Privacy policy
1. Privacy at a glance
General information
The following information provides a simple overview of what happens to your personal data when you visit this website. Personal data refers to any data that can be used to personally identify you. For detailed information on data protection, please refer to the privacy policy listed below this text.
Data collection on this website
Who is responsible for data collection on this website?
Data processing on this website is carried out by the website operator. You can find the operator’s contact information in the “Information on the Data Controller” section of this privacy policy.
How do we collect your data?
Your data is collected, in part, when you provide it to us. This may include, for example, data that you enter into a contact form.
Other data is collected by our IT systems automatically or with your consent when you visit the website. This primarily consists of technical data (e.g., internet browser, operating system, or the time the page was accessed). This data is collected automatically as soon as you access this website.
What do we use your data for?
Some of the data is collected to ensure that the website functions properly. Other data may be used to analyze your user behavior.
What rights do you have regarding your data?
You have the right at any time to receive, free of charge, information about the source, recipients, and purpose of your stored personal data. You also have the right to request the correction or deletion of this data. If you have given consent to data processing, you may revoke that consent at any time with future effect. In addition, you have the right, under certain circumstances, to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data. Furthermore, you have the right to file a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.
Please feel free to contact us at any time regarding this matter or any other questions you may have about data protection.
Analytics tools and third-party tools
When you visit this website, your browsing behavior may be analyzed for statistical purposes. This is primarily done using so-called analytics tools.
You can find detailed information about these analytics programs in the following privacy policy.
2. General information and mandatory disclosures
Privacy Policy
The operators of this website take the protection of your personal data very seriously. We treat your personal data confidentially and in accordance with applicable data protection laws and this privacy policy.
When you use this website, various types of personal data are collected. Personal data is information that can be used to identify you personally. This privacy policy explains what data we collect and how we use it. It also explains how and for what purpose this is done.
Please note that data transmission over the Internet (e.g., when communicating via email) may be subject to security vulnerabilities. It is not possible to completely protect data from access by third parties.
Information on the data controller
The entity responsible for data processing on this website is:
Steppenstrolch GmbH
Passstr. 11
52070 Aachen
Phone: 0241 980 931 00
Email: info@steppenstrolch.de
The controller is the natural or legal person who, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of processing personal data (e.g., names, email addresses, etc.).
Retention period
Unless a more specific retention period is stated in this privacy policy, we will retain your personal data until the purpose for which it was collected no longer applies. If you submit a valid request for deletion or revoke your consent to data processing, your data will be deleted unless we have other legally permissible grounds for storing your personal data (e.g., retention periods under tax or commercial law); in the latter case, the data will be deleted once these grounds no longer apply.
Notice regarding the transfer of data to the United States and other third countries
Among other things, we use tools from companies based in the United States or other third countries that do not provide an adequate level of data protection. When these tools are active, your personal data may be transferred to these third countries and processed there. Please note that these countries cannot guarantee a level of data protection comparable to that of the EU. For example, U.S. companies are required to disclose personal data to law enforcement agencies without you, as the data subject, having the right to challenge this in court. It therefore cannot be ruled out that U.S. authorities (e.g., intelligence agencies) may process, analyze, and permanently store your data located on U.S. servers for surveillance purposes. We have no influence over these processing activities.
Withdrawal of your consent to data processing
Many data processing operations are only possible with your explicit consent. You may revoke any consent you have already given at any time. The lawfulness of the data processing carried out prior to the revocation remains unaffected by the revocation.
Right to object to data collection in specific cases and to direct marketing (Art. 21 GDPR)
IF DATA PROCESSING IS BASED ON ART. 6, PAR. 1, SUBPAR. E OR F OF THE GDPR, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT AT ANY TIME TO OBJECT TO THE PROCESSING OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA ON GROUNDS RELATING TO YOUR SPECIFIC SITUATION; THIS ALSO APPLIES TO PROFILING BASED ON THESE PROVISIONS. YOU CAN FIND THE SPECIFIC LEGAL BASIS ON WHICH PROCESSING IS BASED IN THIS PRIVACY POLICY. IF YOU OBJECT, WE WILL NO LONGER PROCESS YOUR PERSONAL DATA, UNLESS WE CAN DEMONSTRATE COMPELLING LEGITIMATE GROUNDS FOR THE PROCESSING THAT OVERRIDE YOUR INTERESTS, RIGHTS, AND FREEDOMS, OR THE PROCESSING IS NECESSARY FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT, EXERCISE, OR DEFENSE OF LEGAL CLAIMS (OBJECTION PURSUANT TO ART. 21(1) OF THE GDPR).
IF YOUR PERSONAL DATA IS BEING PROCESSED FOR THE PURPOSE OF DIRECT MARKETING, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO OBJECT AT ANY TIME TO THE PROCESSING OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA FOR SUCH MARKETING PURPOSES; THIS ALSO APPLIES TO PROFILING, TO THE EXTENT THAT IT IS RELATED TO SUCH DIRECT MARKETING. IF YOU OBJECT, YOUR PERSONAL DATA WILL NO LONGER BE USED FOR DIRECT MARKETING PURPOSES (OBJECTION PURSUANT TO ART. 21(2) OF THE GDPR).
Right to file a complaint with the competent supervisory authority
In the event of violations of the GDPR, data subjects have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of their habitual residence, their place of work, or the location of the alleged violation. This right to lodge a complaint is without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedies.
Right to data portability
You have the right to have data that we process automatically - based on your consent or in fulfillment of a contract - provided to you or to a third party in a commonly used, machine-readable format. If you request the direct transfer of the data to another data controller, this will be done only to the extent that it is technically feasible.
SSL or TLS encryption
For security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential information - such as orders or inquiries you send to us as the site operator - this site uses SSL or TLS encryption. You can recognize an encrypted connection by the fact that the browser’s address bar changes from “http://” to “https://” and by the padlock icon in your browser’s address bar.
If SSL or TLS encryption is enabled, the data you send to us cannot be read by third parties.
Access, deletion, and correction
In accordance with applicable legal provisions, you have the right at any time to receive, free of charge, information about your stored personal data, its source and recipients, and the purpose of data processing, as well as the right to have this data corrected or deleted, if applicable. You may contact us at any time regarding this matter or any other questions you may have about personal data.
Right to restriction of processing
You have the right to request that the processing of your personal data be restricted. You may contact us at any time to do so. The right to restrict processing applies in the following cases:
- If you dispute the accuracy of your personal data stored by us, we generally need time to verify this. For the duration of the verification process, you have the right to request that the processing of your personal data be restricted.
- If the processing of your personal data was or is unlawful, you may request that the processing be restricted instead of having the data erased.
- If we no longer need your personal data, but you need it to exercise, defend, or assert legal claims, you have the right to request that the processing of your personal data be restricted instead of having it erased.
- If you have filed an objection under Article 21(1) of the GDPR, a balancing of your interests against ours must be conducted. Until it is determined whose interests prevail, you have the right to request that the processing of your personal data be restricted.
If you have restricted the processing of your personal data, such data—apart from its storage—may be processed only with your consent, or for the purpose of asserting, exercising, or defending legal claims, or to protect the rights of another natural or legal person, or for reasons of an important public interest of the European Union or a Member State.
Opt out of promotional emails
We hereby object to the use of contact information published in accordance with the legal requirement to provide an “Imprint” for the purpose of sending unsolicited advertising and informational materials. The operators of this website expressly reserve the right to take legal action in the event of the unsolicited transmission of promotional information, such as through spam emails.
3. Data collection on this website
Cookies
Our website uses so-called “cookies.” Cookies are small text files that do not cause any damage to your device. They are stored on your device either temporarily for the duration of a session (session cookies) or permanently (permanent cookies). Session cookies are automatically deleted at the end of your visit. Persistent cookies remain stored on your device until you delete them yourself or your web browser deletes them automatically.
In some cases, cookies from third-party companies may also be stored on your device when you visit our site (third-party cookies). These enable us or you to use certain services provided by the third-party company (e.g., cookies for processing payment services).
Cookies serve various purposes. Many cookies are technically necessary, as certain website features would not work without them (e.g., the shopping cart feature or the display of videos). Other cookies are used to analyze user behavior or display advertisements.
Cookies that are required to carry out the electronic communication process (necessary cookies), to provide certain features you have requested (functional cookies, e.g., for the shopping cart feature), or to optimize the website (e.g., cookies for measuring website traffic) are stored on the basis of Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR, unless another legal basis is specified. The website operator has a legitimate interest in storing cookies to ensure the technically error-free and optimized provision of its services. If consent to store cookies has been requested, the relevant cookies are stored exclusively on the basis of this consent (Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR); consent may be revoked at any time.
Sie können Ihren Browser so einstellen, dass Sie über das Setzen von Cookies informiert werden und Cookies nur im Einzelfall erlauben, die Annahme von Cookies für bestimmte Fälle oder generell ausschließen sowie das automatische Löschen der Cookies beim Schließen des Browsers aktivieren. Bei der Deaktivierung von Cookies kann die Funktionalität dieser Website eingeschränkt sein.
If cookies from third-party companies or for analytical purposes are used, we will inform you separately about this in this privacy policy and, if necessary, request your consent.
Server log files
The provider of this website automatically collects and stores information in so-called server log files, which your browser automatically transmits to us. These include:
- Browser type and browser version
- Operating system used
- Referrer URL
- Hostname of the connecting computer
- Time of the server request
- IP Address
This data is not combined with data from other sources.
This data is collected pursuant to Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in ensuring that its website functions properly and is optimized - to this end, server log files must be collected.
Contact form
If you submit inquiries to us via the contact form, we will store the information you provide in the inquiry form - including the contact information you provide there - for the purpose of processing your inquiry and in case of follow-up questions. We will not share this information without your consent.
The processing of this data is based on Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR, provided that your inquiry is related to the performance of a contract or is necessary for the implementation of precontractual measures. In all other cases, processing is based on our legitimate interest in the effective handling of inquiries directed to us (Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR) or on your consent (Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR), provided that such consent has been requested.
The data you enter in the contact form will remain with us until you request that we delete it, revoke your consent to its storage, or the purpose for storing the data no longer applies (e.g., after your inquiry has been processed). Mandatory legal provisions - in particular retention periods - remain unaffected.
Inquiries by email, phone, or fax
If you contact us by email, phone, or fax, we will store and process your inquiry - including all personal data contained therein (name, inquiry) - for the purpose of handling your request. We will not disclose this data without your consent.
The processing of this data is based on Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR, provided that your inquiry is related to the performance of a contract or is necessary for the implementation of precontractual measures. In all other cases, processing is based on our legitimate interest in the effective handling of inquiries directed to us (Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR) or on your consent (Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR), provided that such consent has been requested.
The data you send us via contact requests will remain with us until you request that we delete it, revoke your consent to its storage, or the purpose for storing the data no longer applies (e.g., after your request has been processed). Mandatory legal provisions - in particular, statutory retention periods - remain unaffected.
Comment feature on this website
For the comment feature on this page, in addition to your comment, information regarding the time the comment was posted, your email address, and - if you are not posting anonymously - the username you selected will be stored.
Storage of IP Addresses
Our comment feature stores the IP addresses of users who post comments. Since we do not review comments on this website before they are published, we need this information so that we can take action against the author in the event of legal violations, such as insults or propaganda.
How long comments are stored
Comments and the associated data are stored and remain on this website until the content being commented on has been completely deleted or the comments must be deleted for legal reasons (e.g., offensive comments).
Legal basis
Comments are stored based on your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). You may withdraw your consent at any time. To do so, simply send us an informal email. The lawfulness of any data processing that has already taken place remains unaffected by the withdrawal.
4. Newsletter
Newsletter data
If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter offered on the website, we need your email address as well as information that allows us to verify that you are the owner of the provided email address and that you consent to receiving the newsletter. No other data is collected, or is collected only on a voluntary basis. We use this data exclusively to send you the requested information and do not share it with third parties.
The processing of the data entered in the newsletter sign-up form is based solely on your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). You may revoke your consent to the storage of your data and email address, as well as their use for sending the newsletter, at any time—for example, by clicking the “Unsubscribe” link in the newsletter. The lawfulness of any data processing that has already taken place remains unaffected by this revocation.
The data you have provided to us for the purpose of subscribing to the newsletter will be stored by us or the newsletter service provider until you unsubscribe from the newsletter, and will be deleted from the newsletter distribution list after you unsubscribe or once the purpose for which it was collected no longer applies. We reserve the right to delete or block email addresses from our newsletter distribution list at our sole discretion within the scope of our legitimate interest pursuant to Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR.
After you unsubscribe from the newsletter mailing list, your email address may be stored on a blacklist by us or the newsletter service provider to prevent future mailings. The data from the blacklist is used solely for this purpose and is not combined with any other data. This serves both your interest and our interest in complying with legal requirements when sending newsletters (legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6(1)(f) of the GDPR). There is no time limit on storage in the blacklist. You may object to this storage if your interests outweigh our legitimate interest.
5. Plugins and tools
YouTube with enhanced privacy
This website embeds videos from YouTube. The operator of the site is Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.
We use YouTube in enhanced privacy mode. According to YouTube, this mode ensures that YouTube does not store any information about visitors to this website before they watch the video. However, enhanced privacy mode does not necessarily prevent the sharing of data with YouTube partners. Thus, YouTube establishes a connection to the Google DoubleClick network regardless of whether you watch a video.
As soon as you play a YouTube video on this website, a connection is established with YouTube’s servers. In the process, the YouTube server is informed which of our pages you have visited. If you are logged into your YouTube account, you allow YouTube to associate your browsing activity directly with your personal profile. You can prevent this by logging out of your YouTube account.
In addition, after a video is started, YouTube may store various cookies on your device or use similar tracking technologies (e.g., device fingerprinting). This allows YouTube to obtain information about visitors to this website. This information is used, among other things, to collect video statistics, improve the user experience, and prevent fraud.
In some cases, after a YouTube video starts playing, additional data processing operations may be triggered over which we have no control.
We use YouTube to ensure that our online offerings are presented in an appealing manner. This constitutes a legitimate interest within the meaning of Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR. If consent has been obtained, processing is based exclusively on Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR; consent may be withdrawn at any time.
For more information about data protection on YouTube, please see their Privacy Policy at: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.
Google Web Fonts
This site uses so-called web fonts, provided by Google, to ensure consistent font display. When you visit a page, your browser loads the necessary web fonts into its cache to display text and fonts correctly.
To this end, the browser you are using must establish a connection to Google’s servers. As a result, Google becomes aware that this website has been accessed via your IP address. The use of Google WebFonts is based on Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in ensuring a consistent font appearance on its website. If consent has been requested (e.g., consent to the storage of cookies), processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR; consent may be revoked at any time.
If your browser does not support web fonts, a default font from your computer will be used.
For more information about Google Web Fonts, visit https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq and in Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.
Google Maps
This site uses the Google Maps mapping service. The provider is Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.
To use the features of Google Maps, it is necessary to store your IP address. This information is typically transmitted to a Google server in the United States and stored there. The provider of this site has no control over this data transfer. When Google Maps is enabled, Google may use Google Web Fonts to ensure consistent font rendering. When you access Google Maps, your browser loads the necessary web fonts into its cache to display text and fonts correctly.
We use Google Maps to ensure that our online offerings are presented in an appealing way and that the locations listed on our website are easy to find. This constitutes a legitimate interest within the meaning of Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR. If consent has been requested, processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR; consent may be withdrawn at any time.
Data transfers to the United States are based on the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses. For details, see here: https://privacy.google.com/businesses/gdprcontrollerterms/ and https://privacy.google.com/businesses/gdprcontrollerterms/sccs/.
For more information on how user data is handled, please see Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de.