XV. Google Tag Manager

This website uses Google Tag Manager. Google Tag Manager is a solution that allows marketers to manage website tags via an interface. The tool itself (which implements the tags) does not use cookies and only collects your IP address out of technical necessity. The tool triggers other tags, which in turn may set cookies and collect data. Google Tag Manager does not access this data. If a deactivation has been made at domain or cookie level, this remains in place for all tracking tags that are implemented with Google Tag Manager.

If we have obtained your consent, the legal basis for the use of Google Tag Manager is Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a GDPR. Otherwise, the legal basis for the use of the technically necessary cookie results from our legitimate interest pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f GDPR.

Further information can be found in the provider's terms of use at: https://www.google.com/intl/de/tagmanager/use-policy.html.

XVI. Google ReCaptcha

Furthermore, we use the Google service reCaptcha on our website to determine whether a person or a computer makes a certain entry in our contact or newsletter form.

Google uses the following data to check whether you are a human or a computer: IP address of the end device used, the website that you visit with us and on which the captcha is integrated, the date and duration of the visit, the identification data of the browser and operating system type used, Google account if you are logged in to Google, mouse movements on the reCaptcha areas and tasks in which you have to identify images.

The legal basis for the aforementioned data processing is Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f GDPR. Our legitimate interest in this data processing is to ensure the security of our website and to protect against automated input (attacks).

Further information about the provider Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland can be found at https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/

Opt-out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.

XVII. hCaptcha

We use hCaptcha on this website. The provider is Intuition Machines, Inc, 2211 Selig Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90026, USA (hereinafter referred to as "IMI").

The purpose of hCaptcha is to check whether the data input on this website (e.g. in a contact form) is made by a human or by an automated program. For this purpose, hCaptcha analyzes the behavior of the website visitor based on various characteristics.

This analysis begins automatically as soon as the website visitor enters a website with activated hCaptcha. For the analysis, hCaptcha evaluates various information (e.g. IP address, time spent on the website by the website visitor or mouse movements made by the user). The data collected during the analysis is forwarded to IMI. If hCaptcha is used in "invisible mode", the analyses run completely in the background. Website visitors are not informed that an analysis is taking place.

The data is stored and analyzed on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in protecting its website from abusive automated spying and SPAM. If a corresponding consent has been requested, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR and § 25 para. 1 TDDDG, insofar as the consent includes the storage of cookies or access to information in the user's terminal device (e.g. device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TDDDG. Consent can be revoked at any time.

The data processing is based on standard contractual clauses contained in the Data Processing Addendum to IMI's General Terms and Conditions or the Data Processing Agreements.

Further information about hCaptcha can be found in the privacy policy and terms of use at the following links: https://www.hcaptcha.com/privacy and https://hcaptcha.com/terms.

XVIII.    Content Delivery Networks (CDN)

This site uses so-called content delivery networks to provide popular online libraries and web fonts. Access is then made directly to the operator's servers, so that data such as the accessing IP address, referrer, browser information etc. is collected there.

The legal basis for this is our legitimate interests pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f GDPR to present our website in line with requirements and to optimize the user experience.

You can prevent the collection and processing of your data by CDNs by deactivating the execution of script code in your browser or by installing a script blocker in your browser (you can find one at www.noscript.net, for example).

The following is a list of the CDNs used:

Azure CDN

We use Azure CDN to properly provide the content of our website. Azure CDN is a service of Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, One Microsoft Place, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, D18 P521, Ireland.

The specific storage period of the processed data is determined by Microsoft. Further information on this can be found in the privacy policy at: https://azure.microsoft.com/de-de/support/legal/.

XIX. Google Analytics 4

This website uses Google Analytics 4, a web analytics service provided by Google Ireland Limited, Google Building Gordon House, 4 Barrow St, Dublin, D04 E5W5, Ireland ("Google").

The use of Google Analytics 4 allows us a variety of possible applications. We operate Google Analytics 4 using the following technologies:

• Cookies
• Scripts

This stores and retrieves information on your computer that enables us to analyze your use of the website. The information generated in this way about your use of this website is usually transmitted to a Google server in the USA and stored there. Your IP address is anonymized by default before it is transmitted to us and Google. Although the full IP address is transmitted to a Google server in the USA, it is immediately truncated there. According to Google, the IP address transmitted by your browser as part of Google Analytics will not be merged with other Google data. The legal basis for the use of Google Analytics is your consent in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a GDPR.

During your website visit, your user behavior is recorded in the form of "events". Events can be

• Page views
• First visit to the website
• Start of the session
• Your "click path", interaction with the website
• Scrolls (whenever a user scrolls to the end of the page (90%))
• Clicks on external links
• internal search queries
• Interaction with videos
• File downloads
• Viewed / clicked ads
• Language setting

It can also be recorded:

• Your approximate location (region)
• Your IP address (in abbreviated form)
• technical information about your browser and the end devices you use (e.g. language setting, screen resolution)
• Your Internet provider
• the referrer URL (via which website/advertising medium you came to this website)

On behalf of the operator of this website, Google will use this information to evaluate your use of the website, to compile reports on website activity and to provide other services relating to website activity and internet usage to the website operator.

We use the User ID function. With the help of the user ID, we can assign a unique, permanent ID to one or more sessions (and the activities within these sessions) and analyze user behavior across devices.

We use Google Signals. This allows Google Analytics to collect additional information about users who have activated personalized ads (interests and demographic data, such as their gender or interests) and ads can be delivered to these users in cross-device remarketing campaigns.

To better understand user behavior, Google Analytics 4 uses machine learning. These algorithms help to close data gaps caused by tracking errors, for example.

They also serve as the basis for predictive metrics, in which data from the past is used to predict user behavior in the future as accurately as possible. These predictions can be used, for example, to forecast the likelihood of user churn, purchases or sales.

The recipients of the data may be

• Google Ireland Limited, Google Building Gordon House, 4 Barrow St, Dublin, D04 E5W5, Ireland (as processor pursuant to Art. 28 GDPR)
• Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
• Alphabet Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View, CA 94043, USA

We use Google Analytics to analyze and regularly improve the use of our website. We can use the statistics obtained to improve our offer and make it more interesting for you as a user. The legal basis for the use of Google Analytics is your consent in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a GDPR.

We store your data for a period of 2 -14 months .

Information from the third-party provider: Google Dublin, Google Ireland Ltd, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, Fax: +353 (1) 436 1001.

User conditions: https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/terms/de/,

Overview of data protection: https://policies.google.com/?hl=de,

and the privacy policy: http://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy.

XX. Social media presence

We maintain fan pages within various social networks and platforms with the aim of communicating with the customers, interested parties and users active there and informing them about our services.

We would like to point out that your personal data may be processed outside the European Union, which may result in risks for you (e.g. when enforcing your rights under European / German law).

As a rule, user data is processed for market research and advertising purposes. For example, usage profiles
can be created from the usage behavior and the resulting interests of the users. These user profiles can in turn be used, for example, to place advertisements within and outside the platforms that presumably correspond to the interests of the users. For these purposes, cookies are usually stored on the user's computer, in which the user's usage behavior and interests are stored. Furthermore, data can also be stored in the user profiles independently of the devices used by the users (especially if the users are members of the respective platforms and are logged in to them).

The processing of users' personal data is based on our legitimate interests in effective user information and communication with users in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f. GDPR. GDPR. If users are asked by the respective providers for consent to data processing (i.e. they give their consent, e.g. by ticking a checkbox or confirming a button), the legal basis for processing is Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a. GDPR.

Further information on the processing of your personal data and your options to object can be found under the links provided by the respective provider. Data subjects can also assert their rights to information and other rights against the providers, but only those who have direct access to the user's data and have the relevant information. We are of course available to answer any questions you may have and will support you if you need help.

A supplementary agreement is concluded with some social media platforms when operating a fan page. According to this agreement, data subject rights can generally be asserted both with the social media platform and with us. However, the primary responsibility under the GDPR for the processing of Insights data lies with the social media platform and it fulfills all obligations under the GDPR with regard to the processing of Insights data. In this context, the social media platform makes the essence of the Page Insights supplement available to the data subjects.

As the operator of the fan page, we do not make any decisions regarding the processing of Insights data and all other information resulting from Art. 13 GDPR, such as the legal basis, the identity of the controller and the storage duration of cookies on user devices.

We currently use the following social media platforms:

a)   Facebook

Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2, Ireland

Privacy policy: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/

Opt-out: https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=ads

and http://www.youronlinechoices.com

Supplementary agreement Insights data: https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/page_controller_addendum

b)   Instagram

Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2, Ireland

Privacy policy/opt-out: http://instagram.com/about/legal/privacy/.

c)   YouTube (Google)

Google Ireland Limited, Google Building Gordon House, 4 Barrow St, Dublin, D04 E5W5, Ireland

Privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Opt-out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated

d)   LinkedIn

LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland

Privacy policy https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy

Opt-out: https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/guest-controls/retargeting-opt-out

e)   TikTok

TikTok Technology Limited, 10 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin, D02 T380, Ireland

Privacy policy /Opt-Out:

https://www.tiktok.com/legal/page/eea/privacy-policy/de-DE.

XXI. YouTube videos

We have integrated YouTube videos into our online offering, which are stored on http://www.youtube.com and can be played directly from our website. These are all integrated in "extended data protection mode", i.e. no data about you as a user is transferred to YouTube if you do not play the videos. Only when you play the videos will the data mentioned in the next paragraph be transmitted. We have no influence on this data transfer.

When you visit the website, YouTube receives the information that you have accessed the corresponding subpage of our website. This occurs regardless of whether YouTube provides a user account through which you are logged in or whether no user account exists. If you are logged in to Google, your data will be assigned directly to your account. If you do not wish your data to be associated with your YouTube profile, you must log out before activating the button. YouTube stores your data as usage profiles and uses them for the purposes of advertising, market research and/or the needs-based design of its website. Such an evaluation is carried out in particular (even for users who are not logged in) to provide needs-based advertising and to inform other users of the social network about your activities on our website. You have the right to object to the creation of these user profiles, whereby you must contact YouTube to exercise this right.

Insofar as we obtain your consent, the legal basis for the use of the plug-in is your consent in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a GDPR. You can find out how the respective social media providers process your personal data in their respective privacy policies. We are not the controller within the meaning of the GDPR for the data processing of the social media providers.

Further information on the purpose and scope of data collection and its processing by YouTube can be found in the privacy policy. There you will also find further information on your rights and setting options to protect your privacy: https://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy

Opt-out: https://support.google.com/ads/answer/10261289?hl=de&ref_topic=7048998

XXII.Google Maps

We use the Google Maps service on this website. This allows us to show you interactive maps directly on the website and enables you to use the map function conveniently.

When you visit the website, Google receives the information that you have accessed the corresponding sub-page of our website. In addition, the data mentioned in section IV of this declaration will be transmitted to Google. This takes place regardless of whether Google provides a user account through which you are logged in or whether no user account exists. If you are logged in to Google, your data will be assigned directly to your account. If you do not wish your data to be associated with your Google profile, you must log out before activating the button. Google stores your data as usage profiles and uses them for the purposes of advertising, market research and/or the needs-based design of its website. Such an evaluation is carried out in particular (even for users who are not logged in) to provide needs-based advertising and to inform other users of the social network about your activities on our website. You have the right to object to the creation of these user profiles, whereby you must contact Google to exercise this right.

Insofar as we obtain your consent, the legal basis for the use of the plug-in is your consent in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a GDPR. You can find out how the respective social media providers process your personal data in their respective privacy policies. We are not the controller within the meaning of the GDPR for the data processing of the social media providers.

When using Google Maps on our website, the provider Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA, directly integrates the fonts ("Google Web Fonts"). The provider of Google Maps is responsible for this.

Further information on the purpose and scope of data collection and its processing by the plug-in provider can be found in the provider's privacy policy. There you will also find further information on your rights in this regard and setting options to protect your privacy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy.

XXIII. LinkedIn Insight Tag

The website also uses the LinkedIn Insight Tag function. This allows conversions to be tracked, website visitors to be retargeted and additional information to be obtained about members who view advertisements. We are interested in showing you advertisements that are of interest to you in order to make our website more interesting for you.

The LinkedIn Insight tag enables the collection of data about visits to this website, including URL, referrer URL, IP address, device and browser characteristics (user agent) and timestamp. This data is encrypted, the IP addresses are shortened and the direct IDs of LinkedIn members are removed within seven days to pseudonymize the data. This remaining pseudonymized data is then deleted within 90 days.

LinkedIn does not share any personal data with us, but only provides aggregated reports on website audience and ad performance. LinkedIn also offers retargeting for website visitors so that we can use this data to display targeted advertising outside its website without identifying the member.

The legal basis for the processing of your data is Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a GDPR.

The "LinkedIn Insight Tag" function can be deactivated at any time in the individual cookie settings and for logged-in users at https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/advertising/actions-that-showed-interest.

Further information on data processing by LinkedIn can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy.

XXIV.   Google Ad Manager

We use the "Google Ad Manager" service of Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, with the help of which advertising is displayed on our website and optimized with the help of cookies. These cookies are used to provide relevant ads for users, to improve campaign performance reports and/or to prevent a user from being shown the same ads more than once.

The Google Ad Manager uses a cookie ID that is required for the technical process. This cookie ID is decisive for the respective purpose. It is used to record which ads are to be delivered in which browser. If an ad is to be delivered in a browser, Google Ad Manager uses the cookie ID of the browser to check which Google Ads ads have already been delivered in this browser. This prevents ads from being delivered that the user has already seen. Cookie IDs can also be used to record conversions in Google Ads that are related to ad requests. This is the case, for example, when a user sees a Google Ads ad and later visits the advertiser's website in the same browser and makes a purchase there. Google Ads cookies do not contain any personal data. However, a Google Ads cookie may contain additional campaign identifiers. A campaign identifier is used to identify the campaigns with which users have already been in contact.

The data collected as part of the use of Google Ads is also used to create commission statements. Among other things, Google can track when certain links on our website have been clicked.

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

Further information about data processing by Google can be found at
https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads?hl=de&gl=de.

XXV. Google AdSense

We use the online advertising service Google AdSense on our website, which allows us to present you with advertising tailored to your interests. We are interested in showing you advertising that may be of interest to you in order to make our website more interesting for you. For this purpose, statistical information about you is collected and processed by our advertising partners. These advertisements can be recognized by the reference "Google ads" in the respective advertisement.

When you visit our website, Google receives the information that you have accessed our website. For this purpose, Google uses a web beacon to set a cookie on your computer. The data mentioned in section IV of this declaration will be transmitted. We have no influence on the data collected, nor are we aware of the full extent of the data collection and the storage period. Your data is transferred to the USA and analyzed there. If you are logged in with your Google account, your data can be directly assigned to it. If you do not wish your data to be associated with your Google profile, you must log out. It is possible that this data may be passed on to Google's contractual partners, third parties and authorities.

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

You can prevent the installation of Google AdSense cookies in various ways:

a) by setting your browser software accordingly; in particular, the suppression of third-party cookies means that you will not receive any ads from third-party providers;

b) by deactivating interest-based ads on Google via the link http://www.google.de/ads/preferences , whereby this setting will be deleted if you delete your cookies;

c) by deactivating the interest-based ads of the providers that are part of the "About Ads" self-regulation campaign via the link http://www.aboutads.info/choices , whereby this setting is deleted when you delete your cookies;

d) by permanently deactivating it in your Firefox, Internet Explorer or Google Chrome browsers under the link http://www.google.com/settings/ads/plugin . We would like to point out that in this case you may not be able to use all the functions of this website to their full extent.

Further information on the purpose and scope of data collection and its processing, as well as further information on your rights in this regard and setting options to protect your privacy, can be obtained from: Google Inc, 1600 Amphitheater Parkway, Mountainview, California 94043, USA; Privacy Policy for Advertising: http://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/technologies/ads .

XXVI.   Google Ads Remarketing

We use the remarketing function within the Google Ads service. The provider is Google Inc, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. With the remarketing function, we can present users of our website with advertisements based on their interests on other websites within the Google advertising network (in Google Search or on YouTube, so-called "Google Ads" or on other websites). For this purpose, the interaction of users on our website is analyzed, e.g. which offers the user was interested in, in order to be able to display targeted advertising to users on other sites even after they have visited our website. For this purpose, Google stores cookies on the end devices of users who visit certain Google services or websites in the Google Display Network. These cookies are used to record the visits of these users. The cookies are used to uniquely identify a web browser on a specific end device and not to identify a person.

You can prevent participation in this tracking process in various ways:

a) by setting your browser software accordingly; in particular, the suppression of third-party cookies means that you will not receive any ads from third-party providers;

b) by deactivating cookies for conversion tracking by setting your browser to block cookies from the domain "www.googleadservices.com", https://www.google.de/settings/ads , whereby this setting is deleted when you delete your cookies;

c) by deactivating the interest-based ads of the providers that are part of the "About Ads" self-regulation campaign via the link http://www.aboutads.info/choices , whereby this setting is deleted when you delete your cookies;

d) by permanently deactivating it in your Firefox, Internet Explorer or Google Chrome browsers under the link http://www.google.com/settings/ads/plugin. We would like to point out that in this case you may not be able to use all functions of this website to their full extent.

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

Further information on data protection at Google can be found here: http://www.google.com/intl/de/policies/privacy

and

https://services.google.com/sitestats/de.html

Alternatively, you can visit the website of the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) at

http://www.networkadvertising.org

visit.

XXVII. SolidWP

We have integrated SolidWP on this website. The provider is iThemes Media LLC, 1720 South Kelly Avenue Edmond, OK 73013, USA (hereinafter "SolidWP").

SolidWP serves to protect our website from unwanted access or malicious cyberattacks. For this purpose, SolidWP records your IP address, the time and source of login attempts and log data (e.g. the browser used), among other things. SolidWP is installed locally on our servers.

SolidWP transmits IP addresses of recurring attackers to a central SolidWP database in the USA (Network Brute Force Protection) in order to prevent such attacks in the future.

The use of SolidWP is based on Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in protecting its website as effectively as possible against cyberattacks. If a corresponding consent has been requested, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR and § 25 para. 1 TDDDG, insofar as the consent includes the storage of cookies or access to information in the user's terminal device (e.g. device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TDDDG. Consent can be revoked at any time.