Privacy policy
Data controller
The data controller for the purposes of data protection law, in particular the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), is: Florian Grolman
Your rights as a data subject
You can exercise the following rights at any time by contacting our data protection officer using the contact details provided:
- Access to the data we hold about you and information about how we process it,
- Rectification of inaccurate personal data,
- Erasure of the data we hold about you,
- Restriction of processing where legal obligations prevent us from deleting your data,
- Objection to our processing of your data, and
- Data portability where you have consented to the processing or entered into a contract with us.
If you have given us your consent, you can withdraw it at any time with effect for the future.
You can lodge a complaint with your competent supervisory authority at any time. Which authority is responsible depends on the German federal state in which you live or work, or where the alleged infringement took place. A list of supervisory authorities for the non-public sector, with their addresses, is available at: https://www.bfdi.bund.de/DE/Infothek/Anschriften_Links/anschriften_links-node.html.
Purposes for which the controller and third parties process data
We process your personal data only for the purposes stated in this privacy policy. We do not transfer your personal data to third parties for any other purposes. We disclose your personal data to third parties only where:
- You have given your explicit consent,
- Processing is necessary to perform a contract with you,
- Processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation,
processing is necessary to protect legitimate interests and there is no reason to believe that you have an overriding interest in preventing disclosure of your data that merits protection.
Erasure or blocking of data
We follow the principles of avoiding unnecessary data collection and minimising the data we collect. We therefore retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to achieve the purposes stated here, or for the various retention periods prescribed by law. Once the relevant purpose no longer applies or these periods have expired, the data concerned is routinely blocked or deleted in accordance with the law.
Processing of personal data
We collect and use the personal data we receive when you use our online services only as permitted by law and only for the purpose for which you provided it, such as requesting information, submitting comments or subscribing to a newsletter. The data we collect is protected by extensive security measures designed to prevent unauthorised access and misuse and to protect it against destruction or loss. Data transmitted over the internet is encrypted using SSL.
If you choose to enter personal data such as your name, address, telephone number or email address, for example in the contact form, clicking "Send now" gives us your consent to collect, process and use the data you provide for the intended purpose, such as handling your enquiry, sending further information or subscribing you to the newsletter. If you request information about products or services, for example, we use your data to send you the relevant information.
You can withdraw this consent at any time with effect for the future. You can send your withdrawal in text form to datenschutz@organisationsberatung.net or by post to the address in our legal notice.
Collection of general information when you visit our website
When you access our website, general information is collected automatically by means of a cookie. This information, recorded in server log files, includes details such as your browser type, operating system and internet service provider's domain name. It consists solely of information that cannot be used to identify you.
This information is technically necessary to deliver the website content you request correctly and inevitably arises when you use the internet. It is processed in particular for the following purposes:
- Ensuring that a connection to the website can be established without problems,
- Ensuring that our website works smoothly,
- Assessing system security and stability, and
- Other administrative purposes.
The processing of your personal data is based on our legitimate interest in collecting data for the purposes listed above. We do not use your data to identify you. Only the controller and, where applicable, data processors receive the data.
We may analyse anonymous information of this kind statistically to improve our website and the technology behind it.
Cookies
Like many other websites, we use "cookies". Cookies are small text files transferred from a website server to your hard drive. They allow us to receive certain data automatically, such as your IP address, browser, operating system and internet connection.
Cookies cannot be used to run programs or transfer viruses to a computer. The information they contain allows us to make navigation easier and display our web pages correctly.
The data we collect is never disclosed to third parties. It is never linked to personal data without your consent.
You can generally view our website without cookies. Internet browsers are usually set to accept cookies. You can normally disable cookies at any time through your browser settings. Please use your browser's help function to find out how to change these settings. Please note that some features of our website may not work if you have disabled cookies.
SSL encryption
To protect your data during transmission, we use encryption methods that meet current technical standards, such as SSL over HTTPS.
Newsletter
With your explicit consent, we regularly send our newsletter or comparable information by email to the email address you provide.
Your email address is all we need for you to receive the newsletter. When you subscribe, the data you provide is used solely for this purpose. Subscribers may also receive emails about matters relevant to the service or their registration, such as changes to the newsletter offering or technical circumstances.
We need a valid email address to complete your registration. We use a "double opt-in" procedure to verify that the person registering actually owns the email address. To do this, we record the newsletter subscription request, the sending of a confirmation email and receipt of the response requested in that email. No further data is collected. The data is used solely to send the newsletter and is not disclosed to third parties.
You can withdraw your consent to the storage of your personal data and its use for sending the newsletter at any time. Every newsletter contains a link for this purpose. You can also unsubscribe directly on this website at any time or tell us that you wish to unsubscribe using the contact option provided at the end of this privacy notice.
Contact form
If you contact us with any kind of question by email or through the contact form, you voluntarily consent to our contacting you for this purpose. You must provide a valid email address. We use it to assign the enquiry and subsequently respond to it. Providing any other data is optional. The information you provide is stored to handle the enquiry and any possible follow-up questions. Once your enquiry has been dealt with, your personal data is automatically deleted.
Changes to our privacy policy
We reserve the right to amend this privacy policy to ensure it continues to meet current legal requirements or to reflect changes to our services, such as the introduction of new services. The new privacy policy will apply when you next visit.
Questions for the data protection officer
If you have any questions about data protection, please email us or contact the person responsible for data protection in our organisation directly:
Embedded services
Use of Google Analytics
This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google Inc. (referred to below as Google). Google Analytics uses "cookies", which are text files stored on your computer that enable analysis of how you use 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, because IP anonymisation is enabled on these web pages, Google first truncates your IP address within member states of the European Union or other states that are parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases is the full IP address transmitted to a Google server in the USA and truncated there. On behalf of this website's operator, Google uses this information to evaluate your use of the website, compile reports on website activity and provide the operator with other services relating to website and internet use. The IP address transmitted by your browser as part of Google Analytics is not combined with other Google data.
The purposes of processing are to evaluate website use and compile reports on website activity. Further related services are then to be provided on the basis of website and internet use. Processing is based on the website operator's legitimate interest.
You can prevent cookies from being stored by adjusting your browser settings. Please note, however, that you may then be unable to use all of this website's features in full. You can also prevent Google from collecting the data generated by the cookie relating to your use of the website, including your IP address, and from processing this data by downloading and installing the browser plug-in available at the following link: Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
In addition to, or instead of, the browser add-on, you can prevent Google Analytics tracking on our web pages by clicking this link. This installs an opt-out cookie on your device. It prevents Google Analytics from collecting data for this website and browser in future for as long as the cookie remains installed in your browser.
Use of script libraries (Google Webfonts)
To display our content correctly and attractively across browsers, we use script and font libraries such as Google Webfonts (https://www.google.com/webfonts/) on this website. Google Webfonts are stored in your browser's cache to avoid loading them repeatedly. If your browser does not support Google Webfonts or blocks access to them, the content is displayed in a standard font.
Accessing script or font libraries automatically establishes a connection to the library operator. In theory, operators of such libraries may collect data, although it is currently unclear whether they do so and, if so, for what purposes.
The privacy policy of the library operator, Google, is available here: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/
Use of Google Maps
This website uses the Google Maps API to display geographical information visually. When visitors use Google Maps, Google also collects, processes and uses data about their use of the map features. Further information about Google's data processing is available in Google's privacy notice. You can also change your personal privacy settings in the privacy centre there.
Detailed instructions for managing your own data in connection with Google products are available here.
Embedded YouTube videos
We embed YouTube videos on some of our web pages. The operator of the relevant plug-ins is YouTube, LLC, 901 Cherry Ave., San Bruno, CA 94066, USA. When you visit a page with the YouTube plug-in, a connection is established to YouTube's servers. YouTube is informed of which pages you visit. If you are logged into your YouTube account, YouTube can link your browsing behaviour to you personally. You can prevent this by logging out of your YouTube account beforehand.
When you play a YouTube video, the provider uses cookies to collect information about user behaviour.
If you have disabled cookies for the Google advertising programme, these cookies will not be used when you watch YouTube videos either. However, YouTube also stores non-personal usage information in other cookies. To prevent this, you must block cookies in your browser.
Further information about data protection at "YouTube" is available in the provider's privacy policy at: https://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy/
Use of Microsoft Clarity
If you consent to statistical analysis, this website uses the "Clarity" service from Microsoft Corporation. Among other tools, Clarity uses cookies that enable analysis of how our website is used, as well as a tracking code. The information collected is transmitted to Clarity and stored there. According to Microsoft, it may also be used for advertising purposes. See the Microsoft Privacy Statements. For more information about Clarity, see Clarity privacy information | Opt-out (opt-out).
VG Wort tracking pixels
We use VG WORT's METIS access counting system to measure access to the online texts we provide through our website. We do this so that the likelihood of these texts being copied can be recorded.
The likelihood of a text being copied provides the basis for VG WORT to distribute remuneration lawfully to its authors and publishers under the German Copyright Act (Urheberrechtsgesetz, UrhG). To do this, a "counting tag" is embedded in the source code of each online text as part of the METIS access counting system.
This counting tag is an ID uniquely assigned to the text concerned. It allows access to that text to be counted when someone visits a text marked in this way. The METIS access counting system also generates a client ID and places a "METIS Session Cookie" on the device of the user visiting the marked text.
The client ID and session cookie make it possible to establish whether that user has already accessed the text during the same browser session. This is intended to prevent unlawful multiple counts of the text when determining the likelihood of it being copied. No personal data is processed through the session cookie or at any other point in the METIS access counting process.
Kantar GmbH, Landsberger Straße 284, München 80687, carries out METIS access counting for VG WORT.
Cloudflare
What is Cloudflare?
We use Cloudflare from Cloudflare, Inc. (101 Townsend St., San Francisco, CA 94107, USA) on this website to make it faster and more secure. Cloudflare uses cookies and processes user data. Cloudflare, Inc. is an American company offering a content delivery network and various security services. These services sit between the user and our hosting provider. We explain in more detail below what this means.
A content delivery network (CDN), such as the one Cloudflare provides, is simply a network of connected servers. Cloudflare has distributed these servers around the world to deliver web pages to your screen more quickly. Put simply, Cloudflare creates copies of our website and places them on its own servers. When you visit our website, a load-balancing system ensures that most of it is delivered from the server that can display it to you fastest. A CDN significantly shortens the distance that data travels to your browser. Cloudflare therefore delivers our website's content not just from our hosting server, but from servers around the world. Cloudflare is particularly useful for users abroad, as the website can be delivered from a nearby server. As well as delivering websites quickly, Cloudflare offers various security services, such as DDoS protection and a web application firewall.
Why do we use Cloudflare on our website?
We want to provide you with the best possible service through our website. Cloudflare helps us make it faster and more secure. Cloudflare offers both web optimisation and security services, such as DDoS protection and a web firewall. These also include a reverse proxy and the content delivery network (CDN). Cloudflare blocks threats and restricts abusive bots and crawlers that waste our bandwidth and server resources. By storing our website in local data centres and blocking spam software, Cloudflare enables us to reduce our bandwidth use by around 60%. Delivering content through a data centre near you, together with web optimisations performed there, reduces average website loading time by about half. According to Cloudflare, the "I'm Under Attack Mode" setting can mitigate further attacks by presenting a JavaScript calculation that must be solved before a user can access a website. Overall, this significantly improves our website's performance and makes it less vulnerable to spam or other attacks.
What data does Cloudflare process?
Cloudflare generally forwards only data controlled by website operators. The operator, rather than Cloudflare, therefore determines the content. Cloudflare may also collect certain information about use of our website and process data that we send or for which we have given Cloudflare appropriate instructions. In most cases, Cloudflare receives data such as IP addresses, contact and log information, security fingerprints and website performance data. Log data helps Cloudflare identify new threats, for example. This allows Cloudflare to provide a high level of security for our website. Cloudflare processes this data as part of its services in compliance with applicable laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Cloudflare also works with third-party providers. They may process personal data only on Cloudflare's instructions and in accordance with privacy policies and other confidentiality and security measures. Cloudflare does not disclose personal data without our explicit consent.
How long is data stored, and where?
Cloudflare stores your information mainly in the USA and the European Economic Area. It may transfer and access the information described above from anywhere in the world. In general, Cloudflare stores user-level data for domains on its Free, Pro and Business plans for less than 24 hours. For Enterprise domains with Cloudflare Logs enabled, formerly Enterprise LogShare or ELS, data may be stored for up to 7 days. However, exceptions to these retention periods may apply if IP addresses trigger security alerts at Cloudflare.
How can I delete my data or prevent it from being stored?
Cloudflare retains data logs only for as long as necessary and, in most cases, deletes this data within 24 hours. Cloudflare also does not store personal data such as your IP address. However, it retains some information indefinitely as part of its permanent logs to improve the overall performance of Cloudflare Resolver and identify possible security risks. Details of exactly which permanent logs are retained are available at https://www.cloudflare.com/application/privacypolicy/. All data Cloudflare collects, whether temporarily or permanently, is stripped of personal data. Cloudflare also anonymises all permanent logs.
Cloudflare states in its privacy policy that it is not responsible for the content it receives. For example, if you ask Cloudflare to update or delete your content, it generally refers you to us as the website operator. You can also prevent Cloudflare from collecting and processing your data altogether by disabling script execution in your browser or installing a script blocker.
Legal basis
If you have consented to the use of Cloudflare, that consent is the legal basis for the corresponding data processing. Under Article 6(1)(a) GDPR (consent), this consent provides the legal basis for processing personal data of the kind that may be collected by Cloudflare.
We also have a legitimate interest in using Cloudflare to improve our online service and make it more secure. The corresponding legal basis is Article 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interests). Nevertheless, we use Cloudflare only where you have given your consent.
Cloudflare also processes your data in the USA, among other locations. Cloudflare is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the proper and secure transfer of personal data belonging to EU citizens to the USA. Further information is available at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.
Cloudflare also uses standard contractual clauses (Article 46(2) and (3) GDPR). Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the European Commission intended to ensure that your data meets European data protection standards even when it is transferred to and stored in third countries, such as the USA. Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Cloudflare undertakes to maintain the European level of data protection when processing your relevant data, even if it is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the European Commission. The decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses are available, among other places, here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de.
For more information about the standard contractual clauses and the data processed through the use of Cloudflare, see its privacy policy at https://www.cloudflare.com/de-de/privacypolicy/.
Cloudflare Turnstile
We also use Cloudflare Turnstile, a bot protection and CAPTCHA service, on our website. The service provider is the American company Cloudflare, Inc., 101 Townsend St., San Francisco, CA 94107, USA.
Cloudflare also processes your data in the USA, among other locations. Cloudflare is an active participant in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the proper and secure transfer of personal data belonging to EU citizens to the USA. Further information is available at https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en.
Cloudflare also uses standard contractual clauses (Article 46(2) and (3) GDPR). Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates provided by the European Commission intended to ensure that your data meets European data protection standards even when it is transferred to and stored in third countries, such as the USA. Through the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the standard contractual clauses, Cloudflare undertakes to maintain the European level of data protection when processing your relevant data, even if it is stored, processed and managed in the USA. These clauses are based on an implementing decision of the European Commission. The decision and the corresponding standard contractual clauses are available, among other places, here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?locale=de.
For more information about the data processed through the use of Cloudflare Turnstile, see its privacy policy at https://www.cloudflare.com/de-de/privacypolicy/.
Imprint
Our legal notice contains the company details, registration information and contact details.
Imprint Who is behind this website