Privacy Notices

Relevant Legal Bases

Below you will find an overview of the legal bases of the EU General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), on which we process personal data. Please note that in addition to the provisions of the GDPR, national data protection regulations may apply in your or our place of residence or registered office. Should more specific legal bases be applicable in individual cases, we will inform you of these in the Privacy Notices.

• Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR) - The data subject has given their consent to the processing of personal data concerning them for one or more specific purposes.

• Performance of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR) - The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party, or in order to take steps at the data subject's request prior to entering into a contract.

• Legal obligation (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. c) GDPR) - The processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject.

• Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR) - The processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require protection of personal data.

• Application process as a pre-contractual or contractual relationship (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b) GDPR) - If special categories of personal data within the meaning of Art. 9 para. 1 GDPR (e.g. health data, such as disability status or ethnic origin) are requested from applicants during the application process, so that the controller or the data subject can exercise rights and fulfill obligations arising from labor law and social security and social protection law, their processing is carried out pursuant to Art. 9 para. 2 lit. b. GDPR, in the case of protecting vital interests of applicants or others according to Art. 9 para. 2 lit. c. GDPR or for purposes of health care or occupational medicine, for the assessment of the employee's working capacity, for medical diagnosis, the provision or treatment in the health or social sector or for the management of systems and services in the health or social sector according to Art. 9 para. 2 lit. h. GDPR. In case of voluntary consent to the communication of special categories of data, their processing is based on Art. 9 para. 2 lit. a. GDPR.

In addition to the data protection provisions of the GDPR, national regulations on data protection in Germany apply. This includes in particular the law for the protection against misuse of personal data in data processing (Federal Data Protection Act - BDSG). The BDSG contains special regulations concerning the right to information, the right to deletion, the right to object, the processing of special categories of personal data, processing for other purposes and transmission as well as automated decision-making in individual cases, including profiling. Furthermore, it regulates data processing for purposes of the employment relationship (§ 26 BDSG), especially with regard to the establishment, implementation or termination of employment relationships and the consent of employees. Furthermore, state data protection laws of individual federal states may apply.

Security Measures

We take appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure a level of protection appropriate to the risk, taking into account state of the art, implementation costs and the nature, scope, circumstances and purposes of processing, as well as the varying degrees of probability and severity of the risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons in accordance with legal requirements.

The measures include ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data by controlling physical and electronic access to the data, as well as access, input, transfer, the assurance of availability and its separation concerning it. Furthermore, we have established procedures that ensure the exercise of data subjects' rights, the deletion of data and responses to data endangerment. We also take into account the protection of personal data during the development or selection of hardware, software and procedures, in accordance with the principle of data protection through design and privacy-friendly default settings.

TLS encryption (https): To protect your data transmitted via our online offer, we use TLS encryption. You can recognize such encrypted connections by the prefix https:// in your browser's address bar.

Transfer of Personal Data

In the course of processing personal data, it may happen that the data is transferred to other locations, companies, legally independent organizational units, or individuals, or disclosed to them. Recipients of this data may include service providers tasked with IT tasks or providers of services and content that are integrated into a website. In such cases, we comply with the legal requirements and conclude corresponding contracts or agreements, particularly those that serve to protect your data, with the recipients of your data.

Data transfer within the group of companies: We may transfer personal data to other companies within our group or grant them access to this data. If this transfer is for administrative purposes, it is based on our legitimate business and operational interests or if it is necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations or if there is consent from the data subject or a legal permit.

Data Processing in Third Countries

If we process data in a third country (i.e., outside the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA)) or if the processing is carried out as part of the use of third-party services or disclosure or transmission of data to other persons, offices, or companies, this is only done in accordance with legal requirements.

Subject to explicit consent or contractually or legally required transmission, we process or have the data processed only in third countries with a recognized level of data protection, contractual obligation through so-called EU standard contractual clauses, in the presence of certifications, or binding internal data protection regulations (Art. 44 to 49 GDPR, EU Commission information page: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection/international-dimension-data-protection_en).

Deletion of Data

The data processed by us will be deleted in accordance with the legal requirements, as soon as the consents permitted for processing are revoked or other permissions cease to apply (e.g. if the purpose of the processing of this data ceases to apply or the data is no longer required for the purpose). If the data is not deleted because it is required for other legally permissible purposes, its processing is restricted to these purposes. That is, the data is blocked and not processed for other purposes. This applies, for example, to data that must be retained for commercial or tax law reasons or whose storage is required to assert, exercise or defend legal claims or to protect the rights of another natural or legal person.

In the context of our Privacy Notices, we may provide users with additional information on the deletion and retention of data that applies specifically to the respective processing processes.

Use of Cookies

Cookies are small text files or other storage notes that store information on end devices and read information from the end devices. For example, to store the login status in a user account, a shopping cart content in an e-shop, the accessed content, or functions of an online offer. Cookies can also be used for different purposes, e.g. for purposes of functionality, security, and convenience of online offers, as well as for creating analyses of visitor streams.

Information on consent: We use cookies in accordance with legal requirements. Therefore, we obtain prior consent from users, except when it is not legally required. In particular, consent is not necessary if the storage and retrieval of information, including cookies, is absolutely necessary to provide a telemedia service expressly requested by the users (i.e., our online offer). The revocable consent is clearly communicated to users and includes information about the respective cookie use.

Information on data protection legal bases: The legal basis on which we process users' personal data using cookies depends on whether we ask users for consent. If the users consent, the legal basis for processing their data is the declared consent. Otherwise, the data processed with the help of cookies is processed based on our legitimate interests (e.g., in a business operation of our online offer and the improvement of its usability) or, if this is done in fulfilling our contractual obligations, when the use of cookies is necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations. The purposes for which cookies are processed by us are clarified in these Privacy Notices or as part of our consent and processing procedures.

Storage duration: In terms of storage duration, the following types of cookies are distinguished:

• Temporary cookies (also: session or session cookies): Temporary cookies are deleted at the latest after a user leaves an online offer and closes their end device (e.g., browser or mobile application).

• Permanent cookies: Permanent cookies remain stored even after the end device is closed. For example, the login status can be saved, or preferred content can be displayed directly if the user visits a website again. Likewise, the data collected with the help of cookies from users can be used for reach measurement. Unless we provide users with explicit information about the type and storage duration of cookies (e.g., as part of obtaining consent), users should assume that cookies are permanent and that the storage duration can be up to two years.

General information on revocation and objection (opt-out): Users can revoke their given consents at any time and also object to the processing in accordance with the legal requirements in Art. 21 GDPR. Users can declare their objection also via the settings of their browser, e.g., by deactivating the use of cookies (whereby this may also limit the functionality of our online services). An objection to the use of cookies for online marketing purposes can also be declared via the websites https://optout.aboutads.info and https://www.youronlinechoices.com.

Business Services

We process data from our contractual and business partners, e.g., customers and interested parties (collectively referred to as "contractual partners") within the framework of contractual and comparable legal relationships, as well as related measures and within the context of communication with the contractual partners (or pre-contractually), e.g., to answer inquiries.

We process this data in order to fulfill our contractual obligations. These include, in particular, the obligations to provide the agreed services, any obligation to update, and remedial action in case of warranty and other service failures. In addition, we process the data to protect our rights and for the purposes of the administrative tasks associated with these obligations, as well as business organization. Additionally, we process the data based on our legitimate interests in a proper and business management, as well as for security measures to protect our contractual partners and our business operations from misuse, threat to their data, secrets, information, and rights (e.g., in involving telecommunications, transport, and other auxiliary services, as well as subcontractors, banks, tax and legal advisers, payment service providers, or tax authorities). Within the framework of the applicable law, we only pass on the data of contractual partners to third parties to the extent that this is necessary for the aforementioned purposes or the fulfillment of legal obligations. Contractual partners are informed of further forms of processing, e.g., for marketing purposes, within these Privacy Notices.

Which data is necessary for the aforementioned purposes, we inform the contractual partners before or as part of the data collection, e.g., in online forms, by special marking (e.g., colors) or symbols (e.g., asterisks or similar), or personally.

We delete the data after expiry of legal guarantee and comparable obligations, i.e., generally after four years, unless the data is stored in a customer account, e.g., as long as they must be stored for legal archiving reasons. The statutory retention period for tax-relevant documents and commercial books, inventories, opening balance sheets, annual financial statements, the work instructions and other organizational documents required to understand these documents, and booking documents is ten years and for received commercial and business letters and reproductions of sent commercial and business letters six years. The period starts at the end of the calendar year in which the last entry was made in the book, the inventory, the opening balance sheet, the annual financial statements, or the management report was drawn up, the commercial or business letter was received or sent, or the booking document was created, or the recording was made, or the other documents were created.

As far as we use third-party providers or platforms to provide our services, the business conditions and privacy notices of the respective third-party providers or platforms apply in the relationship between the users and the providers.

• Processed data types: Master data (e.g. names, addresses); Payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history); Contact data (e.g. email, phone numbers); Contract data (e.g. contractual subject, duration, customer category); Usage data (e.g. visited websites, interest in content, access times); Meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).

• Affected persons: Customers; Interested parties; Business and contractual partners; Clients.

• Purposes of processing: Fulfillment of contractual services and customer service; Security measures; Contact requests and communication; Administration and answering of inquiries.

• Legal bases: Fulfillment of contracts and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR); Legal obligation (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. c) GDPR); Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

• Customer account: Contractual partners can create an account within our online offer (e.g., customer or user account, "customer account" for short). If the registration of a customer account is necessary, the contractual partners will be informed of this as well as the required information for registration. The customer accounts are not public and cannot be indexed by search engines. In the context of registration, as well as subsequent logins and uses of the customer account, we store the IP addresses of the customers along with the access time points, to verify registration and to prevent abuse of the customer account. If customers have terminated their customer account, the data of the customer account will be deleted, unless their retention is necessary for legal reasons. It is up to the customers to secure their data before terminating the customer account; Legal bases: Fulfillment of contracts and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

• Online courses and online training: We process the data of participants of our online courses and online training (collectively referred to as "participants") to provide them with our course and training services. The data processed here, the type, scope, purpose, and necessity of their processing are determined by the underlying contractual relationship. The data generally includes information about the courses utilized and services and, as part of our service offer, personal requirements and the results of the participants. The forms of processing also include performance assessment and evaluation of our services, as well as those of the course and training leaders; Legal bases: Fulfillment of contracts and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

• Legal advice: We process the data of our clients, interested parties, and other clients or contractual partners (collectively referred to as "clients") to provide them with our contractual or pre-contractual services, especially consulting services. The processed data, type, scope, purpose, and necessity of their processing are determined by the underlying contractual and client relationship. If client consent is present, it is required for our contract fulfillment, legally (e.g., according to the information obligations of money laundering regulations) or to protect vital interests, or in consideration of the clients' protection interests on the basis of our legitimate interests in the efficient and secure exercise of our activity, we disclose or transmit the clients' data, in compliance with professional regulations to third parties or commissioned parties, such as authorities, courts, or in the area of IT, office or similar services; Legal bases: Fulfillment of contracts and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

• Provision of software and platform services: We process the data of our users, registered and potential test users (collectively referred to as "users") to provide them with our contractual services and based on legitimate interests, to ensure and further develop the security of our offer. The required information is marked as such within the order, order or comparable contract conclusion, and includes the information required for service provision and billing, as well as contact details to be able to hold possible discussions; Legal bases: Fulfillment of contracts and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

• Events and Events: We process the data of the participants of the events, events, and similar activities offered or organized by us (collectively referred to as "participants" and "events"), to enable them to participate in the events and utilize the services or actions associated with participation. If we process special categories of data, religious, political, or other special data categories in this context, then they are processed within the context of obviousness (e.g., in theme-focused events or serve health prevention, security, or upon consent of the data subjects). The required information is marked as such within the order, order or comparable contract conclusion, and includes the information required for service provision and billing, as well as contact details to be able to hold possible discussions. As far as we have access to information on end customers, employees or other persons, we process these in compliance with legal and contractual requirements; Legal bases: Fulfillment of contracts and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Use of Online Platforms for Offer and Sales Purposes

We offer our services on online platforms operated by other service providers. In this context, in addition to our Privacy Notices, the data protection declarations of the respective platforms apply, especially regarding the processing of payment transactions and the procedures for range measurement and interest-based marketing used on the platforms.

• Processed data types: Master data (e.g., names, addresses); Payment data (e.g., bank details, invoices, payment history); Contact data (e.g., email, phone numbers); Contract data (e.g., contractual subject, duration, customer category); Usage data (e.g., visited websites, interest in content, access times); Meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses).

• Affected persons: Customers.

• Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and customer service; marketing.

• Legal bases: Fulfillment of contracts and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Providers and Services Used in the Business Activity

In our business operations, we use additional services, platforms, interfaces, or plug-ins from third-party providers (collectively "services") while complying with legal requirements. Their use is based on our interests in the proper, lawful, and economical management of our business operations and internal organization.

• Processed data types: Master data (e.g. names, addresses); Payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history); Contact data (e.g. email, phone numbers); Content data (e.g. inputs in online forms); Contract data (e.g. contractual subject, duration, customer category).

• Affected persons: Customers; Interested parties; Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services); Business and contractual partners.

• Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and customer service; Office and administrative procedures.

• Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

• Lexoffice: Online software for invoicing, accounting, banking, and tax filing with document storage; Service provider: Haufe Service Center GmbH, Munzinger Straße 9, 79111 Freiburg, Germany; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.lexoffice.de; Privacy policy: https://www.lexoffice.de/datenschutz; Data Processing Agreement: https://www.lexoffice.de/auftragsverarbeitung.

• Timely: Time tracking; Service provider: Memory AS, Karvesvingen 5, 0579 Oslo, Norway; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://timelyapp.com; Privacy policy: https://timelyapp.com/privacy-policy.

• ClickUp: Project management - organization and management of teams, groups, workflows, projects, and processes; Service provider: Mango Technologies, Inc., 580 Howard St, Suite 101, San Francisco, California 94105, USA; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://clickup.com; Privacy policy: https://clickup.com/privacy; Data Processing Agreement: https://clickup.com/dpa.

• DocuSign: Digital signatures and signing procedures for documents; Service provider: DocuSign, Inc., 221 Main Street Suite 1000 San Francisco, CA 94105, USA; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.docusign.com; Privacy policy: https://www.docusign.com/company/privacy-policy; More information: Processing as a processor and controller is based on approved binding internal data protection regulations that ensure a level of data protection that meets the requirements of the GDPR (English: "Binding Corporate Rules", Art. 47 GDPR): https://www.docusign.com/trust/privacy/binding-corporate-rules.

Payment Methods

In the context of contractual and other legal relationships, due to legal obligations, or otherwise on the basis of our legitimate interests, we offer efficient and secure payment options to the affected persons and use other service providers in addition to banks and credit institutions (collectively "payment service providers").

The data processed by the payment service providers includes master data, such as the name and address, bank details, such as account numbers or credit card numbers, passwords, TANs and checksums, as well as the contract, amount, and recipient-related information. The information is required to carry out the transactions. However, the entered data is processed only by the payment service providers and stored by them. That is, we do not receive any account or credit card-related information, but only information about the confirmation or negative assessment of payment. Under certain circumstances, the data may be transmitted by the payment service providers to credit agencies. This transmission is intended to verify identity and creditworthiness. Here we refer to the terms and conditions and privacy policies of the payment service providers.

For payment transactions, the terms and conditions and the privacy policies of the respective payment service providers apply, which can be retrieved from the respective websites or transaction applications. We also refer to them for further information and the assertion of revocation, information and other affected rights.

• Processed data types: Master data (e.g. names, addresses); Payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history); Contract data (e.g. contractual subject, duration, customer category); Usage data (e.g. visited websites, interest in content, access times); Meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).

• Affected persons: Customers; Interested parties.

• Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and customer service.

• Legal bases: Fulfillment of contracts and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

• PayPal: Payment services (technical integration of online payment methods) (e.g. PayPal, PayPal Plus, Braintree); Service provider: PayPal (Europe) S.à r.l. et Cie, S.C.A., 22-24 Boulevard Royal, L-2449 Luxembourg; Legal bases: Fulfillment of contracts and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR); Website: https://www.paypal.com/de; Privacy policy: https://www.paypal.com/de/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full.

• Stripe: Payment services (technical integration of online payment methods); Service provider: Stripe, Inc., 510 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA; Legal bases: Fulfillment of contracts and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR); Website: https://stripe.com; Privacy policy: https://stripe.com/de/privacy.

Provision of the Online Offer and Web Hosting

We process the data of users to provide them with our online services. To this end, we process the user's IP address, which is necessary to transmit the contents and functions of our online services to the user's browser or device.

• Processed data types: Usage data (e.g. visited websites, interest in content, access times); Meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses); Content data (e.g. inputs in online forms).

• Affected persons: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).

• Purposes of processing: Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness; Information technology infrastructure (operation and provision of information systems and technical devices (computers, servers, etc.)); Security measures; Content Delivery Network (CDN).

• Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

• Provision of online offers on rented storage space: We use storage space, computing capacity and software that we rent or obtain elsewhere from a sufficient server provider (also called "web host") for the provision of our online offer; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

• Collection of access data and log files: Access to our online offer is logged in the form of so-called "server log files." The server log files can include the address and name of the accessed websites and files, the date and time of the access, the transmitted data amounts, the message about successful retrieval, the browser type along with the version, the user's operating system, the referrer URL (the previously visited page), and generally IP addresses and the requesting provider. The server log files can be used for purposes of security, e.g., to avoid overloading the server (especially in the case of abusive attacks, so-called DDoS attacks), and on the other hand, to ensure the utilization of the server and its stability; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Deletion of data: Log file information is stored for a maximum of 30 days and then deleted or anonymized. Data whose further storage is required for evidence purposes is excluded from deletion until the final clarification of the relevant incident.

• Email sending and hosting: The web hosting services used by us also include the sending, receiving, and storing of emails. For these purposes, the addresses of the recipients and senders, as well as further information related to the email dispatch (e.g., the involved providers) and the contents of the respective emails are processed. The mentioned data can also be processed for purposes of SPAM detection. We ask you to note that emails on the Internet are generally not encrypted. In general, emails are encrypted during transport, but not on the servers from which they are sent and received (unless an end-to-end encryption procedure is used). We can therefore take no responsibility for the transmission path of the emails between the sender and the reception on our server; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

• Content-Delivery-Network: We use a "Content-Delivery-Network" (CDN). A CDN is a service that helps to deliver content of an online offer, especially large media files, such as graphics or program scripts, faster and more securely by using regionally distributed and internet-connected servers; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

• Cloudflare: Content-Delivery-Network (CDN) - Service that helps to deliver content of an online offer, especially large media files, such as graphics or program scripts, faster and more securely using regionally distributed and connected servers via the Internet; Service provider: Cloudflare, Inc., 101 Townsend St, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.cloudflare.com; Privacy policy: https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy; Data Processing Agreement: https://www.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-customer-dpa; Standard contractual clauses (guarantee data protection level when processing in third countries): https://www.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-customer-scc.

• Framer: Web hosting; Service provider: Framer B.V., Rozengracht 207B, 1016 LZ Amsterdam, Netherlands; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.framer.com; Privacy policy: https://www.framer.com/legal/privacy-statement; Data Processing Agreement: https://www.framer.com/legal/data-processing-addendum.

Registration, Login, and User Account

Users can create a user account. As part of the registration, the necessary mandatory information is communicated to users and processed for the purpose of providing the user account on the basis of contractual obligation fulfillment. The processed data includes, in particular, login information (username, password, and an email address).

As part of the use of our registration and login functions and the use of the user account, we store the IP address and the time of the respective user action. Storage is based on our legitimate interests as well as those of the users in protection against abuse and other unauthorized use. A transfer of this data to third parties does not take place, unless it is necessary for the pursuit of our claims or there is a legal obligation to do so.

Users can be informed about events that are relevant to their user account, such as technical changes, via email.

• Processed data types: Master data (e.g. names, addresses); Contact data (e.g. email, telephone numbers); Content data (e.g. entries in online forms); Meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).

• Affected persons: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).

• Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and customer service; Security measures; Management and answering of inquiries; Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness.

• Legal bases: Fulfillment of contracts and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR); Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

• Registration with real names: Due to the nature of our community, we ask users to only use our offer under their real names. That is, the use of pseudonyms is not allowed; Legal bases: Fulfillment of contracts and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

• Deletion of data after termination: If users have terminated their user account, their data relating to the user account is deleted, subject to any legal permission, obligation, or consent of the users; Legal bases: Fulfillment of contracts and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

• No retention obligation for data: It is up to the users to secure their data before the contract ends. We are entitled to irretrievably delete all data stored by the user during the contract; Legal bases: Fulfillment of contracts and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

• Framer: Web hosting; Service provider: Framer B.V., Rozengracht 207B, 1016 LZ Amsterdam, Netherlands; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.framer.com; Privacy policy: https://www.framer.com/legal/privacy-statement; Data Processing Agreement: https://www.framer.com/legal/data-processing-addendum.

Blogs and Publication Media

We use blogs or comparable means of online communication and publication (hereafter "publication medium"). The data of readers is processed only to the extent necessary for the presentation of the publication medium and communication between authors and readers or for security reasons. Furthermore, we refer to the information on the processing of visitors of our publication medium within these Privacy Notices.

• Processed data types: Master data (e.g. names, addresses); Contact data (e.g. email, phone numbers); Content data (e.g. inputs in online forms); Usage data (e.g. visited websites, interest in content, access times); Meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).

• Affected persons: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).

• Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and customer service; Feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form); Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness; Security measures; Management and answering of inquiries.

• Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

• Comments and Contributions: If users leave comments or other contributions, their IP addresses may be stored based on our legitimate interests. This is done for our security, in case someone leaves illegal content in comments and contributions (insults, prohibited political propaganda, etc.). In this case, we may be held liable for the comment or post and are therefore interested in the identity of the author. Furthermore, we reserve the right to process the information of users for spam detection based on our legitimate interests. On the same legal basis, we reserve the right to store the IP addresses of users for their duration of the survey and to use cookies to avoid multiple votes. The information provided within the comments and contributions regarding the person, any contact, as well as website information and in the content will be permanently stored by us until the users object; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

• Framer: Web hosting; Service provider: Framer B.V., Rozengracht 207B, 1016 LZ Amsterdam, Netherlands; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.framer.com; Privacy policy: https://www.framer.com/legal/privacy-statement; Data Processing Agreement: https://www.framer.com/legal/data-processing-addendum.

Contact and Inquiry Management

When contacting us (e.g., via contact form, email, phone, or via social media) and within existing user and business relationships, information from the requesting persons is processed to the extent necessary to respond to the contact requests and any requested measures.

• Processed data types: Contact data (e.g., email, phone numbers); Content data (e.g., entries in online forms); Usage data (e.g., visited websites, interest in content, access times); Meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses).

• Affected persons: Communication partners.

• Purposes of processing: Contact requests and communication; Management and answering of inquiries; Feedback (e.g., collecting feedback via online form); Provision of our online offer and user-friendliness.

• Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Fulfillment of contracts and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

• Contact form: If users contact us via our contact form, email or other communication channels, we process the data provided to us in connection with the request to handle the communicated concern; Legal bases: Fulfillment of contracts and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR), Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Video Conferences, Online Meetings, Webinars and Screen Sharing

We use platforms and applications of other providers (hereafter referred to as "conference platforms") for conducting video and audio conferences, webinars, and other types of video and audio meetings (collectively referred to as "conference"). When selecting conference platforms and their services, we comply with legal requirements.

Data processed by conference platforms: Within the framework of participation in a conference, the conference platforms process the following personal data of the participants. The processing scope depends, on the one hand, on which data is required as part of a specific conference (e.g., specification of access data or real names) and which optional information is provided by the participants. In addition to processing for conference implementation, the data of the participants may also be processed by the conference platforms for security purposes or service optimization. The processed data includes personal data (first name, last name), contact information (email address, phone number), access data (access codes or passwords), profile pictures, information about the professional position/function, the IP address of the internet access, information about the participants' devices, their operating system, the browser and its technical and language settings, information about the content communication processes, i.e., entries in chats, as well as audio and video data, and the use of any available functions (e.g., surveys). Content of communications is encrypted to the extent technically provided by the conference providers. If the participants are registered as users with the conference platforms, additional data may be processed in accordance with the agreement with the respective conference provider.

Logging and recordings: If text entries, participation results (e.g., from surveys), as well as video or audio recordings are logged, this will be communicated to the participants in advance, and they will be asked for their approval, if necessary.

Privacy measures of the participants: Please refer to the privacy policies of the conference platforms for details on the processing of your data and select the optimal security and privacy settings for you within the settings of the conference platforms. Furthermore, during a video conference, ensure data and privacy protection in the background of your recording (e.g., by informing fellow residents, locking doors, and using the feature to obscure the background, if technically possible). Links to conference rooms and access data must not be shared with unauthorized third parties.

Notes on legal bases: If, in addition to the conference platforms, we also process users' data and ask users for their consent for the use of conference platforms or specific functions (e.g., consent for recording conferences), the legal basis for processing is this consent. Furthermore, our processing may be necessary for the fulfillment of our contractual obligations (e.g., in participant lists, in the event of preparation of conversation results, etc.). Otherwise, the users' data is processed based on our legitimate interests in efficient and secure communication with our communication partners.

• Processed data types: Master data (e.g., names, addresses); Contact data (e.g., email, phone numbers); Content data (e.g., entries in online forms); Usage data (e.g., visits to websites, interest in content, access times); Meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses).

• Affected persons: Communication partners; Users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services); Depicted persons.

• Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and customer service; Contact requests and communication; Office and administrative procedures.

• Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

• Microsoft Teams: Messenger and conference software; Service provider: Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, One Microsoft Place, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, Ireland, parent company: Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399 USA; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365; Privacy policy: https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement, Security Notices: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/trustcenter; Standard contractual clauses (guarantee data protection level when processing in third countries): https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/docs/view/Microsoft-Products-and-Services-Data-Protection-Addendum-DPA.

• Zoom: Conference and communication software; Service provider: Zoom Video Communications, Inc., 55 Almaden Blvd., Suite 600, San Jose, CA 95113, USA; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.zoom.us; Privacy policy: https://explore.zoom.us/en/privacy; Data Processing Agreement: https://explore.zoom.us/docs/doc/Zoom_GLOBAL_DPA.pdf; Third-country transfer basis: Data Privacy Framework (DPF) https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov.

Application Procedure

The application process requires applicants to provide us with the data necessary for their assessment and selection. The required information follows from the job description or, in the case of online forms, the information provided there.

In general, the required information includes information about the person, such as name, address, a contact option, as well as proof of the qualifications required for a job. Upon request, we are also happy to inform you which information is necessary.

If provided, applicants may submit their applications via an online form. The data will be transmitted to us encrypted according to the state of technology. Applicants can also send us their applications via email. However, we ask you to note that emails are generally not sent encrypted on the internet. In general, emails are encrypted during transport, but not on the servers from which they are sent and received. We can therefore take no responsibility for the transmission path of the application between the sender and the reception on our server.

For the purpose of applicant search, submission of applications, and selection of applicants, we may use applicant management, recruitment software, and platforms and services from third-party providers, in compliance with legal requirements.

Applicants can feel free to contact us about the type of submission of the application or to send us the application by mail.

Processing of special categories of data: If special categories of personal data within the meaning of Art. 9 para. 1 GDPR (e.g., health data, such as disability status or ethnic origin) are requested from applicants during the application process, so that the controller or the data subject can exercise rights and fulfill obligations arising from labor law and social security and social protection law, their processing is carried out according to Art. 9 para. 2 lit. b. GDPR, in the case of protecting vital interests of applicants or others according to Art. 9 para. 2 lit. c. GDPR or for purposes of health care or occupational medicine, for the assessment of the employee's working capacity, for medical diagnosis, the provision or treatment in the health or social sector or for the management of systems and services in the health or social sector according to Art. 9 para. 2 lit. h. GDPR. In the case of voluntary consent to the communication of special categories of data, their processing is based on Art. 9 para. 2 lit. a. GDPR.

Deletion of data: The data provided by applicants can be further processed by us for the purposes of employment if the application is successful. Otherwise, if the application for a job offer is not successful, the data of applicants will be deleted. The applicants' data will also be deleted if an application is withdrawn, to which applicants are entitled at any time. Deletion will occur, subject to a justified withdrawal of applicants, at the latest after a period of six months, so that we can answer any follow-up questions about the application and fulfill our burden of proof from the regulations on equal treatment of applicants. Invoices for any travel expenses reimbursement will be archived in accordance with tax regulations.

Inclusion in an applicant pool: Inclusion in an applicant pool, if offered, is based on consent. Applicants are informed that their consent to admission to the talent pool is voluntary, has no impact on the ongoing application process, and can be revoked at any time for the future.

• Processed data types: Master data (e.g., names, addresses); Contact data (e.g., email, phone numbers); Content data (e.g., inputs in online forms); Applicant data (e.g., information on person, postal and contact addresses, documents belonging to the application, and the information contained therein, such as cover letter, resume, certificates, as well as other information voluntarily provided by applicants regarding their person or qualification necessary for a specific job).

• Affected persons: Applicants.

• Purposes of processing: Application process (establishment and any subsequent implementation as well as possible subsequent termination of the employment relationship).

• Legal bases: Application process as a pre-contractual or contractual relationship (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Cloud Services

We use software services accessible via the internet and executed on the servers of their providers (so-called "cloud services", also referred to as "Software as a Service") for the storage and management of content (e.g., document storage and management, document exchange, content and information with specific recipients, or publication of content and information).

Within this framework, personal data may be processed and stored on the servers of the providers, to the extent that they are part of communication processes with us or otherwise processed by us, as stated in these Privacy Notices. This data may include in particular master data and contact data of users, data on processes, contracts, other operations, and their content. The providers of the cloud services also process usage data and metadata, which they use for security purposes and service optimization.

If we provide forms or other documents and content to other users or publicly accessible websites using the cloud services, the providers can store cookies on the users' devices for web analysis purposes or to remember user settings (e.g., in the case of media control).

• Processed data types: Master data (e.g., names, addresses); Contact data (e.g., email, phone numbers); Content data (e.g., inputs in online forms); Usage data (e.g., visited websites, interest in content, access times); Meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses).

• Affected persons: Customers; Employees (e.g., employees, applicants, former employees); Interested parties; Communication partners.

• Purposes of processing: Office and organizational procedures; Information technology infrastructure (operation and provision of information systems and technical devices (computers, servers, etc.).).

• Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

• Microsoft Cloud Services: Cloud storage, cloud infrastructure services and cloud-based application software; Service provider: Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, One Microsoft Place, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, Ireland, parent company: Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399 USA; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://microsoft.com/en-us; Privacy policy: https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement, Security Notices: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/trustcenter; Data Processing Agreement: https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/docs/view/Microsoft-Products-and-Services-Data-Protection-Addendum-DPA; Standard contractual clauses (guarantee data protection level when processing in third countries): https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/docs/view/Microsoft-Products-and-Services-Data-Protection-Addendum-DPA.

Newsletter and Electronic Notifications

We send out newsletters, emails and other electronic notifications (hereinafter "Newsletter") only with the consent of the recipients or a legal permit. If the contents of a newsletter are specifically described in the context of a newsletter registration, they are decisive for the consent of the users. Otherwise, our newsletters contain information about our services and us.

To subscribe to our newsletters, it is generally sufficient if you provide your email address and name for personal address within the newsletter. However, we may ask you to provide additional information if these are required for the purposes of the newsletter.

Double opt-in procedure: The registration for our newsletter takes place in a so-called double opt-in procedure. That is, you will receive an email after registration asking you to confirm your registration. This confirmation is necessary so that no one can register with other people's email addresses. The registrations for the newsletter are logged in order to be able to prove the registration process in accordance with legal requirements. This includes the storage of the registration and confirmation time, as well as the IP address. Likewise, the changes to your data stored by the email service provider are logged.

Deletion and restriction of processing: We may store the email addresses removed from our list for up to three years based on our legitimate interests before deleting them to provide evidence of prior consent. The processing of this data is limited to the purpose of possible defense against claims. An individual deletion request is possible at any time, provided that the former existence of consent is confirmed at the same time. In the case of obligations to observe contradictions permanently, we reserve the right to store the email address solely for this purpose in a block list (so-called "block list").

The logging of the registration process takes place on the basis of our legitimate interests to prove its proper course. If we commission a service provider to send emails, this is done on the basis of our legitimate interests in an efficient and secure delivery system.

Contents: We inform you about contractual topics as well as about us, our services, products, actions, and offers.

• Processed data types: Master data (e.g., names, addresses); Contact data (e.g., email, phone numbers); Meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses); Usage data (e.g., visited websites, interest in content, access times).

• Affected persons: Communication partners.

• Purposes of processing: Direct marketing (e.g., by email or post).

• Legal bases: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR).

• Opt-out option: You can cancel the receipt of our newsletters at any time, i.e. revoke your consents or object to further receipt. A link to cancel the newsletter can be found at the end of each newsletter or otherwise, you can use one of the above contact options, preferably email, to do so.

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

• Measurement of opening and click rates: The newsletters contain a so-called "web beacon", that is, a pixel-sized file that is retrieved from our server when opening the newsletter or, if we use a delivery service provider, from its server. Within this retrieval, technical information, such as information on the browser and your system, as well as your IP address and the time of retrieval, is collected. This information is used for the technical improvement of our newsletter based on technical data or the target groups and their reading behavior based on retrieval locations (which can be determined with the help of IP address) or access times. This analysis also includes determining whether the newsletters are opened, when they are opened, and which links are clicked. This information is assigned to the individual newsletter recipients and stored in their profiles until they are deleted. The evaluations serve us to recognize the reading habits of our users and to adapt our content to them or to send different content according to the interests of our users. The measurement of opening rates and click rates and the storage of measurement results in the profiles of the users and their further processing are carried out on the basis of a consent of the users. A separate revocation of the success measurement is unfortunately not possible, in this case, the entire newsletter subscription has to be cancelled, or it must be objected to. In this case, the stored profile information will be deleted; Legal bases: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR).

• Loops: Email services; Service provider: Astrodon, Inc., Beaverton, 9450 SW Gemini Dr, USA; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://loops.so; Privacy policy: https://loops.so/privacy; Data Processing Agreement: https://loops.so/dpa.

Promotional Communication via Email, Mail, Fax or Phone

We process personal data for the purposes of promotional communication that it can be carried out via various channels, such as email, phone, mail, or fax, in accordance with legal requirements.

Recipients have the right to revoke given consents at any time or to object to promotional communication at any time.

After revocation or objection, we store the data required to prove the previous authorization for contact or delivery for up to three years after the expiration of the year of revocation or objection based on our legitimate interests. The processing of this data is limited to the purpose of possible defense against claims. Based on the legitimate interest to observe the withdrawal or objection of the users permanently, we further store the necessary data to avoid renewed contact (e.g., depending on the communication channel, the email address, phone number, name).

• Processed data types: Master data (e.g., names, addresses); Contact data (e.g., email, phone numbers).

• Affected persons: Communication partners.

• Purposes of processing: Direct marketing (e.g., by email or post).

• Legal bases: Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR); Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Web Analysis, Monitoring and Optimization

The web analysis (also referred to as "reach measurement") serves to evaluate our online offer. We can, for example, recognize to what extent our online offer is used. We can also understand which areas need optimization.

In addition to web analysis, we can also use test procedures to test and optimize, for example, different versions of our online offer or its components.

Among other things, the visited web page(s) (Page URL), the websites from which visitors access our online offer (HTTP Referrer), the browser used, the computer system used, the device type and information about the country, region, and city from which the access takes place are recorded.

• Processed data types: Usage data (e.g., visited websites); Meta/communication data (e.g., browser).

• Affected persons: Users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).

• Purposes of processing: Reach measurement (e.g., access statistics).

• Security measures: See the following information about the service provider.

• Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

• plausible.io: Reach measurement and web analytics; no use of cookies or comparable persistent online identifiers, recognition of returning visitors is done using a pseudonymous identifier that is deleted after one day; otherwise, no personal data is stored (https://plausible.io/data-policy); no data is shared with third parties; processing is done on the server of plausible.io based on a data processing agreement; Service provider: Plausible Insights Oü, Västriku tn 2, 50403, Tartu, Estonia; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://plausible.io/; Privacy policy: https://plausible.io/privacy; Data Processing Agreement: https://plausible.io/dpa.

• Pitch: Presentations (also within the framework of webinars); Service provider: Pitch Software GmbH, Joachimstraße 7, 10119 Berlin, Germany; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://pitch.com/; Privacy policy: https://pitch.com/privacy-policy; Data Processing Agreement: https://pitch.com/dpa.

Presences in Social Networks (Social Media)

We maintain online presences within social networks and process user data within this framework in order to communicate with or offer information to the active users there.

We point out that this may process user data outside the European Union space. This can create risks for users since, for example, the enforcement of users' rights can be more difficult.

Furthermore, user data within social networks is usually processed for market research and advertising purposes. For example, usage profiles can be created based on the utilization behavior and resulting interests of the users. The usage profiles can, in turn, be used to place advertisements inside and outside the networks that are presumably in line with the users' interests. For these purposes, cookies are usually stored on the users' computers, in which usage behavior and the interests of the users are stored. Furthermore, data can be stored in the usage profiles regardless of the devices used by the users (especially when users are members of the respective platforms and are logged in).

For a detailed presentation of the respective processing forms and the objection options (opt-out), we refer to the data protection declarations and information from the operators of the respective networks.

Also in the case of information requests and the assertion of data subject rights, we point out that these are most effectively asserted with the providers. Only the providers have access to the users' data and can directly take respective measures and provide information. If you still need assistance, you can contact us.

• Processed data types: Contact data (e.g., email, phone numbers); Content data (e.g., inputs in online forms); Usage data (e.g., visited websites, interest in content, access times); Meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses).

• Affected persons: Users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).

• Purposes of processing: Contact requests and communication; Feedback (e.g., collecting feedback via online form); Marketing.

• Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further notes on processing processes, procedures, and services:

• LinkedIn: Social network; Service provider: LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Plaza Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.linkedin.com; Privacy policy: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy; Data Processing Agreement: https://legal.linkedin.com/dpa; Standard contractual clauses (guarantee data protection level when processing in third countries): https://legal.linkedin.com/dpa; Opt-out option: https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/guest-controls/retargeting-opt-out.

• XING: Social network; Service provider: New Work SE, Am Strandkai 1, 20457 Hamburg, Germany; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.xing.com; Privacy policy: https://privacy.xing.com/en/privacy-policy.

• Vimeo: Social network and video platform; Service provider: Vimeo Inc., Attention: Legal Department, 555 West 18th Street New York, New York 10011, USA; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://vimeo.com; Privacy policy: https://vimeo.com/privacy.

• YouTube: Social network and video platform; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Opt-out option: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.