DATA PROTECTION
1. DATA PROTECTION AT A GLANCE
GENERAL INFORMATION
The following information provides a simple overview of what happens to your personal data when you visit our website. Personal data is any data by which you can be personally identified. For more detailed information on data protection, please refer to our privacy policy listed below this text.
DATA COLLECTION ON OUR WEBSITE
Who is responsible for data collection on this website?
Data processing on this website is carried out by the website operator. You can find his contact details in the imprint of this website.
How do we collect your data?
On the one hand, your data is collected when you provide it to us. This may, for example, be data that you enter in a contact form.
Other data is collected automatically by our IT systems when you visit the website. This is mainly technical data (e.g. internet browser, operating system or time of page view). This data is collected automatically as soon as you enter our website.
What do we use your data for?
Part of the data is collected in order to ensure error-free provision of the website. Other data may be used to analyse your user behaviour.
What rights do you have regarding your data?
You have the right to receive information free of charge at any time about the origin, recipient and purpose of your stored personal data. You also have the right to demand the correction, blocking or deletion of this data. You can contact us at any time at the address given in the imprint for this purpose and for further questions on the subject of data protection. Furthermore, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.
ANALYSIS TOOLS AND TOOLS FROM THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS
When you visit our website, your surfing behaviour may be statistically analysed. This is done primarily with cookies and so-called analysis programs. The analysis of your surfing behaviour is usually anonymous; the surfing behaviour cannot be traced back to you. You can object to this analysis or prevent it by not using certain tools. You will find detailed information on this in the following data protection declaration.
You can object to this analysis. We will inform you about the objection options in this data protection declaration.
GENERAL NOTES AND OBLIGATORY INFORMATION
DATA PROTECTION
The operators of these pages take the protection of your personal data very seriously. We treat your personal data confidentially and in accordance with the statutory data protection regulations and this data protection declaration.
When you use this website, various personal data are collected. Personal data is data by which you can be personally identified. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect and how we use it. It also explains how and for what purpose this is done.
We would like to point out that data transmission on the Internet (e.g. when communicating by e-mail) can have security gaps. Complete protection of data against access by third parties is not possible.
NOTE ON THE RESPONSIBLE OFFICE
The responsible party for data processing on this website is:
identitätsverstärker GmbH
Stefan Müller
Bunzlauer Straße 2
50858 Cologne
T: +49 (0)221 292829 20
F: +49 (0)221 292532 22
E: ideas@identitaetsverstaerker.com
The controller is the natural or legal person who alone or jointly with others determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data (e.g. names, e-mail addresses, etc.).
REVOCATION OF YOUR CONSENT TO DATA PROCESSING
Many data processing operations are only possible with your express consent. You can revoke consent you have already given at any time. All you need to do is send us an informal e-mail. The legality of the data processing carried out until the revocation remains unaffected by the revocation.
RIGHT OF COMPLAINT TO THE COMPETENT SUPERVISORY AUTHORITY
In the event of violations of data protection law, the data subject has the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority. The competent supervisory authority in matters of data protection law is the state data protection commissioner of the federal state in which our company is based. A list of data protection officers and their contact details can be found at the following link: here.
RIGHT TO DATA PORTABILITY
You have the right to have data that we process automatically on the basis of your consent or in performance of a contract handed over to you or to a third party in a common, machine-readable format. If you request the direct transfer of the data to another controller, this will only be done insofar as it is technically feasible.
SSL OR TLS ENCRYPTION
For security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential content, such as orders or enquiries that you send to us as the site operator, this site uses SSL or TLS encryption. You can recognise an encrypted connection by the fact that the address line of the browser changes from “http://” to “https://” and by the lock symbol in your browser line.
If SSL or TLS encryption is activated, the data you transmit to us cannot be read by third parties.
INFORMATION, BLOCKING, DELETION
Within the framework of the applicable legal provisions, you have the right at any time to free information about your stored personal data, its origin and recipient and the purpose of the data processing and, if applicable, a right to correction, blocking or deletion of this data. You can contact us at any time at the address given in the imprint for this purpose and for further questions on the subject of personal data.
OBJECTION TO ADVERTISING E-MAILS
We hereby object to the use of contact data published within the framework of the imprint obligation for the purpose of sending advertising and information material that has not been expressly requested. The operators of the pages expressly reserve the right to take legal action in the event of the unsolicited sending of advertising information, for example by spam e-mails.
DATA COLLECTION ON OUR WEBSITE
COOKIES
Some of the Internet pages use so-called cookies. Cookies do not cause any damage to your computer and do not contain viruses. Cookies serve to make our offer more user-friendly, effective and secure. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your computer and saved by your browser.
Most of the cookies we use are so-called “session cookies”. They are automatically deleted at the end of your visit. Other cookies remain stored on your terminal device until you delete them. These cookies enable us to recognise your browser on your next visit.
You can set your browser so that you are informed about the setting of cookies and only allow cookies in individual cases, exclude the acceptance of cookies for certain cases or generally and activate the automatic deletion of cookies when closing the browser. If you deactivate cookies, the functionality of this website may be limited.
Cookies that are required to carry out the electronic communication process or to provide certain functions that you have requested (e.g. shopping cart function) are stored on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DSGVO. The website operator has a legitimate interest in storing cookies for the technically error-free and optimised provision of its services. Insofar as other cookies (e.g. cookies to analyse your surfing behaviour) are stored, these are dealt with separately in this data protection declaration.
SERVER LOG FILES
The provider of the pages automatically collects and stores information in so-called server log files, which your browser automatically transmits to us. These are:
- Browser type and version
- Operating system used
- Referrer URL
- Host name of the accessing computer
- Time of the server request
- IP address
This data is not merged with other data sources.
The basis for data processing is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DSGVO, which permits the processing of data for the fulfilment of a contract or pre-contractual measures.
CONTACT FORM
If you send us enquiries via the contact form, your details from the enquiry form, including the contact data you have provided there, will be stored by us for the purpose of processing the enquiry and in the event of follow-up questions. We do not pass on this data without your consent.
The processing of the data entered in the contact form is therefore based exclusively on your consent (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a DSGVO). You can revoke this consent at any time. For this purpose, an informal communication by e-mail to us is sufficient. The legality of the data processing operations carried out until the revocation remains unaffected by the revocation.
The data you entered in the contact form will remain with us until you request us to delete it, revoke your consent to store it or the purpose for storing the data no longer applies (e.g. after we have completed processing your enquiry). Mandatory legal provisions – in particular retention periods – remain unaffected.
REGISTRATION ON THIS WEBSITE
You may register on our website to use additional features on the site. We will only use the data you enter for the purpose of using the particular offer or service for which you have registered. The mandatory information requested during registration must be provided in full. Otherwise we will reject the registration.
In the event of important changes, for example in the scope of the offer or in the event of technically necessary changes, we will use the e-mail address provided during registration to inform you in this way.
The processing of the data entered during registration is based on your consent (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a DSGVO). You can revoke your consent at any time. For this purpose, an informal communication by e-mail to us is sufficient. The legality of the data processing already carried out remains unaffected by the revocation.
The data collected during registration will be stored by us for as long as you are registered on our website and will then be deleted. Legal retention periods remain unaffected.
COMMENT FUNCTION ON THIS WEBSITE
For the comment function on this site, in addition to your comment, details of when the comment was created, your e-mail address and, if you do not post anonymously, the user name you have chosen will be stored.
Storage of the IP address
Our comment function stores the IP addresses of users who post comments. Since we do not check comments on our site before they are activated, we need this data in order to be able to take action against the author in the event of legal violations such as insults or propaganda.
Subscribing to comments
As a user of the site, you can subscribe to comments after registering. You will receive a confirmation email to verify that you are the owner of the email address provided. You can unsubscribe from this function at any time via a link in the info mails. In this case, the data entered in the context of subscribing to comments will be deleted; however, if you have transmitted this data to us for other purposes and at another point (e.g. newsletter order), it will remain with us.
Storage period of comments
The comments and the associated data (e.g. IP address) are stored and remain on our website until the commented content has been completely deleted or the comments have to be deleted for legal reasons (e.g. offensive comments).
Legal basis
The storage of comments is based on your consent (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a DSGVO). You can revoke your consent at any time. For this purpose, an informal communication by e-mail to us is sufficient. The legality of the data processing operations already carried out remains unaffected by the revocation.
PROCESSING OF DATA (CUSTOMER AND CONTRACT DATA)
We collect, process and use personal data only insofar as they are necessary for the establishment, content or amendment of the legal relationship (inventory data). This is done on the basis of Art. 6 (1) lit. b DSGVO, which permits the processing of data for the fulfilment of a contract or pre-contractual measures. We collect, process and use personal data about the use of our Internet pages (usage data) only insofar as this is necessary to enable the user to use the service or to bill the user.
The collected customer data is deleted after completion of the order or termination of the business relationship. Statutory retention periods remain unaffected.
DATA TRANSFER UPON CONCLUSION OF A CONTRACT FOR ONLINE SHOPS, MERCHANTS AND GOODS SHIPMENT
We transmit personal data to third parties only if this is necessary within the framework of the contract processing, for example to the companies entrusted with the delivery of the goods or to the credit institution entrusted with the payment processing. Further transmission of data does not take place or only if you have expressly consented to the transmission. Your data will not be passed on to third parties without your express consent, for example for advertising purposes.
The basis for data processing is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b DSGVO, which permits the processing of data for the fulfilment of a contract or pre-contractual measures.
TRANSFER OF DATA WHEN CONCLUDING A CONTRACT FOR SERVICES AND DIGITAL CONTENT
We only transmit personal data to third parties if this is necessary in the context of processing the contract, for example to the credit institution commissioned with processing payments.
No further transmission of data takes place or only if you have expressly consented to the transmission. Your data will not be passed on to third parties without your express consent, for example for advertising purposes.
The basis for data processing is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b DSGVO, which permits the processing of data for the fulfilment of a contract or pre-contractual measures.
ANALYSIS TOOLS AND ADVERTISING
GOOGLE ANALYTICS
This website uses functions of the web analysis service Google Analytics. The provider is Google Inc, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.
Google Analytics uses so-called “cookies”. These are text files that are stored on your computer and enable an analysis of your use of the website. The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website is usually transmitted to a Google server in the USA and stored there.
Google Analytics cookies are stored on the basis of Art. 6 (1) lit. f DSGVO. The website operator has a legitimate interest in analysing user behaviour in order to optimise both its website and its advertising.
IP anonymisation
We have activated the IP anonymisation function on this website. This means that your IP address is shortened by Google within member states of the European Union or in other states party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area before being transmitted to the USA. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be transmitted to a Google server in the USA and shortened there. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage to the website operator. The IP address transmitted by your browser as part of Google Analytics will not be merged with other Google data.
Browser Plugin
You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website. In addition, you can prevent the collection of data generated by the cookie and related to your use of the website (including your IP address) by Google, as well as the processing of this data by Google, by downloading and installing the browser plugin available at the following link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de.
Objection to data collection
SYou can prevent the collection of your data by Google Analytics by clicking on the following link. An opt-out cookie will be set, which will prevent the collection of your data during future visits to this website: Deactivate Google Analytics.
For more information on how Google Analytics handles user data, please see Google’s privacy policy:
https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=de.
Order data processing
We have concluded an order data processing agreement with Google and fully implement the strict requirements of the German data protection authorities when using Google Analytics.
Demographic characteristics with Google Analytics
This website uses the “demographic characteristics” function of Google Analytics. This allows reports to be generated that contain statements about the age, gender and interests of site visitors. This data comes from interest-based advertising from Google as well as visitor data from third-party providers. This data cannot be assigned to a specific person. You can deactivate this function at any time via the ad settings in your Google account or generally prohibit the collection of your data by Google Analytics as shown in the item “Objection to data collection”.
Google AdSense
This website uses Google AdSense, a service for integrating advertisements from Google Inc (“Google”). The provider is Google Inc, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.
Google AdSense uses “cookies”, which are text files placed on your computer, to help the website analyse how users use the site. Google AdSense also uses so-called web beacons (invisible graphics). Through these web beacons, information such as visitor traffic on these pages can be analysed.
The information generated by cookies and web beacons about the use of this website (including your IP address) and delivery of advertising formats will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. This information may be passed on by Google to contractual partners of Google. However, Google will not merge your IP address with other data stored by you.
The storage of AdSense cookies is based on Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DSGVO. The website operator has a legitimate interest in analysing user behaviour in order to optimise both its web offering and its advertising.
You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website. By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.
GOOGLE ANALYTICS REMARKETING
Our websites use the functions of Google Analytics Remarketing in conjunction with the cross-device functions of Google AdWords and Google DoubleClick. The provider is Google Inc, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.
This function makes it possible to link the advertising target groups created with Google Analytics Remarketing with the cross-device functions of Google AdWords and Google DoubleClick. In this way, interest-based, personalised advertising messages that have been adapted to you depending on your previous usage and surfing behaviour on one end device (e.g. mobile phone) can also be displayed on another of your end devices (e.g. tablet or PC).
If you have given your consent, Google will link your web and app browsing history to your Google account for this purpose. In this way, the same personalised advertising messages can be displayed on every device on which you log in with your Google account.
To support this feature, Google Analytics collects Google-authenticated IDs of users, which are temporarily linked to our Google Analytics data to define and create audiences for cross-device ad targeting.
You can permanently object to cross-device remarketing/targeting by deactivating personalised advertising in your Google account; follow this link: https://www.google.com/settings/ads/onweb/.
The aggregation of the collected data in your Google account is based solely on your consent, which you can give or withdraw at Google (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a DSGVO). In the case of data collection processes that are not merged in your Google account (e.g. because you do not have a Google account or have objected to the merging), the collection of data is based on Art. 6 (1) lit. f DSGVO. The legitimate interest results from the fact that the website operator has an interest in the anonymised analysis of website visitors for advertising purposes.
Further information and the data protection provisions can be found in Google’s data protection declaration at
GOOGLE ADWORDS AND GOOGLE CONVERSION TRACKING
This website uses Google AdWords. AdWords is an online advertising programme of Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States (“Google”).
Within the framework of Google AdWords, we use so-called conversion tracking. When you click on an ad placed by Google, a cookie is set for conversion tracking. Cookies are small text files that the internet browser stores on the user’s computer. These cookies lose their validity after 30 days and are not used to personally identify the user. If the user visits certain pages of this website and the cookie has not yet expired, Google and we will be able to recognise that the user clicked on the ad and was redirected to this page.
Each Google AdWords customer receives a different cookie. The cookies cannot be tracked across AdWords customers’ websites. The information obtained using the conversion cookie is used to create conversion statistics for AdWords customers who have opted in to conversion tracking. The customers learn the total number of users who clicked on their ad and were redirected to a page tagged with a conversion tracking tag. However, they do not receive any information that can be used to personally identify users. If you do not wish to participate in the tracking, you can object to this use by easily deactivating the Google conversion tracking cookie via your internet browser under user settings. You will then not be included in the conversion tracking statistics.
The storage of “conversion cookies” is based on Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DSGVO. The website operator has a legitimate interest in analysing user behaviour in order to optimise both its website and its advertising.
More information on Google AdWords and Google conversion tracking can be found in Google’s privacy policy: https://www.google.de/policies/privacy/.
You can set your browser so that you are informed about the setting of cookies and only allow cookies in individual cases, exclude the acceptance of cookies for certain cases or in general and activate the automatic deletion of cookies when closing the browser. If you deactivate cookies, the functionality of this website may be limited.
Google reCAPTCHA
We use “Google reCAPTCHA” (hereinafter “reCAPTCHA”) on our websites. The provider is Google Inc, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA (“Google”).
The purpose of reCAPTCHA is to check whether data entry on our websites (e.g. in a contact form) is made by a human or by an automated programme. For this purpose, reCAPTCHA analyses the behaviour of the website visitor on the basis of various characteristics. This analysis begins automatically as soon as the website visitor enters the website. For the analysis, reCAPTCHA evaluates various information (e.g. IP address, time spent by the website visitor on the website or mouse movements made by the user). The data collected during the analysis is forwarded to Google.
The reCAPTCHA analyses run entirely in the background. Website visitors are not informed that an analysis is taking place.
The data processing is based on Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DSGVO. The website operator has a legitimate interest in protecting its web offers from abusive automated spying and from SPAM.
For more information on Google reCAPTCHA and Google’s privacy policy, please see the following links: https://www.google.com/intl/de/policies/privacy/ and https://www.google.com/recaptcha/intro/android.html.
Facebook Pixel
Our website uses the visitor action pixel from Facebook, Facebook Inc, 1601 S. California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA (“Facebook”) for conversion measurement.
This makes it possible to track the behaviour of page visitors after they have been redirected to the provider’s website by clicking on a Facebook ad. This allows the effectiveness of the Facebook ads to be evaluated for statistical and market research purposes and future advertising measures to be optimised.
The data collected is anonymous for us as the operator of this website, we cannot draw any conclusions about the identity of the users. However, the data is stored and processed by Facebook so that a connection to the respective user profile is possible and Facebook can use the data for its own advertising purposes in accordance with the Facebook data usage policy. This allows Facebook to serve advertisements on Facebook pages and outside of Facebook. This use of data cannot be influenced by us as the site operator.
5. NEWSLETTER
NEWSLETTER DATA
If you would like to receive the newsletter offered on the website, we require an e-mail address from you as well as information that allows us to verify that you are the owner of the e-mail address provided and that you agree to receive the newsletter. Further data will not be collected or will only be collected on a voluntary basis. We use this data exclusively for sending the requested information and do not pass it on to third parties.
The processing of the data entered in the newsletter registration form is based exclusively on your consent (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a DSGVO). You can revoke your consent to the storage of the data, the e-mail address and their use for sending the newsletter at any time, for example via the “unsubscribe” link in the newsletter. The legality of the data processing operations already carried out remains unaffected by the revocation.
The data you provide for the purpose of receiving the newsletter will be stored by us until you unsubscribe from the newsletter and will be deleted after you unsubscribe from the newsletter. Data stored by us for other purposes (e.g. e-mail addresses for the members’ area) remain unaffected by this.
MailChimp
This website uses the services of MailChimp for sending newsletters. The provider is Rocket Science Group LLC, 675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Suite 5000, Atlanta, GA 30308, USA.
MailChimp is a service with which, among other things, the sending of newsletters can be organised and analysed. When you enter data for the purpose of receiving newsletters (e.g. email address), this data is stored on MailChimp’s servers in the USA.
MailChimp has a certification according to the “EU-US Privacy Shield”. The “Privacy Shield” is an agreement between the European Union (EU) and the USA, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards in the USA.
With the help of MailChimp, we can analyse our newsletter campaigns. When you open an email sent with MailChimp, a file contained in the email (so-called web-beacon) connects to MailChimp’s servers in the USA. This makes it possible to determine whether a newsletter message has been opened and which links, if any, have been clicked on. In addition, technical information is recorded (e.g. time of retrieval, IP address, browser type and operating system). This information cannot be assigned to the respective newsletter recipient. It is used exclusively for the statistical analysis of newsletter campaigns. The results of these analyses can be used to better adapt future newsletters to the interests of the recipients.
If you do not want any analysis by MailChimp, you must unsubscribe from the newsletter. For this purpose, we provide a corresponding link in every newsletter message. Furthermore, you can also unsubscribe directly on the website.
The data processing is based on your consent (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a DSGVO). You can revoke this consent at any time by unsubscribing from the newsletter. The legality of the data processing operations already carried out remains unaffected by the revocation.
The data you provide for the purpose of receiving the newsletter will be stored by us until you unsubscribe from the newsletter and will be deleted from our servers as well as from the servers of MailChimp after you unsubscribe from the newsletter. Data stored by us for other purposes (e.g. email addresses for the member area) remain unaffected by this.
For more details, please refer to the data protection provisions of MailChimp at: https://mailchimp.com/legal/terms/.
Conclusion of a data processing agreement
We have concluded a so-called “data processing agreement” with MailChimp, in which we oblige MailChimp to protect our customers’ data and not to pass it on to third parties. This agreement can be viewed at the following link: https://mailchimp.com/legal/forms/data-processing-agreement/sample-agreement/.
6. Plugins und Tools
Google Web Fonts
This site uses so-called web fonts provided by Google for the uniform display of fonts. When you call up a page, your browser loads the required web fonts into its browser cache in order to display texts and fonts correctly.
For this purpose, the browser you use must connect to Google’s servers. This informs Google that our website has been accessed via your IP address. Google Web Fonts are used in the interest of a uniform and appealing presentation of our online offers. This represents a legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f DSGVO.
If your browser does not support web fonts, a standard font from your computer will be used.
Further information on Google Web Fonts can be found at https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq and in Google’s privacy policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/.
Google Maps
This site uses the map service Google Maps via an API. The provider is Google Inc, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.
To use the functions of Google Maps, it is necessary to store your IP address. This information is usually transferred to a Google server in the USA and stored there. The provider of this site has no influence on this data transmission.
Google Maps is used in the interest of an appealing presentation of our online offers and to make it easy to find the places we indicate on the website. This constitutes a legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f DSGVO.
More information on the handling of user data can be found in Google’s privacy policy: https://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy/.