DATA PROTECTION
The Metaphore GmbH (“Metaphore”, hereinafter also referred to as “we”) is pleased to welcome you to our website. We process and use the personal data that is collected when you visit our website confidentially and only in accordance with the provisions of the applicable data protection laws. The protection of our website users’ personal data is our highest priority.
WEB SERVER LOGGING
When you access our website, our web servers automatically capture information that is of a general nature. This includes:
. The type of web browser and operating system used
. The domain name of the Internet service provider
. The IP address of the computer being used
. The website from which you were directed to us
. The pages on our website that you visit as well as the date and duration of the visit.
This only refers to information that does not make it possible to arrive at conclusions as to your identity. We, or third parties commissioned by us, use this data only to ensure proper operations and functions, in order to provide you with the collected data, or to defend the company’s interests in case of misuse.
The data processing is in compliance with Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. f GDPR to fulfill legitimate interests.
. Assertion of legal claims and defense in legal disputes
. Guarantee of the company’s IT security and IT operations
. Prevention of crime
. Optimization of the website offering through evaluation of website usage data
. Direct and long-distance marketing
. The data will be deleted after 7 days.
COOKIES
We use so-called “cookies”. Cookies are small text files that are stored by an Internet user’s browser on their hard drive when they visit a website. These cookies do not harm the Internet users’ hard drive and do not contain viruses. Most cookies consist of so-called “session cookies”. The content of these cookies cannot be associated with individual users.
COOKIES USED
The final click (which is used for session timeouts; the duration is one session),
The “Session cookie” (is used to recognize the session; the duration of the anonymous use of data equals one session),
“Persistent cookies“ (are used for the recognition of repeat visitors; the duration of the anonymous use of the data totals 6 months; if combined with Tealium, use of up to 12 months is possible).
The most common form of cookies we use are “session cookies”. We use these cookies to ensure that your user experience is positive whenever you visit our website, e.g. to keep you logged in while you are visiting our website.
We use only very few “persistent cookies” on our website. These cookies are used to show the pages that users have visited, how many users have visited our website and to be able to analyze user patterns on our website.
When you use our website you agree to the usage and storage of cookies on your hard drive. Most browsers accept cookies automatically. You can specify whether cookies should be permitted or not in your browser settings. To find out how you can delete cookies, please consult the help function of your browser. You can also visit our website without cookies. We must point out that this may result in functional limitations as far as the use of our website is concerned.
Our websites contain content and services from other providers (for example YouTube, Facebook, Twitter), which in turn may use cookies. We have no control of the processing of personal data by these providers.
If the use of cookies has been approved, different cookies will be placed. These have a storage time of up to 2 years.
WEB TRACKING
On this site, web analyses are used to determine the reach pursuant to Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. f GDPR, to implement legitimate interests for the effective layout of promotional activities and public relations work. In conjunction with this, the collection of personal data is reduced to a minimum, given that in all cases the IP is anonymized as soon as your IP address is received by the respective web server. The controller does not merge this information with any other data, which would in particular make it possible to identify the user.
USE OF GOOGLE ANALYTICS
This website uses Google Analytics, a web analysis service offered by Google Inc. (“Google”) Google Analytics uses so-called “cookies”, which are text files that are stored on your computer and make it possible to analyze the use of our website. As a rule, the information on your use of this website is transferred to a Google server in the United States, where it is stored. However, within the member states of the European Union or other countries that have ratified the convention on the European Economic Area, Google will abbreviate your IP address before doing so. The full IP address is transmitted to a U.S. server of Google only in exceptional cases and it is abbreviated there in those cases. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google will use this information to analyze your use of the website, to compile reports on website activities and to render additional services related to the use of the website and the Internet to the operator of the website. The IP address transmitted by your browser in conjunction with Google Analytics will not be merged with other Google data. You can prevent the storage of cookies by making a pertinent adjustment to your browser software.
Furthermore you can prevent Google’s collection and use of data (cookies and IP address) by downloading and installing the browser plug-in available under https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en-GB. You can refuse the use of Google Analytics by clicking on the following link. An opt-out cookie will be set on the computer, which prevents the future collection of your data when visiting this website: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en Further information concerning the terms and conditions of use and data privacy can be found at http://www.google.com/analytics/terms/gb.html or at https://www.google.de/intl/en_uk/policies/.
Please note that on this website, Google Analytics code is supplemented by “gat._anonymizeIp();” to ensure an anonymized collection of IP addresses (so called IP-masking).
USE OF GOOGLE ADWORDS
This website uses Google AdWords, an analysis service provided by Google Inc. (“Google”). During this process, Google AdWords places a cookie onto your computer (“conversion cookie”), if you have been referred to our website by a Google advertisement. These cookies lose their effectiveness after 30 days and are not used for personal identification. If you are visiting certain pages on our websites and the cookie has not yet expired, we and Google will be able to see that someone has clicked on the advertisement and has been referred to our site as a result. Each AdWords customer receives a different cookie. Hence, cookies can not be tracked via the websites of AdWords customers. The information obtained with the assistance of conversion cookies is used to generate conversion statistics for AdWords customers who have opted to use conversion tracking. We do not receive any information that would allow us to personally identify the users.
If you do not want to participate in this tracking process, you can refuse the required setting of a cookie, for instance by making adjustments to your browser settings that generally deactivate the automatic setting of cookies. You can also deactivate conversion tracking cookies by setting your browser to a mode that blocks cookies from the domain “googleadservices.com”.
USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA PLUG-INS
This website uses social media plug-ins of Facebook.com, a social network, operated by Facebook Inc., 1601 S. California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA. We also use a Twitter plug-in provided by Twitter Inc., 795 Folsom St., Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA; plus a plug-in provided by XING AG, Gänsemarkt 43, 20354 Hamburg, Germany; a plug-in provided by LinkedIn Corporation, 2029 Stierlin Court, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA and of Google+, which is implemented in the form of a referral button on the website, provided by Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.
All plug-ins are identified by the brand names of the respective providers, i.e. Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Xing and LinkedIn (“operators”). If you have logged into your respective account when you visit our website, the respective operator will be able to establish a direct connection between your visit and your account. If you interact with the plug-in, e.g. if you click on the Facebook button, the +1 button or the Twitter button or the “Notify” button in LinkedIn, the respective data will be directly sent to the operator and archived by the latter. Moreover, the information will be posted on the respective social network or on your Twitter account, which makes it visible to your contacts. If you do not want your data to be transferred to the operators, you must log out of the respective account before you click on the plug-ins and activate them. XING AG uses your data exclusively to offer shared functions (e.g. calculation/counter display) and not to archive your personal data or analyze your user patterns.
For more information on the purpose and scope of the collection, processing and use of data, please visit the data protection declarations of the operators by using the links below:
Facebook: https://de-de.facebook.com/about/privacy/
Google +: https://developers.google.com/+/web/buttons-policy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/privacy
XING AG: https://www.xing.com/app/share?op=data_protection
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy
USE OF YOUTUBE PLUG-INS
For the integration of videos, we use the so-called “Expanded Data Protection Mode” of provider YouTube LLC, 901 Cherry Ave. San Bruno, CA 94066, USA. As a result, a cookie will not be stored on your computer until you play the video. According to YouTube, no personal cookie information is stored when embedded videos are played under the expanded data protection mode. For further information on YouTube’s official data privacy policy, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/t/privacy_at_youtube
USE OF GOOGLE MAPS
For the provision of location information, we use the Google Inc. product Google Maps. When Google Maps is integrated, data, in particular the IP address, is also transferred to Google. Google collects, processes and uses visitor data about the use of the map functions. More detailed information about Google’s data processing may be reviewed in the data privacy information published by Google (https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/).
RIGHT TO OBJECT (ART. 21. SECT. 1 GDPR)
If your information is being processed to protect legitimate interests, you have the right to object to such processing at any time by getting in touch with us at the contact information provided, if your special situation gives rise to grounds that are in conflict with such data processing. In this case, we shall cease to process this data, unless our legitimate interests outweigh your grounds.
RIGHT TO REVOKE (ART. 13. SECT. 2 C GDPR)
If you have agreed to the processing of your data, you do have the right to revoke your consent with future effect. This shall be without prejudice to the legality of the processing of your data until the revocation is received. Please contact the responsible party at the contact information provided below.
RIGHT TO INFORMATION, CORRECTION, DELETION, RESTRICTION, DATA TRANSFERABILITY AND OBJECTION (ART. 13, SECT. 2 B GDPR)
As the data subject, you have the right to at any time receive information, have your data corrected or deleted and to have its processing restricted as well as a right to data transferability. Please contact the person responsible at the contact data provided below.
RIGHT TO FILE A GRIEVANCE (ART. 13 SECT. 2 D GDPR)
As the data subject, you have the right to file grievances at any time with the competent state officer for data protection and freedom of information in Hamburg.
IMAGE SOURCES/PHOTO CREDITS
SHUTTERSTOCK
oneinchpunch / shutterstock.com