Data Protection Declaration and Privacy Policy

The protection of your personal data is important to us. Below we inform you about the collection of personal data when you use our website.

§ 1 Information regarding the collection of personal data

1. Personal data are data relating to a natural person, for example, name, address, email addresses, user behavior.
2. Pursuant to article 4(7) of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the data controller is IFOK GmbH, Berliner Ring 89, 64625 Bensheim, info@ifok.de. You can contact our data protection officer, by email (datenschutz@ifok.de.) or via post by addressing your letter to “DPO” (the data protection officer).
3. When you contact us by email or via a contact form, the information you share with us (your email address and, if applicable, your name and telephone number) is stored so that we can respond to your queries. We shall delete the data collected in this way once they are no longer required, or we shall restrict their processing if legal record keeping requirements apply.
4. Should we engage external providers to carry out some of the services we offer, or should we intend to use your data for marketing purposes, we shall provide you with detailed information about the processes involved (see below). In this case, we shall inform you regarding the specific criteria for determining the period for which the data will be stored.

§ 2 Your rights as data subject

You have the right:

1. to request access to the personal data processed by us, pursuant to Article 15 GDPR. In particular, you may request the following information: the purposes of the processing, the categories of personal data concerned, the categories of recipient to whom your personal data have been or will be disclosed, the envisaged period for which the data will be stored, the existence of the right to request from the controller rectification or erasure or restriction of processing or to object, the right to lodge a complaint, the source of your data where the personal data are not collected by us, as well as the existence of automated decision-making, including profiling and, if applicable, meaningful information about relevant details;
2. to obtain without undue delay the rectification of inaccurate personal data held by us or to have incomplete personal data completed, pursuant to Article 16 GDPR;
3. to obtain the erasure of the personal data held by us to the extent that processing is not necessary for exercising the right of freedom of expression and information, for compliance with a legal obligation, for reasons of public interest or for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims, pursuant to Article 17 GDPR;
4. to obtain restriction of processing of your personal data where you contest the accuracy of the data or where the processing is unlawful, and you oppose the erasure or where we no longer need the data, pursuant to Article 18 GDPR. Or where you need the data for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims or you have objected to processing, pursuant to Article 21 GDPR;
5. to receive the personal data you have provided us with in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format or to obtain transmission of those data to another controller, pursuant to Article 20 GDPR;
6. to withdraw your consent at any time, pursuant to Article 7(3) GDPR; this means that we may not continue to process the data for which consent had been given;
7. to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, pursuant to Article 77 GDPR, you can normally contact the supervisory authority in your habitual residence, place of work or our company’s location.

§ 3 Collection of personal data when visiting our website

1. When you visit our website for information purposes only, i.e., when you do not register or transmit information in any other way, we only collect personal data transmitted by your browser to our server. If you wish to view our website, we collect the following data that are necessary for technical reasons, such as displaying the website and ensuring its stability and security (legal basis: first sentence of Point (f) of Article 6(1) GDPR):
   
   • IP address
   • Date and time of the request
   • Time difference to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
   • Content of the request (specific page)
   • Access status/HTTP status code
   • Specific data volume transmitted
   • Website from which the request originates
   • Browser
   • Operating system and corresponding interface
   • Language and version of browser software.
2. In addition to the above data, cookies are stored on your computer when you use our website. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your hard drive by your browser and that enable certain information to be transmitted to the entity using the cookie (in this case us). Cookies are not able to run programs or transmit viruses to your computer. They allow websites to be more user-friendly and effective.
3. Use of cookies:
   • This website uses the following types of cookies. Below you will find an explanation of their scope and how they work:
     
     • Transient cookies
     • Persistent cookies
   • Transient cookies are deleted automatically when you close the browser. In particular, these include session cookies. Session cookies store a so-called session ID, which helps to associate different requests made by your browser with the joint session. This means that your computer is recognized when you return to our website. Session cookies are deleted when you log off or close your browser.
   • Persistent cookies are deleted automatically after a prescribed time period, which varies from cookie to cookie. You can delete cookies in your browser’s security settings at any time.
   • You can configure your browser settings as you wish, for example, you can refuse to accept third-party cookies or cookies in general. Please note that this may prevent you from using all the functions on this website.
   • We use cookies to identify you on subsequent visits if you have an account with us. Otherwise, you would have to log in every time you visit the website.
   • The flash cookies used are not collected by your browser but by your flash plug-in. We also use HTML5 storage objects, which are stored on your device. These objects store the requisite data independently of the browser you use and do not have an automatic expiry date. If you do not want flash cookies to be processed, you need to install an appropriate add-on, for example, “Better Privacy” for Mozilla Firefox (https://addons.mozilla.org/de/firefox/addon/betterprivacy/) or Adobe Flash killer cookie for Google Chrome. You can prevent the use of HTML5 storage objects by setting your browser to private mode. We also recommend manually deleting your cookies and browser history at regular intervals.

§ 4 Additional functions and services on our website

1. Apart from using our website for information purposes, we offer various services you may use if you are interested. In this case, you are usually asked to provide further personal data which we use to perform the service in question and to which the aforementioned principles on data processing shall apply.
2. 
   From time to time, we use external providers to process your data. These providers have been carefully selected and commissioned by us. They are bound by our instructions and shall be checked regularly. In particular, we use the services of CleverReach GmbH & Co. KG. to process user registration for events and to send out newsletters. You can find CleverReach GmbH & Co. KG’s privacy statement here.You can find evenito AG’s privacy policy at https://evenito.com/de/datenschutz/.
3. Moreover, we may pass on your personal data to third parties if competition entries, contracts or similar services are offered in conjunction with our partners. You will receive more detailed information when providing your personal data or in the small print relating to the service.
4. If our service providers or partners are established outside of the European Economic Area (EEA), we shall inform you about what this entails in the description of the service.
5. YouTube: Content from the provider YouTube LLC is embedded directly on some of our web pages. You can only view them if you have given your consent to do so. This is possible in two ways: 1. by accepting the YouTube cookies in the cookie settings (see below). 2. by clicking on the red “Load Video” button located directly in the embedded video window. When you watch a video, no personal data is stored that allows YouTube to identify you. This does not apply if you are currently logged into a Google service. In addition, we use links that redirect to YouTube. We are not responsible for the content there. If you follow such a link, YouTube’s privacy policy applies.

§ 5 Objection to processing your data or withdrawal of consent

1. If you have given consent to the processing of your data, you can withdraw this at any time. Withdrawing your consent shall affect the admissibility of the processing of your personal data.
2. Insofar as we base the processing of your personal data on balancing various interests, you may object to the processing. This shall apply when the processing is not necessary for the performance of a contract with you, which will be specified in the relevant description of the specific function. Should you exercise your right to object, we ask you to state your reasons as to why we may no longer process your personal data. In the case of a substantiated objection, we shall examine the situation and shall either discontinue/adapt the processing or we shall demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds on which we shall continue the processing.
3. As a matter of course, you may object to the processing of your personal data for marketing purposes and data analysis at any time. You can find out more on objecting to marketing by contacting: datenschutz@ifok.de.

§ 6 Use of Our Forum

1. Our forum can be read without registration. If you wish to actively participate in the forum, you must register by providing your email address, a password of your choice, and a freely chosen username. Real-name usage is not required; pseudonymous use is possible. We use the so-called double opt-in procedure for registration, meaning your registration is only complete once you confirm your signup via a confirmation email sent to you for this purpose by clicking on the link it contains.
2. If you create a forum account, we store, in addition to your login data, all information you provide on the forum—such as public posts, wall entries, friendships, private messages, etc.—to operate the forum. The legal basis is Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f GDPR.
3. If you would like your account or your public contributions to be deleted, please contact the person responsible using the following contact details Datenschutz@ifok.de or the details provided in the legal notice.

§ 7 Newsletter

1. With your consent, you can subscribe to our newsletter, which informs you about our current interesting offers. The goods and services advertised are specified in the declaration of consent.
2. To subscribe to our newsletter, we use the double opt-in procedure. This means that after you register, we will send an email to the provided email address asking you to confirm that you want to receive the newsletter. Additionally, we store the IP addresses used and the times of registration and confirmation. The purpose of this process is to be able to prove your registration and, if necessary, clarify any misuse of your personal data.
3. After your confirmation, we store your contact data for the purpose of sending you the newsletter. The legal basis is Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a GDPR.
4. You can revoke your consent to receive the newsletter at any time and unsubscribe. You can revoke it by clicking the link provided in every newsletter email, by emailing datenschutz@ifok.de, or by contacting us via the contact details provided in the legal notice.
5. Please note that we evaluate your user behavior when sending the newsletter. For this evaluation, the emails sent contain so-called web beacons or tracking pixels—one-pixel image files stored on our website. Links in the newsletter also contain a unique tracking ID. The data is collected exclusively in pseudonymized form, meaning the IDs are not linked to your other personal data, and a direct link to individuals is excluded.

§ 8 Event Registration

1. With your consent, you can register for events via our website.
2. With your consent, you can also register for events through us. After your registration, you will receive a confirmation email at the address you provided. For more information on how evenito collects and uses your data, please see their privacy policy: https://evenito.com/de/datenschutz/.
3. You may revoke your consent to register for an event at any time. You can do so by sending a message to the contact details provided in the event description or email.

§ 9 Participation in Online Surveys

1. With your consent, you can register on our website to participate in online surveys.
2. For registration for an online survey, we use the double opt-in procedure. This means that after you register, we send an email to the address provided, asking you to confirm that you initiated the registration. Additionally, we store parts of your IP addresses and the times of registration and confirmation. The purpose of this process is to verify your registration and, if necessary, clarify any misuse of your personal data.
3. You may revoke your consent to participate in online surveys at any time. You can do so by sending a message to the contact details provided in the email.

§ 10 Web Analytics

1. This website uses the web analytics service Matomo to analyze and regularly improve the use of our website. The statistics obtained allow us to improve our offering and make it more interesting for you as a user. The legal basis for the use of Matomo is Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f GDPR.
2. You can prevent the use of Matomo by unchecking the box below, which activates the opt-out plugin:

To implement the opt-out, Matomo sets a cookie on your computer (see § 3 for more). If this cookie is deleted, the opt-out is deactivated again.

• For this analysis, cookies (see § 3 for more) are stored on your computer. The information collected in this way is stored solely on the server of the data controller in Germany.
• This website uses Matomo with the “AnonymizeIP” extension. This means that IP addresses are processed in shortened form, preventing direct personal identification. The IP address transmitted by your browser via Matomo is not combined with other data we collect.
• Matomo is an open-source project. For information from the third-party provider regarding data protection, visit https://matomo.org/privacy-policy.

§ 11 Social Media

We do not use social media plug-ins on our website. If our website contains social media icons (e.g., from Facebook or Twitter), we use them solely as passive links to the respective providers’ pages.

§ 12 Data Security

1. We use the widely-used SSL (Secure Socket Layer) procedure during your website visit to encrypt transmissions. You can recognize whether a single page on our website is encrypted by looking for the closed lock or key icon in the address bar of your browser, depending on the browser you use.
2. Additionally, we employ appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your data against accidental or intentional manipulation, partial or complete loss, destruction, or unauthorized access by third parties. Our security measures are continuously improved in line with technological developments.

§ 13 Validity and Amendments to This Privacy Policy

This privacy policy is currently valid as of May 2018.

As our website and services evolve, or due to changes in legal or regulatory requirements, it may become necessary to amend this privacy policy. The current privacy policy can be accessed and printed at any time via the link on our website.