Advertising Communication via Email, Post, Fax, or Phone

We process personal data for the purposes of advertising communication, which may occur through various channels, such as email, phone, post, or fax, in accordance with legal requirements.

Recipients have the right to withdraw consent given at any time or to object to advertising communication at any time.

After withdrawal or objection, we will store the data necessary to prove the previous authorization for contact or sending until three years after the end of the year in which the withdrawal or objection occurred, based on our legitimate interests. The processing of this data is limited to the purpose of possibly defending against claims. Based on the legitimate interest of permanently respecting the withdrawal or objection of the users, we will also store the data required to prevent further contact (e.g., depending on the communication channel, the email address, phone number, name).

Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g., names, addresses); Contact data (e.g., email, phone numbers).

Affected individuals: Communication partners.

Purposes of processing: Direct marketing (e.g., via email or post).

Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 (1) Sentence 1 lit. a GDPR); Legitimate interests (Art. 6 (1) Sentence 1 lit. f GDPR).

Contests and Competitions

We process personal data of participants in contests and competitions only in compliance with the relevant data protection regulations, as far as the processing is necessary for the provision, execution, and processing of the contest, the participants have consented to the processing, or the processing serves our legitimate interests (e.g., in ensuring the security of the contest or protecting our interests against abuse, such as the potential collection of IP addresses when submitting contest entries).

If, as part of the contests, the participants' entries are published (e.g., as part of a vote or presentation of contest entries or the winners, or reporting on the contest), we will inform them that their names may be published in this context. Participants can object to this at any time.

If the contest takes place within an online platform or a social network (e.g., Facebook or Instagram, hereinafter referred to as "Online Platform"), the usage and privacy policies of the respective platforms also apply. In such cases, we point out that we are responsible for the data provided in the context of the contest, and inquiries regarding the contest should be directed to us.

The data of the participants will be deleted once the contest or competition has ended and the data is no longer required to inform the winners or because there are no further inquiries expected about the contest. In general, participant data will be deleted no later than 6 months after the contest ends. Data of winners may be kept longer, for example, to respond to inquiries regarding the prizes or to fulfill the prize obligations; in such cases, the retention period depends on the nature of the prize, e.g., up to three years in the case of items or services, to handle warranty issues. Furthermore, participants' data may be stored longer, e.g., in the form of reporting on the contest in online and offline media.

If data was also collected for other purposes in the context of the contest, the processing and retention period of such data is governed by the privacy policy for that use (e.g., in the case of signing up for a newsletter during the contest).

Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g., names, addresses); Content data (e.g., entries in online forms); Meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses).

Affected individuals: Contest and competition participants.

Purposes of processing: Conducting contests and competitions.

Legal basis: Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 (1) Sentence 1 lit. b GDPR).

Web Analysis, Monitoring, and Optimization

Web analysis (also referred to as "reach measurement") is used to evaluate the traffic on our online offering and may include behavior, interests, or demographic information about visitors, such as age or gender, as pseudonymous values. Through reach analysis, we can determine, for example, when our online offering or its features or content is most frequently used or invites repeated use. We can also track which areas need improvement.

In addition to web analysis, we may use test procedures to test and optimize different versions of our online offering or its components.

Unless otherwise indicated below, profiles, i.e., data collected about a user’s actions, are created for these purposes, and information is stored in a browser or device and read from it. The collected data includes, in particular, visited web pages and the elements used there, as well as technical information such as the browser used, the computer system used, and details about the times of use. If users have consented to the collection of their location data from us or from the providers of the services we use, location data may also be processed.

IP addresses of users are also stored. However, we use an IP masking procedure (i.e., pseudonymization by shortening the IP address) to protect users. In general, the data collected in the course of web analysis, A/B testing, and optimization does not include personal data (e.g., email addresses or names), but pseudonyms. This means that both we and the providers of the software used do not know the true identity of users but only the information stored in their profiles for the purposes of the respective procedures.

Processed data types: Usage data (e.g., visited websites, interest in content, access times); Meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses).

Affected individuals: Users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).

Purposes of processing: Reach measurement (e.g., access statistics, identification of recurring visitors); Profile creation with user-related information (e.g., behavior-based profiling, use of cookies); Providing our online offering and improving user experience.

Security measures: IP masking (pseudonymization of IP addresses).

Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 (1) Sentence 1 lit. a GDPR).

Online Marketing

We process personal data for online marketing purposes, which includes, in particular, the marketing of advertising space or the display of advertising and other content (collectively referred to as "content") based on users' potential interests, as well as measuring their effectiveness.

For these purposes, so-called user profiles are created and stored in a file (called a "cookie"), or similar procedures are used, which store relevant information about the user for the display of the aforementioned content. These data may include, for example, viewed content, visited websites, used online networks, as well as communication partners and technical data, such as the browser used, the computer system used, and information about times of use and features used. If users have consented to the collection of their location data, this may also be processed.

IP addresses of users are also stored. However, we use IP masking procedures (i.e., pseudonymization by shortening the IP address) to protect users. In general, personal data (e.g., email addresses or names) are not stored within online marketing procedures, only pseudonyms. This means that both we and the providers of online marketing procedures do not know the true identity of the users, but only the information stored in their profiles.

The information in the profiles is typically stored in cookies or similar methods. These cookies can later be read on other websites that use the same online marketing procedure and used for analyzing the display of content as well as supplemented with other data and stored on the server of the online marketing provider.

Exceptionally, personal data can be assigned to the profiles. This happens if users are members of a social network whose online marketing procedure we use and the network associates users' profiles with the aforementioned data. Users should note that they can enter into additional agreements with the providers, e.g., by consenting to the registration process.

Generally, we only have access to aggregated information about the success of our ads. However, through so-called conversion measurement, we can check which of our online marketing procedures led to a "conversion," i.e., e.g., to a contract conclusion with us. Conversion measurement is used solely to analyze the success of our marketing activities.

Unless otherwise specified, please assume that cookies used are stored for a period of two years.

Processed data types: Usage data (e.g., visited websites, interest in content, access times); Meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses).

Affected individuals: Users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).

Purposes of processing: Reach measurement (e.g., access statistics, identification of recurring visitors); Tracking (e.g., behavior-based profiling, use of cookies); Marketing; Profile creation with user-related information (e.g., user profiles).

Security measures: IP masking (pseudonymization of the IP address).

Opt-Out: We refer to the privacy policies of the respective providers and the opt-out options provided by these providers ("Opt-Out"). If no explicit opt-out option is provided, users can disable cookies in their browser settings. However, this may limit the functionality of our online offering. Therefore, we also recommend the following opt-out options, which are offered for specific regions: a) Europe: https://www.youronlinechoices.eu; b) Canada: https://www.youradchoices.ca/choices; c) USA: https://www.aboutads.info/choices; d) Cross-region: https://optout.aboutads.info.

Customer Reviews and Rating Procedures

We participate in review and rating procedures to evaluate, optimize, and advertise our services. If users rate us via the participating review platforms or procedures or provide feedback in other ways, the general terms and conditions and privacy policies of the providers apply. In most cases, ratings also require registration with the respective providers.

To ensure that the reviewers have actually used our services, we transmit the required data regarding the customer and the service provided to the respective review platform (including name, email address, and order number or item number), with the customer's consent. This data is used solely to verify the authenticity of the user.

Processed data types: Contract data (e.g., contract subject, duration, customer category); Usage data (e.g., visited websites, interest in content, access times); Meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses).

Affected individuals: Customers; Users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).

Purposes of processing: Feedback (e.g., collecting feedback via online form); Marketing.

Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 (1) Sentence 1 lit. f GDPR).

Presence in Social Networks (Social Media)

We maintain online presences in social networks and process data from users in this context to communicate with users active there or to provide information about us.

We point out that user data may be processed outside the European Union. This may pose risks to users, as the enforcement of their rights could be more difficult.

Additionally, user data within social networks is generally processed for market research and advertising purposes. For example, based on user behavior and resulting interests, usage profiles can be created. These profiles can be used to display advertisements within and outside the networks that likely match users' interests.