basis for the data processing is not given or has ceased to exist. The same applies in cases where the purpose of the data processing is no longer given due to time elapsed or other reasons. Please note that erasure may be prevented by an existing storage period or other protection-worthy interests of our company. We will be happy to inform you of this on request. Should we have made your data public, we are obliged to inform each recipient that you have requested the erasure of all links to this personal data or to copies of this personal data.

• Furthermore you have a right of objection if your protection-worthy interest due to a personal situation outweighs the interest of the data processing. This does not apply if we are obliged to conduct the processing on the basis of a statutory regulation.

• Irrespective of any other regulatory or judicial constraints, you have the right to complain to a supervisory authority if you believe that the processing of personal data relating to you is in violation of data protection rules.

• You have the right to receive personal data relating to you, which you have supplied to the responsible party, in a structured, accessible and machine-readable format.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics uses so-called ‘cookies’. These are text files that are stored on your computer and they enable an analysis of your use of the website. The information generated by your use of this website is generally transferred to a Google server in the USA and stored there.

IP anonymization

We have activated the function of IP anonymization on this website. This means that your IP address is abbreviated by Google within member states of the European Union or in other contracting parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area before transmission to the USA. Only in exceptional cases is the full IP address transmitted to a Google server in the USA and abbreviated there. Google will use this information on behalf of the operator of this website to analyse your use of the website in order to compile reports on the website activities and to provide to the website operator other services related to the website use and Internet use. The IP address of your browser transmitted as part of Google Analytics is not merged with other data held by Google.

Browser plugin

You can prevent storage of the cookies through a corresponding setting in your browser software; we would however point out that in this case you will not be able to use all functions of this website to their full extent. Furthermore you can prevent the collection of the data generated by the cookie and referring to your use of the website (including your IP address) by Google and the processing of this data by Google if you download and install the browser plugin available at the following link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de

Objecting to data collection

You can prevent the collection of your data by Google Analytics if you click on the following link. This places an opt-out cookie that prevents the collection of your data during future visits to this website: Disable Google Analytics

You can find more information about the handling of user data at Google Analytics in Google’s data protection statement: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=de