Data protection

Data-privacy statement

The operators of these websites take the protection of your personal data very seriously. We treat your personal data confidentially and in accordance with data-protection legislation and this privacy statement.

Our website can normally be used without having to submit personally-identifiable data. If personally-identifiable details (e.g. name, postal or e-mail addresses) are obtained, this will only take place, insofar as it is possible, on a voluntary basis. These data will not be passed on to any third party or parties without your express consent.

We should point out that data transferred over the Internet (e.g. during communication by e-mail) can be subject to security flaws. It is not possible to offer guaranteed protection of such data against access by third parties.

Cookies

Certain parts of these websites use cookies. Cookies do not damage your computer and do not contain viruses. We use cookies to make our online presence more user-friendly, more effective and more secure. Cookies are small text files that your web browser stores on your computer.

Most of the Cookies used by us are so-called “session cookies”. They are automatically deleted at the end of your visit. Other cookies remain on your device, and are stored until you delete them. These cookies allow us recognise your browser the next time you visit our site.

You can configure your browser to notify you about the use of cookies and allow cookies to be stored only on a case-by-case basis, or accept cookies only in certain circumstances, or block them completely. You can also configure your browser to delete cookies automatically when you close it. Note that the disabling of cookies may restrict the functionality of our website.

Contact form

If you contact us using the online contact form, the information that you send us will be used exclusively for the purpose of processing your request or enquiry, and stored by us in order to process the matter and deal with any follow-up questions that might arise. We will not pass these data onto any other party without your permission.

Google Analytics

This website uses Google Analytics, a web-analysis service of Google Inc. (Hereinafter “Google”). Google Analytics uses “cookies”. These are small text files, which are saved to your computer for the purpose of analysing your website usage. The information collected by cookies on your usage of this website (including your IP address) is transferred to and saved on a server owned by Google located in the United States of America. Google will use this information to evaluate your usage of the website, to draw up reports on website activities for site operators and in order to provide further services relating to website and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties, insofar as this is prescribed by applicable legislation and insofar as these data are processed on the orders of Google. Google shall under no circumstances associate your IP address with other Google data. You can configure your web browser software to block the installation of cookies. However, if you do so, please note that certain functions offered by the website may no longer be available to their full extent. You consent, by using this website, to the data that you submit being processed by Google in the manner and for the purposes described above.

Facebook

Our website also contains Facebook plug-ins. These are managed exclusively by Facebook Inc., 1601 S. California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA (hereinafter “Facebook”). These plug-ins are identified on our website by the Facebook logo and the Facebook “Like” button. Whenever you visit a page on our website that contains such a plug-in, your browser will establish a direct link with Facebook’s servers. This retrieves the contents of the plug-in and places it on your browser, creating a link with the website displayed. This notifies Facebook that you have visited our website. If you visit our website while you are logged into your personal Facebook account, Facebook may link your website visit to that account. Interaction with plug-ins (e.g. by clicking on the “Like” button or by leaving a comment) will cause the corresponding information to be sent directly to Facebook and stored on its servers. If you wish to prevent such transfer of data, log out of your Facebook account before visiting our website. Please refer to the data-privacy policy of Facebook for details of the purpose and scope of the collection and further processing of your private data by Facebook, and your rights and optional settings in these respects.

Instagram

Our web pages use Instagram social plug-ins. These are managed by Instagram, LLC., 1601 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA (hereinafter “Instagram”). The plug-ins are identified by an Instagram logo (in the form of the “Instagram camera”, for example). For an overview of Instagram plug-ins and details of their appearance, please go to: http://blog.instagram.com/post/36222022872/introducing-instagram-badges.

If you open a page on our website that contains such an embedded plug-in, your browser program will create a direct connection to servers belonging to Instagram. Instagram links the content of this plug-in directly to your web browser and incorporates it into the page. By creating this link, Instagram will be notified that your Web browser has opened the corresponding page of our website, even if you do not have an Instagram account or are not currently logged into Instagram. Your web browser will save this information (including your IP address) directly to a server belonging to Instagram and located in the United States of America.

If you visit our website while you are logged into your Instagram account, Instagram may link your website visit directly to that account. If you interact with plug-ins, e.g. by pressing the “Instagram” button, this information will likewise be transmitted directly to and stored on a server belonging to Instagram. This information will also be posted on your Instagram account and made visible to your contacts.

Please refer to Instagram’s data-privacy policy for details of the purpose and scope of the collection and further processing of your data by Instagram, and your rights and optional settings in these respects: https://help.instagram.com/155833707900388/.

If you do not wish Instagram to associate data collected in the course of your visit our website with your Instagram account, you should log out of your Instagram account before visiting our website. You can also completely block the downloading of Instagram plug-ins by installing a browser add-on such as the “NoScript” script blocker (http://noscript.net/).

Social network plug-ins

Social network plug-ins (e.g. from Facebook, Twitter and Google+) are identified by the logo of the provider concerned. They may take the form of, for example, a “Like” button. The link created by the plug-in concerned notifies the corresponding service provider that you have accessed to our website. As soon as you activate such a plug-in (e.g. by clicking on a “Like” button), the corresponding information is transmitted to the service provider concerned. You can use the configuration settings of your browser to block the setting of third-party cookies.

Your rights regarding access, deletion and blocking

You have the right – at any time and free of charge – to obtain details of your stored personal data, the origin of the data concerned, parties to which they might have been supplied and the purpose of data-processing, along with the right to rectify, block or delete such information. If you have any further queries on the subject of data privacy, you may contact us at any time via the address given on the “Legal details” page.