Home Connect Developer Program

Data Protection Information

I. The responsible for the processing of personal data

We, the

Home Connect GmbH, Carl-Wery-Strasse 34, 81739 Munich

is/are the provider of the services described herein (hereinafter “We” or “Provider”) including the respective processing of personal data. This Data Protection Information provides to you, the user of the services (hereinafter “You”), information about the relevant processing of personal data for all touchpoints where you interact with us. Some of the services provided, may be provided by a different entity. In such situations, the data processing related to these services will be handled by the respective entity responsible for providing the service, and we will inform you accordingly.

II. Our Data Protection Principles

In the context of provision of the services described herein and the operation of websites and other touchpoints, we process your personal data in different ways. We are informing you about each processing of personal data as well as the respective legal basis and principles under which this processing takes place.

We are committed to protecting your personal data. Therefore, we process your data with great care and in strict compliance with applicable data protection laws and the individual permissions you may have given to us. We have taken organisational and technical security measures to protect all our websites, apps and other (digital) touchpoints against the potential risks present in processing personal data. Our group companies and partners who support us in the provision of the services must also comply with these rules and principles.

Please use the contact information provided in this Data Protection Information to contact us either generally or with specific data protection questions and/or enquiries.

There are different laws that regulate Data Protection depending on the country in which you are located. Based on the principles of the European General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), we defined the following basic principles as our guidelines on how we process and protect your personal data when providing our websites and services:

1. Lawfulness

We only use personal data if such use is lawful, which is the case only if and to the extent that at least one of the following applies:

• You have given your consent.
• The use of personal data is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are party.
• The use of personal data is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation, e.g., in cases of product safety actions, where we are obliged to inform all our customers.
• The use of personal data is necessary to protect the vital interests of the person, e.g., in cases where we inform individual customers about product safety issues.
• The use of personal data is based on a legitimate interest in using personal data and our usage does not adversely affect your data protection rights.

For all processing of personal data, we describe herein, we will also provide the legal reason the processing is based on at the end of each major section as well as in the description of specific third-party providers of services we use in Section VII of this data protection information.

2. Fairness and Transparency

We will inform you about the personal data we collect and why we collect it in a fair and transparent manner in this Data Protection Information. You can access the Data Protection Information directly or via a link when you register and/or at any touchpoint where you interact with us.

Users below the age of 16 should only transmit personal data to us with the consent of their parent or legal guardian. The data protection law that applies in your country may result in different age limits in this regard.

3. Purpose limitation and data minimization

We only collect and use personal data that we really need and for the purpose that you provided the personal data to us. If we can achieve the purpose with less personal data, we will only use the minimum data required. Nevertheless, at any time, you are free to provide additional personal data, if this would enhance your experience with the services provided.

4. Types of processing including third parties

In cases in which we do not process your personal data directly as data controller (e.g. website hosting, technical services etc.) we contract with third parties who deliver these services on our behalf as data processors. These contracts bind them for the processing of your personal data to secure the lawfulness and security of the processing. This is named a Controller to Processor relationship and is defined in Artt. 28/29 GDPR, where we are the Controller and the respective third party is the Processor. You will find a list of the data processors we engage at the end of this Data Protection Information

Joint Controllership describes the situation, when multiple parties, we are being one of them, work together to decide how data will be used and managed (Joint Controllers, see Art. 26 GDPR). Joint Controllers need to inform clearly about who is processing which personal data and what obligations each party has taken over regarding the applicable data protection rules. As Joint Controllers agree on their roles and make sure the data subjects (people the data is about) are informed about these roles, we will inform you about these roles and your individual rights for each of the Joint Controllership situations described herein. When we use a third-party service or partner, who is processing personal data as a Joint Controller, we will inform you about the rights and roles accordingly in the third-party providers listing in Section VII at the very end of this document.

Sometimes there is a need to transfer personal data to a third party acting as independent controller who acts in their own name and own account, e.g., using a shipping company to send home appliances to you. In these instances, we agreed with those independent controllers’ minimum data protection standards to protect your personal data.

Our website may also contain links to third party websites, the content of which is not provided or controlled by us. In these cases, we have no control over the processing of your data on these websites or their compliance with data protection regulations, but we will inform you when leaving e.g. our website. Please refer to any privacy information these third parties may provide.

5. Trans-border processing EU and non-EU

As some of the third parties providing services for us (as described in this document) are not located in your country, the processing of your personal data may also include a trans-border transfer of your personal data. Our aim is only to process personal data within the European Union, so most of the third-party services providers process personal data in European data centres.

If this is technically not possible or if there is another reason, why a processing of personal data may also take place out of the European Union, we follow the principles set out in Art. 44 et seq. GDPR and secure such transfers via contracts (based on specific legal transfer mechanisms), we conclude with such providers or based on an adequacy decision of the Commission of the European Union including the EU-US Data Privacy Framework “DPF”). The information if a provider is participating in the DPF and actively fulfilling the prerequisites, you will also find searchable under:

https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/s/participant-search

6. Security

We will process your data in a manner, which ensures appropriate security of the personal data, including protection against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction or damage, using appropriate technical or organisational measures. Where we use third parties to process personal data, we commit these third parties to an appropriate level of technical or organisational measures to be followed.

7. User Rights

You have the following rights against us which we comply with in a timely and adequate manner upon receipt of your respective request as outlined below:

• Your right to request access to your personal data according to Art 15 GDPR: We will inform you whether we hold personal data on you and if so, provide you access to and information about such data.
• Your right to request rectification of your data according to Art. 16 GDPR: We will correct inaccurate information or complete incomplete personal data, provided this data is necessary for the intended purpose of processing your data.
• Your right to request deletion of your data according to Art. 17 GDPR: We will delete the personal data we hold about you. Unless such data are subject to retention periods or retention rights, for example because we need to retain your data to fulfil our contractual obligations or as required by law.
• Your right to request restricting processing of your data according to Art 18 GDPR: In cases as outlined in Art. 18 (1) GDPR you may request us to block your data. We will process blocked data only further to a very limited extent and if necessary to provide such services or obligations, which performance is necessary after the blocking of your data requested by you.
• Your right to withdraw consent according to Art. 7 (3) GDPR: For those data processing’s requiring your consent, you can withdraw your consent at any time to prevent future processing of your data.  Data Processing’s based on your consent prior to your withdrawal remain valid and lawful.
• Your right to object to the processing of your data according to Art. 21 GDPR: You can object to future processing of your data, if we are processing your data based on one of the legal justifications set out in article 6 (1e or 1f) GDPR. If you object, we will cease processing your data, unless we have compelling legitimate grounds for further processing which override your interests and rights or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims. The processing of your data for the purposes of direct marketing never constitutes compelling and legitimate grounds for us.
• Your right to data portability according to Art. 20 GDPR: Where data processing is carried out by automated means and based on consent or contract, we can provide you your data you provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format.
• Your right to appeal to a regulatory authority: You can lodge an appeal pertaining to data protection with a Data Protection Authority. To do so, contact the relevant Data Protection Authority that is responsible for your place of residence or the data protection authority under whose jurisdiction we fall (named below in the List of the Data Protection Authorities).

If you wish to execute your rights, please use the following contact channels:

• Consumers: Please use the Consumer Data Request web form for your country on
  https://datarequest.bsh-group.com/
• Dealer/supplier/service providers and its employees: Please contact our local sales or procurement department.
• Our employees: Please contact the local HR department.

8. Deletion principles

We process your personal data only for defined necessary purposes. Once the purpose(s) of the processing activity elapsed, we will delete your personal data, unless there is a retention requirement or right to retain it for a longer period. This applies to all personal data regardless of how and where it is stored.

There are various local laws, such as tax or commercial laws, which outline the legal requirements for data retention. Additionally, we may retain personal data based on legitimate interests, such as complying with product safety laws to protect consumers/customers. We may also retain personal data for business purposes, if the GDPR acknowledges these purposes as justifications for retention, such as keeping customer records to defend against legal claims.

Access to personal data that is held solely for the purpose of fulfilling legal retention periods or rights, after the original purpose for collecting the data no longer applies, will be restricted. This ensures that the personal data is no longer actively used in our business operations.

9. Data Protection Officer

If you have any questions regarding data protection or if you would like to exercise your rights, our Data Protection Officer (DPO) is here to assist you. You can easily get in touch with our DPO directly by sending a letter or an email using the contact information provided below. They will be happy to address any concerns you may have and guide you through the process of exercising your rights under data protection laws. As far as you are resident in an EU-Member-State (except the United Kingdom), please contact:

BSH Hausgeräte GmbH, Data Protection Officer, Carl-Wery-Str. 34, 81739 Munich, Germany, Data-Protection-DE@bshg.com

If you are resident in the United Kingdom:

BSH Home Appliances Limited, Data Protection Officer, Grand Union House, Old Wolverton Road, Wolverton, Milton Keynes, MK12 5PT, Data-Protection-GB@bshg.com

The representative in the United Kingdom (Art 27 UK GDPR):

BSH Home Appliances Limited, UK GDPR Representative for Home Connect GmbH, Grand Union House, Old Wolverton Road, Wolverton, Milton Keynes, MK12 5PT

The representative in Switzerland:

BSH Hausgeräte AG, Representative for Home Connect GmbH, BSH Hausgeräte AG, Fahrweidstrasse 80, CH-8954 Geroldswil

10. Changes to this Data Protection Information

This Data Protection Information reflects the current state of data processing on our website/and other touchpoints (e.g. brick and mortar store, call centre, social media accounts etc.). In the event of changes to data processing, this Data Protection Information will be updated accordingly. We always provide the latest version of this Data Protection Information on our website so that you can be informed about the scope of data processing via this website.

III. Our Internet-Touchpoints

1. Websites

a) Provision of the Website(s) itself

To display the website on your internet browser, we use various technical devices to ensure that all content (text, images, video, etc.) is up to date and displayed correctly in your browser. To ensure that your user experience, particularly the loading speed of the website, is efficient, we also use technical service providers who enable us to provide the content required for the presentation of the website ("Content Delivery Networks" or CDN). These CDN service providers act on our behalf and are bound to our instructions by corresponding agreements. We use the data collected in this way to display the contents of the website in your internet browser and they are deleted immediately after intermediate storage after delivery.

b) Website(s) search functionality

We use a trusted third-party service that enables us to enhance your browsing experience by offering powerful search and discovery features. This functionality allows you to quickly find relevant information and products on our website. To provide this search functionality, we may collect and process certain data, including but not limited to:

Search Queries: When you use the search function, search terms you enter will be a) stored in your local storage for your personal use only b) statistically collected and processed, to improve the accuracy and relevance of the search results.

Web Local Storage: The search utilizes web local storage to store temporary data related to your search queries. This helps to enhance the performance and speed of the search functionality.

Improvement: We may also collect anonymous usage data to analyse and improve the search functionality over time. This data does not personally identify you and is used solely for statistical purposes.

Please note that the provider of the search functionality, is bound by strict confidentiality and data protection obligations. They are prohibited from using your personal data for any other purpose than providing the search service to you.

c) Categories of data

For technical reasons, each time your internet browser accesses our website it automatically sends information to our web server (i.e. log data). We store some of this information in log files, such as:

• Date and time of the access,
• URL and files of the website accessed, including volume of data transferred,
• Version of the HTTP protocol used (including the type of the operating system),
• Type and version of the internet browser, and
• IP address (anonymised),
• Search terms.

The log data does not contain personal data. We only analyse log data when required, for example to remedy faults in the operation of our website or to manage security incidents.

In addition, it may be necessary for us to collect the full IP address of the device as well as log data to remedy faults or preserve evidence relating to security incidents.

We delete this data on remediation of the fault, full clarification of the security incident or if the original purpose of the processing is no longer required. In the event of a security incident, we will transmit log data to the investigating authorities on a case-by-case basis, to the extent permitted and necessary.

2. Marketplaces, Apps and other touchpoints representing us on the Internet

We may also provide information, goods and/or services via Marketplaces (internet-platforms run by third parties where a particular product or service can be bought) and other touchpoints in the internet as e.g. specific websites, allowing the purchase of one specific product. For such touchpoints the information contained herein is also applicable, but additional, specific information on data protection and the processing of personal data will be given directly on such touchpoints, as e.g. such Marketplaces may use an account as prerequisite for their usage.

If you use Apps provided by us, e.g. Home Connect, you will find the appropriate data protection information directly in the respective App. There the specific processing of personal data will be described as well as additional information will be given for such processing’s.

3. Our Social Media Pages

a) General

The protection of your privacy when processing personal data is important to us. We process personal data transmitted to us, which is collected during your visit to our respective social media page (e.g. Facebook Fanpage, Instagram/Pinterest Page and Accounts), confidentially and only in accordance with the statutory provisions.

b) Categories of data

The social media service processes your personal data as soon as you use our respective social media site. Processing is linked, for example, to the following usage processes:

• View a page or post or video from a page,
• Subscribe or unsubscribe to a page,
• Mark a page or post with "I like" or "I don't like anymore" or similar functions,
• Recommend a page in a post or comment,
• Comment on, share or respond to a page post (including the type of response),
• Hide a page contribution or report as spam,
• From another site, click on the social media provider or from a Web page outside the social media provider on a link that leads to the page,
• Move the mouse over the name or profile picture of a page to see a preview of the page contents,
• Use functions of the social media provider, such as the website, phone number, "plan route" button or any other button on a page,
• The information whether the login is made via a computer or a mobile device.

c) Recipients / Categories of recipients

Responsible for the processing of your data via our social media site is the respective operator of the social media site (see examples below) together with us. As far as the processing of these data takes place within our area of responsibility, we are available to you in all questions concerning data protection and the exercise of your rights in accordance with the information in this data protection information. You can find out which personal data is collected by the social media provider, how it is processed and which data protection rights you have vis-à-vis the social media provider in the following data protection guidelines of the social media provider. We have no influence on the data processing by the social media provider.

d) Data processing by us

On the website provided by us via the social media provider, the social media provider grants us access to the following data categories: 

• The social media provider grants us access to statistical analyses that provide information about the use of our social media website. The analyses visible to us do not allow us to individually analyse the usage behaviour of individuals. We can only view aggregated data (such as number of hits, likes, followers, region of origin, age group, gender, etc.) that tells us about our audience and the use of our social media site. The data of the respective user on which the analyses are based are not transmitted to us.
• We can set the target group to be reached for the social media website or for individual published articles. The setting is based on general parameters (e.g. age group, language, region, interests) that can be used to align our content with specific groups. It is not possible for us to address or identify individual persons on the basis of the data provided to us by the social media provider.
• If you contact us directly via the social media provider or interact with us in any other way and consciously transmit personal data (e.g. direct networking with our social media website), we store and process this personal data for the purposes for which you transmitted it to us.
• We process this data exclusively for the purpose of making content on our social media website known to the target group and to better understand and optimise the use of our social media website.

In addition, we cannot influence the data processing (for the provision of this data upstream) by the social media provider in their area of responsibility. 

Please refer to the relevant third-party service provider to find out which personal data is collected by them in detail, how these are processed and which data protection rights you have vis-à-vis the respective social media provider by using the list of third-party service providers at the end of this document:

4. Social Media Plugins as Hyperlinks

Some content from our website can be shared on social networks as e.g. Instagram, Facebook-Fanpage and YouTube using integrated social media buttons. All social media buttons that facilitate the sharing of content are integrated using simple hyperlinks rather than social plugins developed by social network providers. This ensures that your details are not automatically transmitted to social network servers as soon as you access our website. In addition, when you share content from our website, we only transmit the information to the social network that is required to share the relevant content (e.g., the link to the content you want to share). We do not transfer personal data in this context.

At the same time, simple links to our websites on social networks can be found as well. If you follow a link from our website to a social network, or if you log in to your social network in order to share content from our website, your data is processed by the provider of the social network in question. 

If you are registered and signed in other networks or services that require registration while using our website or individual functions (e.g., Vimeo, YouTube), the respective network/service may collect information about your use or adopt settings, such as videos played/playing status. However, this data is collected solely by the respective network/service in its own data protection responsibility and processed by the respective provider.

For information about the purpose and scope of data collection, further processing and use by the respective network provider, as well as your associated rights and settings options for protecting your privacy, please refer to the Data Protection Information made available at the website of the respective provider.

4. User-Generated Content (UGC) from Social Media

UGC from social media allows us to share content created by customers and published on social media or other channels, such as text, images, videos, and reviews, with our social networks. We will obtain rights to your content through a separate licence agreement. When using such UGC, various types of personal data can be connected with the UGC. This data may include:

• Profile information: this may include the username, profile picture, and any other details you directly have provided on your social media profile.
• Posts and comments: content that you have posted or commented on, including text, photos, videos, and links, may be processed.
• Location data: if you have enabled location services on your social media account, the location information may be processed when you post or engage with content.
• Friends/followers data: user's connections or followers on social media may be processed if it is relevant to the user-generated content being utilized.

Please note that the specific personal data processed can vary depending on the social media platform and the privacy settings chosen by you.

5. Legal Basis for data handling

We base the above data processing operations in GDPR regions on a legal permit in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f) GDPR except for UGC which is based on a legal permit in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b) GDPR.

IV. Communication/Registration

1. Contacting Us

If you contact us outside of a specific contractual relationship (e.g. for the provision of information) or a registration, we provide various, also purely technical contact possibilities via our websites, including the possibility to contact us e.g. via (automated) chat.

In order to be able to process your specific request when making such contact, we may ask you to provide personal data. This includes, for example, your name and email address and other information such as the subject of your request and your message. Optional postal address and/or telephone number can be given. We collect the information requested in order to be able to deal with your request in an appropriate way. 

The personal data transmitted to us in this way are used exclusively for the purpose for which you provide them to us when contacting us - in particular the processing of your request. The data will not be used for other purposes or passed on to third parties without your express consent. Excluded from this are - insofar as it is necessary to fulfil your request - the persons and companies (e.g. local service company) involved in carrying out the communication and answering the request. We may also use service providers for the automated routing of your request to our service agents. The content of your message will be analysed by an automated process using artificial intelligence (AI) and automatically routed to the service agent that will help you best.

If there are no legal storage obligations, your personal data will be deleted after the request has been processed.

2. Registration on Developer Portal

You can register as a user on our website. Registration is required if you wish to access our services. We collect and process the following details as part of the registration process:

• Username
• First and last name
• E-mail address
• Password
• Company/Community Name

Registration gives you access to the access-protected parts of the Developer Portal. With successful registration a developer account will be created.

We are permitted to process your personal information in order to provide our services by law (article 6(1b) GDPR). We store registered users' data until the user deletes their account. Users can delete their developer account at any time within the account area. The user account also allows users to update information.

It goes without saying that we will provide you with information about the data we hold about you on request. We will also be happy to correct inaccurate information or delete information we hold about you on request, provided that said deletion is not prohibited under the terms of our legal obligations to retain certain information. To request this, please use the contact information provided at the end of this Data Protection Information.

3. Newsletter

Our website provides the option of subscribing to our newsletter. We use a double opt-in process to verify whether the owner of an email address has registered to receive the newsletter. The newsletter is only successfully subscribed to if the owner of the email address has expressly confirmed the activation of the newsletter by clicking on the link in the confirmation email. We log the completion of the individual stages of the double opt-in process for evidence purposes. 

As part of our newsletter campaigns and based on (eventually additional) consent you had given, when opting in for a newsletter, we use analytics tools to tailor our newsletter to your needs, for advertising purposes and for market research. You will find additional information about analytics and marketing in Section V and VII below.

For this purpose, we collect and process data about your use of our email newsletter. When you open an email newsletter from us, a file contained in the email (so-called web beacon) connects to our servers. This enables us to determine whether an email newsletter has been opened and, if so, which content has been clicked. In addition, we collect technical information about your end device with which the contents of the email newsletter are retrieved (e.g. time of retrieval, browser type and operating system). We use this data exclusively for statistical analysis of our newsletter campaigns. If you subscribe to receive our newsletter, and therefore consent to it being sent to you, your details are used to send you the newsletter and analyse your use of the email newsletter. You can withdraw this consent at any time. The relevant link is included in each copy of our newsletter. We will make a note of the fact that you have unsubscribed from the newsletter in our database.

4. Legal Basis for data handling

Depending on the type of contact you make with us, we base the above data processing operations in GDPR regions on a legal permit in accordance with

• Article 6 para. 1 lit. a) GDPR based on your consent for newsletters.
• Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b) GDPR for (pre-)contractual communication.

V. Analytics, Marketing and Tracking

1. Analytics

Analytics refers to the process of collecting, processing, and analysing data to gain insights and make decisions. For us, it's like examining patterns and trends to better understand how our products and services are used by you. This insight allows us to make our products and services more user-friendly. It also enables us to identify areas for improvement and innovation in our products and services. Our websites integrate with analytics platforms (e.g., Adobe Analytics). These platforms provide JavaScript code that is added to the website. This code interacts with cookies or similar technologies to collect data when users interact with our website. As users navigate the website, the analytics code collects data from the cookies/pixels. This data we collect includes information on page views, clicks, time spent on pages, and other relevant metrics.

Analytics platforms aggregate the collected data, providing us with insights into user behaviour and website performance. This aggregated data is used for understanding audience demographics, popular content, and areas that may need improvement.

2. Marketing and Tracking (including Re-Marketing)

We may collect and use your personal data to send you relevant marketing communications. These communications could include product updates, promotional offers, and newsletters. You can easily manage your communication preferences and opt out if desired. 

We also carry out digital marketing activities including retargeting. Retargeting, also known as remarketing, means showing targeting ads to users who have previously interacted with Our website or digital content but did not complete a desired action, such as making a purchase.

When a user visits our website and takes specific actions (e.g., views a product, adds an item to the cart), a tracking pixel or cookie is placed on their device. This allows us to show targeted ads to these users as they browse other websites or social media platforms, encouraging them to return to our website.

Please see Section VII for more information on the providers including information about the specific usage and additional information on provider-specific data protection aspects.

3. Cookies and similar Technologies

When you visit our website cookies or a so-called pixel-code/web beacon as well as similar technologies can be used by us. These technologies will allow us to interact with your browsing device as follows:

• Cookies are small text files that are stored in a special memory area of your browser which enable us to identify you when you revisit our website. Such information could also be stored in the local storage of your browser and behave as we would use a cookie.
• Web beacons are tiny graphic files that contain a unique identifier that allows us to recognize user activity such as how often you have visited our website.
• We may also use direct server-side solutions and similar technologies to measure the usage of our websites as well as the reach of our advertisements.
• Cookies and similar technology may be used for a variety of reasons such as making the website work or show you personalized content and advertisement.

We use the following types of cookies and technologies on our website:

• Functional Cookies and Technologies: necessary to make the website available, secure, and work properly.
• Analytics Cookies/Similar Technologies: here we collect information about how you interact with the website, such as which pages you visit, how long you spend on each page, and any errors you may encounter. This data is then used to analyse and improve the website's performance and user experience.
• Marketing Cookies/Similar Technologies: with this, we can track your browsing behaviour and interactions with the website. Later, when you visit other websites or social media platforms, you may see targeted advertisements related to the product you viewed earlier. This is because marketing technologies enable advertisers to deliver personalized ads based on your interests and preferences.
• Third Party Cookies/Similar Technologies: these technologies are used to e.g., when reading an article on a news website that has embedded content from a social media platform, such as a Twitter feed or a Facebook post. In this case, the news website and the social media platform may both use cookies to track your activity. These are third-party cookies because they are set by a different website or service than the one you initially visited. Third-party cookies can be used for various purposes, such as targeted advertising, social media integration, or measuring website analytics.

For more information on specific cookies and similar technology we use on a specific website please see the cookie banner/notice. Functional Cookies will be used by us even you decline other types of cookies, as these are necessary for the use of the websites. All other Cookies as well as similar technologies will only be used, if you accept the relevant category of cookie within the cookie banner/notice and you can modify this choice at any time.

4. Profiling (based on specific Permission)

We may offer you the option to enable profiling, which allows us to personalize your experience and provide you with tailored content. We want to ensure transparency and give you control over how your personal data is used. Profiling involves the automated processing of your personal data to analyse and predict your characteristics, preferences, behaviour, or interests. 

By enabling profiling, we can better understand your needs and deliver a more customized experience based on such information and to enhance your experience on our website. This includes personalizing recommendations, delivering targeted advertisements, and improving our services based on your preferences.

Our profiling activities are based on your consent, which you can freely give or withdraw at any time. We also rely on our legitimate interests in providing you with a tailored and relevant experience. You have the right to control your data and profiling preferences. You can choose to enable or disable profiling through your account settings or privacy preferences. Additionally, you can exercise your data protection rights, including the right to access, rectify, or delete your personal data at any time.

We may share your data with trusted third parties for profiling purposes. However, we only do so with your explicit consent or when necessary to provide our services. We ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data when shared with these parties.

Please see the specific information given during opt-in for the profiling permission for more information on the providers including information about the specific usage and additional information on provider-specific data protection aspects.

5. Cookie Handling, Tools, and their providers

Once you have chosen which cookies you accept/decline, you can always revisit the privacy settings in the cookie banner/notice by clicking on the check mark located on the bottom left-hand side of our website and accommodate the changes. You also can delete the cookies set manually via the respective setting in your browser.

You can find a comprehensive list of the marketing and analytics tools we utilize in Section VII, located at the end of this document. This section not only provides the names of the tools but also describes the type of data processing conducted by each respective tool or provider.

6. Legal Basis for data handling

All the processing described above, in particular the setting of pixels and cookies to read information on your device you use to access the respective website, will only take place if you have given us your consent to do so. You can revoke your consent at any time with effect for the future by following the procedure described in "Cookie handling" above. Alternatively, you can use the deactivation page for EU consumers at: http://www.aboutads.info/choices or http://www.youronlinechoices.eu/.

We base the above data processing operations in GDPR regions on:

a) Your consent pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a) GDPR:

• Cookies for recording usage behaviour,
• Web Analytics & Marketing via Cookies and/or similar technologies,
• Profiling.

b) a legal permit in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b) GDPR:

• Registration on our website,
• Comfort registration (Social Sign-On Option).

c) a legal permit in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f) GDPR:

• Technical cookies, which are necessary for the provision of the website,
• Interactive Digital Assistants,
• Technical providing for the presentation of the website (e.g. Content Delivery Networks, security functions),
• Additional website functions (e.g. product videos),
• log data,
• Session cookies and persistent cookies for convenience features.

VI. List of the Data Protection Authorities

In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), individuals have the right to protect their personal data and can seek assistance from the relevant Data Protection Authorities (DPAs). The list below aims to provide you with a list of DPAs within the GDPR region. It is important to note that data subjects have the option to contact either the DPA of their place of residence or the DPA responsible for the website's provider, depending on the location of the provider. Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and there may be additional DPAs within the GDPR region or, if you are not in the GDPR region, in your country.

Austria: Österreichische Datenschutzbehörde, http://www.dsb.gv.at/

Belgium: Autorité de la protection des données - Gegevensbeschermingsautoriteit (APD-GBA), https://www.autoriteprotectiondonnees.be https://www.gegevensbeschermingsautoriteit.be

Bulgaria: Commission for Personal Data Protection, https://www.cpdp.bg/

Croatia: Croatian Personal Data Protection Agency, http://www.azop.hr/

Cyprus: Commissioner for Personal Data Protection, http://www.dataprotection.gov.cy/

Czech Republic: Office for Personal Data Protection, http://www.uoou.cz/

Denmark: Datatilsynet, http://www.datatilsynet.dk/

Estonia: Estonian Data Protection Inspectorate (Andmekaitse Inspektsioon), http://www.aki.ee/

Finland: Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman, http://www.tietosuoja.fi/en/

France: Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés – CNIL, http://www.cnil.fr/ https://www.cnil.fr/en/contact-cnil

Germany/Bavaria: Bavarian Data Protection Authority (BayLDA), http://www.baylda.de

Greece: Hellenic Data Protection Authority, http://www.dpa.gr/

Hungary: Hungarian National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, http://www.naih.hu/

Ireland: Data Protection Commission, http://www.dataprotection.ie/

Italy: Garante per la protezione dei dati personali, http://www.garanteprivacy.it/

Latvia: Data State Inspectorate, https://www.dvi.gov.lv/

Lithuania: State Data Protection Inspectorate, https://vdai.lrv.lt/

Luxembourg: Commission Nationale pour la Protection des Données, http://www.cnpd.lu/

Malta: Office of the Information and Data Protection Commissioner, http://www.idpc.org.mt/

Netherlands: Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, https://autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl/

Poland: Urząd Ochrony Danych Osobowych (Personal Data Protection Office), https://uodo.gov.pl/

Portugal: Comissão Nacional de Proteção de Dados – CNPD, http://www.cnpd.pt/ 

Romania: The National Supervisory Authority for Personal Data Processing, http://www.dataprotection.ro/

Slovakia: Office for Personal Data Protection of the Slovak Republic, http://www.dataprotection.gov.sk/, 

Slovenia: Information Commissioner of the Republic of Slovenia, https://www.ip-rs.si/

Spain: Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD), https://www.aepd.es/

Sweden: Integritetsskyddsmyndigheten,  http://www.imy.se/

Iceland: Persónuvernd, https://www.personuvernd.is , https://www.dpa.is

Liechtenstein: Data Protection Authority, Principality of Liechtenstein, https://www.datenschutzstelle.li

Norway: Datatilsynet, https://www.datatilsynet.no

VII. List of the Third-party providers and their use

• Adobe is providing several services which are used or can be used via our websites. These services are provided by Adobe Systems Software Ireland Ltd., 4-6 Riverwalk, Citywest Business Park, Dublin 24, Ireland ("Adobe”). You can find additional information about how Adobe Analytics cookies work and the opt-out option via the following link: http://www.adobe.com/privacy/opt-out.html. 

  We use the following services:

  • for web analytics we use Adobe Audience Manager und Adobe Tracking being part of the Adobe Marketing Cloud: The information relating to your use of our website is transferred to Adobe servers, analysed and solely returned to us as cumulative data. This data allows us to identify trends in how the website is generally used. We do not conflate the resultant usage profiles with your name or any other details that could disclose your identity, such as your email address. The usage data is stored by the service used for a maximum duration of 37 months from the date on which it was collected.
  • for A/B testing we use Adobe Test & Target: Adobe Test & Target works based on A/B tests. This means that the person using our website is shown a different version of the website from the original (e.g. with altered design and content). Comparing both versions provides us with information about which version of our website is preferred by users. When Adobe Test & Target is used, the only information relating to you that is processed cannot be used to identify you. IP anonymisation is also activated, meaning that your IP address is shortened before Adobe Test & Target carries out any further processing. We do not conflate the usage profiles resulting from this with your name or any other details that could disclose your identity, such as your email address. The usage data is stored by the service used for a maximum duration of 37 months from the date on which it was collected. You can also use the following link if you wish to prevent your usage data being collected: http://bsh.tt.omtrdc.net/optout.
• We use Mouseflow to improve our website and the services it offers. Mouseflow is provided by Mouseflow ApS, Flaesketorvet 68, 1711 Copenhagen, Denmark. On our websites we record the mouse movements and clicks of randomly selected users of our website, whereas your IP address is anonymized. We do not conflate the resultant usage profiles with your name or any other details that could disclose your identity, such as your email address.. The usage data is deleted three months after the date on which it is collected. Opt-out: Please use Mouseflow's opt-out website via the following link if you wish to prevent this usage data being collected: https://mouseflow.com/opt-out/ 

• Facebook is provided by the following entities:

  • for countries in the European region: Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road Dublin 4 D04 X2K5, Ireland
  • for other countries: Meta Platforms, Inc., 1601 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA;

  http://www.facebook.com/policy.php

  https://help.instagram.com/519522125107875

  Meta is providing the following services:

  • as social media provider (Facebook, Instagram),
  • To permanently prevent the collection of usage data, please use the following link:

  https://www.facebook.com/policies/cookies/

  As a registered Facebook user, you can also set what types of ads are displayed to you within Facebook, use the following link:

  https://www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=ads

• Google is providing several services which are used or can be used via our websites. These services are provided via several brands or tools, which we describe in more detail below. In general, these services are provided by the following entities:

  • for countries of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland
  • for other countries including UK: Google LLC (formerly Google Inc.), 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.

  You can find general information on how personal data is processed when Google tools are used via the following link https://business.safety.google/privacy/. Opt-out: To permanently prevent the collection of usage data, Google offers a plugin for various Internet browsers: http://www.google.com/settings/ads/plugin. To disable only interest-based ads, you can block the use of third party cookies or cookies from the "www.googleadservices.com" domain or disable interest-based ads using this link at https://support.google.com/ads/answer/2662922?hl=en-GB.

  We are using the following Google tools in the following specific way:

  • YouTube for the presentation of videos on our websites. If you declined the use of cookies via the cookie banner, you may be ask to consent separately for consent before the display of such videos on our website. Only if you consented, any possible data transfer will start.
  • YouTube as social media provider, where we present videos on different YouTube Channels. Please see the privacy information stated above when using such channels.

   

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