Privacy policy

Preamble

With the following privacy policy, we would like to explain to you what types of your personal data (hereinafter also referred to as "data") we process, for what purposes and to what extent. The privacy policy applies to all processing of personal data carried out by us, both in the context of the provision of 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 offer").

The terms used are not gender-specific.

As of: 7. April 2024

Overview

Person responsible

Nico Weber
Fallerweg 7
54516 Wittlich
Germany

E-mail address: nico.weber01@everbuild.org Imprint: https://everbuild.org/imprint

Overview of processing

The following overview summarizes the types of data processed and the purposes of their processing and refers to the data subjects.

Types of data processed

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

Categories of data subjects

Customers.
Interested parties.
Communication partners.
Users.
Business and contractual partners.

Purposes of processing

Provision of contractual services and performance of contractual obligations.
Contact requests and communication.
Security measures.
Reach measurement.
Office and organizational procedures.
Conversion measurement.
Affiliate tracking.
Managing and responding to inquiries.
Feedback.
Marketing.
Profiles with user-related information.
Subscription process.
Providing our online offer and user-friendliness.
Information technology infrastructure.

Applicable legal bases

Applicable legal bases under the GDPR: The following is an overview of the legal bases 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. Should more specific legal bases also apply in individual cases, we will inform you of these in the privacy policy.

Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR) - The data subject has given their consent to the processing of their personal data for one or more specific purposes.
Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR) - Processing is necessary for the 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.
Legal obligation (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. c) GDPR) - Processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject.
Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. 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.

National data protection regulations in Germany: In addition to the data protection regulations of the GDPR, national data protection regulations apply in Germany. These include, in particular, the Act on the Protection against Misuse of Personal Data in Data Processing (Federal Data Protection Act - BDSG). In particular, the BDSG contains special regulations on the right to information, the right to erasure, the right to object, the processing of special categories of personal data, processing for other purposes and transmission as well as automated decision-making in individual cases, including profiling. The data protection laws of the individual federal states may also apply.

Note on the applicability of the GDPR and Swiss FADP: This data protection notice serves to provide information in accordance with both the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). For this reason, please note that the terms of the GDPR are used due to the broader geographical application and comprehensibility. In particular, instead of the terms "processing" of "personal data", "overriding interest" and "sensitive personal data" used in the Swiss DPA, the terms "processing" of "personal data", "legitimate interest" and "special categories of data" used in the GDPR are used. However, the legal meaning of the terms will continue to be determined in accordance with the Swiss DPA within the scope of application of the Swiss DPA.

Security measures

We take appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk, 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 accordance with legal requirements.

The measures include, in particular, ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data by controlling physical and electronic access to the data as well as the access, input, disclosure, safeguarding of availability and separation of the data. Furthermore, we have established procedures that ensure the exercise of data subject rights, the deletion of data and responses to data threats. Furthermore, we already take the protection of personal data into account when developing or selecting hardware, software and processes in accordance with the principle of data protection, through technology design and data protection-friendly default settings.

Securing online connections using TLS/SSL encryption technology (HTTPS): To protect user data transmitted via our online services from unauthorized access, we use TLS/SSL encryption technology. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) are the cornerstones of secure data transmission on the Internet. These technologies encrypt the information transmitted between the website or app and the user's browser (or between two servers), protecting the data from unauthorized access. TLS, as the more advanced and secure version of SSL, ensures that all data transmissions meet the highest security standards. If a website is secured by an SSL/TLS certificate, this is signaled by the display of HTTPS in the URL. This serves as an indicator to users that their data is being transmitted securely and encrypted.

Transfer of personal data

When we process personal data, it may be transferred to other bodies, companies, legally independent organizational units or persons or disclosed to them. The recipients of this data may include, for example, service providers commissioned with IT tasks or providers of services and content that are integrated into a website. In such cases, we observe the legal requirements and, in particular, conclude corresponding contracts or agreements with the recipients of your data that serve to protect your data.

International data transfers

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 the disclosure or transfer of data to other persons, bodies or companies, this only takes place in accordance with the legal requirements. If the level of data protection in the third country has been recognized by means of an adequacy decision (Art. 45 GDPR), this serves as the basis for the data transfer. Otherwise, data will only be transferred if the level of data protection is otherwise ensured, in particular through standard contractual clauses (Art. 46 para. 2 lit. c) GDPR), express consent or in the case of contractual or legally required transfer (Art. 49 para. 1 GDPR). In addition, we will inform you of the basis for third country transfers with the individual providers from the third country, whereby the adequacy decisions take precedence. Information on third country transfers and existing adequacy decisions can be found in the information provided by the EU Commission: https://commission.europa.eu/law/law-topic/data-protection/international-dimension-data-protection_en?prefLang=de.

EU-US Trans-Atlantic Data Privacy Framework: As part of the so-called "Data Privacy Framework" (DPF), the EU Commission has also recognized the level of data protection for certain companies from the USA as secure as part of the adequacy decision of 10.07.2023. The list of certified companies and further information on the DPF can be found on the website of the US Department of Commerce at https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/. As part of the data protection information, we will inform you which service providers we use are certified under the Data Privacy Framework.

Rights of data subjects

Rights of data subjects under the GDPR: As a data subject, you have various rights under the GDPR, which arise in particular from Articles 15 to 21 GDPR:

Right to object: You have the right to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, at any time to processing of personal data concerning you which is based on point (e) or (f) of Article 6(1) GDPR, including profiling based on those provisions. If the personal data concerning you are processed for direct marketing purposes, you have the right to object at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you for such marketing, which includes profiling to the extent that it is related to such direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent: You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
Right of access: You have the right to obtain confirmation as to whether or not data in question is being processed and access to this data as well as further information and a copy of the data in accordance with the statutory provisions.
Right to rectification: You have the right to request the completion of data concerning you or the rectification of inaccurate data concerning you in accordance with the statutory provisions.
Right to erasure and restriction of processing: In accordance with the legal requirements, you have the right to request that data concerning you be erased immediately or, alternatively, to request that the processing of the data be restricted in accordance with the legal requirements.
Right to data portability: You have the right to receive data concerning you that you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format in accordance with the legal requirements or to request that it be transmitted to another controller.
Complaint to supervisory authority: Without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your 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 provisions of the GDPR.

Business services

We process data of our contractual and business partners, e.g. customers and interested parties (collectively referred to as "contractual partners"), in the context of contractual and comparable legal relationships and related measures and with regard to communication with the contractual partners (or pre-contractual), for example to respond to inquiries.

We use this data to fulfill our contractual obligations. These include, in particular, the obligations to provide the agreed services, any updating obligations and remedies in the event of warranty and other service disruptions. In addition, we use the data to safeguard our rights and for the purpose of the administrative tasks associated with these obligations and the company organization. We also process the data on the basis of our legitimate interests both in the proper and efficient management of our business and in security measures to protect our contractual partners and our business operations from misuse, threats to their data, secrets, information and rights (e.g. to involve 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 pass on 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 other forms of processing, such as for marketing purposes, as part of this privacy policy.

We inform the contractual partners which data is required for the aforementioned purposes before or during data collection, e.g. in online forms, by special marking (e.g. colors) or symbols (e.g. asterisks or similar), or personally.

We delete the data after the expiry of statutory warranty and comparable obligations, i.e. generally after four years, unless the data is stored in a customer account, e.g. as long as it must be retained for legal archiving reasons (e.g. for tax purposes, generally ten years). We delete data disclosed to us by the contractual partner as part of an order in accordance with the specifications and generally after the end of the order.

Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history); contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers) postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); contract data (e.g. subject matter of the contract, duration, customer category); usage data (e.g. page views and length of stay, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved).
Persons concerned: Customers; interested parties. Business and contractual partners.
Purposes of Processing: Provision of contractual services and performance of contractual obligations; Security measures; Contact requests and communication; Office and organizational procedures; Managing and responding to inquiries; Conversion tracking (Measurement of the effectiveness of marketing activities). Profiles with user-related information (creation of user profiles).
Legal basis: Performance of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR); Legal obligation (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. c) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing processes, procedures and services:

Customer account: Customers can create an account within our online offering (e.g. customer or user account, "customer account" for short). If the registration of a customer account is required, customers will be informed of this as well as the information required for registration. Customer accounts are not public and cannot be indexed by search engines. As part of the registration process and subsequent logins and use of the customer account, we store the IP addresses of customers together with the access times in order to be able to prove registration and prevent any misuse of the customer account. If the customer account has been terminated, the customer account data will be deleted after the termination date, unless it is stored for purposes other than provision in the customer account or must be stored for legal reasons (e.g. internal storage of customer data, order processes or invoices). It is the customer's responsibility to back up their data when terminating their customer account; legal basis: performance of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).
Economic analyses and market research: For economic reasons and in order to identify market trends, the wishes of contractual partners and users, we analyze the data available to us on business transactions, contracts, inquiries, etc., The group of data subjects may include contractual partners, interested parties, customers, visitors and users of our online offering. The analyses are carried out for the purpose of business evaluations, marketing and market research (e.g. to determine customer groups with different characteristics). If available, we can take into account the profiles of registered users, including their details, e.g. on services used. The analyses serve us alone and are not disclosed externally, unless they are anonymous analyses with summarized, i.e. anonymized values. Furthermore, we take the privacy of users into account and process the data for analysis purposes as pseudonymously as possible and, if feasible, anonymously (e.g. as summarized data); Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
Online store, order forms, e-commerce and delivery: We process the data of our customers to enable them to select, purchase or order the selected products, goods and associated services, as well as their payment and delivery or execution. If necessary for the execution of an order, we use service providers, in particular postal, forwarding and shipping companies, to carry out the delivery or execution for our customers. We use the services of banks and payment service providers to process payment transactions. The required information is marked as such in the order or comparable purchase process and includes the information required for delivery or provision and billing as well as contact information in order to be able to hold any consultation; Legal basis: Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).
Provision of software and platform services: We process the data of our users, registered users and any test users (hereinafter uniformly referred to as "users") in order to be able to provide them with our contractual services and on the basis of legitimate interests in order to ensure the security of our offer and to be able to develop it further. The required information is identified as such in the context of the conclusion of the contract, order or comparable contract and includes the information required for the provision of services and billing as well as contact information in order to be able to hold any consultations; legal basis: contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Payment procedures

In the context of contractual and other legal relationships, due to legal obligations or otherwise on the basis of our legitimate interests, we offer the data subjects efficient and secure payment options and use other service providers in addition to banks and credit institutions (collectively "payment service providers") for this purpose.

The data processed by the payment service providers includes inventory data, such as the name and address, bank data, such as account numbers or credit card numbers, passwords, TANs and checksums, as well as contract, total and recipient-related information. The information is required to carry out the transactions. However, the data entered is only processed by the payment service providers and stored by them. This means that we do not receive any account or credit card-related information, but only information with confirmation or negative information about the payment. Under certain circumstances, the data may be transmitted by the payment service providers to credit agencies. The purpose of this transmission is to check identity and creditworthiness. Please refer to the payment service provider's terms and conditions and privacy policy for more information.

The terms and conditions and data protection notices of the respective payment service providers, which are available on the respective websites or transaction applications, apply to payment transactions. We also refer to these for further information and the assertion of rights of revocation, information and other rights of data subjects.

Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history); contract data (e.g. subject matter of the contract, duration, customer category); usage data (e.g. page views and length of stay, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved).
Persons concerned: Customers. Interested parties.
Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations.
Legal basis: Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

Stripe: Payment services (technical connection of online payment methods); Service provider: Stripe, Inc, 510 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA; Legal basis: Performance of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR); Website: https://stripe.com; Privacy Policy: https://stripe.com/de/privacy. Basic third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).

Provision of online services and web hosting

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

Types of data processed: Usage data (e.g. page views and length of stay, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions); meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved). Content data (e.g. text or image messages and contributions and the information relating to them, such as information on authorship or time of creation).
Persons concerned: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
Purposes of processing: Provision of our online services and user-friendliness; Information technology infrastructure (operation and provision of information systems and technical devices (computers, servers, etc.)). Security measures.
Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

Provision of online offer on rented storage space: For the provision of our online offer, we use storage space, computing capacity and software that we rent or otherwise obtain from a corresponding server provider (also called "web host"); Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
Provision of online offer on own/ dedicated server hardware: For the provision of our online offer we use server hardware operated by us as well as the associated storage space, computing capacity and software; legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
Collection of access data and log files: Access to our online offering is logged in the form of so-called "server log files". The server log files may include the address and name of the web pages and files accessed, the date and time of access, the amount of data transferred, notification of successful access, browser type and version, the user's operating system, referrer URL (the previously visited page) and, as a rule, IP addresses and the requesting provider. The server log files may be used for security purposes, e.g. to avoid overloading the servers (especially in the event of abusive attacks, so-called DDoS attacks) and to ensure the utilization of the servers and their stability; legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR). Deletion of data: Log file information is stored for a maximum of 30 days and then deleted or anonymized. Data whose further storage is required for evidentiary purposes is excluded from deletion until the respective incident has been finally clarified.
E-mail dispatch and hosting: The web hosting services we use also include the dispatch, receipt and storage of e-mails. For these purposes, the addresses of the recipients and senders as well as other information relating to the sending of emails (e.g. the providers involved) and the content of the respective emails are processed. The aforementioned data may also be processed for the purpose of detecting SPAM. Please note that e-mails on the Internet are generally not sent in encrypted form. As a rule, emails are encrypted in transit, but not on the servers from which they are sent and received (unless an end-to-end encryption method is used). We can therefore assume no responsibility for the transmission path of the emails between the sender and receipt on our server; legal basis: legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
Content Delivery Network: We use a "Content Delivery Network" (CDN). A CDN is a service with the help of which the content of an online offer, in particular large media files such as graphics or program scripts, can be delivered faster and more securely with the help of regionally distributed servers connected via the Internet; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Use of cookies

Cookies are small text files or other storage notes that store information on end devices and read it from them. For example, to store the log-in status in a user account, the contents of a shopping cart in an e-shop, the content accessed or the functions used in an online offering. Cookies can also be used for various purposes, such as the functionality, security and convenience of online services and the creation of visitor flow analyses.

Notes on consent: We use cookies in accordance with the statutory provisions. We therefore obtain prior consent from users, unless this is not required by law. In particular, consent is not required if the storage and reading of information, including cookies, is absolutely necessary in order to provide users with a telemedia service they have expressly requested (i.e. our online offering). The revocable consent is clearly communicated to them and contains the information on the respective use of cookies.

Notes on legal bases under data protection law: The legal basis under data protection law on which we process users' personal data using cookies depends on whether we ask for their consent. If the users accept, the legal basis for the processing of their data is the consent given. Otherwise, the data processed using cookies is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (e.g. in the commercial operation of our online offering and the 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. We explain the purposes for which we use cookies in the course of this privacy policy or as part of our consent and processing procedures.

Storage period: A distinction is made between the following types of cookies with regard to the storage period:

Temporary cookies (also: session cookies): Temporary cookies are deleted at the latest after a user has left an online service and closed their end device (e.g. browser or mobile application).
Permanent cookies: Permanent cookies remain stored even after the end device has been closed. For example, the log-in status can be saved and preferred content can be displayed directly when the user visits a website again. The user data collected with the help of cookies can also be used to measure reach. If we do not provide users with explicit information on the type and storage duration of cookies (e.g. when obtaining consent), they should assume that they are permanent and that the storage duration can be up to two years.

General information on revocation and objection (opt-out): Users can revoke the consents they have given at any time and also declare an objection to the processing in accordance with the legal requirements, including by means of the privacy settings of their browser.

Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR). Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR).

Further information on processing processes, procedures and services:

Processing of cookie data on the basis of consent: We use a consent management solution in which the consent of users to the use of cookies or to the procedures and providers mentioned in the consent management solution is obtained. This procedure is used to obtain, log, manage and revoke consent, in particular with regard to the use of cookies and comparable technologies that are used to store, read and process information on users' end devices. As part of this procedure, user consent is obtained for the use of cookies and the associated processing of information, including the specific processing and providers mentioned in the consent management procedure. Users also have the option of managing and revoking their consent. The declarations of consent are stored in order to avoid repeated queries and to be able to provide proof of consent in accordance with legal requirements. The storage takes place on the server side and/or in a cookie (so-called opt-in cookie) or by means of comparable technologies in order to be able to assign the consent to a specific user or their device. If no specific information on the providers of consent management services is available, the following general information applies: Consent is stored for up to two years. A pseudonymous user identifier is created, which is stored together with the time of consent, information on the scope of consent (e.g. relevant categories of cookies and/or service providers) and information on the browser, system and device used; legal basis: consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR).

Registration, login and user account

Users can create a user account. As part of the registration process, users are provided with the required mandatory information and processed for the purposes of providing the user account on the basis of contractual obligations. The processed data includes in particular the login information (user name, password and an email address).

We store the IP address and the time of the respective user action as part of the use of our registration and login functions and the use of the user account. The storage is based on our legitimate interests as well as those of the users in protection against misuse and other unauthorized use. This data is not passed on to third parties unless it is necessary to pursue our claims or there is a legal obligation to do so.

Users can be informed by email about processes that are relevant to their user account, such as technical changes.

Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); Contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); Content data (e.g. text or image messages and contributions as well as the information relating to them, such as information on authorship or time of creation). Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved).
Persons concerned: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations; Security measures; Managing and responding to inquiries. Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness.
Legal bases: Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing processes, procedures and services:

Registration with a clear name: Because of the nature of our community, we ask users to only use our services using real names. This means that the use of pseudonyms is not permitted; Legal basis: Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).
User profiles are public: User profiles are publicly visible and accessible.
Two-factor authentication: Two-factor authentication provides an additional layer of security for your user account and ensures that only you can access your account, even if someone else knows your password. For this purpose, you must perform another authentication measure in addition to your password (e.g. enter a code sent to a mobile device). We will inform you about the procedure we use; Legal basis: Contract performance and pre-contractual requests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).
No obligation to retain data: It is the responsibility of users to back up their data if they terminate their contract before the end of the contract. We are entitled to irretrievably delete all user data stored during the term of the contract; legal basis: contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Community functions

The community functions provided by us allow users to enter into conversations or otherwise interact with each other. Please note that the use of the community functions is only permitted in compliance with the applicable legal situation, our terms and conditions and guidelines as well as the rights of other users and third parties.

Types of data processed: Usage data (e.g. page views and dwell time, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved).
Persons concerned: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations. Security measures.
Legal bases: Contract performance and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Further information on processing processes, procedures and services:

Storage of data for security purposes: The contributions and other user input are processed for the purposes of the community and conversation functions and, subject to legal obligations or legal permission, are not disclosed to third parties. A duty of disclosure may arise in particular in the case of unlawful contributions for the purposes of legal prosecution. We would like to point out that in addition to the content of the posts, the time and IP address of the users are also stored. This is done in order to be able to take appropriate measures to protect other users and the community; legal basis: contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).
Right to delete content and information: The deletion of posts, content or user information is permitted to the extent necessary after proper consideration if there are concrete indications that they constitute a violation of legal regulations, our requirements or the rights of third parties; Legal bases: Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).
Protection of personal data: Users decide for themselves what data they disclose about themselves within our online offering. For example, when users provide information about themselves or participate in conversations. We ask users to protect their data and only publish personal data with caution and only to the extent necessary. In particular, we ask users to take special care to protect their access data and to use secure passwords (i.e. especially long and random character combinations); legal basis: performance of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Single sign-on login

"Single sign-on" or "single sign-on login or authentication" refers to procedures that allow users to log in to a provider of single sign-on procedures (e.g. a social network), including our online offering, with the help of a user account. The prerequisite for single sign-on authentication is that users are registered with the respective single sign-on provider and enter the required access data in the online form provided for this purpose, or are already registered with the single sign-on provider and confirm the single sign-on registration via a button.

Authentication takes place directly with the respective single sign-on provider. As part of such authentication, we receive a user ID with the information that the user is logged in to the respective single sign-on provider under this user ID and an ID that cannot be used by us for other purposes (so-called "user handle"). Whether additional data is transmitted to us depends solely on the single sign-on procedure used, on the data releases selected during authentication and also on which data users have released in the privacy or other settings of the user account with the single sign-on provider. Depending on the single sign-on provider and the user's choice, it can be different data, usually the e-mail address and the user name. The password entered with the single sign-on provider as part of the single sign-on procedure is neither visible to us nor stored by us.

Users are asked to note that their details stored with us can be automatically compared with their user account with the single sign-on provider, but that this is not always possible or actually happens. If, for example, users' email addresses change, they must change them manually in their user account with us.

If agreed with the users, we may use the single sign-on login as part of or before the fulfillment of the contract, insofar as the users have been asked to do so, process it as part of a consent and otherwise use it on the basis of our legitimate interests and the interests of the users in an effective and secure login system.

If users decide that they no longer wish to use the link to their user account with the single sign-on provider for the single sign-on procedure, they must remove this link from their user account with the single sign-on provider. If users wish to delete their data with us, they must cancel their registration with us.

Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); Contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); Usage data (e.g. page views and duration of visit, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved).
Persons concerned: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations; security measures. Registration procedure.
Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

Google Single-Sign-On: Authentication services for user logins, provision of single sign-on functions, management of identity information and application integrations; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.google.de; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for transfers to third countries: Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Option to object (opt-out): Settings for the display of advertisements: https://myadcenter.google.com/.
Microsoft Single-Sign-On: Authentication services for user logins, provision of single sign-on functions, management of identity information and application integrations; Service provider: Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, One Microsoft Place, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, D18 P521, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/security/business/identity-access/azure-active-directory-single-sign-on; Privacy Policy: https://privacy.microsoft.com/de-de/privacystatement; Basis for transfers to third countries: Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Further information: https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/trust-center.
OpenID Single-Sign-On: Authentication services for user logins, provision of single sign-on functions, management of identity information and application integrations; Service provider: OpenID Foundation, 2400 Camino Ramon, Suite 375, San Ramon, CA 94583, USA; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://openid.net; Privacy Policy: https://openid.net/policies/. Basic third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).

Blogs and publication media

We use blogs or comparable means of online communication and publication (hereinafter "publication medium"). Readers' data will only be processed for the purposes of the publication medium to the extent necessary for its presentation and communication between authors and readers or for security reasons. For further information, please refer to the information on the processing of visitors to our publication medium in this privacy policy.

Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); content data (e.g. text or image messages and content data (e.g. text or image messages and contributions and the information relating to them, such as information on authorship or time of creation); usage data (e.g. page views and length of stay, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved).
Persons concerned: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations; feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form). Provision of our online services and user-friendliness.
Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Contact and inquiry management

When contacting us (e.g. by post, contact form, email, telephone or via social media) and as part of existing user and business relationships, the details of the enquiring persons are processed insofar as this is necessary to answer the contact inquiries and any requested measures.

Types of data processed: Contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); Content data (e.g. text or image messages and contributions as well as the information relating to them, such as information on authorship or time of creation); Usage data (e.g. page views and length of stay, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved).
Persons concerned: Communication partners.
Purposes of processing: Contact requests and communication; Managing and responding to requests; Feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form). Provision of our online offering and user-friendliness.
Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR). Fulfilment of contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

Contact form: When users contact us via our contact form, email or other communication channels, we process the data communicated to us in this context to process the communicated request; Legal bases: Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Web analysis, monitoring and optimization

Web analysis (also referred to as "reach measurement") is used to evaluate the flow of visitors to our online offering and may include behavior, interests or demographic information about visitors, such as age or gender, as pseudonymous values. With the help of reach analysis, we can, for example, recognize at what time our online offer or its functions or content are most frequently used, or invite visitors to reuse them. It also enables us to understand which areas require optimization.

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

Unless otherwise stated below, profiles, i.e. data summarized for a usage process, may be created for these purposes and information may be stored in a browser or end device and then read out. The information collected includes, in particular, websites visited and the 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 from us or from the providers of the services we use, it is also possible to process location data.

In addition, the IP addresses of users are stored. However, we use an IP masking procedure (i.e. pseudonymization by shortening the IP address) to protect users. In general, no clear user data (such as e-mail addresses or names) is stored in the context of web analysis, A/B testing and optimization, but pseudonyms. This means that neither we nor the providers of the software used know the actual identity of the users, but only the information stored in their profiles for the purpose of the respective processes.

Notes on legal bases: If we ask users for their consent to the use of third-party providers, the legal basis for data processing is consent. Otherwise, user data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in efficient, economical and recipient-friendly services). In this context, we would also like to draw your attention to the information on the use of cookies in this privacy policy.

Types of data processed: Usage data (e.g. page views and length of stay, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved).
Persons concerned: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
Purposes of processing: Reach measurement (e.g. access statistics, recognition of returning visitors). Profiles with user-related information (creation of user profiles).
Security measures: IP masking (pseudonymization of the IP address).

Affiliate programs and affiliate links

We include so-called affiliate links or other references (which may include, for example, search masks, widgets or discount codes) to the offers and services of third-party providers (collectively referred to as "affiliate links") in our online offer. If users follow the affiliate links or subsequently take advantage of the offers, we may receive a commission or other benefits from these third-party providers (collectively referred to as "commission").

In order to be able to track whether the users have taken up the offers of an affiliate link used by us, it is necessary for the respective third-party providers to know that the users have followed an affiliate link used within our online offer. The assignment of the affiliate links to the respective business transactions or other actions (e.g. purchases) serves the sole purpose of commission settlement and is canceled as soon as it is no longer necessary for this purpose.

For the purposes of the aforementioned assignment of affiliate links, certain values can be added to the affiliate links, which are part of the link or can be stored elsewhere, e.g. in a cookie. The values may include, in particular, the source website (referrer), the time, an online identifier of the operator of the website on which the affiliate link was located, an online identifier of the respective offer, the type of link used, the type of offer and an online identifier of the user.

Notes on legal bases: If we ask users for their consent to the use of third-party providers, the legal basis for the processing of data is consent. Otherwise, user data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in efficient, economical and recipient-friendly services). In this context, we would also like to draw your attention to the information on the use of cookies in this privacy policy.

Types of data processed: Contract data (e.g. subject matter of the contract, duration, customer category); usage data (e.g. page views and length of stay, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved).
Persons concerned: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
Purposes of processing: Affiliate tracking.
Legal bases: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Presence in social networks (social media)

We maintain online presences within social networks and process user data in this context in order to communicate with the users active there or to offer information about us.

We would like to point out that user data may be processed outside the European Union. This may result in risks for users because, for example, it could make it more difficult to enforce user rights.

Furthermore, user data within social networks is generally processed for market research and advertising purposes. For example, user profiles can be created based on user behavior and the resulting interests of users. The latter may in turn be used, for example, to place advertisements within and outside the networks that presumably correspond to the interests of the users. Cookies are therefore generally stored on the user's computer, in which the user's usage behavior and interests are stored. In addition, data can also be stored in the user profiles independently of the devices used by the users (especially if they are members of the respective platforms and are logged in there).

For a detailed description of the respective forms of processing and the opt-out options, please refer to the privacy policies and information provided by the operators of the respective networks.

In the case of requests for information and the assertion of data subject rights, we would also like to point out that these can be asserted most effectively with the providers. Only the latter have access to the user data and can take appropriate measures and provide information directly. If you still need help, you can contact us.

Types of data processed: Contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); Content data (e.g. text or image messages and contributions as well as the information relating to them, such as information on authorship or time of creation); Usage data (e.g. page views and length of stay, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved).
Persons concerned: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
Purposes of processing: Contact requests and communication; feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form). Marketing.
Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

Instagram: Social network; Service provider: Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.instagram.com; Privacy Policy: https://instagram.com/about/legal/privacy. Basic third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).
TikTok: Social network / video platform; Service provider: TikTok Technology Limited, 10 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin, D02 T380, Ireland and TikTok Information Technologies UK Limited, Kaleidoscope, 4 Lindsey Street, London, United Kingdom, EC1A 9HP; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.tiktok.com. Privacy Policy: https://www.tiktok.com/de/privacy-policy.
YouTube: Social network and video platform; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f) GDPR); Data protection declaration: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Basis for third country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Option to object (opt-out): https://myadcenter.google.com/personalizationoff.

Management, organization and auxiliary tools

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

In this context, personal data may be processed and stored on the servers of the third-party providers. This may affect 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 transactions, contracts, other processes and their content.

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 providers may process usage data and metadata for security purposes, service optimization or marketing purposes. We therefore ask you to observe the data protection notices of the respective third-party providers.

Types of data processed: Content data (e.g. text or image messages and contributions and the information relating to them, such as information on authorship or time of creation); Usage data (e.g. page views and length of stay, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Meta, communication and process data (e.g. IP addresses, time data, identification numbers, persons involved).
Persons concerned: Communication partners. Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations. Office and organizational procedures.