Data Privacy

This privacy policy informs you about the type, scope, and purpose of the processing of personal data (hereinafter referred to as “data”) within our online offering and its associated websites, functions, and content, as well as external online presences, such as our social media profiles (hereinafter collectively referred to as “online offering”). Regarding the terminology used, such as “processing” or “controller,” we refer to the definitions in Article 4 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Furthermore, we inform you below about third-party components used for optimization purposes and to improve the user experience, insofar as third parties process data under their own responsibility.

Controller as per data protection laws, in particular the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), is:

MetaDesign GmbH
Leibnizstraße 65
10629 Berlin

Email: mail.ber@[at]metadesign.de
Managing Director: Leyser, Daniel
Data Protection Officer Contact: yusuf.tuncay-eberl@[at]lionresources.com

You can exercise the following rights at any time using the contact details of our Data Protection Officer:

• Information about your stored data and its processing (Art. 15 GDPR)
• Correction of inaccurate personal data (Art. 16 GDPR)
• Deletion of your stored data (Art. 17 GDPR)
• Restriction of data processing if we are not yet allowed to delete your data due to legal obligations (Art. 18 GDPR)
• Objection to the processing of your data with us (Art. 21 GDPR)
• Data portability, provided you have consented to the data processing or have entered into a contract with us (Art. 20 GDPR)

If you have given us consent, you can revoke it at any time with effect for the future. You can always file a complaint with a supervisory authority, such as the one responsible for your place of residence or the authority responsible for us. A list of supervisory authorities (for the non-public sector) with addresses can be found at:
https://www.bfdi.bund.de/DE/Infothek/Anschriften_Links/anschriften_links-node.html.

Types of Processed Data:

• Inventory data (e.g., names, addresses)
• Contact data (e.g., email, phone numbers)
• Content data (e.g., text inputs, photographs, videos)
• Usage data (e.g., visited websites, interest in content, access times)
• Meta/communication data (e.g., device information, IP addresses)

Categories of Affected Persons:

Visitors and users of the online offering (hereinafter collectively referred to as “users”).

Purpose of Processing:

• Provision of the online offering, its functions, and content
• Responding to contact inquiries and communication with users
• Security measures
• Reach measurement/marketing

Legal Basis:

Pursuant to Art. 13 GDPR, we inform you of the legal bases of our data processing. If the legal basis is not mentioned in this privacy policy, the following applies: The legal basis for obtaining consent is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a and Art. 7 GDPR, the legal basis for processing for the fulfillment of our services and contractual measures as well as responding to inquiries is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR, the legal basis for processing to fulfill our legal obligations is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c GDPR, and the legal basis for processing to protect our legitimate interests is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. If vital interests of the data subject or another natural person require the processing of personal data, Art. 6 para. 1 lit. d GDPR serves as the legal basis.

Security measures

We take appropriate technical and organizational measures in accordance with Art. 32 GDPR, taking into account the state of the art, the costs of implementation and the nature, scope, context and purposes of processing as well as the risk of varying likelihood and severity for the rights and freedoms of natural persons, in order to ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk.
The measures include, in particular, safeguarding the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data by controlling physical access to the data, as well as the access, input, disclosure, safeguarding of availability and separation of the data. Furthermore, we have established procedures that ensure the exercise of data subject rights, the deletion of data and the response to data threats. Furthermore, we take the protection of personal data into account as early as the development and selection of hardware, software and procedures, in accordance with the principle of data protection through technology design and data protection-friendly default settings (Art. 25 GDPR).

Cooperation with processors and third parties

If we disclose data to other persons and companies (processors or third parties) as part of our processing, transfer it to them or otherwise grant them access to the data, this will only be done on the basis of a legal permission (e.g. if a transfer of the data to third parties, such as lettershops, is required to fulfill the contract in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR), you have consented, a legal obligation provides for this or on the basis of our legitimate interests (e.g. when using agents, web hosts, etc.).
If we commission third parties with the processing of data on the basis of a so-called “order processing contract”, this is done on the basis of Art. 28 GDPR.

Transfer to third countries

If we process data in a third country (i.e. outside the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA)) or if this occurs in the context of the use of third-party services or disclosure or transfer of data to third parties, this will only take place if it is done to fulfill our (pre)contractual obligations, on the basis of your consent, on the basis of a legal obligation or on the basis of our legitimate interests. Subject to legal or contractual permissions, we only process or have the data processed in a third country if the special requirements of Art. 44 et seq. GDPR are met. This means, for example, that the processing takes place on the basis of special guarantees, such as the officially recognized determination of a level of data protection corresponding to the EU (e.g. for the USA through the “Privacy Shield”) or compliance with officially recognized special contractual obligations (so-called “standard contractual clauses”).

Rights of the data subjects

You have the right to obtain confirmation as to whether or not personal data concerning you is being processed and, where that is the case, access to the personal data and further information and a copy of the data in accordance with Art. 15 GDPR.
In accordance with Art. 16 GDPR, you have the right to request the completion of data concerning you or the rectification of inaccurate data concerning you. Art. 16 GDPR, you have the right to request the completion of data concerning you or the rectification of inaccurate data concerning you.
In accordance with Art. 17 GDPR, you have the right to request that data concerning you be deleted immediately or, alternatively, to request that the processing of the data be restricted in accordance with Art. 18 GDPR.
You have the right to request that the data concerning you that you have provided to us be received in accordance with Art. 20 GDPR and to request their transmission to other controllers.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority in accordance with Art. 77 GDPR.
Furthermore, as a provider, we are obliged to inform all recipients to whom data has been disclosed by us of any rectification or erasure of data or restriction of processing carried out on the basis of Articles 16, 17 (1), 18 GDPR. However, this obligation does not apply if this notification is impossible or involves a disproportionate effort. Notwithstanding this, the user has a right to information about these recipients

Right of withdrawal

You have the right to withdraw your consent in accordance with Art. 7 (3) GDPR with effect for the future.

Right of objection

You can object to the future processing of data concerning you at any time in accordance with Art. 21 GDPR. In particular, you may object to processing for direct marketing purposes.

Cookies and right to object to direct advertising

Cookies” are small files that are stored on users’ computers. Different information can be stored within the cookies. A cookie is primarily used to store information about a user (or the device on which the cookie is stored) during or after their visit to an online service. Temporary cookies, or “session cookies” or “transient cookies”, are cookies that are deleted after a user leaves an online service and closes their browser. The content of a shopping cart in an online store or a login status, for example, can be stored in such a cookie. Cookies that remain stored even after the browser is closed are referred to as “permanent” or “persistent”. For example, the login status can be saved if the user visits the website after several days. The interests of users can also be stored in such a cookie and used for reach measurement or marketing purposes. “Third-party cookies” are cookies that are offered by providers other than the controller who operates the online service (otherwise, if they are only their cookies, they are referred to as “first-party cookies”).
We may use temporary and permanent cookies and clarify this in our privacy policy.
If you as a user do not want cookies to be stored on your computer, you will be asked to deactivate the corresponding option in the system settings of your browser. Saved cookies can be deleted in the system settings of the browser. The exclusion of cookies can lead to functional restrictions of this online offer.
A general objection to the use of cookies used for online marketing purposes can be declared for a large number of services, especially in the case of tracking, via the US site http://www.aboutads.info/choices/ or the EU site http://www.youronlinechoices.com/. Furthermore, the storage of cookies can be achieved by deactivating them in the browser settings. Please note that you may then not be able to use all the functions of this website.

Deletion of data

The data processed by us will be deleted or its processing restricted in accordance with Art. 17 and 18 GDPR. Unless expressly stated in this privacy policy, the data stored by us will be deleted as soon as it is no longer required for its intended purpose and the deletion does not conflict with any statutory retention obligations. If the data is not deleted because it is required for other and legally permissible purposes, its processing will be restricted. This means that the data is blocked and not processed for other purposes. This applies, for example, to data that must be retained for commercial or tax law reasons.
According to legal requirements in Germany, data is stored for 10 years in accordance with §§ 147 para. 1 AO, 257 para. 1 no. 1 and 4, para. 4 HGB (books, records, management reports, accounting vouchers, trading books, documents relevant for taxation, etc.) and 6 years in accordance with § 257 para. 1 no. 2 and 3, para. 4 HGB (commercial letters).

Business-related processing

We also process

• Contract data (e.g., subject matter of the contract, term, customer category)
• Payment data (e.g., bank details, payment history)

from our customers, interested parties and business partners for the purpose of providing contractual services, service and customer care, marketing, advertising and market research.

Agency services

We process our customers’ data as part of our contractual services, which include conceptual and strategic consulting, campaign planning, software and design development/consulting or maintenance, implementation of campaigns and processes/handling, server administration, data analysis/consulting services and training services.
In doing so, we process inventory data (e.g, customer master data, such as names or addresses), contact data (e.g., e-mail, telephone numbers), content data (e.g., text entries, photographs, videos), contract data (e.g., subject matter of the contract, term), payment data (e.g., bank details, payment history), usage and metadata (e.g., as part of the evaluation and performance measurement of marketing measures). In principle, we do not process special categories of personal data unless these are part of commissioned processing. The data subjects include our customers, interested parties and their customers, users, website visitors or employees as well as third parties. The purpose of the processing is the provision of contractual services, billing and our customer service. The legal basis for the processing results from Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR (contractual services), Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (analysis, statistics, optimization, security measures). We process data that is required to justify and fulfill the contractual services and point out the necessity of their disclosure. Disclosure to external parties only takes place if it is necessary in the context of an order. When processing the data provided to us as part of an order, we act in accordance with the instructions of the client and the legal requirements of order processing in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR and do not process the data for any purposes other than those specified in the order.
We delete the data after the expiry of statutory warranty and comparable obligations. the necessity of storing the data is reviewed every three years; in the case of statutory archiving obligations, the deletion takes place after their expiry (6 years, in accordance with § 257 para. 1 HGB, 10 years, in accordance with § 147 para. 1 AO). In the case of data disclosed to us by the client as part of an order, we delete the data in accordance with the specifications of the order, generally after the end of the order.

Contractual services

We process the data of our contractual partners and interested parties as well as other clients, customers, clients, clients or contractual partners (uniformly referred to as “contractual partners”) in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b. GDPR. GDPR in order to provide them with our contractual or pre-contractual services. The data processed in this context, the type, scope and purpose and the necessity of their processing are determined by the underlying contractual relationship.
The processed data includes the master data of our contractual partners (e.g., names and addresses), contact data (e.g., e-mail addresses and telephone numbers) as well as contract data (e.g., services used, contract content, contractual communication, names of contact persons) and payment data (e.g., bank details, payment history).
In principle, we do not process special categories of personal data unless these are part of commissioned or contractual processing.
We process data that is required to justify and fulfill the contractual services and point out the necessity of its disclosure, unless this is evident to the contractual partners. Disclosure to external persons or companies only takes place if it is necessary within the framework of a contract. When processing the data provided to us as part of an order, we act in accordance with the instructions of the client and the legal requirements.
When using our online services, we may store the IP address and the time of the respective user action. The storage is based on our legitimate interests, as well as the interests of users in protection against misuse and other unauthorized use. This data is not passed on to third parties unless it is necessary to pursue our claims in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR. GDPR or there is a legal obligation to do so pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c. GDPR. GDPR.
The data will be deleted when the data is no longer required to fulfill contractual or statutory duties of care and to deal with any warranty and comparable obligations, whereby the necessity of storing the data is reviewed every three years; otherwise, the statutory retention obligations apply.

Administration, financial accounting, office organization, contact management

We process data as part of administrative tasks and the organization of our business, financial accounting and compliance with legal obligations, such as archiving. In doing so, we process the same data that we process as part of the provision of our contractual services. The processing bases are Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c. GDPR, Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR. Customers, interested parties, business partners and website visitors are affected by the processing. The purpose and our interest in the processing lies in the administration, financial accounting, office organization, archiving of data, i.e. tasks that serve to maintain our business activities, perform our tasks and provide our services. The deletion of data with regard to contractual services and contractual communication corresponds to the information specified in these processing activities.
We disclose or transmit data to the tax authorities, consultants, such as tax consultants or auditors, as well as other bodies and service providers.
Furthermore, we store information on suppliers, event organizers and other business partners on the basis of our business interests, e.g. for the purpose of contacting them at a later date. We generally store this mainly company-related data indefinitely.

Business analyses and market research

In order to operate our business economically, identify market trends and the wishes of contractual partners and users, we analyze the data we have on business transactions, contracts, inquiries, etc. In doing so, we process inventory data, communication data, contract data, payment data, usage data, metadata on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR. GDPR, whereby the data subjects include contractual partners, interested parties, customers, visitors and users of our online offer.
The analyses are carried out for the purpose of business evaluations, marketing and market research. In doing so, we can take into account the profiles of registered users with information, e.g. on the services they have used. The analyses help us to increase user-friendliness, optimize our offer and improve business efficiency. The analyses serve us alone and are not disclosed externally.
If these analyses or profiles are personal, they will be deleted or anonymized upon termination of use, otherwise they will be removed after two years from the conclusion of the contract at the latest. Otherwise, the overall business analyses and general trend determinations are always created anonymously where possible.

Agency Services

We process our customers’ data as part of our contractual services, which include conceptual and strategic consulting, campaign planning, software and design development/consulting or maintenance, implementation of campaigns and processes/handling, server administration, data analysis/consulting, and training services.
In this process, we process:
– Inventory data (e.g., customer master data such as names or addresses)
– Contact data (e.g., email, phone numbers)
– Content data (e.g., text inputs, photographs, videos)
– Contract data (e.g., contract subject, duration)
– Payment data (e.g., bank details, payment history)
– Usage and metadata (e.g., within the scope of evaluating and measuring the success of marketing measures)
We do not process special categories of personal data unless they are part of a commissioned processing task. The affected persons include our customers, prospects, their customers, users, website visitors, or employees, as well as third parties.
The purpose of processing is the provision of contractual services, billing, and customer service. The legal bases for processing arise from Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR (contractual services) and Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (analysis, statistics, optimization, security measures).
We process data necessary for the justification and fulfillment of contractual services and indicate the necessity of their provision. Disclosure to external parties only occurs if required within the scope of a commission. When processing data provided to us under a contract, we act in accordance with the instructions of the client and the legal requirements of contract processing under Art. 28 GDPR.
We delete the data after the expiration of legal warranty and similar obligations. The necessity of data retention is reviewed every three years. If there are statutory archiving obligations, deletion occurs after these periods expire (6 years under § 257 para. 1 HGB, 10 years under § 147 para. 1 AO). If data was disclosed to us as part of an order by a client, we delete the data according to the instructions of the contract, generally upon completion of the order

Hosting and Email Dispatch

The hosting services we utilize serve the purpose of providing the following services: infrastructure and platform services, computing capacity, storage space and database services, email dispatch, security services, and technical maintenance services that we use for operating this online offering.
In this context, we and/or our hosting provider process inventory data, contact data, content data, contract data, usage data, and meta/communication data from customers, interested parties, and visitors of this online offering based on our legitimate interest in an efficient and secure provision of this online offering in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR in conjunction with Art. 28 GDPR.

Collection of Access Data and Log Files

We, or our hosting provider, collect data on every access to the server on which this service is located (so-called server log files) based on our legitimate interests within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. The access data includes the name of the accessed website, file, date and time of access, transmitted data volume, notification of successful retrieval, browser type along with version, the operating system of the user, referrer URL (the previously visited page), IP address, and the requesting provider.
Log file information is stored for security reasons (e.g., to investigate misuse or fraud) for a maximum period of 7 days and then deleted. Data whose further retention is required for evidentiary purposes is excluded from deletion until the respective incident is finally resolved.

Reach Measurement with Matomo

As part of the reach analysis with Matomo, the following data is processed based on our legitimate interests (i.e., interest in the analysis, optimization, and economic operation of our online offering within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR): the browser type and browser version used by you, the operating system you use, your country of origin, date and time of the server request, the number of visits, your duration of stay on the website, as well as the external links you have activated. The IP address of users is anonymized before being stored.
Matomo uses cookies that are stored on the users’ computers and enable an analysis of the use of our online offering by the users. Pseudonymous user profiles can be created from the processed data. The cookies have a storage duration of one week. The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website is stored only on our server and is not shared with third parties.
Users can object to the anonymized data collection by Matomo at any time with effect for the future by clicking on the opt-out link below. In this case, an opt-out cookie is stored in their browser, which means that Matomo no longer collects any session data. If users delete their cookies, this also results in the opt-out cookie being deleted, and they must reactivate it.
The logs containing user data are deleted no later than 6 months after collection.

Online Presence in Social Media

We maintain online presences within social networks and platforms to communicate with customers, interested parties, and users who are active there and to inform them about our services. When accessing the respective networks and platforms, the business conditions and data processing guidelines of their respective operators apply.
Unless otherwise stated in our privacy policy, we process users’ data when they communicate with us within social networks and platforms, e.g., by posting on our online presences or sending us messages.

Integration of Services and Content from Third Parties

We integrate content or service offerings from third-party providers within our online offering based on our legitimate interests (i.e., interest in the analysis, optimization, and economic operation of our online offering within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) to integrate their content and services, such as videos or fonts (hereinafter referred to as “content”).
This always presupposes that the third-party providers of this content perceive the IP address of the users, as they could not send the content to their browsers without the IP address. The IP address is therefore necessary for the display of this content. We strive to use only such content whose respective providers use the IP address solely for delivering the content. Third-party providers may also use so-called pixel tags (invisible graphics, also called “web beacons”) for statistical or marketing purposes. The “pixel tags” can be used to evaluate visitor traffic on the pages of this website. The pseudonymous information may also be stored in cookies on users’ devices and contain technical information about the browser and operating system, referring websites, visit times, and other information about the use of our online offering, as well as being linked to such information from other sources.