Data protection

General information on handling your data
Vincentz Network GmbH & Co. KG takes the protection of your personal data very seriously. We believe that you should always know what data we collect from you and how we use it, and that you should have the relevant control over both. It is part of our service offering that personal data is collected, processed and used by you, as it is our goal to offer you user-friendly and customer-related useful services. The following information describes what information we collect from you and how we handle it.

What data is collected?
In principle, you can visit our websites without providing us with your personal data. However, certain services on our websites require registration, during which we ask you for information such as your name and e-mail address. This data is referred to as inventory data. Wherever possible, we give you the opportunity to freely decide whether you want to provide us with your data. In some cases, however, data is also collected automatically. For example, your computer automatically transmits information such as IP address, browser type or access times when you use our websites. This data is referred to as usage data.

What are cookies and tracking pixels?
“Cookies” are files that are stored on your computer when you visit our website and that your browser “remembers.” Cookies can be blocked by your browser in such a way that, for example, only the page that set them is allowed to read them. The next time you visit this site, the cookie is sent from your browser to the server, e.g. to offer you new articles on your area of interest during this visit. If you do not want to take advantage of cookies, you can simply delete them and deactivate the function in your browser. However, we will then not be able to offer you some services on our website. You can also find out more about this in the help function of your browser. We also use so-called tracking pixels or GIF files to support online advertising and, if necessary, for IVW counting. This allows us to evaluate how many visitors were on our pages and which advertisements they accessed. The information collected with cookies or GIF files does not contain your name, address, telephone number or e-mail address.

What does Vincentz Network use your data for?
We use cookies in particular for the distribution of customer-oriented information and advertising and for counting page views. In addition, we may create pseudonymized usage profiles for advertising, market or opinion research purposes or for the needs-based design of our services. This allows us to check the popularity of our services and constantly improve them. You can object to this use at any time. In this case, we ask you to also deactivate the cookies in your browser. For further and in particular personal use, we require your consent. With your consent, we use your data for advertising purposes. You can revoke this consent at any time, which we will also point out to you again in the advertising.

Does Vincentz Network pass on your data to third parties?
Vincentz Network only passes on your data with your consent to partners or customers of Vincentz Network whose services you have accessed (e.g. the white paper of a specific manufacturer). When you access the service, you will recognize which company it is and can decide whether or not to download this third-party offer. This carefully selected transfer is only for the purposes of advertising, market or opinion research.

Can the use and application of personal data or this privacy policy change?
We continuously monitor the handling of personal data against the background of data protection regulations and adapt it if necessary. Please take regular note of our privacy policy, which reflects the current state of our handling of personal information. We will announce changes in each case at this point.

METIS – Online counting of VG Wort
Cookies and reports on access figures We use “session cookies” from VG Wort, Munich, to measure access to texts in order to record the probability of copying. Session cookies are small units of information that a provider stores in the working memory of the visitor’s computer. A randomly generated unique identification number, a so-called session ID, is stored in a session cookie. In addition, a cookie contains information about its origin and the storage period. Session cookies cannot store any other data. These measurements are carried out by INFOnline GmbH using the Scalable Central Measurement Method (SZM). They help to determine the probability of copying individual texts for the remuneration of legal claims of authors and publishers. We do not collect any personal data via cookies. Many of our pages are provided with JavaScript calls, via which we report the accesses to the Verwertungsgesellschaft Wort (VG Wort). We thus enable our authors to participate in the distributions of VG Wort, which ensure the legal remuneration for the use of copyrighted works pursuant to § 53 UrhG. The use of our offers is also possible without cookies. Most browsers are set to automatically accept cookies. However, you can deactivate the storage of cookies or set your browser so that it notifies you as soon as cookies are sent. Further information on data protection in the measurement procedure can be found on the website of INFOnline GmbH, which operates the measurement procedure, and the data protection website of VG Wort. Twitter Plugin This page uses plugins from the social network Twitter, which is operated by Twitter, Inc., 795 Folsom Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA. www.twitter.com. When you access Internet pages of our Internet presence provided with such a plugin, a connection is established to the Twitter servers, the plugin is transmitted directly to your browser and integrated into the website. This gives the Twitter server the information that you have accessed the corresponding page. If you are currently logged in to Twitter as a member, Twitter assigns this information to your personal user account. If you use the plugin functions (e.g. clicking the “Tweet” button, submitting a comment), this information will also be assigned to your Twitter account. You can only prevent this by logging out of Twitter before using the plugin. Further information on the collection and use of data by Twitter, your rights and options to protect your privacy can be found in the Twitter privacy policy: http://twitter.com/privacy To prevent data collection by Twitter, you can log out of Twitter before visiting our pages or activate the “Do not Track” function in your browser or switch off the use of Java scripts in your browser or block the execution of scripts from the domain twitter.com. Facebook Plugin This website uses social plugins from the social network Facebook www.facebook.com . The operator is Facebook Inc., 1601 S. California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA. The button from Facebook on our website can be recognized by the white “f” on a blue tile or by the “thumbs up” sign. When you click on this button, data is transmitted to the corresponding social network. This includes the date and time of the visit to the website in question, the Internet address or URL on which the visitor is located, as well as technical data about the IP address, the browser used and the operating system used by the visitor, as well as the user ID if the visitor is logged in to Facebook. In this case, Facebook can assign the visit to your Facebook account. By clicking on this button, you consent to the transfer of this data to the corresponding social network. For information on data collection and use, please refer to Facebook’s data usage guidelines.

Xing Plugin
This page uses plugins from the social network xing.com (“Xing”), which is operated by XING AG, Gänsemarkt 43, 20354 Hamburg. When you access a page of our website that contains such a plugin, your browser establishes a direct connection to the Xing servers. The content of the plugin is transmitted by Xing directly to your browser and integrated into the website. By integrating the plugins, Xing receives the information that you have accessed the corresponding page. If you are currently logged in to Xing, Xing can assign the visit to your Xing account. The purpose and scope of the data collection and the further processing and use of the data by Xing, as well as your rights and setting options to protect your privacy, can be found in Xing’s data protection information: http://www.xing.com/privacy LinkedIn Plugin This website reloads Java-Script code from LinkedIn Ireland, Wilton Plaza, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland (LinkedIn). If you have activated Java-Script in your browser and have not installed a Java-Script blocker, your browser may transmit personal data to LinkedIn. We do not know which data LinkedIn links with the data received and for what purposes LinkedIn uses this data. Further information on this can be found in LinkedIn’s privacy policy: http://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy?trk=hb_ft_priv . To prevent the execution of Java-Script code from LinkedIn altogether, you can install a Java-Script blocker or block this accordingly in your browser settings. Youtube We embed Youtube videos on some of our websites. The operator of the corresponding plugins is YouTube, LLC, 901 Cherry Ave., San Bruno, CA 94066, USA. When you visit a page with the YouTube plugin, a connection to Youtube servers is established. Youtube is informed about which pages you visit. If you are logged in to your Youtube account, Youtube can personally assign your surfing behavior to you. You can prevent this by logging out of your Youtube account beforehand. If a Youtube video is started, the provider uses cookies that collect information about user behavior. Anyone who has deactivated the storage of cookies for the Google Ad program will also not have to reckon with such cookies when watching Youtube videos. However, Youtube also stores non-personal usage information in other cookies. If you want to prevent this, you must block the storage of cookies in your browser. Further information on data protection at “Youtube” can be found in the provider’s privacy policy at: https://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy/

Google Analytics
This website uses Google Analytics, a web analysis service of Google Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics uses so-called “cookies”, text files that are stored on your computer and that enable an analysis of your use of the website. The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website is usually transmitted to a Google server in the USA and stored there. However, if IP anonymization is activated on this website, your IP address will be shortened by Google within member states of the European Union or in other contracting states of the Agreement on the European Economic Area beforehand. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be transmitted to a Google server in the USA and shortened there. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google will use this information to evaluate your use of the website, to compile reports on website activity and to provide other services related to website activity and internet usage to the website operator. The IP address transmitted by your browser as part of Google Analytics will not be merged with other Google data. You can prevent the storage of cookies by setting your browser software accordingly; however, we would like to point out that in this case you may not be able to use all functions of this website to their full extent. You can also prevent Google from collecting the data generated by the cookie and related to your use of the website (including your IP address) and from processing this data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plugin available under the following link: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de You can prevent the collection by Google Analytics by clicking on the following link: Deactivate Google Analytics An opt-out cookie will be set, which prevents the future collection of your data when visiting this website. Further information on terms of use and data protection can be found at http://www.google.com/analytics/terms/de.html or at https://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/. We would like to point out that on this website Google Analytics has been extended by the code “gat._anonymizeIp();” in order to guarantee an anonymized collection of IP addresses (so-called IP masking). (Source: www.datenschutzbeauftragter-info.de)

Google Analytics Remarketing
This website uses the remarketing function of Google Inc. The function is used to present interest-based advertisements to website visitors within the Google advertising network. A so-called “cookie” is stored in the browser of the website visitor, which makes it possible to recognize the visitor when he or she visits websites that belong to Google’s advertising network. On these pages, the visitor may be presented with advertisements that relate to content that the visitor has previously accessed on websites that use Google’s remarketing function. According to its own information, Google does not collect any personal data during this process. If you still do not want the remarketing function from Google, you can deactivate it in principle by making the corresponding settings under http://www.google.com/settings/ads. Alternatively, you can deactivate the use of cookies for interest-based advertising via the advertising network initiative by following the instructions at http://www.networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp.

Facebook Remarketing
This website uses the remarketing function “Custom Audiences” of Facebook Inc., 1601 S. California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA (“Facebook”). This function allows the provider to target visitors to the website with advertising by displaying personalized, interest-based Facebook ads to visitors of the website when they visit the social network Facebook. To implement this function, the remarketing tag from Facebook is implemented on the provider’s website. This tag establishes a direct connection to the Facebook servers when the website is visited. This transmits to the Facebook server which of our internet pages you have visited. Facebook assigns this information to your personal Facebook user account. Further information on the collection and use of data by Facebook, your rights in this regard and options for protecting your privacy can be found in Facebook’s data protection information at https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/ . If you do not want Facebook to directly assign the collected information to your Facebook user account, you can deactivate the remarketing function “Custom Audiences” here. To do this, you must be logged in to Facebook.

Google Ad Words Conversion Tracking
Our website uses Google Conversion Tracking. If you have reached our website via an ad placed by Google, Google Adwords places a cookie on your computer. The cookie for conversion tracking is set when a user clicks on an ad placed by Google. These cookies expire after 30 days and are not used for personal identification. If the user visits certain pages of our website and the cookie has not yet expired, we and Google can recognize that the user clicked on the ad and was redirected to this page. Each Google AdWords customer receives a different cookie. Cookies can therefore not be tracked via the websites of AdWords customers. The information collected using the conversion cookie is used to generate conversion statistics for AdWords customers who have opted in to conversion tracking. Customers see the total number of users who clicked on their ad 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. If you do not wish to participate in tracking, you can refuse the setting of a cookie required for this – for example, via a browser setting that generally deactivates the automatic setting of cookies or set your browser so that cookies from the domain “googleleadservices.com” are blocked. Please note that you must not delete the opt-out cookies as long as you do not want any measurement data to be recorded. If you have deleted all your cookies in the browser, you must set the respective opt-out cookie again. HotJar We use Hotjar, an analysis software of Hotjar Ltd. (“Hotjar”), 3 Lyons Range, 20 Bisazza Street, Sliema SLM 1640, Malta, Europe. Hotjar makes it possible to measure and evaluate the usage behavior (clicks, mouse movements, scroll heights, etc.) on our website. The information generated by the “Tracking Code” and “Cookie” about your visit to our website is transmitted to the Hotjar servers in Ireland and stored there. Hotjar will use this information to evaluate your use of our website, to create reports on usage, as well as other services relating to website usage and internet evaluation of the website. You can prevent the collection of data by Hotjar by clicking on the following link and following the instructions there: https://www.hotjar.com/opt-out.

OpenX
We use the tracking technology of OpenX Technologies Inc. (“OpenX”, address for data protection questions: OpenX Technologies, Inc., Attention: Legal Department, 888 East Walnut Street, 2nd Fl, 91101 Pasadena/CA, United States). This may include cookies. OpenX collects and stores usage data in pseudonymous profiles for the purpose of web analysis or to enable interest-oriented advertising. You can object to this data collection and storage at any time with effect for the future by setting an opt-out cookie on your end device. You can find more information on this opt-out option and on data processing by OpenX in the OpenX privacy policy (https://openx.com/legal/privacy-policy/).

AddThis
We use plugins from the AddThis service on our websites, which is operated by AddThis, LLC, 1595 Spring Hill Rd, Suite 300, Vienna, VA 22182, USA (“AddThis”). AddThis provides tools for creating and designing websites that are intended to make it easier for website visitors to share the current page with other internet users via e-mail or in social networks. You can recognize the plugins by the “Tweet”, “E-mail”, “LinkedIn” and “g+1” buttons integrated on parts of our website. AddThis also provides tools for website operators that are intended to help analyze and improve the use of their own website or to enable direct user contact. AddThis also uses cookies and web beacons (small graphics, “tracking pixels”, which enable a log file recording and a log file analysis). When you use an AddThis plugin, your internet browser establishes a direct connection to the servers of AddThis and, if applicable, the selected social network. The data generated in the process (such as time of use or browser language) is transmitted to AddThis and processed there. If you send content from our website to social networks, a connection can be established between the visit to the website and your user profile on the corresponding social network. Further information on data processing and data protection by AddThis can be found at http://www.addthis.com/privacy/privacy-policy. We do not process the data concerned or pass it on to third parties. By using the AddThis plugin, you agree to the data processing by AddThis. You can also object to the data collection and storage by AddThis at any time with effect for the future by setting a so-called opt-out cookie. Visit http://www.addthis.com/privacy/opt-out.

Soundcloud
We use the provider SoundCloud for the integration of audio material. SoundCloud is operated by SoundCloud Limited with its headquarters in 33 St James Square, London SW1Y 4JS, UK. We use plugins from the provider SoundCloud on some of our internet pages. When you access the internet pages of our internet presence that are provided with such a plugin, a connection to the SoundCloud servers is established and the plugin is displayed. This transmits to the SoundCloud server which of our internet pages you have visited. If you are logged in as a member of SoundCloud, SoundCloud can assign this information to your personal user account. When using the plugin, such as clicking on the start button of an audio file, this information is also assigned to your user account. You can prevent this assignment by logging out of your SoundCloud user account before using our website and deleting the corresponding cookies from SoundCloud. Further information on data processing and information on data protection by SoundCloud can be found at https://soundcloud.com/pages/privacy.

Scorecard Research
A tracking of ScorecardResearch, a service of Full Circle Studies, Inc., is integrated on our websites. By collecting data about internet behavior on certain websites that have registered with comScore, Inc., ScorecardResearch is able to create reports on internet behavior and trends. ComScore, Inc. is a recognized authority for internet and general economic trends, whose collected data is regularly used by leading media and by the largest internet service providers from around the world. To learn more about comScore, please visit www.comscore.com. Further details on the measurement procedure and the data protection policy of ScorecardResearch can be found on www.scorecardresearch.com/privacy.aspx. As a website visitor, you have the right to object to data storage. To unsubscribe from this measurement at the browser level, click here: http://www.scorecardresearch.com/preferences.aspx

User Like
When you contact us via chat on our websites, this is done via the Userlike software, a live chat software of the company Userlike UG (limited liability). Userlike uses cookies that are stored on your computer and enable a personal conversation in the form of a real-time chat on the website with you. The data collected is not used to personally identify the visitor to this website, nor is it merged with personal data about the bearer of the pseudonym, unless personal data is voluntarily provided when using the live chat. You can find Userlike’s privacy policy here: https://www.userlike.com/de/privacy_policy

Lead Inspector
For statistical evaluation of visitor access, data is collected, processed and stored for marketing purposes and for the recognition of website visitors using technologies of Lead Inspector GmbH. The Lead Inspector GmbH technology carries out an address determination based on this data, but only in cases in which it can ensure that it is a company and not an individual person as a visitor. So-called cookies can be used for this purpose. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your computer and enable an analysis of your use of the website. The company data collected by Lead Inspector GmbH may also include personal data. Lead Inspector GmbH may use information left behind by visits to the websites to create anonymized user profiles. If IP addresses are collected, they are anonymized immediately after collection by deleting the last block of numbers. You can object to the data collection and storage by Lead Inspector GmbH for this website at any time with effect for the future at www.leadinspector.de/widerspruch.

Collection of general information
When you access our website, information of a general nature is automatically collected. This information (server log files) includes the type of web browser, the operating system used, the domain name of your Internet service provider and the like. This is exclusively information that does not allow any conclusions to be drawn about your person. This information is technically necessary to correctly deliver the content of websites requested by you and is mandatory when using the Internet. Anonymous information of this kind is statistically evaluated by us in order to optimize our website and the technology behind it.

Collection and processing when using email or the contact form
If you contact us by email or contact form, the information you provide will be stored for the purpose of processing the request and for possible follow-up questions. The information provided will also be used to inform you about our products such as events, specialist magazines or books, specialist web portals and e-learning offers, as well as company-related services such as market research or lead campaigns.

Comment function
When users leave comments in the blog, the time of their creation and the user name previously selected by the website visitor are also stored in addition to this information. This serves our security, as we can be held liable for illegal content on our website, even if it was created by users.

SSL encryption
To protect the security of your data during transmission, we use state-of-the-art encryption methods (e.g. SSL) via HTTPS.

Provision of paid services
To provide paid services, we request additional data from you, such as payment details.

Use of the email address for sending newsletters
When you register to receive our newsletter, the data you provide will be used for this purpose. Subscribers can also be informed by email about circumstances that are relevant to the service or registration (for example, changes to the newsletter offer or technical conditions). The information provided will also be used to inform you about our products such as events, specialist magazines or books, specialist web portals and e-learning offers, as well as company-related services such as market research or lead campaigns. For effective registration, we require a valid email address. To verify that a registration is actually made by the owner of an email address, we use the “double opt-in” procedure. For this purpose, we log the order of the newsletter, the sending of a confirmation email and the receipt of the response requested with it. No further data is collected. This data will be used exclusively for sending the newsletter and will not be passed on to third parties. You can revoke your consent to the storage of your personal data and its use for sending the newsletter at any time. There is a corresponding link in every newsletter. You can also unsubscribe at any time directly on this website or inform us of your corresponding request via the contact option given at the end of this data protection notice.

Registration on our website
When registering to use our personalized services, some personal data is collected, such as name, address, contact and communication data such as telephone number and email address. If you are registered with us, you can access content and services that we only offer to registered users. Registered users also have the option of changing or deleting the data provided during registration at any time if required. Of course, we will also provide you with information about the personal data we have stored about you at any time. We will also be happy to correct or delete this at your request, provided that there are no legal storage obligations to the contrary. To contact us in this context, please use the contact details given at the end of this data protection declaration.

Information, correction, blocking, deletion and objection
You have the right to receive information about your personal data stored by us at any time. You also have the right to correction, blocking or, apart from the prescribed data storage for business transactions, deletion of your personal data. Please contact our data protection officer. You can find the contact details at the very bottom. So that a block of data can be taken into account at any time, this data must be kept in a block file for control purposes. You can also request the deletion of the data, provided that there is no legal archiving obligation. If such an obligation exists, we will block your data on request. You can make changes or revoke your consent by sending us a corresponding message with effect for the future.

Use of script libraries (Google Webfonts)
In order to display our content correctly and graphically appealing across browsers, we use script libraries and font libraries such as Google Webfonts (https://www.google.com/webfonts/). Google Webfonts are transferred to your browser’s cache to avoid multiple loading. If the browser does not support Google Webfonts or prevents access, content will be displayed in a standard font. Calling up script libraries or font libraries automatically establishes a connection to the library operator. It is theoretically possible – but currently also unclear whether and, if so, for what purposes – that operators of corresponding libraries collect data. You can find the privacy policy of the library operator Google here: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/

Use of Google Maps
This website uses Google Maps API to visually display geographical information. When using Google Maps, Google also collects, processes and uses data about the use of the map functions by visitors. You can find more information about data processing by Google in the Google data protection information. There you can also change your personal data protection settings in the data protection center. Detailed instructions for managing your own data in connection with Google products can be found here.

Amendment to our privacy policy
We reserve the right to occasionally amend this privacy policy so that it always corresponds to current legal requirements or to implement changes to our services in the privacy policy, e.g. when introducing new services. The new privacy policy then applies to your renewed visit.

Questions to the data protection officer
If you have any questions about data protection, please send us an e-mail or contact our data protection officer directly: STREIT GmbH E-mail: ds-beauftragter@streit-online.de Lahnstraße 27-29 64625 Bensheim Status: July 12, 2019

Declaration of consent