PV*SOL help > Privacy statement

Privacy statement

This data protection declaration explains to you the type, scope and purpose of the processing of personal data (hereinafter referred to as “data”) within our online offer and the associated websites, functions and contents as well as external online presences, e.g. our social media profile (hereinafter jointly referred to as “online offer”). With regard to the terms used, such as “processing” or “person responsible”, we refer to the definitions in Art. 4 of the Datenschutzgrundverordnung (DSGVO) in German. The DSGVO is an EU-regulation which is similar to the “General Data Protection Regulation” (GDPR).

Responsible

Valentin Software GmbH
Stralauer Platz 34
D-10243 Berlin
Germany

E-mail: info@valentin-software.com
Managing Director: Steffen Lindemann
Link to imprint: imprint
E-mail address for data protection issues: datenschutz@valentin-software.com

Types of data processed:

Inventory data (for example, names, addresses).
Contact details (e.g., e-mail, telephone numbers).
Content data (e.g., text input, photographs, videos).
Usage data (e.g., visited websites, interest in content, access times).
Meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses).
Usage data (e.g. features used in our software products PV*SOL, T*SOL and GeoT*SOL.)

Categories of persons concerned

Visitors and users of the online offer as well as users of our software products PV*SOL, T*SOL and GeoT*SOL. (In the following we will also summarize the persons concerned as “users”).

Purpose of processing

Provision of the online offer, its functions and contents.
Answer contact requests and communicate with users.
Security measures.
Range measurement/marketing
Improvement of our software products PV*SOL, T*SOL and GeoT*SOL

Terms used

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

“Processing” means any operation or series of operations carried out with or without the aid of automated procedures in connection with personal data. The term goes a long way and covers practically every handling of data.

“Pseudonymisation” means the processing of personal data in such a way that the personal data can no longer be attributed to a specific data subject without the use of additional information, provided that this additional information is kept separately and is subject to technical and organisational measures to ensure that the personal data are not attributed to an identified or identifiable natural person.

“Profiling” means any automated processing of personal data consisting in the use of such personal data to evaluate certain personal aspects relating to a natural person, in particular to analyse or predict aspects relating to the work performance, economic situation, health, personal preferences, interests, reliability, behaviour, location or relocation of that natural person.

“Responsible” means the natural or legal person, authority, institution or other body that alone or together with others decides on the purposes and means of processing personal data.

“Processor” means a natural or legal person, authority, institution or other body processing personal data on behalf of the controller.

Applicable legal bases

In accordance with Art. 13 DSGVO, we inform you of the legal basis of our data processing. If the legal basis is not mentioned in the data protection declaration, the following applies: The legal basis for obtaining consents is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a and Art. 7 DSGVO, the legal basis for processing for the performance of our services and performance of contractual measures as well as for answering inquiries is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b DSGVO, the legal basis for processing to fulfil our legal obligations is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c DSGVO, and the legal basis for processing to protect our legitimate interests is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DSGVO. In the event that the vital interests of the data subject or another natural person require the processing of personal data, Article 6(1)(d) DSGVO serves as the legal basis.

Safety precautions

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure a level of protection appropriate to the risk, taking into account the state of the art, implementation costs and the nature, scope, circumstances and purposes of processing as well as the different probability of occurrence and severity of the risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons, in accordance with Art. 32 DSGVO.

Such measures shall in particular include ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data by controlling physical access to the data, as well as the access, input, transmission, security of availability and its separation. Furthermore, we have established procedures to ensure the exercise of rights of data subjects, deletion of data and reaction to endangerment of data. Furthermore, we already consider the protection of personal data during the development or selection of hardware, software and procedures, in accordance with the principle of data protection through technology design and data protection-friendly presettings (Art. 25 DSGVO).

Cooperation with contract processors and third parties

If we disclose data to other persons and companies (contract processors or third parties) within the scope of our processing, transmit it to them or otherwise grant them access to the data, this shall only take place on the basis of a legal permission (e.g. if a transmission of the data to third parties, such as payment service providers, in accordance with Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b DSGVO for contract fulfilment is necessary), if you have consented, if a legal obligation provides for this or on the basis of our legitimate interests (e.g. when using agents, web hosts, etc.).

If we commission third parties with the processing of data on the basis of a so-called “order processing contract”, this is done on the basis of Art. 28 DSGVO.

Transfers to third countries

If we process data in a third country (i.e. outside the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA)) or if this occurs in the context of the use of third-party services or disclosure or transfer of data to third parties, this only takes place if it occurs for the fulfilment of our (pre)contractual obligations, on the basis of your consent, on the basis of a legal obligation or on the basis of our legitimate interests. Subject to legal or contractual permissions, we process or leave the data in a third country only if the special requirements of Art. 44 ff. Process DSGVO. This means, for example, processing is carried out on the basis of special guarantees, such as the officially recognised determination of a data protection level corresponding to the EU (e.g. for the USA by the “Privacy Shield”) or compliance with officially recognised special contractual obligations (so-called “standard contractual clauses”).

Rights of persons concerned

You have the right to request confirmation as to whether the data concerned are being processed and to request information about these data as well as further information and a copy of the data in accordance with Art. 15 DSGVO.

In accordance with Article 16 of the DSBER, you have the right to request the completion of data concerning you or the correction of inaccurate data concerning you.

In accordance with Art. 17 DSGVO, you have the right to demand that relevant data be deleted immediately or, alternatively, to demand a restriction on the processing of the data in accordance with Art. 18 DSGVO.

You have the right to request that the data concerning you that you have provided to us be received in accordance with Art. 20 DSGVO and to request its transmission to other persons responsible.

In accordance with Art. 77 DSGVO, they also have the right to file a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.

Right of revocation

You have the right to revoke consents granted pursuant to Art. 7 para. 3 DSGVO with future effect.

Right of objection

You can object to the future processing of the data concerning you in accordance with Art. 21 DSGVO at any time. The objection may be lodged in particular against processing for direct marketing purposes.

Cookies and right of objection in direct advertising

Cookies” are small files that are stored on the user’s computer. Different data can be stored within the cookies. A cookie is primarily used to store information about a user (or the device on which the cookie is stored) during or after his or her visit to an online offer. Temporary cookies, or “session cookies” or “transient cookies”, are cookies that are deleted after a user leaves an online offer and closes his browser. In such a cookie, for example, the content of a shopping basket in an online shop or a login status can be stored. Cookies are referred to as “permanent” or “persistent” and remain stored even after the browser is closed. For example, the login status can be saved when users visit it after several days. Likewise, the interests of users used for range measurement or marketing purposes may be stored in such a cookie. Third-party cookies” are cookies that are offered by providers other than the person responsible for operating the online offer (otherwise, if they are only its cookies, they are referred to as “first-party cookies”).

We may use temporary and permanent cookies and clarify this within the framework of our data protection declaration.

If users do not want cookies to be stored on their computer, they are asked to deactivate the corresponding option in the system settings of their browser. Stored cookies can be deleted in the system settings of the browser. The exclusion of cookies can lead to functional restrictions of this online offer.

A general objection to the use of cookies used for online marketing purposes can be declared for many of the services, especially in the case of tracking, via the US site http://www.aboutads.info/choices/ or the EU site http://www.youronlinechoices.com/. Furthermore, the storage of cookies can be achieved by deactivating them in the browser settings. Please note that in this case not all functions of this online offer can be used.

Deletion of data

The data processed by us will be deleted or their processing restricted in accordance with Articles 17 and 18 DSGVO.Unless expressly stated in this data protection declaration, the data stored by us will be deleted as soon as it is no longer required for its intended purpose and the deletion does not conflict with any statutory storage obligations. If the data are not deleted because they are necessary for other and legally permissible purposes, their processing is restricted. This means that the data is blocked and not processed for other purposes. This applies, for example, to data that must be retained for commercial or tax reasons.

According to legal requirements in Germany, the storage is carried out in particular for 10 years in accordance with §§ 147 para. 1 AO, 257 para. 1 no. 1 and 4, para. 4 HGB (books, records, management reports, accounting documents, trading books, documents relevant for taxation, etc.) and 6 years in accordance with § 257 para. 1 no. 2 and 3, para. 4 HGB (commercial letters).

In accordance with legal requirements in Austria, storage is carried out in particular for 7 years in accordance with § 132 (1) BAO (accounting documents, receipts/invoices, accounts, receipts, business papers, statement of income and expenses, etc.), for 22 years in connection with real estate and for 10 years for documents in connection with electronically provided services, telecommunications, radio and television services which are provided to non-entrepreneurs in EU member states and for which the Mini-One-Stop-Shop (MOSS) is used.

Business processing

Additionally we process

Contract data (for example, contract object, term, customer category).
Payment data (e.g., bank details, payment history)

from our customers, prospects and business partners for the purpose of providing contractual services, service and customer care, marketing, advertising and market research.

Order processing in the online shop and customer account

We process the data of our customers in the context of the order processes in our online shop to enable them to select and order the selected products and services, as well as their payment and delivery, or execution.

The processed data includes inventory data, communication data, contract data, payment data and the persons affected by the processing include our customers, interested parties and other business partners. The processing takes place for the purpose of providing contractual services in the context of operating an online shop, billing, delivery and customer services. We use session cookies for storing the contents of the shopping cart and permanent cookies for storing the login status.

Processing is carried out on the basis of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b (execution of order processes) and c (legally required archiving) DSGVO. The information marked as necessary is required to establish and fulfil the contract. We disclose the data to third parties only within the framework of delivery, payment or within the framework of legal permits and obligations to legal advisors and authorities. The data will only be processed in third countries if this is necessary for the fulfilment of the contract (e.g. at the customer’s request upon delivery or payment). Furthermore, when purchasing the product Meteonorm, the transmission of your data to the software manufacturer (Meteotest in Switzerland; http://www.meteotest.ch/) is required to activate the software.

Users can optionally create a user account, in particular by viewing their orders. During the registration process, the required information will be communicated to the users. The user accounts are not public and cannot be indexed by search engines. If users have terminated their user account, their data will be deleted with regard to the user account, subject to its storage is necessary for commercial or tax reasons according to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. c DSGVO. Data in the customer account remain up to its deletion with subsequent archiving in the case of a legal obligation. It is up to the users to save their data before the end of the contract if they have given notice of termination.

When registering, re-registering and using our online services, we store the IP address and the time of the respective user action. The data is stored on the basis of our legitimate interests as well as the user’s protection against misuse and other unauthorized use. A passing on of this data to third parties does not take place in principle, unless it is necessary for the pursuit of our claims or there is a legal obligation according to Art. 6 Abs. 1 lit. c DSGVO.

The deletion takes place after the expiry of statutory warranty and comparable obligations, the necessity of data storage is reviewed every three years; in the case of statutory archiving obligations, the deletion takes place after their expiry (end of commercial law (6 years) and tax law (10 years) storage obligation).

Agency services

We process our customers’ data as part of our contractual services, which include conceptual and strategic consulting, campaign planning, software and design development / consulting or maintenance, implementation of campaigns and processes / handling, server administration, data analysis / consulting services and training services.

We process inventory data (e.g., customer master data, such as names or addresses), contact data (e.g., e-mail, telephone numbers), content data (e.g., text entries, photographs, videos), contract data (e.g., subject matter of the contract, term), payment data (e.g., bank details, payment history), usage and metadata (e.g. as part of the evaluation and performance measurement of marketing measures). We do not process special categories of personal data unless these are part of commissioned processing. This includes our customers, prospects, their customers, users, website visitors or employees, as well as third parties. The purpose of the processing is to provide contractual services, billing and our customer service. The legal basis for processing results from Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b DSGVO (contractual services), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DSGVO (analysis, statistics, optimisation, safety measures). We process data which are necessary to justify and fulfil the contractual services and point out the necessity of their disclosure. Disclosure to external parties only takes place if it is necessary within the framework of an order. When processing the data provided to us within the scope of an order, we act in accordance with the instructions of the client and the legal requirements for order processing pursuant to Art. 28 DSGVO and process the data for no other purposes than those stipulated in the order.

We delete the data after the expiry of statutory warranty and comparable obligations. The necessity of storing the data is checked every three years; in the case of statutory archiving obligations, the data is deleted after their expiry (6 years, in accordance with § 257 Paragraph 1 HGB, 10 years, in accordance with § 147 Paragraph 1 AO). In the case of data disclosed to us within the scope of an order by the customer, we delete the data in accordance with the specifications of the order, generally after the end of the order.

External payment service providers

We use external payment service providers through whose platforms users and we can make payment transactions (e.g., each with a link to the data protection declaration, Paypal (https://www.paypal.com/de/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full), Klarna (https://www.klarna.com/de/datenschutz/), Skrill (https://www.skrill.com/de/fusszeile/datenschutzrichtlinie/), Giropay (https://www.giropay.de/rechtliches/datenschutz-agb/), Visa (https://www.visa.de/datenschutz), Mastercard (https://www.mastercard.de/de-de/datenschutz.html), American Express (https://www.americanexpress.com/de/content/privacy-policy-statement.html)

As part of the fulfilment of contracts, we suspend the payment service providers on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b. DSGVO. Furthermore, we employ external payment service providers on the basis of our legitimate interests in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b. DSGVO to provide our users with effective and secure payment options.

The data processed by the payment service providers includes inventory data such as name and address, bank data such as account numbers or credit card numbers, passwords, TANs and checksums as well as contract, totals and recipient information. This information is required to execute the transactions. However, the data entered will only be processed and stored by the payment service providers. This means that we do not receive any account or credit card related information, but only information with confirmation or negative information about the payment. The data may be transferred by the payment service providers to credit agencies. The purpose of this transmission is to verify identity and creditworthiness. For this we refer to the terms and conditions and data protection information of the payment service providers.

For payment transactions, the terms and conditions and the data protection information of the respective payment service providers, which can be accessed within the respective websites or transaction applications, apply. We refer to these also for the purpose of further information and assertion of rights of revocation, information and other interested parties.

Administration, financial accounting, office organization, contact management

We process data within the framework of administrative tasks as well as the organisation of our company, financial accounting and compliance with legal obligations, e.g. archiving. We process the same data that we process in the course of providing our contractual services. The processing bases are Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c. DSGVO, Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. DSGVO. Customers, prospects, business partners and website visitors are affected by the processing. The purpose and our interest in the processing lies in the administration, financial accounting, office organization, archiving of data, thus tasks which serve the maintenance of our business activities, perception of our tasks and provision of our services. The deletion of the data with regard to contractual services and contractual communication corresponds to the information provided in these processing activities.

We disclose or transmit data to the tax authorities, consultants, such as tax consultants or auditors, as well as other fee offices and payment service providers.

Furthermore, we store information on suppliers, event organisers and other business partners on the basis of our business interests, e.g. for the purpose of making contact at a later date. We store this data, which is mainly company-related, permanently.

Business analyses and market research

In order to operate our business economically, to be able to recognize market tendencies, wishes of the contracting parties and users, we analyze the data available to us to business processes, contracts, inquiries, etc.. We process inventory data, communication data, contract data, payment data, usage data, metadata on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. DSGVO, whereby the persons concerned include contractual partners, interested parties, customers, visitors and users of our online offer.

The analyses are carried out for the purpose of economic evaluations, marketing and market research. We can take into account the profiles of registered users with information, e.g. on the services they have used. The analyses serve us to increase the user-friendliness, the optimization of our offer and the economic efficiency. The analyses serve us alone and are not disclosed externally, unless they are anonymous analyses with aggregated values.

If these analyses or profiles are personal, they will be deleted or made anonymous upon termination of the user, otherwise after two years from the conclusion of the contract. For the rest, macroeconomic analyses and general trend determinations are prepared anonymously wherever possible.

Data protection information in the application process

We process the applicant data only for the purpose and in the context of the application procedure in accordance with the legal requirements. The processing of the applicant data takes place in order to fulfil our (pre)contractual obligations in the context of the application procedure within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b. DSGVO Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. DSGVO if data processing becomes necessary for us, e.g. within the framework of legal procedures (in Germany § 26 BDSG additionally applies).

The application procedure requires that applicants provide us with their data. If we offer an online form, the necessary applicant data are marked otherwise result from the job descriptions and generally include personal data, postal and contact addresses and the documents belonging to the application, such as cover letter, curriculum vitae and certificates. In addition, applicants may voluntarily provide us with additional information.

By submitting the application to us, applicants agree to the processing of their data for the purposes of the application procedure in accordance with the type and scope set out in this data protection declaration.

Insofar as special categories of personal data within the meaning of Art. 9 para. 1 DSGVO are voluntarily communicated within the scope of the application procedure, they are additionally processed in accordance with Art. 9 para. 2 letter b DSGVO (e.g. health data, e.g. severely disabled status or ethnic origin). If special categories of personal data within the meaning of Art. 9 para. 1 DSGVO are requested from applicants during the application procedure, they are additionally processed in accordance with Art. 9 para. 2 lit. a DSGVO (e.g. health data, if these are required for the exercise of the profession).

If made available, applicants can send us their applications via an online form on our website. The data is encrypted and transmitted to us according to the state of the art. Applicants can also send us their applications by e-mail. Please note, however, that e-mails are generally not sent in encrypted form and that the applicants themselves must ensure that they are encrypted. We cannot therefore accept any responsibility for the transmission of the application between the sender and receipt on our server and therefore recommend that you use an online form or the postal dispatch. Instead of using the online application form and e-mail, applicants can still send us their application by post.

If the application is successful, the data provided by the applicants can be further processed by us for the purpose of employment. Otherwise, if the application for a job offer is not successful, the applicants’ data will be deleted. Applicants’ data will also be deleted if an application is withdrawn, which the applicants are entitled to do at any time.

The deletion will take place after a period of six months, subject to a justified revocation by the applicant, so that we can answer any follow-up questions to the application and meet our obligations under the Equal Treatment Act. Invoices for any reimbursement of travel expenses are archived in accordance with tax regulations.

Registration function

Users can create a user account. Within the scope of registration, the required mandatory data are communicated to the users and processed on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 letter b DSGVO for the purpose of providing the user account. The processed data includes in particular the login information (name, password and an e-mail address). The data entered during registration will be used for the purpose of using the user account and its purpose.

Users may be notified by e-mail of information relevant to their user account, such as technical changes. If users have cancelled their user account, their data will be deleted with regard to the user account, subject to a statutory retention obligation. It is up to the users to save their data before the end of the contract if they have given notice of termination. We are entitled to irretrievably delete all user data stored during the term of the contract.

As part of the use of our registration and login functions as well as the use of the user account, we store the IP address and the time of the respective user action. The data is stored on the basis of our legitimate interests as well as the user’s protection against misuse and other unauthorized use. A passing on of this data to third parties does not take place in principle, unless it is necessary to pursue our claims or there is a legal obligation in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c DSGVO. The IP addresses are anonymized or deleted after 7 days at the latest.

Comments and contributions

If users leave comments or other contributions, their IP addresses may be used on the basis of our legitimate interests within the meaning of Art. 6 (1) (f). DSGVO for 7 days. This takes place for our safety, if someone leaves illegal contents in comments and contributions (insults, forbidden political propaganda, etc.). In this case we can be prosecuted ourselves for the comment or contribution and are therefore interested in the identity of the author.

Furthermore, we reserve the right, on the basis of our legitimate interests pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. DSGVO to process user information for spam detection.

The data provided in the context of comments and contributions will be permanently stored by us until the user objects.

Comment subscriptions

Users may subscribe to the follow-up comments with their consent in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a DSGVO. Users will receive a confirmation email to verify that they are the owner of the email address they entered. Users can unsubscribe from ongoing comment subscriptions at any time. The confirmation email will contain information on the cancellation options. For the purpose of providing proof of user consent, we store the time of registration together with the IP address of the users and delete this information when users unsubscribe from the subscription.

You can cancel the receipt of our subscription at any time, i.e. revoke your consent. We may store the e-mail addresses we have unsubscribed for up to three years on the basis of our legitimate interests before we delete them in order to be able to prove a previously given consent. The processing of these data is limited to the purpose of a possible defence against claims. An individual application for cancellation is possible at any time, provided that at the same time the former existence of a consent is confirmed.

Contacting

When contacting us (e.g. via contact form, e-mail, telephone or social media), the user’s details are processed for processing the contact enquiry and its processing in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b) DSGVO. User information can be stored in a customer relationship management system (“CRM system”) or comparable request organization.

We delete the requests if they are no longer necessary. We review this requirement every two years; the statutory archiving obligations also apply.

With the following information we inform you about the contents of our newsletter as well as the registration, dispatch and statistical evaluation procedure and your rights of objection. By subscribing to our newsletter you agree to the receipt and the described procedures.

Content of the newsletter: We send newsletters, e-mails and other electronic notifications containing advertising information (hereinafter “newsletters”) only with the consent of the recipients or a legal permission. If the contents of a newsletter are specifically described within the scope of a registration, they are decisive for the consent of the users. In addition, our newsletters contain information about our services and us.

Double opt-in and logging: Subscription to our newsletter takes place in a so-called double opt-in procedure. This means that after registration you will receive an e-mail asking you to confirm your registration. This confirmation is necessary so that no one can log in with other e-mail addresses. Subscriptions to the newsletter are logged in order to be able to prove the registration process in accordance with legal requirements. This includes the storage of the login and confirmation time, as well as the IP address. The changes to your data stored with the shipping service provider are also logged.

Credentials: To subscribe to the newsletter, simply enter your e-mail address. Optionally, we ask you to enter a name in the newsletter in order to address us personally.

The dispatch of the newsletter and the performance measurement associated with it are based on the recipient’s consent pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a, Art. 7 DSGVO in conjunction with § 7 para. 2 no. 3 UWG or, if consent is not required, on the basis of our legitimate interests in direct marketing pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lt. f. DSGVO in conjunction with Section 7 para. 3 UWG.

The registration procedure is recorded on the basis of our legitimate interests pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DSGVO. We are interested in the use of a user-friendly and secure newsletter system that serves both our business interests and the expectations of users and also allows us to provide proof of consent.

Cancellation/Revocation - You can cancel the receipt of our newsletter at any time, i.e. revoke your consent. You will find a link to cancel the newsletter at the end of each newsletter. We may store the e-mail addresses we have unsubscribed for up to three years on the basis of our legitimate interests before we delete them in order to be able to prove a previously given consent. The processing of these data is limited to the purpose of a possible defence against claims. An individual application for cancellation is possible at any time, provided that at the same time the former existence of a consent is confirmed.

The newsletter is sent by the mail service provider “MailChimp”, a newsletter delivery platform of the US provider Rocket Science Group, LLC, 675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE #5000, Atlanta, GA 30308, USA. The data protection regulations of the shipping service provider can be viewed here: https://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy/. The Rocket Science Group LLC d/b/a MailChimp is certified under the Privacy Shield Agreement and thus offers a guarantee to comply with the European data protection level (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000TO6hAAG&status=Active). The dispatch service provider is used on the basis of our legitimate interests according to Art. 6 Para. 1 letter f DSGVO and an order processing contract according to Art. 28 Para. 3 S. 1 DSGVO.

The shipping service provider can use the recipient’s data in pseudonymous form, i.e. without assignment to a user, to optimize or improve its own services, e.g. to technically optimize the dispatch and presentation of the newsletter or for statistical purposes. However, the shipping service does not use the data of our newsletter recipients to write them down itself or to pass the data on to third parties.

The newsletters contain a so-called “web-beacon”, i.e. a pixel-sized file which is downloaded from our server when the newsletter is opened or, if we use a shipping service provider, from whose server. Within the scope of this retrieval, technical information, such as information about the browser and your system, as well as your IP address and time of retrieval are initially collected.

This information is used to technically improve the services based on the technical data or the target groups and their reading behaviour based on their retrieval locations (which can be determined using the IP address) or access times. The statistical surveys also include determining whether the newsletters are opened, when they are opened and which links are clicked. For technical reasons, this information can be assigned to the individual newsletter recipients. However, it is neither our endeavour, nor, if used, that of the shipping service provider, to observe individual users. The evaluations serve us much more to recognize the reading habits of our users and to adapt our contents to them or to send different contents according to the interests of our users.

Hosting and e-mail dispatch

The hosting services we use serve to provide the following services: Infrastructure and platform services, computing capacity, storage space and database services, e-mail delivery, security services and technical maintenance services that we use for the purpose of operating this online offer.

We or our hosting provider process inventory data, contact data, content data, contract data, usage data, meta- and communication data of customers, interested parties and visitors of this online offer on the basis of our legitimate interests in an efficient and secure provision of this online offer according to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f DSGVO in conjunction with. Art. 28 DSGVO (conclusion of order processing contract).

Collection of access data and log files

We, or our hosting provider, collect the following data on the basis of our legitimate interests within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. DSGVO data on each access to the server on which this service is located (so-called server log files). Access data includes the name of the accessed website, file, date and time of access, transferred data volume, notification of successful access, browser type and version, the user’s operating system, referrer URL (the previously visited page), IP address and the requesting provider.

Log file information is stored for a maximum of 7 days for security reasons (e.g. to investigate misuse or fraud) and then deleted. Data whose further storage is required for evidentiary purposes are excluded from deletion until the respective incident has been finally clarified.

Range measurement with Matomo

Within the scope of Matomo’s range analysis, based on our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in the analysis, optimization and economic operation of our online offer within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. DSGVO) processes the following data: the browser type and version you use, the operating system you use, your country of origin, date and time of the server request, the number of visits, your time spent on the website and the external links you click. The IP address of the users is anonymized before it is stored.

Matomo uses cookies which are stored on the user’s computer and which enable an analysis of the use of our online offer by the user. Pseudonymous user profiles can be created from the processed data. The cookies are stored for one week. The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website is only stored on our server and not passed on to third parties.

Users can object to the anonymized data collection by the Matomo program at any time with effect for the future by clicking on the link below. In this case, a so-called opt-out cookie is stored in your browser, which means that Matomo no longer collects any session data. If users delete their cookies, however, this means that the opt-out cookie is also deleted and must therefore be activated again by the users.

The logs containing user data will be deleted after 6 months at the latest.

Anonymous usage data with Matomo

In our software PV*SOL we use the tool Matomo to collect anonymous usage data. The transfer of this data is voluntary and can be switched off by the user during the installation of the software and at any time in the program via the program options. No personal data is transmitted with the data collected: The IP address is made anonymous and no project data is collected that could contain personal data.

We maintain online presences within social networks and platforms in order to communicate with active customers, interested parties and users and to inform them about our services. When accessing the respective networks and platforms, the terms and conditions and the data processing guidelines of their respective operators apply.

Unless otherwise stated in our privacy policy, we process the data of users who communicate with us within social networks and platforms, e.g. write articles on our websites or send us messages.

Integration of third-party services and content

Within our online offer, we make no representations or warranties of any kind based on our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in the analysis, optimisation and economic operation of our online offer within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. DSGVO) content or service offerings of third parties to incorporate their content and services, such as videos or fonts (hereinafter uniformly referred to as “content”).

This always presupposes that the third party providers of this content perceive the IP address of the users, since without the IP address they could not send the content to their browser. The IP address is therefore required for the display of this content. We make every effort to use only those contents whose respective providers use the IP address only for the delivery of the contents. Third-party providers may also use so-called pixel tags (invisible graphics, also known as “web beacons”) for statistical or marketing purposes. Pixel tags” can be used to evaluate information such as visitor traffic on the pages of this website. The pseudonymous information may also be stored in cookies on the user’s device and may include technical information about the browser and operating system, referring websites, visiting time and other information about the use of our online offer, as well as be linked to such information from other sources.

Vimeo

We can integrate the videos of the platform “Vimeo” of the provider Vimeo Inc, Attention: Legal Department, 555 West 18th Street New York, New York 10011, USA. Privacy policy: https://vimeo.com/privacy. We point out that Vimeo may use Google Analytics and refer to the privacy policy (https://www.google.com/policies/privacy) and opt-out options for Google Analytics (http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en) or Google’s settings for data use for marketing purposes (https://adssettings.google.com/).

Youtube

We integrate the videos of the platform “YouTube” of the provider Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Privacy Policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.

Google Fonts

We integrate the fonts (“Google Fonts”) of the provider Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Privacy Policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.

Google ReCaptcha

We integrate the function for the recognition of bots, e.g. for entries in online forms (“ReCaptcha”) of the provider Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Privacy Policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.

Google Maps

We integrate the maps of the service “Google Maps” of the provider Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. The processed data may include in particular IP addresses and location data of the users, which, however, are not collected without their consent (as a rule within the framework of the settings of their mobile devices). The data can be processed in the USA. Privacy Policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.

OpenStreetMap

We integrate the maps of the service “OpenStreetMap” (https://www.openstreetmap.de), which are offered on the basis of the Open Data Commons Open Database License (ODbL) by the OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF). Privacy Policy: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Privacy_Policy.

As far as we know, OpenStreetMap will only use the user’s data for the purpose of displaying the map functions and temporarily storing the selected settings. This data may include in particular the IP addresses and location data of users, which, however, may not be collected without their consent (as a rule within the framework of the settings of their mobile devices).

The data can be processed in the USA. For more information, please see the OpenStreetMap Privacy Policy: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Privacy_Policy.#### LinkedIn

Within our online offer, functions and contents of the LinkedIn service, offered by inkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland, can be integrated. This may include, for example, content such as images, videos or texts and buttons with which users can express their appreciation of the content, subscribe to the authors of the content or our contributions. If the users are members of the LinkedIn platform, LinkedIn can assign the call of the above contents and functions to the profiles of the users there. Privacy Policy of LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy .LinkedIn is certified under the Privacy Shield Agreement and thus offers a guarantee to comply with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000L0UZAA0&status=Active). Privacy Policy: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy, Opt-Out: https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/guest-controls/retargeting-opt-out.

Berlin, May 2018