Privacy Policy

Personal data (usually referred to just as "data" below) will only be processed by us to the extent necessary and for the purpose of providing a functional and user-friendly website, including its contents, and the services offered there.

Per Art. 4 No. 1 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679, i.e. the General Data Protection Regulation (hereinafter referred to as the "GDPR"), "processing" refers to any operation or set of operations such as collection, recording, organization, structuring, storage, adaptation, alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination, or otherwise making available, alignment, or combination, restriction, erasure, or destruction performed on personal data, whether by automated means or not.

The following privacy policy is intended to inform you in particular about the type, scope, purpose, duration, and legal basis for the processing of such data either under our own control or in conjunction with others. We also inform you below about the third-party components we use to optimize our website and improve the user experience which may result in said third parties also processing data they collect and control.

Our privacy policy is structured as follows:

I. Information about us as controllers of your data
II. The rights of users and data subjects
III. Information about the data processing

I. Information about us as controllers of your data

The party responsible for this website (the "controller") for purposes of data protection law is:

Sebastian Schlein
An der Lingenmühle 10
41061 Mönchengladbach
Germany

Email: sebastian@schlein.net

The controller's data protection officer is:

Sebastian Schlein

II. The rights of users and data subjects

With regard to the data processing to be described in more detail below, users and data subjects have the right

  • to confirmation of whether data concerning them is being processed, information about the data being processed, further information about the nature of the data processing, and copies of the data (cf. also Art. 15 GDPR);
  • to correct or complete incorrect or incomplete data (cf. also Art. 16 GDPR);
  • to the immediate deletion of data concerning them (cf. also Art. 17 DSGVO), or, alternatively, if further processing is necessary as stipulated in Art. 17 Para. 3 GDPR, to restrict said processing per Art. 18 GDPR;
  • to receive copies of the data concerning them and/or provided by them and to have the same transmitted to other providers/controllers (cf. also Art. 20 GDPR);
  • to file complaints with the supervisory authority if they believe that data concerning them is being processed by the controller in breach of data protection provisions (see also Art. 77 GDPR).

In addition, the controller is obliged to inform all recipients to whom it discloses data of any such corrections, deletions, or restrictions placed on processing the same per Art. 16, 17 Para. 1, 18 GDPR. However, this obligation does not apply if such notification is impossible or involves a disproportionate effort. Nevertheless, users have a right to information about these recipients.

Likewise, under Art. 21 GDPR, users and data subjects have the right to object to the controller's future processing of their data pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f) GDPR. In particular, an objection to data processing for the purpose of direct advertising is permissible.

III. Information about the data processing

Your data processed when using our website will be deleted or blocked as soon as the purpose for its storage ceases to apply, provided the deletion of the same is not in breach of any statutory storage obligations or unless otherwise stipulated below.

Server data

For technical reasons, the following data sent by your internet browser to us or to our server provider will be collected, especially to ensure a secure and stable website: These server log files record the type and version of your browser, operating system, the website from which you came (referrer URL), the webpages on our site visited, the date and time of your visit, as well as the IP address from which you visited our site.

The data thus collected will be temporarily stored, but not in association with any other of your data.

The basis for this storage is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f) GDPR. Our legitimate interest lies in the improvement, stability, functionality, and security of our website.

The data will be deleted within no more than seven days, unless continued storage is required for evidentiary purposes. In which case, all or part of the data will be excluded from deletion until the investigation of the relevant incident is finally resolved.

Cookies

a) Session cookies

We use cookies on our website. Cookies are small text files or other storage technologies stored on your computer by your browser. These cookies process certain specific information about you, such as your browser, location data, or IP address.

This processing makes our website more user-friendly, efficient, and secure, allowing us, for example, to display our website in different languages or to offer a shopping cart function.

The legal basis for such processing is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b) GDPR, insofar as these cookies are used to collect data to initiate or process contractual relationships.

If the processing does not serve to initiate or process a contract, our legitimate interest lies in improving the functionality of our website. The legal basis is then Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f) GDPR.

When you close your browser, these session cookies are deleted.

Newsletter

If you register for our free newsletter, the data requested from you for this purpose, i.e. your email address and, optionally, your name and address, will be sent to us. We also store the IP address of your computer and the date and time of your registration. During the registration process, we will obtain your consent to receive this newsletter and the type of content it will offer, with reference made to this privacy policy. The data collected will be used exclusively to send the newsletter and will not be passed on to third parties.

The legal basis for this is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a) GDPR.

You may revoke your prior consent to receive this newsletter under Art. 7 Para. 3 GDPR with future effect. All you have to do is inform us that you are revoking your consent or click on the unsubscribe link contained in each newsletter.

Contact

If you contact us via email or the contact form, the data you provide will be used for the purpose of processing your request. We must have this data in order to process and answer your inquiry; otherwise we will not be able to answer it in full or at all.

The legal basis for this data processing is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b) GDPR.

Your data will be deleted once we have fully answered your inquiry and there is no further legal obligation to store your data, such as if an order or contract resulted therefrom.

User posts, comments, and ratings

We offer you the opportunity to post questions, answers, opinions, and ratings on our website, hereinafter referred to jointly as "posts." If you make use of this opportunity, we will process and publish your post, the date and time you submitted it, and any pseudonym you may have used.

The legal basis for this is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a) GDPR. You may revoke your prior consent under Art. 7 Para. 3 GDPR with future effect. All you have to do is inform us that you are revoking your consent.

In addition, we will also process your IP address and email address. The IP address is processed because we might have a legitimate interest in taking or supporting further action if your post infringes the rights of third parties and/or is otherwise unlawful.

In this case, the legal basis is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f) GDPR. Our legitimate interest lies in any legal defense we may have to mount.

Google Fonts

Our website uses Google Fonts to display external fonts. This is a service provided by Google Inc., Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Irland (hereinafter: Google).

Through certification according to the EU-US Privacy Shield

https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI&status=Active

Google guarantees that it will follow the EU's data protection regulations when processing data in the United States.

To enable the display of certain fonts on our website, a connection to the Google server in the USA is established whenever our website is accessed.

The legal basis is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f) GDPR. Our legitimate interest lies in the optimization and economic operation of our site.

When you access our site, a connection to Google is established from which Google can identify the site from which your request has been sent and to which IP address the fonts are being transmitted for display.

Google offers detailed information at

https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated

https://policies.google.com/privacy

in particular on options for preventing the use of data.

Twitter plug-in

Our website uses the plug-in of the Twitter social network. The Twitter service is operated by Twitter Inc., 795 Folsom St., Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA ("Twitter").

Through certification according to the EU-US Privacy Shield

https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000TORzAAO&status=Active

Twitter guarantees that it will follow the EU's data protection regulations when processing data in the United States.

The legal basis is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f) GDPR. Our legitimate interest lies in improving the quality of our website.

If the plug-in is stored on one of the pages you visit on our website, your browser will download an icon for the plug-in from Twitter's servers in the USA. For technical reasons, it is necessary for Twitter to process your IP address. In addition, the date and time of your visit to our website will also be recorded.

If you are logged in to Twitter while visiting one of our plugged-in websites, the information collected by the plug-in from your specific visit will be recognized by Twitter. The information collected may then be assigned to your personal account at Twitter. If, for example, you use the Twitter Tweet button, this information will be stored in your Twitter account and may be published on the Twitter platform. To prevent this, you must either log out of Twitter before visiting our site or make the appropriate settings in your Twitter account.

Further information about the collection and use of data as well as your rights and protection options in Twitter's privacy policy found at

https://twitter.com/privacy

Hotjar web analytics

We use Hotjar on our website. This is a web analytics service provided by Hotjar Ltd, Level 2, St Julians Business Centre, 3, Elia Zammit Street, St Julians STJ 1000, Malta, Europe, hereinafter referred to as "Hotjar".

Hotjar is used to analyze how our website is used. The legal basis is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f) GDPR. Our legitimate interest lies in the analysis, optimization, and economic operation of our site.

Hotjar allows us to monitor your usage behaviour on our website, such as logging and evaluating your mouse movements or mouse clicks. However, your visit to our website will be anonymized. In addition, information about your operating system, your internet browser, incoming or outgoing links, the geographical origin of your access, and the type and resolution of the device you are using are evaluated by Hotjar and processed for statistical purposes. Hotjar can also obtain direct feedback from you. Hotjar offers further information about its data protection practices at

https://www.hotjar.com/privacy

In addition, you have the option of terminating the analysis of your usage behavior by opting out. By confirming the link

https://www.hotjar.com/opt-out

a cookie is stored on your device via your browser to prevent any further analysis. Please note, however, that you must click the above link again if you delete the cookies stored on your end device.

MailChimp - Newsletter

We offer you the opportunity to register for our free newsletter via our website.

We use MailChimp, a service of The Rocket Science Group, LLC, 512 Means Street, Suite 404, Atlanta, GA 30318, USA, hereinafter referred to as "The Rocket Science Group".

Through certification according to the EU-US Privacy Shield

https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000TO6hAAG&status=Active

the Rocket Science Group guarantees that it will follow the EU's data protection regulations when processing data in the United States. In addition, the Rocket Science Group offers further information about its data protection practices at

http://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy/

If you register for our free newsletter, the data requested from you for this purpose, i.e. your email address and, optionally, your name and address, will be processed by The Rocket Science Group. In addition, your IP address and the date and time of your registration will be saved. During the registration process, your consent to receive this newsletter will be obtained together with a concrete description of the type of content it will offer and reference made to this privacy policy.

The newsletter then sent out by The Rocket Science Group will also contain a tracking pixel called a web beacon. This pixel helps us evaluate whether and when you have read our newsletter and whether you have clicked any links contained therein. In addition to further technical data, such as data about your computer hardware and your IP address, the data processed will be stored so that we can optimize our newsletter and respond to the wishes of our readers. The data will therefore increase the quality and attractiveness of our newsletter.

The legal basis for sending the newsletter and the analysis is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a) GDPR.

You may revoke your prior consent to receive this newsletter under Art. 7 Para. 3 GDPR with future effect. All you have to do is inform us that you are revoking your consent or click on the unsubscribe link contained in each newsletter.

CloudFlare

To secure our website and to optimize loading times, we use the CloudFlare CDN (content delivery network). This is a service of Cloudflare Inc., 101 Townsend Street, San Francisco, California 94107, USA, hereinafter referred to as "CloudFlare".

Through certification according to the EU-US Privacy Shield

(https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000GnZKAA0&status=Active)

CloudFlare guarantees that it will follow the EU's data protection regulations when processing data in the United States.

The legal basis for collecting and processing this information is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f) GDPR. Our legitimate interest lies in the secure operation of our website and in its optimization.

If you access our website, your queries are forwarded to CloudFlare servers. Statistical access data about your visit to our website is collected and CloudFlare stores a cookie on your terminal device via your browser. Access data includes

- your IP address;

- the page(s) on our site that you access;

- type and version of internet browser you are using;

- your operating system;

- the website from which you came prior to visiting our website (referrer URL);

- your length of stay on our site; and

- the frequency with which our pages are accessed.

The data is used by CloudFlare for statistical evaluations of the accesses as well as for the security and optimization of the offer.

If you do not agree to this processing, you have the option of preventing the installation of cookies by making the appropriate settings in your browser. Further details can be found in the section about cookies above.

CloudFlare offers further information about its data collection and processing as well your rights and your options for protecting your privacy at this link:

https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/.

Model Data Protection Statement for Anwaltskanzlei Weiß & Partner