Data protection

Data protection at a glance

General information

In the following you will find a general overview of what happens to your personal data when you visit this website. Personal data refers to all data through which you could be personally identified. You will find detailed information on the topic of data protection in our privacy policy, which follows this text.

Data collection on this website

Who is responsible for data collection on this website?

The operator of this website is responsible for data processing on this website. You will find their contact details in the “Information on the responsible party” section of this privacy policy.

How do we collect your data?

Some of your data are collected when you share these data with us. These data may be data that you have entered into a contact form, for example.

Other data are collected automatically by our IT systems when the website is visited or when you give your consent. These are primarily technical data (e.g. internet browser, operating system, or time at which the website is viewed). These data are collected automatically as soon as you visit this website.

For what purposes do we use your data?

Some of the data are collected to ensure that the website can be provided without any errors. Other data can be used to analyse your usage behaviour.

What rights do you have regarding your data?

You have the right to obtain information at any time on the origin and recipients of your stored data and the purposes to which they are put. Furthermore, you have the right to demand that your data be corrected or deleted. If you have given your consent to data processing, you can revoke your consent at any time with future effect. In addition, in certain circumstances you have the right to demand that the processing of your personal data be restricted. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.

You can contact us at any time for this purpose or for any other questions on the topic of data protection.

Analytical tools and tools provided by third-party providers

When you visit this website, your surfing behaviour may be subjected to statistical analysis. This is done primarily through the use of analysis programs.

You will find more detailed information on these analysis programs in the following privacy policy.

Hosting

We host the content of our website with the following provider:

External hosting

This website is hosted externally. The personal data that are collected on this website are stored on the host’s/hosts’ servers. In particular, these data can include IP addresses, contact requests, metadata, communication data, contract data, contact details, names, website traffic, and other data that can be generated through a website.

External hosting takes place for the purposes of fulfilling the contract for our potential and existing customers (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b of the GDPR) and in the interests of the secure, fast and efficient provision of our online offerings by a professional provider (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f of the GDPR). Insofar as a corresponding consent has been requested, the processing takes place solely on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a of the GDPR and section 25 para. 1 of the German Telecommunications-Telemedia Data Protection Act (TTDSG), insofar as the consent encompasses the storage of cookies or access to information on the user’s device (e.g. device fingerprinting) in accordance with the TTDSG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

Our host(s) will only process your data insofar as this is required for the fulfilment of their contractual obligations and follows our instructions with regard to these data.

We use the following host(s):

maxcluster GmbH
Lise-Meitner-Str. 1b
33104 Paderborn
Germany

Order processing

We have concluded an agreement for order processing for the utilisation of the aforementioned services. This is an agreement mandated by data protection regulations that ensures that our host(s) only process the personal data of our website visitors in accordance with our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

General information and mandatory information

Data protection

Protecting your personal data is very important to the operators of this website. We treat your personal data confidentially and in accordance with statutory data protection rules and regulations and with the provisions of this privacy policy.

Various personal data are collected when you use this website. Personal data refers to data through which you could be personally identified. This privacy policy explains which data we collect and the purposes to which we put this data. This declaration also explains how, and to what ends, this takes place.

It should be noted that the transmission of data over the internet (e.g. when communicating using email) may involve security risks. It is not possible to fully protect data against third-party access.

Information on the responsible party

The party responsible for data collection on this website is:

GMK Markenberatung GmbH & Co. KG
Agrippinawerft 30
50678 Cologne
Germany

Phone: +49 (0) 221 / 78 80 72 10
Email: info@gmk-markenberatung.de

The responsible party is the natural or legal person who decides, alone or in conjunction with others, about the purposes for which personal data (e.g. names, email addresses or similar) are processed and the methods used.

Duration of storage

Insofar as no specific duration of storage is specified within this privacy policy, your personal data will remain with us until the purpose for which the data are being processed is no longer relevant. If you assert a legitimate request for the deletion of your data or if you revoke your consent to data processing, your data will be deleted, insofar as we do not have any other legally permissible reasons for storing your personal data (e.g. retention periods under tax or commercial law); in the latter case, the data will be deleted after these reasons no longer apply.

General information on the legal basis for data processing on this website

If you have given your consent to data processing, we process your personal data on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a of the GDPR or Art. 9 para. 2 lit. a of the GDPR, insofar as special categories of data pursuant to Art. 9 para. 1 of the GDPR are processed. In the event that you have expressly consented to the transfer of personal data to third countries, data processing also takes place on the basis of Art. 49 para. 1 lit. a of the GDPR. If you have consented to the storage of cookies or granted access to information on your device (e.g. via device fingerprinting), data processing also takes place on the basis of section 25 para. 1 of the TTDSG. This consent can be revoked at any time. If your data are required for the performance of a contract or for the implementation of pre-contractual measures, we process your data on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b of the GDPR. Furthermore, insofar as your data are necessary to satisfy a legal obligation, data processing takes place on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c of the GDPR. In addition, data processing can take place on the basis of our legitimate interests in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f of the GDPR. The following paragraphs of this privacy policy offer information on the relevant legal basis in each individual case.

Information on the transfer of data to the USA and other third countries

The tools we use include tools from companies domiciled in the USA or other third countries that are not considered to be secure in terms of data protection law. When these tools are active, your personal data may be transferred to the USA and processed there. It should be noted that we cannot guarantee the existence of data protection in these countries at a level comparable to that existing in the EU. For example, US companies are obligated to share personal data with security agencies without your having any legal basis on which to challenge this. As a result, it cannot be ruled out that US authorities (e.g. intelligence services) may process and analyse your data found on US servers for the purposes of surveillance and permanently store this data. We do not have any influence over these processing activities.

Revoking your consent to data processing

Many data processing operations are only possible with your express consent. You have the right at any time to revoke the consent you have granted. The lawfulness of the data processing performed up to the time at which consent is revoked remains unaffected.

Right to object to data collection in special cases and to object to direct marketing (Art. 21 of the GDPR)

IF DATA PROCESSING IS TAKING PLACE ON THE BASIS OF ART. 6 PARA. 1 LIT. E OR F OF THE GDPR, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT, ON GROUNDS RELATING TO YOUR PARTICULAR SITUATION, TO AT ANY TIME OBJECT TO THE PROCESSING OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA; THIS ALSO APPLIES TO PROFILING BASED ON THESE PROVISIONS. YOU WILL FIND THE RELEVANT LEGAL BASIS ON WHICH DATA PROCESSING IS BEING CONDUCTED IN THIS PRIVACY POLICY. IF YOU LODGE AN OBJECTION, WE WILL THEN CEASE PROCESSING YOUR PERSONAL DATA UNLESS WE ARE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE COMPELLING LEGITIMATE GROUNDS THAT OVERRIDE YOUR INTERESTS, RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS, OR IF THE PROCESSING SERVES THE PURPOSES OF THE ESTABLISHMENT, EXERCISE OR DEFENCE OF LEGAL CLAIMS (OBJECTION PURSUANT TO ART. 21 PARA. 1 OF THE GDPR).

IN THE EVENT THAT YOUR PERSONAL DATA ARE PROCESSED FOR THE PURPOSES OF DIRECT MARKETING, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO OBJECT AT ANY TIME TO THE PROCESSING OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA FOR THE PURPOSES OF SUCH MARKETING ACTIVITIES; THIS SHALL ALSO APPLY TO PROFILING INSOFAR AS THIS IS RELATED TO SUCH DIRECT MARKETING. IF YOU LODGE AN OBJECTION, WE WILL THEN CEASE PROCESSING YOUR PERSONAL DATA FOR THE PURPOSES OF DIRECT MARKETING (OBJECTION PURSUANT TO ART. 21 PARA. 2 OF THE GDPR).

Right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority

In the event of violations of the GDPR, data subjects are entitled to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State in which they usually maintain their domicile or place of work, or in which the alleged violation occurred. The right to lodge a complaint exists notwithstanding any other administrative or judicial remedies.

Right to data portability

You have the right to have any data that we process on the basis of your consent or in fulfilment of a contract issued to you or to a third party in a standard machine-readable format. Insofar as you request that the data be transferred directly to a different responsible party, this will only take place insofar as this is technically feasible.

Information, deletion and rectification

Within the framework of the applicable statutory provisions, you have the right at any time to obtain information free of charge on your stored personal data, the origin and recipients thereof, and the purpose for which these data are being processed, with the right to have these corrected or deleted where necessary. You can contact us at any time for this purpose or for any other questions on the topic of personal data.

Right to demand the restriction of data processing

You have the right to demand that the processing of your personal data be restricted. You may contact us at any time in this regard. The right to demand the restriction of data processing exists in the following cases:

If you contest the correctness of your personal data that we have stored, we generally require sufficient time to review whether this is the case. You have the right to demand that the processing of your personal data be restricted for the duration of this review.
If the processing of your personal data is/was unlawful, you have the right in lieu of deletion to demand the restriction of data processing.
If we no longer require your personal data, but you require these data for the purposes of the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, you have the right to demand that the processing of your personal data be restricted, rather than that the data be deleted.
If you have lodged an objection pursuant to Art. 21 para. 1 of the GDPR, a balancing of your and our interests must be carried out. Until such time as it has been determined whose interests prevail, you have the right to demand that the processing of your personal data be restricted for the duration of this review.

If you have restricted the processing of your personal data, these data – with the exception of their storage – may only be processed with your consent or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims or for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person or for reasons of important public interest of the European Union or of a Member State.

SSL encryption or TLS encryption

For security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential content, such as orders or enquiries that you might send to us as the website operator, this website uses SSL encryption or TLS encryption. You can recognise an encrypted connection by the fact that the address line in the browser changes from ‘http://’ to ‘https://’ and by the appearance of the lock symbol in your browser's address line.

When the SSL encryption or TLS encryption is activated, the data that you transfer to us cannot be read by third parties.

Data collection on this website

Cookies

Our website uses cookies. Cookies are small data packets that do not harm your device. They are saved on your device either temporarily, for the duration of a session (session cookies), or permanently (permanent cookies). Session cookies are automatically deleted at the conclusion of your visit. Permanent cookies remain on your device until you delete them or until your web browser deletes them automatically.

Cookies may come from us (first-party cookies) or from third-party companies (known as third-party cookies). Third-party cookies make it possible to integrate specific services from third-party companies inside websites (e.g. cookies for the utilisation of payment services).

Cookies may have various functions. Many cookies are necessary for technical purposes, because certain website functions cannot work without them (e.g. the shopping cart function or showing videos). Other cookies can be used to analyse user behaviour or for advertising purposes.

Cookies that are required for executing electronic communications, for the provision of specific functions you may need (e.g. shopping cart function) or for optimising the website (e.g. cookies for measuring the web audience) (i.e. necessary cookies) are saved on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f of the GDPR insofar as no other legal basis is specified. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the saving of necessary cookies to ensure the optimised provision of their services without technical errors. Insofar as consent for the storage of cookies and for other recognition technologies has been requested, the processing shall take place solely on the basis of this consent (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a of the GDPR and section 25 para. 1 of the TTDSG); this consent can be revoked at any time.

You can set your browser such that you will be informed whenever cookies are saved and only permit cookies on a case-by-case basis, restrict the acceptance of cookies to particular circumstances, or generally prohibit them, as well as activate the automatic deletion of cookies whenever the browser is closed. The deactivation of cookies may result in the reduced functionality of this website.

You will find information on which cookies and services are used on this website in this privacy policy.

Server log files

The website provider automatically collects and saves information in what are known as server log files that your browser automatically transfers to us. This involves the following information:

Browser type and browser version
Operating system used
Referrer URL
Host name of the accessing computer
Time of the server request
IP address

These data are not merged with other data sources.

These data are collected on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f of the GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the presentation of their website without technical errors and in the optimisation of their website – the compilation of server log files is necessary for this purpose.

Contact form

If you submit enquiries to us using the contact form, the information you provide in the enquiry form, including the contact details you specify therein, will be saved by us for the purposes of processing the request and for dealing with any follow-up questions. We will not pass on these data without your consent.

These data are processed on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b of the GDPR, insofar as your enquiry is related to the fulfilment of a contract or is required for pre-contractual measures. In all other cases, the processing takes place on the basis of our legitimate interest in the effective processing of the enquiries submitted to us (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f of the GDPR) or of your consent (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a of the GDPR), insofar as this was requested; this consent can be revoked at any time.

The data you have entered in the contact form will remain with us until such time as you request their deletion, revoke your consent to their storage, or the purpose for which the data have been saved is no longer valid (e.g. following the completion of the processing of your enquiry). Mandatory statutory provisions – particularly legal retention periods – shall remain unaffected.

Enquiries received by email, telephone or fax

If you contact us by email, telephone or fax, your enquiry and all the personal data found therein (name, request) will be saved and processed by us for the purposes of processing your enquiry. We will not pass on these data without your consent.

The data you have submitted to us through your contact request will remain with us until such time as you request their deletion, revoke your consent to their storage, or the purpose for which the data have been saved is no longer valid (e.g. following the completion of the processing of your enquiry). Mandatory statutory provisions – particularly statutory retention periods – shall remain unaffected.

Analytical tools and advertising

Google Tag Manager

We use Google Tag Manager. The provider is Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Google Tag Manager is a tool that helps us to integrate tracking and statistics tools and other technologies into our website. Google Tag Manager itself does not create user profiles, save cookies, or conduct independent analyses. Google Tag Manager serves only to administer and run the tools that have been integrated through it. However, Google Tag Manager does record your IP address, which it may also transfer to Google’s parent company in the United States.

The use of Google Tag Manager takes place on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f of the GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in quickly and easily integrating and administrating various tools on their website. Insofar as a corresponding consent has been requested, the processing takes place solely on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a of the GDPR and section 25 para. 1 of the German Telecommunications-Telemedia Data Protection Act (TTDSG), insofar as the consent encompasses the storage of cookies or access to information on the user’s device (e.g. device fingerprinting) in accordance with the TTDSG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

Google Analytics

This website utilises functions provided by the web analysis service Google Analytics. The provider is Google Ireland Limited (‘Google’), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Google Analytics allows the website operator to analyse the behaviour of website visitors. The website operator is supplied with various user data, including page impressions, duration of the user’s website visit, the operating systems used, and the origin of the user. These data are assigned to the device utilised by the user. A user ID is not assigned.

Google Analytics uses technologies that make it possible to recognise the user for the purposes of analysing user behaviour (e.g. cookies or device fingerprinting). The information on the use of this website that is collected by Google is generally transferred to a Google server in the USA and stored there.

The use of this service takes place on the basis of your consent in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a of the GDPR and section 25 para. 1 of the TTDSG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

The transfer of data to the USA is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. You will find details here: https://privacy.google.com/businesses/controllerterms/mccs/.

IP anonymisation

We have activated the IP anonymisation function on this website. This means that Google shortens your IP address within the Member States of the European Union or in another of the Contracting States to the Agreement on the European Economic Area before it is transmitted to the USA. It is only in exceptional cases that the full IP address is transferred to a Google server in the USA and shortened there. Google will utilise this information on behalf of the operator of this website in order to analyse your utilisation of this website, to compile reports on website activities, and to perform additional services related to the website utilisation and internet use for the website operator. The IP address transferred from your browser for Google Analytics is not merged with other data from Google.

Browser plug-in

You can prevent the collection and processing of your data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plug-in that is available at the following link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de.

You will find more information on the way in which user data are dealt with at Google Analytics in Google’s privacy policy: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=de.

Order processing

We have concluded a contract with Google regarding order processing and we fully implement the strict requirements of Germany's data protection authorities when Google Analytics is used.

Newsletter

Newsletter data

If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter offered on this website, we need you to submit an email address and information that allows us to verify that you are the owner of the submitted email address and that you have agreed to the receipt of the newsletter. No other data are collected unless the user volunteers to permit the collection thereof. We work with newsletter service providers (depicted below) for administering newsletters.

Mailchimp with deactivated success measurement

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 that makes it possible, among other things, to organise the sending of newsletters. If you enter data for the purposes of receiving newsletters (e.g. an email address), these data will be saved on Mailchimp’s servers in the USA. We have deactivated Mailchimp’s success measurement function so that Mailchimp cannot analyse your behaviour regarding the opening our newsletters.

If you do not want your data to be transferred to Mailchimp, you must unsubscribe to the newsletter. We provide a link for this purpose in every newsletter message.

The data processing takes place on the basis of your consent (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a of the GDPR). You can revoke this consent at any time by unsubscribing to the newsletter. The lawfulness of the data processing operations that have already been performed remains unaffected by the revocation.

The data stored by us for the purpose of your newsletter subscription will be saved by us (or by the newsletter service provider) until such time as you have been removed from the newsletter subscription list, and will be deleted once your subscription has been cancelled. Any data that are saved by us for other purposes shall remain unaffected.

The transfer of data to the USA is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. You will find details here: https://mailchimp.com/eu-us-data-transfer-statement/ and https://mailchimp.com/legal/data-processing-addendum/#Annex_C_-_Standard_Contractual_Clauses.

Once you have been removed from the newsletter distribution list, your email address may be saved in a blacklist by us and/or the newsletter service provider, insofar as this is necessary to prevent the sending of future mailings. The data from this blacklist are used solely for this purpose and are not merged with other data. This serves our mutual interests in compliance with statutory requirements for sending newsletters (legitimate interest in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f of the GDPR). The storage of the blacklist is not subject to a time limit. You may object to the storage insofar as your interests outweigh our legitimate interests.

For more details, please consult Mailchimp’s data protection provisions at: https://mailchimp.com/legal/terms/.

Order processing

Plug-ins and tools

YouTube

This website integrates videos from the YouTube website. The operator of the YouTube website is Google Ireland Limited (‘Google’), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

If you visit one of our websites in which YouTube has been integrated, a connection is established with the YouTube servers. When this happens, the YouTube server is informed of which of our websites you have visited.

In addition, YouTube may save various cookies on your device or make use of comparable technologies for recognition (e.g. device fingerprinting). In this way, YouTube may obtain information about visitors to this website. Among other things, this information is used to compile video statistics, improve user friendliness, and prevent fraud.

If you are logged into your YouTube account, you make it possible for YouTube to directly link your surfing behaviour with your personal profile. You can prevent this from happening by logging out of your YouTube account.

YouTube is utilised in order to ensure the appealing presentation of our offerings online. This is considered to be a legitimate interest in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f of the GDPR. Insofar as a corresponding consent has been requested, the processing takes place solely on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a of the GDPR and section 25 para. 1 of the German Telecommunications-Telemedia Data Protection Act (TTDSG), insofar as the consent encompasses the storage of cookies or access to information on the user’s device (e.g. device fingerprinting) in accordance with the TTDSG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

You will find more information on the way in which user data are dealt with in YouTube’s privacy policy at: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

Vimeo

This website utilises plug-ins from the video portal Vimeo. The provider is Vimeo Inc., 555 West 18th Street, New York, New York 10011, USA.

If you visit one of our webpages that is equipped with a Vimeo video, a connection is established with the Vimeo servers. When this happens, the Vimeo server is informed of which of our webpages you have visited. Vimeo also obtains your IP address. This is also the case if you are not logged in to Vimeo or do not have a Vimeo account. The information collected by Vimeo is transferred to the Vimeo server in the USA.

If you are logged into your Vimeo account, you make it possible for Vimeo to directly link your surfing behaviour with your personal profile. You can prevent this from happening by logging out of your Vimeo account.

Vimeo uses cookies or comparable technologies for recognition (e.g. device fingerprinting) for the purposes of recognising website visitors.

Vimeo is utilised in order to ensure the appealing presentation of our offerings online. This is considered to be a legitimate interest in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f of the GDPR. Insofar as a corresponding consent has been requested, the processing takes place solely on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a of the GDPR and section 25 para. 1 of the German Telecommunications-Telemedia Data Protection Act (TTDSG), insofar as the consent encompasses the storage of cookies or access to information on the user’s device (e.g. device fingerprinting) in accordance with the TTDSG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

The transfer of data to the USA is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission and, according to Vimeo, on “legitimate business interests”. You will find details here: https://vimeo.com/privacy.

You will find more information on the way in which user data are dealt with in Vimeo’s privacy policy at: https://vimeo.com/privacy.

Google Fonts (local hosting)

To ensure a standardised presentation of fonts, this website utilises Google Fonts, which are provided by Google. Google Fonts are installed locally. This does not involve a connection to Google’s servers.

You will find more information on Google Fonts at https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq and in Google’s privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

Google Maps

This website utilises the Google Maps map service. The provider is Google Ireland Limited (‘Google’), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

To make use of the functions of Google Maps, it is necessary to save your IP address. This information is generally transferred to a Google server in the USA and saved there. The provider of this website does not have any influence over this data transfer. If Google Maps is activated, Google can utilise Google Fonts for the purposes of ensuring the standardised presentation of fonts. When you open Google Maps, your browser loads the required Google Web Fonts in your browser cache to ensure the correct depiction of texts and fonts.

Google Maps is utilised in order to ensure the appealing presentation of our offerings online and to make it easier to find the locations depicted on our website. This is considered to be a legitimate interest in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f of the GDPR. Insofar as a corresponding consent has been requested, the processing takes place solely on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a of the GDPR and section 25 para. 1 of the German Telecommunications-Telemedia Data Protection Act (TTDSG), insofar as the consent encompasses the storage of cookies or access to information on the user’s device (e.g. device fingerprinting) in accordance with the TTDSG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

The transfer of data to the USA is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. You will find details here: https://privacy.google.com/businesses/gdprcontrollerterms/ and https://privacy.google.com/businesses/gdprcontrollerterms/sccs/.

You will find more information on the way in which user data are dealt with in Google’s privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.

Audio and video conferencing

Data processing

For the purposes of communicating with our customers, we also use online conferencing tools. The tools that we use are listed individually below. If you communicate with us online via video or audio conferencing, your personal data will be collected and processed by us and by the provider of the conferencing tool(s) being used.

In this case, the conferencing tools collect all of the data that you provide/input (email address and/or your phone number). In addition, the conferencing tools also process the conference’s duration, the beginning and ending (times) of participation in the conference, the number of participants, and other “contextual information” related to the communications (metadata).

The provider of the tool also processes all of the technical data that are necessary for facilitating the online communications. In particular, this includes IP addresses, MAC addresses, device IDs, device type, operating system type and version, client version, camera type, microphone or speaker, and the type of connection.

Insofar as content is exchanged, uploaded or provided in some other form within the tool, this content will also be saved on the tool providers’ servers. In particular, this content includes cloud recordings, chat messages, instant messages, voice mails, uploaded photos and videos, files, whiteboards and other information that is shared during the use of this service.

Please note that we do not have full influence over the data processing operations for the tools used. The options available to us are determined largely by the corporate policies of the providers of the respective tools. You will find further information on the data processing performed by the conferencing tools in the respective privacy policies for the tools used; we have listed the tools used below this text.

Purpose and legal bases

The conferencing tools are used to communicate with prospective and/or existing contracting parties or to offer certain services to our customers (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b of the GDPR). In addition, the use of these tools facilitates the general simplification and acceleration of communication with us and/or our company (legitimate interest in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f of the GDPR). Insofar as consent has been requested, the use of the relevant tools shall take place on the basis of this consent; this consent can be revoked at any time.

Duration of storage

The data that we collect directly through the video and conferencing tools will be deleted from our systems as soon as you request their deletion, revoke your consent to their storage, or the purpose for which the data have been saved is no longer valid. Saved cookies remain on your device until you delete them. Mandatory statutory retention periods shall remain unaffected.

We do not have any influence over the duration of storage for the data that are saved by the operators of the conferencing tools for their own purposes. You should therefore contact the operators of the conferencing tools directly for more details.

Conferencing tools used

We use the following conferencing tools:

Microsoft Teams

We use Microsoft Teams. The provider is Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, One Microsoft Place, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, Ireland. You will find details on the data processing in the privacy policy of Microsoft Teams: https://privacy.microsoft.com/de-de/privacystatement.

Order processing

Our own services

Dealing with applicant data

We offer you the opportunity to apply for a position with us (e.g. by email or post, or by using our online application form). In the following, we tell you about the scope of the personal data that are collected within the framework of the application process, as well as their purpose and use. We assure you that the collection, processing and use of your data take place in accordance with applicable data protection law and all other statutory provisions, and that your data will be treated with the strictest confidence.

Scope and purpose of data collection

If you submit your application to us, we process your associated personal data (e.g. contact details, communication data, application documents, notes related to job interviews, etc.) insofar as this is necessary for a decision on the establishment of an employment relationship.

The legal basis for this under German law is section 26 of the German Data Protection Act (BDSG) (initiation of an employment relationship), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b of the GDPR (general contract initiation), and – insofar as you have given your consent – Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a of the GDPR. This consent can be revoked at any time. Your personal data will only be passed on within our company to persons who are involved in the processing of your application.

If the application is successful, the data submitted by you will be stored in our data processing systems on the basis of section 26 of the BDSG and Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b of the GDPR for the purposes of implementing the employment relationship.

Data retention period

If we are unable to offer you a job, you reject a job offer, or you withdraw your application, we reserve the right on the basis of our legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f of the GDPR) to retain the data you have submitted for up to six months after the end of the application process (rejection or withdrawal of the application). The data will then be deleted and the physical application documents destroyed. The storage serves in particular to provide evidence in the event of a legal dispute. If it is evident that the data will be required after expiry of the six-month period (e.g. due to an impending or pending legal dispute), deletion will only take place when the purpose for further storage no longer applies.

Data may also be stored for a longer period if you have given your corresponding consent (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a of the GDPR) or if statutory retention obligations prevent the deletion.

Data protection

Cookie and Privacy