Privacy

PRIVACY POLICY

This data protection declaration explains to you the type, scope and purpose of the processing of personal data (hereinafter referred to as “data”) within our online offer and the associated websites, functions and contents as well as external online presences, e.g. our social media profile. (hereinafter jointly referred to as “online offer”). With regard to the terms used, such as “processing” or “person responsible”, we refer to the definitions in Art. 4 of the Basic Data Protection Ordinance (DSGVO).

Responsible body

GapFish GmbH
Uhlandstr. 175
10719 Berlin
E-mail: datenschutz@gapfish.com
https://gapfish.com/imprint/

Types of data processed

  • Inventory data (for example, names, addresses).
  • Contact details (e.g., e-mail, telephone numbers).
  • Content data (e.g., text input, photographs, videos).
  • Usage data (e.g., visited websites, interest in content, access times).
  • Meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses).

Purpose of processing

  • Provision of the online offer, its functions and contents.
  • Response to contact requests and communication with users.
  • Security measures.
  • Range measurement/marketing

Terms used

“Personal data” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter referred to as “data subject”); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by assignment to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier (e.g. cookie) or to one or more special features that express the physical, physiological, genetic, psychological, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.

“processing” means any operation carried out with or without the aid of automated procedures or any such series of operations in connection with personal data. The term goes a long way and covers practically every handling of data.

Responsible” means the natural or legal person, authority, institution or other body that alone or together with others decides on the purposes and means of processing personal data.

Applicable legal bases

In accordance with Art. 13 DSGVO, we inform you of the legal basis of our data processing. If the legal basis is not mentioned in the data protection declaration, the following applies: The legal basis for obtaining consents is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a and Art. 7 DSGVO, the legal basis for processing for the performance of our services and performance of contractual measures as well as for answering inquiries is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b DSGVO, the legal basis for processing to fulfil our legal obligations is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c DSGVO, and the legal basis for processing to protect our legitimate interests is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DSGVO. In the event that the vital interests of the data subject or another natural person require the processing of personal data, Article 6(1)(d) DSGVO serves as the legal basis.

Safety precautions

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

Cooperation with contract processors and third parties

If we disclose data to other persons and companies (contract processors or third parties) within the scope of our processing, transmit it to them or otherwise grant them access to the data, this shall only take place on the basis of a legal permission (e.g. if a transmission of the data to third parties, such as payment service providers, in accordance with Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b DSGVO for contract fulfilment is necessary), if you have consented, if a legal obligation provides for this or on the basis of our legitimate interests (e.g. when using agents, web hosts, etc.).

If we commission third parties with the processing of data on the basis of a so-called “order processing contract”, this is done on the basis of Art. 28 DSGVO.

Transfers to third countries

If we process data in a third country (i.e. outside the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA)) or if this occurs in the context of the use of third-party services or disclosure or transfer of data to third parties, this only takes place if it occurs for the fulfilment of our (pre)contractual obligations, on the basis of your consent, on the basis of a legal obligation or on the basis of our legitimate interests. Subject to legal or contractual permissions, we process or leave the data in a third country only if the special requirements of Art. 44 ff. Process DSGVO. This means, for example, processing is carried out on the basis of special guarantees, such as the officially recognised determination of a data protection level corresponding to the EU (e.g. for the USA by the “Privacy Shield”) or compliance with officially recognised special contractual obligations (so-called “standard contractual clauses”).

Rights of data subjects

You have the right to request confirmation as to whether the data concerned are being processed and to request information about these data as well as further information and a copy of the data in accordance with Art. 15 DSGVO.

They have correspondingly. In accordance with Article 16 of the DSBER, you have the right to request the completion of data concerning you or the correction of inaccurate data concerning you.

In accordance with Art. 17 DSGVO, you have the right to demand that relevant data be deleted immediately or, alternatively, to demand a restriction on the processing of the data in accordance with Art. 18 DSGVO.

You have the right to request that the data concerning you that you have provided to us be received in accordance with Art. 20 DSGVO and to request its transmission to other persons responsible.

In accordance with Art. 77 DSGVO, they also have the right to file a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.

Right of revocation

You have the right to revoke consents granted pursuant to Art. 7 para. 3 DSGVO with future effect.

Right of objection

You can object to the future processing of the data concerning you in accordance with Art. 21 DSGVO at any time. The objection may be lodged in particular against processing for direct marketing purposes.

Cookies and right of objection in direct advertising

“Cookies” are small files that are stored on the user’s computer. Different data can be stored within the cookies. A cookie is primarily used to store information about a user (or the device on which the cookie is stored) during or after his or her visit to an online offer. Temporary cookies, or “session cookies” or “transient cookies”, are cookies that are deleted after a user leaves an online offer and closes his browser. In such a cookie, for example, the content of a shopping basket can be stored in an online shop or a login jam. Cookies are referred to as “permanent” or “persistent” and remain stored even after the browser is closed. For example, the login status can be saved when users visit it after several days. Likewise, the interests of users used for range measurement or marketing purposes may be stored in such a cookie. Third-party cookies” are cookies that are offered by providers other than the person responsible for operating the online offer (otherwise, if they are only its cookies, they are referred to as “first-party cookies”).

We may use temporary and permanent cookies and clarify this within the framework of our data protection declaration.

If users do not want cookies to be stored on their computer, they are asked to deactivate the corresponding option in the system settings of their browser. Stored cookies can be deleted in the system settings of the browser. The exclusion of cookies can lead to functional restrictions of this online offer.

A general objection to the use of cookies used for online marketing purposes can be declared for many of the services, especially in the case of tracking, via the US site http://www.aboutads.info/choices/oder the EU site http://www.youronlinechoices.com/. Furthermore, the storage of cookies can be achieved by deactivating them in the browser settings. Please note that in this case not all functions of this online offer can be used.

Deletion of data

The data processed by us will be deleted or their processing restricted in accordance with Articles 17 and 18 DSGVO. Unless expressly stated in this data protection declaration, the data stored by us will be deleted as soon as it is no longer required for its intended purpose and the deletion does not conflict with any statutory storage obligations. If the data are not deleted because they are necessary for other and legally permissible purposes, their processing is restricted. This means that the data is blocked and not processed for other purposes. This applies, for example, to data that must be retained for commercial or tax reasons.

In accordance with statutory requirements in Germany, the records are kept in particular for 6 years in accordance with § 257 (1) HGB (trading books, inventories, opening balance sheets, annual financial statements, commercial letters, accounting documents, etc.) and for 10 years in accordance with § 147 (1) AO (books, records, management reports, accounting documents, commercial and business letters, documents relevant for taxation, etc.).

In accordance with legal requirements in Austria, storage is carried out in particular for 7 years in accordance with § 132 (1) BAO (accounting documents, receipts/invoices, accounts, receipts, business papers, statement of income and expenses, etc.), for 22 years in connection with real estate and for 10 years for documents in connection with electronically provided services, telecommunications, radio and television services which are provided to non-entrepreneurs in EU member states and for which the Mini-One-Stop-Shop (MOSS) is used.

Hosting

The hosting services we use serve to provide the following services: Infrastructure and platform services, computing capacity, storage space and database services, security services and technical maintenance services that we use for the purpose of operating this online offering.

We or our hosting provider process inventory data, contact data, content data, contract data, usage data, meta- and communication data of customers, interested parties and visitors of this online offer on the basis of our legitimate interests in an efficient and secure provision of this online offer according to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f DSGVO in conjunction with. Art. 28 DSGVO (conclusion of order processing contract).

Collection of access data and log files

We, or our hosting provider, collect the following data on the basis of our legitimate interests within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. DSGVO data on each access to the server on which this service is located (so-called server log files). Access data includes the name of the accessed website, file, date and time of access, transferred data volume, notification of successful access, browser type and version, the user’s operating system, referrer URL (the previously visited page), IP address and the requesting provider.

Log file information is stored for a maximum of 7 days for security reasons (e.g. to investigate misuse or fraud) and then deleted. Data whose further storage is required for evidentiary purposes are excluded from deletion until the respective incident has been finally clarified.

Agency services

We process our customers’ data as part of our contractual services, which include conceptual and strategic consulting, campaign planning, software and design development / consulting or maintenance, implementation of campaigns and processes / handling, server administration, data analysis / consulting services and training services.

We process inventory data (e.g., customer master data, such as names or addresses), contact data (e.g., e-mail, telephone numbers), content data (e.g., text entries, photographs, videos), contract data (e.g., subject matter of the contract, term), payment data (e.g., bank details, payment history), usage and metadata (e.g. as part of the evaluation and performance measurement of marketing measures). We do not process special categories of personal data unless these are part of commissioned processing. This includes our customers, prospects, their customers, users, website visitors or employees, as well as third parties. The purpose of the processing is to provide contractual services, billing and our customer service. The legal basis for processing results from Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b DSGVO (contractual services), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DSGVO (analysis, statistics, optimisation, safety measures). We process data which are necessary to justify and fulfil the contractual services and point out the necessity of their disclosure. Disclosure to external parties only takes place if it is necessary within the framework of an order. When processing the data provided to us within the scope of an order, we act in accordance with the instructions of the client and the legal requirements for order processing pursuant to Art. 28 DSGVO and process the data for no other purposes than those stipulated in the order.

We delete the data after the expiry of statutory warranty and comparable obligations. The necessity of storing the data is checked every three years; in the case of statutory archiving obligations, the data is deleted after their expiry (6 years, in accordance with § 257 Paragraph 1 HGB, 10 years, in accordance with § 147 Paragraph 1 AO). In the case of data disclosed to us within the scope of an order by the customer, we delete the data in accordance with the specifications of the order, generally after the end of the order.

Administration, financial accounting, office organization, contact management

We process data within the framework of administrative tasks as well as the organisation of our company, financial accounting and compliance with legal obligations, e.g. archiving. We process the same data that we process as part of the performance of our contractual services. The processing bases are Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c. DSGVO, Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. DSGVO. Customers, prospects, business partners and website visitors are affected by the processing. The purpose and our interest in the processing lies in the administration, financial accounting, office organization, archiving of data, thus tasks which serve the maintenance of our business activities, perception of our tasks and provision of our services. The deletion of the data with regard to contractual services and contractual communication corresponds to the information provided in these processing activities.

We disclose or transmit data to the tax authorities, consultants, such as tax consultants or auditors, as well as other fee offices and payment service providers.

Furthermore, we store information on suppliers, event organisers and other business partners on the basis of our business interests, e.g. for the purpose of making contact at a later date. We store this data, which is mainly company-related, permanently.

Business analyses and market research

In order to operate our business economically and to identify market trends, customer and user requirements, we analyse the data available to us on business transactions, contracts, enquiries, etc., in order to ensure that we are able to offer our customers the best possible service. We process inventory data, communication data, contract data, payment data, usage data, metadata on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. DSGVO, whereby the persons concerned include customers, interested parties, business partners, visitors and users of the online offer.

The analyses are carried out for the purpose of economic evaluations, marketing and market research. In doing so, we can consider the profiles of registered users with information e.g. about their purchase processes. The analyses serve us to increase the user-friendliness, the optimization of our offer and the economic efficiency. The analyses serve us alone and are not disclosed externally, unless they are anonymous analyses with aggregated values.

If these analyses or profiles are personal, they will be deleted or made anonymous upon termination of the user, otherwise after two years from the conclusion of the contract. For the rest, macroeconomic analyses and general trend determinations are prepared anonymously wherever possible.

Data protection information in the application process

We process the applicant data only for the purpose and in the context of the application procedure in accordance with the legal requirements. The processing of the applicant data takes place in order to fulfil our (pre)contractual obligations in the context of the application procedure within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b. DSGVO Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. DSGVO if data processing becomes necessary for us, e.g. within the framework of legal procedures (in Germany § 26 BDSG additionally applies).

The application procedure requires that applicants provide us with their data. If we offer an online form, the necessary applicant data are marked otherwise result from the job descriptions and generally include personal data, postal and contact addresses and the documents belonging to the application, such as cover letter, curriculum vitae and certificates. In addition, applicants may voluntarily provide us with additional information.

By submitting the application to us, applicants agree to the processing of their data for the purposes of the application procedure in accordance with the type and scope set out in this data protection declaration.

Insofar as special categories of personal data within the meaning of Art. 9 para. 1 DSGVO are voluntarily communicated within the scope of the application procedure, they are additionally processed in accordance with Art. 9 para. 2 letter b DSGVO (e.g. health data, e.g. severely disabled status or ethnic origin). If special categories of personal data within the meaning of Art. 9 para. 1 DSGVO are requested from applicants during the application procedure, they are additionally processed in accordance with Art. 9 para. 2 lit. a DSGVO (e.g. health data, if these are required for the exercise of the profession).

If made available, applicants can send us their applications via an online form on our website. The data is encrypted and transmitted to us according to the state of the art.
Applicants can also send us their applications by e-mail. Please note, however, that e-mails are generally not sent in encrypted form and that the applicants themselves must ensure that they are encrypted. We cannot therefore accept any responsibility for the transmission of the application between the sender and receipt on our server and therefore recommend that you use an online form or the postal dispatch. Instead of using the online application form and e-mail, applicants can still send us their application by post.

If the application is successful, the data provided by the applicants can be further processed by us for the purpose of employment. Otherwise, if the application for a job offer is not successful, the applicants’ data will be deleted. Applicants’ data will also be deleted if an application is withdrawn, which the applicants are entitled to do at any time.

The deletion will take place after a period of six months, subject to a justified revocation by the applicant, so that we can answer any follow-up questions to the application and meet our obligations under the Equal Treatment Act. Invoices for any reimbursement of travel expenses are archived in accordance with tax regulations.

Contacting

When contacting us (e.g. via contact form, e-mail, telephone or social media), the user’s details are processed for processing the contact enquiry and its processing in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b) DSGVO. User information can be stored in a customer relationship management system (“CRM system”) or comparable request organization.

We delete the requests if they are no longer necessary. We review this requirement every two years; the statutory archiving obligations also apply.

Newsletter

With the following information we inform you about the contents of our newsletter as well as the registration, dispatch and statistical evaluation procedure and your rights of objection. By subscribing to our newsletter you agree to the receipt and the described procedures.

Content of the newsletter: We send newsletters, e-mails and other electronic notifications containing advertising information (hereinafter “newsletters”) only with the consent of the recipients or a legal permission. If the contents of a newsletter are specifically described within the scope of a registration, they are decisive for the consent of the users. In addition, our newsletters contain information about our services and us.
Double opt-in and logging: Subscription to our newsletter takes place in a so-called double opt-in procedure. This means that after registration you will receive an e-mail asking you to confirm your registration. This confirmation is necessary so that no one can log in with other e-mail addresses. Subscriptions to the newsletter are logged in order to be able to prove the registration process in accordance with legal requirements. This includes the storage of the login and confirmation time, as well as the IP address. The changes to your data stored with the shipping service provider are also logged.

Credentials: To subscribe to the newsletter, simply enter your e-mail address. Optionally, we ask you to enter a name in the newsletter in order to address us personally.

Germany: The dispatch of the newsletter and the performance measurement associated with it is based on the recipient’s consent pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a, Art. 7 DSGVO in conjunction with § 7 para. 2 no. 3 UWG or on the basis of the legal permission pursuant to § 7 para. 3 UWG.

The registration procedure is recorded on the basis of our legitimate interests pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DSGVO. We are interested in the use of a user-friendly and secure newsletter system that serves both our business interests and the expectations of users and also allows us to provide proof of consent.

Cancellation/Revocation – You can cancel the receipt of our newsletter at any time, i.e. revoke your consent. You will find a link to cancel the newsletter at the end of each newsletter. We may store the e-mail addresses we have unsubscribed for up to three years on the basis of our legitimate interests before we delete them in order to be able to prove a previously given consent. The processing of these data is limited to the purpose of a possible defence against claims. An individual application for cancellation is possible at any time, provided that at the same time the former existence of a consent is confirmed.

Newsletter – Dispatch service provider

The newsletter is sent by the mail service provider “MailChimp”, a newsletter delivery platform of the US provider Rocket Science Group, LLC, 675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE #5000, Atlanta, GA 30308, USA. The data protection regulations of the shipping service provider can be viewed here: https://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy/. The Rocket Science Group LLC d/b/a MailChimp is certified under the Privacy Shield Agreement and thus offers a guarantee to comply with the European data protection level (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000TO6hAAG&status=Active). The dispatch service provider is used on the basis of our legitimate interests according to Art. 6 Para. 1 letter f DSGVO and an order processing contract according to Art. 28 Para. 3 S. 1 DSGVO.

The shipping service provider can use the recipient’s data in pseudonymous form, i.e. without assignment to a user, to optimize or improve its own services, e.g. to technically optimize the dispatch and presentation of the newsletter or for statistical purposes. However, the shipping service does not use the data of our newsletter recipients to write them down itself or to pass the data on to third parties.

Newsletter – measurement of success

The newsletters contain a so-called “web-beacon”, i.e. a pixel-sized file which is downloaded from our server when the newsletter is opened or, if we use a shipping service provider, from whose server. Within the scope of this retrieval, technical information, such as information about the browser and your system, as well as your IP address and time of retrieval are initially collected.

This information is used to technically improve the services based on the technical data or the target groups and their reading behaviour based on their retrieval locations (which can be determined using the IP address) or access times. The statistical surveys also include determining whether the newsletters are opened, when they are opened and which links are clicked. For technical reasons, this information can be assigned to the individual newsletter recipients. However, it is neither our endeavour, nor, if used, that of the shipping service provider, to observe individual users. The evaluations serve us much more to recognize the reading habits of our users and to adapt our contents to them or to send different contents according to the interests of our users.

Google Universal Analytics

On the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in the analysis, optimisation and economic operation of our online offer within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. DSGVO) Google Analytics, a web analysis service of Google LLC (“Google”). Google uses cookies. The information generated by the cookie about the use of the online offer by users is generally transferred to a Google server in the USA and stored there.

Google is certified under the Privacy Shield Agreement and thus offers a guarantee to comply with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI&status=Active).

Google will use this information on our behalf to evaluate the use of our online offer by users, to compile reports on the activities within this online offer and to provide us with further services associated with the use of this online offer and the use of the Internet. Pseudonymous user profiles can be created from the processed data.

We use Google Analytics in its design as “Universal Analytics”. “Universal Analytics” refers to a process by Google Analytics in which the user analysis is based on a pseudonymous user ID and a pseudonymous profile of the user with information from the use of various devices is created (so-called “cross-device tracking”).

We use Google Analytics only with IP anonymization enabled. This means that Google will reduce the IP address of users within Member States of the European Union or in other states party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be transmitted to a Google server in the USA and shortened there.

The IP address transmitted by the user’s browser is not merged with other Google data. Users can prevent the storage of cookies by setting their browser software accordingly; users can also prevent Google from collecting the data generated by the cookie and relating to their use of the online offer and the processing of this data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plug-in available under the following link: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en.

Further information on data use by Google, possible settings and objections can be found in Google’s data protection declaration (https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads) and in the settings for the display of advertisements by Google (https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated).

Users’ personal data will be deleted or made anonymous after 14 months.

Google-Re/Marketing-Services

On the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in the analysis, optimisation and economic operation of our online offer within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. DSGVO) the marketing and remarketing services (“Google Marketing Services” for short) of Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA, (“Google”).

Google is certified under the Privacy Shield Agreement and thus offers a guarantee to comply with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI&status=Active).

The Google marketing services allow us to target ads for and on our site in order to present users only with ads that potentially match their interests. For example, if a user sees ads for products he has been interested in on other websites, this is referred to as “remarketing”. For these purposes, when our and other websites on which Google marketing services are active are accessed, Google directly executes a code from Google and (re)marketing tags (invisible graphics or code, also known as “web beacons”) are integrated into the website. With their help, an individual cookie, i.e. a small file, is stored on the user’s device (comparable technologies can also be used instead of cookies). Cookies can be set by various domains, including google.com, doubleclick.net, invitemedia.com, admeld.com, googlesyndication.com or googleadservices.com. In this file it is noted which websites the user visits, which contents he is interested in and which offers he has clicked on, furthermore technical information about the browser and operating system, referring websites, visiting time as well as further information about the use of the online offer. The IP address of the users is also recorded, whereby we inform within the framework of Google Analytics that the IP address is shortened within member states of the European Union or in other signatory states of the European Economic Area Agreement and only in exceptional cases completely transmitted to a Google server in the USA and shortened there. The IP address is not combined with the user’s data within other Google offers. The above information may also be linked by Google to such information from other sources. If the user then visits other websites, the ads tailored to his interests can be displayed.

Users’ data is processed pseudonymously within the framework of Google marketing services. This means that Google does not store and process, for example, the names or e-mail addresses of users, but processes the relevant data cookie-related within pseudonymous user profiles. This means from Google’s point of view, the ads are not managed and displayed for a specifically identified person, but for the cookie holder, regardless of who this cookie holder is. This does not apply if a user has expressly permitted Google to process the data without this pseudonymisation. The information collected by Google marketing services about users is transmitted to Google and stored on Google’s servers in the USA.

One of the Google marketing services we use is the online advertising program “Google AdWords”. In the case of Google AdWords, each AdWords customer receives a different “conversion cookie”. Cookies cannot therefore be traced through the websites of AdWords customers. The information collected by the cookie is used to generate conversion statistics for AdWords customers who have opted for conversion tracking. AdWords customers see the total number of users who clicked on their ad and were redirected to a page with a conversion tracking tag. However, you will not receive any information that personally identifies users.

We may include third-party advertisements based on the Google marketing service “AdSense”. AdSense uses cookies to enable Google and its partner sites to serve ads based on users’ visits to this site or other sites on the Internet.

We can also use the “Google Tag Manager” to integrate and manage Google analysis and marketing services into our website.

Further information on Google’s use of data for marketing purposes can be found on the overview page: https://www.google.com/policies/technologies/ads, Google’s data protection declaration can be accessed at https://www.google.com/policies/privacy

If you wish to object to interest-based advertising by Google marketing services, you can use the settings provided by Google.

Facebook-Pixel, Custom Audiences und Facebook-Konvertierung

Due to our legitimate interests in the analysis, optimisation and economic operation of our online offer and for these purposes the so-called “Facebook pixel” of the social network Facebook, which is operated by Facebook Inc., 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA, or, if you are based in the EU, Facebook Ireland Ltd, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland (“Facebook”), is used within our online offer.

Facebook is certified under the Privacy Shield Agreement and thus offers a guarantee to comply with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000GnywAAC&status=Active).

With the help of the Facebook pixel, Facebook is able to determine the visitors of our online offer as a target group for the presentation of ads (so-called “Facebook ads”). Accordingly, we use the Facebook pixel to display the Facebook ads we post only to Facebook users who have also shown an interest in our online offering or who have certain features (e.g. interests in certain topics or products that are determined by the websites visited) that we transmit to Facebook (so-called “custom audiences”). We also want to use the Facebook pixel to ensure that our Facebook ads meet the potential interest of users and are not a nuisance. The Facebook pixel also helps us understand the effectiveness of Facebook ads for statistical and market research purposes by showing whether users have been redirected to our website after clicking on a Facebook ad (so-called “conversion”).

Facebook processes the data in accordance with Facebook’s Data Usage Policy. Accordingly, general information on the display of Facebook ads can be found in the Facebook Data Usage Policy: https://www.facebook.com/policy.php. For specific information and details about the Facebook pixel and how it works, please visit the Facebook Help section: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/651294705016616.

You can object to the collection by the Facebook pixel and use of your data to display Facebook ads. To set what types of ads you see within Facebook, you can visit the page set up by Facebook and follow the instructions on usage-based advertising settings: https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=ads. The settings are platform-independent, i.e. they are applied to all devices, such as desktop computers or mobile devices.

You may also object to the use of cookies for range measurement and advertising purposes via the deactivation page of the network advertising initiative (http://optout.networkadvertising.org/) and additionally the US website (http://www.aboutads.info/choices) or the European website (http://www.youronlinechoices.com/uk/your-ad-choices/).

Online presence in social media

We maintain online presences within social networks and platforms in order to communicate with active customers, interested parties and users and to inform them about our services. When accessing the respective networks and platforms, the terms and conditions and the data processing guidelines of their respective operators apply.

Unless otherwise stated in our privacy policy, we process the data of users who communicate with us within social networks and platforms, e.g. write articles on our websites or send us messages.

Integration of third-party services and content

Within our online offer, we make no representations or warranties of any kind based on our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in the analysis, optimisation and economic operation of our online offer within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. DSGVO) content or service offerings of third parties to incorporate their content and services, such as videos or fonts (hereinafter uniformly referred to as “content”).

This always presupposes that the third party providers of this content perceive the IP address of the users, since without the IP address they could not send the content to their browser. The IP address is therefore required for the display of this content. We make every effort to use only those contents whose respective providers use the IP address only for the delivery of the contents. Third-party providers may also use so-called pixel tags (invisible graphics, also known as “web beacons”) for statistical or marketing purposes. Pixel tags” can be used to evaluate information such as visitor traffic on the pages of this website. The pseudonymous information may also be stored in cookies on the user’s device and may include technical information about the browser and operating system, referring websites, visiting time and other information about the use of our online offer, as well as be linked to such information from other sources.

Google Fonts

We integrate the fonts (“Google Fonts”) of the provider Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Privacy Policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.

Google Maps

We integrate the maps of the service “Google Maps” of the provider Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. The processed data may include in particular IP addresses and location data of the users, which, however, are not collected without their consent (as a rule within the framework of the settings of their mobile devices). The data can be processed in the USA. Privacy Policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.

Using Facebook Social Plugins

On the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in the analysis, optimisation and economic operation of our online offer within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. DSGVO) Social Plugins (“Plugins”) of the social network facebook.com, which is operated by Facebook Ireland Ltd, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland (“Facebook”). The plugins can display interaction elements or content (e.g. videos, graphics or text contributions) and are identified by one of the Facebook logos (white “f” on blue tile, the terms “like”, “like” or a “thumbs up” sign) or are marked with the addition “Facebook Social Plugin”. The list and appearance of Facebook Social Plugins can be viewed here: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins/.

Facebook is certified under the Privacy Shield Agreement and thus offers a guarantee to comply with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000GnywAAC&status=Active).

When a user calls up a function of this online offer that contains such a plugin, his device establishes a direct connection to the Facebook servers. The content of the plugin is transmitted by Facebook directly to the user’s device and integrated into the online offer. The processed data can be used to create user profiles. We therefore have no influence on the amount of data Facebook collects with the help of this plugin and therefore inform users according to our level of knowledge.

By integrating the plugins, Facebook receives information that a user has called up the corresponding page of the online offer. If the user is logged in to Facebook, Facebook can assign the visit to his Facebook account. When users interact with the plugins, such as pressing the Like button or posting a comment, the information is sent directly from your device to Facebook and stored there. If a user is not a member of Facebook, it is still possible for Facebook to obtain and store their IP address. According to Facebook, only an anonymized IP address is stored in Germany.

The purpose and scope of the data collection and the further processing and use of the data by Facebook, as well as the relevant rights and setting options for the protection of users’ privacy, can be found in Facebook’s data protection information: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/.

If a user is a Facebook member and does not want Facebook to collect data about him via this online offer and link it to his membership data stored on Facebook, he must log out of Facebook before using our online offer and delete his cookies. Further settings and objections to the use of data for advertising purposes are possible within the Facebook profile settings: https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=ads or via the US page http://www.aboutads.info/choices/ or the EU page http://www.youronlinechoices.com/. The settings are platform-independent, i.e. they are applied to all devices, such as desktop computers or mobile devices.

Twitter

Functions and contents of the Twitter service, offered by Twitter Inc, 1355 Market Street, Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA, can be integrated into our online offering. This may include, for example, content such as images, videos or texts and buttons with which users can express their appreciation of the content, subscribe to the authors of the content or our contributions. If the users are members of the Twitter platform, Twitter can assign calling up the above content and functions to the users’ profiles there. Twitter is certified under the Privacy Shield Agreement and thus offers a guarantee to comply with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000TORzAAO&status=Active). Privacy Policy: https://twitter.com/de/privacy, Opt-Out: https://twitter.com/personalization.

Xing

Functions and contents of the Xing service, offered by XING AG, Dammtorstrasse 29-32, 20354 Hamburg, Germany, can be integrated into our online offer. This may include, for example, content such as images, videos or texts and buttons with which users can express their appreciation of the content, subscribe to the authors of the content or our contributions. If the users are members of the Xing platform, Xing can assign the call of the above contents and functions to the profiles of the users there. Privacy Policy of Xing: https://www.xing.com/app/share?op=data_protection…

LinkedIn

Within our online offer, functions and contents of the LinkedIn service, offered by inkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland, can be integrated. This may include, for example, content such as images, videos or texts and buttons with which users can express their appreciation of the content, subscribe to the authors of the content or our contributions. If the users are members of the LinkedIn platform, LinkedIn can assign the call of the above contents and functions to the profiles of the users there. Privacy Policy of LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy.. LinkedIn is certified under the Privacy Shield Agreement and thus offers a guarantee to comply with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000L0UZAA0&status=Active). Privacy Policy: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy, Opt-Out: https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/guest-controls/retargeting-opt-out.