The use of this website is generally possible without the provision of personal data. Insofar as personal data (e.g. name, address or email addresses) is collected on our website, this takes place to the greatest possible extent on a voluntary basis. Some of this data will be passed on to third parties in accordance with this data protection declaration.
We would like to point out that the transmission of data via the Internet (e.g. when communicating by email) may involve gaps in security. It is not possible to protect such data completely against access by third parties.
Cookies
Some of the website uses so-called cookies. Cookies do not damage your computer and do not contain viruses. The purpose of these cookies is to make our offer more user-friendly, effective and secure. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your computer by your browser.
Most of the cookies that we use are so-called “session cookies”. These are deleted automatically after your visit. Other cookies remain stored on your device until you delete them. These cookies enable us to recognise your browser on your next visit to one of our websites.
You can configure your browser so that you are informed when cookies are set and only allow cookies in individual cases, or to accept cookies for specific cases or generally exclude them and activate the automatic deletion of cookies when the browser is closed. If cookies are deactivated, the functionality of this website may be restricted.
Hosting provider and server log files
The provider of this website automatically collects and stores information in so-called server log files, which your browser sends to us automatically. These are:
These data cannot be assigned directly to specific individuals and is not merged with other data sources. We reserve the right to check this data retrospectively if we become aware of legitimate indications of illegal use.
Comments
When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection.
An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.
Media
If you upload images to the website, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the website can download and extract any location data from images on the website.
Cookies
If you leave a comment on our site you may opt-in to saving your name, email address and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year.
If you visit our login page, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
When you log in, we will also set up several cookies to save your login information and your screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for a year. If you select “Remember Me”, your login will persist for two weeks. If you log out of your account, the login cookies will be removed.
If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie will be saved in your browser. This cookie includes no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the article you just edited. It expires after 1 day.
Embedded content from other websites
Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.
These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.
How long we retain your data
If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so we can recognize and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.
For users that register on our website (if any), we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.
What rights you have over your data
If you have an account on this site, or have left comments, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us. You can also request that we erase any personal data we hold about you. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.
Where your data is sent
Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.