Data privacy statement

Please note that data transmission over the internet (e.g. when communicating by email) always involves the potential for security gaps. It is not possible to ensure end-to-end data protection against access by third parties.

In the following, we will inform you of how we process personal data.

Collection and processing of personal data

You can, as a matter of principle, use our online presence without disclosing your identity. Where we request personal data (such as your name, address or email address) on our website, e.g. in the context of contact forms or during login/registration, this is on a voluntary basis. We use this information for our own business purposes (such as for sending the requested material/information).

If you have any questions, we offer you the option of contacting us with the help of a contact form provided on the website. In this form, the information marked as mandatory is needed in order to allocate and respond to the query. Additional information can be disclosed on a voluntary basis. Data processing for the purposes of contacting us is handled pursuant to Article 6(1)(1)(a) of the GDPR on the basis of your voluntarily given consent.

The personal data we collect in the context of using the contact form will be deleted after the query you sent has been concluded and once the fiscal and commercial legislative duties to keep records have elapsed.

Once you have provided consent to us – e.g. for the purposes of sending a newsletter or other interesting information from our company – you can revoke this consent at any time with future effect, without stating reasons. To do so, you can use the aforementioned contact form or another means specified within the newsletter.

Cookies

This site uses cookies. Cookies are text files that are saved on your computer to enable an analysis of how our website is used and to automatically recognise you the next time you visit. You can prevent cookies from being installed by making the corresponding settings in your browser. However, this may result in you not being able to make full use of our online services.

Logging

Each time our website is accessed, logs are created and processed for statistical purposes; individual users remain anonymous in these logs:

• Referrer (website from which you accessed this website)
• Search terms (if the referrer was a search engine)
• IP is evaluated to determine country of origin and providers
• Browser, operating system, plug-ins installed and screen resolution
• Time spent on web pages

We process the aforementioned data on the basis of legitimate interests pursuant to Article 6(1)(1)(f) GDPR for the following purposes:

• Ensuring a smooth link connection to the online presence,
• ensuring convenient use of our online presence,
• evaluating system security and stability, and
• for other administrative purposes.

We reserve the right to verify this data retroactively if we become aware of concrete indications of unlawful use. The data will be deleted without delay if they are no longer required to fulfil the purposes, and after six months at the latest.

Disclosure of data

As a matter of principle, your data will not be disclosed to third parties for commercial or non-commercial purposes without your express consent. We will only disclose your personal data to third parties where this is legally permissible (e.g. on the basis of Article 6 GDPR) and/or necessary. We use some service providers for the data processing prescribed by law; for example, our website is maintained and hosted by the Kaisermacht Informationsmanagement agency in Cologne. We retain full responsibility for data processing. In addition, we use some plug-ins from other providers on our online presence; for more information, see below.

Liability for own content

The greatest care was taken when creating the content of this website. However, we cannot assume any liability for the accuracy, completeness and up-to-date status of this content. As a service provider, we are responsible for our own content on this site, in accordance with the general legislation.

Liability for links (content of third-party providers)

This own content must be distinguished from links to content provided by other providers. We have no influence over this latter content; the respective provider or site operator is always responsible for the content of linked sites.

Rights of the data subject

We hereby inform you that, pursuant to Article 15 et seq. GDPR, you have the right, in the circumstances specified therein, of access to the relevant personal data and the right to rectification or erasure and the right to restriction of processing or the right to object to data processing, as well as the right to data portability. In accordance with Article 77 GDPR, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority if you believe that processing of personal data relating to you infringes this regulation. Where processing is pursuant to Article 6(1)(a) GDPR or Article 9(2)(a) GDPR (consent), you also have the right to revoke your consent at any time, without this affecting the legality of the processing that has taken place up until that time on the basis of your consent.

Right of access, Article 15 GDPR

You have the right to request information about whether and to what extent your personal data is processed (in particular the purpose of processing, data recipients, duration of storage etc.).

Right to rectification, Article 16 GDPR

You have the right to demand that your saved data be rectified if it is incorrect or incomplete. This includes the right of amendment by means of additional declarations or statements.

Right to erasure, Article 17 GDPR

You have the right to demand that your personal data be deleted. This is possible, for example, if the data is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected, or if the data must be deleted due to legal obligations. However, this right may be excluded in individual cases.

Right to restriction of processing, Article 18 GDPR

You have the right to have the processing of your personal data restricted. This is possible, for example, if your data was collected incorrectly or data processing is unlawful. In the case of a restriction of processing, the data may only be processed under tightly restricted circumstances.

Right to data portability, Article 20 GDPR

You have the right to receive the data concerning you in a commonly used and machine-readable format or to transmit those data to another controller specified by you, if you provided this data yourself.

Right to object, Article 21 GDPR

You have the right to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, at any time to processing of personal data concerning you, with future effect, unless data processing takes place in order to protect legitimate interests (see also Article 6(1)(e), (f) GDPR). In the event of your revocation, we will check whether the legal requirements for processing your data are fulfilled and, if not, all further processing of your data shall cease.

Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, Article 77 GDPR

You have the right to lodge a complaint with the responsible supervisory authority of the European Union or the Member States at any time regarding possible infringement of data privacy regulations.

Changes to our data protection provisions

We reserve the right to adapt this data privacy statement on occasion in order to ensure that it always complies with current legal requirements or in order to reflect changes to our services in the data privacy statement, e.g. when we introduce new services. The new data privacy statement will then apply the next time you visit.

Web analysis with Google Analytics

This website uses Google Analytics, a web analysis service from Google Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics uses what are known as “cookies”, i.e. text files that are saved on your computer to enable an analysis of how you use our website. The information generated by the cookies about how you use this website (including your abbreviated IP address) is transferred to a Google server in the USA, where it is stored. Google uses this information to evaluate your use of the website, to compile reports on website activities for the website operator and to provide other services associated with website usage and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties, where this is prescribed by law or where third parties process this data on behalf of Google. Google will never connect your IP address to other data that Google has access to.

You can object to your data being used by Google Analytics by installing what is known as an add-on to your browser. To do so, you can use the following link, which takes you to a Google site: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de [external site].

Given debate around the use of analytical tools with complete IP addresses, we would like to point out that this website uses Google Analytics with the extension “_anonymizeIp()” and IP addresses are therefore only processed in abbreviated form, thus ruling out any direct traceability to a specific person.