DATA PROTECTION

General information on data storage and deletion

 

We delete personal data that we process in accordance with legal requirements as soon as the underlying consent is revoked or there is no further legal basis for processing. This applies to cases where the original purpose of processing no longer applies 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 reasons, or whose storage is necessary for criminal prosecution or to protect the rights of other natural or legal persons, must be archived accordingly.

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

If there are several specifications regarding the retention period or deletion periods for a data set, the longest period always applies. We process data that is no longer required for its original purpose but is retained due to legal requirements or other reasons exclusively for the reasons that justify its retention.

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Storage and deletion of data:

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The following general periods apply to storage and archiving under German law:

• 10 years – retention period for books and records, annual financial statements, inventories, management reports, opening balance sheets, and the work instructions and other organizational documents necessary for their understanding (Section 147 (1) No. 1 in conjunction with (3) AO, § 14b (1) UStG, § 257 (1) No. 1 in conjunction with (4) HGB) .

• 8 years – Accounting documents such as invoices and expense receipts (Section 147 (1) No. 4 and 4a in conjunction with (3) sentence 1 AO and Section 257 (1) No. 4 in conjunction with (4) HGB).

• 6 years – Other business documents: incoming commercial or business letters, copies of commercial or business letters sent, other tax-relevant documents, e.g. payroll statements, operating statements, calculation documents, price tags, but also payroll documents, unless these are already accounting documents, as well as cash receipts (Section 147 (1) Nos. 2, 3, 5 in conjunction with (3) AO, Section 257 (1) Nos. 2 and 3 in conjunction with (4) HGB).

• 3 years – Data required for the examination of potential warranty and damage claims or similar contractual claims and rights, as well as for the processing of related inquiries, will be stored for the duration of the regular statutory limitation period of three years (195, 199 BGB) based on previous business experience and industry practices.

 

Rights of data subjects

 

Rights of data subjects under the GDPR:

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

• Right to object: You have the right to object at any time, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to the processing of personal data concerning you which is based on Article 6(1)(e) or (f) GDPR; this also applies to profiling based on these provisions. If the personal data concerning you is processed for direct marketing purposes, you have the right to object at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you for such marketing purposes; this also applies to profiling insofar as it is related to such direct marketing.

• Right of withdrawal: You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

• Right to information: You have the right to request confirmation as to whether data concerning you is being processed and to obtain information about this data as well as further information and a copy of the data in accordance with the statutory provisions.

 

• Right to rectification: In accordance with legal provisions, you have the right to request that your data be completed or that inaccurate data be corrected.

• Right to erasure and restriction of processing: In accordance with legal provisions, you have the right to request the immediate erasure of your data or, alternatively, to request a restriction on the processing of the data in accordance with legal provisions.

• Right to data portability: You have the right to receive the data concerning you that you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format in accordance with legal provisions, or to request that it be transferred to another controller.

• Complaint to a supervisory authority: Without prejudice to other administrative or judicial remedies, 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 your personal data infringes the provisions of the GDPR.

 

Business services

 

We process data from our contractual partners and business partners, e.g., customers and interested parties (collectively referred to as “contractual partners”), within the framework of contractual and comparable legal relationships and associated measures, as well as with regard to communication with contractual partners (or pre-contractual), for example, to respond to inquiries.

We use this data to fulfill our contractual obligations. These include, in particular, obligations to provide the agreed services, any update obligations, and remedial measures in the event of warranty and other service disruptions. In addition, we use the data to protect our rights and for the administrative tasks associated with these obligations, as well as for company organization. We also process the data on the basis of our legitimate interests in proper and economical business management and in 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 the applicable legal provisions, we only pass on the data of contractual partners to third parties to the extent that this is necessary for the above-mentioned purposes or to fulfill legal obligations. Contractual partners will be informed about other forms of processing, for example for marketing purposes, within the framework of this privacy policy.

We inform our contractual partners before or during data collection, e.g. in online forms, by means of special markings (e.g. colors) or symbols (e.g. asterisks or similar) or in person, which data is required for the above-mentioned purposes.

We delete the data after the expiry of the statutory warranty and comparable obligations, i.e. usually after four years, unless the data is stored in a customer account, e.g. as long as it must be retained for archiving purposes for legal reasons (e.g. for tax purposes, usually ten years). We delete data that the contractual partner has provided to us within the scope of an order in accordance with the specifications and, as a rule, after completion of the order:

• Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g., full name, residential address, contact details, customer number, etc.); payment data (e.g., bank details, invoices, payment history); contact details (e.g., postal and email addresses or telephone numbers). Contract data (e.g., subject matter of the contract, term, customer category).

• Data subjects: Service recipients and customers; interested parties. Business and contractual partners.

• Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations; communication; office and organizational processes; organizational and administrative processes. Business processes and business management processes.

• Storage and deletion: Deletion in accordance with the information in the section “General information on data storage and deletion.”

• Legal basis: Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR); legal obligation (Art. 6 (1) (c) GDPR); legitimate interests (Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR).

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Provision of online services and web hosting

 

We process user data in order to provide you 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 dwell time, click paths, usage intensity and frequency, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions); Meta, communication, and process data (e.g., IP addresses, timestamps, identification numbers, persons involved). Log data (e.g., log files for logins or for retrieving data or access times).

• Data subjects: Users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).

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

• Storage and deletion: Deletion in accordance with the information in the section “General information on data storage and deletion.”

• Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR).

 

Further information on processing procedures, methods, and services:

• Collection of access data and log files: Access to our online offering is logged in the form of so-called “server log files.” Server log files may contain the address and name of the websites and files accessed, the date and time of access, the amount of data transferred, notification of successful access, the browser type and version, the user's operating system, the referrer URL (the previously visited page), and usually the IP addresses and the requesting provider. The server log files can be used for security purposes, e.g. to prevent server overload (especially in the case of malicious attacks, known as DDoS attacks) and to ensure server utilization and stability; legal basis: legitimate interest (Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR).

• Deletion of data: The log file information is stored for a maximum of 30 days and then deleted or anonymized. Data that must be retained for evidentiary purposes is excluded from deletion until the respective incident has been conclusively clarified.

 

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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, for example to ensure the functionality, security, and user-friendliness of online offerings and to analyze visitor flows. We use cookies in accordance with legal requirements. To do so, we obtain the consent of users in advance, if necessary. If consent is not required, we rely on our legitimate interests. This is the case if the storage and retrieval of information is essential to provide expressly requested content and functions. This includes, for example, storing settings and ensuring the functionality and security of our online offering. Consent can be revoked at any time. We provide clear and concise information about the scope of consent and which cookies are used.

Information on the legal basis for data protection:

Whether we process personal data using cookies depends on consent. If consent has been given, this serves as the legal basis. Without consent, we rely on our legitimate interests, which are explained above in this section and in connection with the respective services and procedures.

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Storage duration:

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

• Temporary cookies (also known as session cookies): Temporary cookies are deleted at the latest after a user leaves an online offering and closes their device (e.g., browser or mobile application).

• Permanent cookies: Permanent cookies remain stored even after the device is closed. This allows, for example, the login status to be saved and preferred content to be displayed directly when the user visits a website again. The user data collected with the help of cookies can also be used to measure reach. Unless we expressly inform users about the type and storage period of cookies (e.g., when obtaining consent), they should assume that they are permanent and that the storage period can be up to two years.

 

General information on revocation and objection (opt-out):

Users can revoke their consent at any time and also object to processing in accordance with the statutory provisions, including via the privacy settings of their browser.

 

Types of data processed: Meta, communication, and procedural data (e.g., IP addresses, timestamps, identification numbers, persons involved).

Data subjects: Users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).

Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR).

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Further information on processing procedures, methods, and services:

 

Users also have the option of managing and revoking their consent. The declarations of consent are stored in order to avoid repeated queries and to be able to provide proof of consent in accordance with legal requirements. Storage takes place on the server side and/or in a cookie (so-called opt-in cookie) or using comparable technologies in order to be able to assign consent to a specific user or their device.

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If no specific information is available about the providers of consent management services, the following general information applies: Consent is stored for up to two years. A pseudonymous user ID is created and stored together with the time of consent, details of the scope of consent (e.g., relevant categories of cookies and/or service providers), and information about the browser, system, and device used. Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR). 

Processing of cookie data based on consent: We use a consent management solution that obtains the consent of users to the use of cookies or to the procedures and providers specified in the consent management solution. This procedure serves to obtain, log, manage, and revoke consent, in particular with regard to the use of cookies and similar technologies used to store, read, and process information on users' end devices. As part of this procedure, users' consent is obtained for the use of cookies and the associated processing of information, including specific processing and the providers specified in the consent management procedure. 

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Contact and inquiry management

 

When contacting us (e.g., via contact form, email, telephone, or social media) and within the scope of existing user and business relationships, the information provided by the inquiring persons will be processed to the extent necessary to respond to contact requests and to carry out the desired measures.

• Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g., full name, residential address, contact details, customer number, etc.); contact details (e.g., postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); content data (e.g., text or image messages and posts, as well as information about them, such as details of authorship or creation time); Usage data (e.g., page views and dwell time, 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, persons involved).

• Data subjects: Communication partners.

• Purposes of processing: Communication; organizational and administrative processes; feedback (e.g., collection of feedback via online form). Provision of our online offering and user-friendliness.

• Storage and deletion: Deletion in accordance with the information in the section “General information on data storage and deletion.”

• Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR).

 

Further information on processing procedures, methods, and services:

Contact form: If you contact us via our contact form, by email, or via other means of communication, we will process the personal data you provide in order to respond to and process your request. This usually includes information such as your name, contact details, and, if applicable, other information you provide to us that is necessary for the proper processing of your request. We use this data exclusively for the stated purpose of establishing contact and communication; legal bases: fulfillment of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR).