Data protection

Table of contents

Introduction and overview

We have written this data protection declaration (version 09.03.2024-112741413) in order to explain to you, in accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and applicable national laws, which personal data (data for short) we as the controller - and that of Processors commissioned by us (e.g. providers) – process, will process in the future and what legal options you have. The terms used are to be understood as gender-neutral.
In short: We inform you comprehensively about the data we process about you.

Privacy policies usually sound very technical and use legal terms. This data protection declaration, however, is intended to describe the most important things to you as simply and transparently as possible. To the extent that it promotes transparency, technical terms are explained in a reader-friendly manner , links to further information are provided and graphics are used. We thereby inform you in clear and simple language that we only process personal data as part of our business activities if there is a corresponding legal basis. This is certainly not possible if you make as brief, unclear and legal-technical statements as possible, as are often standard on the Internet when it comes to data protection. I hope you find the following explanations interesting and informative and perhaps there is one or two pieces of information that you didn't know before.
If you still have questions, we would like to ask you to contact the responsible body named below or in the legal notice, follow the existing links and look at further information on third-party sites. You can of course also find our contact details in the legal notice.

scope of application

This data protection declaration applies to all personal data processed by us in the company and to all personal data that companies commissioned by us (processors) process. By personal data we mean information within the meaning of Article 4 No. 1 GDPR such as a person's name, email address and postal address. The processing of personal data ensures that we can offer and bill our services and products, whether online or offline. The scope of this data protection declaration includes:

  • all online presences (websites, online shops) that we operate
  • Social media appearances and email communication
  • mobile apps for smartphones and other devices

In short: The data protection declaration applies to all areas in which personal data is processed in a structured manner within the company via the channels mentioned. If we enter into legal relationships with you outside of these channels, we will inform you separately if necessary.

Legal basis

In the following data protection declaration we provide you with transparent information about the legal principles and regulations, i.e. the legal bases of the General Data Protection Regulation, which enable us to process personal data.
As far as EU law is concerned, we refer to REGULATION (EU) 2016/679 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of April 27, 2016. You can of course access this EU General Data Protection Regulation online on EUR-Lex, the access to the EU -Law, read at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/DE/ALL/?uri=celex%3A32016R0679 .

We only process your data if at least one of the following conditions applies:

  1. Consent (Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. a GDPR): You have given us your consent to process data for a specific purpose. An example would be saving the data you entered on a contact form.
  2. Contract (Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter b GDPR): In order to fulfill a contract or pre-contractual obligations with you, we process your data. For example, if we conclude a purchase contract with you, we need personal information in advance.
  3. Legal obligation (Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. c GDPR): If we are subject to a legal obligation, we process your data. For example, we are legally obliged to keep invoices for accounting purposes. These usually contain personal data.
  4. Legitimate interests (Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. f GDPR): In the case of legitimate interests that do not restrict your fundamental rights, we reserve the right to process personal data. For example, we need to process certain data in order to operate our website securely and economically efficiently. This processing is therefore a legitimate interest.

Other conditions such as the perception of recordings in the public interest and the exercise of public authority as well as the protection of vital interests generally do not apply to us. If such a legal basis is relevant, it will be shown in the appropriate place.

In addition to the EU regulation, national laws also apply:

  • In Austria this is the Federal Law on the Protection of Natural Persons with regard to the Processing of Personal Data ( Data Protection Act ), or DSG for short .
  • The Federal Data Protection Act , or BDSG for short, applies in Germany .

If other regional or national laws apply, we will inform you about them in the following sections.

Storage period

Our general criterion is that we only store personal data for as long as is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. This means that we delete personal data as soon as the reason for data processing no longer exists. In some cases, we are legally obliged to store certain data even after the original purpose has ceased, for example for accounting purposes.

If you wish to have your data deleted or revoke your consent to data processing, the data will be deleted as quickly as possible and unless there is an obligation to store it.

We will inform you below about the specific duration of the respective data processing, provided we have further information.

Rights under the General Data Protection Regulation

In accordance with Articles 13, 14 GDPR, we inform you of the following rights to which you are entitled so that data is processed fairly and transparently:

  • According to Article 15 GDPR, you have a right to information as to whether we are processing your data. If this is the case, you have the right to receive a copy of the data and to know the following information:
    • for what purpose we carry out the processing;
    • the categories, i.e. the types of data, that are processed;
    • who receives this data and, if the data is transferred to third countries, how security can be guaranteed;
    • how long the data is stored;
    • the existence of the right to rectification, deletion or restriction of processing and the right to object to processing;
    • that you can complain to a supervisory authority (links to these authorities can be found below);
    • the origin of the data if we did not collect it from you;
    • whether profiling is carried out, i.e. whether data is automatically evaluated in order to create a personal profile for you.
  • According to Article 16 GDPR, you have the right to rectification of data, which means that we must correct data if you find errors.
  • According to Article 17 GDPR, you have the right to deletion (“right to be forgotten”), which specifically means that you can request the deletion of your data.
  • According to Article 18 GDPR, you have the right to restrict processing, which means that we are only allowed to store the data but not use it any further.
  • According to Article 20 GDPR, you have the right to data portability, which means that upon request we will provide you with your data in a common format.
  • According to Article 21 GDPR, you have a right to object, which, once enforced, will result in a change to the processing.
    • If the processing of your data is based on Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter e (public interest, exercise of official authority) or Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter f (legitimate interest), you can object to the processing. We will then check as quickly as possible whether we can legally comply with this objection.
    • If data is used to conduct direct advertising, you can object to this type of data processing at any time. We may then no longer use your data for direct marketing.
    • If data is used to carry out profiling, you can object to this type of data processing at any time. We are then no longer allowed to use your data for profiling.
  • According to Article 22 GDPR, you may have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing (e.g. profiling).
  • According to Article 77 GDPR, you have the right to lodge a complaint. This means that you can complain to the data protection authority at any time if you believe that the processing of personal data violates the GDPR.

In short: you have rights – do not hesitate to contact the responsible body listed above!

If you believe that the processing of your data violates data protection law or your data protection rights have been violated in any other way, you can complain to the supervisory authority. For Austria, this is the data protection authority, whose website you can find at https://www.dsb.gv.at/ . In Germany there is a data protection officer for each federal state. For more information, you can contact the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI) . The following local data protection authority is responsible for our company:

Data transfer to third countries

We only transfer or process data to countries outside the scope of the GDPR (third countries) if you consent to this processing or there is other legal permission. This applies in particular if the processing is required by law or necessary to fulfill a contractual relationship and in any case only to the extent that this is generally permitted. In most cases, your consent is the most important reason why we have data processed in third countries. Processing personal data in third countries such as the USA, where many software manufacturers provide services and have their server locations, may mean that personal data is processed and stored in unexpected ways.

We expressly point out that, in the opinion of the European Court of Justice, there is currently only an adequate level of protection for data transfer to the USA if a US company that processes personal data of EU citizens in the USA is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Frameworks is. You can find more information about this at: https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en

Data processing by US services that are not active participants in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework may result in data not being processed and stored anonymously. Furthermore, US government authorities may have access to individual data. It may also happen that collected data is linked to data from other services from the same provider, provided you have a corresponding user account. If possible, we try to use server locations within the EU, if this is offered.
We will inform you in more detail about data transfer to third countries in the appropriate places in this data protection declaration, if this applies.

Cookies

Cookies summary
👥 Those affected: visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: depending on the respective cookie. You can find more details about this below or from the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.
📓 Data processed: Depending on the cookie used. You can find more details about this below or from the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.
📅 Storage period: depends on the respective cookie, can vary from hours to years
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are cookies?

Our website uses HTTP cookies to store user-specific data.
Below we explain what cookies are and why they are used so that you can better understand the following privacy policy.

Whenever you surf the Internet, you use a browser. Well-known browsers include Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge. Most websites store small text files in your browser. These files are called cookies.

One thing cannot be denied: Cookies are really useful little helpers. Almost all websites use cookies. To be more precise, they are HTTP cookies, as there are also other cookies for other areas of application. HTTP cookies are small files that our website stores on your computer. These cookie files are automatically stored in the cookie folder, the “brain” of your browser. A cookie consists of a name and a value. When defining a cookie, one or more attributes must also be specified.

Cookies store certain user data about you, such as language or personal page settings. When you visit our site again, your browser sends the “user-related” information back to our site. Thanks to cookies, our website knows who you are and offers you the settings you are used to. In some browsers each cookie has its own file, in others, such as Firefox, all cookies are stored in a single file.

There are both first-party cookies and third-party cookies. First-party cookies are created directly by our site, third-party cookies are created by partner websites (e.g. Google Analytics). Each cookie must be evaluated individually because each cookie stores different data. The expiry time of a cookie also varies from a few minutes to a few years. Cookies are not software programs and do not contain viruses, Trojans or other “malicious” things. Cookies also cannot access information on your PC.

For example, cookie data might look like this:

Name: _ga
Value:  GA1.2.1326744211.152112741413-9
Purpose: Differentiation of website visitors
Expiry date:  after 2 years

A browser should be able to support these minimum sizes:

  • At least 4096 bytes per cookie
  • At least 50 cookies per domain
  • At least 3000 cookies in total

What types of cookies are there?

The question of which cookies we use in particular depends on the services used and is clarified in the following sections of the data protection declaration. At this point we would like to briefly discuss the different types of HTTP cookies.

There are 4 types of cookies:

Essential cookies
 These cookies are necessary to ensure basic functions of the website. For example, these cookies are needed when a user puts a product in the shopping cart, then continues surfing on other pages and only later checks out. These cookies do not delete the shopping cart, even if the user closes their browser window.

Purpose cookies
 These cookies collect information about user behavior and whether the user receives any error messages. These cookies are also used to measure the loading time and behavior of the website on different browsers.

Target-oriented cookies
 These cookies ensure better user experience. For example, entered locations, font sizes or form data are saved.

Advertising cookies
 These cookies are also called targeting cookies. They serve to provide the user with individually tailored advertising. This can be very practical, but also very annoying.

Typically, when you first visit a website, you will be asked which of these types of cookies you would like to allow. And of course this decision is also saved in a cookie.

If you want to know more about cookies and are not afraid of technical documentation, we recommend https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc6265 , the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Request for Comments called “HTTP State Management Mechanism” .

Purpose of processing via cookies

The purpose ultimately depends on the respective cookie. You can find more details about this below or from the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.

Which data is processed?

Cookies are little helpers for many different tasks. Unfortunately, it is not possible to generalize which data is stored in cookies, but we will inform you about the data processed or stored in the following data protection declaration.

Storage period of cookies

The storage period depends on the respective cookie and is further specified below. Some cookies are deleted after less than an hour, others can remain on a computer for several years.

You also have an influence on the storage period. You can delete all cookies manually at any time via your browser (see also “Right to object” below). Furthermore, cookies that are based on consent will be deleted at the latest after you revoke your consent, although the legality of storage remains unaffected until then.

Right to object – how can I delete cookies?

You decide for yourself how and whether you want to use cookies. Regardless of which service or website the cookies come from, you always have the option of deleting cookies, deactivating them or only partially allowing them. For example, you can block third-party cookies but allow all other cookies.

If you would like to find out which cookies have been stored in your browser, if you want to change or delete cookie settings, you can do this in your browser settings:

Chrome: Delete, enable and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Manage cookies and site data with Safari

Firefox: Delete cookies to remove data that websites have placed on your computer

Internet Explorer: Deleting and managing cookies

Microsoft Edge: Deleting and managing cookies

If you generally do not want cookies, you can set your browser so that it always informs you when a cookie is to be set. This means you can decide for each individual cookie whether you allow the cookie or not. The procedure varies depending on the browser. The best thing to do is to search for the instructions in Google using the search term “delete cookies Chrome” or “deactivate cookies Chrome” in the case of a Chrome browser.

Legal basis

The so-called “Cookie Guidelines” have existed since 2009. This states that the storage of cookies requires your consent (Article 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR). However, there are still very different reactions to these guidelines within the EU countries. In Austria, however, this directive was implemented in Section 165 Paragraph 3 of the Telecommunications Act (2021). In Germany, the cookie guidelines have not been implemented as national law. Instead, this directive was largely implemented in Section 15 Paragraph 3 of the Telemedia Act (TMG).

For absolutely necessary cookies, even if consent is not given, there are legitimate interests (Article 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR), which in most cases are of an economic nature. We want to provide website visitors with a pleasant user experience and certain cookies are often absolutely necessary for this.

If non-essential cookies are used, this will only happen with your consent. The legal basis in this respect is Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter a GDPR.

In the following sections you will be informed in more detail about the use of cookies if the software used uses cookies.

Web Analytics Introduction

Web Analytics Data Protection Declaration Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimize the web offering.
📓 Data processed: Access statistics, which include data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior, click behavior and IP addresses. You can find more details about this in the web analytics tool used.
📅 Storage period: depends on the web analytics tool used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Web Analytics?

We use software on our website to evaluate the behavior of website visitors, known as web analytics for short. Data is collected, which the respective analytical tool provider (also called tracking tool) stores, manages and processes. The data is used to create analyzes of user behavior on our website and make them available to us as the website operator. In addition, most tools offer various testing options. For example, we can test which offers or content are best received by our visitors. We will show you two different offers for a limited period of time. After the test (so-called A/B test), we know which product or content our website visitors find more interesting. For such test procedures, as well as for other analytics procedures, user profiles can also be created and the data can be stored in cookies.

Why do we do web analytics?

We have a clear goal in mind with our website: we want to provide the best web offering on the market for our industry. In order to achieve this goal, we want to offer the best and most interesting offer on the one hand and, on the other hand, make sure that you feel completely comfortable on our website. With the help of web analysis tools, we can take a closer look at the behavior of our website visitors and then improve our website accordingly for you and us. For example, we can see how old our visitors are on average, where they come from, when our website is most visited or which content or products are particularly popular. All of this information helps us to optimize the website and thus best adapt it to your needs, interests and wishes.

Which data is processed?

Of course, exactly which data is stored depends on the analysis tools used. However, it is usually stored, for example, what content you view on our website, what buttons or links you click on, when you access a page, what browser you use, what device (PC, tablet, smartphone, etc.) you use website you visit or what computer system you use. If you agreed that location data may also be collected, this can also be processed by the web analysis tool provider.

Your IP address is also stored. According to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), IP addresses are personal data. However, your IP address is usually stored pseudonymously (i.e. in an unrecognizable and shortened form). For the purpose of testing, web analysis and web optimization, no direct data such as your name, age, address or email address is stored. All of this data, if collected, is stored pseudonymously. This means you cannot be identified as a person.

How long the respective data is stored always depends on the provider. Some cookies only store data for a few minutes or until you leave the website, other cookies can store data for several years.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you below about the duration of data processing if we have further information. In general, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. If required by law, for example in the case of accounting, this storage period can also be exceeded.

Right to object

You also have the right and the opportunity to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third-party providers at any time. This works either via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection through cookies by managing, deactivating or deleting cookies in your browser.

Legal basis

The use of web analytics requires your consent, which we obtained with our cookie popup. According to Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter a of the GDPR (consent), this consent represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when it is collected by web analytics tools.

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analyzing the behavior of website visitors and thus improving our offering technically and economically. With the help of web analytics, we detect website errors, identify attacks and improve profitability. The legal basis for this is Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter f GDPR (legitimate interests) . However, we only use the tools if you have given your consent.

Since cookies are used in web analytics tools, we also recommend that you read our general privacy policy on cookies. To find out exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the data protection declarations of the respective tools.

Information about special web analytics tools, if available, can be found in the following sections.

Google Analytics privacy policy

Google Analytics Data Protection Declaration Summary
👥 Affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimize the website.
📓 Data processed: Access statistics, which include data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior and click behavior. You can find more details about this further down in this data protection declaration.
📅 Storage period: individually adjustable, by default Google Analytics 4 stores data for 14 months
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Google Analytics?

On our website we use the analysis tracking tool Google Analytics in version Google Analytics 4 (GA4) from the American company Google Inc. For the European area, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is for everyone Google services responsible. Google Analytics collects data about your actions on our website. Through the combination of different technologies such as cookies, device IDs and login information, you as a user can be identified across different devices. This means your actions can also be analyzed across platforms.

For example, if you click on a link, this event is stored in a cookie and sent to Google Analytics. The reports we receive from Google Analytics allow us to better tailor our website and service to your needs. Below we will go into more detail about the tracking tool and, above all, inform you about what data is processed and how you can prevent this.

Google Analytics is a tracking tool that is used to analyze traffic on our website. The basis of these measurements and analyzes is a pseudonymous user identification number. This number does not contain any personal data such as name or address, but is used to assign events to a device. GA4 uses an event-based model that captures detailed information about user interactions such as page views, clicks, scrolling, conversion events. In addition, various machine learning functions have been built into GA4 to better understand user behavior and certain trends. GA4 relies on modeling with the help of machine learning functions. This means that based on the data collected, missing data can also be extrapolated in order to optimize the analysis and also to be able to make forecasts.

In order for Google Analytics to work, a tracking code is built into the code of our website. When you visit our website, this code records various events that you perform on our website. With GA4's event-based data model, we as website operators can define and track specific events to obtain analysis of user interactions. In addition to general information such as clicks or page views, specific events that are important for our business can also be tracked. Such special events could be, for example, sending a contact form or purchasing a product.

As soon as you leave our website, this data is sent to the Google Analytics servers and stored there.

Google processes the data and we receive reports about your user behavior. These may include, among others, the following reports:

  • Target group reports: Through target group reports we get to know our users better and know more precisely who is interested in our service.
  • Display Reports: Display reports make it easier for us to analyze and improve our online advertising.
  • Acquisition reports: Acquisition reports give us helpful information about how we can attract more people to our service.
  • Behavioral reports: This is where we learn how you interact with our website. We can track the route you take on our site and which links you click on.
  • Conversion reports: Conversion is the process in which you take a desired action based on a marketing message. For example, when you go from being just a website visitor to a buyer or newsletter subscriber. These reports help us learn more about how our marketing efforts are being received by you. This is how we want to increase our conversion rate.
  • Real-time reports: Here we always find out immediately what is happening on our website. For example, we can see how many users are currently reading this text.

In addition to the analysis reports mentioned above, Google Analytics 4 also offers the following functions, among others:

  • Event-based data model: This model captures very specific events that may occur on our website. For example, playing a video, purchasing a product or signing up for our newsletter.
  • Advanced analytics features: These features allow us to better understand your behavior on our website or certain general trends. For example, we can segment user groups, carry out comparative analyzes of target groups or track your path on our website.
  • Predictive modeling: Based on collected data, machine learning can extrapolate missing data that predicts future events and trends. This can help us develop better marketing strategies.
  • Cross-platform analysis: Data collection and analysis is possible from both websites and apps. This gives us the opportunity to analyze user behavior across platforms, provided you have of course consented to data processing.

Why do we use Google Analytics on our website?

Our goal with this website is clear: we want to offer you the best possible service. The statistics and data from Google Analytics help us achieve this goal.

The statistically evaluated data shows us a clear picture of the strengths and weaknesses of our website. On the one hand, we can optimize our site so that interested people can find it more easily on Google. On the other hand, the data helps us to better understand you as a visitor. We therefore know exactly what we need to improve on our website in order to offer you the best possible service. The data also helps us to carry out our advertising and marketing measures more individually and cost-effectively. After all, it only makes sense to show our products and services to people who are interested in them.

What data does Google Analytics store?

Google Analytics creates a random, unique ID associated with your browser cookie using a tracking code. This is how Google Analytics recognizes you as a new user and you are assigned a user ID. The next time you visit our site, you will be recognized as a “returning” user. All collected data is stored together with this user ID. This makes it possible to evaluate pseudonymous user profiles.

In order to be able to analyze our website with Google Analytics, a property ID must be inserted into the tracking code. The data is then saved in the corresponding property. The Google Analytics 4 property is the default for every newly created property. Depending on the property used, data is stored for different lengths of time.

Using identifiers such as cookies, app instance IDs, user IDs or custom event parameters, your interactions are measured across platforms, provided you have consented. Interactions are all types of actions that you take on our website. If you also use other Google systems (such as a Google account), data generated via Google Analytics may be linked to third-party cookies. Google does not pass on Google Analytics data unless we as website operators authorize this. Exceptions may occur if required by law.

According to Google, Google Analytics 4 does not log or store IP addresses. However, Google uses the IP address data to derive location data and deletes it immediately afterwards. All IP addresses collected from users in the EU are deleted before the data is stored in a data center or on a server.

Because Google Analytics 4 focuses on event-based data, the tool uses significantly fewer cookies compared to previous versions (like Google Universal Analytics). However, there are some specific cookies used by GA4. These include, for example:

Name: _ga
Value: 2.1326744211.152112741413-5
Purpose: By default, analytics.js uses the _ga cookie to store the user ID. Basically, it is used to distinguish website visitors.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: _gid
Value: 2.1687193234.152112741413-1
Purpose:  The cookie is also used to distinguish website visitors.
Expiry date:  after 24 hours

Name: _gat_gtag_UA_<property-id>
Value: 1
Purpose: Used to reduce the request rate. If Google Analytics is provided via Google Tag Manager, this cookie is named _dc_gtm_ <property-id>.
Expiry date: after 1 minute

Note:  This list cannot claim to be complete, as Google continually changes its choice of cookies. GA4 also aims to improve data protection. Therefore, the tool offers some options for controlling data collection. For example, we can set the storage period ourselves and also control data collection.

Here we show you an overview of the main types of data collected with Google Analytics:

Heatmaps: Google creates so-called heatmaps. Heatmaps show exactly the areas you click on. This gives us information about where you are on our site.

Session duration: Google refers to the time that you spend on our site without leaving the site. If you have been inactive for 20 minutes, the session ends automatically.

Bounce rate : A bounce is when you only view one page on our website and then leave our website again.

Account creation: If you create an account or place an order on our website, Google Analytics collects this data.

Location: IP addresses are not logged or stored in Google Analytics. However, shortly before the IP address is deleted, derivatives for location data are used.

Technical information: Technical information may include, but is not limited to, your browser type, your Internet service provider or your screen resolution.

Source of origin: Google Analytics or we are of course also interested in which website or advertising you came to our site from.

Other data includes contact details, any reviews, playing media (e.g. when you play a video via our site), sharing content via social media or adding it to your favorites. The list does not claim to be complete and only serves as a general guide to data storage by Google Analytics.

How long and where is the data stored?

Google has their servers spread all over the world. You can read exactly where the Google data centers are located here: https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/locations/?hl=de

Your data is distributed on different physical storage media. This has the advantage that the data can be accessed more quickly and is better protected against manipulation. Every Google data center has appropriate emergency programs for your data. For example, if Google's hardware fails or natural disasters paralyze servers, the risk of service disruption at Google remains low.

The retention period of the data depends on the properties used. The storage period is always determined specifically for each individual property. Google Analytics offers us four options for controlling storage duration:

  • 2 months: this is the shortest storage period.
  • 14 months: By default, data is stored at GA4 for 14 months.
  • 26 months: you can also save the data for 26 months.
  • Data will not be deleted until we delete it manually

In addition, there is also the option that data will only be deleted if you no longer visit our website within the period chosen by us. In this case, the retention period will be reset each time you visit our website again within the specified period.

Once the specified period has expired, the data will be deleted once a month. This retention period applies to your data linked to cookies, user recognition and advertising IDs (e.g. cookies from the DoubleClick domain). Report results are based on aggregated data and are stored independently of user data. Aggregated data is a fusion of individual data into a larger unit.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

Under European Union data protection law, you have the right to access, update, delete or restrict your data. You can use the browser add-on to deactivate Google Analytics JavaScript (analytics.js, gtag.js) to prevent Google Analytics 4 from using your data. You can download and install the browser add-on at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de . Please note that this add-on only deactivates data collection by Google Analytics.

If you generally want to deactivate, delete or manage cookies, you will find the relevant links to the relevant instructions for the most popular browsers under the “Cookies” section.

Legal basis

The use of Google Analytics requires your consent, which we obtained with our cookie popup. According to Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter a of the GDPR (consent), this consent represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when it is collected by web analytics tools.

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analyzing the behavior of website visitors and thus improving our offering technically and economically. With the help of Google Analytics, we detect errors on the website, identify attacks and improve profitability. The legal basis for this is Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter f GDPR (legitimate interests) . However, we only use Google Analytics if you have given your consent.

Google also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Google is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. More information can be found at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en .

Google also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 Paragraphs 2 and 3 GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the Standard Contractual Clauses, Google undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the resolution and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Google Ads Data Processing Terms, which refer to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://business.safety.google/intl/de/adsprocessorterms/ .

We hope we were able to provide you with the most important information about data processing by Google Analytics. If you want to find out more about the tracking service, we recommend these two links: https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/terms/de/ and https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/ 6004245?hl=de .

If you want to find out more about data processing, please use the Google privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de .

Google Analytics reports on demographics and interests

We have activated the advertising reporting functions in Google Analytics. Demographics and interests reports include information about age, gender, and interests. This allows us to get a better picture of our users - without being able to assign this data to individual people. You can find out more about the advertising functions at  https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/3450482?hl=de_AT&utm_id=ad .

You can stop the use of the activities and information from your Google account under “Advertising Settings” at https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated by checking the box.

Google Analytics in consent mode

Depending on your consent, your personal data will be processed by Google Analytics in the so-called consent mode. You can choose whether or not to agree to Google Analytics cookies. This also allows you to choose which data Google Analytics may process from you. This collected data is primarily used to measure user behavior on the website, deliver targeted advertising and provide us with web analysis reports. As a rule, you consent to data processing by Google via a cookie consent tool. If you do not consent to data processing, only aggregated data will be collected and processed. This means that data cannot be assigned to individual users and no user profile is created for you. You can also just agree to the statistical measurement. No personal data is processed and therefore not used for advertising or advertising campaigns.

Content Delivery Networks Introduction

Content Delivery Networks Data Protection Statement Summary
👥 Those affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our service (so that the website can load faster)
📓 Processed data: Data such as your IP address
You can find more details below and in the individual data protection texts.
📅 Storage period: Most of the data is stored until it is no longer needed to provide the service
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests )

What is a Content Delivery Network?

We use a so-called content delivery network on our website. Most often such a network is just called a CDN. A CDN helps us load our website quickly and easily, regardless of your location. Your personal data is also stored, managed and processed on the servers of the CDN provider used. Below we will go into more general detail about the service and its data processing. You can find detailed information about how your data is handled in the provider’s respective data protection declaration.

Any Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a network of regionally distributed servers, all connected to each other via the Internet. Website content (especially very large files) can be delivered quickly and smoothly via this network, even during large peak loads. The CDN creates a copy of our website on your servers. Since these servers are distributed worldwide, the website can be delivered quickly. The data transmission to your browser is therefore significantly shortened by the CDN.

Why do we use a Content Delivery Network for our website?

A fast-loading website is part of our service. Of course, we know how annoying it is when a website loads at a snail's pace. Most of the time you even lose patience and run away before the website is fully loaded. Of course we want to avoid that. Therefore, a fast-loading website is a natural part of our website offering. With a content delivery network, our website loads significantly faster in your browser. Using the CDN is particularly helpful if you are abroad because the website is delivered from a server near you.

Which data is processed?

When you request a website or the content of a website and it is cached in a CDN, the CDN routes the request to the server closest to you and this server delivers the content. Content Delivery Networks are built to allow JavaScript libraries to be downloaded and hosted on npm and Github servers. Alternatively, most CDNs can also load WordPress plugins if they are hosted on WordPress.org . Your browser may send personal data to the content delivery network we use. This includes data such as IP address, browser type, browser version, which website is loaded or the time and date of the page visit. This data is collected and stored by the CDN. Whether cookies are used to store data depends on the network used. Please read the data protection texts of the respective service.

Right to object

If you want to completely prevent this data transfer, you can install a JavaScript blocker (see for example https://noscript.net/ ) on your PC. Of course, our website can no longer offer the usual service (such as fast loading speeds).

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of a content delivery network, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter a of the GDPR (consent), this consent represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when it is collected by a content delivery network.

We also have a legitimate interest in using a content delivery network to optimize our online service and make it more secure. The corresponding legal basis for this is Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter f GDPR (legitimate interests) . However, we only use the tool if you have given your consent.

Information about special content delivery networks - if available - can be found in the following sections.

Cloudflare privacy policy

Cloudflare Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Data subjects: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: To optimize our service performance (to make the website load faster)
📓 Processed data: Data such as IP address, contact and protocol information, security fingerprints and performance data for websites
You can find more details on this further down in this data protection declaration.
📅 Storage period: most data is stored for less than 24 hours
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Cloudflare?

We use Cloudflare from Cloudflare, Inc. (101 Townsend St., San Francisco, CA 94107, USA) on this website to make our website faster and more secure. Cloudflare uses cookies and processes user data. Cloudflare, Inc. is an American company that offers a content delivery network and various security services. These services are between the user and our hosting provider. We will try to explain in more detail what this all means below.

A content delivery network (CDN), like the one provided by Cloudflare, is nothing more than a network of connected servers. Cloudflare has servers like this distributed around the world to get websites to your screen faster. To put it simply, Cloudflare creates copies of our website and places them on their own servers. When you now visit our website, a load balancing system ensures that the largest parts of our website are delivered from the server that can display our website to you the fastest. The data transmission route to your browser is significantly shortened by a CDN. This means that the content of our website is delivered to you by Cloudflare not only from our hosting server, but from servers from all over the world. The use of Cloudflare is particularly helpful for users from abroad, as the site can be delivered from a nearby server. In addition to quickly delivering websites, Cloudflare also offers various security services such as DDoS protection or the web application firewall.

Why do we use Cloudflare on our website?

Of course we want to offer you the best possible service with our website. Cloudflare helps us make our website faster and more secure. Cloudflare offers us both web optimization and security services such as DDoS protection and web firewall. This also includes a reverse proxy and the content distribution network (CDN). Cloudflare blocks threats and limits abusive bots and crawlers that waste our bandwidth and server resources. By storing our website on local data centers and blocking spam software, Cloudflare allows us to reduce our bandwidth usage by approximately 60%. Serving content from a data center near you and doing some web optimization there reduces the average load time of a web page by about half. According to Cloudflare, the "I'm Under Attack Mode" setting can be used to mitigate further attacks by displaying a JavaScript calculation task that must be solved before a user can access a website. Overall, this makes our website significantly more powerful and less susceptible to spam or other attacks.

What data does Cloudflare process?

Cloudflare generally only forwards data that is controlled by website operators. The content is therefore not determined by Cloudflare, but always by the website operator itself. In addition, Cloudflare may collect certain information about the use of our website and process data that is sent by us or for which Cloudflare has received corresponding instructions. In most cases, Cloudflare receives data such as IP address, contact and log information, security fingerprints, and website performance data. For example, log data helps Cloudflare detect new threats. This allows Cloudflare to ensure a high level of security protection for our website. Cloudflare processes this data as part of the Services in compliance with applicable laws. Of course, this also includes the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Cloudflare also works with third parties. They may only process personal data under the instructions of Cloudflare and in accordance with the data protection guidelines and other confidentiality and security measures. Cloudflare will not pass on any personal data without our explicit consent.

How long and where is the data stored?

Cloudflare stores your information primarily in the United States and the European Economic Area. Cloudflare may transfer and access the information described above from anywhere in the world. Generally, Cloudflare stores user-level data for Free, Pro, and Business domains for less than 24 hours. For enterprise domains that have Cloudflare Logs (formerly Enterprise LogShare or ELS) enabled, data can be stored for up to 7 days. However, if IP addresses trigger security warnings at Cloudflare, there may be exceptions to the storage period listed above.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

Cloudflare only retains data logs for as long as necessary and in most cases this data is deleted within 24 hours. Cloudflare also does not store any personal data, such as your IP address. However, there is information that Cloudflare stores indefinitely as part of its persistent logs to improve the overall performance of Cloudflare Resolver and detect any security risks. You can find out exactly which permanent logs are stored at https://www.cloudflare.com/application/privacypolicy/ . All data that Cloudflare collects (temporary or permanent) is purged of any personal information. All permanent logs are also anonymized by Cloudflare.

Cloudflare states in their privacy policy that they are not responsible for the content they receive. For example, if you ask Cloudflare whether they can update or delete your content, Cloudflare generally refers to us as the website operator. You can also completely prevent all collection and processing of your data by Cloudflare by deactivating the execution of script code in your browser or by integrating a script blocker into your browser.

Legal basis

If you have consented to Cloudflare being used, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), this consent represents the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as may occur when it is collected by Cloudflare.

We also have a legitimate interest in using Cloudflare to optimize our online service and make it more secure. The corresponding legal basis for this is Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter f GDPR (legitimate interests) . However, we only use Cloudflare if you have given your consent.

Cloudflare also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Cloudflare is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. More information can be found at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en .

Cloudflare also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 Paragraphs 2 and 3 GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the Standard Contractual Clauses, Cloudflare undertakes to comply with European data protection levels when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the resolution and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de .

You can find out more about the standard contractual clauses and data processed through the use of Cloudflare in the data protection declaration at https://www.cloudflare.com/de-de/privacypolicy/ .

Single Sign-On Logins Introduction

Single sign-on registrations Data protection declaration Summary
👥 Those affected: Visitors to the website
🤝 Purpose: To simplify the authentication process
📓 Processed data: Depends heavily on the respective provider, usually the email address and user name can be saved.
You can find more details about this in the respective tool used.
📅 Storage period: depends on the tools used
⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Article 6 Para. 1 lit )

What are single sign-on logins?

On our website you have the option of quickly and easily registering for our online service using a user account from another provider (e.g. via Facebook). This authentication procedure is called, among other things, “single sign-on registration”. Of course, this registration process only works if you are registered with the other provider or have a user account and enter the relevant access data in the online form. In many cases you are already logged in, the access data is automatically entered into the form and you only have to confirm the single sign-on registration using a button. As part of this registration, your personal data may also be processed and stored. In this data protection text we address data processing through single sign-on registrations in general. Further information can be found in the data protection declarations of the respective providers.

Why do we use single sign-on logins?

We want to make your life on our website as easy and pleasant as possible. That's why we also offer single sign-on logins. This saves you valuable time because you only need one authentication. Since you only have to remember one password and it is only transmitted once, security is also increased. In many cases, you have already saved your password automatically using cookies and the login process on our website therefore only takes a few seconds.

What data is stored through single sign-on logins?

Although you log in to our website using this special login process, the actual authentication takes place with the relevant single sign-on provider. As website operators, we receive a user ID as part of the authentication. This records that you are registered with the relevant provider under this ID. This ID cannot be used for any other purposes. Other data may also be transmitted to us, but this depends on the single sign-on providers used. It also depends on which data you voluntarily provide during the authentication process and which data you generally release in your settings with the provider. Most often this involves data such as your email address and your username. We do not know your password, which is necessary for registration, and will not be saved by us. It is also important for you to know that data stored by us can be automatically compared with the data of the respective user account through the registration process.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you below about the duration of data processing if we have further information. For example, the social media platform Facebook stores data until it is no longer needed for its own purpose. However, customer data that is compared with your own user data will be deleted within two days. In general, we only process personal data for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products.

Right to object

You also have the right and the opportunity to revoke your consent to the use of single sign-on logins at any time. This usually works via the provider’s opt-out functions. If available, you will also find links to the corresponding opt-out functions in our data protection texts for the individual tools.

Legal basis

If it has been agreed with you and this takes place within the scope of contract fulfillment (Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. b GDPR) and consent (Article 6 paragraph 1 lit. a GDPR), we can use the single sign-on procedure on their legal basis insert.

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in offering you a quick and easy registration process. The legal basis for this is Article 6 Paragraph 1 Letter f GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use single sign-on registration if you have given your consent.

If you no longer want this link to the provider with the single sign-on registration, please cancel this in your user account with the respective provider. If you also want to delete data from us, you will need to cancel your registration.

Google Single Sign-On Privacy Policy

We also use the Google Single Sign-On authentication service to log in to our website. The service provider is the American company Facebook Inc. For Europe, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services.

Google also processes your data in the USA, among other places. Google is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. More information can be found at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en .

Google also uses so-called standard contractual clauses (= Art. 46 Paragraphs 2 and 3 GDPR). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) are templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even if it is transferred to third countries (such as the USA) and stored there. Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the Standard Contractual Clauses, Google undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the EU Commission. You can find the resolution and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

The Google Ads Data Processing Terms, which refer to the standard contractual clauses, can be found at https://business.safety.google/intl/de/adsprocessorterms/ .

At Google, you can revoke your consent to the use of single sign-on registrations using the opt-out function at https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated . You can find out more about the data processed through the use of Google Single Sign-On in the Privacy Policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de .

Explanation of terms used

We always strive to make our data protection declaration as clear and understandable as possible. However, this is not always easy, especially when it comes to technical and legal issues. It often makes sense to use legal terms (such as personal data) or certain technical terms (such as cookies, IP address). But we don't want to use them without explanation. Below you will find an alphabetical list of important terms used that we may not have addressed sufficiently in the previous data protection declaration. If these terms were taken from the GDPR and they are definitions, we will also cite the GDPR texts here and add our own explanations if necessary.

Processor

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term means:

“Processor” means a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body that processes personal data on behalf of the controller;

Explanation: As a company and website owner, we are responsible for all data that we process from you. In addition to those responsible, there can also be so-called processors. This includes every company or person who processes personal data on our behalf. In addition to service providers such as tax consultants, processors can also include hosting or cloud providers, payment or newsletter providers or large companies such as Google or Microsoft.

consent

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term means:

“Consent” of the data subject means any voluntary, informed and unambiguous expression of the wishes of the data subject in the specific case, in the form of a statement or other unequivocal affirmative action, by which the data subject indicates that he or she consents to the processing of personal data concerning him or her agrees;

Explanation: As a rule, such consent is given on websites via a cookie consent tool. You probably know that. Whenever you visit a website for the first time, you will usually be asked via a banner whether you agree to data processing. You can usually also make individual settings and decide for yourself which data processing you allow and which not. If you do not consent, no personal data about you may be processed. In principle, consent can of course also be given in writing, i.e. not via a tool.

Personal Data

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term means:

“personal data” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter “data subject”); A natural person is considered to be identifiable if he or she 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 or to one or more special characteristics that express the physical, physiological, genetic, psychological, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person;

Explanation: Personal data is all data that can identify you as a person. This is usually data such as:

  • Surname
  • address
  • E-mail address
  • Postal address
  • Telephone number
  • birth date
  • Identification numbers such as social security number, tax identification number, ID card number or matriculation number
  • Bank details such as account number, credit information, account balances and much more.

According to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), your IP address is also considered personal data . Using your IP address, IT experts can at least determine the approximate location of your device and subsequently you as the connection owner. Therefore, storing an IP address also requires a legal basis within the meaning of the GDPR. There are also so-called “special categories” of personal data that are particularly worthy of protection. These include:

  • racial and ethnic origins
  • political opinions
  • religious or ideological beliefs
  • union membership
  • genetic data such as data collected from blood or saliva samples
  • biometric data (this is information about psychological, physical or behavioral characteristics that can identify a person).
    Health data
  • Data on sexual orientation or sex life

Profiling

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term means:

“Profiling” means any type of automated processing of personal data, which consists in using that personal data to evaluate certain personal aspects relating to a natural person, in particular aspects relating to work performance, economic situation, health, personal Analyze or predict that natural person's preferences, interests, reliability, behavior, location or movements;

Explanation: Profiling involves collecting various information about a person in order to learn more about that person. In the web sector, profiling is often used for advertising purposes or for credit checks. Web or advertising analysis programs, for example, collect data about your behavior and interests on a website. This results in a special user profile that can be used to target advertising to a specific target group.

 

Responsible person

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term means:

“Controller” means the natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which, alone or jointly with others, decides on the purposes and means of processing personal data; where the purposes and means of such processing are determined by Union or Member State law, the controller or the specific criteria for its nomination may be provided for by Union or Member State law;

Explanation: In our case, we are responsible for the processing of your personal data and therefore the “controller”. If we pass on collected data to other service providers for processing, they are “processors”. To do this, an “order processing agreement (AVV)” must be signed.

 

processing

Definition according to Article 4 of the GDPR

For the purposes of this Regulation, the term means:

“Processing” means any operation or series of operations carried out with or without the aid of automated procedures in connection with personal data, such as the collection, recording, organization, structuring, storage, adaptation or modification, reading, querying, use , disclosure by transmission, distribution or other form of making available, alignment or combination, restriction, deletion or destruction;

Note: When we talk about processing in our privacy policy, we mean any type of data processing. As mentioned above in the original GDPR declaration, this includes not only collecting but also storing and processing data.

All texts are copyrighted.

Source: Created with AdSimple’s Data Protection Generator Austria