What about my data protection?

The so-called “Cookie Guidelines” have been in place since 2009. It states that the storage of cookies requires your consent. Within the EU countries, however, there are still very different reactions to these directives. In Germany, the cookie guidelines have not been implemented as national law. Instead, this guideline was largely implemented in Section 15 (3) of the Telemedia Act (TMG).

If you want to know more about cookies and don't shy away from technical documentation, we recommend  https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6265 , the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Request for Comments called “HTTP State Management Mechanism”.

Rights under the General Data Protection Regulation

According to the provisions of the GDPR, you have the following rights:

• Right to rectification (Article 16 GDPR)

• Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”) (Article 17 GDPR)

• Right to restriction of processing (Article 18 GDPR)

• Right to notification – obligation to notify in connection with rectification or erasure of personal data or restriction of processing (Article 19 GDPR)

• Right to data portability (Article 20 GDPR)

• Right to object (Article 21 GDPR)

• Right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling (Article 22 GDPR)

If you believe that the processing of your data violates data protection law or your data protection rights have otherwise been violated in any way, you can contact the  Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI)  turn.

Evaluation of visitor behavior

In the following data protection declaration we inform you whether and how we evaluate data from your visit to this website. The evaluation of the collected data is usually anonymous and we cannot draw any conclusions about your person from your behavior on this website.

You can find out more about the possibilities of objecting to this evaluation of visit data in the following data protection declaration.

TLS encryption with https

We use https to transmit data securely on the Internet (data protection through technology design  Article 25 paragraph 1 GDPR ). By using TLS (Transport Layer Security), an encryption protocol for secure data transmission on the Internet, we can ensure the protection of confidential data. You can recognize the use of this protection for data transmission by the small lock symbol in the top left corner of the browser and the use of the https scheme (instead of http) as part of our Internet address.

Google Maps Privacy Policy

We use Google Maps from Google Inc. on our website. The company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services in Europe. With Google Maps we can show you locations better and thus adapt our service to your needs. By using Google Maps, data is transmitted to Google and stored on the Google servers. Here we want to go into more detail about what Google Maps is, why we use this Google service, what data is stored and how you can prevent this.

What is Google Maps?

Google Maps is an Internet map service from Google. With Google Maps, you can find the exact location of a city, attraction, lodging, or business online using a PC, tablet, or app. If companies are represented on Google My Business, additional information about the company is displayed in addition to the location. In order to show how to get there, map sections of a location can be integrated into a website using HTML code. Google Maps shows the earth's surface as a street map or as an aerial or satellite image. Thanks to the Street View images and the high-quality satellite images, very precise representations are possible.

Why do we use Google Maps on our website?

All of our efforts on this site aim to offer you a useful and meaningful time on our website. By integrating Google Maps, we can provide you with the most important information about various locations. You can see at a glance where we have our company headquarters. The route description always shows you the best or fastest way to us. You can get directions for routes by car, public transport, on foot or by bike. For us, providing Google Maps is part of our customer service.

What data is stored by Google Maps?

In order for Google Maps to be able to fully offer its service, the company must collect and store data from you. This includes, among other things, the search terms entered, your IP address and also the latitude and longitude coordinates. If you use the route planner function, the start address entered will also be saved. However, this data storage happens on the Google Maps website. We can only inform you about this, but have no influence. Since we have integrated Google Maps into our website, Google sets at least one cookie (name: NID) in your browser. This cookie stores data about your user behavior. Google uses this data primarily to optimize its own services and to provide you with individual, personalized advertising.

The following cookie is set in your browser due to the integration of Google Maps:

Name: NID
Value: 188=h26c1Ktha7fCQTx8rXgLyATyITJ311202392-5
Purpose: NID is used by Google to adapt advertisements to your Google search. With the help of the cookie, Google “remembers” your most frequently entered search queries or your previous interaction with ads. So you always get tailor-made advertisements. The cookie contains a unique ID that Google uses to collect your personal preferences for advertising purposes.
Expiry date: after 6 months

Note: We cannot guarantee the completeness of the stored data. Changes can never be ruled out, especially when using cookies. In order to identify the cookie NID, a separate test page was created, where only Google Maps was integrated.

How long and where is the data stored?

Google servers are located in data centers around the world. However, most of the servers are located in America. For this reason, your data is also increasingly stored in the USA. Here you can read exactly where the Google data centers are located:  https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/inside/locations/?hl=de

Google distributes the data on different data carriers. As a result, the data can be called up more quickly and is better protected against any attempts at manipulation. Each data center also has special emergency programs. If, for example, there are problems with the Google hardware or a natural disaster paralyzes the servers, the data will almost certainly remain protected.

Google stores some data for a fixed period of time. For other data, Google only offers the option of manually deleting it. The company also anonymizes information (such as advertising data) in server logs by deleting part of the IP address and cookie information after 9 and 18 months, respectively.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

With the automatic deletion of location and activity data introduced in 2019, information on location determination and web/app activity is stored for either 3 or 18 months – depending on your decision – and then deleted. You can also manually delete this data from the history at any time via the Google account. If you want to completely prevent your location tracking, you need to pause the "Web and app activity" section in the Google account. Click "Data and Personalization" and then click the "Activity Settings" option. Here you can switch the activities on or off.

You can also deactivate, delete or manage individual cookies in your browser. Depending on which browser you use, this always works a little differently. The following instructions show how to manage cookies in your browser:

Chrome: Delete, enable and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Managing Cookies and Website Data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Deleting and managing cookies

If you generally do not want any cookies, you can set up your browser so that it always informs you when a cookie is to be set. You can decide for each individual cookie whether you allow it or not.

Google is an active participant in the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework, which regulates the correct and secure data transfer of personal data. You can find more information on this at  https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI . If you want to learn more about data processing by Google, we recommend the company's own privacy policy at  https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de .

Google Analytics Privacy Policy

We use the analysis tracking tool Google Analytics (GA) from the American company Google Inc. on our website. The company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services in Europe. Google Analytics collects data about your actions on our website. For example, if you click on a link, this action is stored in a cookie and sent to Google Analytics. The reports we receive from Google Analytics allow us to better tailor our website and service to your needs. In the following we will go into more detail about the tracking tool and, above all, inform you about which data is stored and how you can prevent this.

What is Google Analytics?

Google Analytics is a tracking tool used to analyze traffic on our website. In order for Google Analytics to work, a tracking code is built into the code of our website. When you visit our website, this code records various actions that you take on our website. As soon as you leave our website, this data is sent to the Google Analytics servers and stored there.

Google processes the data and we receive reports on your user behavior. These reports may include the following:

• Target group reports: With target group reports, we get to know our users better and know more precisely who is interested in our service.

• Ad reports: Ad reports make it easier for us to analyze and improve our online advertising.

• Acquisition Reports: Acquisition reports provide us with helpful information on how to attract more people to our service.

• Behavior Reports: Here we learn how you interact with our website. We can understand which path you take on our site and which links you click on.

• Conversion reports: Conversion is a process in which you perform a desired action based on a marketing message. For example, when you go from being a mere website visitor to a buyer or newsletter subscriber. These reports enable us to learn more about how our marketing measures are resonating with you. This is how we want to increase our conversion rate.

• Real-time reports: Here we always know immediately what is happening on our website. For example, we can see how many users are currently reading this text.

Why do we use Google Analytics on our website?

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

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

What data is stored by Google Analytics?

Google Analytics uses a tracking code to create a random, unique ID that is linked to your browser cookie. This is how Google Analytics recognizes you as a new user. The next time you visit our site, you will be recognized as a "returning" user. All collected data is stored together with this user ID. This makes it possible to evaluate pseudonymous user profiles in the first place.

Identifiers such as cookies and app instance IDs are used to measure your interactions on our website. Interactions are any type of action you take on our website. If you also use other Google systems (such as a Google account), data generated via Google Analytics can be linked to third-party cookies. Google does not pass on Google Analytics data unless we as the website operator authorize this. Exceptions may arise if required by law.

The following cookies are used by Google Analytics:

Name: _ga
Value: 2.1326744211.152311202392-5
Purpose: By default, analytics.js uses the _ga cookie to save the user ID. Basically, it serves to differentiate between website visitors.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: _gid
Value: 2.1687193234.152311202392-1
Purpose: The cookie is also used to distinguish between website visitors.
Expiry date: after 24 hours

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

Name: AMP_TOKEN
Value: no information
Purpose: The cookie has a token that can be used to retrieve a user ID from the AMP Client ID service. Other possible values indicate an opt-out, a request, or an error.
Expiry date: after 30 seconds to a year

Name: __utma
Value: 1564498958.1564498958.1564498958.1
Purpose: This cookie can be used to track your behavior on the website and measure performance. The cookie is updated each time information is sent to Google Analytics.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Name: __utmt
value: 1
Purpose: Like _gat_gtag_UA_<property-id>, the cookie is used to throttle the request rate.
Expiry date: after 10 minutes

Name: __utmb
Value: 3.10.1564498958
Purpose: This cookie is used to determine new sessions. It is updated every time new data or information is sent to Google Analytics.
Expiry date: after 30 minutes

Name: __utmc
Value: 167421564
Purpose: This cookie is used to set new sessions for returning visitors. This is a session cookie and is only stored until you close the browser.
Expiry date: After closing the browser

Name: __utmz
Value: m|utmccn=(referral)|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/
Purpose: The cookie is used to identify the source of traffic to our website. This means that the cookie stores where you came from on our website. That could have been another page or an advertisement.
Expiry date: after 6 months

Name: __utmv
Value: not specified
Purpose: The cookie is used to store user-defined user data. It is always updated when information is sent to Google Analytics.
Expiry date: after 2 years

Note: This list cannot claim to be complete, as Google is constantly changing the choice of its cookies.

Here we show you an overview of the most important data that is collected with Google Analytics:

Heatmaps: Google creates so-called heatmaps. Heatmaps show exactly those areas that you click on. This is how we get information about where you are on our site.

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

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

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

IP address: The IP address is only shown in abbreviated form so that no clear assignment is possible.

Location: The country and your approximate location can be determined via the IP address. This process is also referred to as IP location determination.

Technical information: The technical information includes, among other things, your browser type, your Internet provider or your screen resolution.

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

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

How long and where is the data stored?

Google has distributed their servers all over the world. Most of the servers are located in America and consequently your data is mostly stored on American servers. Here you can read exactly where the Google data centers are located:  https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/inside/locations/?hl=de

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

A standard storage period for your user data of 26 months is set for Google Analytics. Then your user data will be deleted. However, we have the option of choosing the retention period for user data ourselves. We have five options available for this:

• Deletion after 14 months

• Deletion after 26 months

• Deletion after 38 months

• Deletion after 50 months

• No automatic deletion

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

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

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

If you generally want to deactivate, delete or manage cookies (regardless of Google Analytics), there are separate instructions for each browser:

Chrome: Delete, enable and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Managing Cookies and Website Data with Safari

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

Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies

Microsoft Edge: Deleting and managing cookies

Google Analytics is an active participant in the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework, which regulates the correct and secure data transfer of personal data. You can find more information on this at  https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI&tid=311202392 . We hope we were able to provide you with the most important information about data processing by Google Analytics. If you want to learn more about the tracking service, we recommend these two links:  http://www.google.com/analytics/terms/de.html  and  https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=de .

Google Ads (Google AdWords) Conversion Tracking Privacy Policy

We use Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) as an online marketing measure to advertise our products and services. In this way we want to make more people aware of the high quality of our offers on the Internet. As part of our advertising measures through Google Ads, we use conversion tracking from Google Inc. on our website. In Europe, however, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services. This free tracking tool allows us to better tailor our advertising to your interests and needs. In the following article we want to go into more detail why we use conversion tracking, what data is stored and how you can prevent this data storage.