Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

This privacy policy informs you about the type, scope, and purpose of the processing of personal data (hereinafter referred to as "data") within our online offering and the associated websites, functions, and content, as well as external online presences, such as our social media profiles (hereinafter collectively referred to as "online offering"). Regarding the terms used, such as "processing" or "controller," we refer to the definitions in Article 4 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Controller

Owner

Stief, Melanie
Link to Imprint

Types of Processed Data:

Inventory data (e.g., names, addresses).
Contact data (e.g., email, phone numbers).
Content data (e.g., text entries, photographs, videos).
Usage data (e.g., visited websites, interest in content, access times).
Meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses).

Categories of Data Subjects

Visitors and users of the online offering (hereinafter collectively referred to as "users").

Purpose of Processing

Provision of the online offering, its functions, and content.
Responding to contact requests and communication with users.
Security measures.
Reach measurement/marketing.

Definitions of Terms

"Personal data" refers to all information that relates to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter "data subject"). A natural person is considered identifiable if they can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by association with an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier (e.g., a cookie), or one or more specific characteristics that express the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural, or social identity of that natural person.

"Processing" means any operation or set of operations performed on personal data, whether or not by automated means. The term is broad and covers virtually any handling of data.

"Pseudonymization" refers to the processing of personal data in such a way that the data can no longer be attributed to a specific data subject without the use of additional information, provided that such additional information is kept separately and is subject to technical and organizational measures to ensure that the personal data is not attributed to an identified or identifiable natural person.

"Profiling" means any form of automated processing of personal data consisting of the use of such data to evaluate certain personal aspects relating to a natural person, particularly to analyze or predict aspects concerning their work performance, economic situation, health, personal preferences, interests, reliability, behavior, location, or movements.

"Controller" refers to the natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or other body which alone or jointly with others determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data.

"Processor" means a natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or other body that processes personal data on behalf of the controller.

Relevant Legal Bases

In accordance with Article 13 GDPR, we inform you of the legal bases of our data processing activities. Unless the legal basis is explicitly stated in the privacy policy, the following applies: The legal basis for obtaining consent is Article 6(1)(a) and Article 7 GDPR, the legal basis for processing for the performance of our services and implementation of contractual measures and responses to inquiries is Article 6(1)(b) GDPR, the legal basis for processing to fulfill our legal obligations is Article 6(1)(c) GDPR, and the legal basis for processing to safeguard our legitimate interests is Article 6(1)(f) GDPR. In cases where vital interests of the data subject or another natural person make the processing of personal data necessary, Article 6(1)(d) GDPR serves as the legal basis.

Security Measures

We take appropriate technical and organizational measures in accordance with Article 32 GDPR, considering the state of technology, implementation costs, and the nature, scope, context, and purposes of processing, as well as the varying likelihood and severity of risks to the rights and freedoms of natural persons, to ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk.

These measures include ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data by controlling physical access to the data, as well as access, input, transmission, availability, and separation of the data. Furthermore, we have established procedures to ensure data subject rights, data deletion, and response to data compromise. Additionally, we consider the protection of personal data in the development and selection of hardware, software, and procedures, in accordance with the principle of data protection by design and default (Article 25 GDPR).

Collaboration with Processors and Third Parties

If we disclose data to other persons and companies (processors or third parties) in the course of our processing, transmit it to them, or otherwise grant them access to the data, this is done only on the basis of a legal permission (e.g., if the transmission of data to third parties, such as payment service providers, is necessary for contract fulfillment under Article 6(1)(b) GDPR), you have consented, a legal obligation provides for this, or it is based on our legitimate interests (e.g., when using agents, web hosts, etc.).

If we commission third parties to process data on the basis of a so-called "processing contract," this is done on the basis of Article 28 GDPR.

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 do so in the context of the use of third-party services or disclosure, or transmission of data to third parties, this is done only if it is necessary to fulfill our (pre)contractual obligations, based on your consent, a legal obligation, or our legitimate interests. Subject to legal or contractual permissions, we process or allow data to be processed in a third country only under the special conditions of Articles 44 et seq. GDPR. This means the processing is carried out, for example, on the basis of special guarantees, such as the officially recognized determination of a data protection level equivalent to that of the EU (e.g., for the USA through the "Privacy Shield") or compliance with officially recognized specific contractual obligations (so-called "standard contractual clauses").

Rights of Data Subjects

You have the right to request confirmation as to whether relevant data is being processed and to obtain information about such data, as well as further information and a copy of the data in accordance with Article 15 GDPR.

You have the right to request the completion of data concerning you or the correction of incorrect data concerning you in accordance with Article 16 GDPR.

In accordance with Article 17 GDPR, you have the right to request that relevant data be deleted immediately or, alternatively, to request a restriction of the processing of data in accordance with Article 18 GDPR.

You have the right to receive the data concerning you that you have provided to us in accordance with Article 20 GDPR and to request its transmission to other controllers.

Additionally, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority in accordance with Article 77 GDPR.

Right of Withdrawal

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

Right to Object

You can object to the future processing of your data at any time in accordance with Art. 21 GDPR. The objection can particularly be made against processing for direct marketing purposes.

Cookies and Right to Object to Direct Advertising

"Cookies" are small files that are stored on users' computers. Various information can be stored within the cookies. A cookie primarily serves to store information about a user (or the device on which the cookie is stored) during or after their visit to an online service. Temporary cookies, or "session cookies" or "transient cookies," are cookies that are deleted after a user leaves an online service and closes their browser. For example, the content of a shopping cart in an online store or a login status can be stored in such a cookie. "Permanent" or "persistent" cookies are those that remain stored even after the browser is closed. For example, the login status can be saved if users visit these after several days. Likewise, user interests can be stored in such a cookie, which is used for reach measurement or marketing purposes. "Third-party cookies" are cookies offered by providers other than the responsible party operating the online service (otherwise, if only its cookies are used, they are referred to as "first-party cookies").

We may use temporary and permanent cookies and provide information about this in our privacy policy.

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

A general objection to the use of cookies for online marketing purposes can be declared for a variety of services, especially in the case of tracking, via the U.S. site Link or the EU site Link. Furthermore, the storage of cookies can be achieved by turning them off in the settings of the browser. Please note that not all functions of this online service may then be usable.

Deletion of Data

The data processed by us will be deleted or restricted in its processing in accordance with Articles 17 and 18 GDPR. Unless explicitly stated within this privacy policy, 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 retention obligations. If the data is not deleted because it is required for other and legally permissible purposes, its processing will be restricted. This means that the data will be blocked and not processed for other purposes. This applies, for example, to data that must be retained for commercial or tax reasons.

According to legal requirements in Germany, records are kept for 10 years in accordance with §§ 147 (1) AO, 257 (1) No. 1 and 4, (4) HGB (books, records, management reports, accounting vouchers, commercial books, documents relevant for taxation, etc.) and for 6 years in accordance with § 257 (1) No. 2 and 3, (4) HGB (commercial letters).

According to legal requirements in Austria, records are retained for 7 years pursuant to § 132 (1) BAO (accounting records, vouchers/invoices, accounts, receipts, business papers, income and expense statements, etc.), for 22 years in connection with properties, and for 10 years for records related to electronically supplied services, telecommunications, broadcasting, and television services provided to non-entrepreneurs in EU Member States and for which the Mini-One-Stop-Shop (MOSS) is used.

Contact

When contacting us (e.g., via contact form, email, phone, or social media), the user's information will be processed to handle the contact request and its processing in accordance with Art. 6 (1) lit. b) GDPR. The user information may be stored in a Customer Relationship Management System (CRM System) or a comparable inquiry organization.

We delete inquiries if they are no longer necessary. We review the necessity every two years; furthermore, the statutory archiving obligations apply.

Collection of Access Data and Log Files

We, or our hosting provider, collect data on the basis of our legitimate interests within the meaning of Art. 6 (1) lit. f. GDPR about every access to the server on which this service is located (so-called server log files). Access data includes the name of the accessed webpage, file, date and time of access, data volume transferred, 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 security reasons (e.g., to investigate abuse or fraud) for a maximum duration of 7 days and then deleted. Data whose further retention is required for evidence purposes is excluded from deletion until the respective incident is finally clarified.

Google Tag Manager

Google Tag Manager is a solution that allows us to manage so-called website tags via an interface (e.g., Google Analytics and other Google marketing services in our online offering). The Tag Manager itself (which implements the tags) does not process any personal data of users. With regard to the processing of users' personal data, please refer to the following information about Google services. Usage guidelines: Link.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC ("Google"), based on our legitimate interests (i.e., interest in the analysis, optimization, and economic operation of our online offering within the meaning of Art. 6 (1) lit. f. GDPR). Google uses cookies. The information generated by the cookie about the use of the online offering by users is usually transmitted to a Google server in the USA and stored there.

Google is certified under the Privacy Shield Agreement and thereby offers a guarantee to comply with European data protection law (Link).

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

We use Google Analytics only with IP anonymization enabled. This means that the user's IP address is truncated by Google within member states of the European Union or in other states party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases is the full IP address transmitted to a Google server in the USA and truncated there.

The IP address transmitted by the user's browser will not be merged with other data from Google. Users can prevent the storage of cookies by setting their browser software accordingly; users can also prevent the collection of data generated by the cookie and related to their use of the online offering by Google as well as the processing of this data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plugin available at the following link: Link.

Further information on data use by Google, settings, and objection options can be found in Google's privacy policy (Link) and in the settings for the display of advertisements by Google (Link).

Users' personal data is deleted or anonymized after 14 months.

Google Universal Analytics

We use Google Analytics in the form of "Universal Analytics." "Universal Analytics" refers to a procedure of Google Analytics in which the user analysis is based on a pseudonymous user ID, thereby creating a pseudonymous user profile with information from the use of various devices (so-called "cross-device tracking").

Audience Building with Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to display advertisements placed within Google's advertising services and its partners only to those users who have also shown an interest in our online offering or who have certain characteristics (e.g., interests in specific topics or products, determined based on the websites visited) that we transmit to Google (so-called "Remarketing" or "Google Analytics Audiences"). With the help of the Remarketing Audiences, we also want to ensure that our advertisements correspond to the potential interests of the users.

Online Presence on Social Media

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

Unless otherwise specified in our Privacy Policy, we process the data of users who communicate with us within the social networks and platforms, e.g., by posting on our online presences or sending us messages.

Integration of Third-Party Services and Content

We integrate content or service offerings from third-party providers within our online presence based on our legitimate interests (i.e., interest in analyzing, optimizing, and economically operating our online presence within the meaning of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR), such as videos or fonts (hereinafter uniformly referred to as "Content").

This always requires that the third-party providers of this content perceive the IP address of the users, as they cannot send the content to their browser without the IP address. The IP address is therefore necessary for displaying these contents. We strive to use only content whose respective providers use the IP address solely for delivering the content. Third-party providers may also use pixel tags (invisible graphics, also referred to as web beacons) for statistical or marketing purposes. Pixel tags can evaluate visitor traffic on the pages of this website. The pseudonymous information may also be stored in cookies on the users' devices and include, among other things, technical information about the browser and operating system, referring websites, visit time, as well as other details regarding the use of our online presence, and may also be combined with 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: Link, Opt-Out: Link.

Privacy Policy for the Use of Google Analytics

This website uses features of the web analytics service Google Analytics. The provider is Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.

Google Analytics uses so-called cookies, which are text files stored on your computer that enable an analysis of your use of the website. The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website is usually transmitted to a Google server in the USA and stored there.

More information on how Google Analytics handles user data can be found in Google's Privacy Policy: Link.

You can prevent the storage of cookies by setting your browser software accordingly; however, we point out that, in this case, you may not be able to fully use all functions of this website. You can also prevent the collection of the data generated by the cookie related to your use of the website (including your IP address) by Google and the processing of this data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plugin available at the following link: Link.

Objection to Data Collection

You can prevent the collection of your data by Google Analytics by clicking on the following link. An opt-out cookie will be set to prevent your data from being collected on future visits to this website: Disable Google Analytics.

Order Data Processing

We have concluded a data processing agreement with Google and fully implement the strict requirements of the German data protection authorities when using Google Analytics.

IP Anonymization

We use the IP anonymization feature on this website. This means that your IP address is shortened by Google within member states of the European Union or other contracting states to the Agreement on the European Economic Area before being transmitted. Only in exceptional cases is the full IP address transmitted to a Google server in the USA and shortened there. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google will use this information to evaluate your use of the website, compile reports on website activity, and provide other services related to website and internet usage to the website operator. The IP address transmitted by your browser as part of Google Analytics will not be merged with other data from Google.