Datenschutz / Privacy

1. An overview of data protection

1.1. General information

The following information will provide you with an easy to navigate overview of what will happen with your personal data when you visit this website. The term „personal data“ comprises all data that can be used to personally identify you. For detailed information about the subject matter of data protection, please consult our Data Protection Declaration, which we have included beneath this copy.

1.2. Data recording on this website

Who is the responsible party for the recording of data on this website (i.e., the „controller“)?

The data on this website is processed by the operator of the website, whose contact information is available under section „Information about the responsible party (referred to as the „controller“ in the GDPR)“ in this Privacy Policy.

How do we record your data?

We collect your data as a result of your sharing of your data with us. This may, for instance be information you enter into our contact form. Other data shall be recorded by our IT systems automatically or after you consent to its recording during your website visit. This data comprises primarily technical information (e.g., web browser, operating system, or time the site was accessed). This information is recorded automatically when you access this website.

What are the purposes we use your data for?

A portion of the information is generated to guarantee the error free provision of the website. Other data may be used to analyze your user patterns.

What rights do you have as far as your information is concerned?

You have the right to receive information about the source, recipients, and purposes of your archived personal data at any time without having to pay a fee for such disclosures. You also have the right to demand that your data are rectified or eradicated. If you have consented to data processing, you have the option to revoke this consent at any time, which shall affect all future data processing. Moreover, you have the right to demand that the processing of your data be restricted under certain circumstances. Furthermore, you have the right to log a complaint with the competent supervising agency.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at any time if you have questions about this or any other data protection related issues.

1.3. Analysis tools and tools provided by third parties

There is a possibility that your browsing patterns will be statistically analyzed when your visit this website. Such analyses are performed primarily with what we refer to as analysis programs. For detailed information about these analysis programs please consult our Data Protection Declaration below.

2. Hosting

We are hosting the content of our website at the following providers:

2.1. Hetzner

The provider is the Hetzner Online GmbH, Industriestr. 25, 91710 Gunzenhausen, Germany (hereinafter referred to as Hetzner).

For details, please view the data privacy policy of Hetzner: https://www.hetzner.com/de/rechtliches/datenschutz.

We use Hetzner on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. We have a legitimate interest in the most reliable depiction of our website possible. If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TDDDG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user´s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TDDDG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

Data processing

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) for the use of the above-mentioned service. This is a contract mandated by data privacy laws that guarantees that they process personal data of our website visitors only based on our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

2.2. hostNET

The provider is the hostNET Medien GmbH, Osterdeich 107, 28205 Bremen. Personal data collected on this website are stored on the servers of the host. These may include, but are not limited to, IP addresses, contact requests, metadata and communications, contract information, contact information, names, web page access, and other data generated through a web site.

The external hosting serves the purpose of fulfilling the contract with our potential and existing customers (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) and in the interest of secure, fast, and efficient provision of our online services by a professional provider (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6 (1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TDDDG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user's end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TDDDG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

Our host(s) will only process your data to the extent necessary to fulfil its performance obligations and to follow our instructions with respect to such data.

Data processing

3. General information and mandatory information

3.1. Data protection

The operators of this website and its pages take the protection of your personal data very seriously. Hence, we handle your personal data as confidential information and in compliance with the statutory data protection regulations and this Data Protection Declaration.

Whenever you use this website, a variety of personal information will be collected. Personal data comprises data that can be used to personally identify you. This Data Protection Declaration explains which data we collect as well as the purposes we use this data for. It also explains how, and for which purpose the information is collected.

We herewith advise you that the transmission of data via the Internet (i.e., through e-mail communications) may be prone to security gaps. It is not possible to completely protect data against third-party access.

3.2. Information about the responsible party (referred to as the „controller“ in the GDPR)

The data processing controller on this website is:

Responsible for the contents:

Martin Arhelger
(s. Impressum der Website)

Legal owner:

Verbreitung des christlichen Glaubens e.V. (VCG)
Auf der Heilen 21
51674 Wiehl
Germany

The controller is the natural person or legal entity that single-handedly or jointly with others makes decisions as to the purposes of and resources for the processing of personal data (e.g., names, e-mail addresses, etc.).

3.3. Storage duration

Unless a more specific storage period has been specified in this privacy policy, your personal data will remain with us until the purpose for which it was collected no longer applies. If you assert a justified request for deletion or revoke your consent to data processing, your data will be deleted, unless we have other legally permissible reasons for storing your personal data (e.g., tax or commercial law retention periods); in the latter case, the deletion will take place after these reasons cease to apply.

3.4. General information on the legal basis for the data processing on this website

If you have consented to data processing, we process your personal data on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR or Art. 9 (2)(a) GDPR, if special categories of data are processed according to Art. 9 (1) DSGVO. In the case of explicit consent to the transfer of personal data to third countries, the data processing is also based on Art. 49 (1)(a) GDPR. If you have consented to the storage of cookies or to the access to information in your end device (e.g., via device fingerprinting), the data processing is additionally based on § 25 (1) TDDDG. The consent can be revoked at any time. If your data is required for the fulfillment of a contract or for the implementation of pre-contractual measures, we process your data on the basis of Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. Furthermore, if your data is required for the fulfillment of a legal obligation, we process it on the basis of Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR. Furthermore, the data processing may be carried out on the basis of our legitimate interest according to Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. Information on the relevant legal basis in each individual case is provided in the following paragraphs of this privacy policy.

3.5. Designation of a data protection officer

We have appointed a data protection officer.

DS Datenschutz Christoph Larsen
Christoph Larsen
Nordring 35
51647 Gummersbach

Phone: +49 (22 61) 56 09 20
E-mail: datenschutz@vvcg.de

3.6. Information on the data transfer to third-party countries that are not secure under data protection law and the transfer to US companies that are not DPF-certified

We use, among other technologies, tools from companies located in third-party countries that are not safe under data protection law, as well as US tools whose providers are not certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF). If these tools are enabled, your personal data may be transferred to and processed in these countries. We would like you to note that no level of data protection comparable to that in the EU can be guaranteed in third countries that are insecure in terms of data protection law.

We would like to point out that the US, as a secure third-party country, generally has a level of data protection comparable to that of the EU. Data transfer to the US is therefore permitted if the recipient is certified under the „EU-US Data Privacy Framework“ (DPF) or has appropriate additional assurances. Information on transfers to third-party countries, including the data recipients, can be found in this Privacy Policy.

3.7. Recipients of personal data

In the scope of our business activities, we cooperate with various external parties. In some cases, this also requires the transfer of personal data to these external parties. We only disclose personal data to external parties if this is required as part of the fulfillment of a contract, if we are legally obligated to do so (e.g., disclosure of data to tax authorities), if we have a legitimate interest in the disclosure pursuant to Art. 6 (1)(f) GDPR, or if another legal basis permits the disclosure of this data. When using processors, we only disclose personal data of our customers on the basis of a valid contract on data processing. In the case of joint processing, a joint processing agreement is concluded.

3.8. Your rights

Revocation of your consent to the processing of data

A wide range of data processing transactions are possible only subject to your express consent. You can also revoke at any time any consent you have already given us. This shall be without prejudice to the lawfulness of any data collection that occurred prior to your revocation.

Right to object to the collection of data in special cases; right to object to direct advertising (Art. 21 GDPR)

IN THE EVENT THAT DATA ARE PROCESSED ON THE BASIS OF ART. 6(1)(E) OR (F) GDPR, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO AT ANY TIME OBJECT TO THE PROCESSING OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA BASED ON GROUNDS ARISING FROM YOUR UNIQUE SITUATION. THIS ALSO APPLIES TO ANY PROFILING BASED ON THESE PROVISIONS. TO DETERMINE THE LEGAL BASIS, ON WHICH ANY PROCESSING OF DATA IS BASED, PLEASE CONSULT THIS DATA PROTECTION DECLARATION. IF YOU LOG AN OBJECTION, WE WILL NO LONGER PROCESS YOUR AFFECTED PERSONAL DATA, UNLESS WE ARE IN A POSITION TO PRESENT COMPELLING PROTECTION WORTHY GROUNDS FOR THE PROCESSING OF YOUR DATA, THAT OUTWEIGH YOUR INTERESTS, RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS OR IF THE PURPOSE OF THE PROCESSING IS THE CLAIMING, EXERCISING OR DEFENCE OF LEGAL ENTITLEMENTS (OBJECTION PURSUANT TO ART. 21(1) GDPR).

IF YOUR PERSONAL DATA IS BEING PROCESSED IN ORDER TO ENGAGE IN DIRECT ADVERTISING, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO OBJECT TO THE PROCESSING OF YOUR AFFECTED PERSONAL DATA FOR THE PURPOSES OF SUCH ADVERTISING AT ANY TIME. THIS ALSO APPLIES TO PROFILING TO THE EXTENT THAT IT IS AFFILIATED WITH SUCH DIRECT ADVERTISING. IF YOU OBJECT, YOUR PERSONAL DATA WILL SUBSEQUENTLY NO LONGER BE USED FOR DIRECT ADVERTISING PURPOSES (OBJECTION PURSUANT TO ART. 21(2) GDPR).

Right to log a complaint with the competent supervisory agency

In the event of violations of the GDPR, data subjects are entitled to log a complaint with a supervisory agency, in particular in the member state where they usually maintain their domicile, place of work or at the place where the alleged violation occurred. The right to log a complaint is in effect regardless of any other administrative or court proceedings available as legal recourses.

Right to data portability

You have the right to have data that we process automatically on the basis of your consent or in fulfillment of a contract handed over to you or to a third party in a common, machine-readable format. If you should demand the direct transfer of the data to another controller, this will be done only if it is technically feasible.

Information about, rectification and eradication of data

Within the scope of the applicable statutory provisions, you have the right to demand information about your archived personal data, their source and recipients as well as the purpose of the processing of your data at any time. You may also have a right to have your data rectified or eradicated. If you have questions about this subject matter or any other questions about personal data, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time.

Right to demand processing restrictions

You have the right to demand the imposition of restrictions as far as the processing of your personal data is concerned. To do so, you may contact us at any time. The right to demand restriction of processing applies in the following cases:

In the event that you should dispute the correctness of your data archived by us, we will usually need some time to verify this claim. During the time that this investigation is ongoing, you have the right to demand that we restrict the processing of your personal data.

If the processing of your personal data was/is conducted in an unlawful manner, you have the option to demand the restriction of the processing of your data instead of demanding the eradication of this data.

If we do not need your personal data any longer and you need it to exercise, defend or claim legal entitlements, you have the right to demand the restriction of the processing of your personal data instead of its eradication.

If you have raised an objection pursuant to Art. 21(1) GDPR, your rights and our rights will have to be weighed against each other. As long as it has not been determined whose interests prevail, you have the right to demand a restriction of the processing of your personal data.

If you have restricted the processing of your personal data, these data – with the exception of their archiving – may be processed only subject to your consent or to claim, exercise or defend legal entitlements or to protect the rights of other natural persons or legal entities or for important public interest reasons cited by the European Union or a member state of the EU.

3.9. SSL and/or TLS encryption

For security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential content, such as purchase orders or inquiries you submit to us as the website operator, this website uses either an SSL or a TLS encryption program. You can recognize an encrypted connection by checking whether the address line of the browser switches from „http://“ to „https://“ and also by the appearance of the lock icon in the browser line.

If the SSL or TLS encryption is activated, data you transmit to us cannot be read by third parties.

4. Recording of data on this website

4.1. Cookies

Our websites and pages use what the industry refers to as „cookies.“ Cookies are small data packages that do not cause any damage to your device. They are either stored temporarily for the duration of a session (session cookies) or they are permanently archived on your device (permanent cookies). Session cookies are automatically deleted once you terminate your visit. Permanent cookies remain archived on your device until you actively delete them, or they are automatically eradicated by your web browser.

Cookies can be issued by us (first-party cookies) or by third-party companies (so-called third-party cookies). Third-party cookies enable the integration of certain services of third-party companies into websites (e.g., cookies for handling payment services).

Cookies have a variety of functions. Many cookies are technically essential since certain website functions would not work in the absence of these cookies (e.g., the shopping cart function or the display of videos). Other cookies may be used to analyze user behavior or for promotional purposes.

Cookies, which are required for the performance of electronic communication transactions, for the provision of certain functions you want to use (e.g., for the shopping cart function) or those that are necessary for the optimization (required cookies) of the website (e.g., cookies that provide measurable insights into the web audience), shall be stored on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, unless a different legal basis is cited. The operator of the website has a legitimate interest in the storage of required cookies to ensure the technically error-free and optimized provision of the operator´s services. If your consent to the storage of the cookies and similar recognition technologies has been requested, the processing occurs exclusively on the basis of the consent obtained (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and sect; 25 (1) TDDDG); this consent may be revoked at any time.

You have the option to set up your browser in such a manner that you will be notified any time cookies are placed and to permit the acceptance of cookies only in specific cases. You may also exclude the acceptance of cookies in certain cases or in general or activate the delete-function for the automatic eradication of cookies when the browser closes. If cookies are deactivated, the functions of this website may be limited.

Which cookies and services are used on this website can be found in this privacy policy.

4.2. Server log files

The provider of this website and its pages automatically collects and stores information in so-called server log files, which your browser communicates to us automatically. The information comprises:

The type and version of browser used
The used operating system
Referrer URL
The hostname of the accessing computer
The time of the server inquiry
The IP address

This data is not merged with other data sources.

This data is recorded on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The operator of the website has a legitimate interest in the technically error free depiction and the optimization of the operator´s website. In order to achieve this, server log files must be recorded.

5. Analysis tools

5.1. Matomo

This website uses the web analysis service Matomo (www.matomo.org) to automatically collect and process data for the purpose of statistical analysis and technical optimization in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f EU GDPR.

The data is collected in anonymized form and does not contain any personal data. We have deac-tivated the use of cookies for the web analysis service Matomo due to the legal situation (EUGH ruling of 01.10.2019). No user behavior analysis is carried out. The data is stored separately from all other user data and cannot be merged.

6. Plug-ins and Tools

6.1. Google Books

The provider uses a component of Google Books (books.google.com) in some places, through which historical books can be integrated into the website and read. The conditions quoted from the privacy policy for Books on Google Play apply (as of June 17, 2019):

The Google Privacy Statement describes how we handle personal data when you use Google prod-ucts and services, including Google Play. This additional statement for Books on Google Play covers two topics: (1) highlighting key provisions of the general Google Privacy Statement in the context of Books on Google Play and (2) explaining specific privacy practices for Books on Google Play.

Central provisions of the Google Privacy Policy

All provisions of the Google Privacy Policy also apply to Books on Google Play. This includes the fol-lowing:

Your personal data will not be passed on to third parties. Any exceptions, such as emergencies or valid legal orders, are described in the data protection declarations. In the case of purchased books, we provide the publishers with sales information, but no personal information. If we have acted as the publisher's agent for purchased books, we will provide the publisher with tax information. This includes the state, city and zip code from the buyer's billing address. Google offers Books for purchase not only through Google Play, but also through resellers (e.g., for purchase through a re-seller's website or through a reading device). In addition, our developer partners use Google ser-vices to integrate their apps into Google Play and provide you with access to Books on Google Play through their services. If you buy a book through a reseller or use the services of an app developer, you will need to sign in with your Google Account details or create a Google Account if you don't already have one. If you decide to synchronize your Google Play account with your account with the reseller or app developer after signing in, we will share your Books on Google Play data with the reseller or app developer. This includes all your library shelves, titles, annotations and the last five pages read of each book. This does not include information about the sellers from whom you pur-chased your books. The reseller's or app developer's handling of this information (and any other information you provide directly to the reseller or app developer) is governed by the reseller's or app developer's privacy policy and not our Privacy Policy. Be sure to read all applicable privacy poli-cies before purchasing from a reseller or using an app developer's service.

When you use Books on Google Play, we receive log data, similar to Google web search. This may include the following information: Your search term or page request (including book titles or specific pages within a browsed Book), your IP address, browser type, browser language, the date and time of your request, and one or more cookies that may uniquely identify your browser or account.

Your activities in Google Play are only linked to your Google account if you are logged into your Google account.

You have the option to use optional features for Books on Google Play, such as 'My Library' or 'Purchased Books', or to use other optional Google services such as our Web History. These re-quire a Google Account and can receive and store Books data from Google Play in connection with your account. In the case of Google Books features that store information in your account, you can view and delete the stored information unless retention is required by law or for legitimate and limited business purposes such as fraud investigations. However, it is not possible to delete the record of your purchase transaction (including the book title) from your previous Google Checkout purchases.

Google uses the stored data for the purposes described in the Google privacy policy. These include improving our services, for example to provide you with recommendations for Google products and services, as well as security and reports on general user trends.

The security standards set out in our general privacy policy apply to usage data from Google Play.

Special procedures for Books on Google Play

The following special data protection procedures apply to Books on Google Play:

In order to comply with contractual agreements with rights holders who grant us licenses for their books, we enforce certain security measures, for example to prevent the misuse of purchased books and to limit the visible pages in the preview of some books. In addition, there are restrictions on the number of browsers or devices that can be used to access an account within a certain period of time. To enforce restrictions on the number of devices, we store the unique ID numbers of your devices on our servers. You can delete a device ID if you no longer wish to use that device.

You will need a Google Account to purchase Books, as the account information is required to pro-vide you with access to the purchased Book. We restrict the information (e.g. book titles) we share with credit card companies and allow you to delete purchased Books from your Google Account. However, it is not possible to delete the record of your purchase transaction (including the book title) from your previous Google Checkout purchases.

In order to provide you with a consistent reading experience across different devices and to pro-vide convenient navigation within a book, we store (only) the last five pages of each book viewed through a user's account. We also store pages viewed for security monitoring purposes and/or if the user has enabled the web logging service.

Special legal privacy protections may apply to users in cases where information about which Books an individual user has viewed is requested from Google by law enforcement authorities or as part of a civil lawsuit. In some countries, special 'book laws' apply, according to which this information is only available if the person requesting it meets special high standards. For example, they must be able to demonstrate to a court that there is a compelling need for the information and that this need outweighs the reader's right to read anonymously under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution or other applicable laws. If such 'books laws' exist and apply to Books on Google Play, we will comply with them. We will also continue to be strongly committed to high standards for the protection of our users, regardless of applicable 'books laws'. In addition, we will notify the affected user to the extent possible if we receive such a request to disclose their information. Where permitted by law and where we have an effective means of contacting the user, we will endeavor to do so in a timely manner so that the user can object to the request.

6.2. Internet Archive

In some places, the provider uses a component of the Internet Archive (www.archive.org), via which historical books can be integrated into the website and read. The conditions apply, which are reproduced as follows from the blog entry Reader Privacy at the Internet Archive (as at: 17.06.2019):

The Internet Archive has extended our reader privacy protections by making the site encrypted by default. Visitors to archive.org and openlibrary.org will https unless they try to use http.
For several years, the Internet Archive has tried to avoid keeping Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of our readers. Web servers and other software that interacts with web users record IP addresses in their logs by default which leaves a record that makes it possible to reconstruct who looked at what. The web servers on Archive.org and OpenLibrary.org were modified to take the IP addresses, and encrypt them with a key that changes each day making it very difficult to reconstruct any users behavior. This approach still allows us to know how many people have used our services (now over 3 million a day!) but restricts the collection of the reader’s IP address. (We may collect IP addresses in our main web logs for instance if we are diagnosing an attack on our services or errors occur. There are other systems that may collect IP addresses, though we try to limit them. For more information please see our privacy policy.) For books that are checked out from our Open Library service, we record which patron has checked out the book but generally not the IP address of their computer.

Today we are going further than this. Based on the revelations of bulk interception of web traffic as it goes over the Internet, we are now protecting the reading behavior as it transits over the Internet by encrypting the reader’s choices of webpages all the way from their browser to our website. We have done this by implementing the encrypted web protocol standard, https, and making it the default. It is still possible to retrieve files via http to help with backward compatibility, but most users will soon be using the secure protocol.

See also the Terms of Service of the Internet Archive.