In a nutshell: What happens to your data?

In order to be able to offer you our website and the associated services, we process personal data on the basis of the following legal bases

• Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a) GDPR)
• for the fulfilment of contracts (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b) GDPR)
• on the basis of a balancing of interests (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f) GDPR)
• for the fulfilment of a legal obligation (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c) GDPR)

We will refer to the relevant terms in connection with the respective processing so that you can categorise the basis on which we process personal data.

If personal data is processed on the basis of your consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent from us at any time with effect for the future.

If we process data on the basis of a balancing of interests, you as the data subject have the right to object to the processing of personal data, taking into account the provisions of Art. 21 GDPR.

Chatbot Data Categories, Purpose, Legal Basis and Retention Period

The technology and software used for the chatbot are provided by:

Westfälische Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH (WVG)
Krögerweg 11
48155 Münster, Germany

and

PROJEKTIONISTEN GmbH
Schaufelder Straße 11
30167 Hanover, Germany

The contracting authority is:

Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr AöR
Augustastraße 1
45879 Gelsenkirchen, Germany

The role of the contractor is assumed by Westfälische Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH (WVG).

The technology is based on a simplified architecture designed to keep data flows as limited and local as possible. All data is stored within the WVG data center and does not leave this environment at any time. No cookies are used.

Furthermore, no personal data of users is stored, with the exception of information that users voluntarily enter into the text field and submit to the chatbot.

Any personal data entered by users is stored in anonymized form within the web analytics platform Matomo. This tool is also integrated into the WVG data center, and access to it is restricted exclusively to WVG.

Mandatory statutory provisions, in particular legal retention requirements, remain unaffected.

The processing of all such data serves the purpose of providing you with a fast and efficient way to contact us and thereby improving our customer service. We store chat histories for a period of three months. This allows us, where appropriate, to spare you from having to repeat detailed information relating to previous enquiries and supports the continuous quality assurance of our chatbot service. Your right to erasure remains unaffected. Longer retention periods may apply where required by law.

The legal basis for the processing of personal data is your consent pursuant to Article 6(1)(a) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

In addition, there is a legitimate interest pursuant to Article 6(1)(f) GDPR in processing personal data in order to ensure the security of our information technology systems, guarantee the proper functioning of our services, and improve and accelerate our internal processes.

Further information can be found here:

https://www.wvg-online.de/karriere-portal/datenschutz

https://www.projektionisten.de/datenschutz

We offer a contact form on our website that you can use to send us enquiries or contact us in general.

We need this information in order to process your enquiry, address you correctly and send you a reply. In the case of specific enquiries, data is processed for the fulfilment of a contract or the initiation of a contract. General enquiries are processed on the basis of a balancing of interests.

Enquiries received via the contact form on our website are processed electronically by us in order to answer your enquiry. In this context, other persons or departments and possibly third parties may also receive knowledge of the form content that you have sent.

Form data is transmitted via the Internet using encrypted connections.

Inquiries via Email, Phone, or Fax

If you contact us via email, phone, or fax, your inquiry—including all personal data contained therein (name, inquiry)—will be stored and processed by us for the purpose of handling your request. We will not disclose this data without your consent.

The processing of this data is based on Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR, provided that your inquiry is related to the performance of a contract or is necessary for the implementation of pre-contractual measures. In all other cases, processing is based on our legitimate interest in the effective handling of inquiries directed to us (Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR) or on your consent (Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR), provided that consent was requested; consent may be revoked at any time.

The data you send us via contact requests will remain with us until you request its deletion, revoke your consent to its storage, or the purpose for storing the data no longer applies (e.g., after your request has been fully processed). Mandatory legal provisions—in particular statutory retention periods—remain unaffected.

Our website allows you to contact us using the "Live Chat" function. You can use the chat to chat with our service provider's employees in near real time.

The technology used for this, software from Serviceware SE, uses cookies and the local memory of the medium you are using. This is necessary to enable a personal dialog with you digitally and to provide the necessary functionalities.

The following personal data is collected when the chat is started:

• Time, date and duration of the call
• Browser type/version
• IP address
• Operating system used
• URL of the previously visited website
• Amount of data sent
• If required, further context data, e.g. e-mail address

Depending on the course of the conversation, further personal data may be collected in the chat and entered by you. The type of this data depends largely on your request or the issue you describe to us. For example, the chat history can be sent to you by e-mail upon request after the chat has ended.

The purpose of processing all this data is to provide you with a quick and efficient way to contact us and thus improve our customer service. We store the chat history for a period of three months. The purpose of this is to save you from having to go into the history of your inquiry and to ensure continuous quality control of our chat service. The right to erasure remains unaffected by this. A longer storage period is permitted in the case of statutory retention periods.

The legal basis for the processing of personal data is your consent in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a) GDPR.

Furthermore, we have a legitimate interest in processing personal data in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f) GDPR in order to ensure the security of our information technology systems, to ensure the proper functioning of our services and to improve and accelerate our processing procedures.

Further information can be found here.

Newsletter Data

If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter offered on this website, we need your email address as well as information that allows us to verify that you are the owner of the provided email address and that you consent to receiving the newsletter. No other data is collected, or is collected only on a voluntary basis. We use the newsletter service provider described below to handle the distribution of the newsletter.

Brevo

This website uses Brevo to send and manage newsletters. The provider is Sendinblue GmbH (Brevo), Köpenicker Straße 126, 10179 Berlin, Germany (hereinafter “Brevo”). Brevo is a service that allows us to organize and analyze newsletter distribution. The data you provide to subscribe to the newsletter (e.g., email address and, if applicable, voluntary information) is transmitted to Brevo and stored there. Our newsletters sent via Brevo enable us to analyze the behavior of newsletter recipients. Among other things, this allows us to analyze how many recipients opened the newsletter and how often each link in the newsletter was clicked. If corresponding features are used, we can also analyze whether a predefined action (e.g., visiting a specific page or purchasing a product on this website) occurred after a link in the newsletter was clicked.

Data processing is based on your consent pursuant to Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR, to the extent that such consent is obtained for the distribution of the newsletter and the corresponding analytics functions. You may withdraw your consent at any time by unsubscribing from the newsletter. The lawfulness of data processing operations that have already taken place remains unaffected by the withdrawal. If you do not wish to have your data analyzed by Brevo, you must unsubscribe from the newsletter. We provide a link for this purpose in every newsletter message. The data you have provided to us for the purpose of receiving the newsletter will be stored by us or the newsletter service provider until you unsubscribe from the newsletter and will be deleted from the newsletter distribution list after you unsubscribe. Data stored by us for other purposes remains unaffected by this.

After you unsubscribe from the newsletter mailing list, your email address may be stored by us or the newsletter service provider on a blacklist, if necessary, to prevent future mailings. The data from the blacklist is used exclusively for this purpose and is not combined with any other data. This serves both your interests and our interest in complying with legal requirements when sending newsletters (legitimate interest within the meaning of Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR). There is no time limit on storage in the blacklist. You may object to this storage if your interests outweigh our legitimate interest.

According to the provider, the hosting servers operated by Brevo for processing and storing the data are located within the European Union.

For further information, please refer to Brevo’s privacy policy at:

https://www.brevo.com/de/legal/privacypolicy/

Data Processing

We have entered into a data processing agreement (DPA) with Brevo in accordance with Art. 28 of the GDPR for the use of the aforementioned service. This is a contract required by data protection law that ensures Brevo processes the personal data of our website visitors only in accordance with our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

Cookies are text files that contain data from websites or domains visited and are stored by a browser on the user's computer. A cookie is primarily used to store information about a user during or after their visit to an online service. The information stored may include, for example, the language settings on a website, the login status, a shopping basket or the location where a video was watched. The term "cookies" also includes other technologies that fulfil the same functions as cookies (e.g. when user information is stored using pseudonymous online identifiers, also known as "user IDs")

A distinction is made between the following cookie types and functions

• Temporary cookies (also: session cookies): Temporary cookies are deleted at the latest after a user has left an online service and closed their browser.
• Permanent cookies: Permanent cookies remain stored even after the browser is closed. For example, the login status can be saved or favourite content can be displayed directly when the user visits a website again. The interests of users that are used for reach measurement or marketing purposes can also be stored in such a cookie.
• First-party cookies: First-party cookies are set by us.
• Third-party cookies (also: third-party cookies): Third-party cookies are mainly used by advertisers (so-called third parties) to process user information.
• Necessary (also: essential or absolutely necessary) cookies: Cookies may be absolutely necessary for the operation of a website (e.g. to save logins or other user input or for security reasons).
• Statistical, marketing and personalisation cookies: Cookies are also generally used to measure reach and when a user's interests or behaviour (e.g. viewing certain content, using functions, etc.) on individual websites are stored in a user profile. Such profiles are used, for example, to display content to users that corresponds to their potential interests. This process is also referred to as "tracking", i.e. tracking the potential interests of users. If we use cookies or "tracking" technologies, we will inform you when we obtain your consent.

Information on legal bases: If you consent to the use of cookies, the legal basis for processing your data is the consent you have given. Otherwise, the data processed using cookies will be processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (e.g. in the business operation of our online offering and its improvement) or, if the use of cookies is necessary to fulfil our contractual obligations.

Storage period: If we do not provide you with explicit information on the storage period of permanent cookies (e.g. as part of a so-called cookie opt-in), please assume that the storage period can be up to two years.

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

Processing of cookie data on the basis of consent: Before we process or have data processed in the context of the use of cookies, we ask users for their consent, which can be revoked at any time. Before consent has not been given, cookies that are absolutely necessary for the operation of our online offer will be used at most.

• Processed data types: Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
• Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
• Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a. GDPR), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f. GDPR).

You can find an overview of all cookies and the option to change your consent here.

All of the aforementioned cookies are absolutely necessary for the operation of our website. Cookies that are not absolutely necessary are only used with your consent. In these cases, a corresponding consent form will be displayed on the website.

Consent with Cookiebot

Our website uses consent technology from Cookiebot to obtain your consent to the storage of certain cookies on your end device or for the use of certain technologies and to document this in a data protectioncompliant manner. The provider of this technology is Usercentrics A/S, Havnegade 39, 1058 Copenhagen, Denmark (hereinafter “Cookiebot”). 

When you enter our website, a connection is established with the Cookiebot servers to obtain your consent and provide you with other explanations regarding the use of cookies. Cookiebot will then store a cookie in your browser to identify the consent you have given or its revocation. The data collected in this way is stored until you request us to delete it, delete the Cookiebot cookie itself or the purpose for which the data is stored no longer applies. Mandatory legal storage obligations remain unaffected. 

Cookiebot is used to obtain the legally required consent for the use of cookies. The legal basis for this is Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR.

Data processing

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) for the use of the above-mentioned service. This is a contract mandated by data privacy laws that guarantees that they process personal data of our website visitors only based on our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

Server log files

The provider of this website and its pages automatically collects and stores information in so-called server log files, which your browser communicates to us automatically. The information comprises:

• The type and version of browser used
• The used operating system
• Referrer URL
• The hostname of the accessing computer
• The time of the server inquiry
• The IP address

This data is not merged with other data sources. This data is recorded on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The operator of the website has a legitimate interest in the technically error free depiction and the optimization of the operator’s website. In order to achieve this, server log files must be recorded.

You can find an overview of all cookies and the option to change your consent here.

YouTube with expanded data protection integration

This website integrates videos from the YouTube website. The operator of the website is Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

When you visit one of these websites on which YouTube is integrated, a connection to the YouTube servers is established. This tells the YouTube server which of our pages you have visited. If you are logged into your YouTube account, you enable YouTube to assign your surfing behavior directly to your personal profile. You can prevent this by logging out of your YouTube account.

We use YouTube in extended data protection mode. According to YouTube, videos that are played in extended data protection mode are not used to personalize browsing on YouTube. Ads that are played in extended data protection mode are also not personalized. No cookies are set in extended data protection mode. Instead, so-called local storage elements are stored in the user's browser, which contain personal data similar to cookies and can be used for recognition. Details on the extended data protection mode can be found here:
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/171780.

After activating a YouTube video, further data processing operations may be triggered over which we have no influence.

The use of YouTube is based on our interest in presenting our online content in an appealing manner. Pursuant to Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, this is a legitimate interest. If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TDDDG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TDDDG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

For more information on how YouTube handles user data, please consult the YouTube Data Privacy Policy under:
https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link:
https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/5780.

OpenStreetMap

We are using the mapping service provided by OpenStreetMap (OSM). We host OpenStreetMap on the server of the following provider:
Landesbetrieb Information und Technik Nordrhein-Westfalen Servicebündel F3 * Geoinformationszentrum
Mauerstr. 51
40476 Düsseldorf

Tel.: +49 211 / 9449-6301
Email: geoinformationszentrum@it.nrw.de 
Homepage: https://www.it.nrw.de/

We use OpenStreetMap with the objective of ensuring the attractive presentation of our online offers and to make it easy for visitors to find the locations we specify on our website. This establishes legitimate grounds as defined in Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TDDDG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TDDDG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

Our social media appearances

This privacy policy applies to the following social media presence

• https://de-de.facebook.com/VRR.de 
• https://www.instagram.com/verkehrsverbund_rhein_ruhr 
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/verkehrsverbund-rhein-ruhr-a%C3%B6r/ 
• https://www.youtube.com/@verkehrsverbundrheinruhr

Data processing through social networks

We maintain publicly available profiles in social networks. The individual social networks we use can be found below.

Social networks such as Facebook, X etc. can generally analyze your user behavior comprehensively if you visit their website or a website with integrated social media content (e.g., like buttons or banner ads). When you visit our social media pages, numerous data protection-relevant processing operations are triggered. In detail:

If you are logged in to your social media account and visit our social media page, the operator of the social media portal can assign this visit to your user account. Under certain circumstances, your personal data may also be recorded if you are not logged in or do not have an account with the respective social media portal. In this case, this data is collected, for example, via cookies stored on your device or by recording your IP address.

Using the data collected in this way, the operators of the social media portals can create user profiles in which their preferences and interests are stored. This way you can see interest-based advertising inside and outside of your social media presence. If you have an account with the social network, interest-based advertising can be displayed on any device you are logged in to or have logged in to.

Please also note that we cannot retrace all processing operations on the social media portals. Depending on the provider, additional processing operations may therefore be carried out by the operators of the social media portals. Details can be found in the terms of use and privacy policy of the respective social media portals.

Legal basis

Our social media appearances should ensure the widest possible presence on the Internet. This is a legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR. The analysis processes initiated by the social networks may be based on divergent legal bases to be specified by the operators of the social networks (e.g., consent within the meaning of Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR).

Responsibility and assertion of rights

If you visit one of our social media sites (e.g., Facebook), we, together with the operator of the social media platform, are responsible for the data processing operations triggered during this visit. You can in principle protect your rights (information, correction, deletion, limitation of processing, data portability and complaint) vis-à-vis us as well as vis-à-vis the operator of the respective social media portal (e.g., Facebook).

Please note that despite the shared responsibility with the social media portal operators, we do not have full influence on the data processing operations of the social media portals. Our options are determined by the company policy of the respective provider.

Storage time

The data collected directly from us via the social media presence will be deleted from our systems as soon as you ask us to delete it, you revoke your consent to the storage or the purpose for the data storage lapses.
Stored cookies remain on your device until you delete them. Mandatory statutory provisions - in particular, retention periods - remain unaffected.

We have no control over the storage duration of your data that are stored by the social network operators for their own purposes. For details, please contact the social network operators directly (e.g., in their privacy policy, see below).

Your rights

You have the right to receive information about the origin, recipient and purpose of your stored personal data at any time and free of charge. You also have the right to object, the right to data portability and the right to file a complaint with the responsible regulatory agency. Furthermore, you can request the correction, blocking, deletion and, under certain circumstances, the restriction of the processing of your personal data.

Individual social networks
 

Facebook

We have a profile on Facebook. The provider of this service is Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland (hereinafter Meta). According to Meta’s statement the collected data will also be transferred to the USA and to other third-party countries.

We have signed an agreement with Meta on shared responsibility for the processing of data (Controller Addendum). This agreement determines which data processing operations we or Meta are responsible for when you visit our Facebook Fanpage. This agreement can be viewed at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/page_controller_addendum.

You can customize your advertising settings independently in your user account. Click on the following link and log in:
https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=ads.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/legal/EU_data_transfer_addendum and
https://de-de.facebook.com/help/566994660333381.

Details can be found in the Facebook privacy policy: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link:
https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/4452

Instagram

We have a profile on Instagram. The provider of this service is Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Irland.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/legal/EU_data_transfer_addendum and
https://de-de.facebook.com/help/566994660333381.

For details on how they handle your personal information, see the Instagram Privacy Policy: https://privacycenter.instagram.com/policy/.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link:
https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/4452

LinkedIn

We have a LinkedIn profile. The provider is the LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Plaza, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland. LinkedIn uses advertising cookies.

If you want to disable LinkedIn advertising cookies, please use the following link:
https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/guest-controls/retargeting-opt-out.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here:
https://www.linkedin.com/legal/l/dpa and https://www.linkedin.com/legal/l/eu-sccs.

For details on how they handle your personal information, please refer to LinkedIn's privacy policy: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link:
https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/5448

YouTube

We have a profile on YouTube. The provider is Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland. Details on how they handle your personal data can be found in the YouTube privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link:
https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/5780

Google Tag Manager

We use the Google Tag Manager. The provider is Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland

The Google Tag Manager is a tool that allows us to integrate tracking or statistical tools and other technologies on our website. The Google Tag Manager itself does not create any user profiles, does not store cookies, and does not carry out any independent analyses. It only manages and runs the tools integrated via it. However, the Google Tag Manager does collect your IP address, which may also be transferred to Google’s parent company in the United States.

The Google Tag Manager is used on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the quick and uncomplicated integration and administration of various tools on his website. If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TDDDG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TDDDG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link:
https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/5780.

Google Analytics

This website uses functions of the web analysis service Google Analytics. The provider of this service is Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Google Analytics enables the website operator to analyze the behavior patterns of website visitors. To that end, the website operator receives a variety of user data, such as pages accessed, time spent on the page, the utilized operating system and the user’s origin. This data is assigned to the respective end device of the user. An assignment to a user-ID does not take place.

Furthermore, Google Analytics allows us to record your mouse and scroll movements and clicks, among other things. Google Analytics uses various modeling approaches to augment the collected data sets and uses machine learning technologies in data analysis.

Google Analytics uses technologies that make the recognition of the user for the purpose of analyzing the user behavior patterns (e.g., cookies or device fingerprinting). The website use information recorded by Google is, as a rule transferred to a Google server in the United States, where it is stored.

The use of these services occurs on the basis of your consent pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25(1) TDDDG. You may revoke your consent at any time.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms/sccs/.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link:
https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/5780.
 

IP anonymization

Google Analytics IP anonymization is active. As a result, your IP address will be abbreviated by Google within the member states of the European Union or in other states that have ratified the Convention on the European Economic Area prior to its transmission to the United States. The full IP address will be transmitted to one of Google’s servers in the United States and abbreviated there only in exceptional cases. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google shall use this information to analyze your use of this website to generate reports on website activities and to render other services to the operator of this website that are related to the use of the website and the Internet. The IP address transmitted in conjunction with Google Analytics from your browser shall not be merged with other data in Google’s possession.

Browser plug-in

You can prevent the recording and processing of your data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plugin available under the following link:
https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en.

For more information about the handling of user data by Google Analytics, please consult Google’s Data Privacy Declaration at:
https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=en.

Contract data processing

We have executed a contract data processing agreement with Google and are implementing the stringent provisions of the German data protection agencies to the fullest when using Google Analytics.

Microsoft Clarity

This website uses Microsoft Clarity. The provider is the Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, One Microsoft Place, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, Ireland, https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/clarity/faq (hereinafter referred to as “Microsoft Clarity”).

Microsoft Clarity is a tool to analyze user patterns on this website. Microsoft Clarity records in particular cursor movements and compiles graphics that show on which parts of the website users are scrolling with great frequency (heatmaps). Microsoft Clarity can also record sessions so that we can watch the use of the site in the form of videos. Moreover, we receive information on the general user conduct within our website.

Microsoft Clarity uses technologies that make it possible to recognize users for the purpose of analyzing user patterns (e.g., cookies or use of device fingerprinting). Your personal data will be archived on Microsoft servers (Microsoft Azure Cloud Service) in the United States.

If your approval (consent) has been obtained the use of the abovementioned service shall occur on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 TDDDG (German Telecommunications Act). Such consent may be revoked at any time. If your consent was not obtained, the use of the service will occur on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR; the website operator has a legitimate interest in the effective analysis of user patterns.

For more details on Microsoft Clarity’s data privacy policy, please see: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/clarity/faq.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link:
https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/6474.

Data processing

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) for the use of the above-mentioned service. This is a contract mandated by data privacy laws that guarantees that they process personal data of our website visitors only based on our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

Google Ads

The website operator uses Google Ads. Google Ads is an online promotional program of Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Google Ads enables us to display ads in the Google search engine or on third-party websites, if the user enters certain search terms into Google (keyword targeting). It is also possible to place targeted ads based on the user data Google has in its possession (e.g., location data and interests; target group targeting). As the website operator, we can analyze these data quantitatively, for instance by analyzing which search terms resulted in the display of our ads and how many ads led to respective clicks.

The use of these services occurs on the basis of your consent pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25(1) TDDDG. You may revoke your consent at any time.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here:
https://policies.google.com/privacy/frameworks and https://business.safety.google/controllerterms/.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link:
https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/5780.

Google AdSense (non-personalized)

This website uses Google AdSense, a service for displaying advertisements. The provider is Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

We use Google AdSense in “non-personalized” mode. Unlike personalized mode, the ads are therefore not based on your previous user behavior, and no user profile is created for you. Instead, so-called “contextual information” is used to select the ads. The selected ads are then based, for example, on your location, the content of the website you are visiting, or your current search terms. For more information on the differences between personalized and non-personalized targeting with Google AdSense, see:

https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/9007336.

Please note that even when using Google AdSense in non-personalized mode, cookies or similar recognition technologies (e.g., device fingerprinting) may be used. According to Google, these are used to combat fraud and abuse.

Use of this service is based on your consent pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR and § 25(1) of the TDDDG. You may revoke your consent at any time.

Data transfers to the U.S. are based on the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses. For details, see here: https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms/sccs/.

You can adjust your ad settings yourself in your user account. To do so, click the following link and log in:
External linkhttps://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.

For more information on Google’s advertising technologies, see here: https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads and https://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy/.

The company is certified under the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the United States designed to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the United States. Every company certified under the DPF commits to adhering to these data protection standards. For more information, please visit the provider’s website at the following link: https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/5780.

Meta Pixel (formerly Facebook Pixel)

To measure conversion rates, this website uses the visitor activity pixel of Meta. The provider of this service is Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road Dublin 4, Dublin, D04 X2K5, Ireland. According to Meta’s statement the collected data will be transferred to the USA and other third-party countries too.

This tool allows the tracking of page visitors after they have been linked to the website of the provider after clicking on a Meta ad. This makes it possible to analyze the effectiveness of Meta ads for statistical and market research purposes and to optimize future advertising campaigns.

For us as the operators of this website, the collected data is anonymous. We are not in a position to arrive at any conclusions as to the identity of users. However, Meta archives the information and processes it, so that it is possible to make a connection to the respective user profile on Facebook or Instagram and Meta is in a

position to use the data for its own promotional purposes in compliance with the Meta Data Usage Policy (https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/). This enables Meta to display ads on Facebook or Instagram and other advertising channels. We as the operator of this website have no control over the use of such data.

The use of these services occurs on the basis of your consent pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25(1) TDDDG. You may revoke your consent at any time.

Insofar as personal data is collected on our website with the help of the tool described here and forwarded to Meta, we and Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road Dublin 4, Dublin, D04 X2K5, Ireland are jointly responsible for this data processing (Art. 26 DSGVO). The joint responsibility is limited exclusively to the collection of the data and its forwarding to Meta. The processing by Meta that takes place after the onward transfer is not part of the joint responsibility. The obligations incumbent on us have been jointly set out in a joint processing agreement. The wording of the agreement can be found under: https://www.facebook.com/legal/controller_addendum. According to this agreement, we are responsible for providing the privacy information when using the Meta tool and for the privacy-secure implementation of the tool on our website. Meta is responsible for the data security of Meta products. You can assert data subject rights (e.g., requests for information) regarding data processed by Facebook or Instagram directly with Meta. If you assert the data subject rights with us, we are obliged to forward them to Meta.
Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/legal/EU_data_transfer_addendum and
https://de-de.facebook.com/help/566994660333381.

In Meta’s Data Privacy Policies, you will find additional information about the protection of your privacy at: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/.

You also have the option to deactivate the remarketing function “Custom Audiences” in the ad settings section under
https://www.facebook.com/ads/preferences/?entry_product=ad_settings_screen. To do this, you first have to log into Facebook.

If you do not have a Facebook or Instagram account, you can deactivate any user-based advertising by Meta on the website of the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance: http://www.youronlinechoices.com/de/praferenzmanagement/.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link:
https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/4452.
 

LinkedIn Insight Tag

This website uses the Insight tag from LinkedIn. This service is provided by LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Plaza, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland.

Data processing by LinkedIn Insight tag

We use the LinkedIn Insight tag to obtain information about visitors to our website. Once a website visitor is registered with LinkedIn, we can analyze the key occupational data (e.g., career level, company size, country, location, industry, job title) of our website visitors to help us better target our site to the relevant audience. We can also use LinkedIn Insight tags to measure whether visitors to our websites make a purchase or perform other actions (conversion measurement). Conversion measurement can also be carried out across devices (e.g. from PC to tablet). LinkedIn Insight Tag also features a retargeting function that allows us to display targeted advertising to visitors to our website outside of the website. According to LinkedIn, no identification of the advertising addressee takes place.

LinkedIn itself also collects log files (URL, referrer URL, IP address, device and browser characteristics and time of access). The IP addresses are shortened or (if they are used to reach LinkedIn members across devices) hashed (pseudonymized). The direct identifiers of LinkedIn members are deleted by LinkedIn after seven days. The remaining pseudonymized data will then be deleted within 180 days.

The data collected by LinkedIn cannot be assigned by us as a website operator to specific individuals. LinkedIn will store the personal data collected from website visitors on its servers in the USA and use it for its own promotional activities. For details, please see LinkedIn’s privacy policy at https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy#choices-oblig.
 

Legal basis

If your approval (consent) has been obtained the use of the abovementioned service shall occur on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 TDDDG (German Telecommunications Act). Such consent may be revoked at any time. If your consent was not obtained, the use of the service will occur on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR; the website operator has a legitimate interest in effective advertising promotions that include the utilization of social media.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here:
https://www.linkedin.com/legal/l/dpa and https://www.linkedin.com/legal/l/eu-sccs.

The company is certified in accordance with the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the US, which is intended to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the US. Every company certified under the DPF is obliged to comply with these data protection standards. For more information, please contact the provider under the following link:
https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/5448.

Objection to the use of LinkedIn Insight Tag

You can object to LinkedIn’s analysis of user behavior and targeted advertising at the following link: https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/guest-controls/retargeting-opt-out.

In addition, LinkedIn members can control the use of their personal information for promotional purposes in the account settings. To prevent LinkedIn from linking information collected on our site to your LinkedIn account, you must log out of your LinkedIn account before you visit our site.

Data processing

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) for the use of the above-mentioned service. This is a contract mandated by data privacy laws that guarantees that they process personal data of our website visitors only based on our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

We process the aforementioned data for the operation of our website and for the fulfilment of contractual obligations towards our customers or the protection of our legitimate interests.

We use messengers for communication purposes and therefore ask you to observe the following information on the functionality of the messengers, on encryption, on the use of communication metadata and on your options to object.

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

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

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

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

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

Reservation of reference to other communication channels: Finally, we would like to point out that, for reasons of your security, we reserve the right not to answer enquiries via Messenger. This is the case if, for example, internal contractual information requires special confidentiality or a reply via Messenger does not fulfil the formal requirements. In such cases, we will refer you to more appropriate communication channels.

Processed data types: Contact data (e.g. email, telephone numbers), usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses), content data (e.g. entries in online forms).

Data subjects: Communication partners.

Purposes of processing: Contact enquiries and communication, direct marketing (e.g. by email or post).

Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a. GDPR), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Services used and service providers:

Microsoft Teams: Microsoft Teams - Messenger; Service provider: Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399 USA

Website: 
https://products.office.com

Privacy policy: 
https://privacy.microsoft.com/de-de/privacystatement

Security information: 
https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/trustcenter

We use platforms and applications from other providers (hereinafter referred to as "third-party providers") for the purpose of holding video and audio conferences, webinars and other types of video and audio meetings. When selecting third-party providers and their services, we observe the legal requirements.

In this context, data of the communication participants are processed and stored on the servers of the third-party providers, insofar as these are part of communication processes with us. This data may include, in particular, registration and contact data, visual and vocal contributions as well as entries in chats and shared screen content.

If users are referred to third-party providers or their software or platforms in the context of communication, business or other relationships with us, the third-party providers may process usage data and metadata for security purposes, service optimisation or marketing purposes. We therefore ask you to observe the data protection notices of the respective third-party providers.

Notes on legal bases: If we ask users for their consent to the use of third-party providers or certain functions (e.g. consent to the recording of conversations), the legal basis for processing is consent. Furthermore, their use may be part of our (pre-)contractual services, provided that the use of the third-party providers has been agreed in this context. Otherwise, user data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests in efficient and secure communication with our communication partners. 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: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), Contact data (e.g. e-mail, telephone numbers), Content data (e.g. entries in online forms), Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), Meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).

Data subjects: Communication partners, users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).

Purposes of Processing: Provision of contractual services and customer support, contact requests and communication, Office and organisational procedures.

Legal bases: Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a. GDPR), Contract fulfilment and pre-contractual enquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b. GDPR), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Services used and service providers:

GoToMeeting: Conference software; Service provider: LogMeIn Ireland Limited, Bloodstone Building Block C 70, Sir John Rogerson's Quay Dublin 2, Ireland, parent company: LogMeIn, Inc, 320 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02210 320 Summer Street Boston, Massachusetts 02210, USA;

Website: 
https://www.gotomeeting.com/de-de

Privacy Policy: 
https://www.logmeininc.com/de/legal/privacy

Handling of Applicant Data

We offer you the opportunity to apply for a position with us (e.g., by email, mail, or via our online application form). Below, we provide information regarding the scope, purpose, and use of your personal data collected as part of the application process. We assure you that the collection, processing, and use of your data are carried out in accordance with applicable data protection laws and all other legal provisions, and that your data will be treated as strictly confidential.

Scope and Purpose of Data Collection

When you submit an application to us, we process your associated personal data (e.g., contact and communication information, application documents, notes taken during job interviews, etc.) to the extent necessary to decide whether to establish an employment relationship. The legal basis for this is Section 26 of the German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) (initiation of an employment relationship), Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR (general contract initiation), and—if you have given your consent—Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR. You may revoke your consent at any time. Your personal data will be shared within our company exclusively with those individuals involved in processing your application.

If your application is successful, the data you submit will be stored in our data processing systems pursuant to Section 26 of the German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) and Article 6(1)(b) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for the purpose of carrying out the employment relationship.

As part of the application process, we may also conduct an online search regarding you. This primarily includes Google searches, LinkedIn, and Xing. The legal basis for this type of processing is our legitimate interest in obtaining an overall impression of publicly available information about you in accordance with Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR.

Data Retention Period

If we are unable to offer you a position, if you decline a job offer, or if you withdraw your application, we reserve the right to retain the data you submitted based on our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR) for up to 6 months from the conclusion of the application process (rejection or withdrawal of the application). Thereafter, the data will be deleted and the physical application documents will be destroyed. This retention serves, in particular, as evidence in the event of a legal dispute. If it becomes apparent that the data will be required after the 6-month period has expired (e.g., due to an impending or pending legal dispute), the data will not be deleted until the purpose for its continued retention no longer applies.

Data may also be retained for a longer period if you have provided the appropriate consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) or if statutory retention requirements prevent deletion.

Inclusion in the Candidate Pool

If we do not offer you a position, there may be an option to include you in our candidate pool. If you are added to the pool, all documents and information from your application will be transferred to the applicant pool so that we can contact you should suitable vacancies arise.

Inclusion in the applicant pool is based exclusively on your explicit consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). Providing consent is voluntary and is unrelated to the ongoing application process. The data subject may withdraw their consent at any time. In this case, the data in the applicant pool will be irrevocably deleted, provided there are no legal grounds for retention.

The data in the applicant pool will be irrevocably deleted no later than two years after consent is granted.

If you provide us with data voluntarily, e.g. in forms, and this data is not required for the fulfilment of our contractual obligations, we process this data on the legitimate assumption that the processing and use of this data is in your interest.

Data that you provide to us will not be passed on to third parties. In particular, your data will not be passed on to third parties for their advertising purposes.

However, we may use service providers for the operation of this website or for other products or services provided by us. It may happen that a service provider obtains knowledge of personal data. We select our service providers carefully - particularly with regard to data protection and data security - and take all measures required under data protection law for authorised data processing.

We use, among other technologies, tools from companies located in third-party countries that are not safe under data protection law, as well as US tools whose providers are not certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF). If these tools are enabled, your personal data may be transferred to and processed in these countries. We would like you to note that no level of data protection comparable to that in the EU can be guaranteed in third countries that are insecure in terms of data protection law.

We would like to point out that the US, as a secure third-party country, generally has a level of data protection comparable to that of the EU. Data transfer to the US is therefore permitted if the recipient is certified under the “EU-US Data Privacy Framework” (DPF) or has appropriate additional assurances. Information on transfers to third-party countries, including the data recipients, can be found in this Privacy Policy.

We have appointed a data protection officer.

You can reach him as follows:

External data protection officer DSBOK
Oliver Krause, Untergasse 2, 65474 Bischofsheim

Phone: +49 6144 402197
E-mail: vrr@dsbok.de

Right to File a Complaint with the Competent Supervisory Authority

In the event of violations of the GDPR, data subjects have the right to file a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of their habitual residence, their place of work, or the location of the alleged violation. This right to file a complaint is without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedies.

Right to Data Portability

You have the right to have data that we process automatically—based on your consent or in fulfillment of a contract—provided to you or to a third party in a commonly used, machine-readable format. If you request the direct transfer of the data to another controller, this will only be done to the extent that it is technically feasible.

Access, Rectification, and Erasure

Within the scope of applicable legal provisions, you have the right at any time to obtain, free of charge, information about your stored personal data, its origin and recipients, and the purpose of the data processing, as well as, where applicable, the right to have this data rectified or erased. You may contact us at any time regarding this matter or any other questions about personal data.

Right to Restriction of Processing

You have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data.

You may contact us at any time regarding this matter. The right to restriction of processing applies in the following cases:

• If you dispute the accuracy of your personal data stored by us, we
  generally need time to verify this. For the duration of the verification, you have the right to
  request the restriction of the processing of your personal data.
  If the processing of your personal data was or is unlawful, you may
  request the restriction of data processing instead of erasure.
• If we no longer need your personal data, but you need it to exercise,
  defend, or assert legal claims, you have the right to request
  restriction of the processing of your personal data instead of erasure.
• If you have lodged an objection pursuant to Article 21(1) of the GDPR, a balancing of
  your interests against ours must be carried out. As long as it is not yet clear whose interests
  prevail, you have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data.

If you have restricted the processing of your personal data, such data—apart from its storage—may be processed only with your consent or for the purpose of asserting, exercising, or defending legal claims, or to protect the rights of another natural or legal person, or for reasons of a substantial public interest of the European Union or a Member State.

SSL or TLS Encryption
This site uses SSL or TLS encryption for security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential content, such as orders or inquiries that you send to us as the site operator. You can recognize an encrypted connection by the fact that the browser’s address bar changes from “http://” to “https://” and by the lock icon in your browser’s address bar. When SSL or TLS encryption is enabled, the data you transmit to us cannot
be read by third parties.

Objection to Marketing Emails
We hereby object to the use of contact information published in accordance with the legal notice requirement for the purpose of sending unsolicited advertising and informational materials. The website operators expressly reserve the right to take legal action in the event of the unsolicited transmission of promotional information, such as via spam emails.

Right to Object to Data Collection in Specific Cases and to Direct Marketing (Art. 21 GDPR)
See the section: “What rights do I have in the event of complaints?”

We generally delete personal data when there is no need for further storage. A requirement may exist in particular if the data is still needed to fulfil contractual services, to check and grant or defend against warranty and guarantee claims. In the case of statutory retention obligations, deletion will only be considered after expiry of the respective retention obligation.

In the scope of our business activities, we cooperate with various external parties. In some cases, this also requires the transfer of personal data to these external parties. We only disclose personal data to external parties if this is required as part of the fulfillment of a contract, if we are legally obligated to do so (e.g., disclosure of data to tax authorities), if we have a legitimate interest in the disclosure pursuant to Art. 6 (1)(f) GDPR, or if another legal basis permits the disclosure of this data. When using processors, we only disclose personal data of our customers on the basis of a valid contract on data processing. In the case of joint processing, a joint processing agreement is concluded.

We will revise this data protection notice in the event of changes to this website or other occasions that make this necessary. You will always find the current version on this website.

"Conversion tracking" refers to a process that can be used to determine the effectiveness of marketing measures. For this purpose, a cookie is usually stored on the user's device within the websites on which the marketing measures take place and then retrieved again on the target website. For example, we can track whether the adverts we placed on other websites were successful).

Cross-device tracking is a form of tracking in which user behaviour and interest information is recorded across devices in so-called profiles by assigning users an online identifier. This allows user information to be analysed for marketing purposes, regardless of the browser or device used (e.g. mobile phones or desktop computers). For most providers, the online identifier is not linked to clear data such as names, postal addresses or email addresses.

IP masking refers to a method in which the last octet, i.e. the last two numbers of an IP address, is deleted so that the IP address can no longer be used to uniquely identify a person. IP masking is therefore a means of pseudonymising processing procedures, particularly in online marketing

Interest-based and/or behaviour-based marketing is when the potential interests of users in advertisements and other content are predetermined as precisely as possible. This is done on the basis of information about their previous behaviour (e.g. visiting certain websites and lingering on them, purchasing behaviour or interaction with other users), which is stored in a so-called profile. Cookies are generally used for these purposes.

Conversion measurement is a process that can be used to determine the effectiveness of marketing measures. For this purpose, a cookie is usually stored on the user's device within the websites on which the marketing measures take place and then retrieved again on the target website. For example, this allows us to track whether the adverts we have placed on other websites have been successful.

"Personal data" means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter referred to as "data subject"); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier (e.g. cookie) or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.

"Profiling" is any type of automated processing of personal data that consists of using this personal data to analyse, evaluate or predict certain personal aspects relating to a natural person (depending on the type of profiling, this includes information relating to age, gender, location data and movement data, interaction with websites and their content, shopping behaviour, social interactions with other people) (e.g. interests in certain content or products, click behaviour on a website or location). Cookies and web beacons are often used for profiling purposes.

Reach measurement (also known as web analytics) is used to evaluate the flow of visitors to an online offering and can include the behaviour or interests of visitors in certain information, such as website content. With the help of reach analysis, website owners can, for example, recognise at what time visitors visit their website and what content they are interested in. This enables them, for example, to better customise the content of the website to the needs of their visitors. For the purposes of reach analysis, pseudonymous cookies and web beacons are often used to recognise returning visitors and thus obtain more precise analyses of the use of an online offer.

Remarketing or "retargeting" is when, for example, it is noted for advertising purposes which products a user was interested in on a website in order to remind the user of these products on other websites, e.g. in adverts.

The term "tracking" is used when the behaviour of users can be traced across several online offers. As a rule, behavioural and interest information is stored in cookies or on the servers of the providers of the tracking technologies with regard to the online offers used (so-called profiling). This information can then be used, for example, to display adverts to users that are likely to correspond to their interests.

The "controller" is the natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data.

"Processing" means any operation or set of operations which is performed on personal data, whether or not by automated means. The term is broad and encompasses practically every handling of data, whether it is collecting, analysing, storing, transmitting or deleting.

Target group formation (or "custom audiences") is the term used when target groups are determined for advertising purposes, e.g. the display of adverts. For example, based on a user's interest in certain products or topics on the Internet, it can be concluded that this user is interested in adverts for similar products or the online shop in which they viewed the products. In turn, "lookalike audiences" (or similar target groups) are when the content deemed suitable is displayed to users whose profiles or interests presumably correspond to the users for whom the profiles were created. Cookies and web beacons are generally used for the purpose of creating custom audiences and lookalike audiences.