Data protection

1. Data protection at a glance

General information

The following information provides a simple overview of what happens to your personal data when you visit our website. Personal data are all data with which you can be personally identified. You can find detailed information on the subject of data protection in our data protection declaration below this text.

Data collection on our website

Wer ist verantwortlich für die Datenerfassung auf dieser Webseite?

The data processing on this website is carried out by the website operator. You can find their contact details in Section 2.

How do we collect your data?

On the one hand, your data is collected when you provide it to us. This can e.g. be data that you enter in a contact form.

Other data are automatically recorded by our IT systems when you visit the website. This is mainly technical data (e.g. Internet browser, operating system or time of the page was viewed). This data is collected automatically as soon as you enter our website.

What do we use your data for?

If processing is necessary to safeguard a legitimate interest of our company or a third party and if the interests, fundamental rights and freedoms of the person concerned do not outweigh the first-mentioned interest, as stated in Article 6 paragraph 1 Section F of GDPR, as the legal basis for processing. The legitimate interest of our company lies in the conduct of our business activities as well as in the analysis, optimization and maintenance of the security of our online offer.

What are your rights with regard to your data?

You have the right to receive information about the origin, recipient and purpose of your stored personal data free of charge at any time. You also have the right to request the correction, blocking or deletion of this data. You can contact us at any time at the address given in the legal notice if you have any further questions about data protection. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.

You also have the right to request that the processing of your personal data be restricted under certain circumstances. Details can be found in the data protection declaration under “Right to restriction of processing”.

Storage duration of personal data

Analysis tools and third-party tools

When you visit our website, your surfing behavior can be statistically evaluated. This is mainly done with cookies and so-called analysis programs. Your surfing behavior is usually analyzed anonymously; surfing behavior cannot be traced back to you. You can object to this analysis or prevent it by not using certain tools. You can find detailed information on this in the following data protection declaration.

You can object to this analysis. We will inform you about the possibilities of objection in this data protection declaration.

2. General information and mandatory information

Data protection

The operators of this website take the protection of your personal data very seriously. We treat your personal data confidentially and in accordance with the statutory data protection regulations and this data protection declaration.

When you use this website, various personal data are collected. Personal data are data with which you can be personally identified. This data protection declaration explains which data we collect and what we use it for. It also explains how and for what purpose this is done.

We would like to point out that data transmission over the Internet (e.g. when communicating by e-mail) can have security gaps. A complete protection of the data against access by third parties is not possible.

Note on the responsible body

The responsible body for data processing on this website is:

Martin Pekala und Nils Hoefer
PBS Pekala und Partner mbB
Tax consulting company

Am Hoppenhof 32
33104 Paderborn

Phone: +49 5251/54638-0
E-Mail: info@pb-steuern.de

The responsible body is the natural or legal person who, alone or jointly with others, decides on the purposes and means of processing personal data (e.g. names, e-mail addresses, etc.).

Revocation of your consent to data processing

Many data processing operations are only possible with your express consent. You can withdraw your consent at any time. An informal e-mail to us is sufficient. The legality of the data processing carried out before the revocation remains unaffected by the revocation.

Right to object to the collection of data in special cases as well as to direct advertising (Article 21 of GDPR)

If the data processing is based on Article 6 Paragraph 1 Sections E or F of GDPR, you have the right at any time to object to the processing of your personal data for reasons that arise from your particular situation; this also applies to profiling based on these provisions. The respective legal basis on which processing is based can be found in this data protection declaration. If you object, we will no longer process your personal data concerned, unless we can prove compelling reasons worthy of protection for the processing, which outweigh your interests, rights and freedoms or the processing serves to assert, exercise or defend legal claims (objection according to Article 21 Paragraph 1 of GDPR).

If your personal data are processed in order to operate direct mail, you have the right to object at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you for the purpose of such advertising; this also applies to profiling insofar as it is associated with such direct advertising. If you object, your personal data will then no longer be used for direct marketing purposes (objection according to Article 21 Paragraph 2 of GDPR).

Right of appeal to the competent supervisory authority

In the event of violations of data protection law, the person concerned has the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority. The responsible supervisory authority for data protection issues is the state data protection officer of the federal state in which our company is based. A list of data protection officers and their contact details can be found at the following link: https://www.bfdi.bund.de/DE/Infothek/Anschriften_Links/anschriften_links-node.html.

Right to data portability

You have the right to have data that we process automatically on the basis of your consent or in fulfillment of a contract handed over to you or to a third party in a common, machine-readable format. If you request the direct transfer of the data to another person responsible, this will only be done if it is technically feasible.

SSL or TLS encryption

For security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential content, such as orders or inquiries that you send to us as the site operator, this site uses an SSL or TLS encryption. You can recognize an encrypted connection by the fact that the address line of the browser changes from “http: //” to “https: //” and by the lock symbol in your browser line.

If the SSL or TLS encryption is activated, the data that you transmit to us cannot be read by third parties.

Information, blocking, deletion

Within the framework of the applicable legal provisions, you have the right to free information about your stored personal data, their origin and recipient and the purpose of the data processing and, if necessary, a right to correct, block or delete this data. You can contact us at any time at the address given in the legal notice if you have any further questions on the subject of personal data.

Right to restriction of processing

You have the right to request that the processing of your personal data be restricted. You can contact us at any time at the address given in the legal notice. The right to restrict processing exists in the following cases:

• If you dispute the accuracy of your personal data stored by us, we usually need time to check this. For the duration of the test, you have the right to request that the processing of your personal data be restricted
• If the processing of your personal data happened/happens unlawfully, you can request the restriction of the data processing instead of the deletion.
• If we no longer need your personal data, but you need them to exercise, defend or assert legal claims, you have the right to request that the processing of your personal data be restricted instead of being deleted.
• If you have raised an objection in accordance with Article 21 Paragraph 1 of GDPR, your interests and ours must be evaluated. As long as it is not yet clear whose interests prevail, you have the right to request that the processing of your personal data be restricted.

If you have restricted the processing of your personal data, these data - apart from their storage - are only allowed with your consent or for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims or for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person or for reasons of important public interest processed by the European Union or a member state.

Objection to advertising mail

We hereby object to the use of the contact data published in the context of the imprint obligation for sending unsolicited advertising and information materials. The operators of the pages expressly reserve the right to take legal action in the event that unsolicited advertising information is sent, for example through spam e-mails.

3. Data collection on our website

Cookies

Some of the websites use so-called cookies. Cookies do not harm your computer and do not contain viruses. Cookies serve to make our offer more user-friendly, more effective and safer. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your computer and saved by your browser.

Most of the cookies we use are so-called “session cookies”. They are automatically deleted after your visit. Other cookies remain stored on your device until you delete them. These cookies enable us to recognize your browser the next time you visit.

You can set your browser so that you are informed about the setting of cookies and only allow cookies in individual cases, exclude the acceptance of cookies for certain cases or generally, and activate the automatic deletion of cookies when you close the browser. If cookies are deactivated, the functionality of this website may be restricted.

Cookies that are required to carry out the electronic communication process or to provide certain functions you want (e.g. shopping cart function) are stored on the basis of Article 6 Paragraph 1 Section F of GDPR saved. The website operator has a legitimate interest in storing cookies for the technically error-free and optimized provision of its services. If other cookies (e.g. cookies for analyzing your surfing behavior) are stored, these will be treated separately in this data protection declaration.

Server log files

The website provider automatically collects and stores information in so-called server log files, which your browser automatically transmits to us as part of our legitimate interest in analysis and for security reasons. These are the following data:

• Browser type and browser version
• Operating system used
• Referrer URL
• Host name of the accessing computer
• Time of the server request
• IP address
• Content of the request (specific page)
• Amount of data transferred
• Access status/HTTP status code

As a rule, we cannot assign this data to specific persons. This data is not combined with other data sources.

This data is collected on the basis of Article 6 Paragraph 1 Section F of GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the technically error-free presentation and optimization of his website - the server log files must be recorded for this.

Contact form

If you send us inquiries by e-mail or the contact form, your details from the inquiry form, including the contact details you provided there, will be stored by us for the purpose of processing the inquiry and in case of follow-up questions. We do not pass on this data without your consent.

The processing of the data entered in the contact form takes place exclusively on the basis of your consent (Article 6 Paragraph 1 Section A of GDPR). You can revoke this consent at any time. An informal e-mail to us is sufficient. The legality of the data processing operations carried out before the revocation remains unaffected by the revocation.

The data you enter in the contact form will remain with us until you ask us to delete it, revoke your consent to storage or the purpose for data storage no longer applies (e.g. after your request has been processed). Mandatory legal provisions - in particular retention periods - remain unaffected.

4. Social media

Facebook plugins (Like & Share button)

Plugins of the social network Facebook, provider Facebook Inc., 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA, are integrated on our website. You can recognize the Facebook plugins by the Facebook logo or the “Like” button on our site. You can find an overview of the Facebook plugins here: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins/.

When you visit our website, a direct connection is established between your browser and the Facebook server via the plugin. As a result, Facebook receives the information that you have visited our site with your IP address. If you click the Facebook “Like” button while you are logged into your Facebook account, you can link the content of our pages to your Facebook profile. This enables Facebook to assign your visit to our website to your user account. We would like to point out that, as the provider of the pages, we have no knowledge of the content of the data transmitted or its use by Facebook. You can find more information on this in Facebook's data protection declaration at: https://www.facebook.com/privacy/explanation.

If you do not want Facebook to be able to assign your visit to our website to your Facebook user account, please log out of your Facebook user account.

The Facebook plugins are used on the basis of Article 6 Paragraph 1 Section F of GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the widest possible visibility in social media.

5. Analysis tools and advertising

Google Analytics

This website uses functions of the web analysis service Google Analytics. The provider is Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheater Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.

These are text files that are saved on your computer and that enable your use of the website to be analyzed. The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website is usually transferred to a Google server in the USA and stored there.

The storage of Google Analytics cookies is based on Article 6 Paragraph 1 Section F of GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in analyzing user behavior in order to optimize both its website and its advertising.

IP anonymization

We have activated the IP anonymization function on this website. As a result, your IP address will be shortened by Google within member states of the European Union or in other contracting states of the Agreement on the European Economic Area before it is transmitted to the USA. The full IP address is only transmitted to a Google server in the USA and shortened there in exceptional cases. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google will use this information to evaluate your use of the website, to compile reports on website activity and to provide the website operator with other services relating to website activity and internet usage. The IP address transmitted by your browser as part of Google Analytics will not be merged with other Google data.

Browser Plugin

You can prevent the storage of cookies by setting your browser software accordingly; however, we would like to point out that in this case you may not be able to use all functions of this website to their full extent. You can also prevent Google from collecting the data generated by the cookie and relating to your use of the website (including your IP address) and from processing this data by Google by downloading the browser plug-in available under the following link and install: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de.

Objection against data collection

You can prevent Google Analytics from collecting your data by clicking on the following link. An opt-out cookie will be set which prevents the collection of your data on future visits to this website: Google Analytics deaktivieren.

You can find more information on how Google Analytics handles user data in Google's data protection declaration: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=de.

Order data processing

We have concluded a contract data processing agreement with Google and fully implement the strict requirements of the German data protection authorities when using Google Analytics.

Demographic characteristics in Google Analytics

This website uses the “demographic characteristics” function of Google Analytics. This allows reports to be created that contain statements on the age, gender and interests of the site visitors. This data comes from interest-based advertising from Google as well as from visitor data from third-party providers. This data cannot be assigned to a specific person. You can deactivate this function at any time via the ad settings in your Google account or generally prohibit the collection of your data by Google Analytics as described in the point “Objection to data collection”.

Google Analytics remarketing

Our websites use the functions of Google Analytics Remarketing in conjunction with the cross-device functions of Google AdWords and Google DoubleClick. The provider is Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheater Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.

This function makes it possible to link the advertising target groups created with Google Analytics Remarketing with the cross-device functions of Google AdWords and Google DoubleClick. In this way, interest-based, personalized advertising messages that have been adapted to you depending on your previous usage and surfing behavior on one device (e.g. mobile phone) can also be displayed on another of your devices (e.g. tablet or PC).

In this way, the same personalized advertising messages can be displayed on every device on which you log in with your Google account.

To support this function, Google Analytics collects Google-authenticated user IDs, which are temporarily linked to our Google Analytics data in order to define and create target groups for cross-device advertising.

You can permanently object to cross-device remarketing/targeting by deactivating personalized advertising in your Google account; follow this link: https://www.google.com/settings/ads/onweb/.

The aggregation of the recorded data in your Google account takes place exclusively on the basis of your consent, which you can give to Google or revoke (Article 6 Paragraph 1 Section A of GDPR). In the case of data collection processes that are not merged in your Google account (e.g. because you do not have a Google account or have objected to the merging), the collection of data is based on Article 6 Paragraph 1 Section F of GDPR. The legitimate interest arises from the fact that the website operator has an interest in the anonymized analysis of the website visitors for advertising purposes.

WFurther information and the data protection provisions can be found in Google's data protection declaration at:  https://www.google.com/policies/technologies/ads/.

6. Newsletter

Newsletter data

If you would like to receive the newsletter offered on the website, we need an e-mail address from you as well as information that allows us to verify that you are the owner of the e-mail address provided and that you agree to receive the newsletter. Further data is not collected or is only collected on a voluntary basis. We use this data exclusively for sending the requested information and do not pass it on to third parties.

The processing of the data entered in the newsletter registration form takes place exclusively on the basis of your consent (Article 6 Paragraph 1 Section A of GDPR). You can revoke your consent to the storage of the data, the e-mail address and their use for sending the newsletter at any time, for example via the “unsubscribe” link in the newsletter.

The legality of the data processing operations already carried out remains unaffected by the revocation. The data you have stored with us for the purpose of receiving the newsletter will be stored by us until you unsubscribe from the newsletter and will be deleted after you unsubscribe from the newsletter. This does not affect data that we have stored for other purposes (e.g. e-mail addresses for the members' area).

MailChimp

This website uses the services of MailChimp to send newsletters. The provider is Rocket Science Group LLC, 675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Suite 5000, Atlanta, GA 30308, USA.

MailChimp is a service with which, among other things, the dispatch of newsletters can be organized and analyzed. If you enter data for the purpose of subscribing to the newsletter (e.g. e-mail address), it will be stored on MailChimp's servers in the USA.

MailChimp is certified according to the “EU-US Privacy Shield”. The “Privacy Shield” is an agreement between the European Union (EU) and the USA, which aims to ensure compliance with European data protection standards in the USA.

With the help of MailChimp we can analyze our newsletter campaigns. When you open an e-mail sent with MailChimp, a file contained in the e-mail (so-called web beacon) connects to the MailChimp servers in the USA. In this way it can be determined whether a newsletter message has been opened and which links have been clicked. Technical information is also recorded (e.g. time of access, IP address, browser type and operating system). This information cannot be assigned to the respective newsletter recipient. They are used exclusively for the statistical analysis of newsletter campaigns. The results of these analyzes can be used to better adapt future newsletters to the interests of the recipients.

If you do not want an analysis by MailChimp, you have to unsubscribe from the newsletter. We provide a link for this in every newsletter message. You can also unsubscribe from the newsletter directly on the website.

The data processing takes place on the basis of your consent (Article 6 Paragraph 1 Section A of GDPR). You can revoke this consent at any time by unsubscribing from the newsletter. The legality of the data processing operations already carried out remains unaffected by the revocation.

The data you have stored with us for the purpose of subscribing to the newsletter will be stored by us until you unsubscribe from the newsletter and will be deleted from our servers as well as from the MailChimp servers after you unsubscribe from the newsletter. This does not affect data that we have stored for other purposes (e.g. e-mail addresses for the members' area).

For more information, see MailChimp's data protection provisions at: https://mailchimp.com/legal/terms/.

Conclusion of a data processing agreement

We have concluded a so-called "Data Processing Agreement" with MailChimp, in which we oblige MailChimp to protect our customers' data and not to pass it on to third parties. This contract can be viewed at the following link: https://mailchimp.com/legal/forms/data-processing-agreement/sample-agreement/.

7. Plugins and Tools

Google Maps

This site uses the Google Maps map service via an API. The provider is Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheater Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.

To use the functions of Google Maps it is necessary to save your IP address. This information is usually transmitted to a Google server in the USA and stored there. The provider of this site has no influence on this data transfer

The use of Google Maps is in the interest of an appealing presentation of our online offers and an easy findability of the places we have indicated on the website. This represents a legitimate interest within the meaning of Article 6 Paragraph 1 Section F of GDPR.

You can find more information on handling user data in Google's data protection declaration: https://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy/.

Source: e-recht24.de