Privacy Policy

We have drafted this privacy policy (Version 12.01.2021-311249808) to explain to you, in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679, what information we collect, how we use data, and what options you have as a visitor to this website.

Unfortunately, it is inherent in the nature of things that these explanations sound very technical; however, we have endeavoured to describe the most important points as simply and clearly as possible during their preparation.

Automatic Data Storage

When you visit websites nowadays, certain information is automatically generated 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 saves data such as:

  • the address (URL) of the accessed website

  • 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).

Generally, web server log files are stored for two weeks and then automatically deleted. We do not disclose this data, but we cannot rule out the possibility that this data may be accessed in the event of unlawful conduct.

 

Cookies 

Our website uses HTTP cookies to store user-specific data.
Below, we will explain what cookies are and why they are used, so that you can better understand the following privacy policy.

What exactly are cookies?

 

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 truly useful little helpers. Almost all websites use cookies. More specifically, they are HTTP cookies, as there are also other types of cookies for other applications. HTTP cookies are small files that are stored on your computer by our website. These cookie files are automatically placed in the cookie folder, which is essentially 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 about you, such as language or personal page settings. When you revisit our site, your browser transmits this "user-related" information back to our site. Thanks to cookies, our website knows who you are and provides your familiar default settings. In some browsers, each cookie has its own file; in others, like 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, while third-party cookies are created by partner websites (e.g., Google Analytics). Each cookie must be assessed individually, as each cookie stores different data. The expiry time of a cookie also varies from a few minutes to a few years. Cookies are not software programs and do not contain viruses, Trojans, or other "malware". Cookies also cannot access information on your PC.

 

For example, cookie data can look like this:

  • Name: _ga

  • Expiry time: 2 years

  • Use: Distinguishing website visitors

  • Example value: GA1.2.1326744211.152311249808

 

A browser should support the following minimum sizes:

  • A cookie should be able to contain at least 4096 bytes

  • At least 50 cookies should be able to be stored per domain

  • A total of at least 3000 cookies should be able to be stored

 

What types of cookies are there?

 

The specific cookies we use depend on the services utilized and will be clarified in the following sections of the privacy policy. At this point, we would like to briefly discuss the different types of HTTP cookies.

 

There are 4 types of cookies:

 

Absolutely necessary cookies
These cookies are required to ensure basic website functionality. For example, these cookies are needed when a user puts a product in their shopping cart, then browses other pages, and only later proceeds to checkout. These cookies prevent the shopping cart from being emptied, even if the user closes their browser window.

 

Functional Cookies
These cookies collect information about user behavior and whether the user receives any error messages. In addition, these cookies are also used to measure the loading time and the behavior of the website across different browsers.

 

Targeted Cookies
These cookies improve user-friendliness. For example, entered locations, font sizes, or form data are saved.

 

Advertising Cookies
These cookies are also called targeting cookies. They are used to deliver individually tailored advertising to the user. This can be very practical, but also very annoying.

 

You are usually asked which of these cookie types you wish to allow when you first visit a website. And, of course, this decision is also stored in a cookie.

 

How can I delete cookies?

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 are stored in your browser, or if you want to change or delete cookie settings, you can find this in your browser settings:

Chrome: Clear, enable, and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data in Safari

Firefox: Clear cookies to remove data that websites have stored on your computer

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

 

If you generally don't want any cookies, you can set up your browser to always inform you when a cookie is about to be placed. This allows you to decide for each individual cookie whether you want to allow it or not. The procedure varies depending on the browser. It's best to search for instructions on Google using the search term "delete cookies Chrome" or "disable cookies Chrome" for a Chrome browser, or replace the word "Chrome" with the name of your browser, e.g., Edge, Firefox, Safari.

 

What about my privacy?

 

Since 2009, there have been so-called "cookie guidelines". These stipulate that storing cookies requires your consent. However, within EU countries, there are still very different reactions to these guidelines. In Germany, the cookie guidelines were not implemented as national law. Instead, this directive was largely implemented in Section 15 (3) of the Telemedia Act (TMG).

If you want to know more about cookies and are not afraid of technical documentation, we recommend https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6265, the Request for Comments of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) called "HTTP State Management Mechanism".

 

Storage of personal data

 

Personal data that you transmit to us electronically on this website, such as your name, email address, address or other personal information in the context of submitting a form or comments in the blog, will only be used by us for the stated purpose, securely stored and not passed on to third parties, along with the time and IP address.

We therefore only use your personal data for communication with those visitors who expressly wish to make contact and for the processing of the services and products offered on this website. We do not pass on your personal data without your consent, but we cannot rule out the possibility that this data may be accessed in the event of unlawful conduct.

If you send us personal data by e-mail – i.e. off this website – we cannot guarantee secure transmission and protection of your data. We recommend that you never transmit confidential data unencrypted via e-mail.

The legal basis, according to Article 6 Paragraph 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 impressum.

 

Rights according to the General Data Protection Regulation

 

According to 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 notify in connection with the rectification or erasure of personal data or the 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 – which produces legal effects concerning him or her or similarly significantly affects him or her (Article 22 GDPR)

 

If you believe that the processing of your data violates data protection law or that your data protection rights have been infringed in any other way, you can contact the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI).

 

TLS encryption with https

 

We use HTTPS to transmit data securely over the Internet (data protection by design Article 25 paragraph 1 GDPR). By using TLS (Transport Layer Security), an encryption protocol for secure data transfer over the Internet, we can ensure the protection of confidential data. You can recognize the use of this data transfer security by the small padlock symbol in the upper left corner of your browser and the use of the "https" scheme (instead of "http") as part of our internet address.

 

Newsletter Privacy Policy

 

If you subscribe to our newsletter, you transmit the personal data mentioned above and give us the right to contact you by email. We use the data stored during newsletter registration exclusively for our newsletter and do not pass it on.

Should you unsubscribe from the newsletter – you will find the link for this at the very bottom of every newsletter – then we will delete all data stored in connection with your newsletter registration.

 

Embedded Social Media Elements Privacy Policy

 

We integrate elements of social media services on our website to display images, videos, and texts.
By visiting pages that display these elements, data is transferred from your browser to the respective social media service and stored there. We have no access to this data.
The following links will lead you to the pages of the respective social media services, where it is explained how they handle your data:

Facebook Privacy Policy

 

We use selected Facebook tools on our website. Facebook is a social media network of the company Facebook Ireland Ltd., 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2 Ireland. With the help of these tools, we can offer you and people who are interested in our products and services the best possible offer. In the following, we provide an overview of the various Facebook tools, what data is sent to Facebook, and how you can delete this data.

What are Facebook Tools?

Among many other products, Facebook also offers the so-called "Facebook Business Tools". This is the official name from Facebook. However, since the term is hardly known, we have decided to simply call them Facebook Tools. These include:

  • Facebook Pixel

  • social plug-ins (such as the "Like" or "Share" button)

  • Facebook Login

  • Account Kit

  • APIs (Application Programming Interface)

  • SDKs (Software Development Kits)

  • Platform integrations

  • Plugins

  • Codes

  • Specifications

  • Documentation

  • Technologies and Services

 

Through these tools, Facebook expands its services and has the ability to obtain information about user activities outside of Facebook.

Why do we use Facebook tools on our website?

We only want to show our services and products to people who are genuinely interested in them. With the help of advertisements (Facebook Ads), we can reach exactly these people. However, for users to be shown relevant advertising, Facebook needs information about people's wishes and needs. Thus, information about user behavior (and contact data) on our website is made available to the company. This allows Facebook to collect better user data and display suitable advertising for our products or services to interested people. The tools thus enable tailored advertising campaigns on Facebook.

Facebook refers to data about your behavior on our website as "Event Data". This is also used for measurement and analysis services. Facebook can thus create "campaign reports" on the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns on our behalf. Furthermore, analyses give us better insight into how you use our services, website or products. This allows us to optimize your user experience on our website with some of these tools. For example, you can share content on our site directly on Facebook with the social plug-ins.

What data is stored by Facebook tools?

By using individual Facebook tools, personal data (customer data) can be sent to Facebook. Depending on the tools used, customer data such as name, address, phone number and IP address can be sent.

Facebook uses this information to match the data with the data it already has about you (if you are a Facebook member). Before customer data is transmitted to Facebook, a so-called "hashing" takes place. This means that an arbitrarily large dataset is transformed into a character string. This also serves to encrypt data.

In addition to contact data, "event data" is also transmitted. "Event data" refers to the information we receive about you on our website. For example, which subpages you visit or which products you buy from us. Facebook does not share the information received with third-party providers (such as advertisers) unless the company has explicit permission or is legally obliged to do so. "Event data" can also be linked to contact data. This allows Facebook to offer better personalized advertising. After the matching process already mentioned, Facebook deletes the contact data again.

 

In order to deliver optimized advertisements, Facebook only uses event data if it has been combined with other data (collected by Facebook in other ways). Facebook also uses this event data for security, protection, development and research purposes. Much of this data is transferred to Facebook via cookies. Cookies are small text files used to store data or information in browsers. Depending on the tools used and whether you are a Facebook member, a different number of cookies will be created in your browser. In the descriptions of the individual Facebook tools, we will go into more detail about individual Facebook cookies. General information about the use of Facebook cookies can also be found at https://www.facebook.com/policies/cookies.

 

How long and where is the data stored?

 

In principle, Facebook stores data until it is no longer needed for its own services and Facebook products. Facebook has servers distributed all over the world where your data is stored. However, customer data is deleted within 48 hours after it has been matched with your own user data.

 

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

 

According to the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the right to information, rectification, portability and erasure of your data.

A complete deletion of the data only occurs if you completely delete your Facebook account. And here's how to delete your Facebook account:

1) Click on Settings on the right side of Facebook.

2) Then click on "Your Facebook Information" in the left column.

3) Now click "Deactivation and Deletion".

4) Now select "Delete Account" and then click "Continue and Delete Account"

5) Now enter your password, click "Continue" and then "Delete Account"

 

The data that Facebook receives about our site is stored, among other things, via cookies (e.g. for social plugins). In your browser, you can deactivate, delete or manage individual or all cookies. Depending on the browser you use, this works in different ways. The following instructions show how to manage cookies in your browser:

Chrome: Delete, enable and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari

Firefox: Delete cookies to remove data that websites have stored on your computer

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies

 

If you generally do not want cookies, you can set your browser to always inform you when a cookie is about to be set. This way, you can decide for each individual cookie whether to allow it or not.

 

Facebook is an active participant in the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data. More information can be found at https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000GnywAAC. We hope we have provided you with the most important information about the use and data processing by Facebook tools. If you want to learn more about how Facebook uses your data, we recommend reading the data policies at https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/update.

 

Facebook Social Plug-ins Privacy Policy

 

Our website incorporates so-called social plug-ins from Facebook Inc. You can recognize these buttons by the classic Facebook logo, such as the "Like" button (the hand with a raised thumb), or by a clear "Facebook Plug-in" label. A social plug-in is a small part of Facebook that is integrated into our site. Each plug-in has its own function. The most commonly used functions are the well-known "Like" and "Share" buttons.

The following social plug-ins are offered by Facebook:

  • "Save" button

  • "Like" button, Share, Send and Quote

  • Page plug-in

  • Comments

  • Messenger plug-in

  • Embedded posts and video player

  • Group plug-in

 

At https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins, you can find more information on how the individual plug-ins are used. We use social plug-ins partly to offer you a better user experience on our site, and partly because Facebook can optimize our advertisements through them.

If you have a Facebook account or have ever visited facebook.com, Facebook has already placed at least one cookie in your browser. In this case, your browser sends information to Facebook via this cookie as soon as you visit our site or interact with social plug-ins (e.g., the "Like" button).

 

The information received is deleted or anonymized within 90 days. According to Facebook, this data includes your IP address, which website you visited, the date, time, and other information related to your browser.

To prevent Facebook from collecting a lot of data and linking it with Facebook data during your visit to our website, you must log out of Facebook during your website visit.

If you are not logged in to Facebook or do not have a Facebook account, your browser sends less information to Facebook because you have fewer Facebook cookies. Nevertheless, data such as your IP address or which website you visit can be transferred to Facebook. We would like to explicitly point out that we do not have exact knowledge of the precise content of the data. However, we try to inform you as best as possible about data processing based on our current knowledge. You can also read how Facebook uses the data in the company's data policy at https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/update.

 

The following cookies are set in your browser at least if you visit a website with social plug-ins from Facebook:

Name: dpr
Value: no information
Purpose: This cookie is used so that the social plug-ins on our website work.
Expiration date: after session end

Name: fr
Value: 0jieyh4311249808c2GnlufEJ9..Bde09j…1.0.Bde09j
Purpose: This cookie is also necessary for the plug-ins to function correctly.
Expiration date:: after 3 months

 

Note: These cookies were set after a test, even if you are not a Facebook member.

If you are logged in to Facebook, you can change your ad settings yourself at https://www.facebook.com/ads/preferences/?entry_product=ad_settings_screen. If you are not a Facebook user, you can generally manage your usage-based online advertising at http://www.youronlinechoices.com/de/praferenzmanagement/. There you have the option to deactivate or activate providers.

If you want to learn more about Facebook's privacy policy, we recommend the company's own data policies at https://www.facebook.com/policy.php.

 

Instagram Privacy Policy

 

We have incorporated Instagram functions on our website. Instagram is a social media platform of Instagram LLC, 1601 Willow Rd, Menlo Park CA 94025, USA. Instagram has been a subsidiary of Facebook Inc. since 2012 and is part of the Facebook products. Embedding Instagram content on our website is called embedding. This allows us to show you content such as buttons, photos or videos from Instagram directly on our website. When you access pages of our web presence that have an integrated Instagram function, data is transmitted, stored and processed by Instagram. Instagram uses the same systems and technologies as Facebook. Your data is thus processed across all Facebook companies.

In the following, we want to give you a more detailed insight into why Instagram collects data, what data it is, and how you can largely control data processing. Since Instagram belongs to Facebook Inc., we obtain our information from Instagram's guidelines on the one hand, and from Facebook's data policies themselves on the other.

 

What is Instagram?

 

Instagram is one of the best-known social media networks worldwide. Instagram combines the advantages of a blog with the advantages of audiovisual platforms such as YouTube or Vimeo. On "Insta" (as many users casually call the platform), you can upload photos and short videos, edit them with various filters, and share them on other social networks. And if you don't want to be active yourself, you can simply follow other interesting users.

Why do we use Instagram on our website?

 

Instagram is the social media platform that has really exploded in recent years. And, of course, we have reacted to this boom. We want you to feel as comfortable as possible on our website. That's why a varied presentation of our content is a matter of course for us. Through the embedded Instagram functions, we can enrich our content with helpful, funny, or exciting content from the Instagram world. Since Instagram is a subsidiary of Facebook, the data collected can also be useful for personalized advertising on Facebook. This way, our advertisements only reach people who are genuinely interested in our products or services.

Instagram also uses the collected data for measurement and analysis purposes. We receive aggregated statistics and thus gain more insight into your wishes and interests. It is important to note that these reports do not personally identify you.

What data is stored by Instagram?

 

If you encounter one of our pages that has Instagram functions (such as Instagram images or plug-ins) embedded, your browser automatically connects to Instagram's servers. Data is sent to Instagram, stored, and processed, regardless of whether you have an Instagram account or not. This includes information about our website, about your computer, about purchases made, about advertisements you see, and how you use our offerings. Furthermore, the date and time of your interaction with Instagram are also stored. If you have an Instagram account or are logged in, Instagram stores significantly more data about you.

 

Facebook distinguishes between customer data and event data. We assume that this is also the case with Instagram. Customer data includes, for example, name, address, phone number, and IP address. It is important to mention that this customer data is only transmitted to Instagram after it has been "hashed." Hashing means that a data record is converted into a string of characters. This allows the contact data to be encrypted. In addition, the aforementioned "event data" is also transmitted. By "event data," Facebook – and consequently Instagram – understands data about your user behavior. It can also happen that contact data is combined with event data. The collected contact data is compared with the data that Instagram already has about you.

The collected data is transmitted to Facebook via small text files (cookies), which are usually placed in your browser. Depending on the Instagram functions used and whether you have an Instagram account yourself, different amounts of data are stored.

We assume that data processing on Instagram works the same as on Facebook. This means: if you have an Instagram account or have visited www.instagram.com, Instagram has placed at least one cookie. If this is the case, your browser sends information to Instagram via the cookie as soon as you interact with an Instagram function. At the latest after 90 days (after reconciliation), this data is deleted or anonymized. Although we have extensively researched Instagram's data processing, we cannot precisely state what data Instagram exactly collects and stores.

 

Below, we show you the cookies that are at least placed in your browser when you click on an Instagram function (such as a button or an Insta image). In our test, we assume that you do not have an Instagram account. If you are logged in to Instagram, significantly more cookies will, of course, be placed in your browser.

These cookies were used in our test:

Name: csrftoken
Value: “”
Purpose: This cookie is most likely set for security reasons to prevent request forgeries. However, we could not determine this more precisely.
Expiration date: after one year

Name: mid
Value: “”
Purpose: Instagram sets this cookie to optimize its own services and offerings within and outside of Instagram. The cookie sets a unique user ID.
Expiration date: after the end of the session

Name: fbsr_311249808124024
Value: no information
Purpose: This cookie stores the login request for users of the Instagram app.
Expiration date: after the end of the session

Name: rur
Value: ATN
Purpose: This is an Instagram cookie that ensures functionality on Instagram.
Expiration date: after the end of the session

Name: urlgen
Value: “{\”194.96.75.33\”: 1901}:1iEtYv:Y833k2_UjKvXgYe311249808”
 

Purpose: This cookie serves Instagram's marketing purposes.
Expiration date: after the end of the session

Note: We cannot claim completeness here. Which cookies are set in individual cases depends on the embedded functions and your use of Instagram.

 

How long and where is the data stored?

 

Instagram shares the received information between Facebook companies with external partners and with people you connect with worldwide. Data processing is carried out in compliance with its own data policy. Your data is, among other things for security reasons, distributed across Facebook's servers around the world. Most of these servers are located in the USA.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

Thanks to the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the right to information, portability, correction, and deletion of your data. You can manage your data in the Instagram settings. If you want to completely delete your data on Instagram, you must permanently delete your Instagram account.

 

Here's how to delete your Instagram account:

 

First, open the Instagram app. On your profile page, scroll down and click on "Help Center." You will then be directed to the company's website. On the website, click on "Manage Your Account" and then on "Delete Your Account."

If you completely delete your account, Instagram deletes posts such as your photos and status updates. Information that other people have shared about you is not part of your account and will therefore not be deleted.

As mentioned above, Instagram primarily stores your data via cookies. You can manage, deactivate, or delete these cookies in your browser. Depending on your browser, management always works a little differently. Here we show you the instructions for the most important browsers.

Chrome: Delete, activate and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari

Firefox: Delete cookies to remove data that websites have stored on your computer

Internet Explorer: Deleting and managing cookies

Microsoft Edge: Deleting and managing cookies

 

You can also generally set your browser to always inform you when a cookie is about to be placed. Then you can always individually decide whether you want to allow the cookie or not.

Instagram is a subsidiary of Facebook Inc. and Facebook is an active participant in the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework. This framework ensures proper data transfer between the USA and the European Union. You can find out more at https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000GnywAAC. We have tried to provide you with the most important information about data processing by Instagram. You can delve deeper into Instagram's data policies at https://help.instagram.com/519522125107875
.

​

 

Source: Created with the Privacy Policy Generator from AdSimple