Privacy policy

Introduction

With the following data protection declaration, we would like to inform you about the types of your personal data (hereinafter also referred to as “data” for short) that we process, for what purposes and to what extent. The data protection declaration applies to all processing of personal data carried out by us, both as part of the provision of our services and, in particular, on our websites, in mobile applications and within external online presences, such as our social media profiles (hereinafter collectively referred to as “Online Offer”).

Status: 01 August 2021

Content overview

  • Introduction
  • Responsible
  • Overview of the processing operations
  • Relevant legal basis
  • Security measures
  • Transfer and disclosure of personal data
  • Data processing in third countries
  • Use of cookies
  • Commercial and business services
  • Payment service providers
  • Registration and login
  • Blogs and publication media
  • Contacting
  • Communication via Messenger
  • Provision of online services and web hosting
  • Application process
  • Cloud services
  • Newsletter and broad communication
  • Online marketing
  • Offering an affiliate program
  • Rating platforms
  • Presence on social networks
  • Plugins and embedded features and content
  • Deletion of data
  • Change and update of the privacy policy
  • Rights of data subjects
  • Definitions of terms

Person responsible

Pixelrein GmbH & Co. KG
Friedrichstr. 34
53111 Bonn

Commercial Register: HRA 9605
Register court: Bonn Local Court

Represented by:
Pixelrein Verwaltungs GmbH

This represented by:
Simon Zahn
Jan Grosser

Commercial register: HRB 26159
Register court: Local court Bonn

Partners authorized to represent: Simon Zahn (owner) and Jan Grosser (owner).

E-mail address: support@backlinked.com

Phone: 0228 / 286 795 60

Imprint: https://backlinked.com/impressum/

Overview of processing

The overview below summarizes the types of data processed and the purposes of their processing, and refers to the data subjects.

Types of data processed

  • Inventory data (e.g., names, addresses).
  • Applicant data (e.g. personal details, postal and contact addresses, the documents belonging to the application and the information contained therein, such as cover letter, curriculum vitae, certificates, as well as other information provided with regard to a specific position or voluntarily by applicants regarding their person or qualifications).
  • Content data (e.g. text entries, photographs, videos).
  • Contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers).
  • Meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Use data (e.g. web pages visited, interest in content, access times).
  • Social data (data subject to social secrecy (§ 35 SGB I) and processed, for example, by social insurance agencies, social welfare agencies or pension authorities).
  • Location data (data indicating the location of the terminal device of an end user).
  • Contract data (e.g., subject matter of the contract, term, customer category).
  • Payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history).

Categories of data subjects

  • Employees (e.g. employees, applicants, former employees).
  • Applicants.
  • Business and contractual partners.
  • Interested parties.
  • Communication partners.
  • Customers.
  • Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).

Purposes of processing

  • Affiliate tracking.
  • Providing our online service and user experience.
  • Visit action evaluation.
  • Application process (Establishment and any subsequent implementation and possible subsequent termination of employment.).
  • Office and organization procedures.
  • Click tracking.
  • Cross-device tracking (cross-device processing of user data for marketing purposes).
  • Direct marketing (e.g., via email or postal mail).
  • Feedback (e.g., collecting feedback via online form).
  • Interest-based and behavioral marketing.
  • Contact requests and communication.
  • Conversion measurement (measuring the effectiveness of marketing efforts).
  • Profiling (creating user profiles).
  • Remarketing.
  • Range measurement (e.g. access statistics, recognition of returning visitors).
  • Security measures.
  • Tracking (e.g., interest/behavioral profiling, use of cookies).
  • Contractual performance and service.
  • Management and response to requests.
  • Targeting (determination of target groups relevant for marketing purposes or other output of content).

Relevant Legal Bases

In the following, we share the legal bases of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on the basis of which we process personal data. Please note that in addition to the provisions of the DSGVO, the national data protection regulations in your or our country of residence and domicile may apply.

  • Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. a DSGVO) – The data subject has given consent to the processing of personal data concerning him or her for a specific purpose or purposes
  • Contractual performance and pre-contractual requests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. b. DSGVO) – Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party or for the performance of pre-contractual measures carried out at the data subject’s request.
  • Legal obligation (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. c. DSGVO) – Processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject.
  • Protection of vital interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. d. DSGVO) – Processing is necessary in order to protect the vital interests of the data subject or of another natural person.
  • Rightful interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO) – Processing is necessary to protect the legitimate interests of the controller or a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require the protection of personal data.
  • Art. 9 para. 1 p. 1 lit. b DSGVO (application procedure as a pre-contractual or contractual relationship) (Insofar as special categories of personal data within the meaning of Art. 9 para. 1 DSGVO (e.g. health data, such as severely disabled status or ethnic origin) are requested from applicants so that the data controller or the data subject can exercise the rights accruing to him or her under labor law and social security and social protection law and fulfill his or her obligations in this regard, their processing is carried out in accordance with Art. 9 (2) lit. b. DSGVO, in case of protection of vital interests of the applicants or other persons according to Art. 9 para. 2 lit. c. DSGVO or for the purposes of preventive health care or occupational medicine, for the assessment of the employee’s ability to work, for medical diagnostics, care or treatment in the health or social sector or for the management of systems and services in the health or social sector pursuant to Art. 9 para. 2 lit. h. DSGVO. In the case of a communication of special categories of data based on voluntary consent, their processing is based on Art. 9 para 2 lit. a. DSGVO.)

National data protection regulations in Germany: In addition to the data protection regulations of the General Data Protection Regulation, national regulations on data protection apply in Germany. These include, in particular, the Act on Protection against Misuse of Personal Data in Data Processing (Federal Data Protection Act – BDSG). In particular, the BDSG contains special regulations on the right to information, the right to erasure, the right to object, the processing of special categories of personal data, processing for other purposes and transmission, as well as automated decision-making in individual cases, including profiling. Furthermore, it regulates data processing for employment purposes (Section 26 BDSG), in particular with regard to the establishment, implementation or termination of employment relationships as well as the consent of employees. Furthermore, state data protection laws of the individual federal states may apply.

Security measures

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

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

Shortening of the IP address: If it is possible for us or a storage of the IP address is not necessary, we shorten or have your IP address shortened. In the case of IP address shortening, also known as “IP masking”, the last octet, i.e., the last two numbers of an IP address, is deleted (in this context, the IP address is an identifier individually assigned to an Internet connection by the online access provider). The purpose of IP address shortening is to prevent or make it significantly more difficult to identify a person by their IP address.

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

Transmission and disclosure of personal data

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

Data processing in third countries

If we process data in a third country (i.e., outside the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA)) or the processing takes place in the context of the use of third-party services or the disclosure or transfer of data to other persons, entities or companies, this will only be done in accordance with the legal requirements.

Subject to explicit consent or contractually or legally required transfer, we only process or have the data processed in third countries with a recognized level of data protection, which includes US processors certified under the “Privacy Shield”, or on the basis of special guarantees, such as e.g. contractual obligation through so-called standard protection clauses of the EU Commission, the existence of certifications or binding internal data protection regulations (Art. 44 to 49 DSGVO, information page of the EU Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection/international-dimension-data-protection_de ).

Use of cookies

“Cookies” are small files that are stored on users’ devices. By means of cookies, various details can be stored. The information may include, for example, language settings on a website, login status, a shopping cart, or where a video was watched.

Cookies are also generally used when a user’s interests or behavior (e.g. viewing certain content, using functions, etc.) on individual websites are stored in a user profile. Such profiles are used, for example, to display content to users that matches their potential interests. This process is also referred to as “tracking”, i.e., tracking the potential interests of users. We also include in the term cookies other technologies that perform the same functions as cookies (e.g., when user information is stored using pseudonymous online identifiers, also referred to as “user IDs”).

To the extent that we use cookies or “tracking” technologies, we will inform you separately in our privacy policy.

Notes on legal bases: On which legal basis we process your personal data using cookies depends on whether we ask you for consent. If this is the case and you consent to the use of cookies, the legal basis for the processing of your data is the declared consent. Otherwise, the data processed with the help of cookies is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (e.g. in a business operation of our online offer and its improvement) or, if the use of cookies is necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations.

Revocation and objection (opt-out): Independently of whether the processing is based on consent or legal permission, you have the option at any time to revoke any consent given or to object to the processing of your data by cookie technologies (collectively referred to as “opt-out”).

You can initially declare your objection by means of your browser settings, e.g. by deactivating the use of cookies (whereby this may also restrict the functionality of our online offer).

An objection to the use of cookies for online marketing purposes can be made by means of a variety of services, especially in the case of tracking, via the US site http://www.aboutads. info/choices/ or the EU site http://www.youronlinechoices.com/ or generally on http://optout.aboutads.info can be explained.

  • Types of data processed: Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • People Concerned: users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para 1 p. 1 lit. a DSGVO), Legitimate Interests (Art. 6 para 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).

Commercial and business services

We process data of our contractual and business partners, e.g. customers and prospective customers (collectively referred to as “contractual partners”) in the context of contractual and comparable legal relationships as well as related measures and in the context of communication with contractual partners (or pre-contractual), e.g. to answer inquiries.

We process this data to fulfill our contractual obligations, to secure our rights and for the purposes of the administrative tasks associated with this information as well as for business organization. Within the framework of applicable law, we only disclose the data of contractual partners to third parties to the extent that this is necessary for the aforementioned purposes or for the fulfillment of legal obligations or with the consent of the contractual partners (e.g. to participating telecommunications, transport and other auxiliary services as well as subcontractors, banks, tax and legal advisors, payment service providers or tax authorities). The contractual partners will be informed about further forms of processing, e.g. for marketing purposes, within the scope of this data protection declaration.

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

We delete the data after the expiry of legal warranty and comparable obligations, i.e., generally after 4 years, unless the data is stored in a customer account, e.g., as long as it must be retained for legal archiving reasons (e.g., for tax purposes generally 10 years). We delete data disclosed to us by the contractual partner as part of an order in accordance with the specifications of the order, generally after the end of the order.

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

Customer account: Contractual partners can create an account within our online offer (e.g. customer or user account, in short “customer account”). If registration of a customer account is required, contractual partners will be informed of this as well as of the information required for registration. Customer accounts are not public and cannot be indexed by search engines. In the course of registration and subsequent logins and use of the customer account, we store the IP addresses of the customers together with the access times in order to be able to prove registration and prevent any misuse of the customer account.

If customers have terminated their customer account, the data relating to the customer account will be deleted, unless their retention is required for legal reasons. It is the responsibility of customers to back up their data when their customer account is terminated.

Economic analyses and market research: For business reasons and in order to be able to recognize market trends, wishes of contractual partners and users, we analyze the data available to us on business transactions, contracts, inquiries, etc., whereby contractual partners, interested parties, customers, visitors and users of our online offer may fall into the group of persons concerned.

The analyses are carried out for the purpose of business evaluations, marketing and market research (e.g. to determine customer groups with different characteristics). In doing so, we may, if available, take into account the profiles of registered users together with their details, e.g. on services used. The analyses serve us alone and are not disclosed externally, unless they are anonymous analyses with summarized, i.e. anonymized values. Furthermore, we take into account the privacy of users and process the data for analysis purposes as pseudonymously as possible and, if feasible, anonymously (e.g. as summarized data).

Shop and e-commerce: We process the data of our customers to enable them to select, purchase, or order the selected products, goods, and related services, as well as their payment and delivery, or execution.

The necessary data are marked as such in the context of the order or comparable acquisition process and include the data required for delivery, or provision and billing, as well as contact information, so that any consultation can be held.

Agency Services: We process our customers’ data as part of our contractual services, which may include, for example, conceptual and strategic consulting, campaign planning, software and design development/consulting or maintenance, implementation of campaigns and processes, handling, server administration, data analysis/consulting services and training services.

Project and Development Services: We process the data of our customers as well as clients (hereinafter uniformly referred to as “Customers”) in order to enable them to select, acquire or commission the selected services or works as well as related activities as well as their payment and provision or execution or performance.

The required information is identified as such in the context of the order, purchase order or comparable contract conclusion and includes the information required for the provision of services and billing as well as contact information in order to be able to hold any consultations. Insofar as we obtain access to information of the end customers, employees or other persons, we process this in accordance with the legal and contractual requirements.

Publication activities: We process the data of our contact partners, interview partners as well as other persons who are the subject of our publication, editorial and journalistic as well as related activities. In this context, we refer to the applicability of protective provisions of freedom of expression and freedom of the press pursuant to Art. 85 DSGVO in conjunction with the respective national laws. The processing serves the fulfillment of our commissioned activities and otherwise takes place in particular on the basis of the interest of the general public in information and media offerings.

Offer of software and platform services: We process the data of our users, registered users and any test users (hereinafter uniformly referred to as “users”) in order to be able to provide our contractual services to them as well as on the basis of legitimate interests in order to ensure the security of our offer and to be able to develop it further. The required information is identified as such in the context of the order, purchase order or comparable contract conclusion and includes the information required for the provision of services and billing, as well as contact information in order to be able to hold any consultations.

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history), contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers), contract data (e.g. subject matter of contract, term, customer category), usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • People concerned: Interested parties, business and contractual partners, customers.
  • Purposes of processing: Contractual performance and service, contact requests and communication, office and organizational procedures, management and response to requests, security measures, visit action evaluation, interest-based and behavioral marketing, profiling (creation of user profiles).
  • Legal basis: Contract performance and pre-contractual requests (Art. 6 para 1 p. 1 lit. b. DSGVO), Legal obligation (Art. 6 para 1 p. 1 lit. c. DSGVO), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).

Services used and service providers:

Payment Service Provider

In the context of contractual and other legal relationships, due to legal obligations or otherwise on the basis of our legitimate interests, we offer data subjects efficient and secure payment options and use other payment service providers for this purpose in addition to banks and credit institutions (collectively, “payment service providers”).

The data processed by the payment service providers includes inventory data, such as the name and address, bank data, such as account numbers or credit card numbers, passwords, TANs and checksums, as well as the contract, total and recipient-related information. The information is required to carry out the transactions. However, the data entered is only processed by the payment service providers and stored with them. I.e., we do not receive any account or credit card related information, but only information with confirmation or negative information of the payment. Under certain circumstances, the payment service providers transmit the data to credit agencies. The purpose of this transmission is to check identity and creditworthiness. In this regard, we refer to the terms and conditions and data protection information of the payment service providers.

For payment transactions, the terms and conditions and data protection notices of the respective payment service providers apply, which can be accessed within the respective websites or transaction applications. We refer to these likewise for the purpose of further information and assertion of revocation, information and other data subject rights.

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history), contract data (e.g. subject matter of contract, term, customer category), usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • People concerned: customers, prospective customers.
  • Purposes of processing: contractual performance and service.
  • Legal basis: Contract performance and pre-contractual requests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. b. DSGVO), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).

Services used and service providers:

Registration and login

Users may create a user account. As part of the registration process, users are provided with the required mandatory information and processed for the purposes of providing the user account based on contractual obligation performance. The processed data includes in particular the login information (name, password as well as an e-mail address). The data entered during registration is used for the purposes of using the user account and its purpose.

Users may be informed by e-mail about events relevant to their user account, such as technical changes. If users have terminated their user account, their data with regard to the user account will be deleted, subject to any legal obligation to retain such data. It is the responsibility of users to back up their data upon termination before the end of the contract. We are entitled to irretrievably delete all user data stored during the term of the contract.

Within the scope of the use of our registration and login functions as well as the use of the user account, we store the IP address and the time of the respective user action. The storage is based on our legitimate interests as well as those of the users in protection against misuse and other unauthorized use. In principle, this data is not passed on to third parties, unless it is necessary for the pursuit of our claims or there is a legal obligation to do so.

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers), content data (e.g. text input, photographs, videos), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses)
  • People Concerned: users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Contractual performance and service, security measures, management and response to requests.
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. a DSGVO), Contract performance and pre-contractual requests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. b. DSGVO), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).

Services used and service providers:

Blogs and Publication Media

We use blogs or similar means of online communication and publication (hereinafter “publication media”). Readers’ data are processed for the purposes of the publication medium only to the extent necessary for its presentation and communication between authors and readers or for security reasons. For the rest, we refer to the information on the processing of visitors to our publication medium within the scope of this privacy notice.

Comments and contributions: When users leave comments or other contributions, their IP addresses may be stored based on our legitimate interests. This is done for our security in case someone leaves unlawful content in comments and posts (insults, prohibited political propaganda, etc.). In this case, we ourselves can be prosecuted for the comment or post and are therefore interested in the identity of the author.

Furthermore, we reserve the right, on the basis of our legitimate interests, to process users’ details for the purpose of spam detection.

On the same legal basis, we reserve the right, in the case of surveys, to store the IP addresses of users for their duration and to use cookies to avoid multiple votes.

The personal information provided as part of the comments and contributions, any contact and website information as well as the content information will be stored by us permanently until the user objects.

Retrieval of WordPress emojis and smilies: Within our WordPress blog, graphical emojis (or smilies), i.e., small graphic files expressing emotions, are used for purposes of efficient integration of content elements, obtained from external servers. The providers of the servers collect the IP addresses of the users. This is necessary so that the emoji files can be transmitted to the users’ browsers.

Akismet anti-spam check: We use the service “Akismet” based on our legitimate interests. With the help of Akismet, comments from real people are distinguished from spam comments. For this purpose, all comment details are sent to a server in the USA, where they are analyzed and stored for four days for comparison purposes. If a comment has been classified as spam, the data is stored beyond this time. This information includes the name entered, the e-mail address, the IP address, the comment content, the referrer, information about the browser used as well as the computer system and the time of the entry.

Users are welcome to use pseudonyms or to refrain from entering their name or email address. You can completely prevent the transfer of data by not using our commenting system. That would be a shame, but unfortunately we don’t see any alternatives that work as effectively.

Profile pictures from Gravatar: We use the service Gravatar within our online offer and especially in the blog.

Gravatar is a service where users can register and store profile pictures and their email addresses. If users leave posts or comments on other online presences (especially blogs) with the respective e-mail address, their profile pictures can be displayed next to the posts or comments. For this purpose, the email address provided by users is transmitted to Gravatar in encrypted form for the purpose of checking whether a profile is stored for it. This is the sole purpose of the transmission of the email address. It is not used for other purposes, but is deleted afterwards.

The use of Gravatar is based on our legitimate interests, as we use Gravatar to offer post and comment authors the opportunity to personalize their posts with a profile picture.

By displaying the images, Gravatar obtains the IP address of users, as this is necessary for a communication between a browser and an online service.

If users do not want a user image associated with their email address on Gravatar to appear in the comments, they should use an email address that is not on file with Gravatar to comment. We also point out that it is also possible to use an anonymous email address or no email address at all if users do not want their email address to be sent to Gravatar. Users can completely prevent the transmission of data by not using our commenting system.

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), contact data (e.g. email, phone numbers), content data (e.g. text input, photographs, videos), usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses), contract data (e.g. subject matter of the contract, duration, customer category).
  • People concerned: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Contractual performance and service, feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form), security measures, managing and responding to requests, providing our online offer and user experience.
  • Legal basis: Contract performance and pre-contractual requests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. b. DSGVO), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO), Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. a DSGVO), Protection of vital interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. d. DSGVO).

Services used and service providers:

Contacting us

When contacting us (e.g. by contact form, e-mail, telephone or via social media), the information of the inquiring persons is processed to the extent necessary to respond to the contact requests and any requested action.

The response to the contact requests in the context of contractual or pre-contractual relationships is carried out to fulfill our contractual obligations or to respond to (pre)contractual requests and otherwise on the basis of legitimate interests in responding to the requests.

Chat function: For the purpose of communication and answering inquiries, we offer a chat function within our online offer. The user’s input within the chat is processed for purposes of responding to their inquiries.

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers), content data (e.g. text input, photographs, videos), usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses)
  • People concerned: communication partners, interested parties.
  • Purposes of processing: contact requests and communication, management and response to requests.
  • Legal basis: Contract performance and pre-contractual requests (Art. 6 para 1 p. 1 lit. b. DSGVO), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).

Services used and service providers:

  • Intercom Inc: We use the service Intercom of the company of Intercom Inc. 98 Battery Street, Suite 402, San Francisco, CA 94111 USA for sending messages by e-mail and for live chats but also for customer management.

Intercom, Inc. has the Privacy Shield certificate, which is intended to provide a higher level of data protection for non-EU companies. For more information about Intercom’s privacy practices, please visit here. Intercom also uses cookies. The information generated by the cookie about your last visited subpage of this online platform will be transmitted to and stored by Intercom on servers in the United States. On our behalf, Intercom will use the above information to provide related services to the website operator. The IP address transmitted by your browser within the scope of Intercom will not be merged with other data.

Communication via Messenger

We use messenger services for communication purposes and therefore ask that you follow the instructions below regarding the functionality of messengers, encryption, use of communication metadata, and your ability to object.

You can also contact us by alternative means, e.g. via telephone or e-mail. Please use the contact options provided to you or the contact options provided within our online offer.

In the case of end-to-end encryption of content (i.e., the content of your message and attachments), we point out that the communication content (i.e., the content of the message and attached images) is encrypted from end to end. This means that the content of the messages cannot be viewed, not even by the messenger providers themselves. You should always use a current version of the messenger with encryption enabled to ensure that the message content is encrypted.

However, we additionally point out to our communication partners that although the messenger providers cannot view the content, they can learn that and when communication partners communicate with us as well as process technical information about the device used by the communication partners and, depending on the settings of their device, also location information (so-called metadata).

Notes on legal bases: If we ask communication partners for permission before communicating with them via Messenger, the legal basis of our processing of their data is their consent. Otherwise, if we do not ask for consent and they contact us, for example, on their own initiative, we use Messenger in relation to our contractual partners and in the context of contract initiation as a contractual measure and in the case of other interested parties and communication partners on the basis of our legitimate interests in fast and efficient communication and meeting the needs of our communication partners in communication via Messengers. Furthermore, we would like to point out that we do not transmit the contact data communicated to us to the messengers for the first time without your consent.

Revocation, objection and deletion: You can revoke any consent given and object to communication with us via Messenger at any time. In the case of communication via Messenger, we delete the messages in accordance with our general deletion guidelines (i.e., e.g., as described above, after the end of contractual relationships, in the context of archiving requirements, etc.) and otherwise as soon as we can assume to have answered any information provided by the communication partners, if no reference back to a previous conversation is to be expected and the deletion does not conflict with any legal retention obligations.

Reservation of reference to other communication channels: Finally, we would like to point out that for reasons of your security, we reserve the right not to answer inquiries via Messenger. This is the case if, for example, contractual internals require special secrecy or a response via Messenger does not meet the formal requirements. In such cases, we refer you to more adequate communication channels.

  • Types of data processed: Contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers), usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • People concerned: communication partners.
  • Purposes of processing: contact requests and communication, direct marketing (e.g. by e-mail or postal mail).
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para 1 p. 1 lit. a DSGVO), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).

Services used and service providers:

Provision of the online offer and web hosting

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

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

Email sending and hosting: The web hosting services we use also include the sending, receiving and storage of e-mails. For these purposes, the addresses of the recipients and senders as well as further information regarding the e-mail dispatch (e.g. the providers involved) and the contents of the respective e-mails are processed. The aforementioned data may also be processed for SPAM detection purposes. Please note that e-mails are generally not sent encrypted on the Internet. As a rule, e-mails are encrypted in transit, but (unless a so-called end-to-end encryption method is used) not on the servers from which they are sent and received. We can therefore not assume any responsibility for the transmission path of the e-mails between the sender and the reception on our server.

Collection of access data and log files: We ourselves (or our web hosting provider) collect data on each access to the server (so-called server log files). The server log files may include the address and name of the web pages and files accessed, date and time of access, data volumes transferred, notification of successful access, browser type and version, the user’s operating system, referrer URL (the previously visited page) and, as a rule, IP addresses and the requesting provider.

The server log files may be used on the one hand for security purposes, e.g. to prevent server overload (especially in the event of abusive attacks, so-called DDoS attacks) and on the other hand to ensure the utilization of the servers and their stability.

  • Types of data processed: Content data (e.g. text input, photographs, videos), usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • People Concerned: users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).
  • Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).

Services used and service providers:.

Application Procedure

The application process requires applicants to provide us with the data necessary for their assessment and selection. What information is required is determined by the job description or, in the case of online forms, by the information provided there.

In principle, the required information includes personal information such as the name, address, a means of contact and proof of the qualifications required for a position. Upon request, we will be happy to provide additional information as to what information is required.

If provided, applicants can submit their applications to us using an online form. The data is transmitted to us in encrypted form in accordance with the state of the art.

  • Types of data processed: Applicant data (e.g. personal details, postal and contact addresses, the documents belonging to the application and the information contained therein, such as cover letter, resume, certificates and other information provided with regard to a specific position or voluntarily by applicants on their person or qualifications).
  • People concerned: Applicants.
  • Purposes of the processing: Application procedure (establishment and possible subsequent implementation as well as possible subsequent termination of the employment relationship.).
  • Legal basis: Art. 9 para. 1 p. 1 lit. b DSGVO (application procedure as a pre-contractual or contractual relationship) (As far as in the context of the application procedure special categories of personal data within the meaning of Art. 9 para. 1 DSGVO (eg. health data, such as severely disabled status or ethnic origin) are requested from applicants so that the data controller or the data subject can exercise the rights accruing to him or her under labor law and social security and social protection law and fulfill his or her obligations in this regard, their processing is carried out in accordance with Art. 9 (2) lit. b. DSGVO, in case of protection of vital interests of the applicants or other persons according to Art. 9 para. 2 lit. c. DSGVO or for the purposes of preventive health care or occupational medicine, for the assessment of the employee’s ability to work, for medical diagnostics, care or treatment in the health or social sector or for the management of systems and services in the health or social sector pursuant to Art. 9 para. 2 lit. h. DSGVO. In the case of a communication of special categories of data based on voluntary consent, their processing is based on Art. 9 para. 2 lit. a. DSGVO.).

Cloud services

We use software services accessible via the Internet and running on the servers of their providers (so-called “cloud services”, also referred to as “software as a service”) for the following purposes: document storage and management, calendar management, e-mailing, spreadsheets and presentations, exchange of documents, content and information with specific recipients or publication of web pages, forms or other content and information, as well as chats and participation in audio and video conferences.

In this context, personal data may be processed and stored on the servers of the providers to the extent that these are part of communication processes with us or are otherwise processed by us as set out in the context of this privacy policy. This data may include, in particular, master data and contact data of users, data on transactions, contracts, other processes and their contents. The cloud service providers also process usage data and metadata used by them for security purposes and service optimization.

Insofar as we use the cloud services to provide forms or other documents and content to other users or publicly accessible websites, the providers may store cookies on users’ devices for purposes of web analytics or to remember users’ settings (e.g., in the case of media control).

Notes on legal bases: Insofar as we ask for consent to use the cloud services, the legal basis of the processing is consent. Furthermore, their use may be a component of our (pre)contractual services, provided that the use of the cloud services has been agreed within this framework. Otherwise, user data is processed based on our legitimate interests (i.e., interest in efficient and secure management and collaboration processes)

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g., names, addresses), contact data (e.g., email, phone numbers), content data (e.g., text input, photographs, videos), usage data (e.g., web pages visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses)
  • People concerned: customers, employees (e.g. employees, applicants, former employees), interested parties, communication partners.
  • Purposes of processing: Office and organizational procedures.
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para 1 p. 1 lit. a DSGVO), Contract performance and pre-contractual requests (Art. 6 para 1 p. 1 lit. b. DSGVO), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).

Services used and service providers:

Newsletters and Broad Communications

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

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

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

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

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

Notes on legal bases: The dispatch of newsletters is based on the consent of the recipients or, if consent is not required, on the basis of our legitimate interests in direct marketing, if and to the extent that this is permitted by law, e.g. in the case of existing customer advertising. Insofar as we commission a service provider to send e-mails, this is done on the basis of our legitimate interests. The registration process is recorded on the basis of our legitimate interests to prove that it was carried out in accordance with the law.

Contents: Information about us, our services, promotions and offers, and emails about transactions within the customer account.

Success measurement: The newsletters contain a so-called “web beacon”, i.e., a pixel-sized file that is retrieved from our server when the newsletter is opened, or, if we use a shipping service provider, from their server. In the course of this retrieval, technical information, such as information about the browser and your system, as well as your IP address and the time of the retrieval, are initially collected.

This information is used for the technical improvement of our newsletter based on the technical data or the target groups and their reading behavior based on their retrieval locations (which can be determined with the help of the IP address) or the access times. This analysis also includes determining whether the newsletters are opened, when they are opened and which links are clicked. For technical reasons, this information can indeed be assigned to individual newsletter recipients. However, it is neither our intention nor, if used, that of the dispatch service provider to observe individual users. Rather, the evaluations serve us to recognize the reading habits of our users and to adapt our content to them or to send different content according to the interests of our users.

The evaluation of the newsletter and the measurement of success are carried out, subject to the express consent of the users, on the basis of our legitimate interests for the purpose of using a user-friendly as well as secure newsletter system, which serves both our business interests and meets the expectations of the users.

Unfortunately, a separate revocation of the performance measurement is not possible, in this case the entire newsletter subscription must be cancelled, or it must be contradicted.

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses), usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times).
  • People concerned: communication partners.
  • Purposes of processing: Direct marketing (e.g., by e-mail or postal mail), reach measurement (e.g., access statistics, recognition of returning visitors), tracking (e.g., interest/behavioral profiling, use of cookies), profiling (creation of user profiles).
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. a DSGVO), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).
  • Opposition (Opt-Out): You can cancel the receipt of our newsletter at any time, i.e. revoke your consent, or object to further receipt. A link to cancel the newsletter you will find either at the end of each newsletter or can otherwise use one of the above contact options, preferably e-mail, for this purpose.

Services used and service providers:

Online marketing

We process personal data for online marketing purposes, which include, in particular, the display of promotional and other content (collectively, “Content”) based on users’ potential interests and the measurement of its effectiveness.

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

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

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

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

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

Notes on legal bases: Insofar as we ask users for their consent to the use of third-party providers, the legal basis for the processing of data is consent. Otherwise, users’ data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in efficient, economical and recipient-friendly services). In this context, we would also like to refer you to the information on the use of cookies in this privacy policy.

Facebook Pixel: With the help of the Facebook Pixel, it is possible for Facebook, on the one hand, to determine the visitors to our online offer as a target group for the display of advertisements (so-called “Facebook Ads”). Accordingly, we use the Facebook pixel to display the Facebook ads placed by us only to those Facebook users who have also shown an interest in our online offer or who have certain characteristics (e.g. interest in certain topics or products that are evident from the websites visited) that we transmit to Facebook (so-called “Custom Audiences”). With the help of the Facebook pixel, we also want to ensure that our Facebook ads correspond to the potential interest of users and do not have a harassing effect. Furthermore, with the help of the Facebook pixel, we can track the effectiveness of the Facebook ads for statistical and market research purposes by seeing whether users were redirected to our website after clicking on a Facebook ad (so-called “conversion measurement”).

  • Types of data processed: Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses), location data (data indicating the location of an end user’s terminal device), social data (data subject to social secrecy (§ 35 SGB I) and processed, for example, by social insurance agencies, social welfare agencies or pension authorities).
  • People concerned: users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services), interested parties, customers, employees (e.g. employees, applicants, former employees), communication partners.
  • Purposes of processing: Tracking (e.g., interest/behavioral profiling, use of cookies), remarketing, visit action evaluation, interest-based and behavioral marketing, profiling (creation of user profiles), conversion measurement (measurement of the effectiveness of marketing measures), reach measurement (e.g.. e.g. access statistics, recognition of returning visitors), target group formation (determination of target groups relevant for marketing purposes or other output of content), cross-device tracking (cross-device processing of user data for marketing purposes), click tracking.
  • Security measures: IP masking (pseudonymization of the IP address).
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. a DSGVO), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).
  • Opposition (Opt-Out): We refer to the data protection notices of the respective providers and the objection options given to the providers (so-called “Opt-Out”). If no explicit opt-out option has been specified, there is on the one hand the possibility that you disable cookies in the settings of your browser. However, this may restrict functions of our online offer. We therefore recommend the following additional opt-out options, which are offered in summary for the respective areas:a) Europe: https://www.youronlinechoices.eu b) Canada: https://www.youradchoices.ca/choices c) USA: https://www.aboutads.info/choices d) Cross-territory: http://optout.aboutads.info.

Services used and service providers:.

Rating platforms

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

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

Rating widget: We integrate so-called “rating widgets” into our online offer. A widget is a functional and content element integrated into our online offer that displays changeable information. It can be displayed, for example, in the form of a seal or comparable element, sometimes also called a “badge”. In this case, the corresponding content of the widget is displayed within our online offer, but it is retrieved at that moment from the servers of the respective widget provider. This is the only way to always show the current content, especially the current rating. For this purpose, a data connection must be established from the website called up within our online offer to the server of the widget provider and the widget provider receives certain technical data (access data, including IP address), which are necessary so that the content of the widget can be delivered to the user’s browser.

Furthermore, the widget provider receives information that users have visited our online offer. This information may be stored in a cookie and used by the widget provider to identify which online offers participating in the evaluation process have been visited by the user. The information may be stored in a user profile and used for advertising or market research purposes.

  • Types of data processed: Contractual data (e.g. subject matter of contract, term, customer category), usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • People concerned: customers, users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form), reach measurement (e.g. access statistics, recognition of returning visitors), visit action evaluation, interest-based and behavioral marketing, profiling (creation of user profiles).
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. a DSGVO), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).

Services used and service providers:

Presence on social networks

We maintain online presences within social networks to communicate with users active there or to offer information about us there.

We would like to point out that user data may be processed outside the European Union. This may result in risks for users because, for example, it could make it more difficult to enforce users’ rights. With regard to U.S. providers that are certified under the Privacy Shield or offer comparable guarantees of a secure level of data protection, we point out that they thereby undertake to comply with EU data protection standards.

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

For a detailed presentation of the respective forms of processing and the options to object (opt-out), we refer to the privacy statements and information provided by the operators of the respective networks.

In the case of requests for information and the assertion of data subject rights, we also point out that these can be asserted most effectively with the providers. Only the providers have access to the users’ data and can take appropriate measures and provide information directly. If you still need help, then you can contact us.

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers), content data (e.g. text input, photographs, videos), usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses)
  • People Concerned: users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: contact requests and communication, tracking (e.g. interest/behavioral profiling, use of cookies), remarketing, reach measurement (e.g. access statistics, recognition of returning visitors).
  • Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO).

Services used and service providers:.

Plugins and embedded features and content

We incorporate into our online offering functional and content elements that are obtained from the servers of their respective providers (hereinafter referred to as “third-party providers”). These can be, for example, graphics, videos or social media buttons as well as posts (hereinafter uniformly referred to as “content”).

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

Notes on legal bases: Insofar as we ask users for their consent to the use of third-party providers, the legal basis for the processing of data is consent. Otherwise, users’ data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in efficient, economical and recipient-friendly services). In this context, we would also like to refer you to the information on the use of cookies in this privacy policy.

  • Types of data processed: Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses), inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers), content data (e.g. text entries, photographs, videos).
  • People concerned: users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of our online offer and user experience, contractual performance and service, security measures, administration and response to requests.
  • Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para 1 p. 1 lit. f. DSGVO), consent (Art. 6 para 1 p. 1 lit. a DSGVO), contract performance and pre-contractual requests (Art. 6 para 1 p. 1 lit. b. DSGVO).

Services used and service providers:

Deletion of data

The data we process will be deleted in accordance with the law as soon as their consents permitted for processing are revoked or other permissions cease to apply (e.g., if the purpose of processing this data has ceased to apply or it is not necessary for the purpose).

If the data are not deleted because they are required for other and legally permissible purposes, their processing will be limited to these purposes. I.e., the data is blocked and not processed for other purposes. This applies, for example, to data that must be retained for reasons of commercial or tax law or whose storage is necessary for the assertion, exercise or defense of legal claims or for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person.

Further information on the deletion of personal data can further be provided in the context of the individual data protection notices of this privacy policy.

Change and update of the privacy policy

We ask you to regularly inform yourself about the content of our privacy policy. We will adapt the privacy statement as soon as the changes in the data processing activities 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 other individual notification.

Rights of data subjects

As a data subject, you are entitled to various rights under the GDPR, which arise in particular from Articles 15 to 18 and 21 of the GDPR:

  • Right of objection: you have the right to object at any time, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to the processing of personal data concerning you which is carried out on the basis of Article 6(1)(e) or (f) of the DSGVO; this also applies to profiling based on these provisions. If the personal data concerning you is processed for the purpose of direct marketing, you have the right to object at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you for the purpose of such marketing; this also applies to profiling, insofar as it is related to such direct marketing.
  • Right of revocation for consents: You have the right to revoke granted consents at any time.
  • Right of access: You have the right to request confirmation as to whether data in question is being processed and to information about this data, as well as further information and a copy of the data in accordance with legal requirements.
  • Right to rectification: You have the right, in accordance with the law, to request that the data concerning you be completed or that inaccurate data concerning you be rectified.
  • Right to erasure and restriction of processing: You have, in accordance with the law, the right to request that data concerning you be erased without undue delay, or alternatively, in accordance with the law, to request restriction of the processing of the data.
  • Right to data portability: You have the right to receive data relating to you, which you have provided to us, in a structured, common and machine-readable format in accordance with the legal requirements, or to demand its transfer to another responsible party.
  • Complaint to supervisory authority: You also have the right, in accordance with the law, to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your habitual residence, your place of work or the place of the alleged infringement, if you consider that the processing of personal data relating to you is in breach of the GDPR.

Definitions of terms

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

  • Affiliate tracking: In the context of affiliate tracking, links with the help of which the linking websites refer users to websites with product or other offers are logged. The operators of the respective linking websites can receive a commission if users follow these so-called affiliate links and subsequently perceive the offers (e.g. buy goods or use services). For this purpose, it is necessary for the providers to be able to track whether users who are interested in certain offers subsequently take advantage of them at the instigation of the affiliate links. It is therefore necessary for the functionality of affiliate links that they are supplemented with certain values that become part of the link or are stored elsewhere, e.g. in a cookie. The values include, in particular, the source website (referrer), the time, an online identifier of the operators of the website on which the affiliate link was located, an online identifier of the respective offer, an online identifier of the user as well as tracking-specific values, such as, for example, advertising media ID, partner ID and categorizations.
  • Visit action evaluation: “Visit action evaluation” (English “conversion tracking”) refers to a procedure with which the effectiveness of marketing measures can be determined. For this purpose, a cookie is usually stored on the users’ devices within the websites on which the marketing measures take place and then retrieved again on the target website. For example, this allows us to track whether the ads we have placed on other websites have been successful).
  • Click tracking: Click tracking allows us to keep track of users’ movements within an entire online offering. Since the results of these tests are more accurate if user interaction can be tracked over a period of time (e.g., so that we can find out whether a user likes to return), cookies are usually stored on users’ computers for these testing purposes.
  • Cross-Device Tracking: Cross-device tracking is a form of tracking in which user behavior and interest information is collected across devices in so-called profiles by assigning users an online identifier. This allows user information to be analyzed for marketing purposes, irrespective of the browsers or devices used (e.g. cell phones or desktop computers). For most providers, the online identifier is not linked to clear data, such as names, postal addresses or e-mail addresses.
  • IP masking: “IP masking” is a method in which the last octet, i.e., the last two numbers of an IP address, is deleted so that the IP address can no longer be used to uniquely identify a person. Therefore, IP masking is a means of pseudonymizing processing methods, especially in online marketing
  • Interest-based and behavioral marketing: We speak of interest-based and/or behavioral marketing when potential interests of users in ads and other content are predetermined as precisely as possible. This is done on the basis of information about their previous behavior (eg visiting certain websites and stay on them, buying behavior or interaction with other users), which are stored in a so-called profile. Cookies are usually used for these purposes.
  • Conversion measurement: Conversion measurement is a procedure with which the effectiveness of marketing measures can be determined. For this purpose, a cookie is usually stored on the users’ devices within the websites on which the marketing measures take place and then retrieved again on the target website. For example, this allows us to track whether the ads we have placed on other websites have been successful.
  • Personal data: “Personal data” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter “data subject”); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier (eg. e.g. cookie) or to one or more special characteristics that are an expression of the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.
  • Profiling: “Profiling” is any form of automated processing of personal data that consists of using such personal data to analyze, evaluate or, in order to predict (e.g., the interests in certain content or the use of certain services), certain personal aspects relating to a natural person (depending on the type of profiling, this may include information concerning age, gender, location data and movement data, interaction with websites and their content, shopping behavior, social interactions with other people). e.g. interests in certain content or products, click behavior on a website or location). Cookies and web beacons are often used for profiling purposes.
  • Range measurement: Range measurement (also known as web analytics) is used to evaluate the flow of visitors to an online offering and may include the behavior or interests of visitors in certain information, such as content of web pages. With the help of reach analysis, website owners can see, for example, at what time visitors visit their website and what content they are interested in. This enables them, for example, to better adapt the content of the website to the needs of their visitors. For the purposes of reach analysis, pseudonymous cookies and web beacons are often used to recognize returning visitors and thus obtain more precise analyses of the use of an online offering.
  • Remarketing: One speaks of “remarketing” or “retargeting” when, for example, for advertising purposes, it is noted which products a user has been interested in on a website, in order to remind the user of these products on other websites, e.g. in advertisements.
  • Tracking: One speaks of “tracking” when the behavior of users can be traced across several online offers. As a rule, with regard to the online offers used, behavioral and interest information is stored in cookies or on servers of the providers of the tracking technologies (so-called profiling). This information can subsequently be used, for example, to display advertisements to users that are likely to correspond to their interests.
  • Controller: A “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 upon personal data, whether or not by automatic means. The term is broad and includes virtually any handling of data, be it collection, analysis, storage, transmission or deletion.
  • Target group formation: One speaks of target group formation (or “Custom Audiences”) when target groups are determined for advertising purposes, e.g. insertion of advertisements. For example, based on the interest of a user in certain products or topics on the Internet, it can be concluded that this user is interested in advertisements for similar products or the online store in which he viewed the products. In turn, we speak of “lookalike audiences” (or similar target groups) when the content deemed suitable is displayed to users whose profiles or interests presumably correspond to the users for whom the profiles were formed. For purposes of the formation of Custom Audiences and Lookalike Audiences are usually used cookies and web beacons.