Privacy Policy

Information on the Collection of Personal Data and Contact Details of the Controller

We are pleased that you are visiting our website and thank you for your interest. On the following pages, we inform you about the handling of your personal data when using our website. Personal data is all data with which you can be personally identified.

The controller in charge of data processing on this website, within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), is Maximilian Franz, Maximilian Franz Services, An der Schmiede 40, 73529 Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany, Phone.: 01733730926, e-mail: maximilian_fr@gmx.de. The controller in charge of the processing of personal data is the natural or legal person who alone or jointly with others determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data.

Data Collection When You Visit Our Website

When using our website for information only, i.e. if you do not register or otherwise provide us with information, we only collect data that your browser transmits to our server (so-called "server log files"). When you visit our website, we collect the following data that is technically necessary for us to display the website to you:- Our visited website- Date and time at the moment of access- Amount of data sent in bytes- Source/reference from which you came to the page- Browser used- Operating system used- IP address used (if applicable: in anonymized form) Data processing is carried out in accordance with Art. 6 (1) point f GDPR on the basis of our legitimate interest in improving the stability and functionality of our website. The data will not be passed on or used in any other way. However, we reserve the right to check the server log files subsequently, if there are any concrete indications of illegal use.

This website uses SSL or TLS encryption for security reasons and to protect the transmission of personal data and other confidential content (e.g. orders or inquiries to the controller). You can recognize an encrypted connection by the character string https:// and the lock symbol in your browser line.

Hosting & Content Delivery Network

Wix For the hosting of our website and the display of the page content, we use the system of the following provider: Wix HQ, 6350671, Nemal Tel Aviv St 40, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel

Data is also transferred to: Wix Inc., 500 Terry A. Francois Boulevard, San Francisco, California 94158, USA

All data collected on our website is processed on the provider's servers. We have concluded an order processing agreement with the provider, ensuring the protection of our site visitors' data and prohibiting unauthorised disclosure to third parties.

In case of data transfer to the provider's location, an adequate level of data protection is guaranteed by an adequacy decision of the European Commission.

For data transfers to the USA, the provider participates in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which ensures compliance with the European level of data protection on the basis of an adequacy decision by the European Commission,

Cookies

In order to make your visit to our website more attractive and to enable the use of certain functions, we use cookies, i.e. small text files that are stored on your end device. In some cases, these cookies are automatically deleted again after the browser is closed (so-called "session cookies"), in other cases, these cookies remain on your end device for longer and allow page settings to be saved (so-called "persistent cookies"). In the latter case, you can find the duration of the storage in the overview of the cookie settings of your web browser.

If personal data is also processed by individual cookies set by us, the processing is carried out either in accordance with Art. 6 (1) point b GDPR for the performance of the contract, in accordance with Art. 6 (1) point a GDPR in the case of consent given or in accordance with Art. 6 (1) point f GDPR to safeguard our legitimate interests in the best possible functionality of the website as well as a customer-friendly and effective design of the page visit.

You can set your browser in such a way that you are informed about the setting of cookies and you can decide individually about their acceptance or exclude the acceptance of cookies for certain cases or in general.

Please note that the functionality of our website may be limited if cookies are not accepted.

Contacting Us

WhatsApp Business We offer visitors to our website the opportunity to contact us via the WhatsApp news service of WhatsApp Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland. For this purpose we use the so-called "Business Version" of WhatsApp. If you contact us via WhatsApp in connection with a specific business transaction (e.g. an order placed), we will store and use the mobile telephone number you use at WhatsApp and - if provided - your first name and surname in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b. GDPR to process and answer your request. On the basis of the same legal basis, we will ask you via WhatsApp to provide further data (order number, customer number, address or e-mail address), if necessary, in order to be able to allocate your enquiry to a specific transaction.

If you use our WhatsApp contact for general enquiries (e.g. about the range of services, availability or our website), we will store and use the mobile phone number you use at WhatsApp and - if provided - your first and last name in accordance with Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR on the basis of our justified interest in the efficient and prompt provision of the requested information.

Your data will always be used only to answer your request via WhatsApp. Your data will not be passed on to third parties.

Please note that WhatsApp Business gains access to the address book of the mobile device we use for this purpose and automatically transfers telephone numbers stored in the address book to a server of the parent company Meta Platforms Inc. in the USA. To operate our WhatsApp Business account, we use a mobile device whose address book stores only the WhatsApp contact data of those users who have also contacted us via WhatsApp.

This ensures that each person whose WhatsApp contact data is stored in our address book has already consented to the transmission of his WhatsApp telephone number from the address books of his chat contacts in accordance with Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR when using the app on his device for the first time by accepting the WhatsApp terms of use. The transmission of data of such users who do not use WhatsApp and/or have not contacted us via WhatsApp is therefore excluded.

For the purpose and scope of data collection and the further processing and use of data by WhatsApp, as well as your rights and setting options for protecting your privacy, please refer to WhatsApp's data protection information: https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/?eea=1#privacy-policy

In the course of the above-mentioned processing, data may be transferred to servers of Meta Platforms Inc. in the USA.

When you contact us (e.g. via contact form or e-mail), personal data is collected. Which data is collected in the case of a contact form can be seen from the respective contact form. This data is stored and used exclusively for the purpose of responding to your request or for establishing contact and for the associated technical administration.

The legal basis for processing data is our legitimate interest in responding to your request in accordance with Art. 6 (1) point f GDPR. If your contact is aimed at concluding a contract, the additional legal basis for the processing is Art. 6 (1) point b GDPR. Your data will be deleted after final processing of your enquiry; this is the case if it can be inferred from the circumstances that the facts in question have been finally clarified, provided there are no legal storage obligations to the contrary.

Web Analysis Services

Google Analytics 4

This website uses Google Analytics 4, a service provided by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, 4 Barrow St, Dublin, D04 E5W5, Ireland ("Google"), which can be used to analyze the use of websites.

When using Google Analytics 4, so-called "cookies" are used as standard. Cookies are text files that are stored on your terminal device and enable an analysis of your use of a website. The information collected by cookies about your use of the website (including the IP address transmitted by your terminal device, shortened by the last digits, see below) is usually transmitted to a Google server and stored and processed there. This may also result in the transmission of information to the servers of Google LLC, a company based in the USA, where the information is further processed.

When using Google Analytics 4, the IP address transmitted by your terminal device when you use the website is always collected and processed by default and automatically only in an anonymized manner, so that a direct personal reference of the collected information is excluded. This automatic anonymization is carried out by shortening the IP address transmitted by your terminal device by Google within member states of the European Union (EU) or other contracting states of the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA) by the last digits.

On our behalf, Google uses this and other information to evaluate your use of the website, to compile reports (reports) on your website activities or your usage behavior and to provide us with other services related to your website usage and internet usage. In this context, the IP address transmitted and shortened by your terminal device within the scope of Google Analytics 4 will not be merged with other data from Google. The data collected in the context of the use of Google Analytics 4 will be retained for 2 months and then deleted.

Google Analytics 4 also enables the creation of statistics with statements about age, gender and interests of website users on the basis of an evaluation of interest-based advertising and with the involvement of third-party information via a special function, the so-called "demographic characteristics". This makes it possible to determine and distinguish between groups of website users for the purpose of targeting marketing measures. However, data collected via the "demographic characteristics" cannot be assigned to a specific person and thus not to you personally. This data collected via the "demographic characteristics" function is retained for two months and then deleted.

All processing described above, in particular the setting of Google Analytics cookies for the storage and reading of information on the terminal device used by you for the use of the website, will only take place if you have given us your express consent for this in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 letter a GDPR. Without your consent, Google Analytics 4 will not be used during your use of the website.

You can revoke your consent once given at any time with effect for the future. To exercise your revocation, please deactivate this service via the "Cookie Consent Tool" provided on the website.

Google Signals

On this website, the "Google Signals" service can also be used as an extension of Google Analytics 4. With Google Signals, cross-device reports can be created by Google (so-called "cross-device tracking"). If you have activated "personalised ads" in your Google account settings and you have linked your internet-enabled devices to your Google account, Google can analyse user behaviour across devices and create database models based on this, provided you have given your consent to the use of Google Analytics in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 letter a GDPR (see above). The logins and device types of all page visitors who were logged into a Google account and performed a conversion are taken into account. The data shows, among other things, on which device you first clicked on an ad and on which device the associated conversion took place. Insofar as Google Signals is used, we do not receive any personal data from Google, but only statistics compiled on the basis of Google Signals. You have the option of deactivating the "personalised ads" function in the settings of your Google account and thus turning off the cross-device analysis. To do this, follow the instructions on this page:
https://support.google.com/ads/answer/2662922?hl=de

Further information can be found here:
https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/7532985?hl=de

User IDs

As an extension of Google Analytics 4, the "UserIDs" function can also be used on this website. By assigning individual UserIDs, we can have Google create cross-device reports (so-called "cross-device tracking"). This means that your usage behaviour can also be analysed across devices if you have given your corresponding consent to the use of Google Analytics in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 letter a GDPR, if you have set up a personal account by registering on this website and are logged into your personal account on different end devices with your relevant login data. The data collected in this way shows, among other things, on which end device you clicked on an ad for the first time and on which end device the relevant conversion took place.

Collection of data provided by users

n order to improve the analysis results for users whose contact details we have received as part of business or business-like relationships, we use the "Collection of data provided by users" function. Subject to your express consent in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 letter a GDPR, we transmit one or more files containing aggregated customer data (primarily email address and telephone number) to Google electronically as part of this function. Google does not receive access to clear data, but automatically encrypts the information in the customer files during the transmission process using a special algorithm. The encrypted information can then only be used by Google to assign it to existing Google accounts that the data subjects have set up.

The processing serves to refine measurement data, improves cross-device user traceability, and enables the integration of analysis results into advertising personalization and conversion tracking functions of Google Ads. You can revoke your consent to us at any time with future effect. Further information on Google's privacy practices regarding the transmission of customer data can be found here:
https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6334160?hl=de&ref_topic=10550182

We have concluded a so-called data processing agreement with Google for our use of Google Analytics 4, by which Google is obliged to protect the data of our website users and not to pass it on to third parties. For data transfers to the USA, the provider participates in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which ensures compliance with the European level of data protection on the basis of an adequacy decision by the European Commission.

Further legal information on Google Analytics 4 can be found here:
https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en
and
https://business.safety.google/privacy/

Details on the processing triggered by Google Analytics 4 and Google's handling of data from websites can be found here:
https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites

Wix Analytics

This website uses the web analytics service provided by the following provider: Wix HQ, 6350671, Nemal Tel Aviv St 40, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel.

Using cookies and/or comparable technologies (tracking pixels, web beacons, algorithms for reading end device and browser information), the service collects and stores pseudonymised visitor data, including information on the end device used such as the IP address and browser information, in order to evaluate it for statistical analyses of user behaviour on our website and to create pseudonymised user profiles. Among other things, this enables the analysis of movement patterns (so-called heat maps), which show the duration of page visits and interactions with page content (e.g. text entries, scrolling, clicks and mouse-overs). Pseudonymisation generally excludes the possibility of direct personal reference. Your personal data will not be combined with data collected in any other way.

All processing described above, in particular the reading or saving of information on the end device used, is only carried out if you have given us your express consent in accordance with Art. 6 (1) point a GDPR. You can revoke your consent at any time with effect for the future by deactivating this service in the "cookie consent tool" provided on the website.

We have concluded an order processing agreement with the provider, which ensures the protection of our website visitors' data and prohibits unauthorised disclosure to third parties. In case of data transfer to the provider's location, an adequate level of data protection is guaranteed by an adequacy decision of the European Commission.

Retargeting/Remarketing/ Referral Advertising

Meta Pixel with extended data synchronistation

Within our online offering, we use the "Meta Pixel" service of the following provider in extended data synchronisation mode: Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2, Ireland ("Meta")

If a user clicks on an advert placed by us on Facebook or Instagram, "Meta Pixel" is used to add a parameter to the URL of our linked page. This URL parameter is then entered in the user's browser after redirection by a cookie that our linked page sets itself. In addition, this cookie collects specific customer data, such as the email address, which we collect on our website linked to the Facebook or Instagram ad during processes such as purchase transactions, account logins or registrations (extended data synchronisation). The cookie is then read and enables the data, including specific customer data, to be transmitted to Meta.

We use "Meta Pixel" with extended data matching to make our adverts ("Ads") on Facebook and/or Instagram more effective and to ensure that they correspond to the interests of users or have certain characteristics (e.g. interests in certain topics or products determined on the basis of the websites visited), which we transmit to Meta ("Custom Audiences"). In addition, we analyse the effectiveness of our advertisements by tracking whether users were redirected to our website after clicking on an advertisement (conversion). Compared to the standard version of "Meta Pixel", the extended data synchronisation function helps us to better measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns by recording more associated conversions.

All transmitted data is stored and processed by Meta so that an assignment to the respective user profile is possible and Meta can use the data for its own advertising purposes in accordance with Meta's data usage guidelines (https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/). The data may enable Meta and its partners to place adverts on and off Facebook.

All processing described above, in particular the setting of cookies for reading information on the terminal device used, will only be carried out if you have given us your express consent to do so in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR. You can revoke your consent at any time with effect for the future by deactivating this service in the "cookie consent tool" provided on the website.

We have concluded an order processing contract with the provider, which ensures the protection of the data of our website visitors and prohibits unauthorised disclosure to third parties.

The information generated by Meta is usually transferred to a Meta server and stored there; in this context, it may also be transferred to servers of Meta Platforms Inc. in the USA. For data transfers to the USA, the provider has joined the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which ensures compliance with the European level of data protection on the basis of an adequacy decision by the European Commission.

Google Ads Conversion Tracking

This website uses the online advertising program "Google Ads" and, within the framework of Google Ads, the conversion tracking of Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, 4 Barrow St, Dublin, D04 E5W5, Ireland ("Google"). We use Google Ads to draw attention to our attractive offers on external websites with the help of advertising media ("Google Adwords"). We can determine how successful the individual advertising measures are in relation to the data of the advertising campaigns. Our aim is to show you advertising that is of interest to you, to make our website more interesting for you and to achieve a fair calculation of the advertising costs incurred.

The conversion tracking cookie is set when a user clicks on an ad placed by Google. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your end device. These cookies usually lose their validity after 30 days and are not used for personal identification. If the user visits certain pages of this website and the cookie has not yet expired, Google and we can recognise that the user clicked on the ad and was redirected to this page. Each Google Ads customer receives a different cookie. Cookies cannot therefore be tracked across Google Ads clients' websites. The information obtained using the conversion cookie is used to create conversion statistics for Google Ads customers who have opted in to conversion tracking. Clients learn the total number of users who clicked on their ad and were redirected to a page tagged with a conversion tracking tag. However, they do not receive any information that can be used to personally identify users. The use of Google Ads may also result in the transmission of personal data to the servers of Google LLC. in the USA.

Details on the processing triggered by Google Ads Conversion Tracking and on Google's handling of data from websites can be found here:
https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites

All of the processing described above, in particular the setting of cookies for reading out information on the end device used, will only be carried out if you have given us your express consent to do so in accordance with Art. 6 (1) a GDPR. You can revoke your consent at any time with effect for the future by deactivating this service in the "Cookie Consent Tool" provided on the website.

You can also permanently object to the setting of cookies by Google Ads conversion tracking by downloading and installing the Google browser plug-in available at the following link:
https://www.google.com/settings/ads/plugin?hl=en

Please note that certain functions of this website may not be available or may be restricted if you have deactivated the use of cookies.

Further information on Google's privacy standards can be found here:
https://policies.google.com/privacy
https://business.safety.google/privacy/

Site functionalities

Instagram plugins

Plugins of the social network of the following provider are used on our website: Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd., 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland (Instagram).

These plugins allow direct interaction with content on the social network. In order to increase the protection of your data when visiting our website, the plugins are initially deactivated and integrated into the page by means of a so-called "2-click" or "Shariff" solution. This integration ensures that when you access a page of our website that contains such plugins, no connection is yet established with the servers of the provider.

Your browser only establishes a direct connection to the servers of the provider when you activate the plugins and thereby give your consent to the data transfer in accordance with Art. 6 (1) point a GDPR. In this process, regardless of whether you log into an existing user profile, a certain amount of information about your end device used (including your IP address), your browser and your page history is transferred to the provider and may be further processed there.

If you are logged into an existing user profile on the provider's social network, information about interactions carried out via the plugins will also be published there and displayed to your contacts.

You can revoke your consent at any time by deactivating the activated plugin by clicking on it again. However, the revocation has no influence on the data that has already been transferred to the provider.

Data can also be transferred to: Meta Platforms Inc., USA

We have concluded an order processing agreement with the provider, which ensures the protection of our website visitors’ data and prohibits unauthorised disclosure to third parties.

LinkedIn plugins

Plugins of the social network of the following provider are used on our website: LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland

These plugins allow direct interaction with content on the social network.

In order to increase the protection of your data when visiting our website, the plugins are initially deactivated and integrated into the page by means of a so-called "2-click" or "Shariff" solution. This integration ensures that when you access a page of our website that contains such plugins, no connection is yet established with the servers of the provider.

Data can also be transferred to: LinkedIn Inc., USA

We have concluded an order processing agreement with the provider, which ensures the protection of our website visitors’ data and prohibits unauthorised disclosure to third parties.

For the transfer of data to the USA, the provider relies on standard contractual clauses of the European Commission, which are meant to ensure compliance with the European level of data protection.

Typeform

We use the services of the following provider to conduct surveys or for online forms: TYPEFORM SL Carrer Bac de Roda, 163, local, 08018 Barcelona, Spain

The provider enables us to design and analyse surveys and online forms. In addition to the personal data that you enter into the forms, information on your operating system, browser, date and time of your visit, referrer URL and your IP address is also collected, transferred to the provider and stored on the provider's servers.

The information you enter in the forms is stored under password protection to ensure that third party access is excluded and that only we can analyse the data for the purpose specified in the form.

For the processing of personal data that is necessary for the performance of a contract with you (this also applies to processing operations that are necessary for the implementation of pre-contractual measures), Art. 6 (1) point b GDPR serves as the legal basis. If you have given us your consent for the processing of your data, the processing is based on Art. 6 (1) point a GDPR. Consent given can be revoked at any time with effect for the future.

We have concluded an order processing agreement with the provider, which ensures the protection of our website visitors' data and prohibits unauthorised disclosure to third parties.

Tools and Miscellaneous

This website uses a so-called "cookie consent tool" to obtain effective user consent for cookies and cookie-based applications that require consent. The "cookie consent tool" is displayed to users in the form of an interactive user interface when they access the page, on which consent for certain cookies and/or cookie-based applications can be given by ticking the appropriate box. Through the use of the tool, all cookies/services requiring consent are only loaded if the respective user provides the corresponding consent by ticking the corresponding box. This ensures that such cookies are only set on the respective end device of the user if consent has been granted.

The tool sets technically necessary cookies to save your cookie preferences. Personal user data is generally not processed. If, in individual cases, personal data (such as the IP address) is processed for the purpose of storing, assigning or logging cookie settings, this is done in accordance with Art. 6 (1) point f GDPR on the basis of our legitimate interest in legally compliant, user specific and user-friendly consent management for cookies and thus in a legally compliant design of our website.

Further legal basis for the processing is Art. 6 (1) point c GDPR. As the responsible party, we are subject to the legal obligation to make the use of technically unnecessary cookies dependent on the respective user consent.

Further information on the operator and the setting options of the cookie consent tool can be found directly in the corresponding user interface on our website

Rights of the Data Subject

The applicable data protection law grants you the following comprehensive rights of data subjects (rights of information and intervention) vis-à-vis the data controller with regard to the processing of your personal data:-

Right of access by the data subject pursuant to Art. 15 GDPR;
Right to rectification pursuant to Art. 16 GDPR;
Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”) pursuant to Art. 17 GDPR;
Right to restriction of processing pursuant to Art. 18 GDPR;
Right to be informed pursuant to Art. 19 GDPR;
Right to data portability pursuant to Art. 20 GDPR;
Right to withdraw a given consent pursuant to Art. 7 (3) GDPR;
Right to lodge a complaint pursuant to Art. 77 GDPR.

RIGHT TO OBJECT

RIGHT TO OBJECT IF, WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF A CONSIDERATION OF INTERESTS, WE PROCESS YOUR PERSONAL DATA ON THE BASIS OF OUR PREDOMINANT LEGITIMATE INTEREST, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT AT ANY TIME TO OBJECT TO THIS PROCESSING WITH EFFECT FOR THE FUTURE ON THE GROUNDS THAT ARISE FROM YOUR PARTICULAR SITUATION.

IF YOU EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO OBJECT, WE WILL STOP PROCESSING THE DATA CONCERNED. HOWEVER, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO FURTHER PROCESSING IF WE CAN PROVE COMPELLING REASONS WORTHY OF PROTECTION FOR PROCESSING WHICH OUTWEIGH YOUR INTERESTS, FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS, OR IF THE PROCESSING SERVES TO ASSERT, EXERCISE OR DEFEND LEGAL CLAIMS.

IF WE PROCESS YOUR PERSONAL DATA FOR DIRECT MARKETING PURPOSES, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO OBJECT AT ANY TIME TO THE PROCESSING OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA WHICH ARE USED FOR DIRECT MARKETING PURPOSES. YOU MAY EXERCISE THE OBJECTION AS DESCRIBED ABOVE.

IF YOU EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO OBJECT, WE WILL STOP PROCESSING THE DATA CONCERNED FOR DIRECT ADVERTISING PURPOSES.

Duration of Storage of Personal Data

The duration of the storage of personal data is based on the respective legal basis, the purpose of processing and - if relevant – on the respective legal retention period (e.g. commercial and tax retention periods).

If personal data is processed on the basis of an express consent pursuant to Art. 6 (1) point a GDPR, this data is stored until the data subject revokes his consent.

If there are legal storage periods for data that is processed within the framework of legal or similar obligations on the basis of Art. 6 (1) point b GDPR, this data will be routinely deleted after expiry of the storage periods if it is no longer necessary for the fulfillment of the contract or the initiation of the contract and/or if we no longer have a justified interest in further storage.

When processing personal data on the basis of Art. 6 (1) point f GDPR, this data is stored until the data subject exercises his right of objection in accordance with Art. 21 (1) GDPR, unless we can provide compelling grounds for processing worthy of protection which outweigh the interests, rights and freedoms of the data subject, or the processing serves to assert, exercise or defend legal claims.

If personal data is processed for the purpose of direct marketing on the basis of Art. 6 (1) point f GDPR, this data is stored until the data subject exercises his right of objection pursuant to Art. 21 (2) GDPR.

Unless otherwise stated in the information contained in this declaration on specific processing situations, stored personal data will be deleted if it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected or otherwise processed