PRIVACY POLICY DANCING QUEENS AG

Status: 01.03.2024

A. Notes across sales channels

1. controller and content of this privacy policy

2. contact person for data protection

3. your rights

4. data security

5. processing of personal data

Contacting us
Use of our chat function
Registration for a customer account
Ordering products
Online payment processing
Submission of ratings

6. use of your data for marketing purposes

Central data storage and analysis in the CRM system
E-mail marketing and newsletters
Whatsapp marketing
Direct mailing

7. disclosure to third parties and access by third parties

8. transfer of personal data abroad

9. retention periods

B. Special information for our website

10. log file data
11. cookies
12. Google SiteSearch / Google Custom Search Engine
13. tracking and web analysis tools

General information on tracking
Google Analytics

14. social media

Social media profiles
Social media plugins

15. online advertising and targeting

In general
Google Ads
Meta Ads

A. CROSS-SELLING CHANNEL INFORMATION

1. CONTROLLER AND CONTENT OF THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We, the Dancing Queens AG, Pilatusstrasse 30, CH-8330 Pfäffikon ZH are the owner and operator of the Dancing Queens business premises and the websites www.dancingqueens.ch, www.dancing-queens.com, www.dancingqueensshoes.com and www.dancing-queens.at (hereinafter the "website") and, unless otherwise stated, are responsible for the data processing specified in this privacy policy.
By accessing or using the Website, you declare your consent to this Privacy Policy in its entirety and in addition to all other laws and regulations applicable to the Website and the Internet.

Please take note of the following information so that you know what personal data we collect from you and for what purposes we use it. Our data protection policy is primarily based on the legal requirements of Swiss data protection law, in particular the Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP), as well as the EU GDPR, the provisions of which may apply in individual cases. If you do not agree with this privacy policy, you are not permitted to access the website and must leave the website immediately.

Please note that the following information is reviewed and amended from time to time. The latest version of the Privacy Policy replaces all previous versions and is binding with immediate effect. We therefore recommend that you consult this privacy policy regularly. Furthermore, other companies are responsible or jointly responsible with us under data protection law for individual data processing operations listed below, so that in these cases the information provided by these providers is also authoritative.

2. CONTACT PERSON FOR DATA PROTECTION

If you have any questions about data protection or would like to exercise your rights, please get in touch with our contact person for data protection by sending an e-mail to the following address:
contact@dancingqueens.ch

You can reach our EU Data Protection Representative at:
Dancing Queens AG
Pilatusstrasse 30
8330 Pfäffikon
Switzerland

Dancing Queens AG
Hartwicusstr. 3
22087 Hamburg
Germany

Email: contact@dancingqueens.ch

3. YOUR RIGHTS

If the legal requirements are met, you have the following rights as a data subject affected by data processing:

Right to information: You have the right to request access to your personal data stored by us at any time and free of charge. This gives you the opportunity to check what personal data we process about you and that we use it in accordance with the applicable data protection regulations. You can also request information about the controller, the purpose of processing, the retention period, the origin and the recipient or category of recipients of data.

Right to rectification: You have the right to have inaccurate or incomplete personal data rectified and to be informed of the rectification. In this case, we will inform the recipients of the data concerned about the adjustments made, unless this is impossible or involves disproportionate effort.

Right to erasure: You have the right to have your personal data erased under certain circumstances. In individual cases, particularly in the case of statutory retention obligations, the right to erasure may be excluded. In this case, the data may be blocked instead of erased if the conditions are met.

Right to restriction of processing: You have the right to request that the processing of your personal data be restricted.

Right to data output/data transfer: You have the right to receive the personal data that you have provided to us free of charge in a commonly used, readable format. You also have the right to have us transfer this data to another controller.

Right to object: You can object to data processing at any time, in particular for data processing in connection with direct advertising (e.g. advertising e-mails).

Right to withdraw consent: You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. However, processing activities based on your consent in the past will not become unlawful as a result of your withdrawal.

To exercise these rights, please contact us at the e-mail address or postal address listed in section 2.

Right to lodge a complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with a competent supervisory authority, e.g. against the way in which your personal data is processed. In Switzerland, this is the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC, Feldeggweg 1, 3003 Bern,

https://www.edoeb.admin.ch/edoeb/de/home.html) is responsible.

4. DATA SECURITY

We use suitable technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal data stored by us against loss and unlawful processing, in particular unauthorized access by third parties. Our employees and the service companies commissioned by us are obliged by us to maintain confidentiality and to observe data protection. Furthermore, these persons are only granted access to personal data to the extent necessary to fulfill their tasks.

Our security measures are continuously adapted in line with technological developments. However, the transmission of information via the Internet and electronic means of communication always involves certain security risks and we cannot provide an absolute guarantee for the security of information transmitted in this way.

5 Processing of personal data

The legal basis for the processing of personal data depends on the individual case and is based on the law (in particular the FADP and the GDPR), on a contractual basis or on your consent. If the processing is necessary to safeguard our legitimate interest and your interests, fundamental rights and freedoms do not outweigh the former interest, the legal basis is our aforementioned legitimate interest.
We respect your privacy and do not collect or process any personal data unless it is (a) voluntarily provided by you or (b) automatically collected when you use the website.

5.1 CONTACTING US

If you contact us via our contact addresses and channels (e.g. by email, WhatsApp, app, telephone or contact form), your personal data will be processed. The data that you have provided to us will be processed, e.g. the name of your company, your name, your function, your email address or telephone number and your request. In addition, the time of receipt of the request is documented. Mandatory information is marked with an asterisk (*) in contact forms.

5.2. USE OF OUR CHAT FUNCTION

If you contact us via chat, your personal data will be processed. The data that you have made available to us will be processed, e.g. the name of your company, your name, your function, your e-mail address and your request. In addition, the time of receipt of the request is documented. Mandatory information is marked with an asterisk (*).

We process this data exclusively in order to implement your request (e.g. providing information about a product, support in contract processing such as returning products, incorporating your feedback into the improvement of our services, etc.). To provide the chat function, we use a tool from WhatsApp Inc (WhatsApp Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland). Therefore, your data is stored in a database of WhatsApp Inc, which may allow WhatsApp Inc to access your data if necessary for the provision of the software and for support in the use of the software.

The legal basis for this data processing is our legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f EU GDPR in the use of modern communication technologies or, if your request is aimed at the conclusion or execution of a contract, in the implementation of the necessary measures within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b EU GDPR.

5.3 REGISTRATION FOR A CUSTOMER ACCOUNT

If you open a customer account on our website, we collect the following data, whereby mandatory information is marked with an asterisk (*) in the corresponding form:

Personal details:
Name
First name
Login data:
E-mail address
password

We use the personal details to establish your identity and to check the requirements for registration. The e-mail address and password together serve as login data and thus ensure that the correct person is using the website under your details. We also require your e-mail address for verification and confirmation of the account opening and for future communication with you required for contract processing. In addition, this data is stored in the customer account for future contract conclusions. For this purpose, we also allow you to store further details in the account (e.g. your preferred means of payment).
We also use the data to provide an overview of the products and services ordered (see in particular sections 5.4 and 18) and an easy way to manage your personal data, to administer our website and the contractual relationships, i.e. to establish, structure the content of, process and amend the contracts concluded with you via your customer account.
You can revoke your consent at any time by removing the data from your customer account or deleting your customer account or having it deleted by sending us a message.
To prevent misuse, you must always treat your login data confidentially and should close the browser window when you have finished communicating with us, especially if you share the computer with others.

5.4 ORDERING PRODUCTS

If you wish to order products or book services on the website, we require various data in order to process the contract. If you do not log in with your customer account (see section 5.3), we collect the following data - depending on the product or service - whereby mandatory information is marked with an asterisk (*) in the corresponding form:

Name
First name
Billing and delivery address
e-mail address
Date of birth
Company, company address and VAT number for corporate customers

We use the data to establish your identity before concluding a contract. We also need your e-mail address to confirm your order and for future communication with you required to process the contract. We store your data together with the marginal data of the order (e.g. time, order number, etc.), the data on the ordered/booked services (e.g. name, price and features of the product; "product data"), the data on payment (e.g. selected payment method, confirmation of payment and time; see also section 5.5) as well as the data on the order confirmation. Furthermore, section 5.5) as well as information on the processing and fulfillment of the contract (e.g. return of products, use of service or warranty services, etc.) in our CRM database (see section 6.1) so that we can ensure correct order processing and contract fulfillment.
The provision of data that is not marked as mandatory is voluntary. We process this data in order to tailor our offer to your personal needs in the best possible way, to facilitate the processing of contracts, to contact you via an alternative communication channel if necessary with a view to fulfilling the contract or for statistical recording and evaluation to optimize our offers.

5.5 ONLINE PAYMENT PROCESSING

If you purchase paid services or products on our website, depending on the product or service and the desired payment method - in addition to the information specified in Section 18 - you may be required to provide further data, such as your credit card information or the login for your payment service provider. This information and the fact that you have purchased a service from us at the relevant amount and time will be forwarded to the respective payment service providers (e.g. providers of payment solutions, credit card issuers and credit card acquirers). Please always note the information provided by the respective company, in particular the privacy policy and general terms and conditions.

To avoid payment cases, the necessary data, in particular your personal details, may also be transmitted to a credit agency for an automated assessment of your creditworthiness. In this context, the credit agency can assign you a so-called score value. This is an estimate of the future risk of a payment default, e.g. based on a percentage. The value is calculated using mathematical-statistical procedures and by incorporating data from the credit agency from other sources. We reserve the right not to offer you the payment method "invoice" in accordance with the information received.

5.6 SUBMISSION OF RATINGS

In order to help other users with their purchase decision and to support our quality management (in particular the processing of negative feedback), you have the opportunity to rate ordered products on our website. The data that you have made available to us will be processed and published on the website, i.e. in addition to your rating and its time, possibly also a comment that you have added to your rating or the name you have given.

We reserve the right to delete unlawful reviews and to contact you in the event of suspicion and ask you to comment. The legal basis for this processing is our legitimate interest in providing the comment and rating function and preventing abuse when using it.

6. USE OF YOUR DATA FOR MARKETING PURPOSES

6.1 CENTRAL DATA STORAGE AND ANALYSIS IN THE CRM SYSTEM

If a clear assignment to your person is possible, we will store and link the data described in this privacy policy, i.e. in particular your personal data, your contacts, your contract data and your surfing behavior on our websites, in a central database. This serves the efficient administration of customer data and allows us to respond to your concerns adequately, and enables the efficient provision of the services you require and the processing of the associated contracts.

We evaluate this data in order to further develop our offers in line with your needs and to display and suggest the most relevant information and offers to you. We also use methods that predict potential, interests and future orders based on your use of the website.

6.2 E-MAIL MARKETING AND NEWSLETTERS

If you register for our e-mail newsletter (e.g. when opening or within your customer account), the following data will be collected. Mandatory information is marked with an asterisk (*) in the registration form:

E-mail address
First name and surname
Further data depending on the sign-up form, e.g. dance style, birthday or similar

To avoid misuse and to ensure that the owner of an e-mail address has actually given their consent, we use the so-called double opt-in for registration. After sending the registration form, you will receive an e-mail from us containing a confirmation link. To definitively register for the newsletter, you must click on this link. If you do not click on the confirmation link within the specified period, your data will be deleted and our newsletter will not be sent to this address.

By registering, you consent to the processing of this data in order to receive news from us about our company, our offers in the field of dance shoes and sportswear as well as related products and services. This may also include invitations to take part in competitions or to evaluate one of the aforementioned products and services. The collection of the name allows us to verify the assignment of the registration to a possibly already existing customer account and to personalize the content of the mails. The link to a customer account helps us to make the offers and content contained in the newsletter more relevant to you and better tailored to your potential needs.

We will continue to use your data to send you emails until you withdraw your consent. You can withdraw your consent at any time, in particular by using the unsubscribe link in all our marketing emails.

Our marketing emails may contain a so-called web beacon or 1x1 pixel (tracking pixel) or similar technical aids. A web beacon is an invisible graphic that is linked to the user ID of the respective newsletter subscriber. For each marketing email sent, we receive information about which addresses have not yet received the email, which addresses it was sent to and which addresses failed to receive it. We also see which addresses have opened the email, for how long and which links they have clicked on. Finally, we also receive information about which addresses have unsubscribed. We use this data for statistical purposes and to optimize the advertising emails in terms of frequency, timing, structure and content of the emails. This enables us to better tailor the information and offers in our e-mails to the individual interests of the recipients.

The web beacon is deleted when you delete the email. To prevent the use of the web beacon in our marketing e-mails, please set the parameters of your e-mail program so that HTML is not displayed in messages, if this is not already the case by default. You can find information on how to configure this setting in the help sections of your email software, e.g. here for Microsoft Outlook.

By subscribing to the newsletter, you also consent to the statistical analysis of your user behavior for the purpose of optimizing and adapting the newsletter.

Since 2023 we have been using the email marketing software Klavyio, 125 Summer St Floor 6, Boston, MA 02111, United States. Therefore, your data is stored in a Klavyio database, which allows Klavyio to access your data if this is necessary for the provision of the software and for support in the use of the software.

6.3 WHATSAPP MARKETING

You can contact us and start a conversation via WhatsApp. We are the controller within the meaning of Art. 4 No. 7 GDPR for subsequent data processing in connection with WhatsApp. To offer and use WhatsApp, we use the software solution of Charles GmbH, Gartensstr. 86-87, 10115 Berlin, Germany, under a data processing agreement. Charles stores all personal data in the EU. As an official WhatsApp partner, Charles uses the WhatsApp Business API, which means that no other third parties or WhatsApp have access to your communication content within our area of responsibility.

The use of WhatsApp is solely subject to the agreements you have made with WhatsApp. In accordance with WhatsApp's terms of use, we have your telephone number and username when you contact us. We use this and other information provided by you to recognize you and your preferences and to reply to your WhatsApp messages. The legal basis here is your consent to be contacted in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR. We will also send you newsletters via WhatsApp if you have given us your consent to do so.

You can revoke any consent you have already given at any time with effect for the future. Under the GDPR, you also have the right of access, rectification, portability and erasure of your personal data as well as the right to restrict or object to certain processing. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority responsible for you.

For further information, please refer to our processors:

Charles GmbH: https://www.hello-charles.com/wiki/whatsapp-newsletter/

WhatsApp Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland: https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/privacy-policy-eea

6.4 DIRECT MAILING

We use the postal address provided by you (e.g. when opening or within your customer account or when placing an order) to inform you by post about current offers and benefits.
If you do not wish to receive postal offers and information, you can unsubscribe at any time by sending an e-mail to contact@dancingqueens.ch.

7. DISCLOSURE TO THIRD PARTIES AND ACCESS BY THIRD PARTIES

Without the support of other companies, we would not be able to provide our services in the desired form. In order for us to be able to use the services of these companies, it is also necessary to pass on your personal data to a certain extent. Such a transfer takes place in particular if this is necessary to fulfill the contract you have requested, i.e. for example to the logistics or transport companies that deliver the requested products, or to a manufacturer who is to fulfill your warranty claim or ship the products directly.

Data is also passed on to selected service providers and only to the extent necessary for the provision of the service. Various third-party service providers are also already explicitly mentioned in this privacy policy, e.g. in the sections on marketing. These are, for example, IT service providers (such as providers of software solutions, database systems, reporting systems, Shopify plugins), advertising agencies, consulting companies and the accounting tool Bexio.

In addition, your data may be passed on, in particular to authorities, legal advisors or debt collection agencies, if we are legally obliged to do so or if this is necessary to protect our rights, in particular to enforce claims arising from the relationship with you. Data may also be disclosed if another company intends to acquire our company or parts thereof and such disclosure is necessary to carry out a due diligence review or to complete the transaction.

8. TRANSFER OF PERSONAL DATA ABROAD

We are also entitled to transfer your personal data to third parties abroad if this is necessary to carry out the data processing mentioned in this privacy policy (see in particular sections 12-15). It goes without saying that the statutory provisions on the disclosure of personal data to third parties will be complied with. If the country in question does not have an adequate level of data protection, we ensure through contractual arrangements that your data is adequately protected by these companies.

9. RETENTION PERIODS

We only store personal data for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, in particular to fulfill contractual and legal obligations, to keep accurate accounting, financial and other operational records, to resolve disputes and to enforce our rights in connection with the use of the website. In the case of contractual data, storage is required by statutory retention obligations. Requirements that oblige us to retain data arise from accounting and tax regulations. According to these regulations, business communication, concluded contracts and accounting documents must be stored for up to 10 years. If we no longer need this data to perform the services for you, the data will be blocked. This means that the data may then only be used if this is necessary to fulfill retention obligations or to defend and enforce our legal interests. The data will be deleted as soon as there is no longer an obligation to retain it and there is no longer a legitimate interest in retaining it.

B. Cookies / tracking and other technologies in connection with the use of our website

10. LOG FILE DATA

When you visit our website, the servers of our hosting provider Shopify International Limited, Victoria Buildings, 2nd Floor, 1-2 Haddington Road, Dublin 4, D04 XN32, Ireland ("Shopify") temporarily store each access in a log file. Further information on how Shopify uses your personal data can be found here: https://www.shopify.com/legal/privacy
The purpose of collecting and processing this data is to enable the use of our website (connection establishment), to ensure system security and stability in the long term, to analyze errors and performance and to enable us to optimize our website (see also section 13 for the last points).
In the event of an attack on the network infrastructure of the website or in the event of suspicion of other unauthorized or abusive website use, the IP address and the other data will be evaluated for clarification and defense and, if necessary, used in the context of criminal proceedings for identification and for civil and criminal proceedings against the users concerned.
Finally, when you visit our website, we use cookies as well as applications and tools that are based on the use of cookies. The data described here may also be processed in this context. You will find more detailed information on this in the following sections of this privacy policy, in particular section

11 COOKIES

Cookies are information files that your web browser stores on your computer's hard disk or memory when you visit our website. Cookies are assigned identification numbers that identify your browser and allow the information contained in the cookie to be read.

Cookies help, among other things, to make your visit to our website easier, more pleasant and more meaningful. We use cookies for various purposes that are required for your desired use of the website, i.e. are "technically necessary". For example, we use cookies to identify you as a registered user after you have logged in without you having to log in again each time you navigate through the various subpages. The provision of the shopping cart and order function is also based on the use of cookies. Cookies also perform other technical functions required for the operation of the website, such as load balancing, i.e. the distribution of the performance load of the site to different web servers in order to reduce the load on the servers. Cookies are also used for security purposes, for example to prevent the unauthorized posting of content. Finally, we also use cookies as part of the design and programming of our website, e.g. to enable the uploading of scripts or codes.

Most Internet browsers accept cookies automatically. However, when you access our website, we ask for your consent to the cookies we use that are not technically necessary, especially when using third-party cookies for marketing purposes. You can make your desired settings using the corresponding buttons in the cookie banner. Details on the services and data processing associated with the individual cookies can be found within the cookie banner and in the following sections of this privacy policy.

You may also be able to configure your browser so that no cookies are stored on your computer or so that a message always appears when you receive a new cookie. On the following pages you will find explanations of how you can configure the processing of cookies in selected browsers.

Google Chrome
Apple Safari

If you deactivate cookies, you may not be able to use all the functions of our website.

12. GOOGLE SITESEARCH / GOOGLE CUSTOM SEARCH ENGINE

This website uses the Google SiteSearch/Google Custom Search Engine of Google LLC (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA) (hereinafter "Google"). This enables us to provide you with an efficient search function on our website.

When using our search fields, your browser may transmit the log file data listed in section 10 (incl. IP address) and the search term you entered to Google if you have installed JavaScript in your browser. If you wish to prevent the transmission of data, you can deactivate JavaScript in your browser settings (usually in the "Data protection" menu). Please note that the search function and other functions of the website may be impaired in this case.

For further data processing by Google, please refer to Google's privacy policy: www.google.com/intl/de_de/policies/privacy.

13. TRACKING AND WEB ANALYSIS TOOLS

13.1 General information on tracking
We use the web analysis services listed below for the purpose of designing and continuously optimizing our website to meet your needs. In this context, pseudonymized user profiles are created and cookies are used (please also refer to section 11). The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website is usually transmitted to a server of the service provider together with the log file data listed in section 10, where it is stored and processed. This may also result in a transfer to servers abroad, e.g. in the USA (see section 8, in particular the guarantees taken).

By processing the data, we obtain the following information, among other things:

Navigation path that a visitor takes on the site (incl. content viewed and products selected or purchased),
time spent on the website or subpage,
the subpage on which the website is left,
the country, region or city from which access is made,
end device (type, version, color depth, resolution, width and height of the browser window) and
Returning or new visitor.

The provider will use this information on our behalf to evaluate the use of the website, to compile reports on website activity for us and to provide us with other services relating to website activity and internet usage for the purposes of market research and the needs-based design of this website. For these processing operations, we and the providers can be regarded as joint controllers under data protection law up to a certain extent.

You can withdraw your consent or refuse processing at any time by rejecting or deactivating the relevant cookies in your web browser settings (see section 11) or by making use of the service-specific options described below.

For further processing of the data by the respective provider as the (sole) controller under data protection law, in particular any disclosure of this information to third parties such as authorities on the basis of national legal regulations, please refer to the respective data protection information of the provider.

13.2 GOOGLE ANALYTICS

We use the web analysis service Google Analytics from Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, 4 Barrow St, Dublin, D04 E5W5, Ireland) or Google LLC (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA) ("Google").

The data described about the use of the website may be transmitted to the servers of Google LLC in the USA for the processing purposes explained (see section 13.1). The IP address is shortened by activating IP anonymization ("anonymizeIP") on this website before transmission within the member states of the European Union or in other contracting states of 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.

You can prevent Google from collecting the data generated by the cookie and relating to your use of the website (including your IP address) and from processing this data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plug-in at the following link:
http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de. Further information on data protection at Google can be found here.

14. SOCIAL MEDIA

We have included links to our profiles and social plugins from the following providers on our website:

Meta Platforms Inc, 1601 S California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA;
Instagram Inc. 1601 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA;
Linkedin Unlimited Company, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Youtube
Whats App Business

We use social plugins to make it easier for you to share content from our website. The social plugins help us to increase the visibility of our content in social networks and thus contribute to better marketing.

The plugins are deactivated on our websites by default and therefore do not send any data to the social networks when you simply visit our website. To increase data protection, we have integrated the plugins in such a way that a connection is not automatically established with the servers of the networks. Your browser only establishes a direct connection to the servers of the respective social network when you activate the plugins and thus give your consent to data transmission and further processing by the social network providers.

The content of the plugin is transmitted by the social network directly to your browser, which integrates it into the website. As a result, the respective provider receives the information that your browser has accessed the corresponding page of our website, even if you do not have an account with this social network or are not currently logged in to it. This information (including your IP address) is transmitted directly from your browser to a server of the provider (usually in the USA) and stored there. We have no influence on the scope of the data that the provider collects with the plugin, although we can be considered jointly responsible with the providers to a certain extent from a data protection perspective.

If you are logged in to the social network, it can assign your visit to our website directly to your user account. If you interact with the plugins, the corresponding information is also transmitted directly to a server of the provider and stored there. The information (e.g. that you like one of our products) may also be published on the social network and may be displayed to other users of the social network. The provider of the social network may use this information for the purpose of displaying advertising and tailoring the respective offer. For this purpose, usage, interest and relationship profiles may be created, e.g. to evaluate your use of our website with regard to the advertisements displayed to you on the social network, to inform other users about your activities on our website and to provide other services associated with the use of the social network. The purpose and scope of the data collection and the further processing and use of the data by the providers of the social networks as well as your rights in this regard and setting options to protect your privacy can be found directly in the data protection information of the respective provider.

If you do not want the social network provider to assign the data collected via our website to your user account, you must log out of the social network before activating the plugins.

15. ONLINE ADVERTISING AND TARGETING

15.1 IN GENERAL

We use the services of various companies to provide you with interesting offers online. Your user behavior on our website and websites of other providers is analyzed in order to be able to display online advertising tailored to you.

Most of the technologies used to track your user behavior ("tracking") and to display targeted advertising ("targeting") work with cookies (see also section 11), with which your browser can be recognized via various websites. Depending on the service provider, it may also be possible for you to be recognized online even when using different end devices (e.g. laptop and smartphone). This may be the case, for example, if you have registered with a service that you use on several devices.

In addition to the data already mentioned, which is collected when websites are accessed ("log file data", see section 10) and when cookies are used (section 11) and which may be passed on to the companies involved in the advertising networks, the following data in particular is used to select the advertising that is potentially most relevant to you:

Information about you that you have provided when registering or using a service of advertising partners (e.g. your gender, your age group);
User behavior (e.g. search queries, interactions with advertising, types of websites visited, products viewed and purchased, newsletters subscribed to).

We and our service providers use this data to recognize whether you belong to the target group we are addressing and take this into account when selecting advertisements. For example, after you have visited our site, you may be shown advertisements for the products you have viewed when you visit other sites ("re-targeting"). Depending on the scope of the data, a user profile may also be created, which is automatically evaluated, and the ads are selected according to the information stored in the profile, such as membership of certain demographic segments or potential interests or behaviors. Such ads may be presented to you on various channels, including our website or app (as part of on-site and in-app marketing) as well as ads that are placed via the online advertising networks we use, such as Google.

The data may then be analyzed for the purpose of billing the service provider and assessing the effectiveness of advertising measures in order to better understand the needs of our users and customers and improve future campaigns. This may also include information that the performance of an action (e.g. visiting certain sections of our websites or sending information) is attributable to a specific advertisement. We also receive aggregated reports from the service providers on advertising activities and information on how users interact with our website and our advertisements.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by rejecting or disabling the relevant cookies in your web browser settings (see section 11). Further options for blocking advertising can also be found in the information provided by the respective service provider, e.g. Google.

15.2 GOOGLE ADS

This website uses the services of Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA ("Google") for online advertising. Google uses cookies for this purpose, such as the so-called DoubleClick cookie, which enable your browser to be recognized when you visit other websites. The information generated by the cookies about your visit to these websites (including your IP address) is transmitted to a Google server in the USA and stored there (please also refer to section 6). Further information on data protection at Google can be found directly on their website.

15.3 META ADS

Within our online offering, we use Meta Pixel from Meta Platforms Inc, 1601 S California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA. With the help of Meta Ads

The Meta Pixel is integrated directly by Meta when you visit our website and can store a so-called cookie, i.e. a small file, on your device. If you subsequently log in to Meta or visit Meta while logged in, your visit to our website will be noted in your profile. The data collected about you is anonymous to us and does not allow us to draw any conclusions about your identity. However, the data is stored and processed by Meta so that a connection to the respective user profile is possible and can be used by Meta and for its own market research and advertising purposes.

Meta processes the data in accordance with Meta's privacy policy: https://www.facebook.com/policy.php. Specific information and details about the Meta Pixel and how it works can be found in Meta's help section: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/651294705016616.

You can object to the collection by Meta Pixel and the use of your data to display Meta Ads. To set which types of advertisements are displayed to you within Meta, you can go to the page set up by Meta and follow the instructions on the settings for usage-based advertising: https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=ads.