Data Protection Declaration

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

1.1 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.

1.2 The controller in charge of data processing on this website, within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), is Martin Reiche, c/o IP-Management #15017, Ludwig-Erhard-Straße 18, 20459 Hamburg, Deutschland, Tel.: 01639674938, E-Mail: [email protected]. 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.

1.3 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.

2) 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.

3) Hosting & Content Delivery Network

AWS CloudFront (Amazon)
On our website we use the content delivery network ("CDN") "AWS CloudFront" of the service provider "Amazon" (Amazon EU S.a. r.l., 38 avenue John F. Kennedy, L-1855 Luxembourg).
A content delivery network is an online service that is used to deliver large media files (such as graphics, page content or scripts) through a network of regionally distributed servers connected via the Internet. The use of Amazon's Content Delivery Network helps us to optimize the loading speed of our website.
The processing is carried out in accordance with Art. 6 (1) 1 point f GDPR on the basis of our legitimate interest in a secure and efficient provision, as well as improvement of the stability and functionality of our website.
For more information, please refer to Amazon's privacy policy at https://docs.aws.amazon.com/en_en/AmazonCloudFront/latest/DeveloperGuide/data-protection-summary.html

4) Cookies

In order to make your visit to our website attractive and to enable the use of certain functions, we use so-called cookies on various pages. These are small text files that are stored on your end device. Some of the cookies we use are deleted after the end of the browser session, i.e. after closing your browser (so-called session cookies). Other cookies remain on your terminal and enable us or our partner companies (third-party cookies) to recognize your browser on your next visit (persistent cookies). If cookies are set, they collect and process specific user information such as browser and location data as well as IP address values according to individual requirements. Persistent cookies are automatically deleted after a specified period, which may vary depending on the cookie. You can check the duration of the respective cookie 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 in accordance with Art. 6 (1) point b GDPR either for the execution of the contract or in accordance with Art. 6 (1) point f GDPR to safeguard our legitimate interests in the best possible functionality of the website and a customer-friendly and effective design of the page visit.

Please note that 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 generally. Each browser differs in the way it manages the cookie settings. This is described in the help menu of each browser, which explains how you can change your cookie settings. You will find these for the respective browsers under the following links:

- Microsoft Edge: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/temporarily-allow-cookies-and-site-data-in-microsoft-edge-597f04f2-c0ce-f08c-7c2b-541086362bd2

- Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/enhanced-tracking-protection-firefox-desktop

- Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647?hl=en&hlrm=en

- Safari: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/safari/sfri11471/mac

- Opera: https://help.opera.com/en/latest/web-preferences/#cookies

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

5) Contacting Us

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.

6) Registration at the portal or forum

You can register on our website by entering your personal data. The personal data processed for registration is determined by the input mask used for registration. We use the so-called double opt-in procedure for registration, i.e. your registration is not complete until you have previously confirmed your registration via a confirmation e-mail sent to you for this purpose by clicking on the link contained therein. If you do not receive confirmation within 24 hours, your registration will automatically be deleted from our database. You are obliged to provide the aforementioned data; all further information can be provided voluntarily by using our portal.

If you use our portal, we store your data necessary for the fulfillment of the contract as well as, if necessary, information on the method of payment, until you finally delete your access. Furthermore, we store the data provided voluntarily by you for the duration of your use of the portal, unless you delete it beforehand. You can manage and change all information in the protected customer area. The legal basis can be found in Art. 6 (1) point f GDPR.

In addition, we store all content published by you (such as public contributions, bulletin board entries, guestbook entries, etc.) to operate the website. We have a legitimate interest in providing the website and the complete user-generated content. The legal basis can be found in Art. 6 (1) point f GDPR. If you delete your account, your public statements, especially in the forum, will remain visible to all readers. However, your account is no longer accessible. All other data will be deleted in this case.

7) Commentary Function

Within the scope of the commentary function on this website, in addition to your comment, information on the time of writing the comment and the name of the commentator you have chosen is stored and published on the website. Furthermore, your IP address is logged and stored. This IP address is stored for security reasons, in case the person concerned violates the rights of third parties or posts illegal content by submitting a comment. We need your e-mail address to contact you if a third party should object to your published content as unlawful. The legal basis for the storage of your data is Art. 6 (1) point b and f GDPR. We reserve the right to delete comments if they are objected to as unlawful by third parties.

8) Use of Client Data for Direct Advertising

Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter

If you register for our e-mail newsletter, we will regularly send you information about our offers. The only mandatory data for sending the newsletter is your e-mail address. The provision of further data is voluntary and will be used to address you personally. We use the so-called double opt-in procedure for sending the newsletter. This means that we will only send you an e-mail newsletter once you have expressly confirmed that you consent to receiving newsletters. We will then send you a confirmation e-mail asking you to confirm that you wish to receive the newsletter in future by clicking on an appropriate link.

By activating the confirmation link, you give us your consent for the use of your personal data pursuant to Art. 6 (1) point a GPPR. When you register for the newsletter, we store your IP address entered by your Internet service provider (ISP) as well as the date and time of registration for the purpose of tracing any possible misuse of your e-mail address at a later date. The data collected by us when you register for the newsletter is used exclusively for the promotional purposes by way of the newsletter. You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time via the link provided for this purpose in the newsletter or by sending a corresponding message to the responsible person named at the beginning. After unsubscribing, your e-mail address will be deleted from our newsletter distribution list immediately, unless you have expressly consented to further use of your data, or we reserve the right to a more extensive use your data which is permitted by law and about which we inform you in this declaration.

9) Site functionalities

9.1 Use of Vimeo Videos
On our website, plugins of the video portal Vimeo of Vimeo, LLC, 555 West 18th Street, New York, New York 10011, USA are embedded. When you access a page of our website that contains such a plugin, your browser establishes a direct connection to Vimeo's servers. The content of the plugin is transmitted by Vimeo directly to your browser and integrated into the page. Through this integration, Vimeo receives the information that your browser has called up the corresponding page of our website, even if you do not have a Vimeo account or are not currently logged in to Vimeo. This information (including your IP address) is transmitted directly from your browser to a Vimeo server in the USA and stored there.
If you are logged in to Vimeo, Vimeo can immediately assign your visit of our website to your Vimeo account. If you interact with the plugins (e.g., pressing the start button of a video), this information is also transmitted directly to a Vimeo server and stored there.
If you do not want Vimeo to assign the data collected via our website directly to your Vimeo account, you must log out of Vimeo before visiting our website.
The purpose and scope of the data collection and the further processing and use of the data by Vimeo as well as your related rights and privacy settings can be found in Vimeo's privacy policy: https://vimeo.com/privacy
For videos from Vimeo that are embedded on our site, the tracking tool Google Analytics of Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, 4 Barrow St, Dublin, D04 E5W5, Ireland, is automatically integrated. This relates to Vimeo's own tracking which we do not have access to, and which cannot be influenced by our site. Google Analytics uses "cookies", which are text files placed on your computer, to help the website analyze how users use the site. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website will generally be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States, where it may also be transmitted to servers of Google LLC.
All processing described above, in particular the setting of cookies for the reading of 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) point a GDPR. Without this consent, Vimeo-Videos will not be used during your visit to the website.
You can revoke your consent at any time with effect for the future. To exercise your revocation, please deactivate this service in the "Cookie Consent Tool" provided on the website.

9.2 Use of YouTube Videos
This website uses the YouTube embedding function for display and playback of videos offered by the provider YouTube, which belongs to Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, 4 Barrow St, Dublin, D04 ESW5, Ireland ("Google").
To this end, the extended data protection mode is used to ensure, according to provider information, that user information will only be stored once the playback function of the video is started. When the playback of embedded YouTube videos is started, the provider sets "YouTube" cookies to collect information about user behavior. According to indications from YouTube, the use of those cookies is intended, among other things, to record video statistics, to improve user-friendliness and to avoid improper actions. If you are logged in to Google, your information will be directly associated with your account when you click on a video. If you do not wish to be associated with your profile on YouTube, you must log out before activating the button. Google saves your data (even for users who are not logged in) as usage profiles and evaluates them. You have the right to object to the creation of these user profiles, whereby you must contact YouTube to exercise this right. When using YouTube, personal data may also be transmitted to the servers of Google LLC. in the USA.
Regardless of whether the embedded video is played back, a connection to the Google network "double click" is established when visiting this website. This may trigger further data processing beyond our control.
All processing described above, in particular the setting of cookies for the reading of 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) point a GDPR. Without this consent, Youtube-Videos will not be used during your visit to the website.
You can revoke your consent at any time with effect for the future. To exercise your revocation, please deactivate this service in the "Cookie Consent Tool" provided on the website.
Further information on YouTube's privacy policy can be found at: www.google.com/policies/privacy/.

9.3 - Spotify
Plugins of the music service Spotify, an offer of Spotify AB, Birger Jarlsgatan 61, 113 56 Stockholm, Sweden ("Spotify"), are integrated on this website for the playback of music titles. You can recognise the Spotify plugins by the green logo on our site. You can find an overview of the Spotify plugins at: https://developer.spotify.com. When visiting this site, a direct connection between your browser and the Spotify servers can be established via the plugin, even if you do not have a Spotify account or are not logged into one. Spotify thereby receives the information that you have visited our site. The information collected in this respect (including your IP address) is transmitted by your browser directly to a Spotify server and stored there. However, the information is not used to identify you personally and is not passed on to third parties. If you click the Spotify button while you are logged into your Spotify account, Spotify can associate your visit to our site with your user account. The data processing described above is carried out in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR on the basis of our legitimate interest in the appealing acoustic design of visits to our website. If you do not want Spotify to be able to associate your visit to our site with your Spotify user account, please log out of your Spotify user account. You can also object to the loading of the Spotify plugin and thus to the data processing operations described above for the future using add-ons for your browser, e.g. the script blocker "NoScript" (http://noscript.net/). You can find more information on this in Spotify's privacy policy at https://www.spotify.com/uk/legal/privacy-policy/.

9.4 Google Web Fonts
This site uses web fonts provided by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, 4 Barrow St, Dublin, D04 E5W5, Ireland ("Google") to uniformly display fonts. When you call up a page, your browser loads the required web fonts into its browser cache to display texts and fonts correctly.
To do this, the browser you are using must have a connection to Google's servers. When using Google Maps, personal data may also be transmitted to the servers of Google LLC. in the USA. In this way, Google will be informed that our website has been accessed via your IP address. Google Web Fonts are used for the purpose of a uniform and attractive presentation of our online offers and its use is in our legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6 (1) point f GDPR. If your browser does not support web fonts, a default font is used by your computer.
Further information about Google Web Fonts can be found at https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq and in Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en.

10) Rights of the Data Subject

10.1 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: You shall have the right to receive the following information: The personal data processed by us; the purposes of the processing; the categories of processed personal data; the recipients or categories of recipients to whom the personal data have been or will be disclosed; the envisaged period for which the personal data will be stored, or, if not possible, the criteria used to determine that period; the existence of the right to request from the controller rectification or erasure of personal data or restriction of processing personal data concerning the data subject or to object to such processing; the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority; where the personal are not collected from the data subject, any available information as to their source; the existence of automated decision-making, including profiling and at least in those cases, meaningful information about the logic involved, as well as the significance and envisaged consequences of such processing for the data subject; the appropriate safeguards pursuant to Article 46 when personal data is transferred to a third country.

- Right to rectification pursuant to Art. 16 GDPR: You have the right to obtain from the controller without undue delay the rectification of inaccurate personal data concerning you and/or the right to have incomplete personal data completed which are stored by us.

- Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”) pursuant to Art. 17 GDPR: You have the right to obtain from the controller the erasure of personal data concerning you if the conditions of Art. 17 (2) GDPR are fulfilled. However, this right will not apply for exercising the freedom of expression and information, for compliance with a legal obligation, for reasons of public interest or for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims.

- Right to restriction of processing pursuant to Art. 18 GDPR: You have the right to obtain from the controller restriction of processing your personal data for the following reasons: As long as the accuracy of your personal data contested by you will be verified. If you oppose the erasure of your personal data because of unlawful processing and you request the restriction of their use instead. If you require the personal data for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims, once we no longer need those data for the purposes of the processing. If you have objected to processing on grounds relating to your personal situation pending the verification whether our legitimate grounds override your grounds.

- Right to be informed pursuant to Art. 19 GDPR: If you have asserted the right of rectification, erasure or restriction of processing against the controller, he is obliged to communicate to each recipient to whom the personal date has been disclosed any rectification or erasure of personal data or restriction of processing, unless this proves impossible or involves disproportionate effort. You have the right to be informed about those recipients.

- Right to data portability pursuant to Art. 20 GDPR: You shall have the right to receive the personal data concerning you, which you have provided to us, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format or to require that those data be transmitted to another controller, where technically feasible.

- Right to withdraw a given consent pursuant to Art. 7 (3) GDPR: You have the right to withdraw your consent for the processing of personal data at any time with effect for the future. In the event of withdrawal, we will immediately erase the data concerned, unless further processing can be based on a legal basis for processing without consent. The withdrawal of consent shall not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

- Right to lodge a complaint pursuant to Art. 77 GDPR: Without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your habitual residence, place of work or place of the alleged infringement if you consider that the processing of personal data relating to you infringes the GDPR.

10.2 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.

11) 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.