Data protection

Introduction and overview

We have drafted this privacy policy (version 05.01.2026-313093146) to explain to you, in accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and applicable national laws. In short, we provide you with comprehensive information about the data we process about you.In short: We provide you with comprehensive information about the data we process about you.

Data protection declarations usually sound very technical and use legal jargon. This privacy policy, on the other hand, is intended to describe the most important things to you as simply and transparently as possible. Where it is conducive to transparency, technical terms are explained in a reader-friendly way, links to further information are provided and graphics are used. We thus inform you in clear and simple language that we only process personal data as part of our business activities if there is a corresponding legal basis. This is certainly not possible by providing explanations that are as concise, unclear and legally technical as possible, as is often standard on the Internet when it comes to data protection. I hope you find the following explanations interesting and informative and perhaps there is one or two pieces of information that you did not yet know.
If you still have any questions, please contact the responsible body named below or in the legal notice, follow the links provided and look at further information on third-party websites. Our contact details can of course also be found in the legal notice.

Area of application

This privacy policy applies to all personal data processed by us in the company and to all personal data processed by companies commissioned by us (processors). By personal data, we mean information within the meaning of Art. 4 No. 1 GDPR, such as a person's name, email address and postal address. The processing of personal data ensures that we can offer and bill our services and products, whether online or offline. The scope of this privacy policy includes

• all online presences (websites, online stores) that we operate
• Social media presence and e-mail communication
• Mobile apps for smartphones and other devices

In short, the privacy policy applies to all areas in which personal data is processed in the company in a structured manner via the channels mentioned. If we enter into legal relationships with you outside of these channels, we will inform you separately if necessary.

Legal basis

In the following privacy policy, we provide you with transparent information on the legal principles and regulations, i.e. the legal bases of the General Data Protection Regulation, which enable us to process personal data.
As far as EU law is concerned, we refer to REGULATION (EU) 2016/679 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of April 27, 2016. You can of course read this EU General Data Protection Regulation online at EUR-Lex, the access point to EU law, at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/DE/ALL/?uri=celex%3A32016R0679.

We only process your data if at least one of the following conditions applies:

1. Consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR): You have given us your consent to process data for a specific purpose. An example would be the storage of the data you entered in a contact form.
2. Contract (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR): In order to fulfill a contract or pre-contractual obligations with you, we process your data. For example, if we conclude a purchase contract with you, we need personal information in advance.
3. Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c) GDPR): If we are subject to a legal obligation, we process your data. For example, we are legally obliged to keep invoices for accounting purposes. These usually contain personal data.
4. Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR): In the case of legitimate interests that do not restrict your fundamental rights, we reserve the right to process personal data. For example, we need to process certain data in order to operate our website securely and efficiently. This processing is therefore a legitimate interest.

Other conditions such as recording in the public interest, the exercise of official authority and the protection of vital interests do not generally apply to us. If such a legal basis is relevant, it will be indicated at the appropriate point.

In addition to the EU regulation, national laws also apply:

• In Austria, this is the Federal Act on the Protection of Natural Persons with regard to the Processing of PersonalData (Data Protection Act), or DSG for short.
• In Germany, the Federal Data Protection Act( BDSG) applies.

If other regional or national laws apply, we will inform you of this in the following sections.

Contact details of the person responsible

If you have any questions about data protection or the processing of personal data, you will find the contact details of the controller in accordance with Article 4(7) of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) below:
Dr. Eleonore Steinert
Haldenbergerstr. 17
80997 Munich, Germany

Email: eleonore.steinert@aurelsteinert-stiftung.de
Phone: 015154419680
Legal notice: https://www.testfirma.de/impressum/

Contact details of the data protection officer

Below you will find the contact details of the data protection officer:

Dr. Eleonore Steinert
Haldenbergerstr. 17
80997 Munich

Email: eleonore.steinert@aurelsteinert-stiftung.de
Phone: +4915154419680

Storage duration

It is a general criterion for us that we only store personal data for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of our services and products. This means that we delete personal data as soon as the reason for the data processing no longer exists. In some cases, we are legally obliged to store certain data even after the original purpose has ceased to exist, for example for accounting purposes.

If you wish your data to be deleted or revoke your consent to data processing, the data will be deleted as quickly as possible and insofar as there is no obligation to store it.

We will inform you below about the specific duration of the respective data processing if we have further information on this.

Rights under the General Data Protection Regulation

In accordance with Articles 13, 14 GDPR, we inform you of the following rights to which you are entitled in order to ensure fair and transparent processing of data:

• According to Article 15 GDPR, you have a right to information as to whether we process your data. If this is the case, you have the right to receive a copy of the data and the following information:
  • the purpose for which we carry out the processing;
  • the categories, i.e. the types of data that are processed;
  • who receives this data and, if the data is transferred to third countries, how security can be guaranteed;
  • how long the data will be stored;
  • the existence of the right to rectification, erasure or restriction of processing and the right to object to processing;
  • that you can lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (links to these authorities can be found below);
  • the origin of the data if we have not collected it from you;
  • whether profiling is carried out, i.e. whether data is automatically analyzed in order to create a personal profile of you.
• According to Article 16 GDPR, you have a right to rectification of data, which means that we must correct data if you find errors.
• According to Article 17 GDPR, you have the right to erasure ("right to be forgotten"), which specifically means that you may request the erasure of your data.
• According to Article 18 GDPR, you have the right to restriction of processing, which means that we may only store the data but not use it any further.
• According to Article 20 GDPR, you have the right to data portability, which means that we will provide you with your data in a commonly used format upon request.
• According to Article 21 GDPR, you have the right to object, which will result in a change in the processing after enforcement.
  • If the processing of your data is based on Article 6(1)(e) (public interest, exercise of official authority) or Article 6(1)(f) (legitimate interest), you can object to the processing. We will then check as quickly as possible whether we can legally comply with this objection.
  • If data is used for direct marketing purposes, you can object to this type of data processing at any time. We may then no longer use your data for direct marketing.
  • If data is used for profiling purposes, you can object to this type of data processing at any time. We may then no longer use your data for profiling.
• Under Article 22 GDPR, you may have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing (e.g. profiling).
• According to Article 77 GDPR, you have the right to lodge a complaint. This means that you can lodge a complaint with the data protection authority at any time if you believe that the processing of personal data violates the GDPR.

In short: You have rights - do not hesitate to contact the responsible office listed above!

If you believe that the processing of your data violates data protection law or your data protection claims have been violated in any other way, you can complain to the supervisory authority. For Austria, this is the data protection authority, whose website can be found at https://www.dsb.gv.at/. In Germany, there is a data protection officer for each federal state. For more information, you can contact the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI). The following local data protection authority is responsible for our company:

Bavarian Data Protection Authority

State Commissioner for Data Protection: Prof. Dr. Thomas Petri
Address: Wagmüllerstr. 18, 80538 Munich
Telephone number: 089/21 26 72-0
Email address: poststelle@datenschutz-bayern.de
Website: https://www.datenschutz-bayern.de/

Security of data processing

In order to protect personal data, we have implemented both technical and organizational measures. Where possible, we encrypt or pseudonymize personal data. In this way, we make it as difficult as possible for third parties to infer personal information from our data.

Art. 25 GDPR speaks here of "data protection by design and by default" and thus means that both software (e.g. forms) and hardware (e.g. access to the server room) should always be designed with security in mind and appropriate measures should be taken. If necessary, we will discuss specific measures below.

Communication

Communication summary 👥 Data subjects: Anyone who communicates with us by telephone, email or online form 📓 Data processed: e.g. telephone number, name, email address, form data entered. You can find more details on this in the respective contact type used 🤝 Purpose: Processing of communication with customers, business partners, etc. 📅 Storage period: Duration of the business case and the statutory provisions ⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR (contract), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

If you contact us and communicate with us by telephone, e-mail or online form, personal data may be processed.

The data is processed for the handling and processing of your question and the associated business transaction. The data will be stored for as long as required by law.

Affected persons

All those who seek contact with us via the communication channels provided by us are affected by the aforementioned processes.

Telephone

When you call us, the call data is stored pseudonymously on the respective end device and with the telecommunications provider used. In addition, data such as name and telephone number may subsequently be sent by e-mail and stored for the purpose of responding to inquiries. The data will be deleted as soon as the business case has been completed and legal requirements permit.

e-mail

If you communicate with us by email, data may be stored on the respective end device (computer, laptop, smartphone, etc.) and data may be stored on the email server. The data will be deleted as soon as the business transaction has been completed and legal requirements permit.

Online forms

If you communicate with us using an online form, data is stored on our web server and may be forwarded to one of our e-mail addresses. The data will be deleted as soon as the business transaction has been completed and legal requirements permit.

Legal basis

The processing of the data is based on the following legal bases:

• Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent): You give us your consent to store your data and to use it for purposes relating to the business transaction;
• Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR (contract): It is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or a processor, such as the telephone provider, or we need to process the data for pre-contractual activities, such as the preparation of an offer;
• Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests): We want to handle customer inquiries and business communication in a professional manner. This requires certain technical facilities such as e-mail programs, exchange servers and mobile network operators in order to operate communication efficiently.

Cookies

Cookies Summary 👥 Data subject: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Depending on the cookie in question. You can find more details on this below or from the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie. 📓 Processed data: Depending on the cookie used. You can find more details on this below or from the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie. 📅 Storage duration: depends on the respective cookie, can vary from hours to years ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit.f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What are cookies?

Our website uses HTTP cookies to store user-specific data.
Below we explain what cookies are and why they are used so that you can better understand the following privacy policy.

Whenever you surf the internet, you use a browser. Well-known browsers include Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge. Most websites store small text files in your browser. These files are called cookies.

One thing cannot be denied: Cookies are really useful little helpers. Almost all websites use cookies. More precisely, they are HTTP cookies, as there are also other cookies for other areas of application. HTTP cookies are small files that are stored on your computer by our website. These cookie files are automatically stored in the cookie folder, the "brain" of your browser, so to speak. A cookie consists of a name and a value. When defining a cookie, one or more attributes must also be specified.

Cookies store certain user data about you, such as language or personal page settings. When you visit our site again, your browser transmits the "user-related" information back to our site. Thanks to cookies, our website knows who you are and offers you the settings you are used to. In some browsers, each cookie has its own file; in others, such as Firefox, all cookies are stored in a single file.

The following graphic shows a possible interaction between a web browser such as Chrome and the web server. The web browser requests a website and receives a cookie back from the server, which the browser uses again as soon as another page is requested.

There are both first-party cookies and third-party cookies. First-party cookies are created directly by our website, third-party cookies are created by partner websites (e.g. Google Analytics). Each cookie must be evaluated individually, as each cookie stores different data. The expiry time of a cookie also varies from a few minutes to a few years. Cookies are not software programs and do not contain viruses, Trojans or other "malware". Cookies also cannot access information on your PC.

Cookie data can look like this, for example:

Name: _ga
Value:GA1.2.1326744211.152313093146-9
Purpose: Distinguishing website visitors
Expiration date:After 2 years

A browser should be able to support these minimum sizes:

• At least 4096 bytes per cookie
• At least 50 cookies per domain
• At least 3000 cookies in total

What types of cookies are there?

The question of which cookies we use in particular depends on the services used and is clarified in the following sections of the privacy policy. At this point, we would like to briefly explain the different types of HTTP cookies.

A distinction can be made between 4 types of cookies:

Essential cookies
These cookies are necessary to ensure basic functions of the website. For example, these cookies are needed when a user places a product in the shopping cart, then continues surfing on other pages and only goes to the checkout later. These cookies ensure that the shopping cart is not deleted even if the user closes their browser window.

Purposeful cookies
These cookies collect information about user behavior and whether the user receives any error messages. These cookies are also used to measure the loading time and the behavior of the website with different browsers.

Targeted cookies
These cookies ensure better user-friendliness. For example, entered locations, font sizes or form data are saved.

Advertising cookies
These cookies are also known as targeting cookies. They are used to deliver customized advertising to the user. This can be very practical, but also very annoying.

When you visit a website for the first time, you are usually asked which of these cookie types you would like to allow. And of course this decision is also stored in a cookie.

If you would like to know more about cookies and are not afraid of technical documentation, we recommend https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc6265, the Request for Comments of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) called "HTTP State Management Mechanism".

Purpose of processing via cookies

The purpose ultimately depends on the cookie in question. You can find more details on this below or from the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.

What data is processed?

Cookies are little helpers for many different tasks. Unfortunately, it is not possible to generalize what data is stored in cookies, but we will inform you about the processed or stored data in the following privacy policy.

Storage duration of cookies

The storage period depends on the cookie in question and is specified below. Some cookies are deleted after less than an hour, others can remain stored on a computer for several years.

You can also influence the storage period yourself. You can delete all cookies manually at any time via your browser (see also "Right to object" below). Furthermore, cookies that are based on consent will be deleted at the latest after you withdraw your consent, whereby the legality of the storage until then remains unaffected.

Right to object - how can I delete cookies?

You decide how and whether you want to use cookies. Regardless of which service or website the cookies originate from, you always have the option of deleting, deactivating or only partially allowing cookies. For example, you can block third-party cookies but allow all other cookies.

If you want to find out which cookies have been stored in your browser, if you want to change or delete cookie settings, you can find this in your browser settings:

Chrome: Delete, activate and manage cookies in Chrome

Safari: Managing cookies and website data with Safari

Firefox: Delete cookies to remove data that websites have stored on your computer

Internet Explorer: Deleting and managing cookies

Microsoft Edge: Deleting and managing cookies

If you generally do not want to have cookies, you can set up your browser so that it always informs you when a cookie is to be set. You can then decide for each individual cookie whether or not to allow it. The procedure differs depending on the browser. It is best to search for the instructions in Google using the search term "delete cookies Chrome" or "deactivate cookies Chrome" in the case of a Chrome browser.

Legal basis

The so-called "Cookie Guidelines" have been in place since 2009. These state that the storage of cookies requires your consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR). However, there are still very different reactions to these directives within the EU countries. In Austria, however, this directive was implemented in Section 165 (3) of the Telecommunications Act (2021). In Germany, the cookie directives have not been implemented as national law. Instead, this directive was largely implemented in Section 15 (3) of the Telemedia Act (TMG), which has been replaced by the Digital Services Act (DDG) since May 2024.

For strictly necessary cookies, even if no consent has been given, there are legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR), which in most cases are of an economic nature. We want to provide visitors to the website with a pleasant user experience and certain cookies are often absolutely necessary for this.

If cookies that are not absolutely necessary are used, this will only take place with your consent. The legal basis in this respect is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR.

In the following sections, you will be informed in more detail about the use of cookies if the software used uses cookies.

Webhosting introduction

Web hosting summary 👥 Data subjects: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Professional hosting of the website and securing the operation of 📓 Processed data: IP address, time of website visit, browser used and other data. You can find more details on this below or from the web hosting provider used. 📅 Storage period: depending on the provider, but usually 2 weeks ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit.f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is web hosting?

When you visit websites these days, certain information - including personal data - is automatically created and stored, including on this website. This data should be processed as sparingly as possible and only with justification. By website, by the way, we mean the entirety of all web pages on a domain, i.e. everything from the start page (homepage) to the very last subpage (like this one). By domain we mean, for example, example.de or example.com.

If you want to view a website on a computer, tablet or smartphone, you use a program called a web browser. You probably know a few web browsers by name: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari. We call them browsers or web browsers for short.

To display the website, the browser must connect to another computer where the website code is stored: the web server. Operating a web server is a complicated and time-consuming task, which is why this is usually done by professional providers. They offer web hosting and thus ensure reliable and error-free storage of website data. A lot of technical terms, but please stay tuned, it will get even better!

When the browser on your computer (desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone) connects and during data transfer to and from the web server, personal data may be processed. On the one hand, your computer stores data; on the other hand, the web server must also store data for a certain period of time in order to ensure proper operation.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so the following graphic illustrates the interaction between the browser, the Internet and the hosting provider.

Why do we process personal data?

The purposes of data processing are:

1. Professional website hosting and operational security
2. to maintain operational and IT security
3. Anonymous evaluation of access behavior to improve our offer and, if necessary, for criminal prosecution or prosecution of claims

What data is processed?

Even while you are currently visiting our website, our web server, i.e. the computer on which this website is stored, usually automatically saves data such as

• the complete Internet address (URL) of the website accessed
• Browser and browser version (e.g. Chrome 87)
• the operating system used (e.g. Windows 10)
• the address (URL) of the previously visited page (referrer URL) (e.g. https://www. beispielquellsite.de/vondabinichgekommen/)
• the host name and IP address of the device from which access is made (e.g. COMPUTERNAME and 194.23.43.121)
• Date and time
• in files, the so-called web server log files

How long is data stored?

As a rule, the above-mentioned data is stored for two weeks and then automatically deleted. We do not pass this data on, but we cannot rule out the possibility of this data being viewed by the authorities in the event of unlawful conduct.

In short: Your visit is logged by our provider (company that runs our website on special computers (servers)), but we do not pass on your data without your consent!

Legal basis

The lawfulness of the processing of personal data in the context of web hosting results from Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (protection of legitimate interests), because the use of professional hosting with a provider is necessary in order to present the company on the Internet in a secure and user-friendly manner and to be able to pursue attacks and claims from this if necessary.

As a rule, there is a contract between us and the hosting provider for order processing in accordance with Art. 28 f. GDPR, which ensures compliance with data protection and guarantees data security.

Website construction kits Introduction

Website construction kit systems Privacy policy summary 👥 Data subjects: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our services 📓 Processed data: Data such as technical usage information such as browser activity, clickstream activities, session heat maps, contact details, IP address, or your geographic location. More details can be found below in this privacy policy and in the providers' privacy policies. 📅 Storage period: depends on the provider ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests), Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent)

What are website builder systems?

We use a website builder system for our website. Website builder systems are special forms of content management systems (CMS). With a website builder system, website operators can create a website very easily and without any programming knowledge. In many cases, web hosts also offer website builder systems. When using a website builder system, your personal data may also be collected, stored, and processed. In this privacy policy, we provide you with general information about data processing by website builder systems. For more detailed information, please refer to the provider's privacy policy.

Why do we use website builder systems for our website?

The biggest advantage of a modular system is its ease of use. We want to offer you a clear, simple, and well-organized website that we can easily operate and maintain ourselves—without external support. Modular systems now offer many helpful functions that we can use even without programming knowledge. This allows us to design our website according to our wishes and offer you an informative and enjoyable experience on our website.

What data is stored by a modular system?

Exactly which data is stored depends, of course, on the website builder system used. Each provider processes and collects different data from website visitors. However, technical usage information such as operating system, browser, screen resolution, language and keyboard settings, hosting provider, and the date of your website visit is usually collected. Tracking data (e.g., browser activity, clickstream activities, session heat maps, etc.) may also be processed. In addition, personal data may also be collected and stored. This usually includes contact details such as email address, phone number (if you have provided it), IP address, and geographic location data. You can find out exactly what data is stored in the provider's privacy policy.

How long and where is the data stored?

We will inform you about the duration of data processing below in connection with the website construction system used, provided we have further information on this. You will find detailed information on this in the provider's privacy policy. In general, we only process personal data for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of our services and products. It may be that the provider stores data from you according to its own criteria, over which we have no influence.

Right of objection

You always have the right to access, correct, and delete your personal data. If you have any questions, you can also contact the responsible party for the website template system used at any time. You can find contact details either in our privacy policy or on the website of the relevant provider.

You can delete, deactivate, or manage cookies that providers use for their functions in your browser. Depending on which browser you use, this works in different ways. Please note, however, that not all functions may then work as usual.

Legal basis

We have a legitimate interest in using a website construction kit system to optimize our online service and present it to you in an efficient and user-friendly manner. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use the construction kit if you have given your consent.

Insofar as the processing of data is not absolutely necessary for the operation of the website, the data will only be processed on the basis of your consent. This applies in particular to tracking activities. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR.

This privacy policy provides you with the most important general information about data processing. If you would like more detailed information on this subject, you will find further information—where available—in the following section or in the provider's privacy policy.

WordPress.com Privacy Policy

WordPress.com Privacy Policy Summary 👥 Data subjects: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Optimization of our services 📓 Processed data: Data such as technical usage information such as browser activity, clickstream activities, session heat maps, contact details, IP address, or your geographic location. More details can be found further down in this privacy policy. 📅 Storage period: This depends primarily on the type of data stored and the specific settings. ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is WordPress?

We use the well-known content management system WordPress.com for our website. The service provider is the American company Automattic Inc., 60 29th Street #343, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA.

The company was founded in 2003 and quickly became one of the best-known content management systems (CMS) worldwide. A CMS is a software that helps us design our website and present content in an attractive and organized manner. The content can be text, audio, or video.
When you use WordPress, your personal data may also be collected, stored, and processed. As a rule, mainly technical data such as operating system, browser, screen resolution, or hosting provider is stored. However, personal data such as IP address, geographical data, or contact details may also be processed.

Why do we use WordPress on our website?

We have many strengths, but real programming is not one of our core competencies.

Nevertheless, we want to have a powerful and attractive website that we can manage and maintain ourselves. With a website builder or content management system such as WordPress, this is exactly what we can do. With WordPress, we don't need to be programming experts to offer you a beautiful website. Thanks to WordPress, we can operate our website quickly and easily, even without any prior technical knowledge. If technical problems arise or we have special requests for our website, we still have our specialists who are at home with HTML, PHP, CSS, and the like.

Thanks to WordPress's ease of use and comprehensive features, we can design our website according to our preferences and offer you a user-friendly experience.

What data is processed by WordPress?

Non-personal data includes technical usage information such as browser activity, clickstream activity, session heat maps, and data about your computer, operating system, browser, screen resolution, language and keyboard settings, Internet service provider, and date of page visit.

In addition, personal data is also collected. This primarily includes contact details (email address or phone number, if you provide them), IP address, or your geographic location.

WordPress may also use cookies to collect data. These often collect data about your behavior on our website. For example, it may record which subpages you particularly like to view, how long you stay on individual pages, when you leave a page (bounce rate), or which preferences (e.g., language selection) you have set. Based on this data, WordPress can also better tailor its own marketing measures to your interests and user behavior. The next time you visit our website, it will therefore be displayed to you as you have previously set it up.

WordPress may also use technologies such as pixel tags (web beacons) to clearly identify you as a user and potentially offer interest-based advertising.

How long and where is the data stored?

How long the data is stored depends on various factors. It depends primarily on the type of data stored and the specific settings of the website. In principle, WordPress deletes data when it is no longer needed for its own purposes. There are, of course, exceptions, especially if legal obligations require the data to be stored for longer. Web server logs containing your IP address and technical data are deleted by WordPress or Automattic after 30 days. During this time, Automattic uses the data to analyze traffic on its own websites (e.g., all WordPress sites) and to fix any potential problems. Deleted content on WordPress websites is also stored in the trash for 30 days to allow for recovery, after which it may remain in backups and caches until they are deleted. The data is stored on Automattic's American servers.

How can I delete my data or prevent data storage?

You have the right and the option to access your personal data at any time and to object to its use and processing. You can also lodge a complaint with a state supervisory authority at any time.

You also have the option of managing, deleting, or deactivating cookies individually in your browser. However, please note that deactivated or deleted cookies may have a negative impact on the functionality of our WordPress site. Depending on which browser you use, managing cookies works slightly differently. Under the "Cookies" section, you will find the corresponding links to the respective instructions for the most popular browsers.

Legal basis

If you have consented to the use of WordPress, this consent forms the legal basis for the corresponding data processing. According to Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR (consent), this consent forms the legal basis for the processing of personal data as may occur during collection by WordPress.

We also have a legitimate interest in using WordPress to optimize our online service and present it to you in an attractive way. The legal basis for this is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use WordPress if you have given your consent.

WordPress and Automattic also process your data in the USA, among other places. Automattic is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data from EU citizens to the USA. For more information, please visit https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.

In addition, Automattic uses standard contractual clauses (Art. 46(2) and (3) GDPR). Standard contractual clauses (SCC) are model templates provided by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that your data complies with European data protection standards even when it is transferred to and stored in third countries (such as the US). Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the Standard Contractual Clauses, Automattic undertakes to comply with European data protection standards when processing your relevant data, even if the data is stored, processed, and managed in the US. These clauses are based on an implementing decision by the EU Commission. You can find the decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de

For more details on the privacy policy and what data is processed by WordPress and how, please visit https://automattic.com/privacy/.

Order Processing Agreement (OPA) WordPress.com

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) with WordPress.com in accordance with Article 28 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). You can read about what exactly a DPA is and, above all, what must be included in a DPA in our general section "Data Processing Agreement (DPA)".

This contract is required by law because WordPress.com processes personal data on our behalf. It clarifies that WordPress.com may only process data received from us in accordance with our instructions and must comply with the GDPR. The link to the data processing agreement (DPA) can be found at https://wordpress.com/support/data-processing-agreements/.

Social media introduction

Social media privacy policy summary 👥 Data subjects: Visitors to the website 🤝 Purpose: Presentation and optimization of our services, contact with visitors, interested parties, etc., advertising 📓 Processed data: Data such as telephone numbers, email addresses, contact details, user behavior data, information about your device and your IP address. You can find more details on this in the social media tool used in each case. 📅 Storage period: depending on the social media platforms used ⚖️ Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is social media?

In addition to our website, we are also active on various social media platforms. User data may be processed so that we can target users who are interested in us via the social networks. In addition, elements of a social media platform may also be embedded directly in our website. This is the case, for example, if you click on a social button on our website and are forwarded directly to our social media presence. Social media refers to websites and apps that registered members can use to produce content, share content openly or in specific groups and network with other members.

Why do we use social media?

For years, social media platforms have been the place where people communicate and get in touch online. Our social media presence allows us to bring our products and services closer to interested parties. The social media elements integrated on our website help you to switch to our social media content quickly and without complications.

The data that is stored and processed through your use of a social media channel is primarily for the purpose of carrying out web analyses. The aim of these analyses is to be able to develop more precise and personalized marketing and advertising strategies. Depending on your behavior on a social media platform, the evaluated data can be used to draw conclusions about your interests and create user profiles. This also enables the platforms to present you with customized advertisements. Cookies are usually set in your browser for this purpose, which store data on your usage behavior.

As a rule, we assume that we remain responsible under data protection law, even if we use the services of a social media platform. However, the European Court of Justice has ruled that in certain cases the operator of the social media platform may be jointly responsible with us within the meaning of Art. 26 GDPR. If this is the case, we will point this out separately and work on the basis of an agreement to this effect. The essence of the agreement is then reproduced below for the platform concerned.

Please note that when using the social media platforms or our built-in elements, your data may also be processed outside the European Union, as many social media channels, such as Facebook or Twitter, are American companies. As a result, you may not be able to claim or enforce your rights in relation to your personal data as easily.

What data is processed?

Exactly which data is stored and processed depends on the respective provider of the social media platform. However, it usually involves data such as telephone numbers, email addresses, data that you enter in a contact form, user data such as which buttons you click, who you like or follow, when you visited which pages, information about your device and your IP address. Most of this data is stored in cookies. Data can be linked to your profile, especially if you have a profile on the social media channel you are visiting and are logged in.

All data that is collected via a social media platform is also stored on the provider's servers. This means that only the providers have access to the data and can provide you with the appropriate information or make changes.

If you want to know exactly what data is stored and processed by social media providers and how you can object to data processing, you should carefully read the company's privacy policy. We also recommend that you contact the provider directly if you have any questions about data storage and data processing or wish to assert corresponding rights.

Duration of data processing

We will inform you about the duration of data processing below if we have further information on this. For example, the social media platform Facebook stores data until it is no longer required for its own purposes. However, customer data that is compared with our own user data is deleted within two days. In general, we only process personal data for as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of our services and products. If required by law, for example in the case of accounting, this storage period may be exceeded.

Right of objection

You also have the right and option to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third-party providers such as embedded social media elements at any time. You can do this either via our cookie management tool or via other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection by cookies by managing, deactivating, or deleting cookies in your browser.

As social media tools may use cookies, we also recommend that you read our general privacy policy on cookies. To find out exactly which of your data is stored and processed, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Legal basis

If you have consented to your data being processed and stored by integrated social media elements, this consent is the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data will also be stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interest (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in fast and good communication with you or other customers and business partners if you have given your consent. Nevertheless, we only use the tools if you have given your consent. Most social media platforms also set cookies in your browser to store data. We therefore recommend that you read our data protection text on cookies carefully and consult the privacy policy or cookie guidelines of the respective service provider.

Information on specific social media platforms - if available - can be found in the following sections.

All texts are protected by copyright.

Source: Privacy policy created with the privacy policy generator for Germany from AdSimple. Take a look at our sample privacy policy.