Privacy policy

Introduction

With the following data protection declaration, we would like to inform you about the types of your personal data (hereinafter also referred to as "data") that we process, for what purposes and to what extent. The data protection declaration applies to all processing of personal data carried out by us, both as part 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.

Status: July 12, 2022

Table of contents

Responsible

E-mail address: info@hello-menu.com
See imprint: https://home.hello-menu.com/impressum/

Processing overview

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 details.
  • Contact details.
  • Content data.
  • Contract data.
  • Usage data.
  • Meta/communication data.

Categories of persons concerned

  • Customers.
  • Interested parties.
  • Communication partner.
  • Users.
  • Business and Contractual Partners.

Processing purposes

  • Provision of contractual services and customer service.
  • Contact requests and communication.
  • Safety measures.
  • Direct marketing.
  • Reach measurement.
  • Tracking.
  • Office and organizational procedures.
  • Conversion measurement.
  • Managing and responding to inquiries.
  • Feedback.
  • Marketing.
  • Profiles with user-related information.
  • Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness.
  • Information Technology Infrastructure.

Relevant legal bases

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

  • Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. a. DSGVO) - The data subject has given his/her consent to the processing of personal data concerning him/her for a specific purpose or purposes.
  • Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. b. DSGVO) - The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party or for the implementation of pre-contractual measures taken at the request of the data subject.
  • Legal obligation (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. c. DSGVO) - The processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject.
  • Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO) - The processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests of the controller or of a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require the protection of personal data.

In addition to the data protection regulations of the General Data Protection Regulation, national regulations on data protection apply in Germany. These include, in particular, the Act on 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. Furthermore, it regulates data processing for employment purposes (Section 26 BDSG), in particular with regard to the establishment, implementation or termination of employment relationships as well as the consent of employees. Furthermore, state data protection laws of the individual federal states may apply.

Security measures

We take appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure a level of protection appropriate to the risk in accordance with the legal requirements, taking into account the state of the art, the implementation costs and the nature, scope, circumstances and purposes of the processing, as well as the different probabilities of occurrence and the extent of the threat to the rights and freedoms of natural persons.

The measures include, in particular, safeguarding the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data by controlling physical and electronic access to the data as well as the access, input, transfer, safeguarding of availability and its separation. Furthermore, we have established procedures to ensure the exercise of data subjects' rights, the deletion of data, and responses to data compromise. Furthermore, we take the protection of personal data into account as early as the development or selection of hardware, software and processes in accordance with the principle of data protection, through technology design and through data protection-friendly default settings.

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

Transmission of personal data

In the course of our processing of personal data, it may happen that the data is transferred to or disclosed to other bodies, companies, legally independent organizational units or persons. 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 comply with the legal requirements and, in particular, conclude appropriate contracts or agreements that serve to protect your data with the recipients of your data.

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, entities or companies, this will only be done in accordance with the legal requirements.

Subject to express consent or contractually or legally required transfer, we only process or have data processed in third countries with a recognized level of data protection, contractual obligation through so-called standard protection clauses of the EU Commission, in the presence of certifications or binding internal data protection regulations (Art. 44 to 49 DSGVO, information page of the EU Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection/international-dimension-data-protection_de).

Data deletion

The data processed by us will be deleted in accordance with the legal requirements as soon as their consents permitted for processing are revoked or other permissions cease to apply (e.g. if the purpose of processing this data has ceased to apply or it is not required for the purpose). If the data are not deleted because they are required for other and legally permissible purposes, their processing will be limited to these purposes. That is, the data is blocked and not processed for other purposes. This applies, for example, to data that must be retained for reasons of commercial or tax law or whose storage is necessary for the assertion, exercise or defense of legal claims or for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person.

Our privacy notices may also contain further information on the retention and deletion of data, which will take precedence for the respective processing operations.

Cookies use

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

Consent Notes: We use cookies in accordance with the law. Therefore, we obtain prior consent from users, except when it is not required by law. In particular, consent is not required if the storage and reading of information, including cookies, is absolutely necessary to provide the user with a telemedia service (i.e., our online offering) expressly requested by the user. The revocable consent is clearly communicated to the users and contains the information about the respective cookie use.

Notes on the legal basis for data protection: The legal basis under data protection law on which we process users' personal data using cookies depends on whether we ask users for consent. If users consent, the legal basis for processing their data is their declared consent. Otherwise, the data processed with the help of cookies is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (e.g. in the business operation of our online offer and improvement of its usability) or, if this is done in the context of the performance of our contractual obligations, if the use of cookies is necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations. We explain the purposes for which we process the cookies in the course of this privacy policy or as part of our consent and processing procedures.

Storage period: With regard to the storage period, the following types of cookies are distinguished:

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

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

Further guidance on processing operations, procedures and services:

  • Processing of cookie data on the basis of consent: We use a cookie consent management procedure in which the consent of users to the use of cookies, or the processing and providers named in the cookie consent management procedure, can be obtained and managed and revoked by users. Here, the declaration of consent is stored in order not to have to repeat its query and to be able to prove the consent in accordance with the legal obligation. The storage can take place on the server side and/or in a cookie (so-called opt-in cookie, or with the help of comparable technologies), in order to be able to assign the consent to a user or their device. Subject to individual information on the providers of cookie management services, the following information applies: The duration of the storage of consent can be up to two years. A pseudonymous user identifier is created and stored with the time of consent, information about the scope of consent (e.g., which categories of cookies and/or service providers), as well as the browser, system and end device used.
  • Compliance: Cookie Consent Management; Service provider: Hosted locally on our server, no data transfer to third parties; Website: https://complianz.io/; Privacy Policy: https://complianz.io/legal/; More information: An individual user ID, language as well as types of consents and the time of their submission are stored on the server side and in the cookie on the user's device.

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 as well as related measures and in the context of communication with contractual partners (or pre-contractual), e.g. to answer inquiries.

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

We inform the contractual partners which data are required for the aforementioned purposes before or in the course of data collection, e.g. in online forms, by means of special marking (e.g. colors) or symbols (e.g. asterisks or similar), or in person.

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

Insofar as we use third-party providers or platforms to provide our services, the terms and conditions and data protection notices of the respective third-party providers or platforms shall apply in the relationship between the users and the providers.

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g., names, addresses); payment data (e.g., bank details, invoices, payment history); contact data (e.g., e-mail, telephone numbers); contract data (e.g., subject matter of contract, term, customer category); usage data (e.g., websites visited, interest in content, access times); meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses).
  • Affected persons: Customers; prospective customers; business and contractual partners.
  • Purposes of processing: Providing contractual services and customer service; security measures; contact requests and communications; office and organizational procedures; managing and responding to requests; conversion measurement (measuring the effectiveness of marketing efforts); profiles with user-related information (creating user profiles).
  • Legal basis: Contract performance and pre-contractual requests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. b. DSGVO); Legal obligation (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. c. DSGVO); Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).

Further guidance on processing operations, procedures and services:

  • Customer account: Contractual partners can create an account within our online offer (e.g. customer or user account, in short "customer account"). If registration of a customer account is required, contractual partners will be informed of this as well as of the information required for registration. Customer accounts are not public and cannot be indexed by search engines. In the course of registration and subsequent logins and use of the customer account, we store the IP addresses of the customers together with the access times in order to be able to prove registration and prevent any misuse of the customer account. If customers have terminated their customer account, the data relating to the customer account will be deleted, unless their retention is required for legal reasons. It is the responsibility of the customer to back up their data upon termination of the customer account; Legal basis: Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. b. DSGVO).
  • Economic analysis and market research: For business reasons and in order to be able to identify market trends, wishes of contractual partners and users, we analyze the data we have on business transactions, contracts, inquiries, etc., whereby 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). In doing so, we may, if available, take into account the profiles of registered users together with 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 the users into consideration and process the data for the analysis purposes as pseudonymously as possible and, if feasible, anonymously (e.g. as summarized data); Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).
  • Offer 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 our contractual services to them 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 order, purchase order or comparable contract conclusion 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 p. 1 lit. b. DSGVO).

Use of online platforms for offering and sales purposes

We offer our services on online platforms operated by other service providers. In this context, the data protection notices of the respective platforms apply in addition to our data protection notices. This applies in particular with regard to the execution of the payment process and the procedures used on the platforms for reach measurement and interest-based marketing.

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g., names, addresses); payment data (e.g., bank details, invoices, payment history); contact data (e.g., e-mail, telephone numbers); contract data (e.g., subject matter of contract, term, customer category); usage data (e.g., websites visited, interest in content, access times); meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses).
  • Affected persons: Customers; Users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services); Business and Contractual Partners.
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and customer service; marketing; provision of our online offering and user experience.
  • Legal basis: Contract performance and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. b. DSGVO); Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).

Further guidance on processing operations, procedures and services:

  • Kickstarter: Internet platform for project financing via crowdfunding as well as the sale of subscriptions and memberships, billing and the provision of access and payment procedures, for the implementation of which cookies are used and the IP address, date, time and other technical data about the Internet browser used, the operating system as well as inventory, contract and payment data of the users are processed; Service provider: Kickstarter, PBC, 58 Kent Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222 USA; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO); Website: https://www.kickstarter.com/; Privacy Policy: https://www.kickstarter.com/privacy.

Provision of the online offer and web hosting

In order to provide our online offer securely and efficiently, we use the services of one or more web hosting providers from whose servers (or servers managed by them) the online offer can be accessed. For these purposes, we may use infrastructure and platform services, computing capacity, storage space and database services, as well as security services and technical maintenance services.

The data processed as part of the provision of the hosting offer may include all information relating to the users of our online offer, which is generated as part of the use and communication. This regularly includes the IP address, which is necessary to be able to deliver the contents of online offers to browsers, and all entries made within our online offer or from websites.

  • Types of data processed: Content data (e.g. entries in online forms); Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); Meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Affected persons: Users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness; information technology infrastructure (operation and provision of information systems and technical equipment (computers, servers, etc.).).
  • Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).

Further guidance on processing operations, procedures and services:

  • Email sending and hosting: The web hosting services we use also include the sending, receiving and storing of e-mails. For these purposes, the addresses of the recipients and senders as well as further information regarding the e-mail dispatch (e.g. the providers involved) and the contents of the respective e-mails are processed. The aforementioned data may also be processed for SPAM detection purposes. Please note that e-mails are generally not sent encrypted on the Internet. As a rule, e-mails are encrypted in transit, but (unless a so-called end-to-end encryption method is used) not on the servers from which they are sent and received. We can therefore not assume any responsibility for the transmission path of the e-mails between the sender and the reception on our server; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).
  • Collection of access data and log files: We ourselves (or our web hosting provider) collect data on each access to the server (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, data volumes transferred, notification of successful access, browser type and version, the user's operating system, referrer URL (the previously visited page) and, as a rule, IP addresses and the requesting provider. The server log files may be used on the one hand for security purposes, e.g., to prevent server overload (especially in the event of abusive attacks, so-called DDoS attacks) and on the other hand, to ensure the utilization of the servers and their stability; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO); 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 exempt from deletion until the respective incident has been finally clarified.
  • 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 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).

Contact and request management

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

The answering of contact inquiries as well as the administration of contact and inquiry data in the context of contractual or pre-contractual relationships is carried out to fulfill our contractual obligations or to answer (pre)contractual inquiries and otherwise on the basis of legitimate interests in answering inquiries and maintaining user or business relationships.

  • Types of data processed: Contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers); content data (e.g. entries in online forms); usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Affected persons: Communication partner.
  • Purposes of processing: Providing contractual services and customer service; contact inquiries and communication; managing and responding to inquiries; feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form); providing our online service and user experience.
  • Legal basis: Contract performance and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. b. DSGVO); Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).

Further guidance on processing operations, procedures and services:

  • Contact form: If users contact us via our contact form, e-mail or other communication channels, we process the data communicated to us in this context to process the communicated request. For this purpose, we process personal data in the context of pre-contractual and contractual business relationships, insofar as this is necessary for their fulfillment, and otherwise on the basis of our legitimate interests as well as the interests of the communication partners in responding to the concerns and our statutory retention obligations; Legal basis: Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. b. DSGVO), Legitimate Interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).

Newsletter and electronic notifications

We send newsletters, e-mails and other electronic notifications (hereinafter "newsletter") only with the consent of the recipients or a legal permission. Insofar as the contents of the newsletter are specifically described in the context of a registration, they are decisive for the consent of the users. Otherwise, our newsletters contain information about our services and us.

To subscribe to our newsletters, it is generally sufficient to provide your e-mail address. However, we may ask you to provide a name, for the purpose of personal address in the newsletter, or further information, if this is necessary for the purposes of the newsletter.

Double opt-in procedure: The registration for our newsletter is always done in a so-called double opt-in process. This means that after registration you will receive an e-mail in which you are asked to confirm your registration. This confirmation is necessary so that no one can register with foreign e-mail addresses. The registrations for the newsletter are logged in order to be able to prove the registration process according to the legal requirements. This includes the storage of the registration and confirmation time as well as the IP address. Likewise, changes to your data stored with the shipping service provider are logged.

Deletion and restriction of processing: We may store unsubscribed email addresses for up to three years based on our legitimate interests before deleting them in order to be able to prove consent formerly given. The processing of this data is limited to the purpose of a possible defense against claims. An individual request for deletion is possible at any time, provided that the former existence of consent is confirmed at the same time. In the event of obligations to permanently observe objections, we reserve the right to store the e-mail address in a block list (so-called "block list") for this purpose alone.

The logging of the registration process takes place on the basis of our legitimate interests for the purpose of proving its proper course. If we commission a service provider to send e-mails, this is done on the basis of our legitimate interests in an efficient and secure sending system.

Contents:

Information about us, our services, promotions and offers.

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses); contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers); meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses); usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times).
  • Affected persons: Communication partner.
  • Purposes of processing: Direct marketing (e.g. by e-mail or postal mail).
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. a. DSGVO); Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).
  • Possibility of objection (opt-out): You can cancel the receipt of our newsletter at any time, i.e. revoke your consent or object to further receipt. You will find a link to cancel the newsletter either at the end of each newsletter or you can otherwise use one of the above contact options, preferably e-mail, for this purpose.

Further guidance on processing operations, procedures and services:

  • Measurement of open and click-through rates: The newsletters contain a so-called "web beacon", i.e. a pixel-sized file that is retrieved from our server when the newsletter is opened, or, if we use a shipping service provider, from their server. In the course of this retrieval, technical information, such as information about the browser and your system, as well as your IP address and the time of the retrieval, are initially collected. This information is used for the technical improvement of our newsletter based on the technical data or the target groups and their reading behavior based on their retrieval locations (which can be determined with the help of the IP address) or the access times. This analysis also includes determining whether and when the newsletters are opened. Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. a. DSGVO).
  • Mailchimp: Email sending and email marketing platform; Service provider: Rocket Science Group, LLC, 675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE #5000, Atlanta, GA 30308, USA; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO); Website: https://mailchimp.com; Privacy Policy: https://mailchimp.com/legal/; Order processing contract: https://mailchimp.com/legal/; Standard contractual clauses (guaranteeing the level of data protection in the case of processing in third countries): Inclusion in the order processing contract; More information: Special safety measures: https://mailchimp.com/help/Mailchimp-european-data-transfers/.

Promotional communication via e-mail, mail, fax or telephone

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

Recipients have the right to revoke consent given at any time or to object to promotional communications at any time.

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

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses); contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers).
  • Affected persons: Communication partner.
  • Purposes of processing: Direct marketing (e.g. by e-mail or postal mail).
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. a. DSGVO); Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).

Web analysis, monitoring and optimization

Web analytics (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 recognize, for example, at what time our online offer or its functions or content are most frequently used or invite re-use. Likewise, we can understand which areas require optimization.

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

The IP addresses of the users are also stored. However, we use an IP masking procedure (i.e., pseudonymization by shortening the IP address) to protect users. Generally, in the context of web analysis, A/B testing and optimization, no clear data of the users (such as e-mail addresses or names) are stored, but pseudonyms. This means that we, as well as the providers of the software used, do not know the actual identity of the users, but only the information stored in their profiles for the purposes of the respective procedures.

  • Types of data processed: Usage data (e.g. web pages visited, interest in content, access times); meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Affected persons: Users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Reach measurement (e.g. access statistics, recognition of returning visitors); profiling with user-related information (creation of user profiles); tracking (e.g. interest/behavior-related profiling, use of cookies); provision of our online offering and user-friendliness.
  • Safety measures: IP masking (pseudonymization of the IP address).
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. a. DSGVO).

Further guidance on processing operations, procedures and services:

Online marketing

We process personal data for online marketing purposes, which may include, in particular, marketing advertising space or displaying promotional and other content (collectively, "Content") based on users' potential interests and measuring its effectiveness.

For these purposes, so-called user profiles are created and stored in a file (so-called "cookie") or similar procedures are used, by means of which the information about the user relevant for the presentation of the aforementioned content is stored. This information may include, for example, content viewed, websites visited, online networks used, but also communication partners and technical information, such as the browser used, the computer system used and information on usage times and functions used. If users have consented to the collection of their location data, this may also be processed.

The IP addresses of the users are also stored. However, we use available IP masking procedures (i.e., pseudonymization by shortening the IP address) to protect users. In general, no clear data of the users (such as e-mail addresses or names) are stored in the context of the online marketing process, but pseudonyms. This means that we, as well as the providers of the online marketing procedures, do not know the actual identity of the users, but only the information stored in their profiles.

The information in the profiles is usually stored in the cookies or by means of similar procedures. These cookies can later generally also be read on other websites that use the same online marketing procedure and analyzed for the purpose of displaying content as well as supplemented with further data and stored on the server of the online marketing procedure provider.

Exceptionally, clear data may be associated with the profiles. This is the case if, for example, the users are members of a social network whose online marketing procedures we use and the network links the users' profiles with the aforementioned data. We ask that you note that users can make additional agreements with the providers, e.g., by giving their consent as part of the registration process.

In principle, we only receive access to summarized information about the success of our advertisements. However, in the context of so-called conversion measurements, we can check which of our online marketing methods have led to a so-called conversion, i.e., for example, to a contract being concluded with us. The conversion measurement is used solely to analyze the success of our marketing measures.

Unless otherwise stated, we ask you to assume that cookies used will be stored for a period of two years.

  • Types of data processed: Usage data (e.g. web pages visited, interest in content, access times); meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Affected persons: Users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Reach measurement (e.g. access statistics, recognition of returning visitors); tracking (e.g. interest/behavior-based profiling, use of cookies); marketing; profiling with user-related information (creation of user profiles); conversion measurement (measurement of the effectiveness of marketing measures).
  • Safety measures: IP masking (pseudonymization of the IP address).
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. a. DSGVO).
  • Possibility of objection (opt-out): We refer to the data protection notices of the respective providers and the objection options (so-called "opt-out") given for the providers. If no explicit opt-out option has been specified, it is possible to disable cookies in the settings of your browser. However, this may restrict functions of our online offer. We therefore recommend the following additional opt-out options, which are offered in summary for the respective areas: a) Europe: https://www.youronlinechoices.eu. b) Canada: https://www.youradchoices.ca/choices. (c) USA: https://www.aboutads.info/choices. d) Cross-territory: https://optout.aboutads.info.

Further guidance on processing operations, procedures and services:

  • Google Ads and conversion measurement: We use the online marketing method "Google Ads" to place ads in the Google advertising network (e.g., in search results, in videos, on web pages, etc.) so that they are displayed to users who have a presumed interest in the ads (so-called "conversion"). Furthermore, we measure the conversion of the ads. However, we only learn the anonymous total number of users who clicked on our ad and were redirected to a page marked with a so-called "conversion tracking tag". However, we ourselves do not receive any information with which users can be identified; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, parent company: Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. a. DSGVO); Website: https://marketingplatform.google.com; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; More information: Types of processing as well as the data processed: https://privacy.google.com/businesses/adsservices; Data processing conditions between controllers and standard contractual clauses for third country transfers of data: https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms.
  • Google Adsense with personalized ads: We use the Google Adsense service with personalized ads, with the help of which ads are displayed within our online offer and we receive remuneration for their display or other use; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, parent company: Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. a. DSGVO); Website: https://marketingplatform.google.com; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; More information: Types of processing as well as the data processed: https://privacy.google.com/businesses/adsservices; Data processing conditions for Google advertising products: Information on services Data processing conditions between data controllers and standard contractual clauses for third country transfers of data: https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms.
  • Google Adsense with non-personalized ads: We use the Google Adsense service with non-personalized ads, with the help of which ads are displayed within our online offer and we receive remuneration for their display or other use; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, parent company: Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. a. DSGVO); Website: https://marketingplatform.google.com; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; More information: Types of processing and data processed: https://privacy.google.com/businesses/adsservicesGoogle Ads Controller-Controller Data Protection Terms and standard contractual clauses for data transfers to third countries: https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms.
  • LinkedIn: Insights Tag / Conversion Measurement; Service provider: LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Plaza Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland; Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. a. DSGVO); Website: https://www.linkedin.com; Privacy Policy: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy, Cookie Policy: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/cookie_policy; Standard contractual clauses (guaranteeing the level of data protection in the case of processing in third countries): https://legal.linkedin.com/dpa; Possibility of objection (opt-out): https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/guest-controls/retargeting-opt-out.

Customer reviews and evaluation process

We participate in review and rating procedures in order to evaluate, optimize and promote our services. If users rate us or otherwise provide feedback via the participating rating platforms or procedures, the General Terms and Conditions of Business or Use and the privacy notices of the providers also apply. As a rule, the evaluation also requires registration with the respective providers.

In order to ensure that the persons rating have actually used our services, we transmit, with the consent of the customers, the data required for this purpose with regard to the customer and the service used to the respective rating platform (including name, e-mail address and order number or item number). This data is used solely to verify the authenticity of the user.

  • Types of data processed: Contractual data (e.g. subject matter of contract, term, customer category); Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); Meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Affected persons: Customers; users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Feedback (e.g., collecting feedback via online form); Marketing.
  • Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).

Further guidance on processing operations, procedures and services:

  • Rating widget: We integrate so-called "rating widgets" into our online offer. A widget is a functional and content element integrated into our online offer that displays variable information. It can be displayed, for example, in the form of a seal or comparable element, sometimes also called a "badge". In this case, the corresponding content of the widget is displayed within our online offer, but it is retrieved at that moment from the servers of the respective widget provider. This is the only way to always show the current content, especially the current rating. For this purpose, a data connection must be established from the website called up within our online offer to the server of the widget provider and the widget provider receives certain technical data (access data, including IP address), which are necessary so that the content of the widget can be delivered to the user's browser. Furthermore, the widget provider receives information that users have visited our online offer. This information may be stored in a cookie and used by the widget provider to identify which online offers participating in the evaluation process have been visited by the user. The information may be stored in a user profile and used for advertising or market research purposes; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).
  • Trustpilot: Rating platform; Service provider: Trustpilot A/S, Pilestræde 58, 5, 1112 Copenhagen, Denmark; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO); Website: https://de.trustpilot.com; Privacy Policy: https://de.legal.trustpilot.com/end-user-privacy-terms.

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 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 the users because, for example, the enforcement of the users' rights could be made more difficult.

Furthermore, user data is usually processed within social networks for market research and advertising purposes. For example, usage profiles can be created based on the usage behavior and resulting interests of the users. The usage profiles can in turn be used, for example, to place advertisements within and outside the networks that presumably correspond to the interests of the users. For these purposes, cookies are usually stored on the users' computers, in which the usage behavior and interests of the users are stored. Furthermore, data independent of the devices used by the users may also be stored in the usage profiles (especially if the users are members of the respective platforms and are logged in to them).

For a detailed presentation of the respective forms of processing and the options to object (opt-out), we refer to the privacy statements 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 providers have access to the users' 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. e-mail, telephone numbers); content data (e.g. entries in online forms); usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Affected persons: 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 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).

Further guidance on processing operations, procedures and services:

Plugins and embedded functions and content

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

The integration always requires that the third-party providers of this content process the IP address of the user, since without the IP address they could not send the content to their browser. The IP address is thus required for the display of this content or function. We strive to use only such content whose respective providers use the IP address only for the delivery of the content. Third-party providers may also use so-called pixel tags (invisible graphics, also known as "web beacons") for statistical or marketing purposes. The "pixel tags" can be used to analyze information such as visitor traffic on the pages of this website. The pseudonymous information may also be stored in cookies on the user's device and may contain, among other things, technical information about the browser and operating system, referring websites, time of visit and other information about the use of our online offer as well as be linked to such information from other sources.

  • Types of data processed: Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times); meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses); inventory data (e.g. names, addresses); contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers); content data (e.g. entries in online forms).
  • Affected persons: Users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness.
  • Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).

Further guidance on processing operations, procedures and services:

  • Integration of third-party software, scripts or frameworks (e.g. jQuery): We integrate software into our online offer that we retrieve from servers of other providers (e.g. function libraries that we use for the purpose of presentation or user-friendliness of our online offer). In doing so, the respective providers collect the IP address of the user and may process this for the purpose of transmitting the software to the user's browser and for security purposes, as well as for the evaluation and optimization of their offer. - We integrate software into our online offer that we retrieve from servers of other providers (e.g. function libraries that we use for the purpose of display or user-friendliness of our online offer). In doing so, the respective providers collect the IP address of the user and may process this for the purpose of transmitting the software to the user's browser and for security purposes, as well as for the evaluation and optimization of their offer; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).
  • Font Awesome (deployed on its own server): Representation of fonts and symbols; Service provider: Font Awesome icons are hosted on our server, no data is transmitted to Font Awesome's provider; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).
  • Google Fonts (obtained from Google server): Obtaining fonts (and symbols) for the purpose of a technically secure, maintenance-free and efficient use of fonts and symbols with regard to up-to-dateness and loading times, their uniform display and consideration of possible restrictions under licensing law. The provider of the fonts is informed of the user's IP address so that the fonts can be made available in the user's browser. In addition, technical data (language settings, screen resolution, operating system, hardware used) are transmitted that are necessary for the provision of the fonts depending on the devices used and the technical environment; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, parent company: Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO); Website: https://fonts.google.com/; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy.
  • YouTube videos: Video content; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, parent company: Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO); Website: https://www.youtube.com; Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Possibility of objection (opt-out): Opt-out plugin: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de, settings for the display of advertisements: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.

Modification and update of the privacy policy

We ask you to regularly inform yourself about the content of our privacy policy. We adapt the data protection declaration as soon as the changes in the data processing carried out by us make this necessary. We will inform you as soon as the changes require an act of cooperation on your part (e.g. consent) or other individual notification.

Where we provide addresses and contact information of companies and organizations in this privacy statement, please note that the addresses may change over time and please check the information before contacting us.

Rights of the data subjects

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

  • Right to object: You have the right to object at any time, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to the processing of personal data concerning you which is carried out on the basis of Article 6(1)(e) or (f) DSGVO; this also applies to profiling based on these provisions. If the personal data concerning you is processed for the purposes of direct marketing, you have the right to object at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you for the purposes of such marketing; this also applies to profiling, insofar as it is related to such direct marketing.
  • Right of withdrawal for consents: You have the right to revoke any consent you have given at any time.
  • Right to Information: You have the right to request confirmation as to whether data in question is being processed and to information about this data, as well as further information and a copy of the data in accordance with the legal requirements.
  • Right of rectification: In accordance with the legal requirements, you have the right to request that the data concerning you be completed or that incorrect data concerning you be corrected.
  • Right to erasure and restriction of processing: In accordance with the statutory provisions, you have the right to demand that data relating to you be deleted immediately or, alternatively, to demand restriction of the processing of the data in accordance with the statutory provisions.
  • Right to data portability: You have the right to receive data concerning you, which you have provided to us, in a structured, common and machine-readable format in accordance with the legal requirements, or to request that it be transferred to another responsible party.
  • 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 the place of the alleged infringement, if you consider that the processing of personal data relating to you infringes the requirements of the GDPR.

Supervisory authority responsible for us:

The Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information
Ludwig-Erhard-Str. 22, 7th floor
20459 Hamburg

Definitions

This section provides you with an overview of the terms used in this privacy policy. Many of the terms are taken from the law and defined primarily in Art. 4 of the GDPR. The legal definitions are binding. The following explanations, on the other hand, are primarily intended to aid understanding. The terms are sorted alphabetically.

  • Conversion measurement: Conversion measurement (also referred to as "visit action evaluation") is a method used to determine the effectiveness of marketing measures. For this purpose, a cookie is usually stored on the users' devices within the websites on which the marketing measures take place and then retrieved again on the target website. For example, this allows us to track whether the ads we have placed on other websites have been successful.
  • Personal data: "Personal data" means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter "data subject"); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier (e.g. cookie) or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.
  • Profiles with user-related information: The processing of "profiles with user-related information", or "profiles" for short, includes any type of automated processing of personal data that consists of using this personal data to analyze, evaluate or predict certain personal aspects relating to a natural person (depending on the type of profiling, this may include different information concerning demographics, behavior and interests, such as interaction with websites and their content, etc.) (e.g. interests in certain content or products, click behavior on a website or location). Cookies and web beacons are often used for profiling purposes.
  • Reach measurement: Reach measurement (also known as web analytics) is used to evaluate the flow of visitors to an online offering and can include visitors' behavior or interests in certain information, such as website content. With the help of reach analysis, website owners can see, for example, at what time visitors visit their website and what content they are interested in. This enables them, for example, to better adapt the content of the website to the needs of their visitors. For the purposes of reach analysis, pseudonymous cookies and web beacons are often used to recognize returning visitors and thus obtain more precise analyses of the use of an online offer.
  • Tracking: Tracking" is when the behavior of users can be traced across several online offerings. As a rule, behavioral and interest information is stored in cookies or on servers of the providers of the tracking technologies with regard to the online offers used (so-called profiling). This information can then be used, for example, to display advertisements to users that are likely to match their interests.
  • Person responsible: Controller" means the natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which alone or jointly with others determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data.
  • Processing: "Processing" means any operation or set of operations which is performed upon personal data, whether or not by automatic means. The term is broad and includes virtually any handling of data, be it collection, analysis, storage, transmission or deletion.

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