Data Privacy Statement

We are committed to transparency and integrity in processing your personal data. In processing personal data, we comply with requirements under data protection law, in particular the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and the German Federal Data Protection Act (“BDSG”).

In this Data Privacy Statement, we explain what information (including personal data) we process during your visit and use of our above-mentioned internet offering (“Website”) and what rights you have in relation to your personal data.

• What principles do we observe?
  In compliance with requirements under data protection law, we process personal data only if we are permitted to do so under a statutory provision or you have given us your consent.
  On this Website we can also record items of information that, taken on their own, do not allow us to directly draw conclusions about your person. Nevertheless, this information may constitute “personal data” within the meaning of data protection law in certain cases, in particular if it is combined with other data. In addition, we may also record information on this Website that does not enable us to identify you directly or indirectly; this is the case, for example, with aggregated information on all users of this Website.
• What data do we process?
  You can access our Website without directly providing personal data (such as your name, postal address or e-mail address). In this case, too, we have to process certain information to enable you to access our Website. Moreover, on this Website we use certain analytics methods and have integrated links to other Websites whose operators may process further (personal) data.
• Log files: When you visit this Website, our web server automatically stores the domain name or IP address of the requesting computer system (usually your internet access provider), including the date, time and length of your visit, the sub-sites/URLs you visit, and information on the applications and devices you use to view our sites.
• Cookies: Like many well-known companies, we use cookies to make our offering as user-friendly as possible. Cookies are small text files that are stored in the web browser you use. These files help us identify certain preferences of our visitors when they surf and so tailor our site to their needs. Most of the cookies we use are what are termed session cookies. They are automatically deleted when your visit is over. However, we also use persistent cookies. These help us improve user guidance. Our cookies do not collect personal data and do not allow you to be identified on third-party Websites. You can make a setting in your browser so that you are notified when cookies are placed. That makes the use of cookies transparent for you. You can also refuse to accept any cookies whatsoever in your browser settings. However, that may mean you are not able to use all the features of the Website.
• Website analysis using Google Analytics: We also use Google Analytics, a web analytics service from Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, U.S. (“Google”), on our Website to continuously improve it. Google Analytics likewise uses cookies that are saved on your computer and enable analysis of the Website’s use. The information on your use of this Website generated by the cookie is usually transferred to a Google server in Europe (or a country that is party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area) so that the IP address is anonymized and thus cannot be directly linked to a particular individual. The truncated IP address is sent to a Google server in the U.S. and stored there only after the IP address has been anonymized. The complete IP address is sent to a Google server in the U.S. and truncated there only in exceptional cases. Google Analytics is used on this Website with an extension to permit anonymized recording of IP addresses (IP masking). Google will use the information gathered in this way to evaluate your use of the Website, to compile reports on Website activities and to provide us with other services relating to use of the Website on our behalf. The IP address sent from your browser as part of Google Analytics is not combined by Google with other data. You can prevent the storage of cookies by activating the respective setting in your browser software. However, we point out that you might then not be able to use all the features of this Website in full. You can also prevent recording of the data relating to your use of the Website and generated by the cookie (including your IP address) by Google and processing of this data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plug-in available under the following link: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de. That sets an opt-out cookie that prevents future recording of your data when you visit this Website. You can find more information on data protection in relation to Google Analytics here https://www.google.com/analytics/terms/de.html and here https://www.google.com/intl/de/analytics/privacyoverview.html.
• Embedded videos: We have embedded our own videos on our Website, which are also available on our channel on the YouTube platform (an offering from YouTube LLC, 901 Cherry Avenue, San Bruno, CA 94066, U.S. – “YouTube”). The contents of the YouTube videos embedded on our Website are shown in a subsection of our Website, but are only started and played if you click actively on them. When you play an embedded YouTube video, a connection to the YouTube servers is established so that the video is played in your browser. YouTube videos are embedded on our Website in the privacy-enhanced mode provided by YouTube; according to YouTube, use of this mode means that no cookies are stored on your device. However, when you play a YouTube video, your IP address is transferred and so YouTube obtains information that you have visited our Website. According to YouTube, this information cannot be assigned to you if you are not logged on to YouTube or another Google service at the time a video is called. As soon as you start playing an embedded video by clicking on it, YouTube – in privacy-enhanced mode – only stores cookies on your device which do not contain any data that can identify you personally, unless you are currently logged on to a Google service. These cookies can be prevented by appropriate browser settings and extensions. You can find more information on data processing by and the privacy policy of YouTube and Google at http://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy/.
• Means of contact: On our Website, we point out various ways you can contact us. If you use one of these ways, we process the information we ask for and/or you give us in order to handle your inquiry.
• For what purposes do we process your data and what is the legal basis for that?
• Personal data that may be contained in the log files is processed to enable you to use our Website; that is done on the basis of Section 15 (1) of the German Telemedia Act (TMG) and on the basis of Article 6 paragraph 1 point (f) GDPR so as to safeguard our legitimate interests in operating our Website.
• The data collected using cookies (including the web analytics services) and the pseudonymous user profiles are processed for the purposes of advertising, market research and tailoring our Website to users’ needs on the basis of Section 15 (3) of the German Telemedia Act (TMG) and on the basis of Article 6 paragraph 1 point (f) GDPR so as to safeguard our legitimate interests in analyzing use of our Website.
• Personal data provided to us as part of an inquiry directed to us using the channels specified on the Website is processed to deal with the inquiry so as to safeguard our legitimate interests in conducting an existing business relationship or performing our other business activities on the basis of Article 6 paragraph 1 point (f) GDPR.
• We can also process the personal data collected in connection with the use of our Website to comply with legal obligations to which we are subject; this is done on the basis of Article 6 paragraph 1 point (c) GDPR.
• Where necessary, we also process personal data above and beyond the above-mentioned purposes to safeguard further legitimate interests or the interests of third parties; this is done on the basis of Article 6 paragraph 1 point (f) GDPR. Our legitimate interests include
         establishing legal claims and defending ourselves in legal disputes;
         preventing and investigating criminal acts; and
         controlling and further development of our business activities, including risk management and operation of our IT systems.
• Is automated decision-making used?
  In principle, we do not use any automated decision-making (including profiling) within the meaning of Article 22 GDPR in connection with operation of our Website. If we use such methods in individual cases, we will notify you separately to the legally prescribed extent.
• For how long is personal data stored?
  In general, we store personal data for as long as we have legitimate interests in storing it and they are not overridden by your interests in your data no longer being stored.
  Even if we have no legitimate interests, we can continue to store your data if we are required to do so by law (such as to comply with retention obligations). We erase your personal data, also without any action on your part, as soon as we no longer need to know it in order to fulfill the purpose of processing or storage of it is otherwise legally impermissible.
        What are your rights as an affected person?
        Right of Objection according to Article 21 GDPR
  An affected person has the right to object, on grounds relating to his or her particular situation, at any time to processing of personal data concerning him or her which is based on point (e) or (f) of Article 6 (1), including profiling based on those provisions. In the event of such an objection, we will no longer process the personal data concerning that person, unless (i) we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds to further process the personal data, outweighing the interests, rights and freedoms of the person affected, or (ii) the processing is used for effective exercise or defense of legal rights.
  In case we process personal data for direct marketing purposes, the affected person shall have the right to object at any time to processing of personal data concerning him or her for such marketing, which includes profiling to the extent that it is related to such direct marketing. If an affected person objects processing for direct marketing purposes, the relevant personal data will no longer be processed for these purposes.
• Additional Rights
          As an affected person, you also have the right to
         access the personal data stored on you (Article 15 GDPR);
         have incorrect data rectified and to have incomplete data completed (Article 16 GDPR);
         demand erasure of personal data (Article 17 GDPR);
         demand restriction of processing (Article 18 GDPR); and
         demand data portability (Article 20 GDPR),