Privacy Policy

Preamble

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

The terms used are not gender-specific.

Status: April 18, 2026

Table of Contents

• Preamble
• Controller
• Overview of Processing Activities
• Relevant Legal Bases
• Security Measures
• Transfer of Personal Data
• International Data Transfers
• General Information on Data Storage and Deletion
• Rights of Data Subjects
• Provision of the Online Offering and Webhosting
• Use of Cookies
• Contact and Inquiry Management
• Amendment and Update
• Definitions

Controller

First name, Last name / Company
Street, House number
Postcode, City, Country

Email address: vorname.name@beispielsdomain.eu

Overview of Processing Activities

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

• Contact data.
• Content data.
• Usage data.
• Meta, communication, and procedural data.
• Log data.

Categories of Data Subjects

• Communication partners.
• Users.

Purposes of Processing

• Communication.
• Security measures.
• Organizational and administrative procedures.
• Feedback.
• Provision of our online offering and user-friendliness.
• Information technology infrastructure.

Relevant Legal Bases

Relevant Legal Bases under the GDPR: Below you will find an overview of the legal bases of the GDPR on which we process personal data. Please note that in addition to the provisions of the GDPR, national data protection regulations in your or our country of residence or establishment may apply. Should more specific legal bases be relevant in individual cases, we will inform you of these in the privacy policy.

• Consent (Art. 6 (1) sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR) - The data subject has given consent to the processing of his or her personal data for one or more specific purposes.
• Performance of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 (1) sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR) - Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract.
• Legitimate interests (Art. 6 (1) sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR) - Processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require protection of personal data.

National Data Protection Regulations in Germany: In addition to the data protection regulations of the GDPR, national data protection regulations apply in Germany. This includes, in particular, the Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz – BDSG). The BDSG contains special provisions, in particular, 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 transfers and automated individual decision-making, including profiling. Furthermore, the data protection laws of the individual federal states may apply.

Note on the applicability of GDPR and Swiss FADP: These privacy notices serve to provide information in accordance with both the Swiss FADP and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). For this reason, please note that due to the broader territorial application and comprehensibility, the terms of the GDPR are used. In particular, instead of the terms "processing" of "personal data", "overriding interest" and "particularly sensitive personal data" used in the Swiss FADP, the terms "processing" of "personal data" as well as "legitimate interest" and "special categories of data" used in the GDPR are applied. However, the legal meaning of the terms will continue to be determined by the Swiss FADP within the scope of its applicability.

Security Measures

In accordance with legal requirements and taking into account the state of the art, the costs of implementation, the nature, scope, context, and purposes of processing as well as the varying likelihood and severity of the risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons, we implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk.

Measures include, in particular, safeguarding the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data by controlling physical and electronic access to the data, as well as access, input, disclosure, ensuring availability, and their separation. Furthermore, we have established procedures that ensure the exercise of data subjects' rights, the deletion of data, and responses to data breaches. We also take data protection into account during the development or selection of hardware, software, and procedures, in accordance with the principle of data protection by design and by default.

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

Transfer of Personal Data

In the course of our processing of personal data, it may happen that data is transferred to or disclosed to other bodies, companies, legally independent organizational units, or persons. Recipients of this data may include, for example, service providers entrusted with IT tasks or providers of services and content that are integrated into a website. In such cases, we comply with legal requirements and, in particular, conclude corresponding contracts or agreements with the recipients of your data that serve to protect your data.

International Data Transfers

Data processing in third countries: If we transfer data to a third country (i.e., outside the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA)) or if this occurs in the context of using third-party services or disclosing/transferring data to other persons, bodies, or companies (which can be identified by the postal address of the respective provider or if the privacy policy expressly refers to data transfer to third countries), this always takes place in compliance with legal requirements.

For data transfers to the USA, we primarily rely on the Data Privacy Framework (DPF), which was recognized as a secure legal framework by an adequacy decision of the EU Commission on July 10, 2023. Additionally, we have concluded standard contractual clauses with the respective providers, which comply with the requirements of the EU Commission and establish contractual obligations for the protection of your data.

This dual safeguard ensures comprehensive protection of your data: the DPF forms the primary level of protection, while the standard contractual clauses serve as an additional security measure. Should there be changes within the DPF, the standard contractual clauses will act as a reliable fallback option. This ensures that your data remains adequately protected even in the event of political or legal changes.

For individual service providers, we will inform you whether they are certified under the DPF and whether standard contractual clauses are in place. Further information on the DPF and a list of certified companies can be found on the U.S. Department of Commerce website at https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/ (in English).

For data transfers to other third countries, corresponding security measures apply, in particular standard contractual clauses, explicit consents, or legally required transfers. Information on third-country transfers and applicable adequacy decisions can be found in the information provided by the EU Commission: https://commission.europa.eu/law/law-topic/data-protection/international-dimension-data-protection_en?prefLang=de.

General Information on Data Storage and Deletion

We delete personal data that we process in accordance with legal provisions as soon as the underlying consents are revoked or there are no further legal bases for processing. This applies to cases where the original processing purpose ceases to exist or the data is no longer required. Exceptions to this rule exist if legal obligations or special interests require longer storage or archiving of the data.

In particular, data that must be retained for commercial or tax law reasons or whose storage is necessary for the prosecution of legal claims or the protection of the rights of other natural or legal persons must be archived accordingly.

Our privacy policy contains additional information on the retention and deletion of data that specifically applies to certain processing activities.

If there are multiple specifications for the retention period or deletion periods of data, the longest period is always decisive. Data that is no longer required for the originally intended purpose but is retained due to legal requirements or other reasons will only be processed for the reasons justifying its retention.

Retention and deletion of data: The following general periods apply to retention and archiving under German law:

• 10 years - Retention period for books and records, annual financial statements, inventories, management reports, opening balance sheet, as well as the work instructions and other organizational documents required for their understanding (§ 147 (1) No. 1 in conjunction with (3) AO, § 14b (1) UStG, § 257 (1) No. 1 in conjunction with (4) HGB).
• 8 years - Accounting vouchers, such as invoices and expense receipts (§ 147 (1) No. 4 and 4a in conjunction with (3) sentence 1 AO and § 257 (1) No. 4 in conjunction with (4) HGB).
• 6 years - Other business documents: received commercial or business letters, reproductions of dispatched commercial or business letters, other documents insofar as they are relevant for taxation, e.g., hourly wage slips, cost accounting sheets, calculation documents, price labels, but also payroll documents, insofar as they are not already accounting vouchers, and cash register strips (§ 147 (1) No. 2, 3, 5 in conjunction with (3) AO, § 257 (1) No. 2 and 3 in conjunction with (4) HGB).
• 3 years - Data required to consider potential warranty and compensation claims or similar contractual claims and rights, and to process related inquiries, based on previous business experience and usual industry practices, will be stored for the duration of the regular statutory limitation period of three years (§§ 195, 199 BGB).

Commencement of the period at the end of the year: If a period does not explicitly begin on a specific date and is at least one year, it automatically starts at the end of the calendar year in which the event triggering the period occurred. In the case of ongoing contractual relationships in which data is stored, the event triggering the period is the time of the effective termination or other ending of the legal relationship.

Rights of Data Subjects

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

• Right to object: You have the right to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, at any time to processing of personal data concerning you which is based on Article 6(1) (e) or (f) of the GDPR, including profiling based on those provisions. Where personal data are processed for direct marketing purposes, you have the right to object at any time to processing of personal data concerning you for such marketing, which includes profiling to the extent that it is related to such direct marketing.
• Right to withdraw consent: You have the right to withdraw given consents at any time.
• Right of access: You have the right to obtain confirmation as to whether or not personal data concerning you are being processed, and, where that is the case, access to the personal data and further information and a copy of the data in accordance with legal provisions.
• Right to rectification: In accordance with legal provisions, you have the right to demand the completion of incomplete data concerning you or the rectification of inaccurate data concerning you.
• Right to erasure and restriction of processing: In accordance with legal provisions, you have the right to demand that data concerning you be erased without undue delay, or alternatively, in accordance with legal provisions, to demand a restriction of the processing of the data.
• Right to data portability: You have the right to receive the personal data concerning you, which you have provided to us, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format in accordance with legal provisions, or to request their transmission to another controller.
• Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority: Without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your habitual residence, place of work or place of the alleged infringement if you consider that the processing of personal data relating to you infringes the GDPR.

Provision of the Online Offering and Webhosting

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

• Types of data processed: Usage data (e.g., page views and duration, click paths, usage intensity and frequency, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions); Meta, communication, and procedural data (e.g., IP addresses, timestamps, identification numbers, involved persons). Log data (e.g., log files regarding logins or data retrieval or access times).
• Data subjects: Users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).

Purposes of processing and legitimate interests: Provision of our online services and user-friendliness; Information technology infrastructure (operation and provision of information systems and technical equipment (computers, servers, etc.)). Security measures.

Retention and deletion: Deletion according to the details in the section "General information on data storage and deletion".

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

Further information on processing operations, procedures, and services:

• Provision of online services on rented storage space: For the provision of our online services, we use storage space, computing capacity, and software that we rent or otherwise obtain from a corresponding server provider (also called "web hoster"); Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• Collection of access data and log files: Access to our online services is logged in the form of so-called "server log files". Server log files may include the address and name of the accessed web pages and files, date and time of access, amount of data transferred, notification of successful access, browser type and version, the user's operating system, referrer URL (the previously visited page), and generally IP addresses and the requesting provider. Server log files can be used for security purposes, e.g., to prevent server overload (especially in the case of abusive attacks, so-called DDoS attacks), and to ensure server utilization and stability; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR). Deletion of data: Logfile information is stored for a maximum of 30 days and then deleted or anonymized. Data whose further retention is necessary for evidentiary purposes is exempt from deletion until the final clarification of the respective incident.

Use of Cookies

The term "cookies" refers to functions that store and read information on users' end devices. Cookies can also be used for various purposes, such as the functionality, security, and convenience of online services, as well as for creating analyses of visitor flows. We use cookies in accordance with legal regulations. If necessary, we obtain the user's consent beforehand. If consent is not necessary, we rely on our legitimate interests. This applies when the storage and reading of information is essential to provide explicitly requested content and functions. This includes, for example, the storage of settings and ensuring the functionality and security of our online services. Consent can be revoked at any time. We provide clear information about their scope and which cookies are used.

Notes on data protection legal bases: Whether we process personal data using cookies depends on consent. If consent is given, it serves as the legal basis. Without consent, we rely on our legitimate interests, which are explained above in this section and in the context of the respective services and procedures.

Storage duration: With regard to storage duration, 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 service and closed their end device (e.g., browser or mobile application).
• Permanent cookies: Permanent cookies remain stored even after the end device is closed. For example, the login status can be saved and preferred content can be displayed directly when the user revisits a website. Likewise, user data collected with the help of cookies can be used for reach measurement. If we do not explicitly inform users about the type and storage duration of cookies (e.g., in the context of obtaining consent), they should assume that these are permanent and the storage duration can be up to two years.

General notes on revocation and objection (opt-out): Users can revoke their given consents at any time and also object to the processing in accordance with legal requirements, also via the privacy settings of their browser.

• Types of data processed: Meta, communication, and procedural data (e.g., IP addresses, time stamps, identification numbers, involved persons).
• Persons affected: Users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).
• Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR). Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures, and services:

• Processing of cookie data based on consent: We use a consent management solution that obtains users' consent for the use of cookies or for the procedures and providers mentioned in the consent management solution. This procedure serves to obtain, log, manage, and revoke consents, particularly concerning the use of cookies and similar technologies used for storing, reading, and processing information on users' end devices. As part of this procedure, users' consents for the use of cookies and the associated processing of information, including the specific processing operations and providers mentioned in the consent management procedure, are obtained. Users also have the option to manage and revoke their consents. The consent declarations are stored to avoid repeated queries and to be able to provide proof of consent in accordance with legal requirements. Storage takes place server-side and/or in a cookie (so-called opt-in cookie) or by means of comparable technologies to be able to assign the consent to a specific user or their device. Unless specific information on the providers of consent management services is available, the following general notes apply: The duration of storage of consent is up to two years. A pseudonymous user identifier is created, which is stored together with the time of consent, information on the scope of consent (e.g., relevant categories of cookies and/or service providers) as well as information about the browser, system, and the end device used; Legal bases: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR).

Contact and inquiry management

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

• Types of data processed: Contact data (e.g., postal and email addresses or phone numbers); Content data (e.g., textual or visual messages and posts as well as information related to them, such as authorship or time of creation). Meta, communication, and procedural data (e.g., IP addresses, time stamps, identification numbers, involved persons).
• Persons affected: Communication partners.
• Purposes of processing and legitimate interests: Communication; Organizational and administrative procedures; Feedback (e.g., collecting feedback via online form). Provision of our online services and user-friendliness.
• Retention and deletion: Deletion according to the details in the section "General information on data storage and deletion".
• Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR). Fulfillment of contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures, and services:

• Contact form: When contacting us via our contact form, email, or other communication channels, we process the personal data transmitted to us to answer and process the respective request. This generally includes information such as name, contact information, and possibly other information communicated to us and necessary for appropriate processing. We use this data exclusively for the stated purpose of contact and communication; Legal bases: Fulfillment of contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Changes and Updates

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

If we provide addresses and contact information of companies and organizations in this data protection declaration, please note that the addresses may change over time and we ask you to check the information before contacting them.

Definitions of terms

In this section, you will find an overview of the terms used in this data protection declaration. Insofar as the terms are legally defined, their legal definitions apply. The following explanations are primarily intended to aid understanding.

• Content data: Content data includes information generated during the creation, editing, and publication of all types of content. This category of data can include texts, images, videos, audio files, and other multimedia content published on various platforms and media. Content data is not only limited to the actual content but also includes metadata that provides information about the content itself, such as tags, descriptions, author information, and publication dates.
• Contact data: Contact data is essential information that enables communication with individuals or organizations. It includes, among other things, telephone numbers, postal addresses, and email addresses, as well as means of communication such as social media handles and instant messaging identifiers.
• Meta, communication, and procedural data: Meta, communication, and procedural data are categories that contain information about how data is processed, transmitted, and managed. Metadata, also known as data about data, includes information describing the context, origin, and structure of other data. It can include information on file size, creation date, author of a document, and revision histories. Communication data captures the exchange of information between users across various channels, such as email traffic, call logs, social media messages, and chat histories, including the involved parties, timestamps, and transmission paths. Procedural data describes the processes and workflows within systems or organizations, including workflow documentation, transaction and activity logs, and audit trails used to track and verify processes.
• Usage data: Usage data refers to information that captures how users interact with digital products, services, or platforms. This data includes a wide range of information that shows how users use applications, which functions they prefer, how long they stay on certain pages, and which paths they navigate through an application. Usage data can also include frequency of use, timestamps of activities, IP addresses, device information, and location data. It is particularly valuable for analyzing user behavior, optimizing user experiences, personalizing content, and improving products or services. Furthermore, usage data plays a crucial role in identifying trends, preferences, and potential problem areas within digital offerings.
• 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. a cookie) or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.
• Log data: Log data is information about events or activities that have been logged in a system or network. This data typically contains information such as timestamps, IP addresses, user actions, error messages, and other details about the use or operation of a system. Log data is often used to analyze system problems, monitor security, or generate performance reports.
• Controller: The "controller" is 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 on personal data or on sets of personal data, whether or not by automated means. The term is broad and covers practically every handling of data, be it collecting, evaluating, storing, transmitting, or deleting.

Created with the free data protection generator from Dr. Thomas Schwenke