We have drafted this Privacy Policy (version 22.10.2020-321224122) to explain to you, in accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679, which information we collect, how we use data, and what choices you have as a visitor to this website.
Unfortunately, the nature of the subject means these explanations can sound very technical; however, we have endeavored to describe the most important points as simply and clearly as possible.
When you visit websites nowadays, certain information is automatically created and stored, including on this website.
When you visit our website—as you are doing now—our web server (the computer on which this website is stored) automatically stores data such as
the address (URL) of the page accessed,
browser and browser version,
the operating system used,
the address (URL) of the previously visited page (referrer URL),
the hostname and IP address of the device from which access is made,
date and time,
in files (web server log files).
As a rule, web server log files are stored for two weeks and then automatically deleted. We do not pass on this data, but we cannot rule out that this data may be accessed in the event of unlawful behavior.
Our website uses HTTP cookies to store user-specific data.
Below we explain what cookies are and why they are used, so that you can better understand the following Privacy Policy.
Whenever you browse the Internet, you use a browser. Well-known browsers include Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Edge. Most websites store small text files in your browser. These files are called cookies.
One thing is undeniable: cookies are genuinely useful little helpers. Almost all websites use cookies—more precisely, HTTP cookies, since there are also other cookies for other application areas. HTTP cookies are small files that are stored by our website on your computer. These cookie files are automatically placed in the cookie folder—the “brain” of your browser. A cookie consists of a name and a value. When defining a cookie, one or more attributes must also be specified.
Cookies store certain user data such as language or personal page settings. When you return to our site, your browser transmits the “user-related” information back to our site. Thanks to cookies, our website knows who you are and offers you your usual default settings. In some browsers, each cookie has its own file; in others, such as Firefox, all cookies are stored in a single file.
There are both first-party cookies and third-party cookies. First-party cookies are created directly by our site; third-party cookies are created by partner websites (e.g., Google Analytics). Each cookie must be assessed individually, since each cookie stores different data. The lifetime of a cookie also varies—from a few minutes to several years. Cookies are not software programs and do not contain viruses, Trojans, or other “malware.” Cookies also cannot access information on your PC.
Cookie data might look like this, for example:
Name: _ga
Expiry: 2 years
Use: Distinguishing website visitors
Example value: GA1.2.1326744211.152321224122
A browser should support at least the following minimum sizes:
A cookie should be able to contain at least 4096 bytes.
At least 50 cookies should be storable per domain.
At least 3000 cookies should be storable in total.
Which cookies we use in particular depends on the services used and is clarified in the following sections of this Privacy Policy. At this point, we would like to briefly address the different types of HTTP cookies.
There are four types of cookies:
Strictly necessary cookies
These cookies are necessary to ensure basic functions of the website. For example, if a user places a product in the shopping cart, then continues browsing other pages and only later proceeds to checkout, these cookies ensure the shopping cart is not deleted—even if the user closes the browser window.
Functional cookies
These cookies collect information about user behavior and whether the user receives any error messages. They also measure loading times and website behavior across different browsers.
Target-oriented cookies
These cookies provide better user-friendliness. For example, entered locations, font sizes, or form data are stored.
Advertising cookies
These cookies are also called targeting cookies. They serve to deliver individually tailored advertising to the user. This can be very useful, but also very annoying.
Typically, when you visit a website for the first time, you are asked which of these types of cookies you would like to allow. And of course, this decision is also stored in a cookie.
You decide how and whether you want to use cookies. Regardless of which service or website the cookies originate from, you always have the option to delete cookies, allow them only partially, or disable them. For example, you can block third-party cookies but allow all other cookies.
If you want to find out which cookies have been stored in your browser, or if you want to change or delete cookie settings, you can find this in your browser settings:
If you generally do not want cookies, you can set your browser to always inform you when a cookie is to be set. This allows you to decide for each individual cookie whether to allow it or not. The procedure varies depending on the browser. The best approach is to search for the instructions on Google using the term “delete cookies Chrome” or “disable cookies Chrome” in the case of the Chrome browser, or replace the word “Chrome” with the name of your browser, e.g., Edge, Firefox, Safari.
Since 2009, there have been so-called “cookie directives.” They stipulate that storing cookies requires your consent. Within EU countries, there are still very different responses to these directives. In Germany, the cookie directives were not implemented as national law. Instead, implementation of this directive largely took place in Section 15 (3) of the Telemedia Act (TMG).
If you would like to learn more about cookies and are not deterred by technical documentation, we recommend https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6265, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) “HTTP State Management Mechanism” Request for Comments.
Personal data that you transmit to us electronically on this website—such as name, email address, address, or other personal details within the scope of submitting a form or comments on the blog—are used by us together with the time and IP address only for the purpose stated in each case, kept secure, and not passed on to third parties.
We therefore use your personal data only to communicate with those visitors who expressly wish to be contacted and to process the services and products offered on this website. We do not pass on your personal data without consent; however, we cannot rule out that this data may be accessed in the event of unlawful behavior.
If you send us personal data by email—thus outside this website—we cannot guarantee secure transmission and protection of your data. We recommend that you never transmit confidential data unencrypted by email.
The legal basis, pursuant to Article 6(1)(a) GDPR (lawfulness of processing), is that you give us your consent to process the data you have entered. You can revoke this consent at any time—an informal email is sufficient. You can find our contact details in the legal notice (Impressum).
Under the provisions of the GDPR, you generally have the following rights:
Right to rectification (Article 16 GDPR)
Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”) (Article 17 GDPR)
Right to restriction of processing (Article 18 GDPR)
Right to notification—obligation to inform in connection with the rectification or erasure of personal data or restriction of processing (Article 19 GDPR)
Right to data portability (Article 20 GDPR)
Right to object (Article 21 GDPR)
Right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing—including profiling (Article 22 GDPR)
If you believe that the processing of your data violates data protection law or your data protection rights have otherwise been infringed, you may contact the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI).
We use Google Maps on our website, a service of Google Inc. For the European area, Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services. With Google Maps, we can show you locations more clearly and thus tailor our service to your needs. By using Google Maps, data is transmitted to Google and stored on Google’s servers. We would now like to explain in more detail what Google Maps is, why we use this Google service, which data is stored, and how you can prevent this.
Google Maps is an Internet map service from Google. With Google Maps, you can search online via a PC, tablet, or app for precise locations of cities, sights, accommodations, or companies. If companies are represented on Google My Business, further information about the company is displayed in addition to the location. To display directions, map sections of a location can be embedded into a website using HTML code. Google Maps shows the earth’s surface as a road map or as an aerial/satellite image. Thanks to Street View images and high-quality satellite images, very precise representations are possible.
All our efforts on this site are aimed at providing you with a useful and meaningful time on our website. By integrating Google Maps, we can provide you with the most important information on various locations. At a glance, you can see where our company headquarters is located. The directions always show you the best or fastest way to reach us. You can retrieve the route for travel by car, public transport, on foot, or by bicycle. For us, providing Google Maps is part of our customer service.
To provide Google Maps’ service in full, the company must collect and store data from you. This includes, among other things, the search terms you enter, your IP address, and the latitude and longitude coordinates. If you use the route planner function, the start address you enter is also stored. This data storage, however, occurs on Google Maps’ websites. We can only inform you about this; we have no influence over it. Since we have integrated Google Maps into our website, Google sets at least one cookie (name: NID) in your browser. This cookie stores data about your user behavior. Google primarily uses this data to optimize its own services and to provide you with individualized, personalized advertising.
The following cookie is set in your browser due to the integration of Google Maps:
Name: NID
Value: 188=h26c1Ktha7fCQTx8rXgLyATyITJ321224122-5
Purpose: NID is used by Google to customize ads to your Google search. With the help of the cookie, Google “remembers” your most frequently entered search queries or your previous interaction with ads. This way, you always receive tailored advertisements. The cookie contains a unique ID that Google uses to collect your personal settings for advertising purposes.
Expiry: after 6 months
Note: We cannot guarantee completeness regarding the details of the stored data. In particular, with the use of cookies, changes can never be ruled out. To identify the NID cookie, a separate test page was created where only Google Maps was embedded.
Google’s servers are located in data centers around the world. Most servers are located in America. For this reason, your data are also predominantly stored in the USA. You can read exactly where Google’s data centers are located here: https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/inside/locations/?hl=de
Google distributes the data across various data carriers. As a result, the data can be accessed more quickly and are better protected against possible attempts at manipulation. Each data center also has special emergency programs. For example, if problems occur with Google’s hardware or if a natural disaster brings the servers to a standstill, the data will still be relatively secure.
Google stores some data for a fixed period. For other data, Google only offers the option to delete them manually. Furthermore, the company anonymizes information (such as advertising data) in server logs by deleting part of the IP address and cookie information after 9 or 18 months, respectively.
With the automatic deletion function for location and activity data introduced in 2019, information on location determination and web/app activity is—depending on your decision—stored for either 3 or 18 months and then deleted. In addition, you can manually delete these data from your history at any time via your Google account. If you want to completely prevent your location being recorded, you must pause “Web & App Activity” in your Google account. Click “Data & Personalization” and then the “Activity controls” option. Here you can switch activities on or off.
In your browser, you can also deactivate, delete, or manage individual cookies. How this works varies depending on the browser you use. The following guides show how to manage cookies in your browser:
If you fundamentally do not want cookies, you can set your browser to always inform you when a cookie is to be set. This allows you to decide for each individual cookie whether to allow it or not.
Google is an active participant in the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework, which governs the correct and secure transfer of personal data. You can find more information at https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI. If you want to learn more about how Google processes data, we recommend Google’s own privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.
Source: Created with the Privacy Policy Generator from AdSimple in cooperation with warkly.de