Privacy Policy

Responsible person for privacy policy:

Karina Sturm

1321 Upland Dr. PMB 17561

Houston, TX 77043

Here we would like to inform you of our Privacy Policy. In the following passage, you can find information about the collection and usage of personal information when you use our website. This website consents with all requirements of the EU general data protection regulation (GDPR), and this information is available on our website at any time.

We especially want to point out that there are always some security gaps when data is transmitted throughout the internet (for example, communication via e-mail). It cannot be completely protected against unauthorized access by third parties.

The use of our contact information for commercial purposes is not allowed unless we have previously given our written consent or there is already a business relationship. The provider and all persons named on this website do not support any commercial use and disclosure of their data.

Protection of your personal data

The protection of your personal data is particularly important to us. We take this protection very seriously, especially with regard to the collection, transmission, processing, and use of your data when you visit our website.

Consent for data usage

The mere use of our website or reading this privacy policy does not replace your legal permission that allows this website to collect, transfer, process and use your personal data in the form and for the purposes set out below. We would also like to emphasize that, once you have given your consent, you have the right to revoke the data collection or data usage consent at any time for the future. See Art. 7 (3) GDPR.

Collection and logging of data when accessing our website

Here is some helpful information about what personal data are collected during your visit and how those data are used.

Every time a visitor accesses a site (or sub-pages), this is automatically recorded and logged. In particular, the IP address of the requesting computer can be recorded and logged. Every click, download or other access of a file retrievable on our website is recorded and logged. The following data are logged: filename; time of access (date and time); retrieved or transmitted data amount; the browser used; notification of whether the transmission has been successful; the name of the requesting domain or e-mail. Also recorded are reading confirmations of e-mails.

The above-mentioned data is processed for the following purposes:

Ensuring a quick and smooth connection to our website,

Ensuring a comfortable user experience on our website,

An evaluation for system safety and stability,

as well as for administrative purposes.

The legal basis for the aforementioned data processing is article 6 (1) sentence 1 f GDPR.

Our legitimate interest follows the just mentioned purposes for data collection. We use the data collected for the purpose of drawing conclusions about you.

Collection of other personal data only on a voluntary basis

Personal data other than those mentioned in the previous section is only collected and stored if this information has been voluntarily provided by you, e. g. as part of an e-mail request. The legal basis for the aforementioned data processing is article 6 (1) sentence 1 a) GDPR.

You have the right to revoke the data collection consent at any time with effect for the future. See Art. 7 (3) GDPR.

Usage and disclosure of personal data

If you have transmitted or communicated personal data to us, we only use it to answer your inquiries and for technical and other administrative purposes. Legal bases are article 6 (1) (a), alternatively also (b), (c) and (f) GDPR.

Your personal data is only passed on to third parties or otherwise transmitted if you have previously consented or if we are entitled or obliged to do so due to legal regulations. Legal bases is article 6 (1) (a), alternatively also (b), (c) and (f) GDPR.

You have the right to revoke your consent at any time with effect for the future. See Art. 7 (3) GDPR.

Generally no international transmission of personal data

In general, no data transfers are made internationally. If data transmission to foreign countries should be necessary, this will only take place in accordance with the GDPR. Google Analytics (see below under the heading “Use of Google Analytics”) transfers data to the United States.

Deletion of personal data

Immediately after withdrawal of your consent, we will delete the data related to your person. We are also deleting this data if the knowledge of the data for the fulfillment of the purpose is no longer necessary or if the storage wasn’t allowed for other legal reasons.

Cookies

a) On this website, we use so-called session-related cookies. Session-related cookies are administrated on the server and are not stored on the hard drive of your computer. Session cookies facilitate the navigation on our site during your visit but lose their validity immediately when you leave our site. If you revisit our site, a new cookie will be created on the server, which again gets invalid as soon as you leave the site. An identification of the visitors of our website is therefore not possible. If you do not want to accept cookies (even not session-related cookies), most browsers do have a search function (mostly marked by a question mark) where you can find information about how to configure your browser, so it does not allow new cookies while you are browsing the web. Many browsers can also be configured so they will automatically notify you if you received a new cookie. Also, using the help function, you can find out how you can delete all received cookies. Some browsers can be set so that cookies are only created or permitted according to your specifications depending on the inquiring address.

b) We also use a cookie that collects your consent to our cookie terms. At the bottom of our website you will find the following note: “In order to optimize and permanently improve my website, I use cookies. If you continue to surf on this website, you agree to the usage of cookies.” Or a similar note. By clicking “OK” to the right of this notice, you agree to our cookie terms. In order for our website to remember your consent to our cookie terms, it sets a cookie on your computer that will last for one year. After the expiration of this cookie, we will again ask you if you agree with our cookie terms.

c) The legal basis for our use of cookies, as described above under b) and c), is article 6 (1) (f) GDPR (processing is necessary to safeguard our legitimate interests).

Google Analytics

Based on our legitimate interests (Art. 6 (1) GDPR), we use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC (“Google”), 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States.

Google is certified under the Privacy Shield Agreement, which provides a guarantee to comply with European privacy laws. (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI&status=Active).

Google Analytics uses “Cookies”, text files that are stored on your computer, to help analyze how users use the website. The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website, including your IP, is usually transferred to a Google server in the US and stored there. Google uses this information to measure your usage of this website and compile a report about it. Google also might submit those data to third parties if this is legally necessary, or if third parties work with those data on behalf of Google. Google will never associate your IP address with other Google data.

You can prevent the installation of cookies by setting your browser software accordingly; however, we point out that in this case, you may not be able to fully use all functions of this website. By using this website, you consent to the processing of your personal data by Google in the manner and for the purposes named above.

You can refuse Google Analytic’s data collection and storage at any time with future effect. For details, see http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de. Give the discussion about the use of analytical tools with full IP addresses, we would like to point out that in order to avoid a direct association between your IP and your person, IP addresses are processed shortened, because we use Google Analytics with the extension “_anonymizeIp ()”

Click here to opt-out.

Social Plugins

On our website, we use social media plug-ins of social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 f GDPR to enhance our website’s outreach. This is a legitimate interest within the GDPR. Their respective providers are responsible for GDPR compliant data protection of their sites.

To protect your data, we implemented the “Shariff” solution. Shariff integrates the social media buttons only as a graphic, on this websites. The graphic contains a link to the corresponding website of the button provider. By clicking on the graphic you will be redirected to the services of the respective provider. Only then will your data be sent to the respective provider. Unless you click on the graphic, there will be no exchange between you and the providers of the social media buttons. Information about the collection and usage of your data by those social networks can be found in the terms of use of the particular providers.

Use of Facebook plug-ins

We use Facebook plug-ins on our website. A plug-in is a software module that can be discovered and integrated during its runtime by a software application to extend its functionality. The Facebook plug-ins are operated by the social network Facebook Inc., 1601 S. California Avenue, Palo Alto, California 94304, USA (hereafter “Facebook”). On our website the Facebook plug-ins can be identified by the Facebook logo (white “f” on blue background), by the addition “Like” (thumbs up symbol) or by the addition “Facebook Social Plugin”.

When interacting with Facebook plug-ins, for example, by clicking the “Like” button or leaving a comment, this information is transmitted directly to Facebook and stored and processed there.

You can also block Facebook plug-ins with the help of specific add-ons for your browser, for example, with the “Facebook Blocker” add-on.

The purpose of data collection, data processing and other data usage by Facebook, as well as your rights and settings for the protection of your privacy and your personal data can be found in the data use guidelines of Facebook (http://de-de.facebook.com/about/privacy/ ).

Use of Twitter

Various features of the online service Twitter are integrated into our website and its subpages. These Twitter features are provided by Twitter Inc., 795 Folsom St., Suite 600, San Francisco, California 94107, USA (hereinafter referred to as “Twitter”). The purpose of data collection, data processing and other data usage by Twitter, as well as your rights and settings for the protection of your privacy and your personal data can be found in the data use guidelines of “Twitter Privacy Policy” (http://twitter.com/privacy). The privacy settings of your Twitter account can be changed in the settings of your Twitter account at http://twitter.com/account/settings.

Use of Google+

We use Google’s +1 button on our website (often: white “g” and white “+1” on a colored or dark background and a colored horizontal bar above). Google+ is a social network of Google. How it works is explained in detail on the website of Google+ (https: //plus.google.com).

If you are logged into your Google+ account, Google will save and process the information that you have clicked on the Google + 1 button on a particular page, as well as the data and information about the page that you clicked the Google + 1 button for. Your click behavior regarding the Google + 1 button may also be used as a reference that is blended in along with your Google+ profile or page name, as well as with the photo you use on your Google profile or page, including Google search results, or on your Google profile or on your Google page, or elsewhere on websites and ads on the internet.

Google stores and processes information about your Google + 1 activity in order to improve Google’s services for you and others. The identity of your Google profile or page may be displayed to users who know your email address or have other personal information about you.

Google may also publish summarized statistics about all users’ Google + 1 activity and pass it on to other users or third parties (such as Google partners). We have no influence on that.

The purpose of data collection, data processing and other data usage by Google, as well as your rights and setting options for protecting your privacy and your personal data, can be found in Google’s privacy policy (https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/).

Use of LinkedIn social plug-ins

We also use the social plug-ins of the LinkedIn network. Those are offered and operated by the LinkedIn Corporation, 2029 Stierlin Court, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA (hereafter “LinkedIn”). The LinkedIn social plug-ins can be identified by the LinkedIn logo or the “Recommend button” on our website. For details about data collection, data processing, your privacy rights, and setting options, read the LinkedIn privacy policy. These guidelines can be found here: http://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy. We have no control over the specific nature of data processing and data usage by LinkedIn.

Embedded videos and pictures of external websites

Some of our sites contain embedded content from YouTube. If you only access a website with embedded videos or images from YouTube, no personal data, except for the IP address, is transmitted. In case of YouTube, the IP address is transmitted to Google Inc. The legal basis for the aforementioned data usage is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (processing is necessary to preserve our legitimate interests).

Comment functions

As part of the comment function, we collect personal data (name, e-mail and the content of the comment) regarding your commenting. When publishing a comment, your e-mail address is saved but not published. Your name will be published if it is not written under a pseudonym. The legal basis for the aforementioned data usage is Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR and Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR.

If users leave comments or other contributions, their IP addresses are saved based on Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR. This is for our own safety, in case someone leaves any illegal contribution as a comment (insults, prohibited political propaganda … ). In this case, we could be prosecuted for the comment or post and are therefore interested in the identity of the author.

Comment subscriptions

Users may subscribe to following comments after giving their permission in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 a) of the GDPR. Users will receive a confirmation e-mail to verify that they own the provided e-mail address. Users can unsubscribe from comment subscriptions at any time. The confirmation e-mail will contain further information how to unsubscribe.

Contact form

You have the possibility to contact me via my contact form. This requires entering your name and e-mail address. Further information can be provided voluntarily. Filling out this form is explicitly on a voluntary basis. Your entered personal data will be treated confidentially and only used for its intended purpose in accordance with the applicable data protection regulations. I will not transfer any data to a third party.

All data processing is in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 p. 1 GDPR based on your voluntarily given consent.

The personal data collected when using my contact form will be automatically deleted after the request has been completed.

Your rights as a user:

You have the following rights:

Right of access (Art. 15 GDPR),

Right of rectification (Art. 16 GDPR),

Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”) according to Art. 17 GDPR,

Right to restrict processing according to Art. 18 GDPR,

Right to data portability according to Art. 20 GDPR,

Right to revoke your consent at any time in accordance with Art. 7 (3) GDPR,

Right to complain to a supervisory authority (Art. 77 GDPR),

Right to object (Art. 21 GDPR).

If you would like to make use of your rights, please send an e-mail to Karina Sturm.

Data Security

a) Technical and organizational security measures

If we process personal data from you at all, we use suitable technical and organizational security measures to prevent data manipulation, data loss, data destruction or unauthorized access by third parties. We would like to assure you that we will protect your stored personal data against the unlawful access by third persons, insofar as this is reasonably possible for us with the help of modern technical and organizational means. If we communicate via e-mail, we cannot guarantee complete data security despite the various protective mechanisms we implemented. We recommend that you send confidential information via postal mail.

b) SSL encryption

To protect the security of your data during transmission, we use state-of-the-art encryption techniques (such as SSL) via HTTPS.

Expert for media law Dr. Christian Seyfert