Privacy Policy

Preamble

With the following privacy policy, we would like to inform you about which types of your personal data (hereinafter also referred to as "data") we process, for what purposes, and to what extent. The privacy policy applies to all processing of personal data carried out by us, both within the framework of providing our services and in particular on our websites, in mobile applications, and within external online presences, such as our social media profiles (hereinafter referred to as "Online Offer").

The terms used are not gender-specific.

Status: April 18, 2025

Controller

Controller within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is:

KvizMe GmbH
Lilienstraße 11
20095 Hamburg
Germany

Email: datenschutz@kviz.me

Imprint: https://kviz.me/impressum

Contact Data Protection Officer

datenschutz@kviz.me

Overview of Processing

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

Types of Data Processed

  • Inventory data.
  • Payment data.
  • Contact data.
  • Content data.
  • Contract data.
  • Usage data.
  • Meta, communication, and process data.
  • Log data.

Categories of Data Subjects

  • Service recipients and clients.
  • Customers.
  • Users.
  • Interested parties.
  • Communication partners.
  • Business and contractual partners.

Purposes of Processing

  • Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations.
  • Communication.
  • Security measures.
  • Reach measurement.
  • Tracking.
  • Office and organizational procedures.
  • Conversion measurement.
  • Target group formation.
  • Organizational and administrative procedures.
  • Content Delivery Network (CDN).
  • Marketing.
  • Profiles with user-related information.
  • Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness.
  • Information technology infrastructure.
  • Business processes and business management procedures.
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Relevant Legal Bases

Relevant legal bases according to the GDPR: In the following, you will receive an overview of the legal bases of the GDPR on the basis of which we process personal data. Please note that in addition to the regulations of the GDPR, national data protection requirements may apply in your or our country of residence or domicile. Should more specific legal bases be relevant in individual cases, we will inform you of these in the privacy policy.

  • Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a) GDPR) - The data subject has given their consent to the processing of personal data concerning them for a specific purpose or several specific purposes.
  • Performance of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b) GDPR) - The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract.
  • Legal obligation (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. c) GDPR) - The processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject.
  • Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR) - The processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require protection of personal data.

National data protection regulations in Germany: In addition to the data protection regulations of the GDPR, national regulations on data protection apply in Germany. This includes in particular the Act to Protect against Misuse of Personal Data in Data Processing (Federal Data Protection Act – BDSG). The BDSG contains in particular 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, 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 varying likelihood and severity of the risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons, in order to ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk.

The measures include, in particular, ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data by controlling physical and electronic access to the data as well as access to, input, transmission, securing of availability, and separation 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 consider the protection of personal data already during the development or selection of hardware, software, and 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 IP addresses are processed by us or by the service providers and technologies used and the processing of a complete IP address is not necessary, the IP address is shortened (also referred to as "IP Masking"). Here, the last two digits, or the last part of the IP address after a point, are removed or replaced by placeholders. With the shortening of the IP address, the identification of a person based on their IP address is intended to be prevented or made significantly more difficult.

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

Transmission of Personal Data

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

International Data Transfers

Data processing in third countries: If we process data in a third country (i.e., outside the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA)) or if this happens in the context of the use of third-party services or the disclosure or transmission of data to other persons, bodies, or companies (which becomes apparent from the postal address of the respective provider or if explicit reference is made to data transfer to third countries in the privacy policy), this is always done in accordance with the legal requirements.

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

This dual protection ensures comprehensive protection of your data: The DPF forms the primary level of protection, while the standard contractual clauses serve as additional security. Should changes occur within the framework of the DPF, the standard contractual clauses intervene as a reliable fallback option. This ensures that your data remains adequately protected even in the event of any political or legal changes.

With the individual service providers, we inform you whether they are certified according to the DPF and whether standard contractual clauses exist. Further information on the DPF and a list of certified companies can be found on the website of the US Department of Commerce at https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/.

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

General Information on Data Storage and Deletion

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

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

Our data protection notices contain additional information on the retention and deletion of data that applies specifically to certain processing operations.

If there are multiple indications of the retention period or deletion periods for a date, the longest period is always decisive.

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

Data that is no longer retained for the originally intended purpose but due to legal requirements or other reasons, we process exclusively for the reasons that justify its retention.

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

  • Retention and deletion of data: The following general periods apply to retention and archiving under German law:
    • 10 years - Retention period for books and records, annual financial statements, inventories, management reports, opening balance sheet as well as the work instructions and other organizational documents required for their understanding (§ 147 Para. 1 No. 1 in conjunction with Para. 3 AO, § 14b Para. 1 UStG, § 257 Para. 1 No. 1 in conjunction with Para. 4 HGB).
    • 8 years - Accounting vouchers, such as invoices and cost receipts (§ 147 Para. 1 No. 4 and 4a in conjunction with Para. 3 Sentence 1 AO as well as § 257 Para. 1 No. 4 in conjunction with Para. 4 HGB).
    • 6 years - Other business documents: received commercial or business letters, reproductions of sent commercial or business letters, other documents insofar as they are of importance for taxation, e.g., hourly wage slips, company accounting sheets, calculation documents, price markings, but also payroll documents insofar as they are not already accounting vouchers and cash register tapes (§ 147 Para. 1 No. 2, 3, 5 in conjunction with Para. 3 AO, § 257 Para. 1 No. 2 and 3 in conjunction with Para. 4 HGB).
    • 3 years - Data required to consider potential warranty and damage claims or similar contractual claims and rights as well as to process related inquiries, based on past business experience and customary industry practices, are stored for the duration of the regular statutory limitation period of three years (§§ 195, 199 BGB).

Rights of the Data Subject

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

  • Right to object: You have the right, for reasons arising from your particular situation, to object at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you, which is carried out on the basis of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. e or f GDPR; this also applies to profiling based on these provisions. If the personal data concerning you is processed for direct marketing purposes, you have the right to object at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you for the purpose of such advertising; this also applies to profiling insofar as it is related to such direct marketing.
  • Right of access: You have the right to request confirmation as to whether data concerning you is being processed and to information about this data as well as to further information and a copy of the data in accordance with the legal requirements.
  • Right to rectification: In accordance with the legal requirements, you have the right to request the completion of the data concerning you or the rectification of the incorrect data concerning you.
  • Right to erasure and restriction of processing: In accordance with the legal requirements, you have the right to demand that data concerning you be deleted immediately, or alternatively to demand a restriction of the processing of the data in accordance with the legal requirements.
  • Right to data portability: You have the right to receive data concerning you, which you have provided to us, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format in accordance with the legal requirements or to request its transmission to another controller.
  • Complaint to the supervisory authority: In accordance with the legal requirements and without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority, in particular a supervisory authority in the Member State of your habitual residence, place of work or place of the alleged infringement if you consider that the processing of personal data relating to you infringes the GDPR.

Business Services

We process data of our contractual and business partners, e.g., customers and interested parties (collectively referred to as "Contractual Partners"), within the framework of contractual and comparable legal relationships as well as related measures and with regard to communication with the contractual partners (or pre-contractual), for example, to answer inquiries.

We use this data to fulfill our contractual obligations. This includes, in particular, the obligations to provide the agreed services, any update obligations and remedy for warranty and other service disruptions. In addition, we use the data to protect our rights and for the purpose of administrative tasks associated with these obligations as well as company organization. Furthermore, we process the data on the basis of our legitimate interests both in proper and business management and in security measures to protect our contractual partners and our business operations from misuse, endangerment of their data, secrets, information and rights (e.g., for the involvement of telecommunications, transport and other auxiliary services as well as subcontractors, banks, tax and legal advisors, payment service providers or tax authorities). Within the framework of applicable law, we only pass on the data of contractual partners to third parties insofar as this is necessary for the aforementioned purposes or to fulfill legal obligations. The contractual partners are informed about further forms of processing, for example for marketing purposes, within the framework of this privacy policy.

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

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

  • Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g., full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); Payment data (e.g., bank details, invoices, payment history); Contact data (e.g., postal and email addresses or phone numbers). Contract data (e.g., subject matter of the contract, term, customer category).
  • Data subjects: Service recipients and clients; Interested parties. Business and contractual partners.
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations; Communication; Office and organizational procedures; Organizational and administrative procedures. Business processes and business management procedures.
  • Retention and deletion: Deletion according to information in the section "General Information on Data Storage and Deletion".
  • Legal bases: Performance of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b, GDPR); Legal obligation (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. c) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

  • Offer of software and platform services: We process the data of our users, registered and potential test users (hereinafter uniformly referred to as "Users"), in order to be able to provide our contractual services to them and on the basis of legitimate interests to ensure the security of our offer and to be able to further develop it. The required information is marked as such within the framework of the order, order or comparable contract conclusion and includes the information required for service provision and billing as well as contact information in order to be able to hold any consultations; Legal bases: Performance of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Business Processes and Procedures

Personal data of service recipients and clients – including customers, clients or in special cases clients, patients or business partners as well as other third parties – are processed within the framework of contractual and comparable legal relationships and pre-contractual measures such as the initiation of business relationships. This data processing supports and facilitates business processes in areas such as customer management, sales, payment transactions, accounting, and project management.

The collected data serves to fulfill contractual obligations and to design operational processes efficiently. This includes the processing of business transactions, the management of customer relationships, the optimization of sales strategies as well as ensuring internal accounting and financial processes. In addition, the data supports the protection of the rights of the controller and promotes administrative tasks as well as the organization of the company.

Personal data may be passed on to third parties insofar as this is necessary for the fulfillment of the named purposes or legal obligations. After the expiry of statutory retention periods or if the purpose of the processing ceases to apply, the data will be deleted. This also includes data that must be stored longer due to tax and legal proof obligations.

  • Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g., full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); Payment data (e.g., bank details, invoices, payment history); Contact data (e.g., postal and email addresses or phone numbers); Content data (e.g., textual or pictorial messages and contributions as well as information concerning them, such as information on authorship or time of creation); Contract data (e.g., subject matter of the contract, term, customer category); Usage data (e.g., page views and dwell time, click paths, usage intensity and frequency, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions); Meta, communication and process data (e.g., IP addresses, time information, identification numbers, persons involved). Log data (e.g., log files regarding logins or the retrieval of data or access times.).
  • Data subjects: Service recipients and clients; Interested parties; Communication partners; Business and contractual partners; Customers. Third persons.
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations; Office and organizational procedures; Business processes and business management procedures; Security measures; Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness. Communication.
  • Retention and deletion: Deletion according to information in the section "General Information on Data Storage and Deletion".
  • Legal bases: Performance of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b, GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

  • Contact management and contact maintenance: Procedures required within the framework of the organization, maintenance, and securing of contact information (e.g., the establishment and maintenance of a central contact database, regular updates of contact information, monitoring of data integrity, implementation of data protection measures, ensuring access controls, performing backups and restorations of contact data, training of employees in the effective handling of contact management software, regular review of communication history and adjustment of contact strategies); Legal bases: Performance of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b) GDPR), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).
  • Customer Account: Customers can create an account within our online offer (e.g., customer or user account, briefly "Customer Account"). If the registration of a customer account is required, customers will be informed of this as well as of the information required for registration. The customer accounts are not public and cannot be indexed by search engines. As part of the registration as well as subsequent logins and uses of the customer account, we store the IP addresses of the customers along with the access times in order to be able to prove the registration and prevent any misuse of the customer account. If the customer account has been terminated, the data of the customer account will be deleted after the time of termination, unless it is kept for purposes other than provision in the customer account or must be kept for legal reasons (e.g., internal storage of customer data, order processes or invoices). It is the responsibility of the customers to secure their data upon termination of the customer account; Legal bases: Performance of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b, GDPR), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Payment Procedures

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

The data processed by the payment service providers includes inventory data, such as name and address, bank data, such as account numbers or credit card numbers, passwords, TANs and checksums as well as 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 by 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 data is transmitted by the payment service providers to credit agencies. This transmission aims at identity and credit checks. For this purpose, we refer to the GTC and the privacy notices of the payment service providers.

The terms and conditions and the privacy notices of the respective payment service providers apply to the payment transactions, which can be called up within the respective websites or transaction applications. We also refer to these for further information and assertion of revocation, information and other data subject rights.

  • Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g., full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); Payment data (e.g., bank details, invoices, payment history); Contract data (e.g., subject matter of the contract, term, customer category); Usage data (e.g., page views and dwell time, click paths, usage intensity and frequency, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Meta, communication and process data (e.g., IP addresses, time information, identification numbers, persons involved).
  • Data subjects: Service recipients and clients; Business and contractual partners. Interested parties.
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations. Business processes and business management procedures.
  • Retention and deletion: Deletion according to information in the section "General Information on Data Storage and Deletion".
  • Legal bases: Performance of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b, GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

  • Stripe: Payment services (technical connection of online payment methods); Service provider: Stripe, Inc., 510 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA; Legal bases: Performance of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b, GDPR); Website:https://stripe.com; Privacy Policy: https://stripe.com/de/privacy. Basis for third-country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF).

Provision of the Online Offer and Web Hosting

We process user data in order to be able to provide them with our online services. For this purpose, we process the IP address of the user, which is necessary to transmit the contents and functions of our online services to the browser or the terminal device of the users.

  • Processed data types: Usage data (e.g., page views and dwell time, click paths, usage intensity and frequency, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions); Meta, communication and process data (e.g., IP addresses, time information, identification numbers, persons involved); Log data (e.g., log files regarding logins or the retrieval of data or access times.). Content data (e.g., textual or pictorial messages and contributions as well as information concerning them, such as information on authorship or time of creation).
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness; Information technology infrastructure (operation and provision of information systems and technical devices (computers, servers, etc.)). Content Delivery Network (CDN).
  • Retention and deletion: Deletion according to information in the section "General Information on Data Storage and Deletion".
  • Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

  • Provision of online offer on rented storage space: For the provision of our online offer, we use storage space, computing capacity, and software that we rent or otherwise obtain from a corresponding server provider (also called "Web Hoster"); Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).
  • Content Delivery Network: We use a "Content Delivery Network" (CDN). A CDN is a service with the help of which contents of an online offer, in particular large media files, such as graphics or program scripts, can be delivered faster and more securely with the help of regionally distributed and internet-connected servers; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS): Services in the field of providing information technology infrastructure and related services (e.g., storage space and/or computing capacities); Service provider: Amazon Web Services EMEA SARL, 38 avenue John F. Kennedy, L-1855, Luxembourg; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f, GDPR); Website: https://aws.amazon.com/de/; Privacy Policy: https://aws.amazon.com/de/privacy/; Data Processing Agreement: https://aws.amazon.com/de/compliance/gdpr-center/ . Basis for third-country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF), Standard Contractual Clauses ( https://aws.amazon.com/service-terms/).
  • Hetzner: Services in the field of providing information technology infrastructure and related services (e.g., storage space and/or computing capacities); Service provider: Hetzner Online GmbH, Industriestr. 25, 91710 Gunzenhausen, Germany; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.hetzner.com; Privacy Policy: https://www.hetzner.com/de/rechtliches/datenschutz . Data Processing Agreement: https://docs.hetzner.com/de/general/general-terms-and-conditions/data-privacy-faq/ .
  • Cloudflare: Content Delivery Network (CDN) - Service with the help of which contents of an online offer, in particular large media files, such as graphics or program scripts, can be delivered faster and more securely with the help of regionally distributed and internet-connected servers; Service provider: Cloudflare, Inc., 101 Townsend St, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.cloudflare.com; Privacy Policy: https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/; Data Processing Agreement: https://www.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-customer-dpa/ . Basis for third-country transfers: Data Privacy Framework (DPF), Standard Contractual Clauses ( https://www.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-customer-scc/ ).
  • Railway: Provision of infrastructure for hosting and developing applications, including databases, servers, and storage solutions. Automation of development processes as well as provision of tools for team collaboration; Service provider: Railway Corp, 2135 California St, San Francisco CA 94115, USA; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://railway.app/; Privacy Policy: https://railway.app/legal/privacy.

Use of Cookies

The term "cookies" refers to functions that store information on users' end devices and read it from them. Cookies can also be used for different purposes, for example for the purposes of functionality, security and comfort of online offers as well as the creation of analyses of visitor flows. We use cookies in accordance with the legal regulations. To do this, we obtain the users' consent beforehand if necessary. If consent is not necessary, we rely on our legitimate interests. This applies if the storage and reading of information is essential in order to be able to provide expressly requested content and functions. This includes, for example, the storage of settings and ensuring the functionality and security of our online offer. Consent can be revoked at any time. We inform clearly about their scope and which cookies are used.

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

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

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

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

  • Processed data types: Meta, communication and process data (e.g., IP addresses, time information, identification numbers, persons involved).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).
  • Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR). Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a) GDPR.

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

  • Processing of cookie data based on consent: We use a consent management solution in which users' consent to the use of cookies or to the procedures and providers mentioned in the context of the consent management solution is obtained. This procedure serves to obtain, log, manage and revoke consent, in particular regarding the use of cookies and comparable technologies used to store, read and process information on users' end devices. As part of this procedure, users' consent is obtained for the use of cookies and the associated processing of information, including the specific processing and providers mentioned in the consent management procedure. Users also have the option of managing and revoking their consent. The declarations of consent are stored in order to avoid a renewed query and to be able to prove the consent in accordance with the legal requirements. The storage takes place on the server side and/or in a cookie (so-called opt-in cookie) or by means of comparable technologies in order to be able to assign the consent to a specific user or their device. Unless specific information on the providers of consent management services is available, the following general information applies: The duration of the storage of the consent is up to two years. A pseudonymous user identifier is created, which is stored together with the time of the consent, the information on the scope of the consent (e.g., relevant categories of cookies and/or service providers) and information about the browser, the system and the end device used; Legal bases: Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a) GDPR).

Registration, Login, and User Account

Users can create a user account. As part of the registration, users are informed of the required mandatory information and processed for the purpose of providing the user account on the basis of contractual fulfillment of obligations. The processed data includes in particular the login information (username, password and an email address).

As part 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 takes place on the basis of our legitimate interests as well as those of the users in protection against misuse and other unauthorized use. A transfer of this data to third parties does not take place in principle, unless it is necessary for the pursuit of our claims or there is a legal obligation to do so.

Users can be informed about processes relevant to their user account, such as technical changes, by email.

  • Processed data types: Inventory data (e.g., full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); Contact data (e.g., postal and email addresses or phone numbers); Content data (e.g., textual or pictorial messages and contributions as well as information concerning them, such as information on authorship or time of creation); Usage data (e.g., page views and dwell time, click paths, usage intensity and frequency, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Log data (e.g., log files regarding logins or the retrieval of data or access times.).
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations; Security measures; Organizational and administrative procedures. Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness.
  • Retention and deletion: Deletion according to information in the section "General Information on Data Storage and Deletion". Deletion after termination.
  • Legal bases: Performance of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

  • Registration with pseudonyms: Users may use pseudonyms as usernames instead of real names; Legal bases: Performance of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b) GDPR).
  • User profiles are not public: The profiles of the users are not publicly visible and not accessible.
  • Deletion of data after termination: If users have terminated their user account, their data with regard to the user account will be deleted, subject to legal permission, obligation or consent of the users; Legal bases: Performance of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We use Artificial Intelligence (AI), whereby personal data is processed. The specific purposes and our interest in the use of AI are mentioned below. By AI, we mean, in accordance with the term "AI system" pursuant to Article 3 No. 1 of the AI Regulation, a machine-based system that is designed for varying degrees of autonomy, can be adaptable after its introduction, and produces results such as predictions, content, recommendations, or decisions from the inputs received, which can influence physical or virtual environments.

Our AI systems are used in strict compliance with legal requirements. These include both specific regulations for Artificial Intelligence and data protection requirements. In doing so, we particularly adhere to the principles of lawfulness, transparency, fairness, human oversight, purpose limitation, data minimization, and integrity as well as confidentiality. We ensure that the processing of personal data is always based on a legal basis. This can be either the consent of the data subjects or a legal permission.

When using external AI systems, we select their providers (hereinafter "AI Providers") carefully. In accordance with our legal obligations, we ensure that the AI providers comply with the applicable regulations. Likewise, we observe the duties incumbent upon us when using or operating the procured AI services. The processing of personal data by us and the AI providers takes place exclusively on the basis of consent or legal authorization. We attach particular importance to transparency, fairness, and the maintenance of human control over AI-supported decision-making processes.

To protect the processed data, we implement appropriate and robust technical and organizational measures. These ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the processed data and minimize potential risks. Through regular checks of the AI providers and their services, we ensure continued compliance with current legal and ethical standards.

  • Processed data types: Content data (e.g., textual or pictorial messages and contributions as well as information concerning them, such as information on authorship or time of creation). Usage data (e.g., page views and dwell time, click paths, usage intensity and frequency, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services). Third persons.
  • Purposes of processing: Artificial Intelligence (AI).
  • Retention and deletion: Deletion according to information in the section "General Information on Data Storage and Deletion".
  • Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

Web Analysis, Monitoring, and Optimization

Web analysis (also referred to as "reach measurement") serves to evaluate the visitor flows of our online offer and can include behavior, interests or demographic information about visitors, such as age or gender, as pseudonymous values. With the help of reach analysis, we can, for example, recognize at what time our online offer or its functions or contents are used most frequently, or invite reuse. It is also possible for us to understand which areas require optimization.

In addition to web analysis, we can also use test procedures to test and optimize different versions of our online offer or its components.

Unless otherwise stated below, profiles, i.e., data summarized for a usage process, can be created for these purposes and information can be stored in a browser or in a terminal device and then read out. The collected information includes in particular visited websites and elements used there as well as technical information, such as the browser used, the computer system used and information on usage times. If users have agreed to the collection of their location data by us or by the providers of the services we use, the processing of location data is also possible.

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

Notes on legal bases: If we ask users for their consent to the use of third-party providers, the legal basis for data processing is consent. Otherwise, user data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e., interest in efficient, economic 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.

  • Processed data types: Usage data (e.g., page views and dwell time, click paths, usage intensity and frequency, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions); Meta, communication and process data (e.g., IP addresses, time information, identification numbers, persons involved); Inventory data (e.g., full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.). Content data (e.g., textual or pictorial messages and contributions as well as information concerning them, such as information on authorship or time of creation).
  • Purposes of processing: Reach measurement (e.g., access statistics, recognition of returning visitors); Profiles with user-related information (creation of user profiles); Tracking (e.g., interest/behavior-related profiling, use of cookies); Conversion measurement (measurement of the effectiveness of marketing measures); Target group formation; Marketing. Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness.
  • Retention and deletion: Deletion according to information in the section "General Information on Data Storage and Deletion". Storage of cookies of up to 2 years (Unless otherwise stated, cookies and similar storage methods can be stored on users' devices for a period of two years.).
  • Security measures: IP Masking (pseudonymization of the IP address).
  • Legal bases: Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

  • Supabase: Cloud-based platform that offers developers a set of tools for building and scaling applications; features include: Authentication (secure way to add authentication to the application, with support for multiple authentication providers, passwordless login, social login and multi-factor authentication), Realtime Database, APIs (interfaces with built-in support for access control, filtering, sorting and pagination as well as serverless functions), Storage (file storage services in the cloud with support for object and relational storage, image resizing and server-side rendering) and Analytics (analysis services to measure user behavior and application usage with support for custom event tracking, cohort analysis and user segmentation as well as integration with other analysis platforms); Service provider: Supabase, Inc., Ltd. 3500 S. DuPont Highway, Dover, Kent 19901, Delaware; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://supabase.com/; Privacy Policy: https://supabase.com/privacy.

Plugins and Embedded Functions and Content

We integrate function and content elements into our online offer that are obtained from the servers of their respective providers (hereinafter referred to as "Third-Party Providers"). This may be, for example, graphics, videos or city maps (hereinafter uniformly referred to as "Content").

The integration always requires that the third-party providers of this content process the IP address of the users, as they could not send the content to their browser without the IP address. The IP address is therefore required for the presentation of this content or functions. We endeavor to only use content whose respective providers only use the IP address to deliver the content. Third-party providers can also use so-called pixel tags (invisible graphics, also referred to as "Web Beacons") for statistical or marketing purposes. Through the "pixel tags", information such as visitor traffic on the pages of this website can be evaluated. The pseudonymous information can 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, visit time and other information about the use of our online offer, but also be linked to such information from other sources.

Notes on legal bases: If we ask users for their consent to the use of third-party providers, the legal basis for data processing is the permission. Otherwise, user data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e., interest in efficient, economic 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.

  • Processed data types: Usage data (e.g., page views and dwell time, click paths, usage intensity and frequency, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions); Meta, communication and process data (e.g., IP addresses, time information, identification numbers, persons involved). Content data (e.g., textual or pictorial messages and contributions as well as information concerning them, such as information on authorship or time of creation).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness; Security measures. Information technology infrastructure (operation and provision of information systems and technical devices (computers, servers, etc.)). Retention and deletion: Deletion according to information in the section "General Information on Data Storage and Deletion". Storage of cookies of up to 2 years (Unless otherwise stated, cookies and similar storage methods can be stored on users' devices for a period of two years.).
  • Legal bases: Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

Amendment and Update

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

If we provide addresses and contact information of companies and organizations in this privacy policy, we ask you to note that addresses may change over time and ask you to check the information before contacting us.