Raven Techie

The Future of Tech in Your Hands

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

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

Controller

Andreas Rabe
Wingertsberg 27
35576 Wetzlar, Germany
Email address: contact@r-techie.com

Link to the imprint: https://r-techie.com/impressum

Types of processed data:

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

Categories of affected persons

Visitors and users of the online offering (hereinafter we also refer to the affected persons collectively 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.

Terms used

  • “Personal data” refers to all information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter “data subject”); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier (e.g., cookie), or one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural, or social identity of that natural person.
  • “Processing” refers to any operation or set of operations performed on personal data, whether or not by automated means. The term is broad and includes virtually any handling of data.
  • “Pseudonymization” refers to the processing of personal data in such a way that the personal 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 subject to technical and organizational measures to ensure that the personal data is not attributed to an identified or identifiable natural person.
  • “Profiling” refers to any form of automated processing of personal data that involves the use of personal data to evaluate certain personal aspects relating to a natural person, in particular to analyze or predict aspects concerning that natural person’s 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” refers to a natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or other body which processes personal data on behalf of the controller.

Relevant Legal Bases

In accordance with Article 13 of the GDPR, we inform you of the legal bases of our data processing activities. If the legal basis is not mentioned in the privacy policy, the following applies: The legal basis for obtaining consent is Article 6(1)(a) and Article 7 of the GDPR, the legal basis for processing for the performance of our services and the implementation of contractual measures, as well as responding to inquiries, is Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR, the legal basis for processing to fulfill our legal obligations is Article 6(1)(c) of the GDPR, and the legal basis for processing to safeguard our legitimate interests is Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR. In the event that the vital interests of the data subject or another natural person make the processing of personal data necessary, Article 6(1)(d) of the GDPR serves as the legal basis.

Security Measures

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

These measures include, in particular, securing the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data by controlling physical access to the data, as well as the access, input, transmission, availability, and separation of the data. Furthermore, we have established procedures to ensure the exercise of data subject rights, the deletion of data, and the response to data threats. Additionally, we take into account the protection of personal data in the design and selection of hardware, software, and procedures, following the principle of data protection by design and by default (Article 25 of the GDPR).

Collaboration with Processors and Third Parties

If we disclose, transfer, or otherwise grant access to data to other persons and companies (processors or third parties) as part of our processing, this is done only based on a legal authorization (e.g., if the transfer of data to third parties, such as payment service providers, is necessary for contract fulfillment according to Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR), if you have given your consent, if a legal obligation requires it, or based on our legitimate interests (e.g., when using agents, web hosting services, etc.).

If we commission third parties to process data based on a so-called “data processing agreement,” this is done based on Article 28 of the 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 if this occurs as part of the use of third-party services or disclosure, or transfer of data to third parties, this is done only if it is necessary for the fulfillment of our (pre-)contractual obligations, based on your consent, due to a legal obligation, or based on our legitimate interests. Subject to legal or contractual permissions, we process or have the data processed in a third country only under the special conditions of Articles 44 et seq. of the GDPR. This means the processing takes place, for example, based on specific guarantees, such as the officially recognized determination of a level of data protection equivalent to that of the EU (e.g., for the USA under the “Privacy Shield”) or compliance with officially recognized special contractual obligations (so-called “standard contractual clauses”).

Rights of the Data Subjects

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

In accordance with Article 16 of the GDPR, you have the right to request the completion of data concerning you or the correction of inaccurate data concerning you.

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

You have the right to receive the data concerning you, which you have provided to us, in accordance with Article 20 of the GDPR, and to request its transmission to another controller.

In accordance with Article 77 of the GDPR, you also have the right to file a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority.

Right of Withdrawal

You have the right to withdraw any consent given in accordance with Article 7(3) of the GDPR with effect for the future.

Right to Object

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

Cookies and the Right to Object to Direct Marketing

“Cookies” are small files stored on users’ computers. Various information can be stored within cookies. A cookie’s primary purpose is to store information about a user (or the device on which the cookie is stored) during or after their visit to an online offering. Temporary cookies, or “session cookies” or “transient cookies,” are cookies that are deleted after a user leaves an online offering 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, a login status can be saved if users return to a site after several days. Likewise, users’ 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 controller operating the online offering (otherwise, if it is only their cookies, they are referred to as “first-party cookies”).

We may use temporary and permanent cookies and inform you of this within our privacy policy.

If users do not want cookies to be stored on their computers, 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. Excluding cookies may lead to functional limitations of this online offering.

A general objection to the use of cookies for online marketing purposes can be declared for many of the services, especially in the case of tracking, via the US site http://www.aboutads.info/choices/ or the EU site http://www.youronlinechoices.com/. Additionally, the storage of cookies can be prevented by disabling them in the browser settings. Please note that, in this case, not all functions of this online offering may be available.

Deletion of Data

The data we process will be deleted or restricted in accordance with Articles 17 and 18 of the GDPR. Unless explicitly stated in this privacy policy, the data stored by us will be deleted as soon as it is no longer required for its intended purpose and no legal retention obligations stand in the way of deletion. If the data is not deleted because it is required for other legally permissible purposes, its processing will be restricted. This means 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 law reasons.

According to legal requirements in Germany, retention is specifically required for 10 years in accordance with Sections 147(1) AO, 257(1) No. 1 and 4, (4) HGB (books, records, management reports, accounting vouchers, commercial books, documents relevant to taxation, etc.) and for 6 years in accordance with Section 257(1) No. 2 and 3, (4) HGB (commercial correspondence).

According to legal requirements in Austria, retention is specifically required for 7 years in accordance with Section 132(1) BAO (accounting records, vouchers/invoices, accounts, receipts, business papers, statements of income and expenses, etc.), for 22 years in connection with properties, and for 10 years for documents related to electronically provided 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.

External Payment Service Providers

We use external payment service providers through whose platforms users and we can carry out payment transactions (e.g., PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full), Klarna (https://www.klarna.com/international/privacy-policy/), Skrill (https://www.skrill.com/en/footer/privacy-policy/), Giropay (https://www.giropay.de/rechtliches/datenschutz-agb/), Visa (https://www.visa.co.uk/legal/global-privacy-notice.html), Mastercard (https://www.mastercard.co.uk/en-gb/about-mastercard/what-we-do/privacy.html), American Express (https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/privacy-center/online-privacy-policy.html)).

In the context of fulfilling contracts, we use the payment service providers on the basis of Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR. Additionally, we use external payment service providers based on our legitimate interests according to Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR, to offer our users efficient and secure payment options.

The data processed by payment service providers includes inventory data, such as name and address, bank data, such as account numbers or credit card numbers, passwords, TANs, and checksums, as well as contract-related, total, and recipient-related details. The information is necessary to carry out the transactions. However, the entered data is only processed and stored by the payment service providers. In other words, we do not receive any account or credit card information, only information regarding the confirmation or negative notice of payment. In some circumstances, the data may be transmitted to credit agencies by the payment service providers. This transmission aims to verify identity and creditworthiness. For this, we refer to the general terms and conditions and privacy policies of the payment service providers.

For payment transactions, the terms and conditions and privacy policies of the respective payment service providers apply, which are accessible within the respective websites or transaction applications. We also refer you to these for further information and to assert revocation, access, and other data subject rights.

Participation in Affiliate Partner Programs

Within our online offering, we use industry-standard tracking measures based on our legitimate interests (i.e., interest in the analysis, optimization, and economic operation of our online offering) in accordance with Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR, as far as these are necessary for the operation of the affiliate system. Below, we clarify the technical background to users.

The services offered by our contract partners can also be advertised and linked on other websites (so-called affiliate links or after-buy systems, for example, if links or third-party services are offered after a contract conclusion). The operators of the respective websites receive a commission if users follow the affiliate links and then take advantage of the offers.

In summary, it is necessary for our online offering that we can track whether users who are interested in affiliate links and/or the offers available with us, subsequently take advantage of the offers at the initiative of the affiliate links or our online platform. For this, the affiliate links and our offers are supplemented by certain values that may form part of the link or otherwise be set, e.g., in a cookie. These values include the referring website (referrer), the time, an online ID of the operator of the website where the affiliate link was located, an online ID of the respective offer, an online ID of the user, as well as tracking-specific values such as advertising material ID, partner ID, and categorizations.

The online IDs used by us for users are pseudonymous values. This means that the online IDs themselves do not contain any personal data such as names or email addresses. They only help us to determine whether the same user who clicked on an affiliate link or showed interest in an offer via our online offering, has taken advantage of the offer, e.g., entered into a contract with the provider. The online ID, however, is considered personal insofar as the partner company and also we, have the online ID together with other user data. Only in this way can the partner company inform us whether the user has taken advantage of the offer, allowing us, for example, to pay out the bonus.

Amazon Affiliate Program

Based on our legitimate interests (i.e., our interest in the economic operation of our online offering within the meaning of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f DSGVO), we participate in the Amazon EU affiliate program, which is designed to provide a medium for websites to earn advertising fees by placing advertisements and links to Amazon.de (so-called affiliate system). As an Amazon partner, we earn from qualified purchases.

Amazon uses cookies to track the origin of orders. Among other things, Amazon can recognize that you clicked the partner link on this website and subsequently purchased a product on Amazon.

For more information on Amazon’s data usage and opt-out options, please refer to the company’s privacy policy: https://www.amazon.de/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201909010.

Note: Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or one of its affiliated companies.

AWIN Affiliate Program

Based on our legitimate interests (i.e., our interest in the economic operation of our online offering within the meaning of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f DSGVO), we participate in the affiliate program of AWIN AG, Eichhornstraße 3, 10785 Berlin, Germany, which is designed to provide a medium for websites to earn advertising fees by placing advertisements and links to AWIN (so-called affiliate system). AWIN uses cookies to track the origin of the contract conclusion. Among other things, AWIN can recognize that you clicked the partner link on this website and subsequently entered into a contract with or via AWIN.

For more information on AWIN’s data usage and opt-out options, please refer to the company’s privacy policy: https://www.awin.com/de/rechtliches.

Digistore24 Affiliate Program

Based on our legitimate interests (i.e., our interest in the economic operation of our online offering within the meaning of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f DSGVO), we participate in the affiliate program of Digistore24 GmbH, St.-Godehard-Straße 32, 31139 Hildesheim, Germany, which is designed to provide a medium for websites to earn advertising fees by placing advertisements and links to Digistore24 (so-called affiliate system). Digistore24 uses cookies to track the origin of the contract conclusion. Among other things, Digistore24 can recognize that you clicked the partner link on this website and subsequently entered into a contract with or via Digistore24.

For more information on Digistore24’s data usage and opt-out options, please refer to the company’s privacy policy: https://www.digistore24.com/page/privacyl.

Affilinet Affiliate Program

Based on our legitimate interests (i.e., our interest in the economic operation of our online offering within the meaning of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f DSGVO), we participate in the affiliate program of Affilinet GmbH, Sapporobogen 6-8, 80637 Munich, Germany, which is designed to provide a medium for websites to earn advertising fees by placing advertisements and links to Affilinet (so-called affiliate system). Affilinet uses cookies to track the origin of the contract conclusion. Among other things, Affilinet can recognize that you clicked the partner link on this website and subsequently entered into a contract with or via Affilinet.

For more information on Affilinet’s data usage and opt-out options, please refer to the company’s privacy policy: https://www.affili.net/de/footeritem/datenschutz.

Comments and Contributions

When users leave comments or other contributions, their IP addresses may be stored for seven days based on our legitimate interests in accordance with Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f DSGVO. This is done for our security in case someone leaves illegal content in comments and contributions (e.g., insults, prohibited political propaganda). In such cases, we could be held liable for the comment or contribution and are therefore interested in the identity of the author.

Furthermore, we reserve the right to process user information for spam detection purposes based on our legitimate interests in accordance with Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f DSGVO.

On the same legal basis, we reserve the right to store the IP addresses of users during surveys and use cookies to avoid multiple voting.

The data provided in the context of comments and contributions will be stored by us permanently until the user objects.

Comment Subscriptions

Users can subscribe to follow-up comments with their consent in accordance with Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a DSGVO. Users will receive a confirmation email to verify that they are the owner of the entered email address. Users can unsubscribe from ongoing comment subscriptions at any time. The confirmation email will contain information about how to revoke consent. To provide proof of user consent, we store the registration time along with the user’s IP address and delete this information if users unsubscribe from the subscription.

You can cancel the receipt of our subscription at any time, i.e., withdraw your consent. We may store unsubscribed email addresses for up to three years based on our legitimate interests before deleting them to provide evidence of previously given consent. The processing of this data is limited to the purpose of possible defense against claims. An individual deletion request is possible at any time, provided that the previous existence of consent is confirmed.

Retrieving Profile Pictures from Gravatar

We use the Gravatar service provided by Automattic Inc., 60 29th Street #343, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA, within our online offering and especially on the blog.

Gravatar is a service where users can register and store profile pictures and their email addresses. If users leave comments or contributions on other online presences (especially in blogs) using the respective email address, their profile pictures can be displayed next to the comments or contributions. For this purpose, the email address provided by users is transmitted to Gravatar in encrypted form to check if a profile is stored for it. This is the only purpose of transmitting the email address, and it is not used for other purposes. After the check, the email address is deleted.

The use of Gravatar is based on our legitimate interests in the sense of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f) DSGVO, as we offer users the possibility to personalize their contributions with a profile picture through Gravatar.

By displaying the images, Gravatar collects the user’s IP address, as this is necessary for a communication between the browser and an online service. For more information on Gravatar’s data collection and use, please refer to Automattic’s privacy policy: https://automattic.com/privacy/.

If users do not want their profile picture associated with their Gravatar email address to appear in comments, they should use an email address that is not associated with Gravatar when commenting. We also point out that it is possible to use an anonymous or no email address at all if users do not want their email address to be transmitted to Gravatar. Users can prevent the transfer of data entirely by not using our comment system.

Retrieving Emojis and Smilies

Within our WordPress blog, graphical emojis (or smilies), i.e., small graphic files expressing emotions, are used, which are retrieved from external servers. The providers of these servers collect the users’ IP addresses. This is necessary for the emoji files to be transmitted to the users’ browsers. The emoji service is provided by Automattic Inc., 60 29th Street #343, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA. Automattic’s privacy policy can be found here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. The servers used are s.w.org and twemoji.maxcdn.com, which are believed to be content delivery networks (CDNs) that serve only to transmit files quickly and securely and delete users’ personal data after transmission.

The use of emojis is based on our legitimate interests, i.e., interest in an attractive design of our online offering in accordance with Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f DSGVO.

Contact

When you contact us (e.g., via contact form, email, telephone, or social media), the user’s information will be processed to handle the contact request and its management in accordance with Art. 6 (1) lit. b) GDPR. The user’s information may be stored in a customer relationship management system (CRM system) or a similar request organization.

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

Hosting and Email Dispatch

The hosting services we utilize provide the following services: infrastructure and platform services, computing capacity, storage space and database services, email dispatch, security services, and technical maintenance services, which we use for operating this online offering.

In doing so, we or our hosting provider process inventory data, contact data, content data, contract data, usage data, meta and communication data of customers, interested parties, and visitors of this online offering based on our legitimate interests in an efficient and secure provision of this online offering according to Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR in conjunction with Art. 28 GDPR (conclusion of data processing agreement).

Collection of Access Data and Log Files

We, or rather our hosting provider, collect data based on our legitimate interests in accordance with Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR 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 retrieved website, file, date, and time of the retrieval, the amount of data transferred, the message about successful retrieval, 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 clarify acts of misuse or fraud) for a maximum duration of 7 days and then deleted. Data that must be retained for evidence purposes is exempt from deletion until the respective incident is finally resolved.

Google Analytics

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), we use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC (“Google”). Google uses cookies. The information generated by the cookie about the use of this online offering by the users is usually transmitted to a Google server in the USA and stored there.

Google is certified under the Privacy Shield agreement, offering a guarantee to comply with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI&status=Active).

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

We only use Google Analytics with activated IP anonymization. This means that Google will truncate the user’s IP address within member states of the European Union or in other contracting states to 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 truncated 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 the collection of data generated by the cookie and related to their use of the online offering to Google, as well as the processing of this data by Google, by downloading and installing the browser plugin available at the following link: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en.

Further information on data usage by Google, settings, and objection options can be found in Google’s privacy policy (https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads) and in the settings for the display of advertisements by Google (https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated).

Users’ personal data will be deleted or anonymized after 14 months.

Google Universal Analytics

We use Google Analytics in the form of “Universal Analytics.” “Universal Analytics” refers to a process by Google Analytics in which user analysis is conducted based on a pseudonymous user ID, creating a pseudonymous profile of the user with information from the use of various devices (so-called “Cross-Device Tracking”).

Audience Targeting with Google Analytics

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

Jetpack (WordPress Stats)

We use, based on our legitimate interests (i.e., interest in the analysis, optimization, and economic operation of our online offering in the sense of Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR), the plugin Jetpack (here the sub-function “WordPress Stats”), a tool for statistical evaluation of visitor access, provided by Automattic Inc., 60 29th Street #343, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA. Jetpack uses “cookies,” text files that are stored on your computer and allow analysis of your use of the website.

The information generated by the cookie about your use of this online offering is stored on a server in the USA. The processed data can be used to create user profiles, which will only be used for analysis and not for advertising purposes. For further information, please refer to Automattic’s privacy policy: https://automattic.com/privacy/ and the Jetpack cookie information: https://jetpack.com/support/cookies/.

VG Wort / Scalable Central Measurement Procedure

We use the “Scalable Central Measurement Procedure” (SZM) of INFOnline GmbH (INFOnline GmbH, Brühler Str. 9, D-53119 Bonn) to determine statistical key figures for the likelihood of texts being copied. Anonymous measurement values are collected in this process. The access measurement uses either a session cookie or a signature generated from various automatically transmitted information from your browser to recognize computer systems. IP addresses are processed only in anonymized form. The procedure was developed in compliance with data protection regulations. The sole purpose of the procedure is to determine the likelihood of individual texts being copied. At no point are individual users identified. Your identity remains protected at all times. No advertising is sent to you via the system.

Many of our pages are equipped with JavaScript calls, through which we report accesses to the Collecting Society for Word (VG Wort). This enables our authors to participate in VG Wort’s distributions, which ensure the statutory remuneration for the use of copyrighted works in accordance with § 53 UrhG (German Copyright Law).

In this process, usage data and metadata of users are processed, while the IP addresses are shortened, and the measurement procedures are pseudonymous. The shortened IP address is stored for a maximum of 60 days. The usage data, in conjunction with a pseudonymous identification value (“Identifier”), are stored for a maximum of 6 months.

Users can opt out to prevent data collection for the aforementioned purposes by visiting the following link: https://optout.ioam.de. Further information can be found in INFOnline’s privacy policy at https://www.infonline.de/datenschutz/benutzer.

Online Presence on Social Media

We maintain online presences within social networks and platforms to communicate with customers, interested parties, and users active on these platforms 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 stated in our privacy policy, we process users’ data when they communicate with us on social networks and platforms, for example, by posting on our online presences or sending us messages.

Incorporation of Third-Party Services and Content

We use third-party content or service offerings within our online offerings based on our legitimate interests (i.e., interest in the analysis, optimization, and economic operation of our online offerings in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DSGVO) to integrate their content and services, such as videos or fonts (collectively referred to as “Content”).

This always requires that the third-party providers of this content can recognize the users’ IP addresses, as they would not be able to send the content to their browsers without the IP address. The IP address is thus necessary for displaying this content. We strive to use only content whose providers use the IP address solely for content delivery. Third-party providers may also use so-called pixel tags (invisible graphics, also known as “web beacons”) for statistical or marketing purposes. The “pixel tags” can be used to evaluate visitor traffic on the pages of this website. The pseudonymous information can also be stored in cookies on users’ devices and may include technical information about the browser and operating system, referring websites, visit time, and other details regarding the use of our online offerings, as well as being linked to such information from other sources.

Vimeo

We may embed videos from the “Vimeo” platform, provided by Vimeo Inc., Attention: Legal Department, 555 West 18th Street, New York, New York 10011, USA. Privacy Policy: https://vimeo.com/privacy. Please note that Vimeo may use Google Analytics, and we refer you to their privacy policy (https://www.google.com/policies/privacy) as well as opt-out options for Google Analytics (http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en) or Google’s settings for data usage for marketing purposes (https://adssettings.google.com/).

YouTube

We embed videos from the “YouTube” platform, provided by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Privacy Policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.

Google Fonts

We embed the fonts (“Google Fonts”) provided by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Privacy Policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.

Google Maps

We embed maps from the “Google Maps” service provided by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. The processed data may include IP addresses and location data of users, but these are not collected without the users’ consent (typically configured through their mobile device settings). The data may be processed in the USA. Privacy Policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.

OpenStreetMap

We embed maps from the “OpenStreetMap” service (https://www.openstreetmap.de), which is based on the Open Data Commons Open Database License (ODbL) and provided by the OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF). Privacy Policy: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Privacy_Policy.

To our knowledge, the users’ data is used by OpenStreetMap solely for displaying the map functions and temporarily storing the selected settings. These data may include IP addresses and location data of users, but they are not collected without users’ consent (typically given in their mobile device settings).

The data may be processed in the USA. Further information can be found in the OpenStreetMap privacy policy: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Privacy_Policy.

Use of Facebook Social Plugins

Based on our legitimate interests (i.e., interest in the analysis, optimization, and economic operation of our online offerings in the sense of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR), we use social plugins (“plugins”) from the social network Facebook.com, operated by Facebook Ireland Ltd., 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland (“Facebook”). The plugins can display interactive elements or content (e.g., videos, graphics, or text contributions) and are recognizable by one of the Facebook logos (white “f” on a blue tile, terms like “Like”, “Gefällt mir” or a “thumbs-up” sign) or are marked with “Facebook Social Plugin”. You can view the list and appearance of Facebook Social Plugins here: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins/.

Facebook is certified under the Privacy Shield agreement, providing a guarantee to comply with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000GnywAAC&status=Active).

When a user calls up a function of this online offering that contains such a plugin, their device establishes a direct connection to Facebook’s servers. The content of the plugin is transmitted directly to the user’s device by Facebook and integrated into the online offering. As part of this process, user profiles can be created from the processed data. We have no influence on the extent of the data Facebook collects with the help of this plugin and can only inform users according to our knowledge.

By integrating the plugins, Facebook receives the information that a user has accessed the respective page of the online offering. If the user is logged into Facebook, Facebook can assign the visit to their Facebook account. When users interact with the plugins, for example by pressing the Like button or leaving a comment, the corresponding information is transmitted directly from their device to Facebook and stored there. Even if a user is not a Facebook member, it is still possible that Facebook may find out and store their IP address. According to Facebook, only anonymized IP addresses are stored in Germany.

For the purpose and scope of data collection, further processing, and the use of data by Facebook, as well as your rights and settings options to protect your privacy, please refer to Facebook’s data protection notices: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/.

If a user is a Facebook member and does not want Facebook to collect data about them via this online offering and link it to their Facebook member data, they must log out of Facebook before using our online offering and delete their cookies. Further settings and objections to the use of data for advertising purposes are possible within the Facebook profile settings: https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=ads, or via the US-American site http://www.aboutads.info/choices/ or the EU site http://www.youronlinechoices.com/. These settings apply across all devices, such as desktop computers or mobile devices.

Twitter

Within our online offering, functions and content from the service Twitter, provided by Twitter Inc., 1355 Market Street, Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA, may be integrated. This may include content such as images, videos, or text and buttons allowing users to share content from this online offering on Twitter.

If the users are members of the Twitter platform, Twitter can assign the access to the above-mentioned content and functions to their profiles. Twitter is certified under the Privacy Shield agreement and thus provides a guarantee of compliance with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000TORzAAO&status=Active). Privacy Policy: https://twitter.com/en/privacy, Opt-Out: https://twitter.com/personalization.

Instagram

Within our online offering, functions and content from the Instagram service, provided by Instagram Inc., 1601 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA, may be integrated. This may include content such as images, videos, or text and buttons allowing users to share content from this online offering on Instagram. If users are members of the Instagram platform, Instagram can assign the access to the above-mentioned content and functions to their profiles. Instagram’s privacy policy: http://instagram.com/about/legal/privacy/.

Pinterest

Within our online offering, functions and content from the Pinterest service, provided by Pinterest Inc., 635 High Street, Palo Alto, CA, 94301, USA, may be integrated. This may include content such as images, videos, or text and buttons allowing users to share content from this online offering on Pinterest. If users are members of the Pinterest platform, Pinterest can assign the access to the above-mentioned content and functions to their profiles. Pinterest’s privacy policy: https://about.pinterest.com/en/privacy-policy.

Xing

Within our online offering, functions and content from the Xing service, provided by XING AG, Dammtorstraße 29-32, 20354 Hamburg, Germany, may be integrated. This may include content such as images, videos, or text and buttons allowing users to share content from this online offering on Xing. If users are members of the Xing platform, Xing can assign the access to the above-mentioned content and functions to their profiles. Xing’s privacy policy: https://www.xing.com/app/share?op=data_protection.

LinkedIn

Within our online offering, functions and content from the LinkedIn service, provided by LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland, may be integrated. This may include content such as images, videos, or text and buttons allowing users to share content from this online offering on LinkedIn. If users are members of the LinkedIn platform, LinkedIn can assign the access to the above-mentioned content and functions to their profiles. LinkedIn is certified under the Privacy Shield agreement, thus providing a guarantee of compliance with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000L0UZAA0&status=Active). Privacy Policy: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy, Opt-Out: https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/guest-controls/retargeting-opt-out.

Google+

Within our online offering, functions and content from the Google+ platform, provided by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA (“Google”), may be integrated. This may include content such as images, videos, or text and buttons allowing users to share content from this online offering on Twitter. If users are members of the Google+ platform, Google can assign the access to the above-mentioned content and functions to their profiles.

Google is certified under the Privacy Shield agreement, thus providing a guarantee of compliance with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI&status=Active). For more information on Google’s use of data, settings, and opt-out options, please refer to Google’s privacy policy (https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads) and the settings for ad display by Google (https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated).