Preamble

With the following privacy policy, we would like to inform you about what types of personal data (hereinafter also referred to as "data") we process, for what purposes, and to what extent. The privacy policy applies to all processing of personal data carried out by us, both in the context of providing our services and, in particular, on our websites, in mobile applications, and within external online presences, such as our social media profiles (hereinafter collectively referred to as "online offering").

The terms used are not gender-specific.

As of: July 24, 2025

Table of contents

• Preamble
• Responsible
• Contact Data protection officer
• Overview of processing
• Relevant legal basis
• Security
• Transfer of personal data
• International data transfers
• General information on data storage and deletion
• Rights of data subjects
• Business services
• Business processes and procedures
• Providers and services used in the course of business
• Provision of online services and web hosting
• Use of cookies
• Contact and inquiry management
• Artificial intelligence (AI)
• Video conferencing, online meetings, webinars, and screen sharing
• Cloud services
• Advertising communication via email, post, fax, or telephone
• Surveys and questionnaires
• Presence on social networks (social media)
• Plug-ins and embedded functions and content
• Management, organization, and support tools
• Processing of data within the scope of employment relationships
• Application procedures
• Data protection information for whistleblowers
• Changes and updates
• Definition of terms

Responsible

KOHL Group AG
Wankelstraße 7
50996 Cologne

Email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Legal notice: www.kohl-gruppe-ag.de

Contact Data Protection Officer

Kompass Datenschutz GmbH
Jan Besold

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: 02233 / 6290596
Mobile: 01575/ 2623224

Overview of Processing

The following overview summarizes the types of data processed and the purposes for which they are processed, and refers to the data subjects.

Types of Data Processed

• Inventory data
• Employee data
• Payment data
• Contact data
• Content data
• Contract data
• Usage data
• Meta, communication, and procedural data
• Applicant data
• Image and/or video recordings
• Audio recordings
• Log data

Categories of Data Subjects

• Service recipients and clients
• Employees
• Prospective customers
• Communication partners
• Users
• Applicants
• Business and contractual partners
• Participants
• Depicted persons
• Third parties
• Whistleblowers
• Customers

Purposes of Processing

• Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations
• Communication
• Security measures
• Direct marketing
• Office and organizational procedures
• Organizational and administrative procedures
• Application procedures
• Feedback
• Surveys and questionnaires
• Marketing
• Provision of our online services and user-friendliness
• Establishment and implementation of employment relationships
• Information technology infrastructure
• Whistleblower protection
• Financial and payment management
• Public relations
• Sales promotion
• Business processes and business management procedures
• Artificial intelligence (AI)

Relevant Legal Basis

Relevant legal bases under the GDPR: Below you will find an overview of the legal bases of the 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 country of residence or registered office. If more specific legal bases are applicable in individual cases, we will inform you of these in the privacy policy.

• Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a) GDPR) – The data subject has given consent to the processing of personal data concerning him or her for one or more specific purposes.
• Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR) – Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract.
• Legal obligation (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. c) GDPR) – 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) – 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 procedure as a pre-contractual or contractual relationship (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR) – Insofar as special categories of personal data within the meaning of Art. 9 para. 1 GDPR (e.g. health data, such as severe disability or ethnic origin) are requested from applicants so that the controller or the data subject can exercise their rights under labor law and social security and social protection law and fulfill their obligations in this regard, their processing shall be carried out in accordance with Art. 9 (2) lit. b GDPR, in the case of the protection of vital interests of applicants or other persons pursuant to Art. 9 para. 2 lit. c GDPR or for the purposes of health care or occupational medicine, for the assessment of the working capacity of the employee, for medical diagnosis, care or treatment in the health or social sector or for the management of systems and services in the health or social sector pursuant to Art. 9 (2) lit. h GDPR. In the case of disclosure of special categories of data based on voluntary consent, processing is carried out on the basis of Art. 9 (2) lit. a GDPR.
• Processing of special categories of personal data relating to health, professional activities, and social security (Art. 9 para. 2 lit. h GDPR) – Processing is necessary for the purposes of health care or occupational medicine, for the assessment of the working capacity of the employee, for medical diagnosis, care or treatment in the health or social sector, or for the management of systems and services in the health or social sector on the basis of Union law or the law of a Member State or on the basis of a contract with a member of a health profession.

National Data Protection Regulations in Germany

In addition to the data protection regulations of the GDPR, national regulations on data protection apply in Germany. These include, in particular, the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG). The BDSG contains, in particular, special provisions on the right to information, the right to erasure, the right to object, the processing of special categories of personal data, processing for other purposes and transfer, as well as automated decision-making in individual cases, including profiling. Furthermore, state data protection laws of the individual federal states may apply.

National Data Protection Regulations in Poland

In addition to the data protection regulations of the GDPR, national regulations on data protection apply in Poland. These include, in particular, the "Data Protection Act" (Ustawa z dnia 10 maja 2018 r. ochronie danych osobowych).

Reference to the Applicability of the GDPR and the Swiss DSG

This privacy policy serves to provide information in accordance with both the Swiss DSG and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). For this reason, please note that the terms used in the GDPR are used due to their broader geographical application and comprehensibility. In particular, instead of the terms "processing" of "personal data," "overriding interest," and "sensitive personal data" used in the Swiss DSG, the terms "processing" of "personal data," "legitimate interest," and "special categories of data" used in the GDPR are used. However, the legal meaning of the terms will continue to be determined in accordance with the Swiss DSG within the scope of its applicability.

Security

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

These measures include, in particular, ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data by controlling physical and electronic access to the data as well as access to, input, transfer, and backup of the data and ensuring their separation. Furthermore, we have established procedures to ensure that data subjects can exercise their rights, that data is deleted, and that responses are provided in the event of a threat to the data. Furthermore, we take the protection of personal data into account during the development and selection of hardware, software, and procedures in accordance with the principle of data protection, through technical design and data protection-friendly default settings.

Shortening of the IP Address

If IP addresses are processed by us or by the service providers and technologies we use and the processing of a complete IP address is not necessary, the IP address is shortened (also known as "IP masking"). In this case, the last two digits or the last part of the IP address after a dot are removed or replaced by placeholders. The purpose of shortening the IP address is to prevent or significantly impede the identification of a person based on their IP address.

Securing Online Connections Using TLS/SSL Encryption Technology (HTTPS)

We use TLS/SSL encryption technology to protect user data transmitted via our online services from unauthorized access. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) are the cornerstones of secure data transmission on the Internet. These technologies encrypt the information transmitted between the website or app and the user's browser (or between two servers), protecting the data from unauthorized access. TLS, as the more advanced and secure version of SSL, ensures that all data transmissions meet the highest security standards. When a website is secured by an SSL/TLS certificate, this is indicated by the display of HTTPS in the URL. This serves as an indicator to users that their data is being transmitted securely and encrypted.

Transfer of Personal Data

In the course of our processing of personal data, it may happen that this data is transferred to or disclosed to other bodies, companies, legally independent organizational units, or persons. The recipients of this data may include, for example, service providers commissioned 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, in particular, conclude appropriate contracts or agreements with the recipients of your data to ensure that your data is protected.

Data Transfer Within the Organization

We may transfer personal data to other departments or units within our organization or grant them access to it. If the data is transferred for administrative purposes, this is based on our legitimate business and economic interests or is necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations or if the consent of the data subjects or legal permission has been obtained.

International Data Transfers

Data Processing in Third Countries

If we transfer data to a third country (i.e., outside the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA)) or if this occurs in connection with the use of third-party services or the disclosure or transfer of data to other persons, agencies, or companies (which can be identified by the postal address of the respective provider or if the privacy policy expressly refers to the transfer of data to third countries), this is always done in accordance with the legal requirements.

Data Transfers to the USA

For data transfers to the USA, we primarily rely on the Data Privacy Framework (DPF), which was recognized as a secure legal framework by an adequacy decision of the EU Commission on July 10, 2023. In addition, we have concluded standard contractual clauses with the respective providers that comply with the requirements of the EU Commission and establish contractual obligations for the protection of your data.

This double safeguard ensures comprehensive protection of your data: The DPF forms the primary level of protection, while the standard contractual clauses serve as additional security. Should changes arise within the framework of the DPF, the standard contractual clauses will serve as a reliable fallback option. In this way, we ensure that your data remains adequately protected even in the event of political or legal changes.

We will inform you whether individual service providers are certified under the DPF and whether standard contractual clauses are in place. Further information on the DPF and a list of certified companies can be found on the website of the US Department of Commerce:
https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/

Transfers to Other Third Countries

Appropriate security measures apply to data transfers to other third countries, in particular standard contractual clauses, express consent, or transfers required by law. Information on transfers to third countries and applicable adequacy decisions can be found on the website of the EU Commission:
EU Commission – International dimension of data protection

General Information on Data Storage and Deletion

We delete personal data that we process in accordance with the statutory provisions as soon as the underlying consent is revoked or there is no longer any legal basis for processing. This applies to cases in which the original purpose of processing no longer applies or the data is no longer required. Exceptions to this rule apply if legal obligations or special interests require longer storage or archiving of the data.

In particular, data that must be retained for commercial or tax reasons or whose storage is necessary for legal prosecution or to protect the rights of other natural or legal persons must be archived accordingly.

Our privacy policy contains additional information on the storage and deletion of data that applies specifically to certain processing operations.

If there are several specifications regarding the storage period or deletion deadlines for a piece of data, the longest period shall always apply. Data that is no longer required for the originally intended purpose but is retained due to legal requirements or other reasons will only be processed by us for the reasons that justify its retention.

Storage and Deletion of Data (Germany)

The following general periods apply to storage and archiving in accordance with German law:

• 10 years – Retention period for books and records, annual financial statements, inventories, management reports, opening balance sheets, and the work instructions and other organizational documents necessary for their understanding (§ 147 (1) No. 1 in conjunction with (3) AO, § 14b para. 1 UStG, § 257 para. 1 No. 1 in conjunction with para. 4 HGB).
• 8 years – Accounting documents, such as invoices and expense receipts (§ 147 (1) No. 4 and 4a in conjunction with (3) sentence 1 AO, § 257 (1) No. 4 in conjunction with (4) HGB).
• 6 years – Other business documents: commercial or business letters received, copies of commercial or business letters sent, and other documents relevant for taxation (e.g., hourly wage slips, operating statements, calculation documents, price labels, payroll accounting documents, cash register receipts) (§ 147 (1) No. 2, 3, 5 in conjunction with (3) AO, § 257 (1) No. 2 and 3 in conjunction with (4) HGB).
• 3 years – Data necessary to consider potential warranty and damage claims or similar contractual claims and rights, including related inquiries, will be stored for the duration of the regular statutory limitation period of three years (§§ 195, 199 BGB).

Rights of Data Subjects

Rights of data subjects under the GDPR: As a data subject, you have various rights under the GDPR, which arise in particular from Articles 15 to 21 GDPR:

• Right to object: You have the right to object at any time, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to the processing of personal data concerning you which is based on Art. 6 para. 1 lit. e or f GDPR; this also applies to profiling based on these provisions. If the personal data concerning you is processed for direct marketing purposes, you have the right to object at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you for such marketing; this also applies to profiling to the extent that it is related to such direct marketing.
• Right to withdraw consent: You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
• Right to information: You have the right to request confirmation as to whether data concerning you is being processed and to obtain information about this data, as well as further information and a copy of the data in accordance with the legal requirements.
• Right to rectification: You have the right to request the completion of data concerning you or the rectification of inaccurate data concerning you in accordance with the statutory provisions.
• Right to erasure and restriction of processing: You have the right, in accordance with legal requirements, to request that data concerning you be erased immediately or, alternatively, in accordance with legal requirements, to request that the processing of the data be restricted.
• Right to data portability: You have the right to receive data concerning you that you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format or to request that it be transferred to another controller in accordance with legal requirements.
• Complaint to a supervisory authority: In accordance with legal requirements and without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority, in particular a supervisory authority in the Member State in which you usually reside, the supervisory authority of your workplace or the place of the alleged infringement, if you believe that the processing of personal data relating to you violates the GDPR.

Business Services

We process data of our contractual and business partners, e.g., customers and interested parties (collectively referred to as "contractual partners"), within the scope of contractual and comparable legal relationships and associated measures and with regard to communication with contractual partners (or pre-contractually), for example to respond to inquiries.

We use this data to fulfill our contractual obligations. These include, in particular, the obligations to provide the agreed services, any update obligations, and remedies in the event of warranty and other service disruptions. In addition, we use the data to protect our rights and for administrative tasks associated with these obligations and for company organization.

We also process the data on the basis of our legitimate interests in proper and economical business management and in security measures to protect our contractual partners and our business operations from misuse, endangerment of their data, secrets, information, and rights (e.g., for the involvement of telecommunications, transport, and other auxiliary services, as well as subcontractors, banks, tax and legal advisors, payment service providers, or financial authorities).

Within the scope of 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 to fulfill legal obligations. Contractual partners will be informed about other forms of processing, such as for marketing purposes, within the scope of this privacy policy.

We will inform contractual partners of the data required for the aforementioned purposes before or during data collection, e.g., in online forms, by means of special markings (e.g., colors) or symbols (e.g., asterisks or similar), or in person.

We delete the data after expiry of statutory warranty and comparable obligations, i.e. generally after four years, unless the data is stored in a customer account, e.g. for as long as it must be retained for archiving purposes for legal reasons (e.g. for tax purposes, generally ten years). We delete data disclosed to us by the contractual partner within the scope of an order in accordance with the specifications and, as a rule, after the end of the order.

Types of Data Processed

• Inventory data (e.g., full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.)
• Payment data (e.g., bank details, invoices, payment history)
• Contact data (e.g., postal and email addresses or telephone numbers)
• Contract data (e.g., subject matter of the contract, term, customer category)

Data Subjects

• Service recipients and clients
• Interested parties
• Business and contractual partners

Purposes of Processing

• Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations
• Communication
• Office and organizational procedures
• Business processes and business management procedures

Storage and Deletion

Deletion in accordance with the information in the section "General information on data storage and deletion."

Legal Basis

• Contract fulfillment 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 Information on Processing Processes, Procedures, and Services

Technical Services

We process the data of our customers and clients (hereinafter referred to uniformly as "customers") in order to enable them to select, purchase, or commission the selected services or works and related activities, as well as to enable payment and provision or execution or performance thereof.

The necessary information is identified as such in the context of the order, purchase order, or comparable contract and includes the information required for the provision of services and billing, as well as contact information to enable any necessary consultation.

Insofar as we gain access to information from end customers, employees, or other persons, we process this in accordance with the statutory and contractual requirements.

Legal basis: fulfillment of the contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Business Processes and Procedures

Personal data of service recipients and clients – including customers, clients or, in special cases, patients or business partners and other third parties – are processed within the framework of contractual and comparable legal relationships and pre-contractual measures such as the initiation of business relationships. This data processing supports and facilitates business processes in areas such as customer management, sales, payment transactions, accounting, and project management.

The data collected is used to fulfill contractual obligations and to organize operational processes efficiently. This includes the processing of business transactions, the management of customer relationships, the optimization of sales strategies, and the assurance of internal billing and financial processes. In addition, the data supports the protection of the rights of the controller and facilitates administrative tasks and the organization of the company.

Personal data may be passed on to third parties if this is necessary to fulfill the aforementioned purposes or legal obligations. The data will be deleted after the expiry of the statutory retention periods or when the purpose of processing no longer applies. This also includes data that must be stored for longer periods due to tax and legal documentation requirements.

Types of Data Processed

• Inventory data (e.g., full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.)
• Payment data data (e.g., bank details, invoices, payment history)
• Contact data (e.g., postal and email addresses or telephone numbers)
• Content data (e.g., text or image messages and posts, as well as information relating to them, such as details of authorship or time of creation)
• Contract data (e.g., subject matter of the contract, term, customer category)
• Usage data (e.g., page views and dwell time, click paths, usage intensity and frequency, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions)
• Meta, communication, and process data (e.g., IP addresses, time stamps, identification numbers, persons involved)
• Log data (e.g., log files relating to logins or the retrieval of data or access times)
• Employee data (information about employees and other persons in an employment relationship)

Data Subjects

• Service recipients and clients
• Interested parties
• Communication partners
• Business and contractual partners
• Customers
• Third parties
• Users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services)

Purposes of Processing

• Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations
• Office and organizational procedures
• Business processes and business management procedures
• Communication
• Marketing
• Sales promotion
• Public relations
• Financial and payment management
• Security measures
• Information technology infrastructure (operation and provision of information systems and technical equipment (computers, servers, etc.))

Storage and Deletion

Deletion in accordance with the information in the section "General information on data storage and deletion."

Legal Basis

• Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR)
• Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR)
• Legal obligation (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. c) GDPR)

Further Information on Processing Operations

• Customer Management and CRM: Procedures required in the context of customer management and customer relationship management (CRM) (e.g., customer acquisition in compliance with data protection requirements, measures to promote customer loyalty and retention, effective customer communication, complaint management and customer service with consideration of data protection, data management and analysis to support customer relations, administration of CRM systems, secure account management, customer segmentation and target group formation); Legal basis: Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• Contact management and maintenance: Procedures necessary for the organization, maintenance, and securing of contact information (e.g., setting up and maintaining a central contact database, regularly updating contact information, monitoring data integrity, implementing data protection measures, ensuring access controls, performing backups and restores of contact data, training employees in the effective use of contact management software, regularly reviewing communication history, and adjusting contact strategies); Legal basis: Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• Customer loyalty program/customer card: As part of the customer loyalty program, the controller processes the data of participating customers for the purpose of providing the services offered under this program. For this purpose, the controller stores the information provided by customers, to the extent necessary and identified as such, in a customer profile. This profile also contains information about the use of the customer loyalty program and the use of the associated services and benefits. This information is only passed on to third parties (e.g., service providers) if this is necessary for the purposes mentioned. Customer profiles are deleted after participation in the program has ended. The respective data will only be archived to the extent that this may be necessary for legal storage purposes or for the fulfillment of legal (up to eleven years for tax information from the end of the year in which it was created) or contractual claims (up to three years from the end of the year of termination). This is recorded in the directory of processing activities; Legal basis: fulfillment of contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).
• General payment Transactions: Procedures necessary for the execution of payment transactions, the monitoring of bank accounts, and the control of payment flows (e.g., creation and verification of transfers, processing of direct debits, checking of account statements, monitoring of incoming and outgoing payments, return debit management, account reconciliation, cash management); Legal basis: Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• Accounting, accounts payable, accounts receivable: Procedures required for recording, processing, and controlling business transactions in the area of accounts payable and accounts receivable (e.g., creation and verification of incoming and outgoing invoices, monitoring and management of open items, execution of payment transactions, processing of reminders, account reconciliation in the context of receivables and payables, accounts payable and accounts receivable); Legal basis: Contract fulfillment 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).
• Financial accounting and taxes: Procedures that are necessary for the recording, management, and control of financially relevant business transactions, as well as for the calculation, reporting and payment of taxes (e.g., account assignment and posting of business transactions, preparation of quarterly and annual financial statements, execution of payment transactions, processing of dunning, account reconciliation, tax advice, preparation and submission of tax returns, handling of tax matters); Legal basis: Contract fulfillment 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).
• Purchasing: Procedures necessary for the procurement of goods, raw materials, or services (e.g., supplier selection and evaluation, price negotiations, order placement and monitoring, verification and control of deliveries, invoice verification, order management, warehouse management, creation and maintenance of purchasing guidelines); Legal basis: Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• Sales: Processes necessary for planning, implementing, and monitoring measures for marketing and selling products or services (e.g., customer acquisition, preparing and following up on offers, order processing, customer advice and support, sales promotion, product training, sales controlling and analysis, management of sales channels); Legal basis: Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• arketing, advertising, and sales promotion: Processes required in the context of marketing, advertising, and sales promotion (e.g., market analysis and target group determination, development of marketing strategies, planning and implementation of advertising campaigns, design and production of advertising materials, online marketing including SEO and social media campaigns, event marketing and trade fair participation, customer loyalty programs, sales promotion measures, performance measurement and optimization of marketing activities, budget management and cost control); Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• Economic analyses and market research: The data available on business transactions, contracts, enquiries, etc. is analysed for business purposes and to identify market trends and the wishes of contractual partners and users. The group of data subjects may include contractual partners, interested parties, customers, visitors and users of the controller's online offering. The analyses are carried out for the purposes of business evaluation, marketing, and market research (e.g., to determine customer groups with different characteristics). Where available, profiles of registered users, including their details on the services they have used, are taken into account. The analyses are used exclusively by the controller and are not disclosed externally, unless they are anonymous analyses with aggregated, i.e., anonymized values. In addition, the privacy of users is respected; the data is pseudonymized for analysis purposes and, where feasible, anonymized (e.g., as aggregated data); Legal basis: legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• Public relations:Procedures required in the context of public relations (e.g., development and implementation of communication strategies, planning and execution of PR campaigns, preparation and distribution of press releases, maintenance of media contacts, monitoring and analysis of media response, organization of press conferences and public events, crisis communication, creation of content for social media and company websites, corporate branding support); Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• Guest Wi-Fi:Procedures necessary for the setup, operation, maintenance, and monitoring of a wireless network for guests (e.g., installation and configuration of Wi-Fi access points, creation and management of guest accounts, monitoring of network connection, ensuring network security, troubleshooting connection problems, updating network software, compliance with data protection regulations); Legal basis: Contract fulfillment 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).

Providers and Services Used in the Course of Business

Within the scope of our business activities, we use additional services, platforms, interfaces, or plug-ins from third-party providers (hereinafter referred to as "services") in compliance with legal requirements. Their use is based on our interests in the proper, lawful, and economical management of our business operations and internal organization.

Types of Data Processed

• Inventory data (e.g., full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.)
• Payment data (e.g., bank details, invoices, payment history)
• Contact data (e.g., postal and email addresses or telephone numbers)
• Content data (e.g., textual or pictorial messages and posts, and related metadata)
• Contract data (e.g., subject matter of the contract, term, customer category)

Data Subjects

• Service recipients and clients
• Interested parties
• Business and contractual partners
• Employees (e.g., employees, applicants, temporary staff, and other personnel)

Purposes of Processing

• Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations
• Office and organizational procedures
• Business processes and business management procedures

Storage and Deletion

Deletion in accordance with the information in the section "General information on data storage and deletion."

Legal Basis

Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).

Further Information on Processing Operations, Procedures, and Services

• DATEV: Software for accounting, communication with tax advisors and authorities, and document storage;
  Service provider: DATEV eG, Paumgartnerstr. 6 - 14, 90429 Nuremberg, Germany;
  Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 (1) (1) (f) GDPR);
  Website: https://www.datev.de/web/de/mydatev/datev-cloud-anwendungen/;
  Privacy policy: https://www.datev.de/web/de/m/ueber-datev/datenschutz/;
  Order processing agreement: Provided by the service provider.

Provision of the online offer and web hosting

We process user data in order to provide them with our online services. For this purpose, we process the user's IP address, which is necessary to transmit the content and functions of our online services to the user's browser or end device.

Types of data processed: Usage data (e.g., page views and dwell time, click paths, usage intensity and frequency, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions); Meta, communication, and process data (e.g., IP addresses, time stamps, identification numbers, persons involved). Log data (e.g., log files relating to logins or the retrieval of data or access times).

Data subjects: Users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).

Purposes of processing: Provision of our online offering and user-friendliness; information technology infrastructure (operation and provision of information systems and technical equipment (computers, servers, etc.)); security measures. Provision of contractual services and fulfillment of contractual obligations.

Storage and deletion: Deletion in accordance with the information in the section "General information on data storage and deletion."

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

Further information on processing operations, procedures, and services:

• Provision of online services on rented storage space: To provide our online services, we use storage space, computing capacity, and software that we rent or otherwise obtain from an appropriate server provider (also known as a "web host"); Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).
• Collection of access data and log files: Access to our online offering is logged in the form of so-called "server log files." The server log files may include the address and name of the websites and files accessed, the date and time of access, the amount of data transferred, notification of successful access, browser type and version, the user's operating system, referrer URL (the previously visited page) and, as a rule, IP addresses and the requesting provider. The server log files can be used for security purposes, e.g. to prevent server overload (especially in the event of malicious attacks, known as DDoS attacks), and to ensure server capacity and stability; legal basis: legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR). Deletion of data: Log file information is stored for a maximum period of 30 days and then deleted or anonymized. Data that must be retained for evidentiary purposes is excluded from deletion until the respective incident has been finally clarified.
• 1&1 IONOS: Services in the field of providing information technology infrastructure and related services (e.g., storage space and/or computing capacity); Service provider: 1&1 IONOS SE, Elgendorfer Str. 57, 56410 Montabaur, Germany; Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR); Website: https://www.ionos.de; Privacy policy: https://www.ionos.de/terms-gtc/terms-privacy. Data processing agreement: https://www.ionos.de/hilfe/datenschutz/allgemeine-informationen-zur-datenschutz-grundverordnung-dsgvo/vereinbarung-zur-auftragsverarbeitung-avv-mit-ionos-abschliessen/.

Use of Cookies

The term "cookies" refers to functions that store information on users' end devices and read it from them. Cookies can also be used for various purposes, such as to ensure the functionality, security, and convenience of online services and to analyze visitor traffic. We use cookies in accordance with legal requirements. To do so, we obtain the consent of users in advance, if necessary. If consent is not necessary, we rely on our legitimate interests. This applies if the storage and retrieval of information is essential in order to provide expressly requested content and functions. This includes, for example, the storage of settings and ensuring the functionality and security of our online offering. Consent can be revoked at any time. We provide clear information about the scope of cookies and which cookies are used.

Information on the legal basis for data protection: Whether we process personal data using cookies depends on consent. If consent has been given, it serves as the legal basis. Without consent, we rely on our legitimate interests, which are explained above in this section and in the context of the respective services and procedures.

Storage duration: With regard to the storage duration, the following types of cookies are distinguished:

• Temporary cookies (also known as session cookies): Temporary cookies are deleted at the latest after a user leaves an online offering and closes their device (e.g., browser or mobile application).
• Permanent cookies: Permanent cookies remain stored even after the end device is closed. This allows, for example, the login status to be stored and preferred content to be displayed directly when the user revisits a website. The user data collected using cookies may also be used for reach measurement. Unless we provide users with explicit information about the type and storage duration of cookies (e.g., when obtaining consent), they should assume that these are permanent and that the storage period may be up to two years.

General information on revocation and objection (opt-out): Users can revoke their consent at any time and also object to processing in accordance with the legal requirements, including through their browser's privacy settings.

Types of data processed: Meta, communication, and process data (e.g., IP addresses, time stamps, identification numbers, persons involved).

Data subjects: Users (e.g., website visitors, users of online services).

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

Contact and Request Management

When you contact us (e.g., by mail, contact form, email, telephone, or social media) and within the scope of existing user and business relationships, the information provided by the inquiring persons will be processed to the extent necessary to respond to the contact requests and any requested measures.

Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g., full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); contact data (e.g., postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); content data (e.g., text or image messages and posts, as well as information relating to them, such as information about authorship or the time of creation); Usage data (e.g., page views and length of stay, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, types of devices and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Meta, communication, and process data (e.g., IP addresses, time stamps, identification numbers, persons involved).

Data subjects: Communication partners.

Purposes of processing: Communication; organizational and administrative procedures; feedback (e.g., collection of feedback via online form). Provision of our online offering and user-friendliness.

Storage and deletion: Deletion in accordance with the information in the section "General information on data storage and deletion."

Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR). Contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR).

Further information on processing, procedures, and services:

• Contact form: When you contact us via our contact form, by email or other means of communication, we process the personal data you provide to respond to and process your request. This usually includes information such as your name, contact details and, if applicable, other information that you provide to us and that is necessary for the proper processing of your request. We use this data exclusively for the stated purpose of establishing contact and communication; legal bases: fulfillment of a contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b) GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f) GDPR).