We use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google Inc ("Google"). Google uses cookies. The information generated by the cookie about the use of the online offer by the user is usually transmitted to a Google server in the USA and stored there.

Google will use this information on our behalf to analyse the use of our online offer by users, to compile reports on the activities within this online offer and to provide us with further services associated with the use of this online offer and the use of the Internet. Pseudonymised user profiles can be created from the processed data.

We only use Google Analytics with activated IP anonymisation. This means that the IP address of users is truncated by Google within member states of the European Union or in other signatory states to the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be transmitted to a Google server in the USA and truncated there.

The IP address transmitted by the user's browser will not be merged with other Google data. Users can prevent the storage of cookies by setting their browser software accordingly; users can also prevent Google from collecting the data generated by the cookie and relating to their use of the online offer and from processing this data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plug-in available under the following link: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de.

Further information on the use of data for advertising purposes by Google, setting and objection options can be found on Google's websites: https://www.google.com/intl/de/policies/privacy/partners ("Data use by Google when you use our partners' websites or apps"), http://www.google.com/policies/technologies/ads ("Use of data for advertising purposes"), http://www.google.de/settings/ads ("manage information that Google uses to show you advertising") and http://www.google.com/ads/preferences ("Determine which adverts Google shows you").

7. google re/marketing services

We use the marketing and remarketing services ("Google Marketing Services" for short) of Google Inc, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA, ("Google").

Google marketing services allow us to display adverts for and on our website in a more targeted manner in order to present users only with adverts that potentially match their interests. If, for example, users are shown adverts for products that they were interested in on other websites, this is referred to as "remarketing". For these purposes, when our and other websites on which Google marketing services are active are accessed, a code from Google is executed directly by Google and so-called (re)marketing tags (invisible graphics or code, also known as "web beacons") are integrated into the website. With their help, an individual cookie, i.e. a small file, is stored on the user's device (comparable technologies can also be used instead of cookies). The cookies can be set by various domains, including google.com, doubleclick.net, invitemedia.com, admeld.com, googlesyndication.com or googleadservices.com. This file records which websites the user has visited, what content they are interested in and which offers they have clicked on, as well as technical information about the browser and operating system, referring websites, time of visit and other information about the use of the online offer. The IP address of the user is also recorded, whereby we inform you in the context of Google Analytics that the IP address is shortened within member states of the European Union or in other contracting states of the Agreement on the European Economic Area and only in exceptional cases is it transmitted in full to a Google server in the USA and shortened there. The IP address is not merged with the user's data within other Google services. This aforementioned information may also be combined with such information from other sources. If the user subsequently visits other websites, they can be shown adverts tailored to their interests.

User data is processed pseudonymously as part of Google marketing services. This means that Google does not store and process the user's name or email address, for example, but processes the relevant data in relation to cookies within pseudonymous user profiles. This means that, from Google's perspective, the adverts are not managed and displayed for a specifically identified person, but for the cookie owner, regardless of who this cookie owner is. This does not apply if a user has expressly allowed Google to process the data without this pseudonymisation. The information collected by "DoubleClick" about users is transmitted to Google and stored on Google's servers in the USA.

The Google marketing services we use include the online advertising programme "Google AdWords". In the case of Google AdWords, each AdWords customer receives a different "conversion cookie". Cookies can therefore not be tracked via the websites of AdWords customers. The information collected with the help of the cookie is used to create conversion statistics for AdWords customers who have opted for conversion tracking. AdWords customers find out the total number of users who clicked on their advert and were redirected to a page with a conversion tracking tag. However, they do not receive any information that can be used to personally identify users.

We integrate third-party adverts on the basis of the Google marketing service "DoubleClick". DoubleClick uses cookies to enable Google and its partner websites to display adverts based on users' visits to this website or other websites on the Internet.

We also integrate third-party adverts on the basis of the Google marketing service "AdSense". AdSense uses cookies to enable Google and its partner websites to display adverts based on users' visits to this website or other websites on the Internet.

Another Google marketing service we use is the "Google Tag Manager", which can be used to integrate other Google analysis and marketing services into our website (e.g. "AdWords", "DoubleClick" or "Google Analytics").

Further information on the use of data for marketing purposes by Google can be found on the overview page: https://www.google.com/policies/technologies/adsGoogle's privacy policy is available at https://www.google.com/policies/privacy retrievable.

If you wish to object to the collection by Google marketing services, you can use the setting and opt-out options provided by Google: http://www.google.com/ads/preferences.

8. facebook social plugins

Our online offering uses social plugins ("plugins") from the social network facebook.com, which is operated by Facebook Ireland Ltd, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland ("Facebook"). The plugins can be recognised by one of the Facebook logos (white "f" on a blue tile, the terms "Like", "Gefällt mir" or a "thumbs up" sign) or are marked with the addition "Facebook Social Plugin". The list and appearance of Facebook social plugins can be viewed here: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins/.

When a user accesses a function of this online offering that contains such a plugin, their device establishes a direct connection with the Facebook servers. The content of the plugin is transmitted by Facebook directly to the user's device and integrated into the online offering. User profiles can be created from the processed data. We therefore have no influence on the scope of the data that Facebook collects with the help of this plugin and therefore inform users according to our level of knowledge.

By integrating the plugins, Facebook receives the information that a user has accessed the corresponding page of the online offering. If the user is logged in to Facebook, Facebook can assign the visit to their Facebook account. If users interact with the plugins, for example by clicking the Like button or leaving a comment, the corresponding information is transmitted directly from your device to Facebook and stored there. If a user is not a member of Facebook, it is still possible for Facebook to find out their IP address and store it. According to Facebook, only an anonymised IP address is stored in Germany.

The purpose and scope of the data collection and the further processing and use of the data by Facebook, as well as the relevant rights and setting options for protecting the privacy of users, can be found in Facebook's data protection information: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/.

If a user is a Facebook member and does not want Facebook to collect data about them via this online service and link it to their membership data stored on Facebook, they must log out of Facebook and delete their cookies before using our online service. Further settings and objections to the use of data for advertising purposes are possible within the Facebook profile settings: https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=ads or via the US-American site http://www.aboutads.info/choices/ or the EU side http://www.youronlinechoices.com/. The settings are platform-independent, i.e. they are adopted for all devices, such as desktop computers or mobile devices.

9 Facebook Remarketing

Within our online offer, so-called "Facebook pixels" of the social network Facebook, which is operated by Facebook Inc, 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA, or if you are based in the EU, Facebook Ireland Ltd, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland ("Facebook"), are used. With the help of the Facebook pixel, Facebook is able to determine the visitors to our website as a target group for the display of adverts, so-called "Facebook ads". Accordingly, we use the Facebook pixel to display the Facebook ads placed by us only to those Facebook users who have also shown an interest in our website. This means that with the help of the Facebook pixel, we want to ensure that our Facebook ads correspond to the potential interest of users and do not have a harassing effect. With the help of the Facebook pixel, we can also track the effectiveness of Facebook adverts for statistical and market research purposes by seeing whether users have been redirected to our website after clicking on a Facebook advert.

The Facebook pixel is integrated directly by Facebook when you visit our website and can save a so-called cookie, i.e. a small file, on your device. If you subsequently log in to Facebook or visit Facebook while logged in, your visit to our website will be noted in your profile. The data collected about you is anonymous to us, so it does not allow us to draw any conclusions about the identity of the user. However, the data is stored and processed by Facebook so that a connection to the respective user profile is possible. The data is processed by Facebook in accordance with Facebook's data usage policy. Accordingly, you can find more information on how the remarketing pixel works and how Facebook ads are displayed in general in Facebook's data usage policy: https://www.facebook.com/policy.php.

You can object to the collection by the Facebook pixel and use of your data to display Facebook ads. To do this, you can go to the page set up by Facebook and follow the instructions on the settings for usage-based advertising: https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=ads or the objection via the US side http://www.aboutads.info/choices/ or the EU side http://www.youronlinechoices.com/ explain. The settings are platform-independent, i.e. they are applied to all devices, such as desktop computers or mobile devices.

10. jetpack (WordPress Stats)

We use the Jetpack plugin (here the sub-function "Wordpress Stats"), which integrates a tool for the statistical analysis of visitor access and is provided by Automattic, Inc. 132 Hawthorne Street San Francisco, CA 94107, USA. Jetpack uses so-called "cookies", text files that are stored on your computer and enable your use of the website to be analysed.

The information generated by the cookie about your use of this online offer is stored on a server in the USA. User profiles can be created from the processed data, whereby these are only used for analysis and not for advertising purposes. Further information can be found in Automattic's privacy policy: https://automattic.com/privacy/ and notes on Jetpack cookies: https://jetpack.com/support/cookies/.

13. twitter buttons

We use the buttons of the Twitter service. These buttons are provided by Twitter Inc, 795 Folsom St., Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA. They can be recognised by terms such as "Twitter" or "Follow" or by a stylised blue bird. With the help of the buttons it is possible to share a post or website of this online offer on Twitter or to follow the provider on Twitter.

When a user accesses a website of this online offering that contains such a button, their browser establishes a direct connection with the Twitter servers. The content of the Twitter button is transmitted by Twitter directly to the user's browser. We therefore have no influence on the scope of the data that Twitter collects with the help of this plugin and inform users according to our level of knowledge. According to this, only the IP address of the user and the URL of the respective website are transmitted when the button is accessed, but are not used for purposes other than displaying the button.
Further information on this can be found in Twitter's privacy policy at http://twitter.com/privacy.

14. pinterest buttons

We use the buttons ("Pin It") of the Pinterest service, http://pinterest.com. The buttons allow users to share our articles or websites on their Pinterest boards.
When a user accesses a website that contains a "Pin It" button, their browser establishes a direct connection with Pinterest's servers. The content of the "Pin It" button is transmitted by Pinterest directly to the user's browser. We therefore have no influence on the scope of the data that Pinterest collects with the help of the "Pin It" button and inform users according to our level of knowledge. According to this, only the IP address of the user and the URL of the respective website are transmitted, but only used for the purposes of displaying the "Pin It" button and sharing the content

Further information on this can be found in Pinterest's privacy policy at http://pinterest.com/about/privacy/.

16. newsletter

The following information explains the content of our newsletter as well as the registration, dispatch and statistical evaluation procedures and your rights of objection. By subscribing to our newsletter, you agree to receive it and to the procedures described.

Content of the newsletter: We only send newsletters, emails and other electronic notifications with advertising information (hereinafter "newsletter") with the consent of the recipient or legal authorisation. If the contents of the newsletter are specifically described when registering for the newsletter, they are decisive for the user's consent. In addition, our newsletters contain the following information: our products, offers, promotions and our company.

Double opt-in and logging: Registration for our newsletter takes place in a so-called double opt-in procedure. This means that after registering you will receive an e-mail asking you to confirm your registration. This confirmation is necessary so that no-one can register with other people's 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 storing the time of registration and confirmation as well as the IP address. Changes to your data stored by the mailing service provider are also logged.

The email addresses of our newsletter recipients, as well as their other data described in this notice, are stored on the servers of the mailing service provider. The mailing service provider uses this information to send and analyse the newsletter on our behalf. Furthermore, according to its own information, the mailing service provider may use this data to optimise or improve its own services, e.g. to technically optimise the mailing and presentation of the newsletter or for economic purposes in order to determine which countries the recipients come from. However, the mailing service provider does not use the data of our newsletter recipients to write to them itself or pass it on to third parties.

Registration data: To register for the newsletter, it is sufficient to enter your e-mail address. Optionally, we ask you to enter the following data: "First name and surname for the purpose of personalising the newsletter.

Statistical survey and analyses - The newsletters contain a so-called "web-beacon", i.e. a pixel-sized file that is retrieved from the server of the mailing service provider when the newsletter is opened. As part of this retrieval, technical information, such as information about the browser and your system, as well as your IP address and time of retrieval, is initially collected. This information is used for the technical improvement of the services based on the technical data or the target groups and their reading behaviour based on their retrieval locations (which can be determined with the help of the IP address) or the 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 individual newsletter recipients. However, it is neither our endeavour nor that of the mailing service provider to observe individual users. The analyses serve us much more to recognise the reading habits of our users and to adapt our content to them or to send different content according to the interests of our users.

Cancellation/revocation - You can cancel the receipt of our newsletter at any time, i.e. revoke your consent. At the same time, your consent to its dispatch by the dispatch service provider and the statistical analyses will expire. Unfortunately, it is not possible to cancel the dispatch by the dispatch service provider or the statistical analyses separately. You will find a link to unsubscribe from the newsletter at the end of each newsletter.

17. integration of third-party services and content

It may happen that content or services from third-party providers, such as city maps or fonts from other websites, are integrated into our online offering. The integration of content from third-party providers always requires the third-party providers to recognise the IP address of the user, as they would not be able to send the content to the user's browser without the IP address. The IP address is therefore required to display this content. Furthermore, the providers of third-party content can set their own cookies and process the user's data for their own purposes. User profiles can be created from the processed data. We will use this content in a data-saving and data-avoiding manner as far as possible and select reliable third-party providers with regard to data security.

The following presentation provides an overview of third-party providers and their content, together with links to their data protection declarations, which contain further information on the processing of data and, in some cases already mentioned here, options for objection (so-called opt-out):

- External fonts from Google, Inc, https://www.google.com/fonts ("Google Fonts"). Google Fonts are integrated by calling up a Google server (usually in the USA). Privacy policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://www.google.com/settings/ads/.

- Maps of the "Google Maps" service of the third-party provider Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Privacy policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://www.google.com/settings/ads/.

- Videos from the "YouTube" platform of the third-party provider Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Privacy policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://www.google.com/settings/ads/.

18 User rights and deletion of data

Users have the right, upon request and free of charge, to receive information about the personal data that we have stored about them.
In addition, users have the right to correct incorrect data, revoke consent, block and delete their personal data as well as the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority in the event of the assumption of unlawful data processing.

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 retention obligations.

19. changes to the privacy policy

We reserve the right to amend the privacy policy in order to adapt it to changed legal situations or in the event of changes to the service and data processing. However, this only applies with regard to declarations on data processing. If user consent is required or components of the privacy policy contain provisions of the contractual relationship with the users, the changes will only be made with the consent of the users.
Users are requested to inform themselves regularly about the content of the privacy policy.