Data protection We have written this privacy policy (version 05.09.2020-311209754) to explain to you, in accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679, what information we collect, how we use data and what choices you have as a visitor to this website. Unfortunately, it is in the nature of things that these explanations sound very technical, but we have tried to describe the most important things as simply and clearly as possible. Automatic data storage When you visit websites these days, certain information is automatically created and stored, including on this website. When you visit our website as you are doing right now, our web server (computer on which this website is stored) automatically saves data such as the address (URL) of the website accessed, browser and browser version, the operating system used, the address (URL) of the previously visited page (referrer URL), the host name and IP address of the device from which access is made, date and time in files (web server log files). As a rule, web server log files are stored for two weeks and then automatically deleted. We do not pass this data on, but we cannot rule out the possibility of this data being viewed in the event of unlawful behavior. Cookies Our website uses HTTP cookies to store user-specific data. Below we explain what cookies are and why they are used so that you can better understand the following privacy policy. What exactly are cookies? Whenever you surf the internet, you use a browser. Well-known browsers include Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge. Most websites save small text files in your browser. These files are called cookies. One thing cannot be denied: Cookies are really useful little helpers. Almost all websites use cookies. More precisely, they are HTTP cookies, as there are also other cookies for other areas of application. HTTP cookies are small files that are stored on your computer by our website. These cookie files are automatically stored in the cookie folder, the “brain” of your browser, so to speak. A cookie consists of a name and a value. When defining a cookie, one or more attributes must also be specified. Cookies store certain user data about you, such as language or personal page settings. When you visit our site again, your browser transmits the “user-related” information back to our site. Thanks to cookies, our website knows who you are and offers you your usual default settings. In some browsers, each cookie has its own file; in others, such as Firefox, all cookies are stored in a single file. There are both first-party cookies and third-party cookies. First-party cookies are created directly by our website, third-party cookies are created by partner websites (e.g. Google Analytics). Each cookie must be evaluated individually, as each cookie stores different data. The expiry time of a cookie also varies from a few minutes to a few years. Cookies are not software programs and do not contain viruses, Trojans or other “malware”. Cookies also cannot access information on your PC. Cookie data can look like this, for example: Name: _ga Expiry time: 2 years Use: Distinguishing website visitors Example value: GA1.2.1326744211.152311209754 A browser should support the following minimum sizes: A cookie should be able to contain at least 4096 bytes At least 50 cookies should be able to be stored per domain A total of at least 3000 cookies should be able to be stored What types of cookies are there? The question of which cookies we use in particular depends on the services used and is clarified in the following sections of the privacy policy. At this point, we would like to briefly explain the different types of HTTP cookies. There are 4 types of cookies: Strictly necessary cookies These cookies are necessary to ensure basic functions of the website. For example, these cookies are needed when a user places a product in the shopping cart, then continues surfing on other pages and only goes to the checkout later. These cookies ensure that the shopping cart is not deleted even if the user closes the browser window. Functional cookies These cookies collect information about user behavior and whether the user receives any error messages. These cookies are also used to measure the loading time and the behavior of the website with different browsers.

Targeted cookies These cookies ensure better user-friendliness. For example, entered locations, font sizes or form data are saved. Advertising cookies These cookies are also known as targeting cookies. They are used to deliver customized advertising to the user. This can be very practical, but also very annoying. When you visit a website for the first time, you are usually asked which of these types of cookie you would like to allow. And of course this decision is also stored in a cookie. How can I delete cookies? You decide how and whether you want to use cookies. Regardless of which service or website the cookies originate from, you always have the option of deleting cookies, allowing them only partially or deactivating them. For example, you can block third-party cookies but allow all other cookies. If you want to find out which cookies have been stored in your browser, if you want to change or delete cookie settings, you can find this in your browser settings: Chrome: Delete, enable and manage cookies in Chrome Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari Firefox: Delete cookies to remove data that websites have placed on your computer Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies If you generally do not want to have cookies, you can set up your browser so that it always informs you when a cookie is to be set. You can then decide for each individual cookie whether or not to allow it. The procedure differs depending on the browser. It is best to search for the instructions in Google using the search term “delete cookies Chrome” or “deactivate cookies Chrome” in the case of a Chrome browser or replace the word “Chrome” with the name of your browser, e.g. Edge, Firefox, Safari. What about my data protection? The so-called “cookie guidelines” have been in place since 2009. These state that you must give your consent for cookies to be stored. However, there are still very different reactions to these guidelines within the EU countries. In Germany, the cookie directives have not been implemented as national law. Instead, this directive was largely implemented in Section 15 (3) of the German Telemedia Act (TMG). If you would like to know more about cookies and are not afraid of technical documentation, we recommend https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6265, the Request for Comments of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) called “HTTP State Management Mechanism”. Storage of personal data Personal data that you transmit to us electronically on this website, such as your name, e-mail address, address or other personal details when submitting a form or comments on the blog, will be used by us together with the time and IP address only for the purpose stated in each case, stored securely and not passed on to third parties. We therefore only use your personal data to communicate with those visitors who expressly request contact and to process the services and products offered on this website. We do not pass on your personal data without your consent, but we cannot rule out the possibility of this data being viewed in the event of unlawful behavior. If you send us personal data by e-mail - i.e. outside of this website - we cannot guarantee the secure transmission and protection of your data. We recommend that you never send confidential data unencrypted by email. The legal basis according to Article 6 paragraph 1 a GDPR (lawfulness of processing) is that you give us your consent to process the data you have entered. You can revoke this consent at any time - an informal e-mail is sufficient, you will find our contact details in the imprint. Rights under the General Data Protection Regulation You have the following rights under the provisions of the GDPR Right to rectification (Article 16 GDPR) Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”) (Article 17 GDPR) Right to restriction of processing (Article 18 GDPR) Right to notification - notification obligation in connection with the rectification or erasure of personal data or the restriction of processing (Article 19 GDPR) Right to data portability (Article 20 GDPR) Right to object (Article 21 GDPR) Right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing - including profiling (Article 22 GDPR)

If you believe that the processing of your data violates data protection law or your data protection claims have otherwise been violated in any way, you can contact the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI). Evaluation of visitor behavior In the following data protection declaration, we inform you whether and how we evaluate data from your visit to this website. The evaluation of the collected data is generally anonymous and we cannot draw any conclusions about your person from your behavior on this website. You can find out more about how to object to this evaluation of visit data in the following privacy policy. TLS encryption with https We use https to transmit data securely on the internet (data protection by design Article 25(1) GDPR). By using TLS (Transport Layer Security), an encryption protocol for secure data transmission on the Internet, we can ensure the protection of confidential data. You can recognize the use of this data transmission security by the small lock symbol at the top left of the browser and the use of the https scheme (instead of http) as part of our Internet address. Google Maps Privacy Policy We use Google Maps from Google Inc. on our website. Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services in Europe. With Google Maps, we can show you locations better and thus adapt our service to your needs. By using Google Maps, data is transmitted to Google and stored on Google servers. We would now like to go into more detail about what Google Maps is, why we use this Google service, what data is stored and how you can prevent this. What is Google Maps? Google Maps is an internet map service provided by Google. With Google Maps, you can use a PC, tablet or app to search online for exact locations of cities, places of interest, accommodation or businesses. If companies are represented on Google My Business, further information about the company is displayed in addition to the location. To display directions, map sections of a location can be integrated into a website using HTML code. Google Maps shows the earth's surface as a street map or as an aerial or satellite image. Thanks to the Street View images and the high-quality satellite images, very accurate representations are possible. Why do we use Google Maps on our website? All our efforts on this site are aimed at providing you with a useful and meaningful time on our website. By integrating Google Maps, we can provide you with the most important information on various locations. You can see at a glance where we are based. The directions always show you the best or quickest way to reach us. You can call up the directions for routes by car, public transport, on foot or by bike. For us, the provision of Google Maps is part of our customer service. What data is stored by Google Maps? In order for Google Maps to provide its full service, the company needs to collect and store data from you. This includes the search terms you enter, your IP address and the latitude and longitude coordinates. If you use the route planner function, the start address you enter is also saved. However, this data storage takes place on the Google Maps websites. We can only inform you about this, but cannot influence it. As we have integrated Google Maps into our website, Google sets at least one cookie (name: NID) in your browser. This cookie stores data about your user behavior. Google uses this data primarily to optimize its own services and to provide you with individual, personalized advertising. The following cookie is set in your browser due to the integration of Google Maps: Name: NID Value: 188=h26c1Ktha7fCQTx8rXgLyATyITJ311209754-5 Purpose: NID is used by Google to adapt advertisements to your Google search. With the help of the cookie, Google “remembers” your most frequently entered search queries or your previous interaction with ads. So you always get customized ads. The cookie contains a unique ID that Google uses to collect your personal settings for advertising purposes. Expiration date: after 6 months Note: We cannot guarantee the completeness of the stored data. Changes can never be ruled out, especially when using cookies.

In order to identify the NID cookie, a separate test page was created where only Google Maps was integrated. How long and where is the data stored? The Google servers are located in data centers all over the world. However, most of the servers are located in America. For this reason, your data is increasingly stored in the USA. Here you can read exactly where the Google data centers are located: https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/inside/locations/?hl=de Google distributes the data on various data carriers. This means that the data can be accessed more quickly and is better protected against any attempts at manipulation. Each data center also has special emergency programs. For example, if there are problems with the Google hardware or a natural disaster paralyzes the servers, the data will still be protected. Google stores some data for a fixed period of time. For other data, Google only offers the option of deleting it manually. The company also anonymizes information (such as advertising data) in server logs by deleting part of the IP address and cookie information after 9 and 18 months respectively. How can I delete my data or prevent data storage? With the automatic deletion function for location and activity data introduced in 2019, information on location determination and web/app activity - depending on your decision - is stored for either 3 or 18 months and then deleted. You can also manually delete this data from your history at any time via your Google account. If you want to completely prevent your location from being recorded, you must pause the “Web and app activity” section in your Google account. Click on “Data and personalization” and then on the “Activity settings” option. Here you can switch the activities on or off. You can also deactivate, delete or manage individual cookies in your browser. Depending on which browser you use, this always works slightly differently. The following instructions show you how to manage cookies in your browser: Chrome: Delete, activate and manage cookies in Chrome Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari Firefox: Delete cookies to remove data that websites have stored on your computer Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies If you generally do not want to have cookies, you can set up your browser so that it always informs you when a cookie is to be set. This allows you to decide for each individual cookie whether you want to allow it or not. Google is an active participant in the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data. You can find more information about this at https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI. If you want to learn more about Google's data processing, we recommend that you read the company's own privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de. Google Analytics Privacy Policy We use the analysis tracking tool Google Analytics (GA) from the American company Google Inc. on our website. For the European area, the company Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland) is responsible for all Google services. Google Analytics collects data about your actions on our website. For example, when you click on a link, this action is stored in a cookie and sent to Google Analytics. The reports we receive from Google Analytics help us to better tailor our website and our service to your wishes. In the following, we will go into more detail about the tracking tool and inform you in particular about what data is stored and how you can prevent this. What is Google Analytics? Google Analytics is a tracking tool that is used to analyze traffic on our website. For Google Analytics to work, a tracking code is built into the code of our website. When you visit our website, this code records various actions that you perform on our website. As soon as you leave our website, this data is sent to the Google Analytics servers and stored there. Google processes the data and we receive reports on your user behavior. These may include the following reports: Target group reports: we use target group reports to get to know our users better and know more precisely who is interested in our service. Ad reports: Ad reports make it easier for us to analyze and improve our online advertising.

Acquisition reports: Acquisition reports give us helpful information on how we can get more people interested in our service. Behavioral reports: Here we learn how you interact with our website. We can see which path you take on our site and which links you click on. Conversion reports: Conversion is a process in which you perform a desired action as a result of a marketing message. For example, when you convert from a mere website visitor to a buyer or newsletter subscriber. With the help of these reports, we learn more about how our marketing measures are received by you. This is how we want to increase our conversion rate. Real-time reports: Here we always know immediately what is happening on our website. For example, we can see how many users are currently reading this text. Why do we use Google Analytics on our website? Our goal with this website is clear: we want to offer you the best possible service. The statistics and data from Google Analytics help us to achieve this goal. The statistically analyzed data gives us a clear picture of the strengths and weaknesses of our website. On the one hand, we can optimize our site so that it can be found more easily by interested people on Google. On the other hand, the data helps us to better understand you as a visitor. We therefore know exactly what we need to improve on our website in order to offer you the best possible service. The data also helps us to carry out our advertising and marketing measures more individually and cost-effectively. After all, it only makes sense to show our products and services to people who are interested in them. What data is stored by Google Analytics? Google Analytics uses a tracking code to create a random, unique ID that is linked to your browser cookie. This is how Google Analytics recognizes you as a new user. The next time you visit our site, you will be recognized as a “returning” user. All collected data is stored together with this user ID. This is what makes it possible to evaluate pseudonymous user profiles in the first place. Identifiers such as cookies and app instance IDs are used to measure your interactions on our website. Interactions are all types of actions that you carry out on our website. If you also use other Google systems (such as a Google account), data generated via Google Analytics may be linked to third-party cookies. Google does not pass on any Google Analytics data unless we as the website operator authorize this. Exceptions may be made if required by law. The following cookies are used by Google Analytics: Name: _ga Value: 2.1326744211.152311209754-5 Purpose: By default, analytics.js uses the _ga cookie to store the user ID. It is generally used to differentiate between website visitors. Expiration date: after 2 years Name: _gid Value: 2.1687193234.152311209754-1 Purpose: The cookie is also used to differentiate between website visitors. Expiration date: after 24 hours Name: _gat_gtag_UA_<property-id> Value: 1 Purpose: Used to reduce the request rate. If Google Analytics is provided via the Google Tag Manager, this cookie is given the name _dc_gtm_ <property-id>. Expiration date: after 1 minute Name: AMP_TOKEN Value: not specified Purpose: The cookie has a token that can be used to retrieve a user ID from the AMP client ID service. Other possible values indicate a logout, a request or an error. Expiration date: after 30 seconds up to one year Name: __utma Value: 1564498958.1564498958.1564498958.1 Purpose: This cookie can be used to track your behavior on the website and measure performance. The cookie is updated every time information is sent to Google Analytics. Expiration date: after 2 years Name: __utmt Value: 1 Purpose: The cookie is used like _gat_gtag_UA_<property-id> to throttle the request rate. Expiration date: after 10 minutes Name: __utmb Value: 3.10.1564498958 Purpose: This cookie is used to determine new sessions. It is updated every time new data or information is sent to Google Analytics. Expiration date: after 30 minutes Name: __utmc Value: 167421564 Purpose: This cookie is used to determine new sessions for returning visitors. It is a session cookie and is only stored until you close the browser.

Expiration date: After closing the browser Name: __utmz Value: m|utmccn=(referral)|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/ Purpose: The cookie is used to identify the source of traffic to our website. This means that the cookie stores where you came to our website from. This may have been another page or an advertisement. Expiration date: after 6 months Name: __utmv Value: not specified Purpose: The cookie is used to store user-defined user data. It is always updated when information is sent to Google Analytics. Expiration date: after 2 years Note: This list cannot claim to be exhaustive, as Google is constantly changing its choice of cookies. Here is an overview of the most important data collected by Google Analytics: Heatmaps: Google creates so-called heatmaps. Heatmaps allow you to see exactly those areas that you click on. This gives us information about where you are “traveling” on our site. Session duration: Google defines session duration as the time you spend on our site without leaving it. If you have been inactive for 20 minutes, the session ends automatically. Bounce rate: A bounce is when you only view one page on our website and then leave our website again. Account creation: When you create an account on our website or place an order, Google Analytics collects this data. IP address: The IP address is only displayed in abbreviated form so that no clear assignment is possible. Location: The IP address can be used to determine the country and your approximate location. This process is also referred to as IP location determination. Technical information: Technical information includes your browser type, your internet provider or your screen resolution. Source of origin: Google Analytics and we are naturally also interested in which website or advertisement you came to our site from. Other data includes contact details, any ratings, the playing of media (e.g. when you play a video on our site), the sharing of content via social media or adding to your favorites. The list is not exhaustive and is only intended to provide a general overview of data storage by Google Analytics. How long and where is the data stored? Google has servers all over the world. Most servers are located in America and therefore your data is usually stored on American servers. You can read exactly where the Google data centers are located here: https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/inside/locations/?hl=de Your data is distributed on various physical data carriers. This has the advantage that the data can be accessed more quickly and is better protected against manipulation. There are appropriate emergency programs for your data in every Google data center. If, for example, the hardware at Google fails or natural disasters paralyze servers, the risk of a service interruption at Google remains low. Google Analytics has a standard retention period of 26 months for your user data. Your user data will then be deleted. However, we have the option of choosing the retention period for user data ourselves. We have five options for this: Deletion after 14 months Deletion after 26 months Deletion after 38 months Deletion after 50 months No automatic deletion Once the specified period has expired, the data is deleted once a month. This retention period applies to your data linked to cookies, user recognition and advertising IDs (e.g. DoubleClick domain cookies). Reporting results are based on aggregated data and are stored independently of user data. Aggregated data is an amalgamation of individual data into a larger unit. How can I delete my data or prevent data storage? Under European Union data protection law, you have the right to obtain information about your data and to update, delete or restrict it. You can use the browser add-on to deactivate Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js, analytics.js, dc.js) to prevent Google Analytics from using your data. You can download and install the browser add-on at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de. Please note that this add-on only deactivates data collection by Google Analytics.

If you generally want to deactivate, delete or manage cookies (independently of Google Analytics), there are separate instructions for each browser: Chrome: Delete, activate and manage cookies in Chrome Safari: Manage cookies and website data with Safari Firefox: Delete cookies to remove data that websites have stored on your computer Internet Explorer: Delete and manage cookies Microsoft Edge: Delete and manage cookies Google Analytics is an active participant in the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of personal data. You can find more information about this at https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI&tid=311209754. We hope we have been able to provide you with the most important information about data processing by Google Analytics. If you would like to find out more about the tracking service, we recommend these two links: http://www.google.com/analytics/terms/de.html and https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=de.