• Before or at the time of collecting personal information, we will identify the purposes for which information is being collected.
• We will collect and use of personal information solely with the objective of fulfilling those purposes specified by us and for other compatible purposes, unless we obtain the consent of the individual concerned or as required by law.
• We will only retain personal information as long as necessary for the fulfillment of those purposes.
• We will collect personal information by lawful and fair means and, where appropriate, with the knowledge or consent of the individual concerned.
• Personal data should be relevant to the purposes for which it is to be used, and, to the extent necessary for those purposes, should be accurate, complete, and up-to-date.
• We will protect personal information by reasonable security safeguards against loss or theft, as well as unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use or modification.
• We will make readily available to customers information about our policies and practices relating to the management of personal information.

We are committed to conducting our business in accordance with these principles in order to ensure that the confidentiality of personal information is protected and maintained.

Data Privacy Statement for the use of Google Analytics

This website uses Google Analytics, a web analysis service provided by Google Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics makes use of so-called “cookies” or text files, which are stored on your computer and enable user interaction with website content to be measured and analysed. Information generated by the cookie about your interaction with this website is usually transferred to and stored on a Google server located in the US.

If IP anonymisation is activated on this website, Google will abbreviate your IP address in advance within member states of the European Union or other contracting parties to the Agreement of the European Economic Area. The complete IP address is only transferred to a Google server in the US and abbreviated there in exceptional cases. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google will use this information to measure your interaction with the website, compile reports about website activities for their operators and provide other services related to the use of the website and of the Internet. The IP address conveyed by your browser within the context of Google Analytics will not be linked to any other Google data.

You can choose to prevent cookies from being saved on your computer by making the appropriate settings in your browser software; however we would like to point out that this might prevent you from using all of the functions of this website.

You can also prevent the data generated by the cookie about your interaction with the website (incl. your IP address) from being conveyed to Google and being processed by Google by downloading and installing a browser plug-in, which is available via the following link: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

Data Privacy Statement for the use of Facebook plug-ins (“Like” button)

Our website integrates plug-ins for the social network, Facebook, 1601 South California Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA. You will recognise Facebook plug-ins by the Facebook logo or the “Like” buttons on our website. Please find an overview of the various Facebook plug-ins here: http://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins/

When you visit our website, the plug-in establishes a direct connection between your browser and the Facebook server.

This enables Facebook to know that you ‒ with your IP address ‒ have visited their website. If you click the Facebook “Like” button while you are signed in to your Facebook account, you can link the content of our website to your Facebook profile. This means that Facebook can allocate this interaction with our website to your user account.

We would like to point out that we, as website operators, do not receive any notification about the content of the conveyed data or how it is used by Facebook.

Further information about this topic can be found in the Facebook Data Privacy Statement athttp://de-de.facebook.com/policy.php

If you do not want Facebook to be able to allocate your use of our website to your Facebook user account, please sign out of your Facebook account.

This explanation is based on the Sample Facebook Disclaimer by Dr Thomas Helbing, Lawyer for IP and Data Privacy Legislation

This document was last updated on March 24, 2015