Privacy Policy and Data Processing of Optomet GmbH

This Privacy Policy informs you about the nature, scope, and purpose of the processing of personal data (hereinafter referred to as "data") within our online offering and the associated websites, functions, and content, as well as external online presences, such as our social media profiles (hereinafter collectively referred to as "online offering"). Regarding the terminology used, such as "processing" or "controller," we refer to the definitions in Article 4 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Controller

Optomet GmbH
Uhlandstraße 9
64297 Darmstadt
Germany
Email address: dsb@optomet.de
Managing Directors: Dirk, Günther
Link to the Legal Notice: https://www.optomet.com/en/imprint/
Contact Data Protection Officer: dsb@optomet.de

Types of data processed:

- Inventory data (e.g., names, addresses).
- Contact data (e.g., email, phone numbers).
- Content data (e.g., text entries, photographs, videos).
- Usage data (e.g., visited websites, interest in content, access times).
- Meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses).

Categories of affected persons

Visitors and users of the online offering (hereinafter collectively referred to as "users").

Purpose of processing

- Provision of the online offering, its functions, and content.
- Responding to contact inquiries and communication with users.
- Security measures.
- Reach measurement/marketing

Terminology used

"Personal data" refers to any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter "data subject"); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier (e.g., cookie), or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural, or social identity of that natural person.

"Processing" means any operation or set of operations which is performed on personal data or on sets of personal data, whether or not by automated means. The term is broad and encompasses practically any handling of data.

"Pseudonymization" means the processing of personal data in such a manner that the personal data can no longer be attributed to a specific data subject without the use of additional information, provided that such additional information is kept separately and is subject to technical and organizational measures to ensure that the personal data are not attributed to an identified or identifiable natural person.

"Profiling" means any form of automated processing of personal data consisting of the use of personal data to evaluate certain personal aspects relating to a natural person, in particular to analyze or predict aspects concerning that natural person's performance at work, economic situation, health, personal preferences, interests, reliability, behavior, location, or movements.

The "controller" is the natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or other body which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data.

"Processor" means a natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or other body which processes personal data on behalf of the controller.

Relevant legal bases

In accordance with Article 13 GDPR, we inform you of the legal bases of our data processing. If the legal basis is not mentioned in the Privacy Policy, the following applies: The legal basis for obtaining consent is Article 6(1)(a) and Article 7 GDPR, the legal basis for processing for the performance of our services and carrying out contractual measures as well as responding to inquiries is Article 6(1)(b) GDPR, the legal basis for processing to fulfill our legal obligations is Article 6(1)(c) GDPR, and the legal basis for processing to protect our legitimate interests is Article 6(1)(f) GDPR. In the event that vital interests of the data subject or another natural person require the processing of personal data, Article 6(1)(d) GDPR serves as the legal basis.

Security measures

We take appropriate technical and organizational measures in accordance with Article 32 GDPR, taking into account the state of the art, implementation costs, and the nature, scope, context, and purposes of processing, as well as the varying likelihood and severity of the risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons, to ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk.

Measures include, in particular, securing the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data by controlling physical access to the data, as well as access, input, transfer, ensuring availability, and separation of the data. Furthermore, we have established procedures to ensure the exercise of data subject rights, deletion of data, and response to data threats. We also consider the protection of personal data during the development or selection of hardware, software, and procedures, in accordance with the principle of data protection by design and by default (Article 25 GDPR).

Collaboration with processors and third parties

If, in the course of our processing, we disclose data to other persons and companies (processors or third parties), transmit it to them, or otherwise grant them access to the data, this is done only on the basis of a legal permission (e.g., if a transmission of the data to third parties, such as payment service providers, is necessary for contract fulfillment according to Article 6(1)(b) GDPR), you have consented, a legal obligation provides for this, or on the basis of our legitimate interests (e.g., when using agents, web hosts, etc.).

If we engage third parties to process data based on a so-called "data processing agreement," this is done on the basis of Art. 28 GDPR.

Transfers to third countries

If we process data in a third country (i.e., outside the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA)) or if this occurs in the context of using third-party services or disclosing or transferring data to third parties, it is only done if it is necessary to fulfill our (pre)contractual obligations, based on your consent, due to a legal obligation, or on the basis of our legitimate interests. Subject to legal or contractual permissions, we process or allow the data to be processed in a third country only if the special conditions of Art. 44 et seq. GDPR are met. This means that processing occurs, for example, on the basis of special guarantees, such as the officially recognized determination of a data protection level equivalent to that of the EU (e.g., for the USA through the "Privacy Shield") or compliance with officially recognized specific contractual obligations (so-called "standard contractual clauses").

Rights of the data subjects

You have the right to request confirmation as to whether data concerning you is being processed and to access this data along with further information and a copy of the data in accordance with Art. 15 GDPR.

According to Art. 16 GDPR, you have the right to request the completion of data concerning you or the correction of incorrect data concerning you.

In accordance with Art. 17 GDPR, you have the right to request that data concerning you be deleted immediately, or alternatively, in accordance with Art. 18 GDPR, to request a restriction of the processing of the data.

You have the right to request that the data concerning you, which you have provided to us, be received in accordance with Art. 20 GDPR and to request its transmission to other controllers.

Furthermore, according to Art. 77 GDPR, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.

Right of withdrawal

You have the right to withdraw consent given in accordance with Art. 7 para. 3 GDPR with effect for the future.

Right to object

You can object to the future processing of data concerning you at any time in accordance with Art. 21 GDPR. The objection can particularly be made against processing for direct marketing purposes.

Cookies and right to object in direct marketing

"Cookies" are small files that are stored on users' computers. Various information can be stored within the cookies. A cookie primarily serves to store information about a user (or the device on which the cookie is stored) during or after their visit within an online offering. Temporary cookies, or "session cookies" or "transient cookies," are cookies that are deleted after a user leaves an online offering and closes their browser. Such a cookie can, for example, store the contents of a shopping cart in an online shop or a login status. "Permanent" or "persistent" cookies are those that remain stored even after the browser is closed. For example, the login status can be stored if users visit them after several days. Likewise, the interests of users can be stored in such a cookie, which are used for reach measurement or marketing purposes. "Third-party cookies" are cookies that are offered by providers other than the controller who operates the online offering (otherwise, if it is only their cookies, they are referred to as "first-party cookies").

We may use temporary and permanent cookies and clarify this within the scope of our privacy policy.

If users do not want cookies to be stored on their computer, they are asked to disable the corresponding option in their browser's system settings. Stored cookies can be deleted in the browser's system settings. Excluding cookies can lead to functional restrictions of this online offering.

A general objection to the use of cookies used for online marketing purposes can be declared for a variety of services, especially in the case of tracking, via the US site https://youradchoices.com/ or the EU site http://www.youronlinechoices.com/. Furthermore, the storage of cookies can be achieved by disabling them in the browser settings. Please note that not all functions of this online offering may then be usable.

Deletion of data

The data processed by us will be deleted or restricted in its processing in accordance with Art. 17 and 18 GDPR. Unless expressly stated within the scope of this privacy policy, the data stored by us will be deleted as soon as it is no longer required for its intended purpose and the deletion does not conflict with any statutory retention obligations. If the data is not deleted because it is required for other and legally permissible purposes, its processing will be restricted. This means the data will be blocked and not processed for other purposes. This applies, for example, to data that must be retained for commercial or tax law reasons.

According to legal requirements in Germany, retention is particularly for 10 years in accordance with §§ 147 para. 1 AO, 257 para. 1 nos. 1 and 4, para. 4 HGB (books, records, management reports, accounting documents, commercial books, documents relevant for taxation, etc.) and 6 years in accordance with § 257 para. 1 nos. 2 and 3, para. 4 HGB (commercial letters).

According to legal requirements in Austria, retention is particularly for 7 years in accordance with § 132 para. 1 BAO (accounting documents, receipts/invoices, accounts, receipts, business papers, statement of income and expenses, etc.), for 22 years in connection with properties, and for 10 years for documents related to electronically provided services, telecommunications, broadcasting, and television services provided to non-entrepreneurs in EU member states and for which the Mini-One-Stop-Shop (MOSS) is used.

Business-related processing

Additionally, we process
- Contract data (e.g., subject matter of the contract, duration, customer category).
- Payment data (e.g., bank details, payment history)
from our customers, interested parties, and business partners for the purpose of providing contractual services, service and customer care, marketing, advertising, and market research.

Administration, financial accounting, office organization, contact management

We process data in the context of administrative tasks as well as the organization of our business, financial accounting, and compliance with legal obligations, such as archiving. In doing so, we process the same data that we process in the course of providing our contractual services. The processing bases are Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c. GDPR, Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR. Customers, interested parties, business partners, and website visitors are affected by the processing. The purpose and our interest in processing lie in administration, financial accounting, office organization, data archiving, i.e., tasks that serve to maintain our business activities, perform our tasks, and provide our services. The deletion of data with regard to contractual services and contractual communication corresponds to the information provided in these processing activities.

In this context, we disclose or transmit data to the tax authorities, consultants, such as tax advisors or auditors, as well as other fee offices and payment service providers.

Furthermore, we store information about suppliers, organizers, and other business partners based on our business interests, e.g., for later contact. We generally store this predominantly company-related data permanently.

Business analyses and market research

To operate our business economically, recognize market trends, and understand the wishes of contractual partners and users, we analyze the data available to us on business transactions, contracts, inquiries, etc. We process inventory data, communication data, contract data, payment data, usage data, and metadata based on Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR, with the affected persons being contractual partners, interested parties, customers, visitors, and users of our online offering.

The analyses are carried out for the purpose of business evaluations, marketing, and market research. In doing so, we may consider the profiles of registered users with information, e.g., about the services they have used. The analyses serve to increase user-friendliness, optimize our offering, and improve economic efficiency. The analyses are solely for our use and are not disclosed externally unless they are anonymous analyses with aggregated values.

If these analyses or profiles are personal, they will be deleted or anonymized upon termination of the users, otherwise after two years from the conclusion of the contract. In other respects, the overall business analyses and general trend determinations are created anonymously whenever possible.

Contact

When contacting us (e.g., via contact form, email, phone, or social media), the user's information is processed for handling the contact request and its processing in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b. (within the scope of contractual/pre-contractual relationships), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. (other inquiries) GDPR. The user's information may be stored in a Customer Relationship Management System ("CRM System") or a comparable inquiry organization.

We delete inquiries when they are no longer necessary. We review the necessity every two years; furthermore, statutory archiving obligations apply.

Hosting and Email Dispatch

The hosting services we utilize provide the following services: infrastructure and platform services, computing capacity, storage space and database services, email dispatch, security services, and technical maintenance services, which we use for the purpose of operating this online offering.

In this context, we or our hosting provider process inventory data, contact data, content data, contract data, usage data, meta and communication data of customers, interested parties, and visitors of this online offering based on our legitimate interests in an efficient and secure provision of this online offering in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR in conjunction with Art. 28 GDPR (conclusion of a data processing agreement).

Collection of Access Data and Log Files

We, or our hosting provider, collect data on every access to the server on which this service is located (so-called server log files) based on our legitimate interests within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR. Access data includes the name of the accessed website, file, date and time of access, transferred data volume, notification of successful access, browser type along with version, the user's operating system, referrer URL (the previously visited page), IP address, and the requesting provider.

Log file information is stored for security reasons (e.g., to investigate misuse or fraud) for a maximum duration of 7 days and then deleted. Data that needs to be retained for evidence purposes is exempt from deletion until the respective incident is fully resolved.

Google Tag Manager

Google Tag Manager is a solution that allows us to manage website tags via an interface (and thus, for example, integrate Google Analytics and other Google marketing services into our online offering). The Tag Manager itself (which implements the tags) does not process any personal data of users. Regarding the processing of users' personal data, please refer to the following information about Google services. Usage policies: https://www.google.com/intl/en/tagmanager/use-policy.html.

Google Analytics

Based on our legitimate interests (i.e., interest in the analysis, optimization, and economic operation of our online offering within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR), we use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC ("Google"). Google uses cookies. The information generated by the cookie about users' use of the online offering is generally transmitted to a Google server in the USA and stored there.

Google is certified under the Privacy Shield agreement and thus offers a guarantee to comply with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI&status=Active).

Google will use this information on our behalf to evaluate the use of our online offering by users, to compile reports on activities within this online offering, and to provide us with other services related to the use of this online offering and internet usage. Pseudonymous user profiles of users can be created from the processed data.

We use Google Analytics only with activated IP anonymization. This means that the IP address of users is shortened by Google within member states of the European Union or in other contracting states of the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be transmitted to a Google server in the USA and shortened there.

The IP address transmitted by the user's browser will not be merged with other data from Google. Users can prevent the storage of cookies by setting their browser software accordingly; users can also prevent the collection of data generated by the cookie and related to their use of the online offering by Google, as well as the processing of this data by Google, by downloading and installing the browser plugin available at the following link: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en.

For more information on data usage by Google, settings, and objection options, please refer to Google's privacy policy (https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads) and the settings for the display of advertisements by Google (https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated).

Users' personal data will be deleted or anonymized after 14 months.

Google Adsense with Personalized Ads

Based on our legitimate interests (i.e., interest in the analysis, optimization, and economic operation of our online offering within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR), we use the services of Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA, ("Google").

Google is certified under the Privacy Shield agreement and thus offers a guarantee to comply with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI&status=Active).

We use the AdSense service, which allows ads to be displayed on our website, and we receive compensation for their display or other use. For these purposes, usage data, such as clicking on an ad and the user's IP address, is processed, with the IP address being shortened by the last two digits. Therefore, the processing of users' data is pseudonymized.

We use AdSense with personalized ads. In doing so, Google draws conclusions about users' interests based on the websites or apps they visit and the user profiles created in this way. Advertisers use this information to tailor their campaigns to these interests, which benefits both users and advertisers. For Google, ads are personalized when collected or known data determines or influences ad selection. This includes, among other things, previous search queries, activities, website visits, app usage, demographic and location information. Specifically, this includes: demographic targeting, interest category targeting, remarketing, and targeting on customer match lists and audience lists uploaded in DoubleClick Bid Manager or Campaign Manager.

For more information on data usage by Google, settings, and objection options, please refer to Google's privacy policy (https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads) and the settings for the display of advertisements by Google (https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated).

Google Adsense with non-personalized ads

Google AdWords and Conversion Tracking

Based on our legitimate interests (i.e., interest in the analysis, optimization, and economic operation of our online offering in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR), we use the services of Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA, (“Google”).

Google is certified under the Privacy Shield agreement, providing a guarantee to comply with European data protection law (https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI&status=Active).

We use the online marketing method Google "AdWords" to place ads in the Google advertising network (e.g., in search results, in videos, on websites, etc.) so that they are displayed to users who have a presumed interest in the ads. This allows us to display ads more specifically for and within our online offering, presenting users only with ads that potentially match their interests. If a user is shown ads for products they have shown interest in on other online offerings, this is referred to as "remarketing." For these purposes, when our and other websites where the Google advertising network is active are accessed, a code is executed directly by Google and so-called (re)marketing tags (invisible graphics or code, also known as "web beacons") are integrated into the website. With their help, an individual cookie, i.e., a small file, is stored on the user's device (comparable technologies can also be used instead of cookies). This file records which websites the user visits, what content they are interested in, and which offers they have clicked on, as well as technical information about the browser and operating system, referring websites, visit time, and other information about the use of the online offering.

Furthermore, we receive an individual "conversion cookie." The information collected using the cookie is used by Google to create conversion statistics for us. However, we only learn the anonymous total number of users who clicked on our ad and were redirected to a page tagged with a conversion tracking tag. We do not receive any information that personally identifies users.

Users' data is processed pseudonymously within the Google advertising network. This means Google does not store and process users' names or email addresses, but processes the relevant data cookie-based within pseudonymous user profiles. From Google's perspective, the ads are not managed and displayed for a specifically identified person but for the cookie holder, regardless of who this cookie holder is. This does not apply if a user has explicitly allowed Google to process the data without this pseudonymization. The information collected about users is transmitted to Google and stored on Google's servers in the USA.

For more information on Google's data usage, settings, and opt-out options, please refer to Google's Privacy Policy (https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads) and the settings for the display of ads by Google (https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated).

Integration of Third-Party Services and Content

Within our online offering, we use content or service offerings from third-party providers based on our legitimate interests (i.e., interest in the analysis, optimization, and economic operation of our online offering in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR) to integrate their content and services, such as videos or fonts (hereinafter uniformly referred to as “content”).

This always requires that the third-party providers of this content perceive the users' IP address, as they could not send the content to their browser without the IP address. The IP address is therefore necessary for the presentation of this content. We strive to use only content whose respective providers use the IP address solely for the delivery of the content. Third-party providers may also use so-called pixel tags (invisible graphics, also known as "web beacons") for statistical or marketing purposes. The "pixel tags" can be used to evaluate information such as visitor traffic on the pages of this website. The pseudonymous information may also be stored in cookies on the user's device and may contain, among other things, technical information about the browser and operating system, referring websites, visit time, and other information about the use of our online offering, as well as being linked to such information from other sources.

YouTube

We integrate the videos of the platform “YouTube” provided by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Privacy Policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.

Google Fonts

We integrate the fonts ("Google Fonts") provided by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Privacy Policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.

Google Maps

We integrate the maps of the service “Google Maps” provided by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. The processed data may include, in particular, users' IP addresses and location data, which, however, are not collected without their consent (usually performed within the settings of their mobile devices). The data may be processed in the USA. Privacy Policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/, Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.