Data protection

This privacy policy clarifies the nature, scope and purpose of the processing (including collection, processing and use as well as obtaining consent) of personal data within our online offer and the associated websites, functions and content (hereinafter collectively referred to as “online offer” or “website”). The privacy policy applies regardless of the domains, systems, platforms and devices used (e.g. desktop or mobile) on which the online offer is executed.

The term “user” includes all customers and visitors to our online offering. The terms used, such as “user”, are to be understood as gender-neutral.

For contact details, please refer to our legal notice.

Basic information on data processing
We process users’ personal data only in compliance with the relevant data protection regulations in accordance with the principles of data minimization and data avoidance. This means that user data is only processed if there is legal permission, in particular if the data is required for the provision of our contractual services and online services or is required by law or if consent has been given.

We take organizational, contractual and technical security measures in accordance with the state of the art to ensure that the provisions of data protection laws are complied with and to protect the data processed by us against accidental or intentional manipulation, loss, destruction or access by unauthorized persons.

If content, tools or other means from other providers (hereinafter jointly referred to as “third-party providers”) are used within the scope of this privacy policy and their registered office is abroad, it can be assumed that data will be transferred to the countries in which the third-party providers are based. The transfer of data to third countries takes place either on the basis of legal permission, user consent or special contractual clauses that guarantee the legally required security of the data.

Processing of personal data
We store personal data primarily for business and order processing. In addition to the uses expressly stated in this privacy policy, personal data is processed for the following purposes on the basis of legal permissions or user consent:
– The provision, execution, maintenance, optimization and security of our services and user services;
– Ensuring effective customer service and technical support.

We only transfer user data to third parties if this is necessary for billing purposes (e.g. to a payment/shipping service provider) or for other purposes if these are necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations to users (e.g. address notification to suppliers).

When contacting us (via contact form or e-mail), the user’s details are stored for the purpose of processing the inquiry and in the event that follow-up questions arise.
Personal data is deleted if it has fulfilled its intended purpose and there are no retention obligations to the contrary.

Collection of access data
We collect data about every access to the server on which this service is located (so-called server log files). The access data includes the name of the website accessed, file, date and time of access, amount of data 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.

We use the log data without allocation to the person of the user or other profiling in accordance with the legal provisions only for statistical evaluations for the purpose of the operation, security and optimization of our online offer. However, we reserve the right to check the log data retrospectively if there is a justified suspicion of unlawful use based on concrete evidence.

Cookies & reach measurement
Cookies are pieces of information that are transferred from our web server or third-party web servers to the user’s web browser and stored there for later retrieval. Users are informed about the use of cookies in the context of pseudonymous reach measurement in this privacy policy.

It is also possible to view this online offer without cookies. 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. Saved cookies can be deleted in the system settings of the browser. The exclusion of cookies can lead to functional restrictions of this online offer.

You can object to the use of cookies for reach 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/).

Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google Inc. (“Google”). Google uses cookies. The information generated by the cookie about the use of the online offer by the user is usually transmitted to a Google server in the USA and stored there.

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 only use Google Analytics with activated IP anonymization. This means that the IP address of the user is shortened by Google within member states of the European Union or in other contracting states of the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be transmitted to a Google server in the USA and shortened there.

The IP address transmitted by the user’s browser will not be 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 from processing this data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plug-in available under the following link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de.

You can find more information on the use of data for advertising purposes by Google, setting and objection options on the Google websites: https://www.google.com/intl/de/policies/privacy/partners (“Data use by Google when you use our partners’ websites or apps”), https://www.google.com/policies/technologies/ads (“Data use for advertising purposes”), https://www.google.de/settings/ads (“Manage information that Google uses to show you advertising”) and https://www.google.com/ads/preferences (“Determine which advertising Google shows you”).

Newsletter
The following information explains 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 receive it and to the procedures described.

Content of the newsletter: We send newsletters, e-mails and other electronic notifications with advertising information (hereinafter “newsletter”) only with the consent of the recipient or legal permission. If the contents of the newsletter are specifically described when registering for the newsletter, they are decisive for the user’s consent. Our newsletters also contain the following information: Our products, offers, promotions, news and information about our company.

Double opt-in and logging: Registration for our newsletter takes place in a so-called double opt-in procedure. This means that you will receive an e-mail after registration asking you to confirm your registration. This confirmation is necessary so that no one can log in with other people’s 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 storing the time of registration and confirmation as well as the IP address. Changes to your data stored with the shipping service provider are also logged.

The email addresses of our newsletter recipients, as well as their other data described in this notice, are stored on the servers of the mailing service provider. The mailing service provider uses this information to send and evaluate the newsletter on our behalf. Furthermore, the mailing service provider may, according to its own information, use this data to optimize or improve its own services, e.g. for the technical optimization of the mailing and the presentation of the newsletter or for economic purposes in order to determine from which countries the recipients come. However, the mailing service provider does not use the data of our newsletter recipients to write to them itself or pass it on to third parties.

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

Statistical survey and analyses – The newsletters contain a so-called “web-beacon”, i.e. a pixel-sized file that is retrieved from the server of the mailing service provider when the newsletter is opened. As part 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 collected. This information is used for the technical improvement of the services based on the technical data or the target groups and their reading behavior based on their retrieval locations (which can be determined with the help of the IP address) or the 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 individual newsletter recipients. However, it is neither our intention nor that of the shipping service provider to monitor individual users. The evaluations serve us much more to recognize the reading habits of our users and to adapt our content to them or to send different content according to the interests of our users.

Cancellation/revocation – You can cancel the receipt of our newsletter at any time, i.e. revoke your consent. At the same time, your consent to its dispatch by the dispatch service provider and the statistical analyses will expire. A separate revocation of the dispatch by the dispatch service provider or the statistical evaluation is unfortunately not possible. You will find a link to unsubscribe from the newsletter at the end of each newsletter.

Use of the mailing service provider “MailChimp”
The newsletter is sent using “MailChimp”, a newsletter sending platform of the US provider Rocket Science Group, LLC, 675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE #5000, Atlanta, GA 30308, USA. The email addresses of our newsletter recipients, as well as their other data described in this notice, are stored on MailChimp’s servers in the USA. MailChimp uses this information to send and analyze the newsletter on our behalf. Furthermore, MailChimp may, according to its own information, use this data to optimize or improve its own services, for example to technically optimize the sending and presentation of the newsletter or for economic purposes in order to determine from which countries the recipients come. However, MailChimp does not use the data of our newsletter recipients to write to them itself or to pass it on to third parties. We trust in the reliability and IT and data security of MailChimp. MailChimp is certified under the US-EU data protection agreement “Privacy Shield” and thus undertakes to comply with EU data protection regulations. We have also concluded a data processing agreement with MailChimp. This is a contract in which MailChimp undertakes to protect the data of our users, to process it on our behalf in accordance with its data protection regulations and, in particular, not to pass it on to third parties. You can view MailChimp’s privacy policy here.

Integration of third-party services and content
It may happen that content or services from third-party providers, such as city maps or fonts from other websites, are integrated into our online offering. The integration of content from third-party providers always presupposes that the third-party providers are aware of the user’s IP address, as they would not be able to send the content to the user’s browser without the IP address. The IP address is therefore required to display this content. Furthermore, the providers of third-party content can set their own cookies and process user data for their own purposes. User profiles can be created from the processed data. We will use this content in a data-saving and data-avoiding manner as far as possible and select reliable third-party providers with regard to data security.

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

– External fonts from Google, Inc., https://www.google.com/fonts (“Google Fonts”). The integration of Google Fonts takes place via a server call to Google (usually in the USA). Privacy Policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://www.google.com/settings/ads/.

– Maps of the “Google Maps” service of the third-party provider Google Inc., 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 from the “YouTube” platform of the third-party provider Google Inc., 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 from the “Vimeo” platform of the third-party provider Vimeo, Inc., 555 West 18th Street, New York, New York 10011 Privacy Policy: https://vimeo.com/privacy.

Rights of users and deletion of data
Users have the right, upon request and free of charge, to receive information about the personal data that we have stored about them.
In addition, users have the right to correct incorrect data, revoke consent, block and delete their personal data as well as the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority in the event of the assumption of unlawful data processing.

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.

Changes to the privacy policy
We reserve the right to amend the data protection declaration in order to adapt it to changed legal situations or in the event of changes to the service and data processing. However, this only applies with regard to declarations on data processing. If user consent is required or components of the privacy policy contain provisions of the contractual relationship with the users, the changes will only be made with the consent of the users.
Users are requested to inform themselves regularly about the content of the privacy policy.

Status 01.01.2024