Privacy policy

Introduction

We, the PlasmidFactory GmbH, as the operator of the online service, are responsible for processing the personal data of users of the online service. Our contact details can be found in the legal notice of the online service, the contact persons for questions regarding the processing of personal data are named directly in this privacy policy.

We take the protection of your privacy and your private data very seriously. We collect, store and use your personal data only in accordance with the content of this privacy policy and the applicable data protection regulations, in particular the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the national data protection regulations.

With this data protection declaration, we inform you to what extent and for what purposes personal data is processed in connection with the use of the online services.

Personal data

Personal data is information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. This includes all information relating to your identity, such as your name, your e-mail address or your postal address. Information that cannot be linked to your identity (such as statistical data, e.g. the number of users of the online service) is not considered personal data.

You can use our online services without disclosing your identity and without providing personal data. We will then only collect general information about your visit to our website. However, personal data is collected from you for some of the services offered. This data is then only processed by us for the purposes of using this online service, in particular for providing the requested information. When collecting personal data, only the data that is absolutely necessary must be provided. In addition, further information may be possible, in which case it is voluntary. We will indicate in each case whether the information is mandatory or voluntary. We will then provide information on the specific details in the corresponding section of this privacy policy.

Automated decision-making based on your personal data does not take place in connection with the use of our online services.

Processing of personal information

Your data is stored by us on specially protected servers within the European Union. These are protected by technical and organisational measures against loss, destruction, access, modification or dissemination of your data by unauthorised persons. Access to your data is only possible for a few authorised persons. These persons are responsible for the technical, commercial or editorial support of the servers. Despite regular checks, however, complete protection against all risks is not possible.

Your personal data is transmitted in encrypted form over the Internet. We use SSL encryption (Secure Socket Layer) for data transmission.

Disclosure of personal data to third parties

We only use your personal information to provide the services you have requested. If external service providers are used by us in the course of providing the service, their access to the data is also exclusively for the purpose of providing the service. We take technical and organisational measures to ensure compliance with data protection regulations and also oblige our external service providers to do the same.

Furthermore, we do not pass on the data to third parties without your express consent, in particular not for advertising purposes. Your personal data will only be passed on if you yourself have consented to the data being passed on or if we are authorised or obliged to do so on the basis of statutory provisions and/or official or court orders. In particular, this may involve the provision of information for the purposes of criminal prosecution, to avert danger or to enforce intellectual property rights.

Insofar as we transfer your personal data ourselves or through service providers to countries outside the European Union, we comply with the special provisions of Art. 44 et seq. GDPR and also oblige our service providers to comply with these regulations. We will therefore only transfer your data to countries outside the European Union subject to the level of protection guaranteed by the GDPR. This level of protection is guaranteed in particular by an adequacy decision of the EU Commission or by suitable guarantees in accordance with Art. 46 GDPR.

Legal basis for data processing

Insofar as we obtain consent for the processing of your personal data, Art. 6 (1) (a) of the GDPR is the legal basis for data processing.

Insofar as we process your personal data because this is necessary for the fulfilment of a contract or in the context of a contract-like relationship with you, Art. 6 (1) (b) of the GDPR is the legal basis for data processing.

Insofar as we process your personal data to fulfil a legal obligation, Art. 6 (1) (c) of the GDPR is the legal basis for data processing.

Art. 6 (1) (f) of the GDPR may also be considered as the legal basis for data processing if the processing of your personal data is necessary to protect our legitimate interests or the interests of a third party and your interests, fundamental rights and freedoms do not require the protection of personal data.

In this privacy policy, we always indicate the legal basis on which we base the processing of your personal data.

Data erasure and storage duration

We always delete or block your personal data when the purpose of storage no longer applies. However, data may be stored beyond this point if this is provided for by legal requirements to which we are subject, for example with regard to statutory retention and documentation obligations. In such a case, we delete or block your personal data after the end of the corresponding requirements.

Use of our online services

Information about your computer

Each time you access our online services, we collect the following information about your computer, regardless of your registration: the IP address of your computer, the request from your browser and the time of this request. In addition, the status and the amount of data transferred as part of this enquiry are recorded. We also collect product and version information about the browser used and the computer's operating system. We also record the website from which the online services was accessed. The IP address of your computer is only stored for the duration of your use of the online service and is then deleted or anonymised by shortening it. The other data is stored for a limited period of time.

We use this data for the operation of the online services, in particular to detect and eliminate errors, to determine the utilisation of the online services and to make adjustments or improvements. These purposes also constitute our legitimate interest in data processing in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (f) of the GDPR.

Use of cookies

Cookies are used for our online services - as on many websites. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your computer and save certain settings and data for exchange with our online services via your browser. A cookie usually contains the name of the domain from which the cookie file was sent as well as information about the age of the cookie and an alphanumeric identifier.

Cookies enable us to recognise your computer and make any pre-settings and preferences immediately available. The cookies we use are - as far as possible - so-called session cookies, which are automatically deleted at the end of the browser session. Occasionally, cookies with a longer storage period may also be used so that your pre-settings and preferences can also be taken into account the next time you visit our website.

Most browsers are set to accept cookies automatically. However, you can deactivate the storage of cookies or set your browser so that it notifies you as soon as cookies are sent. It is also possible to delete cookies that have already been saved manually via the browser settings. Please note that you may only be able to use our online services to a limited extent or not at all if you reject the storage of cookies or delete necessary cookies.

If cookies are not required for our online services, we will ask you to consent to the use of cookies when you access the online services for the first time. With regard to the non-essential cookies from third-party providers, you will find a more detailed description of the services we use from these third-party providers below. The legal basis for the associated data processing, including any data transfer, is your consent within the meaning of Art. 6 (1) (a) of the GDPR. Once consent has been given, it can be revoked at any time with effect for the future, in particular by changing the selected settings.

The legal basis for the use of necessary cookies is our legitimate interest in the proper provision of our online services within the meaning of Art. 6 (1) (f) of the GDPR and - insofar as contracts are concluded or fulfilled via our online services - the fulfilment of the contract within the meaning of Art. 6 (1) (b) of the GDPR.

Once a selection has been made with regard to the use of cookies, it can be changed again at any time.

Hosting

We host our website with IONOS SE. The provider is IONOS SE, Elgendorfer Str. 57, 56410 Montabaur (hereinafter: IONOS ). When you visit our website, IONOS collects various log files including your IP addresses. For details, please refer to the IONOS privacy policy: https://www.ionos.de/terms-gtc/terms-privacy.

IONOS is used on the basis of Art. 6 (1) (f) of the GDPR. We have a legitimate interest in displaying our website as reliably as possible. If a corresponding consent has been requested, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6 (1) (a) of the GDPR; the consent can be revoked at any time with effect for the future.

Integration of the services of third-party providers

We use third-party services for some of the functions on our website. The corresponding services are mainly optional functions that must be explicitly selected or used by you. We have concluded contractual agreements with the respective providers for the provision or integration of their services and, as far as possible, we endeavour to ensure that the third-party providers also provide transparent information about the scope of the processing of personal data and comply with data protection regulations.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics for statistical analyses. Google Analytics is a web analytics service provided by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, 4 Barrow St, Dublin, Ireland ("Google").

As part of Google Analytics, Google uses cookies, among other things, for the analyses. The type and scope of the use and analysis of cookies are specified by Google. The information generated by the cookies about your use of the online services is transmitted to a Google server and stored there. It cannot be ruled out that data will be transmitted to the USA and that government agencies may be able to access this data as a result. However, due to standardised IP anonymisation, your IP address will be shortened by Google beforehand on servers in the European Union.

Google uses this information on our behalf to analyse your use of the website, to compile reports on website activity and to provide us, as the operator of the website, with other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may also use the data for its own purposes. As part of these purposes, Google may, for example, create a profile of user behaviour or link the data with other data, for example with an existing Google account. We have no influence whatsoever on these data processing operations. According to Google, the IP address transmitted by your browser as part of Google Analytics is not merged with other data that Google collects or already has. For more information, please refer to Google's data protection information, which is linked below.

You can prevent Google from collecting the data generated by the cookie and relating to your use of the website (including your IP address) and from processing this data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plug-in available at the following link http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de. Further information on this can be found at http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de or http://www.google.com/intl/de/analytics/privacyoverview.html (general information on Google Analytics and data protection). Please note that the code "anonymizeIp();" has been added to Google Analytics on our website in order to anonymise IP addresses, whereby the last octet is deleted.

The use of this service is subject to your express consent. The legal basis for the use of the service is Art. 6 (1) (a) of the GDPR. You can revoke your consent at any time with effect for the future.

Google Ads

The website operator uses Google Ads. Google Ads is an online advertising programme from Google.

Google Ads enables us to display adverts in the Google search engine or on third-party websites when the user enters certain search terms in Google (keyword targeting). Furthermore, targeted adverts can be displayed based on the user data available at Google (e.g. location data and interests) (target group targeting). As the website operator, we can evaluate this data quantitatively by analysing, for example, which search terms led to the display of our advertisements and how many advertisements led to corresponding clicks.

The use of Google Ads is based on your consent in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (a) of the GDPR. You can revoke your consent at any time with effect for the future.

Google Enhanced Conversion Tracking

We use Google Enhanced Conversion Tracking from Google for our online offer.

Google Enhanced Conversions supplement the previous conversion tags. Conversion tracking is used to compile statistics on the total number of website users and to obtain information on which actions they have carried out. With the help of extended conversions, conversions can be recorded even more precisely. Conversion data collected by us as the person responsible for the online offer and provided by the user of our online offer can be sent to Google in encrypted form using extended conversions. The data of website visitors is encrypted using a one-way hash algorithm SHA256; it is not possible to draw conclusions about the person. Extended conversions are used for customers who have provided data such as their e-mail address, name, home address or telephone number themselves, for example as part of a customer account. Based on this information, customers are assigned to corresponding Google accounts in which they were logged in when an interaction with the online offer took place. In this context, it cannot be ruled out that data will be transmitted to the USA and that US security authorities may be able to access this data as a result.

Further information can be found in the Google privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy and at https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9888656.

Retargeting and remarketing

Retargeting or remarketing refers to technologies in which users who have previously visited a certain website are shown suitable adverts even after they have left this website. To do this, it is necessary to recognise internet users beyond the website itself, for which cookies from the relevant service providers are used; previous user behaviour is also taken into account. For example, if a user views certain products, these or similar products can later be displayed as adverts on other websites. This is personalised advertising that is adapted to the needs of the individual user. For this personalised advertising, it is not necessary for the user to be identified beyond recognition. We therefore do not merge the data used for retargeting or remarketing with other data.

We use such technologies to place adverts on the Internet. We use third-party providers to place the adverts. Among others, we use offers from Google, which enable the automatic display of adverts tailored to your interests. This function is implemented using cookies. It cannot be ruled out that data may be transferred to Google in the USA in the course of this process and that US security authorities may gain access to the corresponding data.

Further information on this technology can be found in Google's privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de. The installation of cookies for Google Remarketing and Google AdWords Conversion Tracking can be prevented from the outset by a setting of the respective browser software by calling up the website http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/ads/ and changing the corresponding setting altogether. Irrespective of the above options for preventing data processing by means of cookies in connection with Google Remarketing and Google AdWords Conversion Tracking, the use of corresponding cookies or these services by us is subject to your express consent.

Use of YouTube

YouTube videos are integrated into our online offering, for the playback of which we use a plugin of the YouTube service operated by Google (hereinafter: "YouTube"). The service is operated by Google.

We use the YouTube service in extended data protection mode in order to protect your privacy as much as possible. When you call up a web page of our online offer on which a YouTube video is integrated, Google initially only receives the information necessary for integration and no cookies are set to analyse usage. Only when you play the embedded video does Google receive further information; Google may also set cookies to analyse your user behaviour. When you play the video, Google's YouTube servers are informed, for example, which page of our website you are using to play the video.

If you are logged into your Google account, you enable Google or YouTube to assign your surfing behaviour directly to your personal Google profile. We therefore recommend that you only play embedded YouTube videos if you agree to the associated data processing by Google. You can prevent the assignment of data to your Google profile by logging out of your YouTube account. You can find further information on the handling of user data in Google's privacy policy at https://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy/, which also applies to YouTube.

We use YouTube to show you videos so that we can better inform you about us and our services. The legal basis for the integration of the videos is our legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6 (1) (f) of the GDPR; however, the videos are only played and the associated further data processing is only carried out on the basis of your consent within the meaning of Art. 6 (1) (a) of the GDPR.

Communication with us

You can contact us in various ways, including via the contact form on our website. We are also happy to keep you regularly informed with our newsletter by e-mail.

Contact form

If you wish to use the contact form on our website, we collect the personal data that you enter in the contact form, in particular your name and email address. We also store the IP address and the date and time of the enquiry. We process the data transmitted via the contact form solely for the purpose of responding to your enquiry or request.

You can decide for yourself what information you send us via the contact form. The legal basis for the processing of your data is your consent in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (a) of the GDPR.

After the matter has been processed by us, the data will initially be stored in case of any queries. Deletion of the data can be requested at any time, otherwise we will delete the data once the matter has been fully dealt with; statutory retention obligations remain unaffected in each case.

When you register for our newsletter, your e-mail address will be used for our own advertising purposes until you unsubscribe. You will receive regular information by e-mail on current topics as well as e-mails on special occasions, such as special promotions. The emails may be personalised and individualised based on our information about you.

Unless you have given us your consent in writing, we use the so-called double opt-in procedure to subscribe to our newsletter, i.e. we will only send you a newsletter by e-mail if you have expressly confirmed to us beforehand that we should activate the newsletter dispatch. We will then send you a notification e-mail and ask you to confirm that you wish to receive our newsletter by clicking on a link contained in this e-mail.

The legal basis for the processing of your data is your consent in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (a) of the GDPR if you have expressly registered for the newsletter. Within the scope of the legal requirements, it may also be possible for you to receive our newsletter from us without express consent because you have ordered goods or services from us, we have received your email address in this context and you have not objected to receiving information by email. In this case, the legal basis is our legitimate interest in sending direct advertising in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (f) of the GDPR.

If you no longer wish to receive newsletters from us, you can revoke your consent at any time with effect for the future or object to the further receipt of the newsletter without incurring any costs other than the transmission costs according to the basic rates. Simply use the unsubscribe link contained in every newsletter or send a message to us or our data protection officer.

Surveys

In order to improve our products and services, we may from time to time invite you to take part in customer or user surveys, for example via corresponding notices in our online offering. The surveys are carried out online; if we carry out the surveys on third-party websites and the data processing is carried out by these third-party providers under their own responsibility, we clearly point this out. Participation in the surveys is voluntary and has no effect on the other use of our online services; however, it is possible that we may grant an explicitly stated benefit (such as a voucher or discount) or a chance to win as a thank-you for participation. Insofar as personal data must be provided in order to receive a benefit or to take advantage of a chance to win, this is solely for processing purposes and is done without reference to the survey content; the legal basis in this respect is Art. 6 (1) (b) of the GDPR. There is no storage of which customers / users have participated in a survey and which answers were given. However, we take technical precautions to avoid multiple participation and to prevent abusive participation, for example via automated processes (bots). Cookies may also be used for this purpose or other technologies may be used to check the authorisation to participate. In this case, the legal basis for data processing with personal reference is our legitimate interests as described above within the meaning of Art. 6 (1) (f) of the GDPR.

Social Media

In addition to our online services, we also use social media channels for information transfer and communication, to which you will find links in our online services or in which you will find links to our online services. Specifically, we use the social network LinkedIn. You can recognise the links by the provider's logo.

Clicking on the links opens the corresponding social media pages, for which the providers' own provisions and data protection notices apply. We have summarised an overview of the respective provider's information for you below.

LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy?trk=homepage-basic_footer-privacy-policy

No personal information is transmitted to the respective providers before the corresponding links are called up. Your access to the linked page is also the basis for data processing by the respective provider.

We would also like to take this opportunity to point out that the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) provides general information on the safe use of social networks on its website at https://www.bsi.bund.de/DE/Themen/Verbraucherinnen-und-Verbraucher/Informationen-und-Empfehlungen/Onlinekommunikation/Soziale-Netzwerke/soziale-netzwerke_node.html.

The following information on the associated processing of your personal data also applies to our use of the social media channel LinkedIn.

In addition to our own online presence, we also operate an account on the career network LinkedIn. We use the account to provide information about our company and our activities and offer a channel for communication. The LinkedIn career network is operated by LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland ("LinkedIn").

We would like to point out that you use the career network and its functions on your own responsibility. This applies in particular to the use of the interactive functions (e.g. liking, sharing, commenting).

The data collected about you when you use the service is processed by LinkedIn. It cannot be ruled out that data may also be transferred to countries outside of the European Union. The data processed includes data you provide voluntarily, such as your name, user name, email address, telephone number, information about your professional career, profile data, content you create, upload or receive and comments, your IP address, information about the device you are using, information about websites and content accessed and your location. We have no influence on the type and scope of the data processed by LinkedIn, the type of processing and use or the disclosure of this data to third parties. Information about which data is processed by LinkedIn and for what purposes can be found in LinkedIn's privacy policy at https://de.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy?.

We process the data you enter on LinkedIn to the extent that we may like, comment on or share your posts or contact you and interact with you. The data you freely publish and disseminate on LinkedIn will be included by us in our offer in this way.

You have the option of restricting the processing of your data in the general settings of your LinkedIn account. You can also restrict LinkedIn's access to contact and calendar data, photos, location data, etc. in the settings options for mobile devices. However, this depends on the operating system you are using. You can find out more about LinkedIn's data protection settings at: https://de.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy?.

LinkedIn offers the operators of LinkedIn accounts the opportunity to obtain an overview of the use of the account and its users. Statistical data in particular can be accessed and analysed using the analysis functions. We use the data to make our account as attractive and efficient as possible. For this purpose, LinkedIn provides us with data that LinkedIn itself has generated under its own responsibility. The data we receive from LinkedIn is mostly anonymised data and statistics. Insofar as we receive personal data in this context, we are responsible for our further processing of this data to analyse the use of our LinkedIn account. Further information can be found in LinkedIn's privacy policy at https://de.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy?.

LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to communicate directly with us. If you contact us via LinkedIn, the data transmitted will be stored and used by us exclusively for the purpose of responding to your enquiry. The legal basis for the processing of your data is your consent within the meaning of Art. 6 (1) (a) of the GDPR and our legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6 (1) (f) of the GDPR. Our legitimate interest lies in the recording and processing of enquiries, the evaluation of enquiries and the monitoring of misuse.

The data will be deleted as soon as it is no longer required to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected. For your personal data, this is the case when the respective conversation has ended. For us, the conversation is ended when it can be inferred from the circumstances that the matter in question has been conclusively clarified. You have the option to revoke your consent to the processing of personal data at any time; in this case, we will delete the data immediately if there is no basis for further storage.

If you have any questions about the use of personal data by us in connection with the use of the LinkedIn account, you are welcome to contact us and our data protection officer at any time. The contact details and communication channels are explained in our privacy policy. If you have any questions about data protection at LinkedIn, please contact LinkedIn directly.

Your rights and contact

We attach great importance to explaining the processing of your personal data as transparently as possible and to informing you of the rights to which you are entitled. If you would like more information or wish to exercise your rights, you can contact us at any time so that we can take care of your request.

Rights of data subjects

You have extensive rights with regard to the processing of your personal data. Firstly, you have a comprehensive right to information and can request the correction and/or deletion or blocking of your personal data if necessary. You can also request the restriction of processing and have the right to object. With regard to the personal data you have provided to us, you also have the right to data portability.

If you would like to assert one of your rights and/or receive more information about this, please contact our customer service.

Revocation of consent and objection

Once you have given your consent, it can be freely revoked at any time with effect for the future. The withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal. Contact persons for this are also our customer service.

If the processing of your personal data is not based on consent, but on another legal basis, you can object to this data processing. Your objection will lead to a review and, if necessary, termination of the data processing. You will be informed of the result of the review and - if the data processing is nevertheless to be continued - you will receive more detailed information from us as to why the data processing is permissible.

Complaints

If you are of the opinion that the processing of your personal data by us is not in accordance with this privacy policy or the applicable data protection regulations, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority. You can also lodge a complaint with the responsible body (us).

Further information and changes

Links to other websites

Our online services may contain links to other websites. These links are generally labelled as such. We have no influence on the extent to which the applicable data protection regulations are complied with on the linked websites. We therefore recommend that you also inform yourself about the data protection declarations of other websites.

Changes to this privacy policy

The status of this privacy policy is indicated by the date (below). We reserve the right to amend this privacy policy at any time with effect for the future. Changes will be made in particular in the event of technical adjustments to the online services or changes to data protection regulations. The current version of the data protection declaration can always be accessed directly via the online services. We recommend that you inform yourself regularly about changes to this privacy policy.

Status of this privacy policy: May 2024