Business Directory of Cologne – Privacy policy

(Deutsche Version)

Preamble

With the following privacy policy we would like to inform you which types of your personal data (hereinafter also abbreviated as "data") we process for which purposes and in which scope. The privacy statement applies to all processing of personal data carried out by us, both in the context of providing our services and in particular on our websites, in mobile applications and within external online presences, such as our social media profiles (hereinafter collectively referred to as "online services").

The terms used are not gender-specific.

Last Update: 30. May 2023

 

Table of contents

  • Preamble
  • Controller
  • Contact information of the data protection officer
  • Overview of processing operations
  • Legal Bases for the Processing
  • Security Precautions
  • Transmission of Personal Data
  • Data Processing in Third Countries
  • Erasure of data
  • Use of Cookies
  • Business services
  • Provision of online services and web hosting
  • Registration, Login and User Account
  • Contact and Inquiry Management
  • Commercial communication by E-Mail, Postal Mail, Fax or Telephone
  • Web Analysis, Monitoring and Optimization
  • Plugins and embedded functions and content
  • Management, Organization and Utilities
  • Changes and Updates to the Privacy Policy
  • Rights of Data Subjects
  • Terminology and Definitions

Controller

KölnBusiness Wirtschaftsförderungs-GmbH
Börsenplatz 1
50667 Cologne
Germany
 

Authorised Representatives:

Dr. Manfred Janssen

E-mail address:

wirtschaftsfoerderung@koeln.business

Phone:

Telefon: +49 221 99501-0

Legal Notice:

https://koeln.business/impressum
 

Contact information of the data protection officer

Kompass Datenschutz GmbH
besold (at) kompass-datenschutz.de
+49 1575 26 23 22 4

 

Overview of processing operations

The following table summarises the types of data processed, the purposes for which they are processed and the concerned data subjects.
 

Categories of Processed Data

  • Inventory data.
  • Payment Data.
  • Contact data.
  • Content data.
  • Contract data.
  • Usage data.
  • Meta, communication and process data.

Categories of Data Subjects

  • Customers.
  • Prospective customers.
  • Communication partner.
  • Users.
  • Business and contractual partners.

Purposes of Processing

  • Provision of contractual services and customer support.
  • Contact requests and communication.
  • Security measures.
  • Direct marketing.
  • Web Analytics.
  • Targeting.
  • Office and organisational procedures.
  • Managing and responding to inquiries.
  • Feedback.
  • Profiles with user-related information.
  • Provision of our online services and usability.
  • Information technology infrastructure.

Legal Bases for the Processing

Below you will find an overview of the legal basis of the GDPR on the basis of which we process personal data. Please note that in addition to the provisions of the GDPR, national data protection regulations may apply in your or our country of residence or domicile. If, in addition, more specific legal bases are applicable in individual cases, we will inform you of these in the data protection declaration.

 

  • Consent (Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR) - The data subject has given consent to the processing of his or her personal data for one or more specific purposes.
  • Performance of a contract and prior requests (Article 6 (1) (b) GDPR) - Performance of a contract to which the data subject is party or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract.
  • Compliance with a legal obligation (Article 6 (1) (c) GDPR) - Processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject.
  • Legitimate Interests (Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR) - Processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require protection of personal data.

In addition to the data protection regulations of the GDPR, national regulations apply to data protection in Germany. This includes in particular the Law on Protection against Misuse of Personal Data in Data Processing (Federal Data Protection Act - BDSG). In particular, the BDSG contains special provisions on the right to access, the right to erase, the right to object, the processing of special categories of personal data, processing for other purposes and transmission as well as automated individual decision-making, including profiling. Furthermore, it regulates data processing for the purposes of the employment relationship (§ 26 BDSG), in particular with regard to the establishment, execution or termination of employment relationships as well as the consent of employees. Furthermore, data protection laws of the individual federal states may apply.

 

Security Precautions

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures in accordance with the legal requirements, taking into account the state of the art, the costs of implementation and the nature, scope, context and purposes of processing as well as the risk of varying likelihood and severity for the rights and freedoms of natural persons, in order to ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk.

The measures include, in particular, safeguarding the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data by controlling physical and electronic access to the data as well as access to, input, transmission, securing and separation of the data. In addition, we have established procedures to ensure that data subjects' rights are respected, that data is erased, and that we are prepared to respond to data threats rapidly. Furthermore, we take the protection of personal data into account as early as the development or selection of hardware, software and service providers, in accordance with the principle of privacy by design and privacy by default.

TLS encryption (https): To protect your data transmitted via our online services, we use TLS encryption. You can recognize such encrypted connections by the prefix https:// in the address bar of your browser.

Transmission of Personal Data

In the context of our processing of personal data, it may happen that the data is transferred to other places, companies or persons or that it is disclosed to them. Recipients of this data may include, for example, service providers commissioned with IT tasks or providers of services and content that are embedded in a website. In such cases, the legal requirements will be respected and in particular corresponding contracts or agreements, which serve the protection of your data, will be concluded with the recipients of your data.

Data Transfer within the Organization: We may transfer or otherwise provide access to personal information to other locations within our organization. Insofar as this disclosure is for administrative purposes, the disclosure of the data is based on our legitimate business and economic interests or otherwise, if it is necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations or if the consent of those concerned or otherwise a legal permission is present.

Data Processing in Third Countries

If we process data in a third country (i.e. outside the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA)) or the processing takes place in the context of the use of third party services or disclosure or transfer of data to other persons, bodies or companies, this will only take place in accordance with the legal requirements.

Subject to express consent or transfer required by contract or law, we process or have processed the data only in third countries with a recognised level of data protection, on the basis of special guarantees, such as a contractual obligation through so-called standard protection clauses of the EU Commission or if certifications or binding internal data protection regulations justify the processing (Article 44 to 49 GDPR, information page of the EU Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection/international-dimension-data-protection_en).

Erasure of data

The data processed by us will be erased in accordance with the statutory provisions as soon as their processing is revoked or other permissions no longer apply (e.g. if the purpose of processing this data no longer applies or they are not required for the purpose). If the data is not deleted because they are required for other and legally permissible purposes, their processing is limited to these purposes. This means that the data will be restricted and not processed for other purposes. This applies, for example, to data that must be stored for commercial or tax reasons or for which storage is necessary to assert, exercise or defend legal claims or to protect the rights of another natural or legal person. Our further information on individual processing operations may also contain additional and specific information on data retention and erasure applicable to the respective processing operations.

Use of Cookies

Cookies are small text files or other data records that store information on end devices and read information from the end devices. For example, to store the login status in a user account, the contents of a shopping cart in an e-shop, the contents accessed or the functions used. Cookies can also be used for various purposes, e.g. for purposes of functionality, security and convenience of online offers as well as the creation of analyses of visitor flows.

Information on consent: We use cookies in accordance with the statutory provisions. Therefore, we obtain prior consent from users, except when it is not required by law. In particular, consent is not required if the storage and reading of information, including cookies, is strictly necessary in order to provide an information society service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user. The revocable consent will be clearly communicated to the user and will contain the information on the respective cookie use.

Information on legal bases under data protection law: The legal basis under data protection law on which we process users' personal data with the use of cookies depends on whether we ask users for consent. If users consent, the legal basis for processing their data is their declared consent. Otherwise, the data processed with the help of cookies is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (e.g. in a business operation of our online services and improvement of its usability) or, if this is done in the context of the fulfillment of our contractual obligations, if the use of cookies is necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations. For which purposes the cookies are processed by us, we do clarify in the course of this privacy policy or in the context of our consent and processing procedures.

Retention period: With regard to the retention period, a distinction is drawn between the following types of cookies:

 

  • Temporary cookies (also known as "session cookies"): Temporary cookies are deleted at the latest after a user has left an online service and closed his or her end device (i.e. browser or mobile application). 
  • Permanent cookies: Permanent cookies remain stored even after the terminal device is closed. For example, the login status can be saved, or preferred content can be displayed directly when the user visits a website again. Likewise, user data collected with the help of cookies can be used for reach measurement. Unless we provide users with explicit information about the type and storage duration of cookies (e.g., as part of obtaining consent), users should assume that cookies are permanent and that the storage period can be up to two years.

General information on revocation and objection (opt-out): Users can revoke the consent they have given at any time and also file an objection to processing in accordance with the legal requirements in Article 21 GDPR. Users can also declare their objection by means of the settings of their browser, e.g. by deactivating the use of cookies (whereby this may also limit the functionality of our online services). An objection to the use of cookies for online marketing purposes, can also be declared via the websites https://optout.aboutads.info and https://www.youronlinechoices.com/.

Further information on processing methods, procedures and services used:

  • Processing Cookie Data on the Basis of Consent: We use a cookie management solution in which users' consent to the use of cookies, or the procedures and providers mentioned in the cookie management solution, can be obtained, managed and revoked by the users. The declaration of consent is stored so that it does not have to be retrieved again and the consent can be proven in accordance with the legal obligation. Storage can take place server-sided and/or in a cookie (so-called opt-out cookie or with the aid of comparable technologies) in order to be able to assign the consent to a user or and/or his/her device. Subject to individual details of the providers of cookie management services, the following information applies: The duration of the storage of the consent can be up to two years. In this case, a pseudonymous user identifier is formed and stored with the date/time of consent, information on the scope of the consent (e.g. which categories of cookies and/or service providers) as well as the browser, system and used end device.
  • Cookiebot: Cookie-Consent Manager; Service provider: Cybot A/S, Havnegade 39, 1058 Copenhagen, Denmark; Website: https://www.cookiebot.com; Privacy Policy:https://www.cookiebot.com/en/privacy-policy/; Further Information: Stored data (on the server of the service provider): The IP number of the user in anonymous form (the last three digits are set to 0), date and time of the consent, user agent of the user's browser, the URL from which the consent was sent, An anonymous, random and encrypted key value; the consent status of the user.

 

Business services

We process data of our contractual and business partners, e.g. customers and interested parties (collectively referred to as "contractual partners") within the context of contractual and comparable legal relationships as well as associated actions and communication with the contractual partners or pre-contractually, e.g. to answer inquiries.

We process this data in order to fulfill our contractual obligations. These include, in particular, the obligations to provide the agreed services, any update obligations and remedies in the event of warranty and other service disruptions. In addition, we process the data to protect our rights and for the purpose of administrative tasks associated with these obligations and company organization. Furthermore, we process the data on the basis of our legitimate interests in proper and economical business management as well as security measures to protect our contractual partners and our business operations from misuse, endangerment of their data, secrets, information and rights (e.g. for the involvement of telecommunications, transport and other auxiliary services as well as subcontractors, banks, tax and legal advisors, payment service providers or tax authorities). Within the framework of applicable law, we only disclose the data of contractual partners to third parties to the extent that this is necessary for the aforementioned purposes or to fulfill legal obligations. Contractual partners will be informed about further forms of processing, e.g. for marketing purposes, within the scope of this privacy policy.

Which data are necessary for the aforementioned purposes, we inform the contracting partners before or in the context of the data collection, e.g. in online forms by special marking (e.g. colors), and/or symbols (e.g. asterisks or the like), or personally.

We delete the data after expiry of statutory warranty and comparable obligations, i.e. in principle after expiry of 4 years, unless the data is stored in a customer account or must be kept for legal reasons of archiving. The statutory retention period for documents relevant under tax law as well as for commercial books, inventories, opening balance sheets, annual financial statements, the instructions required to understand these documents and other organizational documents and accounting records is ten years and for received commercial and business letters and reproductions of sent commercial and business letters six years. The period begins at the end of the calendar year in which the last entry was made in the book, the inventory, the opening balance sheet, the annual financial statements or the management report was prepared, the commercial or business letter was received or sent, or the accounting document was created, furthermore the record was made or the other documents were created.

If we use third-party providers or platforms to provide our services, the terms and conditions and privacy policies of the respective third-party providers or platforms shall apply in the relationship between the users and the providers.

  • Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses); Payment Data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history); Contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers); Contract data (e.g. contract object, duration, customer category).
  • Data subjects: Prospective customers; Business and contractual partners; Customers.
  • Purposes of Processing: Provision of contractual services and customer support; Contact requests and communication; Office and organisational procedures; Managing and responding to inquiries.
  • Legal Basis: Performance of a contract and prior requests (Article 6 (1) (b) GDPR); Compliance with a legal obligation (Article 6 (1) (c) GDPR); Legitimate Interests (Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR).

Further information on processing methods, procedures and services used:

  • Consulting: Insofar as it is necessary for our contractual performance or required by law, or if the consent of the customer has been obtained, we disclose or transfer the customer's data to third parties or agents, such as authorities, courts or in the field of IT, office or comparable services, in compliance with the contractual and legal requirements; Legal Basis:Performance of a contract and prior requests (Article 6 (1) (b) GDPR).

Provision of online services and web hosting

We process user data in order to be able to provide them with our online services. For this purpose, we process the IP address of the user, which is necessary to transmit the content and functions of our online services to the user's browser or terminal device.

  • Processed data types: Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time information, identification numbers, consent status); Content data (e.g. text input, photographs, videos).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services); Business and contractual partners.
  • Purposes of Processing: Provision of our online services and usability; Information technology infrastructure (Operation and provision of information systems and technical devices, such as computers, servers, etc.).); Security measures.
  • Legal Basis: Legitimate Interests (Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR).

Further information on processing methods, procedures and services used:

  • Provision of online offer on rented hosting space: For the provision of our online services, we use storage space, computing capacity and software that we rent or otherwise obtain from a corresponding server provider (also referred to as a "web hoster"); Legal Basis: Legitimate Interests (Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR).
  • Collection of Access Data and Log Files: The access to our online services is logged in the form of so-called "server log files". Server log files may include the address and name of the web pages and files accessed, the date and time of access, data volumes transferred, notification of successful access, browser type and version, the user's operating system, referrer URL (the previously visited page) and, as a general rule, IP addresses and the requesting provider.The server log files can be used for security purposes, e.g. to avoid overloading the servers (especially in the case of abusive attacks, so-called DDoS attacks) and to ensure the stability and optimal load balancing of the servers; Legal Basis: Legitimate Interests (Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR); Retention period: Log file information is stored for a maximum period of 30 days and then deleted or anonymized. Data, the further storage of which is necessary for evidence purposes, are excluded from deletion until the respective incident has been finally clarified.
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS): Services in the field of the provision of information technology infrastructure and related services (e.g. storage space and/or computing capacities); Service provider: Amazon Web Services EMEA SARL, 38 avenue John F. Kennedy, 1855, Luxembourg; Legal Basis: Legitimate Interests (Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR); Website:https://aws.amazon.com/; Privacy Policy:https://aws.amazon.com/privacy/; Data Processing Agreement:https://aws.amazon.com/compliance/gdpr-center/; Standard Contractual Clauses (Safeguarding the level of data protection when processing data in third countries): Inclusion in the Data Processing Agreement.
  • Amazon CloudFront: Content-Delivery-Network (CDN) - service with whose help contents of our online services, in particular large media files, such as graphics or scripts, can be delivered faster and more securely with the help of regionally distributed servers connected via the Internet; Legal Basis: Legitimate Interests (Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR); Standard Contractual Clauses (Safeguarding the level of data protection when processing data in third countries): Inclusion in the Data Processing Agreement; Data Processing Agreement: aws.amazon.com/compliance/gdpr-center/; Service provider: Amazon Web Services EMEA SARL, 38 avenue John F. Kennedy, 1855, Luxembourg; Website:https://aws.amazon.com/cloudfront/;Privacy Policy:https://aws.amazon.com/privacy/.
  • getproven: platform to search for and find high-quality service providers; Service provider: Proven Software Inc, located at 68 HARRIET ST, San Francisco, CA 94103, United States Legal Basis: Legitimate Interests (Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR);; Website:https://www.getproven.com/; Privacy Policy:https://www.getproven.com/privacy Standard Contractual Clauses (Safeguarding the level of data protection when processing data in third countries): Inclusion in the Data Processing Agreement.

Registration, Login and User Account

Users can create a user account. Within the scope of registration, the required mandatory information is communicated to the users and processed for the purposes of providing the user account on the basis of contractual fulfilment of obligations. The processed data includes in particular the login information (name, password and an e-mail address).

Within the scope of using our registration and login functions as well as the use of the user account, we store the IP address and the time of the respective user action. The storage is based on our legitimate interests, as well as the user's protection against misuse and other unauthorized use. This data will not be passed on to third parties unless it is necessary to pursue our claims or there is a legal obligation to do so.

Users may be informed by e-mail of information relevant to their user account, such as technical changes.

  • Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses); Contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers); Content data (e.g. text input, photographs, videos); Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time information, identification numbers, consent status).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of Processing: Provision of contractual services and customer support; Security measures; Managing and responding to inquiries; Provision of our online services and usability.
  • Legal Basis: Performance of a contract and prior requests (Article 6 (1) (b) GDPR); Legitimate Interests (Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR).

Further information on processing methods, procedures and services used:

  • Registration with a real name: Due to the nature of our community, we ask users to use our services only with their real names. This means that the use of pseudonyms is not permitted; Legal Basis: Performance of a contract and prior requests (Article 6 (1) (b) GDPR).
  • Users' profiles are public: Users' profiles are publicly visible and accessible; Legal Basis: Performance of a contract and prior requests (Article 6 (1) (b) GDPR).
  • No obligation to retain data: It is the responsibility of the users to secure their data before the end of the contract in the event of termination. We are entitled to irretrievably delete all user data stored during the term of the contract; Legal Basis:Performance of a contract and prior requests (Article 6 (1) (b) GDPR).

Contact and Inquiry Management

When contacting us (e.g. via mail, contact form, e-mail, telephone or via social media) as well as in the context of existing user and business relationships, the information of the inquiring persons is processed to the extent necessary to respond to the contact requests and any requested measures.

  • Processed data types: Contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers); Content data (e.g. text input, photographs, videos); Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time information, identification numbers, consent status).
  • Data subjects: Communication partner (Recipients of e-mails, letters, etc.).
  • Purposes of Processing: Contact requests and communication; Managing and responding to inquiries; Feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form); Provision of our online services and usability.
  • Legal Basis: Legitimate Interests (Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR); Performance of a contract and prior requests (Article 6 (1) (b) GDPR).

Further information on processing methods, procedures and services used:

 

Commercial communication by E-Mail, Postal Mail, Fax or Telephone

We process personal data for the purposes of promotional communication, which may be carried out via various channels, such as e-mail, telephone, post or fax, in accordance with the legal requirements.

The recipients have the right to withdraw their consent at any time or to object to the advertising communication at any time.

After revocation or objection, we store the data required to prove the past authorization to contact or send up to three years from the end of the year of revocation or objection on the basis of our legitimate interests. The processing of this data is limited to the purpose of a possible defense against claims. Based on the legitimate interest to permanently observe the revocation, respectively objection of the users, we further store the data necessary to avoid a renewed contact (e.g. depending on the communication channel, the e-mail address, telephone number, name).

  • Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses); Contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers).
  • Data subjects: Communication partner (Recipients of e-mails, letters, etc.).
  • Purposes of Processing: Direct marketing (e.g. by e-mail or postal).
  • Legal Basis: Consent (Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR); Legitimate Interests (Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR).

Web Analysis, Monitoring and Optimization

Web analysis is used to evaluate the visitor traffic on our website and may include the behaviour, interests or demographic information of users, such as age or gender, as pseudonymous values. With the help of web analysis we can e.g. recognize, at which time our online services or their functions or contents are most frequently used or requested for repeatedly, as well as which areas require optimization.

In addition to web analysis, we can also use test procedures, e.g. to test and optimize different versions of our online services or their components.

Unless otherwise stated below, profiles, i.e. data aggregated for a usage process, can be created for these purposes and information can be stored in a browser or in a terminal device and read from it. The information collected includes, in particular, websites visited and elements used there as well as technical information such as the browser used, the computer system used and information on usage times. If users have agreed to the collection of their location data from us or from the providers of the services we use, location data may also be processed.

Unless otherwise stated below, profiles, that is data summarized for a usage process or user, may be created for these purposes and stored in a browser or terminal device (so-called "cookies") or similar processes may be used for the same purpose. The information collected includes, in particular, websites visited and elements used there as well as technical information such as the browser used, the computer system used and information on usage times. If users have consented to the collection of their location data or profiles to us or to the providers of the services we use, these may also be processed, depending on the provider.

The IP addresses of the users are also stored. However, we use any existing IP masking procedure (i.e. pseudonymisation by shortening the IP address) to protect the user. In general, within the framework of web analysis, A/B testing and optimisation, no user data (such as e-mail addresses or names) is stored, but pseudonyms. This means that we, as well as the providers of the software used, do not know the actual identity of the users, but only the information stored in their profiles for the purposes of the respective processes.

  • Processed data types: Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time information, identification numbers, consent status).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of Processing: Web Analytics (e.g. access statistics, recognition of returning visitors); Profiles with user-related information (Creating user profiles); Targeting (e.g. profiling based on interests and behaviour, use of cookies); Provision of our online services and usability.
  • Security measures: IP Masking (Pseudonymization of the IP address).
  • Legal Basis: Consent (Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR).

Further information on processing methods, procedures and services used:

  • Matomo: Matomo is software that is used for the purposes of web analysis and reach measurement. As part of the use of Matomo, cookies are generated and stored on the user's terminal device. User data collected through the use of Matomo is processed only by us and is not shared with third parties. The cookies are stored for a maximum period of 13 months: https://matomo.org/faq/general/faq_146/; Legal Basis: Consent (Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR); Retention period: The cookies have a maximum storage period of 13 months.
  • Leadfeeder: We use Leadfeeder as a tool to generate commercial leads, i.e. recognition of company visits to our website, as potential interested parties of our services or information. Only IP addresses of companies or business persons are processed for these purposes; the IP addresses are also processed pseudonymously, shortened by the last two digits; Service provider: Liidio Oy, Mikonkatu 17 C, Helsinki 00100, Finland; Legal Basis:Consent (Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR); Website: https://www.leadfeeder.com; Privacy Policy:https://www.leadfeeder.com/privacy; further information on Leadfeeder and compatibility with the General Data Protection Regulation: https://www.leadfeeder.com/leadfeeder-and-gdpr/ .

 

Plugins and embedded functions and content

 

Within our online services, we integrate functional and content elements that are obtained from the servers of their respective providers (hereinafter referred to as "third-party providers"). These may, for example, be graphics, videos or city maps (hereinafter uniformly referred to as "Content").

The integration always presupposes that the third-party providers of this content process the IP address of the user, since they could not send the content to their browser without the IP address. The IP address is therefore required for the presentation of these contents or functions. We strive to use only those contents, whose respective offerers use the IP address only for the distribution of the contents. Third parties 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 information such as visitor traffic on the pages of this website. The pseudonymous information may also be stored in cookies on the user's device and may include technical information about the browser and operating system, referring websites, visit times and other information about the use of our website, as well as may be linked to such information from other sources.

  • Processed data types: Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time information, identification numbers, consent status).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of Processing: Provision of our online services and usability; Security measures.
  • Legal Basis: Legitimate Interests (Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR).

Further information on processing methods, procedures and services used:

  • Friendly Captcha: Friendly Captcha is used to verify whether the data entered on our website (e.g. on a login page or contact form) was entered by a human or an automated program. For this purpose, Friendly Captcha analyzes the behavior of the visitor to the website or mobile app based on various characteristics. This analysis starts automatically as soon as the website or mobile app visitor enters a part of the website or app with Friendly Captcha enabled and give his consent. For the analysis, Friendly Captcha evaluates various information (browser details, URL from which a user comes (referrer), information whether user has solved a puzzle created by us, with conversion to a numerical value, so-called hash value anonymized IP address). This data cannot be associated with specific websites or individuals. The data processing is based on our legitimate interest to protect our online offer from abusive automated crawling and spam; Service provider: Friendly Captcha GmbH, Am Anger 3-5, 82237 Woerthsee, Germany; Legal Basis: Consent (Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR); Website: https://friendlycaptcha.com/; Privacy Policy: https://friendlycaptcha.com/legal/privacy-end-users/; Data Processing Agreement: https://friendlycaptcha.com/legal/.

 

 

Management, Organization and Utilities

We use services, platforms and software from other providers (hereinafter referred to as " third-party providers") for the purposes of organizing, administering, planning and providing our services. When selecting third-party providers and their services, we comply with the legal requirements.

Within this context, personal data may be processed and stored on the servers of third-party providers. This may include various data that we process in accordance with this privacy policy. This data may include in particular master data and contact data of users, data on processes, contracts, other processes and their contents.

If users are referred to the third-party providers or their software or platforms in the context of communication, business or other relationships with us, the third-party provider processing may process usage data and metadata that can be processed by them for security purposes, service optimisation or marketing purposes. We therefore ask you to read the data protection notices of the respective third party providers.

  • Processed data types: Content data (e.g. text input, photographs, videos); Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time information, identification numbers, consent status).
  • Data subjects: Communication partner (Recipients of e-mails, letters, etc.); Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of Processing: Provision of contractual services and customer support; Office and organisational procedures.
  • Legal Basis: Legitimate Interests (Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR); Performance of a contract and prior requests (Article 6 (1) (b) GDPR).

Changes and Updates to the Privacy Policy

We kindly ask you to inform yourself regularly about the contents of our data protection declaration. We will adjust the privacy policy as changes in our data processing practices make this necessary. We will inform you as soon as the changes require your cooperation (e.g. consent) or other individual notification.

If we provide addresses and contact information of companies and organizations in this privacy policy, we ask you to note that addresses may change over time and to verify the information before contacting us.

Rights of Data Subjects

As data subject, you are entitled to various rights under the GDPR, which arise in particular from Articles 15 to 21 of the GDPR:

  • Right to Object: You have the right, on grounds arising from your particular situation, to object at any time to the processing of your personal data which is based on letter (e) or (f) of Article 6(1) GDPR, including profiling based on those provisions. Where personal data are processed for direct marketing purposes, you have the right to object at any time to the processing of the personal data concerning you for the purpose of such marketing, which includes profiling to the extent that it is related to such direct marketing.
  • Right of withdrawal for consents: You have the right to revoke consents at any time.
  • Right of access: You have the right to request confirmation as to whether the data in question will be processed and to be informed of this data and to receive further information and a copy of the data in accordance with the provisions of the law.
  • Right to rectification: You have the right, in accordance with the law, to request the completion of the data concerning you or the rectification of the incorrect data concerning you.
  • Right to Erasure and Right to Restriction of Processing: In accordance with the statutory provisions, you have the right to demand that the relevant data be erased immediately or, alternatively, to demand that the processing of the data be restricted in accordance with the statutory provisions.
  • Right to data portability: You have the right to receive data concerning you which you have provided to us in a structured, common and machine-readable format in accordance with the legal requirements, or to request its transmission to another controller.
  • Complaint to the supervisory authority: Without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, you shall have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of his or her habitual residence, place of work or place of the alleged infringement if you consider that the processing of personal data relating to you infringes the GDPR.

Supervisory authority competent for us:

e.g.  Landesbeauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit Nordrhein-Westfalen Kavalleriestr. 2-4 40213 Düsseldorf Telefon: 0211/38424-0 Fax: 0211/38424-10 E-Mail: poststelle@ldi.nrw.de

Overview of Supervisory authorities:  https://www.bfdi.bund.de/DE/Service/Anschriften/anschriften_node.html

Terminology and Definitions

This section provides an overview of the terms used in this privacy policy. Many of the terms are drawn from the law and defined mainly in Article 4 GDPR. The legal definitions are binding. The following explanations, on the other hand, are intended above all for the purpose of comprehension. The terms are sorted alphabetically.

 

  • Controller: "Controller" means 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.
  • Personal Data: "personal data" means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person ("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 or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.
  • Processing: The term "processing" covers a wide range and practically every handling of data, be it collection, evaluation, storage, transmission or erasure.
  • Profiles with user-related information: The processing of "profiles with user-related information", or "profiles" for short, includes any kind of automated processing of personal data that consists of using these personal data to analyse, evaluate or predict certain personal aspects relating to a natural person (depending on the type of profiling, this may include different information concerning demographics, behaviour and interests, such as interaction with websites and their content, etc.) (e.g. interests in certain content or products, click behaviour on a website or location). Cookies and web beacons are often used for profiling purposes.
  • Targeting: "Tracking" is the term used when the behaviour of users can be traced across several websites. As a rule, behavior and interest information with regard to the websites used is stored in cookies or on the servers of the tracking technology providers (so-called profiling). This information can then be used, for example, to display advertisements to users presumably corresponding to their interests.
  • Web Analytics: Web Analytics serves the evaluation of visitor traffic of online services and can determine their behavior or interests in certain information, such as content of websites. With the help of web analytics, website owners, for example, can recognize at what time visitors visit their website and what content they are interested in. This allows them, for example, to optimize the content of the website to better meet the needs of their visitors. For purposes of web analytics, pseudonymous cookies and web beacons are frequently used in order to recognize returning visitors and thus obtain more precise analyses of the use of an online service.