Introduction

We take the protection of your personal data very seriously and ensure we operate in accordance with legal requirements in the collection, processing and use of that data. Personal data is only collected on this website to the extent technically necessary.

The following declaration provides provide you with an overview of what kind of data is collected, why it is collected and how we ensure that it is protected.

What is personal data?

According to the German Data Protection Act (BDSG), personal data is deemed to be individual data that concerns the personal and material circumstances of a specific or identifiable natural person. This can be, for example, name, address, date of birth, profession and bank details or other sensitive data. In accordance with the German Data Protection Act (BDSG) and other data protection regulations, all this data is subject to special protection, which we guarantee though technical and organizational measures.

Collection of personal data

Our website may be used without entering personal information. Different rules may apply to certain services on our site, however, and are explained separately below. We collect personal information from you (e.g. name, address, email address, telephone number, etc.) in accordance with the provisions of German data protection statutes. Information is considered personal if it can be associated exclusively to a specific natural person. The legal framework for data protection may be found in the German Data Protection Act (BDSG) and the Telemedia Act (TMG). The provisions below serve to provide information as to the manner, extent and purpose for collecting, using and processing personal information by the provider:

Horváth AG
Phoenixbau
Königstraße 5
D-70173 Stuttgart
Germany
Phone: +49 711 66919-0
Fax: +49 711 66919-1075
E-mail: info@horvath-partners.com
Internet: http://www.horvath-partners.com

Please be aware that data transfer via the Internet is subject to security risks and, therefore, complete protection against third-party access to transferred data cannot be ensured.

Cookies

Our website makes use of so-called cookies in order to recognize repeat use of our website by the same user/Internet connection subscriber. Cookies are small text files that your Internet browser downloads and stores on your computer. They are used to improve our website and services. In most cases these are so-called “session cookies” that are deleted once you leave our website.

To an extent, however, these cookies also pass along information used to automatically recognize you. Recognition occurs through an IP address saved to the cookies. The information thereby obtained is used to improve our services and to expedite your access to the website.

You can prevent cookies from being installed by adjusting the settings on your browser software accordingly. You should be aware, however, that by doing so you may not be able to make full use of all the functions of our website.

Server data

For technical reasons, data such as the following, which your Internet browser transmits to us or to our web space provider (so called server log files), is collected:

• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Websites that linked you to our site (referrer URL)
• Websites that you visit
• Date and time of your visit
• Your Internet protocol (IP) address

This anonymous data is stored separately from any personal information you may have provided, thereby making it impossible to connect it to any particular person. The data is used for statistical purposes in order to improve our website and services.

Use of Google Analytics with anonymization function

Our website uses Google Analytics, a web analysis service from Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043 USA, hereinafter referred to as “Google”. Google Analytics employs so-called “cookies“, text files that are placed on your computer in order to facilitate an analysis of your use of the site.

The information generated by these cookies, such as time, place and frequency of your visits to our site, including your IP address, is transmitted to Google’s location in the US and stored there.

In using Google Analytics our website employs the extension, “_gat._anonymizeIp”. In doing so, Google abbreviates and thereby anonymizes your IP address before transferring it from member states of the European Union or signatory states to the Agreement on the European Economic Area.

Google uses this information to analyze your use of our site, to compile reports for us on Internet activity and to provide other services relating to website and Internet use. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law or where such third parties process this data on Google’s behalf.

Google states that it will in never associate your IP address with other data held by Google. You can prevent cookies from being installed by adjusting the settings on your browser software accordingly. You should be aware, however, that by doing so you may not be able to make full use of all the functions of our website.

Furthermore, Google offers a deactivation add-on for most current browsers that provides you with more control over what data Google can collect on websites you access. The add-on tells the JavaScript (ga.js) used by Google Analytics not to transmit any information about website visits to Google Analytics. However, the browser deactivation add-on offered by Google Analytics does not prevent information from being transmitted to us or to other web analysis services we may engage. You can find additional information on how to install the browser add-on at the following link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de.

Use of Hotjar

Our website employs the software Hotjar (3 Lyons Range, 20 Bisazza Street, Sliema SLM 1640, Malta, Europe) to improve the users’ experience on our website. By using Hotjar we can measure and evaluate user behavior on our website (mouse movements, clicks, amount of scrolling etc.). To this end, Hotjar places cookies on the terminal devices of users and can save user data in anonymized form, e.g. browser information, operating system, time spent on the web page etc. You can prevent Hotjar from using this data by deactivating the use of cookies in the settings of your browser and deleting already active cookies. You can find out more about how Hotjar uses data here.

Use of Facebook components

Our website employs components provided by facebook.com. Facebook is a service of Facebook Inc., 1601 S. California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA.

Each time our website receives an access request equipped with a Facebook component, the component prompts your browser to download an image of this Facebook component. Through this process, Facebook is informed precisely which page of our website is being visited.

When you access our site while logged into Facebook, Facebook uses information gathered by this component to identify the precise page you are viewing and associates this information to your personal account on Facebook. Whenever you click on the “Like” button, for example, or enter a comment, this information is transmitted to your personal account on Facebook and stored there. In addition, Facebook is informed of your visit to our website. This occurs regardless of whether you click on a component or not.

If you wish to prevent the transfer to and storage of data by Facebook about you and your interaction with our website, you must first log out of Facebook before visiting our website. The data protection policies of Facebook provide additional information, in particular about the collection and use of data by Facebook, your rights in this regard as well as the options available to you for protecting your privacy: https://de-de.facebook.com/about/privacy/.

In addition, tools are freely available on the market that can be used to block Facebook social plug-ins with add-ons from being added to all commonly used browsers: http://webgraph.com/resources/facebookblocker/.

You can find an overview of Facebook plugins at:
https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins/.

Use of Twitter recommendation components

Our website employs components provided by Twitter. Twitter is a service of Twitter Inc., 795 Folsom St., Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA.

Each time our website receives an access request equipped with a Twitter component, the component prompts your browser to download an image of this component from Twitter. Through this process, Twitter is informed precisely which page of our website is being visited.

have no control over the data that Twitter collects in the process, or over the extent of the data that Twitter collects. To the best of our knowledge, Twitter collects the URL of each website accessed as well as the IP address of the user, but does so solely for the purpose of displaying Twitter components. Additional information may be obtained from the Twitter data privacy policy, at: http://twitter.com/privacy.

You can change your data privacy settings in your account settings, at: http://twitter.com/account/settings.

Use of Xing recommendation components

Our website employs components provided by the network XING.com. These components are a service of XING AG, Dammtorstraße 29-32, 20354 Hamburg, Germany.

Each time our website receives an access request equipped with a XING component, the component prompts your browser to download an image of this component from XING.

To the best of our knowledge, XING does not store any personal information from the user obtained through accessing our website. XING also does not store IP addresses. In addition, no analysis of user activity occurs through the use of cookies in connection with the XING “Share” button”. Additional information may be found in the data privacy provisions relating to the XING Share-Button, at: https://www.xing.com/app/share?op=data_protection.

Use of LinkedIn recommendation components

Our website employs components provided by the network LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a service of LinkedIn Corporation, 2029 Stierlin Court, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Each time our website receives an access request equipped with a LinkedIn component, the component prompts your browser to download an image of this component from LinkedIn.

Through this process, LinkedIn is informed exactly which page of our website is being accessed. By clicking the LinkedIn “Recommend” button while logged into your LinkedIn account, you can link content from our website to your LinkedIn profile. This allows LinkedIn to associate your visit to our site with your LinkedIn account.

We have no control over the data that LinkedIn collects thereby, nor over the extent of the data that LinkedIn collects. Nor do we have any knowledge of the content of data transferred to LinkedIn. Details on data collection by LinkedIn as well as your rights in this regard and your browser setting options may be obtained from the LinkedIn data privacy policy, which may be accessed at: http://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy.

Use of social media buttons with “Shariff”

On our website we promote a project by c’t, called “Shariff”. Shariff replaces the typical share buttons of social networks and thereby protects surfing behavior.

Shariff integrates the share buttons of social networks on our website as a graphic containing a link to the appropriate social network. By clicking on the appropriate icon you will be redirected to the services of your network. The Shariff button provides direct contact between the social network and our users only when the visitor actively clicks the “Share” button. Only then will your data be transferred to the respective social network. If, however, the Shariff button is not clicked, no exchange will be made between you and the social network. For more information about the c’t project Shariff visit: http://www.heise.de/ct/artikel/Shariff-Social-Media-Buttons-mit-Datenschutz-2467514.html.

We integrate the following social networks on our website with Shariff:

Facebook, Twitter, XING and LinkedIn

Information/Cancellation/Deletion

On the basis of the German Data Protection Act, you may contact us at no cost if you have questions relating to the collection, processing or use of your personal information, if you wish to request the correction, blocking or deletion of the same, or if you wish to cancel explicitly granted consent. Please note that you have the right to have incorrect data corrected or to have personal data deleted, where such claim is not barred by any legal obligation to retain this data.

Further information

Your trust is important to us which is why we are always here to answer any questions you may have concerning the privacy of your personal data and how we process it. Should this data privacy policy not answer all your question or should you require more information about a subject please email us at any time: datenschutz@horvath-partners.com.

Security advice

While we endeavor to take all possible technical and organizational measures to store your personal data in such a way that it is not accessible by third parties, we cannot guarantee that email communications are completely secure and we therefore recommend you use the postal service to send confidential information.

Stuttgart, August 2016