We have crafted this privacy policy (version 23.04.2024-312772641) to explain, in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and applicable national laws, the personal data (referred to as “data”) that we, as data controllers, and our contracted processors (e.g., providers) process, will process in the future, and the lawful options available to you. The terms used in this document are gender-neutral.

In short: We provide comprehensive information about the data we process about you. Privacy policies usually sound very technical and use legal terminology. However, this privacy policy aims to describe the most important things as simply and transparently as possible. Where transparency is beneficial, technical terms are explained in user-friendly language, links to further information are provided, and graphics are used. We provide clear and simple language to inform you that, in the course of our business activities, we only process personal data when there is a corresponding legal basis. This is not possible if we provide brief, unclear, and legally technical explanations, as is often the standard on the internet when it comes to data protection. I hope you find the following explanations interesting and informative, and perhaps there is some information that you were not previously aware of.

If you still have questions, we kindly ask you to contact the responsible entity mentioned below or in the imprint, follow the provided links, and view further information on third-party sites. Our contact details are also available in the imprint.

This privacy policy applies to all personal data processed by us in the company and to all personal data processed by companies contracted by us (data processors). By personal data, we mean information as defined in Article 4(1) of the GDPR, such as the name, email address, and postal address of a person. The processing of personal data ensures that we can offer and bill for our services and products, whether online or offline. The scope of this privacy policy includes:

• • all online presences (websites, online shops) that we operate
  • Social media presences and email communication
  • mobile apps for smartphones and other devices

In short: The privacy policy applies to all areas where personal data is processed within the company through the specified channels. If we enter into legal relationships with you outside of these channels, we will inform you separately if necessary.

In the following privacy policy, we provide you with transparent information about the legal principles and regulations, i.e., the legal bases of the General Data Protection Regulation, which enable us to process personal data.

Regarding EU law, we refer to REGULATION (EU) 2016/679 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 27 April 2016. You can, of course, read this EU General Data Protection Regulation online on EUR-Lex, the access 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 storing your entered data from a contact form.
2. Contract (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR): 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 infringe on your fundamental rights, we reserve the right to process personal data. For example, we need to process certain data to operate our website securely and economically efficiently. This processing is therefore a legitimate interest.

Additional conditions such as the exercise of activities in the public interest and the exercise of public authority, as well as the protection of vital interests, usually do not apply to us. If such a legal basis should be 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 concerning the Protection of Individuals with regard to the Processing of Personal Data (Data Protection Act), abbreviated as DSG.
• In Germany, the Federal Data Protection Act, abbreviated as BDSG, applies.

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

If you have any questions about data protection or the processing of personal data, you will find below the contact details of the responsible person or entity:

Jo Vaga GmbH
Am Huxmühlenbach 7, 49084 Osnabrück
Authorized representative: Jeton Bujupi
Email: contact@footwear-connection.com
Phone: +49 174 3252550

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

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

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

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

• According to Article 15 GDPR, you have the right to information about whether we process data about you. If so, you have the right to receive a copy of the data and to learn the following information:
  • the purpose for which we process the data;
  • the categories, i.e., the types of data 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 complain to 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 evaluated to create a personal profile of you.
• According to Article 16 GDPR, you have the right to rectify 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 means that you may request the deletion of your data.
• According to Article 18 GDPR, you have the right to restrict processing, which means that we may only store the data but not use it 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 common format upon request.
• According to Article 21 GDPR, you have the right to object, which, when enforced, results in a change in processing.
  • 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 soon 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 not use your data for direct marketing purposes thereafter.
  • If data is used for profiling, you can object to this type of data processing at any time. We may not use your data for profiling thereafter.
• According to Article 22 GDPR, under certain circumstances, you 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 complain to 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 entity listed above!

If you believe that the processing of your data violates data protection law or if your data protection rights have been violated in any other way, you can lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority. For Austria, this is the data protection authority, whose website you can find 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). For our company, the following local data protection authority is responsible:

Data Protection Commissioner: Denis Lehmkemper
Address: Prinzenstraße 5, 30159 Hannover
Telephone: 05 11/120-45 00
Email: poststelle@lfd.niedersachsen.de
Website: https://lfd.niedersachsen.de/startseite/

To protect personal data, we have implemented both technical and organizational measures. Where possible, we encrypt or pseudonymize personal data. This makes it as difficult as possible, within our capabilities, for third parties to infer personal information from our data.

Article 25 GDPR speaks of “data protection by design and by default” and means that one should always think about security in both software (e.g., forms) and hardware (e.g., access to the server room) and take appropriate measures. Below, we will describe specific measures if necessary.

Communication Summary

👥 Affected individuals: Anyone who communicates with us via phone, email, or online form
📓 Processed data: e.g., phone number, name, email address, entered form data. More details can be found with the respective contact method used
🤝 Purpose: Processing communication with customers, business partners, etc.
📅 Storage period: Duration of the business case and legal requirements
⚖️ Legal bases: Article 6(1)(a) GDPR (Consent), Article 6(1)(b) GDPR (Contract), Article 6(1)(f) GDPR (Legitimate interests)

When you contact us and communicate via phone, email, or online form, personal data may be processed.

The data is processed for the handling and processing of your inquiry and the associated business transaction. The data is stored for as long as necessary or as required by law.

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

When you call us, call data is pseudonymized on the respective end device and at the telecommunication provider used. In addition, data such as name and phone number may be sent by email and stored for inquiry response purposes. The data will be deleted as soon as the business case is closed and legal requirements allow.

When you communicate with us via 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 case is closed and legal requirements allow.

When you communicate with us via online form, data is stored on our web server and may be forwarded to an email address of ours. The data will be deleted as soon as the business case is closed and legal requirements allow.

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

• Article 6(1)(a) GDPR (Consent): You give us consent to store your data and further use it for purposes related to the business case;
• Article 6(1)(b) GDPR (Contract): There is a necessity for the performance of a contract with you or a data processor such as a telephone provider, or we need to process the data for pre-contractual activities, such as preparing a quote;
• Article 6(1)(f) GDPR (Legitimate interests): We want to conduct customer inquiries and business communication in a professional manner. To achieve this, certain technical facilities such as email programs, Exchange servers, and mobile network operators are necessary to operate communication efficiently.

Cookies Summary

👥 Affected individuals: Website visitors
🤝 Purpose: Depends on the respective cookie. More details can be found below or with the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.
📓 Processed data: Depends on the respective cookie. More details can be found below or with the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.
📅 Storage period: Depends on the respective cookie, can vary from hours to years
⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR (Consent), Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (Legitimate interests)

Cookies Summary

👥 Affected individuals: Website visitors
🤝 Purpose: Depends on the respective cookie. More details can be found below or with the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.
📓 Processed data: Depends on the respective cookie. More details can be found below or with the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.
📅 Storage period: Depends on the respective cookie, can vary from hours to years
⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR (Consent), Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (Legitimate interests)

Our website uses HTTP cookies to store user-specific data.
Below, we explain what cookies are and why they are used, so you can better understand the following privacy policy.
Whenever you browse 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.
It’s undeniable: cookies are really useful little helpers. Almost all websites use cookies. More specifically, they are HTTP cookies, as there are also other cookies for other application areas. HTTP cookies are small files that are stored by our website on your computer. These cookie files are automatically placed in the cookie folder, which is like the “brain” of your browser. 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 from you, such as language or personal page settings. When you revisit our site, your browser sends the “user-related” information back to our site. Thanks to the 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, while in others, such as Firefox, all cookies are stored in a single file.
The following graphic shows a possible interaction between a web browser like Chrome and the web server. The web browser requests a website and receives a cookie from the server, which the browser uses again when another page is requested.

There are both first-party cookies and third-party cookies. First-party cookies are created directly by our site, while third-party cookies are created by partner websites (e.g., Google Analytics). Each cookie must be individually evaluated because each cookie stores different data. Also, the expiration time of a cookie varies from a few minutes to several years. Cookies are not software programs and do not contain viruses, trojans, or other “malware.” Cookies also cannot access information on your PC.

Here’s an example of what cookie data might look like:

Name: _ga
Value: GA1.2.1326744211.152312772641-9
Purpose: Distinguishing website visitors
Expiration date: after 2 years

These are the minimum sizes a browser should support for cookies:
• At least 4096 bytes per cookie
• At least 50 cookies per domain
• At least 3000 cookies in total

The question of which cookies we specifically use depends on the services used and will be clarified in the following sections of the privacy policy. At this point, we would like to briefly discuss the different types of HTTP cookies.
Four types of cookies can be distinguished:

Essential Cookies
These cookies are necessary to ensure basic functions of the website. For example, these cookies are needed if a user adds a product to the shopping cart, then continues to browse other pages, and later goes to the checkout. These cookies prevent the shopping cart from being deleted even if the user closes their browser window.

Functional Cookies
These cookies collect information about user behavior and whether the user receives any error messages. In addition, these cookies also measure the loading time and behavior of the website in different browsers.

Performance Cookies
These cookies ensure better user-friendliness. For example, entered locations, font sizes, or form data are stored.

Advertising Cookies
These cookies are also called targeting cookies. They are used to deliver individually tailored advertising to the user. This can be very practical but also very annoying.

Usually, when you visit a website for the first time, you are asked which of these types of cookies you want to allow. And of course, this decision is also stored in a cookie.
If you want to learn more about cookies and don’t shy away from technical documentation, we recommend https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc6265, the Request for Comments from the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) called “HTTP State Management Mechanism.”

The purpose ultimately depends on the respective cookie. More details can be found below or with the manufacturer of the software that sets the cookie.

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

The storage period depends on the respective cookie and will be further specified below. Some cookies are deleted after less than an hour, while others can remain stored on a computer for several years.

You also have influence on the storage period yourself. You can manually delete all cookies at any time via your browser (see also below “Right to Object”). Furthermore, cookies based on consent will be deleted at the latest after you revoke your consent, while the lawfulness of the storage remains unaffected until then.

How and whether you want to use cookies is up to you. Regardless of which service or website the cookies come from, you always have the option to delete, deactivate, or only partially allow cookies. For example, you can block cookies from third parties but allow all other cookies.
If you want to find out which cookies are stored in your browser, if you want to change or delete cookie settings, you can find this in your browser settings:
Chrome: Delete, enable, and manage cookies in Chrome
Safari: Managing cookies and website data with Safari
Firefox: Delete cookies to remove data stored by websites on your computer
Internet Explorer: Deleting and managing cookies
Microsoft Edge: Deleting and managing cookies
If you generally do not want cookies, you can set up your browser to always inform you when a cookie is to be set. This way, you can decide for each individual cookie whether to allow it or not. The procedure varies depending on the browser. It’s best to search for the instructions in Google using the search term “delete cookies Chrome” or “disable cookies Chrome” for a Chrome browser.

Since 2009, there have been the so-called “Cookie Directives.” It states that storing cookies requires consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR) from you. However, within the EU countries, there are still very different reactions to these directives. In Austria, however, this directive was implemented in § 165(3) of the Telecommunications Act (2021). In Germany, the cookie directives were not implemented as national law. Instead, these directives were largely implemented in § 15(3) of the Telemedia Act (TMG).

For strictly necessary cookies, even in the absence of consent, legitimate interests exist (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR), which are mostly of an economic nature. We want to provide website visitors with a pleasant user experience, and for this, certain cookies are often absolutely necessary.

To the extent that non-essential cookies are used, this is only done with your consent. The legal basis is then Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR.

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

Customer Data Summary
👥 Affected individuals: Customers or business and contractual partners
🤝 Purpose: Provision of contractually or pre-contractually agreed services including related communication
📓 Processed data: Name, address, contact details, email address, telephone number, payment information (such as invoices and bank details), contract data (such as duration and subject of the contract), IP address, order data
📅 Storage period: the data is deleted as soon as it is no longer necessary for the provision of our business purposes and there is no legal obligation to retain it.
⚖️ Legal bases: Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR), Contract (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR)

What are Customer Data?
In order to offer our service or our contractual services, we also process data of our customers and business partners. Among these data are always personal data. Customer data refers to all information that is processed on the basis of a contractual or pre-contractual cooperation in order to be able to provide the offered services. Customer data is therefore all collected information that we collect and process about our customers.

Why do we process customer data?
There are many reasons why we collect and process customer data. The most important one is that we simply need various data to provide our services. Sometimes your email address is sufficient here, but if you purchase a product or service from us, we also need information such as your name, address, bank details, or contract data. We subsequently also use the data for marketing and sales optimizations so that we can overall improve our service for our customers. Another important point is our customer service, which is always very important to us. We want you to be able to come to us with questions about our offers at any time, and for that, we need at least your email address.

What data is processed?
The data stored exactly can only be represented here in categories. This is always dependent on which services you receive from us. In some cases, you only provide us with your email address so that we can, for example, contact you or answer your questions. In other cases, you purchase a product or service from us, and for that, we need much more information, such as your contact details, payment data, and contract data.
Here is a list of possible data that we receive from you and process:
• Name
• Contact address
• Email address
• Phone number
• Date of birth
• Payment data (invoices, bank details, payment history, etc.)
• Contract data (duration, content)
• Usage data (visited websites, access data etc.)
• Metadata (IP address, device information)

How long will the data be stored?
As soon as we no longer need the customer data to fulfill our contractual obligations and our purposes, and the data is also not necessary for any warranty or liability obligations, we delete the corresponding customer data. This is the case, for example, when a business contract ends. After that, the limitation period is usually 3 years, although longer periods may be possible in individual cases. Of course, we also comply with legal retention requirements. Your customer data will definitely not be passed on to third parties unless you have explicitly given your consent.

Legal Basis
The legal bases for the processing of your data are Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR (Consent), Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (Contract or pre-contractual measures), Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (Legitimate interests), and in special cases (e.g., medical services) Art. 9(2)(a) GDPR (Processing of special categories).
In the case of protecting vital interests, data processing is carried out in accordance with Art. 9(2)(c) GDPR. For the purposes of healthcare, occupational medicine, medical diagnosis, healthcare or social care treatment, or management of systems and services in healthcare or social care settings, the processing of personal data is carried out in accordance with Art. 9(2)(h) GDPR. If you voluntarily provide data of special categories, the processing is based on Art. 9(2)(a) GDPR.

Web Hosting Summary
👥 Affected individuals: Website visitors
🤝 Purpose: Professional hosting of the website and securing operation
📓 Processed data: IP address, time of website visit, browser used, and other data. More details can be found below or with the respective web hosting provider.
📅 Storage period: Depends on the respective provider, but usually 2 weeks
⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (Legitimate interests)

What is Web Hosting?
When you visit websites nowadays, certain information – including personal data – is automatically created and stored, also on this website. This data should be processed as sparingly as possible and only with justification. By website, we mean the entirety of all web pages on a domain, i.e., everything from the homepage to the very last subpage (like this one). By domain, we mean, for example, example.de or sampleexample.com.

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

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

When the browser on your computer (desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone) connects and during the data transmission to and from the web server, there may be processing of personal data. On the one hand, your computer stores data, and on the other hand, the web server also has to store data for a while 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:

Professional hosting of the website and securing operation
Maintaining operational and IT security
Anonymous analysis of access behavior to improve our offer and potentially for law enforcement or pursuit of claims
What data is processed?
Even as you visit our website right now, our web server, which is the computer where this website is stored, typically automatically stores data such as:
• The complete internet address (URL) of the accessed website
• 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.example.com/whereIcamefrom/)
• The hostname 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?
In general, the above-mentioned data is stored for two weeks and then automatically deleted. We do not pass on this data, but we cannot exclude the possibility that this data may be viewed by authorities in the event of unlawful behavior.

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

Legal basis
The lawfulness of the processing of personal data in the context of web hosting is based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (Legitimate interests) because the use of professional hosting with a provider is necessary to present the company securely and user-friendly on the Internet and to be able to pursue attacks and claims if necessary.

There is usually a contract for order processing between us and the hosting provider in accordance with Art. 28 et seq. GDPR, which ensures compliance with data protection and guarantees data security.

Web Analytics Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected individuals: Website visitors
🤝 Purpose: Evaluation of visitor information to optimize the web offering.
📓 Processed data: Access statistics containing data such as access locations, device data, access duration and time, navigation behavior, click behavior, and IP addresses. More details can be found with the respective web analytics tool.
📅 Storage duration: Depends on the web analytics tool used
⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR (Consent), Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (Legitimate interests)

What is Web Analytics?
We use software on our website to analyze the behavior of website visitors, commonly referred to as web analytics or web analysis. Data is collected, stored, managed, and processed by the respective analytic tool provider (also called tracking tool). Using the data, analyses of user behavior on our website are created and provided to us as website operators. In addition, most tools offer various testing options. For example, we can test which offers or content are most popular with our visitors. For such test procedures, as well as for other analytics procedures, user profiles can be created, and the data can be stored in cookies.

Why do we operate Web Analytics?
With our website, we have a clear goal in mind: we want to deliver the best web offering on the market for our industry. To achieve this goal, we want to offer the best and most interesting offer on the one hand and ensure that you feel completely comfortable on our website on the other hand. With the help of web analytics tools, we can take a closer look at the behavior of our website visitors and then improve our web offering for you and us accordingly. For example, we can see how old our visitors are on average, where they come from, when our website is most visited, or which content or products are particularly popular. All this information helps us optimize the website and adapt it perfectly to your needs, interests, and wishes.

What data is processed?
The exact data stored depends, of course, on the analysis tools used. However, in general, it is stored, for example, which content you view on our website, which buttons or links you click on, when you visit a page, which browser you use, which device (PC, tablet, smartphone, etc.) you use to visit the website, or which computer system you use. If you have agreed to the collection of location data, this data can also be processed by the web analytics tool provider.

Your IP address is also stored. According to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), IP addresses are personal data. However, your IP address is usually stored in pseudonymized form (i.e., in unrecognizable and shortened form). For the purpose of tests, web analysis, and web optimization, no direct data, such as your name, age, address, or email address, is generally stored. All this data, if collected, is stored in pseudonymized form. So, you cannot be identified as a person.

The following example schematically shows the functioning of Google Analytics as an example of client-based web tracking with JavaScript code.
The duration for which the respective data is stored always depends on the provider. Some cookies store data only for a few minutes or until you leave the website, while others can store data for several years.

Duration of Data Processing
We will inform you below about the duration of data processing if we have further information on it. In general, we process personal data only for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. If legally required, such as in the case of accounting, this storage period can also be exceeded.

Right to Object
You also have the right and the possibility to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third parties at any time. This can be done either through our cookie management tool or through other opt-out functions. For example, you can prevent data collection by cookies by managing, disabling, or deleting cookies in your browser.

Legal Basis
The use of web analytics requires your consent, which we obtained through our cookie popup. This consent constitutes the legal basis for the processing of personal data as it occurs when collected by web analytics tools, according to Article 6(1)(a) GDPR (consent).

In addition to consent, we have a legitimate interest in analyzing the behavior of website visitors to improve our offering technically and economically. By using web analytics, we can identify website errors, detect attacks, and improve profitability. The legal basis for this is Article 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use these tools if consent has been given.

Since cookies are used in web analytics tools, we also recommend reading our general cookie privacy policy. To find out exactly what data is stored and processed from you, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Information on specific web analytics tools will be provided in the following sections if available.

Email Marketing Summary
👥 Concerned: Newsletter subscribers
🤝 Purpose: Direct advertising via email, notification of system-relevant events
📓 Processed data: Entered data during registration, at least the email address
📅 Storage period: Duration of the subscription
⚖️ Legal bases: Article 6(1)(a) GDPR (consent), Article 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Email Marketing?
To keep you informed, we also utilize email marketing if you have agreed to receive our emails or newsletters. Email marketing is a subset of online marketing. It involves sending news or general information about a company, products, or services via email to a specific group of people interested in them.

If you wish to participate in our email marketing (usually via newsletters), you usually just need to sign up with your email address. You fill out an online form and submit it. However, we may also ask for your salutation and name so that we can address you personally.

Newsletter sign-up typically utilizes the “double-opt-in” procedure. After signing up for our newsletter on our website, you will receive an email to confirm your newsletter subscription. This ensures that the email address belongs to you and that no one has signed up with a foreign email address. We or a notification tool we use log each individual registration. This is necessary so that we can always demonstrate the legally correct registration process. Typically, the time of registration, the time of registration confirmation, and your IP address are stored. Additionally, changes to your stored data are also logged.

Why Do We Use Email Marketing?
Naturally, we want to stay in touch with you and always present the most important news about our company. For this reason, we use email marketing – often referred to as newsletters – as an essential part of our online marketing. If you agree or it is legally allowed, we send you newsletters, system emails, or other notifications via email. When we use the term “newsletter” in the following text, we primarily mean regularly sent emails. Of course, we never want to bother you with our newsletters. That’s why we always strive to provide only relevant and interesting content. For example, you can learn more about our company, our services, or products. Since we are always improving our offers, you will also learn about news or special lucrative promotions through our newsletter. If we commission a service provider who offers a professional email marketing tool for our email marketing, we do so to provide you with fast and secure newsletters. The purpose of our email marketing is generally to inform you about new offers and also to get closer to our entrepreneurial goals.

What Data is Processed?
When you become a subscriber to our newsletter through our website, you confirm your membership in an email list via email. In addition to IP address and email address, your salutation, name, address, and telephone number can also be stored. However, only if you agree to this data storage. The data marked as such is necessary for you to participate in the service offered. Providing this information is voluntary, but not providing it will result in you being unable to use the service. Additionally, information about your device or your preferred content on our website may also be stored. More about data storage when visiting a website can be found in the section “Automatic Data Storage.” We record your consent declaration so that we can always demonstrate that it complies with our laws.

Duration of Data Processing
If you unsubscribe from our email/newsletter distribution list, we are allowed to store your email address for up to three years based on our legitimate interests, so that we can still prove your previous consent. We may process this data only if we need to defend against any claims.

However, if you confirm that you have given us consent to subscribe to the newsletter, you can request an individual deletion at any time. If you permanently object to the consent, we reserve the right to store your email address in a blocking list. As long as you voluntarily subscribed to our newsletter, we will of course also keep your email address.

Right to Object
You have the right to cancel your newsletter subscription at any time. You only need to revoke your consent to subscribe to the newsletter. This usually takes only a few seconds or one or two clicks. Most of the time, you will find a link at the end of each email to cancel the newsletter subscription. If the link is really not found in the newsletter, please contact us by email, and we will immediately cancel your newsletter subscription.

Legal Basis
Sending our newsletter is based on your consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR). This means that we are only allowed to send you a newsletter if you have actively signed up for it beforehand. If you become our customer, we may also send you advertising messages if you have not objected to the use of your email address for direct advertising.

Information about specific email marketing services and how they process personal data can be found, if available, in the following sections.

Summary of Social Media Privacy Policy
👥 Concerned: Website visitors
🤝 Purpose: Presentation and optimization of our service, 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. More details can be found in the respective social media tool used.
📅 Storage period: depends on the social media platforms used
⚖️ Legal bases: Article 6(1)(a) GDPR (consent), Article 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is Social Media?
In addition to our website, we are also active on various social media platforms. Data from users may be processed so that we can specifically address users who are interested in us through social networks. Furthermore, elements of a social media platform may also be directly embedded into our website. This is the case, for example, when you click on a so-called social button on our website and are directly redirected to our social media presence. Social media refers to websites and apps where registered members can produce content, share content openly or in specific groups, and connect with other members.

Why Do We Use Social Media?
For years, social media platforms have been the place where people communicate and connect online. With our social media presence, we can introduce our products and services to interested parties. The social media elements integrated into our website help you quickly and easily switch to our social media content.

The data stored and processed through your use of a social media channel primarily serves the purpose of conducting web analytics. The aim of these analyses is to develop more accurate and personalized marketing and advertising strategies. Depending on your behavior on a social media platform, suitable conclusions can be drawn about your interests with the help of the analyzed data, and so-called user profiles can be created. This allows platforms to present you with tailored advertisements. Usually, cookies are set in your browser for this purpose, storing data about your usage behavior.

We generally assume that we remain responsible for data protection even when using 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 can be jointly responsible with us within the meaning of Article 26 GDPR. If this is the case, we will specifically point this out and work based on an agreement. The essential part of the agreement will then be reproduced further below for the respective platform.

Please note that when using social media platforms or our integrated elements, data from you 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 find it more difficult to enforce your rights regarding your personal data.

What Data is Processed?
The data stored and processed depends on the respective provider of the social media platform. However, it usually includes data such as telephone numbers, email addresses, data you enter into 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. Specifically, if you have a profile on the visited social media channel and are logged in, data can be linked to your profile.

All data collected via a social media platform is also stored on the providers’ servers. Therefore, 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 to object to data processing, you should carefully read the respective company’s privacy policy. Also, if you have questions about data storage and processing or want to assert corresponding rights, we recommend contacting the provider directly.

Duration of Data Processing
We will inform you about the duration of data processing below if we have further information about it. For example, Facebook stores data until it is no longer needed for its own purposes. However, customer data that is compared with its own user data is deleted within two days. In general, we process personal data only for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. If legally required, such as in the case of accounting, this storage period can also be exceeded.

Right to Object
You also have the right and the possibility to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third parties such as embedded social media elements at any time. This can be done either through our cookie management tool or through other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection by cookies by managing, disabling, or deleting cookies in your browser.
Since cookies may be used in social media tools, we also recommend reading our general privacy policy on cookies. To find out exactly what data is stored and processed from you, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Legal Basis
If you have consented to the processing and storage of data by embedded social media elements, this consent serves as the legal basis for data processing (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). In principle, your data is also stored and processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) in quick and effective communication with you or other customers and business partners, provided you have given consent. However, we only use these tools if you have given consent. Most social media platforms also use cookies in your browser to store data. Therefore, we recommend that you read our privacy text on cookies carefully and review the privacy policy or cookie policies of the respective service provider.
Information about specific social media platforms can be found – if available – in the following sections.

Cookie Consent Management Platform Summary
👥 Affected: Website visitors
🤝 Purpose: Obtaining and managing consent for specific cookies and thus the use of specific tools
📓 Processed data: Data for managing the cookie settings such as IP address, time of consent, type of consent, individual consents. More details can be found in the respective tool used.
📅 Storage period: Depends on the tool used, one must expect periods of several years
⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit.f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is a Cookie Consent Management Platform?
We use a Consent Management Platform (CMP) software on our website, which facilitates the correct and secure handling of scripts and cookies used by us and you. The software automatically creates a cookie popup, scans and controls all scripts and cookies, provides a legally required cookie consent for you, and helps us and you keep track of all cookies. With most Cookie Consent Management Tools, all existing cookies are identified and categorized. As a website visitor, you then decide for yourself whether and which scripts and cookies you allow or disallow. The following graphic illustrates the relationship between browser, web server, and CMP.

Why Do We Use a Cookie Management Tool?
Our goal is to provide you with the best possible transparency in terms of data protection. Furthermore, we are legally obliged to do so. We want to inform you as well as possible about all tools and all cookies that can store and process data from you. It is also your right to decide for yourself which cookies you accept and which you do not. In order to grant you this right, we must first know exactly which cookies have landed on our website. Thanks to a cookie management tool that regularly scans the website for all existing cookies, we are informed about all cookies and can provide you with GDPR-compliant information about them. You can then accept or reject cookies via the consent system.

What Data is Processed?
Within the framework of our cookie management tool, you can manage each individual cookie yourself and have full control over the storage and processing of your data. The declaration of your consent is stored so that we do not have to ask you for it again every time you visit our website, and we can also provide proof of your consent if legally required. This is stored either in an opt-in cookie or on a server. Depending on the provider of the cookie management tool, the storage period of your cookie consent varies. Usually, this data (such as pseudonymous user ID, consent time, detailed information about cookie categories or tools, browser, device information) is stored for up to two years.

Duration of Data Processing
We will inform you about the duration of data processing below if we have further information about it. In general, we process personal data only for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide our services and products. Data stored in cookies is stored for different lengths of time. Some cookies are deleted as soon as you leave the website, while others can be stored in your browser for several years. The exact duration of data processing depends on the tool used, and you should generally expect a storage period of several years. In the respective privacy policies of the individual providers, you will usually receive precise information about the duration of data processing.

Right to Object
You also have the right and the possibility to revoke your consent to the use of cookies or third parties at any time. This can be done either through our cookie management tool or through other opt-out functions. For example, you can also prevent data collection by cookies by managing, disabling, or deleting cookies in your browser. Under certain circumstances, cookies may be used in social media tools, and we also recommend reading our general privacy policy on cookies. To find out exactly what data is stored and processed from you, you should read the privacy policies of the respective tools.

Legal Basis
If you consent to cookies, personal data about you will be processed and stored through these cookies. If we are allowed to use cookies through your consent (Article 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR), this consent is also the legal basis for the use of cookies or the processing of your data. To manage the consent to cookies and to enable you to give your consent, a cookie consent management platform software is used. The use of this software enables us to operate the website efficiently in compliance with the law, which represents a legitimate interest (Article 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR).

Web Design Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Website visitors
🤝 Purpose: Improving user experience
📓 Processed data: The data processed depends largely on the services used. Usually, it includes IP address, technical data, language settings, browser version, screen resolution, and browser name. More details can be found in the respective web design tools used.
📅 Storage period: Depends on the tools used
⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (Legitimate interests)

What is Web Design?
We use various tools on our website that serve our web design. Web design is not just about making our website look pretty, but also about functionality and performance. However, the appropriate appearance of a website is also one of the main goals of professional web design. Web design is a subfield of media design and deals with both the visual and structural and functional design of a website. The goal is to improve your experience on our website through web design. In web design jargon, this is referred to as User Experience (UX) and Usability. User Experience encompasses all impressions and experiences that the website visitor experiences on a website. A subcategory of User Experience is Usability, which focuses on the user-friendliness of a website. The emphasis here is on ensuring that content, subpages, or products are clearly structured and that you can easily and quickly find what you are looking for. To provide you with the best possible experience on our website, we also use so-called third-party web design tools. Therefore, in this privacy policy, the category “Web Design” includes all services that improve the design of our website. These can include fonts, various plugins, or other integrated web design features.

Why Do We Use Web Design Tools?
How you perceive information on a website depends very much on the structure, functionality, and visual perception of the website. Therefore, good and professional web design has become increasingly important for us as well. We are constantly working to improve our website, and we also see this as an extended service for you as a website visitor. Furthermore, a beautiful and functional website also has economic benefits for us. After all, you will only visit us and use our offers if you feel completely comfortable.

What Data is Stored by Web Design Tools?
When you visit our website, web design elements embedded in our pages may also process data. The exact data depends, of course, largely on the tools used. Below, you will see exactly which tools we use for our website. We recommend reading the privacy policy of the tools used for more information on data processing. Usually, you will find out there which data is processed, whether cookies are used, and how long the data is retained. For example, fonts such as Google Fonts automatically transfer information such as language settings, IP address, browser version, browser screen resolution, and browser name to Google servers.

Duration of Data Processing
How long data is processed varies widely and depends on the web design elements used. For example, if cookies are used, the retention period can be as short as one minute or as long as several years. Please inform yourself about this. We also recommend that you read the privacy policies of the providers. These should explain how long your data will be stored in each specific case.

Right to Object
If you have consented to data processing by a web design tool, you also have the right and the opportunity to revoke this consent at any time. Therefore, please always be aware that you have rights regarding your personal data and that you can exercise these rights at any time. If you do not want personal data to be processed, then no personal data may be processed. It’s as simple as that. Revoking data processing is easiest via a cookie consent tool or other opt-out functions. You can also manage cookie data storage directly in your browser. However, there are also data stored under web design elements (mostly with fonts) that cannot be deleted so easily. This is the case when data is automatically collected and transmitted to a third-party provider (such as Google) directly when a page is accessed. In this case, please contact the support of the respective provider. In the case of Google, you can reach support at https://support.google.com/?hl=en.

Legal Basis
If you have consented to the use of web design tools, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), this consent is the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as it may occur through web design tools. We also have a legitimate interest in using web design tools to improve the web design on our website. After all, we can only provide you with a beautiful and professional web offering. The corresponding legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use web design tools if you have given consent. We want to emphasize this once again at this point.
Information about specific web design tools is available – if available – in the following sections.

Online Booking Systems Privacy Policy Summary
👥 Affected: Website visitors
🤝 Purpose: Improving user experience and organization
📓 Processed data: The data processed depends largely on the services used. Usually, it includes IP address, contact and payment data, and/or technical data. More details can be found in the respective tools used.
📅 Storage period: Depends on the tools used
⚖️ Legal bases: Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests)

What is an Online Booking System?
To enable you to make bookings through our website, we use one or more booking systems. For example, appointments can be easily created online. A booking system is a software application integrated into our website that displays available resources (such as free appointments) and allows you to book directly online and often also to pay. You probably already know such booking systems from gastronomy or hospitality. Nowadays, such systems are used in various industries. Booking systems can be used internally for us as well as for customers like you, depending on the tool and settings. In most cases, personal data from you is also collected and stored.
Usually, the booking works as follows: You will find the booking system on our website, where you can book a service by clicking and providing your data directly. It may be that you can enter various information about yourself via a form. Please be aware that all data entered by you can be stored and managed in a database.

Why Do We Use an Online Booking System?
In a way, we also see our website as a free service for you. You should receive helpful information and feel completely comfortable on our site. This also includes an online service that makes it as easy as possible for you to book appointments or services. Gone are the days when you had to wait days for a booking confirmation by phone or email. With an online booking system, you have everything done after a few clicks and can go back to other things. The system also makes it easier for us to manage all bookings and appointments. Therefore, we consider such a booking system to be absolutely useful for both you and us.

What Data is Processed?
We cannot tell you exactly which data is processed in this general information text about booking systems. This largely depends on the tool used and the functions and options contained therein. Many booking systems offer not only the conventional booking function but also a range of additional features. For example, many systems also have an external online payment system (e.g., from Stripe, Klarna, or Paypal) and a calendar synchronization function integrated. Accordingly, different and varying amounts of data can be processed depending on the functions. Typically, data such as IP address, name and contact details, technical information about your device, and the time of booking are processed. If you also make a payment in the system, bank details such as account number, credit card number, passwords, TANs, etc. are also stored and passed on to the respective payment provider. We recommend reading the privacy policy of the tool used to find out exactly which data is processed from you.

Duration of Data Processing
Each booking system stores data for different lengths of time. Therefore, we cannot provide specific information about the duration of data processing here. However, personal data is generally only stored for as long as it is absolutely necessary to provide the services. Booking systems usually also use cookies that store information for different lengths of time. Some cookies are deleted immediately after leaving the page, while others can be stored for several years. You can find out more about this in our “Cookies” section. Please also check the respective privacy policies of the providers. These should explain how long your data will be stored in each specific case.

Right to Object
If you have consented to data processing by a booking system, you also have the right and the opportunity to revoke this consent at any time. Therefore, please always be aware that you have rights regarding your personal data and that you can exercise these rights at any time. If you do not want personal data to be processed, then no personal data may be processed. It’s as simple as that. Revoking data processing is easiest via a cookie consent tool or other opt-out functions. You can also manage cookie data storage directly in your browser. However, there are also data stored under booking systems (mostly with forms) that cannot be deleted so easily. This is the case when data is automatically collected and transmitted to a third-party provider (such as Google) directly when a page is accessed. In this case, please contact the support of the respective provider. In the case of Google, you can reach support at https://support.google.com/?hl=en.

Legal Basis
If you have consented to the use of booking systems, the legal basis for the corresponding data processing is this consent. According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR (consent), this consent is the legal basis for the processing of personal data, as it may occur through booking systems. Furthermore, we also have a legitimate interest in using booking systems, as this extends our customer service and optimizes our internal booking organization. The corresponding legal basis for this is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (legitimate interests). However, we only use the tools if you have given consent. We want to emphasize this once again at this point.

Information about specific booking systems is available – if available – in the following sections.

Congratulations! If you are reading these lines, you have really “fought your way through” our entire privacy policy, or at least scrolled to this point. As you can see from the extent of our privacy policy, we take the protection of your personal data anything but lightly.
It is important to us to inform you to the best of our knowledge and belief about the processing of personal data. However, we not only want to inform you about which data is processed but also to explain the reasons for the use of various software programs. Usually, privacy policies sound very technical and legal. However, since most of you are not web developers or lawyers, we also wanted to take a different linguistic approach and explain the matter in simple and clear language. This is not always possible due to the subject matter. Therefore, the most important terms are explained in more detail at the end of the privacy policy.
If you have any questions about data protection on our website, please do not hesitate to contact us or the responsible party. We wish you a pleasant time and hope to welcome you back to our website soon.