Privacy statement

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 “personal data” or their “processing”, we refer to the definitions in Art. 4 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Responsible:

Name/Fa.: 4-check AG
Street Nr.: Bündtenweg 16
PLZ, City, Land: CH-4423 Hersberg
Trade register/Nr.: CHE-254.185.120
Chief executive officers: Jakob Scheidt und Jan Wokittel
Chairman: Tobias Haarhoff
E-Mailadress: [email protected]

Data protection officer:

Name: Jan Wokittel
Street Nr.: Bündtenweg 16
PLZ, City, Land: CH-4423 Hersberg

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).
• Contract data (for example, contract object, term, customer category).
• Payment data (e.g., bank details, payment history).
• Usage data (e.g., visited websites, interest in content, access times).
• Meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses).

Processing of special categories of data (Art. 9 Para. 1 GDPR):

No special categories of data are processed.

Categories of data subjects:

• Customers / interested parties / suppliers.
• Visitors and users of the online offer.

In the following, we will also summarise the persons concerned as “users”.

Purpose of the processing::

• Provision of the online offer, its contents and functions.
• Provision of contractual services, service and customer care.
• Response to contact requests and communication with users.
• Marketing, advertising and market research.
• Security measures.

Status: April 30, 2018

1 Applicable legal bases

In accordance with Art. 13 GDPR, 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 GDPR, 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 GDPR, the legal basis for processing to fulfil our legal obligations is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c GDPR, and the legal basis for processing to protect our legitimate interests is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. 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) GDPR serves as the legal basis.

2 Changes and Updates to this Privacy Policy

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.

3 Safety precautions

3.1 We shall take appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure a level of protection appropriate to the risk, taking into account the state of the art, implementation costs and the nature, scope, circumstances and purposes of processing as well as the different probability of occurrence and severity of the risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons, in accordance with Art. 32 GDPR; the measures include in particular ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data by controlling physical access to the data, as well as the access, input, transmission, security of availability and their separation. Furthermore, we have established procedures that guarantee the exercise of data subject rights, deletion of data and reaction to data risks. Furthermore, we already consider the protection of personal data during the development or selection of hardware, software and procedures, in accordance with the principle of data protection through technology design and data protection-friendly presettings (Art. 25 GDPR).

3.2 The security measures include in particular the encrypted transmission of data between your browser and our server.

4 Cooperation with contract processors and third parties

4.1 If we disclose data to other persons and companies (contract processors or third parties) within the scope of our processing, transfer them 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 transfer of the data to third parties, such as to payment service providers, pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR is required for contract fulfilment), 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.).

4.2 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 GDPR.

5 Transfers to third countries

5.1 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 will only take 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 GDPR. 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”).

6 Rights of data subjects

6.1 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 GDPR.

6.2 You have accordingly. 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.

6.3 In accordance with Art. 17 GDPR, 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 GDPR.

6.4 You have the right to request that the data concerning you which you have provided to us be received in accordance with Art. 20 GDPR and to request that it be forwarded to other persons responsible.

6.5 You also have the right to file a complaint with the competent supervisory authority pursuant to Art. 77 GDPR.

7 Right of revocation

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

8 Right of objection

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

9 Cookies and right of objection in direct advertising

9.1 We use temporary and permanent cookies, i.e. small files that are stored on the user’s devices (explanation of the term and function, see last section of this data protection declaration). In part, cookies serve security purposes or are required for the operation of our online offer (e.g., for the presentation of the website) or to save the user’s decision when confirming the cookie banner. In addition, we or our technology partners use cookies to measure reach and for marketing purposes, about which the users will be informed in the course of the data protection declaration.

9.2 A general objection to the use of cookies for online marketing purposes can be declared for a large number of services, especially in the case of tracking, via the US site http://www.aboutads.info/choices/ or 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.

10 Deletion of data

10.1 The data processed by us will be deleted or its processing restricted in accordance with Articles 17 and 18 GDPR. 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.

10.2 Germany: In accordance with statutory requirements, storage shall be effected 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 to taxation, etc.).

10.3 Austria: In accordance with legal requirements, the storage shall take place in particular for 7 years in accordance with § 132 para. 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.

10.4 Switzerland: In accordance with legal requirements, the records are kept for 10 years in accordance with Art. 958f of the Swiss Code of Obligations (business records, receipts, business papers and other records in connection with value-added tax).

11 Performance of contractual services

11.1 We process inventory data (e.g., names and addresses as well as contact data of users), contract data (e.g., services used, names of contact persons, payment information) for the purpose of fulfilling our contractual obligations and services pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit b. GDPR. The entries marked as obligatory in online forms are required for the conclusion of the contract.

11.2 Users may optionally create a user account, in particular by viewing their orders. During the registration process, the required information will be communicated to the users. The user accounts are not public and cannot be indexed by search engines. If users have terminated their user account, their data will be deleted with regard to the user account, subject to its storage is necessary for commercial or tax reasons according to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. c GDPR. It is up to the users to save their data before the end of the contract if they have given notice of termination. We are entitled to irretrievably delete all user data stored during the term of the contract.

11.3 When registering, re-registering and using our online services, we store the IP address and the time of the respective user action. The data is stored on the basis of our legitimate interests as well as the user’s protection against misuse and other unauthorized use. A passing on of this data to third parties does not take place in principle, unless it is necessary to pursue our claims or there is a legal obligation in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c GDPR.

11.4 We process usage data (e.g., the visited websites of our online offer, interest in our products) and content data (e.g., entries in the contact form or user profile) for advertising purposes in a user profile in order to show the user e.g. product information based on their previously used services.

11.5 Deletion takes place after the expiry of statutory warranty and comparable obligations, the necessity of data storage is reviewed every three years; in the case of statutory archiving obligations, deletion takes place after their expiry (end of commercial law (6 years) and tax law (10 years) storage obligation); information in the customer account remains until it is deleted.

12 Credit check

12.1 If we make advance payments (e.g. when purchasing on account), we reserve the right to obtain identity and credit information for the purpose of assessing credit risk on the basis of mathematical-statistical procedures from specialized service providers (credit agencies) in order to safeguard legitimate interests.

12.2 In the context of credit information, we transmit the following personal data of the customer (name, postal address, date of birth, information on the type of contract, bank details to the following credit agencies: SCHUFA-Gesellschaft (SCHUFA Holding AG, Kormoranweg 5, 65201 Wiesbaden), Privacy policy: https://www.schufa.de/de/ueber-uns/daten-scoring/.

12.3 We process the information received from the credit agencies on the statistical probability of non-payment within the framework of an appropriate discretionary decision on the establishment, execution and termination of the contractual relationship. We reserve the right to refuse payment on account or any other advance payment in the event of a negative result of the credit assessment.

12.4 In accordance with Art. 22 GDPR, the decision as to whether we make advance payments is made solely on the basis of an automated decision in individual cases, which our software makes on the basis of the information provided by the credit agency.

12.5 If we obtain an express consent from you, the legal basis for the creditworthiness information and the transmission of the Customer’s data to the credit agencies is the consent pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a, 7 GDPR. If no consent is obtained, our legitimate interests in the security of your payment claim are the legal basis pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR.

13 Contacting

13.1 When contacting us (via contact form or e-mail), the user’s details will be processed for processing the contact request and its handling in accordance with Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b) GDPR.

13.2 User information may be stored in our Customer Relationship Management System (“CRM System”) or comparable request organization.

13.3 We use the CRM system “HubSpot” of the provider HubSpot Inc. 25 First St, 2nd Floor Cambridge, MA 02141, USA) on the basis of our legitimate interests (efficient and fast processing of user enquiries). For this purpose, we have concluded a contract with HubSpot with so-called standard contract clauses in which HubSpot undertakes to process user data only in accordance with our instructions and to comply with the EU data protection level. HubSpot is also certified under the Privacy Shield Agreement and thus offers an additional guarantee to comply with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000KzX1AAK&status=Active).

13.4 We will delete the requests if they are no longer necessary. We review the requirement every two years; requests from customers who have a customer account are stored permanently and are linked to the customer account details for deletion. In the case of statutory archiving obligations, the deletion takes place after their expiry (end of commercial law (6 years) and tax law (10 years) storage obligation).

14 Comments and contributions

14.1 If users leave comments or other contributions, their IP addresses will be used on the basis of our legitimate interests within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 letter f. GDPR for 7 days.

14.2 This takes place for our safety, if someone leaves illegal contents in comments and contributions (insults, forbidden political propaganda, etc.). In this case we can be prosecuted ourselves for the comment or contribution and are therefore interested in the identity of the author.

15 Retrieval of profile pictures from Gravatar

We use the service Gravatar, Automattic, Inc. 132 Hawthorne Street San Francisco, CA 94107, USA, within our online offer and especially in our blog.
Gravatar is a service where users can log in and store profile pictures and their e-mail addresses. If users leave contributions or comments with the respective e-mail address on other online presences (especially in blogs), their profile pictures can be displayed next to the contributions or comments. For this purpose, the e-mail address provided by the users is transmitted to Gravatar in encrypted form for the purpose of checking whether a profile has been saved for it. This is the sole purpose of the transmission of the e-mail address and it will not be used for other purposes, but will be deleted thereafter.
The use of Gravatar is based on our legitimate interests within the meaning of Art. 6 Para. 1 letter f) GDPR, as we offer the possibility of personalising their contributions with a profile picture with the help of Gravatar. Automattic 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=a2zt0000000CbqcAAC&status=Active).
By displaying the images, Gravatar obtains the IP address of the users, as this is necessary for communication between a browser and an online service. For more information on Gravatar’s collection and use of the data, please refer to Automattic’s privacy policy: https://automattic.com/privacy/. If users do not want an image associated with their email address to appear in Gravatar’s comments, you should use a non-Gravatar email address for commenting. We would also like to point out that it is also possible to use an anonymous or no e-mail address if users do not wish their own e-mail address to be sent to Gravatar. Users can completely prevent the transfer of data by not using our comment system.

16 Akismet Anti-Spam-Check

Our website uses the “Akismet” service provided by Automattic, Inc. 132 Hawthorne Street San Francisco, CA 94107, USA. The use is based on our legitimate interests within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f) GDPR. With the help of this service, comments of real people are distinguished from spam comments. All comment information is sent to a server in the USA, where it is analyzed and stored for four days for comparison purposes. If a comment has been classified as spam, the data will be stored after this time. This information includes the name entered, the e-mail address, the IP address, the comment content, the referrer, information on the browser used, the computer system and the time of entry.

Automattic 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=a2zt0000000CbqcAAC&status=Active).

Further information on Akismet’s collection and use of the data can be found in Automattic’s privacy policy: https://automattic.com/privacy/.

Users are welcome to use pseudonyms or refrain from entering their name or email address. You can completely prevent the transfer of data by not using our comment system. That would be a pity, but unfortunately we see no other alternatives that work just as effectively.

17 Collection of access data and log files

17.1 On the basis of our legitimate interests within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR 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.

17.2 Log file information is stored for a maximum of seven 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.

18 Online presence in social media

18.1 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 there. When accessing the respective networks and platforms, the terms and conditions and the data processing guidelines of their respective operators apply.

18.2 Unless otherwise stated in our privacy policy, users’ data will be processed if they communicate with us within social networks and platforms, e.g. write articles on our websites or send us messages.

19 Cookies & Range measurement

19.2 Cookies are information that is transferred from our web server or third party web servers to the user’s web browser and stored there for later retrieval. Cookies can be small files or other types of information storage.

19.2 We use “session cookies”, which are only stored on our website for the duration of the current visit (e.g. to enable the storage of your login status or the shopping basket function and thus the use of our online offer at all). A randomly generated unique identification number, a so-called session ID, is stored in a session cookie. A cookie also contains information about its origin and the storage period. These cookies cannot store any other data. Session cookies are deleted when you have finished using our online offer and log out or close your browser, for example.

19.3 Users will be informed about the use of cookies within the scope of pseudonymous range measurement within the scope of this data protection declaration.

19.4 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.

19.5 You may opt-out of the use of cookies for range measurement and promotional 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/).

20 Google Analytics

20.1 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. GDPR) 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.

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

20.3 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 connected with the use of this online offer and the use of the Internet. Pseudonymous user profiles can be created from the processed data.

20.4 We use Google Analytics to display the ads placed by Google and its partners within advertising services only to users who have also shown an interest in our online offer or who have certain features (e.g. interests in certain topics or products that are determined by the web pages visited) that we transmit to Google (so-called “remarketing” or “Google Analytics audiences”). With the help of remarketing audiences we would also like to ensure that our ads correspond to the potential interest of the users and are not annoying.

20.5 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.

20.6 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: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en.

20.7 Further information on data use by Google and possible settings and objections can be found on the Google websites: https://www.google.com/intl/de/policies/privacy/partners (“Data use by Google when using our partners’ websites or apps”), https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads (“Data use for advertising purposes”), https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated (“Manage information that Google uses to show you advertising”).

21 Google-Re/Marketing-Services

21.1 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”).

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

21.3 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.

21.4 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.

21.5 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.

21.6 We may integrate third-party advertisements on the basis of the Google marketing service “DoubleClick”. DoubleClick 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.

21.7 We may include third-party advertisements on the basis of 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.

21.8 We can also use the “Google Optimizer” service. Google Optimizer allows us to track the effects of various changes to a website (e.g. changes to input fields, design, etc.) within the framework of so-called “A/B testing”. Cookies are stored on the user’s devices for these test purposes. Only pseudonymous user data is processed.

21.9 We may also use Google Tag Manager to integrate and manage Google analytics and marketing services on our website.

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

21.11 If you wish to object to interest-based advertising by Google marketing services, you can use the setting and opt-out options provided by Google: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.

22 Facebook-, Custom Audiences and Facebook-Marketing-Services

22.1 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.

22.2 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).

22.3 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 advertisements (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”).

22.4 Furthermore, when using the Facebook pixel, we use the additional function “extended matching” (here data such as telephone numbers, e-mail addresses or Facebook IDs of the users) to form target groups (“custom audiences” or “look alike audiences”) is transmitted to Facebook (encrypted). Further information on “extended comparison”: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/611774685654668).

22.5 We also use the Facebook, Inc. social network’s “Custom Audiences from File” process, in which case the email addresses of newsletter recipients are uploaded to Facebook. The upload process is encrypted. The upload is used alone to determine recipients of our Facebook ads. We want to make sure that the ads are only displayed to users who are interested in our information and services.

22.6 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.

22.7 You may 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.

22.8 You may also opt-out of the use of cookies for range measurement and promotional purposes via the deactivation page of the Network Advertising Initiative (http://optout.networkadvertising.org/) and additionally via the US website (http://www.aboutads.info/choices) or the European website (http://www.youronlinechoices.com/uk/your-ad-choices/).

23 Facebook Social Plugins

23.1 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/.

23.2 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).

23.3 If 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.

23.4 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.

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

23.6 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 member data stored on Facebook, he must log out of Facebook and delete his cookies before using our online offer. 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.

24 Newsletter

24.1 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.

24.2 Content of the Newsletter: We will only send newsletters, e-mails and other electronic notifications containing advertising information (hereinafter “Newsletter”) with the consent of the recipient 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 products, offers, promotions and our company.

24.3 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.

24.4 Shipping service providers: Newsletters are sent by CleverReach GmbH & Co. KG, Mühlenstr. 43, 26180 Rastede, hereinafter referred to as “dispatch service provider”. The data protection regulations of the shipping service provider can be viewed here: https://www.cleverreach.com/de/datenschutz/.

24.5 Shipping service provider: The newsletter is sent via “MailChimp”, a newsletter shipping 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).

24.6 Furthermore, the shipping service provider may use this data in pseudonymous form, i.e. without assignment to a user, to optimise or improve its own services, e.g. for technical optimisation of the dispatch and presentation of the newsletter or for statistical purposes in order to determine from which countries the recipients come. However, the shipping service does not use the data of our newsletter recipients to write them down or pass them on to third parties.

24.7 Login data: To subscribe to the newsletter, simply enter your e-mail address.

24.8 Performance measurement – The newsletters contain a so-called “web-beacon”, i.e. a pixel-sized file that is retrieved from the mail-order company’s server when the newsletter is opened. 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 not our intention, nor 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.

24.9 Germany: The dispatch of the newsletter and the performance measurement are based on the consent of the recipients pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a, Art. 7 GDPR in conjunction with § 7 para. 2 no. 3 UWG or on the basis of the legal permission pursuant to § 7 para. 3 UWG.

24.10 Austria: The dispatch of the newsletter and the performance measurement are based on the recipient’s consent pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a, Art. 7 GDPR in conjunction with § 107 para. 2 TKG or on the basis of the legal permission pursuant to § 107 para. 2 and 3 TKG.

24.11 Switzerland: The dispatch of the newsletter and the performance measurement are based on the consent of the recipients pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a, Art. 7 GDPR in conjunction with § 7 para. 2 no. 3 UWG or on the basis of the legal permission pursuant to § 7 para. 3 UWG.

24.12 The registration procedure is recorded on the basis of our legitimate interests pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR and serves as proof of consent to receipt of the newsletter.

24.13 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. If users have only subscribed to the newsletter and cancelled their subscription, their personal data will be deleted.

25 Integration of third-party services and content

25.1 We set within our online offer 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. GDPR) 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 may be linked to such information from other sources.

25.2 The following presentation provides an overview of third-party providers and their contents, together with links to their data protection declarations, which contain further information on the processing of data and, in some cases already mentioned here, possibilities of objection (so-called opt-out):

• If our customers use the payment services of third parties (e.g. PayPal or Sofortüberweisung), the terms and conditions and the data protection information of the respective third party providers, which can be accessed within the respective websites or transaction applications, apply.
• External fonts from Google, LLC, https://www.google.com/fonts (“Google Fonts”). The integration of the Google Fonts takes place via a server call with Google (usually in the USA). Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy, Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.
• Maps of the Google Maps service provided by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Privacy Policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://www.google.com/settings/ads/.
• Videos of the platform “YouTube” of the third party Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy, Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.
• Functions of the Google+ service are integrated within our online offer. These features are provided by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. If you are logged into your Google+ – account you can link the contents of our pages with your Google+ – profile by clicking the Google+ – button. This allows Google to associate the visit to our pages with your account. We would like to point out that we, as the provider of the pages, are not aware of the content of the übermittelten data or its use by Google+. Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy, Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.
• Within our online offer we use the marketing functions (so-called “LinkedIn Insight Tag”) of the network LinkedIn. The provider is LinkedIn Corporation, 2029 Stierlin Court, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Every time you visit one of our pages that contains functions of LinkedIn, a connection to LinkedIn’s servers is established. LinkedIn is informed that you have visited our website with your IP address. With the help of the LinkedIn Insight Tag we can analyse the success of our campaigns within LinkedIn or determine target groups for them based on the interaction of the users with our online offer. If you are registered with LinkedIn, it is possible for LinkedIn to associate your interaction with our online service with your user account. Even if you click on the “Recommend-Button” of LinkedIn and are logged into your LinkedIn account, LinkedIn is able to assign your visit to our website to you and your user account. 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.
  Functions of the service or the Twitter platform (hereinafter referred to as “Twitter”) can be integrated within our online offer. Twitter is an offer of Twitter Inc, 1355 Market Street, Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA. The functions include the presentation of our contributions within Twitter within our online offer, the link to our profile on Twitter as well as the possibility to interact with the contributions and the functions of Twitter and to measure whether users reach our online offer via the advertisements we place on Twitter (so-called conversion measurement). 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.
• We use functions of the XING network. The provider is XING AG, Dammtorstrasse 29-32, 20354 Hamburg, Germany. Every time you visit one of our pages that contains functions of Xing, a connection to Xing servers is established. To our knowledge, personal data will not be stored. In particular, no IP addresses are stored or the usage behavior is evaluated. Privacy Policy: https://www.xing.com/app/share?op=data_protection.
• External code of the JavaScript framework “jQuery”, provided by the third-party provider jQuery Foundation, https://jquery.org.