imprint

Service provider

Focus Congo eV

Roentgenstrasse 8

76351 Linkenheim-Hochstetten

Germany

Contact options

E-mail address: info@focuscongo.com

Telephone: +49 (0) 157 8803 9268

Persons authorized to represent

Authorized to represent: Orion Boyinkere Rwizibuka (Chairman of the Board)

Audiovisual media services

Country of residence: Germany

Responsible regulatory or supervisory authority: Baden-Württemberg State Communications Authority (LFK), https://www.lfk.de/

Company information

Register and register number

club register

Held at: Mannheim District Court

Number: VR 701700

Online dispute resolution (OS)

Online dispute resolution: The European Commission provides a platform for online dispute resolution (OS), which you can access at https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/ find. Consumers have the opportunity to use this platform to resolve their disputes.

Social media and other online presences

This legal notice also applies to the following social media presences and online profiles:

https://www.facebook.com/congofocus/

https://www.instagram.com/focuscongo/

https://twitter.com/FocusCongo_DRC

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkYadA9UUFLKyfPq0H305lA

Liability and property rights information

Disclaimer: The contents of this online offer were created carefully and according to our current state of knowledge, but are only intended for information purposes and have no legally binding effect unless it is legally binding information (e.g. the imprint, the data protection declaration, general terms and conditions or mandatory instructions for consumers). . We reserve the right to change or delete the content in whole or in part, provided contractual obligations remain unaffected. All offers are non-binding.

Links to external websites: The contents of external websites to which we refer directly or indirectly are outside our area of responsibility and we do not adopt them as our own. We assume no responsibility for any content or disadvantages that arise from the use of the information accessible on the linked websites.

Copyright and trademark rights: All content presented on this website, such as texts, photographs, graphics, brands and trademarks, are protected by the respective property rights (copyrights, trademark rights). The use, reproduction, etc. are subject to our rights or the rights of the respective authors or rights holders.

Information about legal violations: If you notice any legal violations on our website, please let us know. We will remove illegal content and links immediately after becoming aware of them.

Photo credits

Image sources and copyright notices:

Ryan Carter Images

Pappy Orion Media

Congo Map: Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

Data protection

Introduction

With the following data protection declaration we would like to inform you about which types of your personal data (hereinafter also referred to as “data”) we process, for what purposes and to what extent. The data protection declaration applies to all processing of personal data carried out by us, both in the context of providing our services and in particular on our websites, in mobile applications and within external online presences, such as our social media profiles (hereinafter collectively referred to as “online offering”) ).

The terms used are not gender specific.

As of: October 15, 2021

Table of contents

Responsible person

Orion Boyinkere Rwizibuka
Roentgenstrasse 8
76351 Linkenheim-Hochstetten

Persons authorized to represent: Orion Boyinkere Rwizibuka (Chairman of the Board).

E-mail address: info@focuscongo.com.

Overview of processing

The following overview summarizes the types of data processed and the purposes of their processing and refers to the data subjects.

Types of data processed

  • Event data (Facebook) (“Event data” is data that can be transmitted by us to Facebook, for example via Facebook pixels (via apps or other ways) and relates to people or their actions; To Data includes, for example, information about visits to websites, interactions with content, functions, installations of apps, purchases of products, etc.; the event data is processed for the purpose of forming target groups for content and advertising information (custom audiences); event data does not include the actual content (such as written comments), no login information and no contact information (i.e. no names, email addresses and telephone numbers). Event data is deleted by Facebook after a maximum of two years formed target groups with the deletion of our Facebook account).
  • Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses).
  • Applicant data (e.g. personal details, postal and contact addresses, the documents associated with the application and the information contained therein, such as cover letters, CVs, certificates and other information about their person or qualifications provided voluntarily by applicants with regard to a specific position) .
  • Content data (e.g. entries in online forms).
  • Contact details (e.g. email, telephone numbers).
  • Meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times).
  • Contract data (e.g. subject matter of the contract, term, customer category).
  • Payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history).

Categories of data subjects

  • Employees (e.g. employees, applicants, former employees).
  • Applicant.
  • Business and contractual partners.
  • Interested persons.
  • Communication partner.
  • Customers.
  • members.
  • Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).

Purposes of processing

  • Provision of our online offering and user-friendliness.
  • Conversion measurement (measuring the effectiveness of marketing measures).
  • Office and organizational procedures.
  • Direct marketing (e.g. via email or post).
  • Target group formation.
  • Marketing.
  • Contact inquiries and communication.
  • Profiles with user-related information (creating user profiles).
  • Remarketing.
  • Reach measurement (e.g. access statistics, recognition of returning visitors).
  • Safety measures.
  • Provision of contractual services and customer service.
  • Managing and responding to inquiries.
  • Target group formation (determination of target groups relevant for marketing purposes or other output of content).

Relevant legal bases

Below you will find an overview of the legal basis of the GDPR on the basis of which we process personal data. Please note that in addition to the regulations of the GDPR, national data protection regulations may apply in your or our country of residence or domicile. If more specific legal bases apply in individual cases, we will inform you of these in the data protection declaration.

  • Consent (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a. GDPR) – The data subject has given his or her consent to the processing of personal data concerning him or her for a specific purpose or several specific purposes.
  • Fulfillment of the contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b. GDPR) – Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is a party or in order to take steps prior to entering into a contract at the request of the data subject.
  • Legal obligation (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. c. GDPR) – Processing is necessary to fulfill a legal obligation to which the controller is subject.
  • Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f. GDPR) – Processing is necessary to safeguard the legitimate interests of the controller or a third party, unless the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require the protection of personal data outweigh them.

National data protection regulations in Germany: In addition to the data protection regulations of the General Data Protection Regulation, national data protection regulations apply in Germany. This includes in particular the law to protect against misuse of personal data during data processing (Federal Data Protection Act – BDSG). In particular, the BDSG contains special regulations on the right to information, the right to deletion, the right to object, the processing of special categories of personal data, processing for other purposes and transmission and automated decision-making in individual cases, including profiling. Furthermore, it regulates data processing for the purposes of the employment relationship (Section 26 BDSG), in particular with regard to the establishment, implementation or termination of employment relationships and the consent of employees. Furthermore, state data protection laws of the individual federal states may apply.

Safety measures

We take appropriate technical and organizational measures in accordance with the legal requirements, taking into account the state of the art, the implementation costs and the type, scope, circumstances and purposes of the processing as well as the different probabilities of occurrence and the extent of the threat to the rights and freedoms of natural persons to ensure a level of protection appropriate to the risk.

The measures include, in particular, ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data by controlling physical and electronic access to the data as well as the access, input, disclosure, ensuring availability and its separation. We have also set up procedures to ensure that the rights of those affected are exercised, data are deleted and responses are made to data threats. We also take the protection of personal data into account when developing or selecting hardware, software and procedures in accordance with the principle of data protection, through technology design and through data protection-friendly default settings.

Shortening of the IP address: If IP addresses are processed by us or by the service providers and technologies used and the processing of a full IP address is not necessary, the IP address is shortened (also referred to as “IP masking”). Here, the last two digits or the last part of the IP address after a period are removed or replaced with placeholders. Shortening the IP address is intended to prevent or make it significantly more difficult to identify a person based on their IP address.

SSL encryption (https): To protect your data transmitted via our online offering, we use SSL encryption. You can recognize such encrypted connections by the prefix https:// in the address bar of your browser.

Transfer of personal data

As part of our processing of personal data, the data may be transmitted to or disclosed to other bodies, companies, legally independent organizational units or persons. The recipients of this data may include, for example, service providers commissioned with IT tasks or providers of services and content that are integrated into a website. In such cases, we observe the legal requirements and, in particular, conclude appropriate contracts or agreements with the recipients of your data that serve to protect your data.

Data transfer within the organization: We may transfer personal information to others within our organization or provide them with access to this information. If this transfer is made for administrative purposes, the transfer of the data is based on our legitimate entrepreneurial and business interests or takes place if it is necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations or if there is consent from those affected or legal permission.

Data processing in third countries

If we process data in a third country (i.e. outside the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA)) or the processing in the context of using third-party services or disclosing or transferring data to other people, bodies or companies takes place, this only takes place in accordance with the legal requirements.

Subject to express consent or contractually or legally required transfer, we only process or have the data processed in third countries with a recognized level of data protection, contractual obligations through so-called standard protection clauses of the EU Commission, if certifications or binding internal data protection regulations exist (Articles 44 to 49 GDPR, EU Commission information page: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection/international-dimension-data-protection_de).

Deletion of data

The data processed by us will be deleted in accordance with the legal requirements as soon as the consent for processing is revoked or other permissions no longer apply (e.g. if the purpose of processing this data no longer applies or it is not necessary for the purpose).

Unless the data is deleted because it is required for other legally permissible purposes, its processing will be limited to these purposes. This means that the data is blocked and not processed for other purposes. This applies, for example, to data that must be stored for commercial or tax reasons or whose storage is necessary to assert, exercise or defend legal claims or to protect the rights of another natural or legal person.

As part of our data protection information, we can provide users with further information about the deletion and storage of data that specifically applies to the respective processing processes.

Use of cookies

Cookies are text files that contain data from visited websites or domains and are stored by a browser on the user's computer. A cookie is primarily used to store information about a user during or after their visit to an online offering. The information stored can include, for example, the language settings on a website, the login status, a shopping cart or the location where a video was watched. The term “cookies” also includes other technologies that fulfill the same functions as cookies (e.g. when user information is stored using pseudonymous online identifiers, also referred to as “user IDs”).

The following cookie types and functions are distinguished:

  • Temporary cookies (also: session or session cookies): Temporary cookies are deleted at the latest after a user has left an online offer and closed their browser.
  • Permanent cookies: Permanent cookies remain stored even after the browser is closed. For example, the login status can be saved or preferred content can be displayed directly when the user visits a website again. The interests of users, which are used to measure reach or for marketing purposes, can also be stored in such a cookie.
  • First-party cookies: First-party cookies are set by us.
  • Third-party cookies (also: third-party cookies): Third-party cookies are mainly used by advertisers (so-called third parties) to process user information.
  • Necessary (also: essential or absolutely necessary) cookies: On the one hand, cookies can be absolutely necessary for the operation of a website (e.g. to save logins or other user input or for security reasons).
  • Statistics, marketing and personalization cookiesCookies are also generally used to measure reach and when a user's interests or behavior (e.g. viewing certain content, using functions, etc.) are stored in a user profile on individual websites. Such profiles are used, for example, to show users content that corresponds to their potential interests. This process is also referred to as “tracking”, ie tracking the potential interests of users. If we use cookies or “tracking” technologies, we will inform you separately in our data protection declaration or when obtaining consent.

Notes on legal bases: The legal basis on which we process your personal data using cookies depends on whether we ask you for consent. If this is the case and you agree to the use of cookies, the legal basis for processing your data is the declared consent. Otherwise, the data processed using cookies will be processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (e.g. in operating our online offering and improving it) or if the use of cookies is necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations.

Storage period: Unless we provide you with explicit information about the storage period of permanent cookies (e.g. as part of a so-called cookie opt-in), please assume that the storage period can be up to two years.

General information on revocation and objection (opt-out): Depending on whether the processing is based on consent or legal permission, you have the option at any time to revoke your consent or to object to the processing of your data by cookie technologies (collectively referred to as “opt-out”). You can first declare your objection using your browser settings, for example by deactivating the use of cookies (which may also limit the functionality of our online offering). An objection to the use of cookies for online marketing purposes can also be made via a variety of services, especially in the case of tracking, via the websites https://optout.aboutads.info and https://www.youronlinechoices.com/ be explained. You can also receive further objection information as part of the information about the service providers and cookies used.

Processing of cookie data based on consent: We use a cookie consent management process, within which the users' consent to the use of cookies, or the processing and providers mentioned as part of the cookie consent management process, is obtained and managed by the users can be revoked. The declaration of consent is saved so that it does not have to be asked again and to be able to prove consent in accordance with the legal obligation. The storage can take place on the server side and/or in a cookie (so-called opt-in cookie, or using comparable technologies) in order to be able to assign the consent to a user or their device. Subject to individual information about the providers of cookie management services, the following information applies: The duration of the storage of consent can be up to two years. Here, a pseudonymous user identifier is created and stored with the time of consent, information about the scope of the consent (e.g. which categories of cookies and/or service providers) as well as the browser, system and device used.

  • Types of data processed: Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Affected people: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a. GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Carrying out tasks according to the statutes or rules of procedure

We process the data of our members, supporters, interested parties, business partners or other persons (collectively “affected”) if we have a membership or other business relationship with them and carry out our tasks and are recipients of services and benefits. Furthermore, we process the data of those affected on the basis of our legitimate interests, for example when it concerns administrative tasks or public relations work.

The data processed here, the type, scope and purpose and necessity of their processing are determined by the underlying membership or contractual relationship, which also determines the necessity of any data information (we also point out necessary data).

We delete data that is no longer necessary to fulfill our statutory and business purposes. This is determined according to the respective tasks and contractual relationships. We retain the data for as long as it may be relevant to the transaction, as well as with regard to any warranty or liability obligations based on our legitimate interest in regulating them. The necessity of storing the data is checked regularly; Otherwise, the statutory retention requirements apply.

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history), contact data (e.g. email, telephone numbers), contract data (e.g. subject matter of the contract, term, customer category).
  • Affected people: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services), members, business and contractual partners.
  • Purposes of processing: Providing contractual services and customer service, contact inquiries and communication, managing and responding to inquiries.
  • Legal basis: Fulfillment of the contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b. GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Business benefits

We process data from our contractual and business partners, e.g. customers and interested parties (collectively referred to as “contractual partners”) within the framework of contractual and comparable legal relationships as well as associated measures and as part of communication with the contractual partners (or pre-contractual), e.g. to respond to inquiries answer.

We process this data to fulfill our contractual obligations, to secure our rights and for the purposes of the administrative tasks associated with this information and the business organization. We only pass on the data of the contractual partners to third parties within the framework of applicable law to the extent that this is necessary for the aforementioned purposes or to fulfill legal obligations or with the consent of the data subjects (e.g. to the telecommunications, transport and other auxiliary services involved). Subcontractors, banks, tax and legal advisors, payment service providers or tax authorities). The contractual partners will be informed about other forms of processing, e.g. for marketing purposes, within the framework of this data protection declaration.

We inform the contractual partners which data is required for the aforementioned purposes before or as part of data collection, e.g. in online forms, through special marking (e.g. colors) or symbols (e.g. asterisks, etc.), or in person.

We delete the data after the expiry of statutory warranty and comparable obligations, ie, in principle after 4 years, unless the data is stored in a customer account, for example as long as it must be retained for legal archiving reasons (e.g. for Tax purposes usually 10 years). We delete data that was disclosed to us by the contractual partner as part of an order in accordance with the specifications of the order, generally after the end of the order.

To the extent that we use third-party providers or platforms to provide our services, the terms and conditions and data protection notices of the respective third-party providers or platforms apply in the relationship between the users and the providers.

Customer account: Contractual partners can create an account within our online offering (e.g. customer or user account, “customer account” for short). If it is necessary to register a customer account, contractual partners will be informed of this as well as the information required for registration. Customer accounts are not public and cannot be indexed by search engines. As part of the registration and subsequent logins and use of the customer account, we store the customers' IP addresses along with the access times in order to be able to prove registration and prevent any misuse of the customer account.

If customers have canceled their customer account, the data relating to the customer account will be deleted, unless their retention is required for legal reasons. It is the customer's responsibility to secure their data if the customer account is terminated.

Shop and e-commerce: We process our customers' data to enable them to select, purchase or order the selected products, goods and related services, as well as their payment and delivery or execution. If necessary for the execution of an order, we use service providers, in particular postal, forwarding and shipping companies, to carry out the delivery or execution to our customers. We use the services of banks and payment service providers to process payment transactions. The required information is marked as such as part of the ordering or comparable purchase process and includes the information required for delivery, provision and billing as well as contact information in order to be able to make any consultations.

Recruiting services: As part of our services, which in particular include searching for potential job candidates, contacting them and placing them, we process the data of job candidates and the personal data of potential employers or their employees.

We process the information and contact details provided by the job candidates for the purposes of establishing, implementing and, if necessary, terminating a job placement contract. In addition, we can ask interested parties questions about the success of our placement services at a later date, in accordance with legal requirements.

We process the data of job candidates and employers to fulfill our contractual obligations in order to be able to process the requests we receive to place jobs to the satisfaction of the parties involved.

We can log the brokerage processes in order to be able to prove the existence of the contractual relationship and the consent of the interested parties in accordance with the legal accountability requirements (Art. 5 Para. 2 GDPR). This information will be stored for a period of three to four years in case we need to provide evidence of the original request (e.g. to prove the right to contact the job candidates).

Events and happenings: We process the data of participants in events, events and similar activities offered or organized by us (hereinafter referred to as “participants” and “events”) in order to enable them to participate in the events and take advantage of the services or promotions associated with participation to enable.

If we process health-related data, religious, political or other special categories of data in this context, then this is done within the scope of obviousness (e.g. at thematically oriented events or serves health care, security or takes place with the consent of those affected).

The required information is marked as such within the framework of the conclusion of the order, purchase order or comparable contract and includes the information required for the provision of services and billing as well as contact information in order to be able to hold any consultations. If we receive access to information from end customers, employees or other people, we process it in accordance with legal and contractual requirements.

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history), contact data (e.g. email, telephone numbers), contract data (e.g. subject matter of the contract, term, customer category), usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times) , meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses), applicant data (e.g. personal information, postal and contact addresses, the documents associated with the application and the information contained therein, such as cover letter, CV, certificates and other related items for a specific position or information provided voluntarily by applicants about their person or qualifications).
  • Affected people: Interested parties, business and contractual partners, customers, applicants.
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and customer service, contact requests and communication, office and organizational procedures, management and response to inquiries, security measures.
  • Legal basis: Fulfillment of the contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b. GDPR), legal obligation (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. c. GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S . 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Payment procedure

As part of contractual and other legal relationships, due to legal obligations or otherwise based on our legitimate interests, we offer the data subjects efficient and secure payment options and use other service providers in addition to banks and credit institutions (collectively “payment service providers”).

The data processed by the payment service providers includes inventory data, such as name and address, bank details, such as account numbers or credit card numbers, passwords, TANs and checksums, as well as contract, total and recipient-related information. The information is required to carry out the transactions. However, the data entered will only be processed and stored by the payment service providers. This means that we do not receive any account or credit card-related information, but only information with confirmation or negative information about the payment. Under certain circumstances, the data may be transmitted by the payment service provider to credit reporting agencies. The purpose of this transmission is to check identity and creditworthiness. For this purpose, we refer to the general terms and conditions and data protection information of the payment service providers.

The terms and conditions and data protection notices of the respective payment service providers apply to payment transactions, which can be accessed on the respective websites or transaction applications. We also refer to these for further information and to assert cancellation, information and other rights of those affected.

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), payment data (e.g. bank details, invoices, payment history), contract data (e.g. subject matter of the contract, term, customer category), usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information , IP addresses), contact details (e.g. email, telephone numbers).
  • Affected people: Customers, interested parties.
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and customer service.
  • Legal basis: Fulfillment of the contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b. GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Services and service providers used:

Provision of online offerings and web hosting

In order to be able to provide our online offering securely and efficiently, we use the services of one or more web hosting providers from whose servers (or servers managed by them) the online offering can be accessed. For these purposes, we may use infrastructure and platform services, computing capacity, storage space and database services as well as security and technical maintenance services.

The data processed as part of the provision of the hosting offer may include all information relating to the users of our online offer that arises in the context of use and communication. This regularly includes the IP address, which is necessary to be able to deliver the content of online offerings to browsers, and all entries made within our online offering or on websites.

Email sending and hosting: The web hosting services we use also include sending, receiving and storing emails. For these purposes, the addresses of the recipients and senders as well as other information regarding the sending of emails (e.g. the providers involved) as well as the contents of the respective emails are processed. The aforementioned data may also be processed for SPAM detection purposes. We ask you to note that emails on the Internet are generally not sent encrypted. As a rule, emails are encrypted during transport, but (unless a so-called end-to-end encryption method is used) not on the servers from which they are sent and received. We can therefore assume no responsibility for the transmission path of emails between the sender and receipt on our server.

Collection of access data and log files: We ourselves (or our web hosting provider) collect data about every access to the server (so-called server log files). The server log files include the address and name of the websites and files accessed, date and time of access, amount of data transferred, notification of successful retrieval, browser type and version, the user's operating system, referrer URL (the previously visited page) and, as a rule, IP address. Addresses and the requesting provider belong.

The server log files can be used on the one hand for security purposes, for example to avoid overloading the servers (particularly in the case of abusive attacks, so-called DDoS attacks) and on the other hand to ensure the utilization of the servers and their stability.

Services and service providers used:

MijnHostingPartner.nl: hosting platform for e-commerce / websites, services in the field of providing information technology infrastructure and related services (e.g. storage space and/or computing capacities); Service provider: MijnHostingPartner.nl, Placotiweg 2, 4131 NL Vianen, Netherlands; Website: https://www.mijnhostingpartner.nl/; Data protection: https://www.mijnhostingpartner.nl/privacy-policy/; Order processing contract: https://www.mijnhostingpartner.nl/verwerkingsovereenkomst/

  • Types of data processed: Content data (e.g. entries in online forms), usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Affected people: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of our online offering and user-friendliness.
  • Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Registration, login and user account

Users can create a user account. As part of registration, users are provided with the required mandatory information and processed for the purpose of providing the user account on the basis of contractual fulfillment of obligations. The data processed includes, in particular, login information (username, password and an email address).

As part of the use of our registration and login functions and the use of the user account, we store the IP address and the time of the respective user action. The storage is based on our legitimate interests and those of the users in protecting against misuse and other unauthorized use. In principle, this data will not be passed on to third parties unless it is necessary to pursue our claims or there is a legal obligation to do so.

Users can be informed by email about processes that are relevant to their user account, such as technical changes.

Registration with pseudonyms: Users are allowed to use pseudonyms as usernames instead of real names.

Deletion of data after termination: If users have terminated their user account, their data relating to the user account will be deleted, subject to legal permission, obligation or consent of the user.

It is the users' responsibility to back up their data before the end of the contract if the contract is terminated. We are entitled to irretrievably delete all user data stored during the term of the contract.

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), contact data (e.g. email, telephone numbers), content data (e.g. entries in online forms), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Affected people: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Providing contractual services and customer service, security measures, managing and responding to inquiries.
  • Legal basis: Fulfillment of the contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b. GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Community functions

The community functions we provide allow users to engage in conversations or other exchanges with one another. Please note that the use of the community functions is only permitted in compliance with the applicable legal situation, our conditions and guidelines as well as the rights of other users and third parties.

User contributions are public: Posts and content created by users are publicly visible and accessible.

Setting the visibility of posts: Users can use settings to determine the extent to which the posts and content they create are visible or accessible to the public or only to certain people or groups.

Storage of data for security purposes: Users' contributions and other input are processed for the purposes of community and conversation functions and, subject to legal obligations or legal permission, will not be released to third parties. An obligation to release information may arise, particularly in the case of illegal contributions for legal prosecution purposes. We would like to point out that in addition to the content of the posts, their time and the user's IP address are also stored. This is done in order to be able to take appropriate measures to protect other users and the community.

Right to deletion: The deletion of contributions, content or user information is permissible after proper consideration to the extent necessary if there are concrete indications that they represent a violation of legal rules, our requirements or the rights of third parties.

Limited deletion of conversation posts: Out of consideration for other users, the user's conversation contributions remain stored even after termination and account deletion, so that conversations, comments, advice, etc. communication between and among users do not lose their meaning or become reversed. Usernames will be deleted or pseudonymized unless they were already pseudonyms. Users can request that the conversation contributions be completely deleted from us at any time.

Protection of your own data: Users decide for themselves what data they disclose about themselves within our online offering. For example, when users provide personal information or participate in conversations. We ask users to protect their data and only publish personal data carefully and only to the extent necessary. In particular, we ask users to note that they must particularly protect their access data and use secure passwords (that is, above all, as long and random character combinations as possible).

  • Types of data processed: Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Affected people: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and customer service, security measures.
  • Legal basis: Fulfillment of the contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b. GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Blogs and publication media

We use blogs or comparable means of online communication and publication (hereinafter “publication medium”). Readers' data will only be processed for the purposes of the publication medium to the extent necessary for its presentation and communication between authors and readers or for security reasons. Furthermore, we refer to the information on the processing of visitors to our publication medium within the scope of this data protection notice.

Comments and posts: When users leave comments or other contributions, their IP addresses may be stored based on our legitimate interests. This is done for our security if someone leaves illegal content in comments and posts (insults, prohibited political propaganda, etc.). In this case, we ourselves can be prosecuted for the comment or contribution and are therefore interested in the identity of the author.

We also reserve the right to process user information for spam detection based on our legitimate interests.

On the same legal basis, in the case of surveys, we reserve the right to store users' IP addresses for their duration and to use cookies to avoid multiple voting.

The personal information provided in the comments and posts, any contact and website information as well as the content information will be permanently stored by us until the user objects.

Comment subscriptions: Users can subscribe to follow-up comments with their consent. Users receive a confirmation email to check whether they are the owner of the email address they entered. Users can unsubscribe from ongoing comment subscriptions at any time. The confirmation email will contain information about the cancellation options. For the purpose of proving users' consent, we store the registration time and the users' IP address and delete this information when users unsubscribe from the subscription.

You can unsubscribe from our subscription at any time, i.e. revoke your consent. We can store the unsubscribed email addresses for up to three years based on our legitimate interests before deleting them in order to be able to prove that consent was previously given. The processing of this data is limited to the purpose of possible defense against claims. An individual request for deletion is possible at any time, provided that the previous existence of consent is confirmed at the same time.

Retrieval of WordPress emojis and smilies: Within our WordPress blog, graphic emojis (or smilies), ie small graphic files that express feelings, are used for the efficient integration of content elements, obtained from external servers. The server providers collect the IP addresses of the users. This is necessary so that the emoji files can be delivered to users' browsers.

Akismet anti-spam check: We use the “Akismet” service based on our legitimate interests. With the help of Akismet, real people's comments are distinguished from spam comments. For this purpose, all comment information is sent to a server in the USA, where it is analyzed and stored for four days for comparison purposes. If a comment is classified as spam, the data will be stored beyond this time. This information includes the name entered, the email address, the IP address, the comment content, the referrer, information about the browser used and the computer system and the time of the entry.

Users are welcome to use pseudonyms or forgo entering their name or email address. You can completely prevent the transfer of data by not using our comment system. That would be a shame, but unfortunately we don't see any alternatives that work as effectively.

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), contact data (e.g. email, telephone numbers), content data (e.g. entries in online forms), usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses), contract data (e.g. subject matter of the contract, term, customer category).
  • Affected people: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and customer service, feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form), security measures, management and response to inquiries, contact requests and communication, provision of our online offering and user-friendliness.
  • Legal basis: Fulfillment of the contract and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b. GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f. GDPR), consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a. GDPR).

Services and service providers used:

Communication via messenger

We use messengers for communication purposes and therefore ask that you please note the following information on the functionality of messengers, encryption, the use of communication metadata and your options for objection.

You can also contact us by alternative means, such as by telephone or email. Please use the contact options provided to you or the contact options provided within our online offering.

In the case of end-to-end encryption of content (i.e., the content of your message and attachments), we point out that the communication content (i.e., the content of the message and attached images) is encrypted from end to end. This means that the content of the messages cannot be viewed, not even by the messenger providers themselves. You should always use a current version of the messenger with encryption activated to ensure that the message content is encrypted.

However, we also point out to our communication partners that although the messenger providers cannot view the content, they can find out that and when communication partners communicate with us as well as technical information about the device used by the communication partner and, depending on the settings of their device, location information ( so-called metadata) are processed.

Notes on legal bases: If we ask communication partners for permission before communicating with them via Messenger, the legal basis for our processing of their data is their consent. Furthermore, if we do not ask for your consent and, for example, you contact us on your own initiative, we use Messenger in relation to our contractual partners as well as in the context of contract initiation as a contractual measure and in the case of other interested parties and communication partners on the basis of our legitimate interests on fast and efficient communication and meeting the needs of our communication partner on communication via messenger. We would also like to point out that we will not transmit the contact details provided to us to Messenger for the first time without your consent.

Revocation, objection and deletion: You can revoke your consent at any time and object to communication with us via Messenger at any time. In the case of communication via messenger, we delete the messages in accordance with our general deletion guidelines (ie, as described above, after the end of contractual relationships, in the context of archiving requirements, etc.) and otherwise as soon as we can assume that we have answered any information from the communication partner. if no reference to a previous conversation is to be expected and deletion does not conflict with any legal retention requirements.

Reservation of reference to other communication channels: Finally, we would like to point out that for reasons of your security, we reserve the right not to answer inquiries via Messenger. This is the case if, for example, contractual details require special secrecy or an answer via messenger does not meet the formal requirements. In such cases, we will refer you to more appropriate communication channels.

Skype end-to-end encryption requires it to be enabled (unless it is enabled by default).

  • Types of data processed: Contact data (e.g. email, telephone numbers), usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses), content data (e.g. entries in online forms).
  • Affected people: Communication partner.
  • Purposes of processing: Contact inquiries and communication, direct marketing (e.g. by email or post).
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a. GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Services and service providers used:

Video conferences, online meetings, webinars and screen sharing

We use platforms and applications from other providers (hereinafter referred to as “conference platforms”) for the purposes of conducting video and audio conferences, webinars and other types of video and audio meetings (hereinafter referred to collectively as “conferences”). When selecting conference platforms and their services, we observe the legal requirements.

Data processed by conference platforms: As part of participation in a conference, the conference platforms process the following personal data of the participants. The scope of processing depends, on the one hand, on what data is required as part of a specific conference (e.g. providing access data or real names) and what optional information is provided by the participants. In addition to processing to carry out the conference, the participants' data can also be processed by the conference platforms for security purposes or service optimization. The data processed includes personal data (first name, last name), contact information (email address, telephone number), access data (access codes or passwords), profile pictures, information about professional status/function, the IP address of the Internet access, information about the participants' end devices, their operating system, the browser and its technical and linguistic settings, information on the content of communication processes, i.e. entries in chats as well as audio and video data, as well as the use of other available functions (e.g. surveys). The content of communications is encrypted to the extent technically provided by the conference provider. If the participants are registered as users on the conference platforms, then further data can be processed in accordance with the agreement with the respective conference provider.

Logging and recordings: If text entries, participation results (e.g. from surveys) as well as video or audio recordings are logged, this will be transparently communicated to the participants in advance and they will be asked - if necessary - for consent.

Participants’ data protection measures: Please note the details of the processing of your data by the conference platforms in their data protection information and select the security and data protection settings that are optimal for you within the settings of the conference platforms. Please also ensure data and privacy protection in the background of your recording for the duration of a video conference (e.g. by informing roommates, locking doors and using, where technically possible, the function to obscure the background). Links to the conference rooms and access data may not be passed on to unauthorized third parties.

Notes on legal bases: If, in addition to the conference platforms, we also process users' data and ask the users for their consent to the use of the conference platforms or certain functions (e.g. consent to a recording of conferences), the legal basis for the processing is this consent. Furthermore, our processing may be necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations (e.g. in participant lists, in the case of processing the results of discussions, etc.). Furthermore, user data is processed based on our legitimate interests in efficient and secure communication with our communication partners.

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), contact data (e.g. email, telephone numbers), content data (e.g. entries in online forms), usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Affected people: Communication partners, users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of contractual services and customer service, contact inquiries and communication, office and organizational procedures.
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a. GDPR), contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b. GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Services and service providers used:

Music and podcasts

We use hosting and analysis offers from service providers to offer our audio content for listening or downloading and to obtain statistical information about the retrieval of the audio content.

  • Types of data processed: Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Affected people: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Reach measurement (e.g. access statistics, recognition of returning visitors), conversion measurement (measuring the effectiveness of marketing measures), profiles with user-related information (creating user profiles).

Services and service providers used:

Cloud services

We use software services accessible via the Internet and running on the servers of their providers (so-called “cloud services”, also referred to as “Software as a Service”) for the following purposes: document storage and management, calendar management, emailing, spreadsheets and presentations, exchanging documents, content and information with specific recipients or publishing web pages, forms or other content and information, as well as chatting and participating in audio and video conferences.

Within this framework, personal data can be processed and stored on the providers' servers, provided that they are part of communication processes with us or are otherwise processed by us as set out in this data protection declaration. This data may include, in particular, user master data and contact details, data on processes, contracts, other processes and their content. The cloud service providers also process usage data and metadata, which they use for security purposes and service optimization.

If we use the cloud services to provide forms or other documents and content to other users or publicly accessible websites, the providers may set cookies on the users' devices for the purposes of web analysis or to set the user's settings (e.g. in the case of media control). remember, save.

Notes on legal bases: If we ask for consent to use the cloud services, the legal basis for processing is consent. Furthermore, their use can be part of our (pre-)contractual services, provided the use of the cloud services has been agreed within this framework. Otherwise, users' data will be processed based on our legitimate interests (ie, interest in efficient and secure administration and collaboration processes).

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), contact data (e.g. email, telephone numbers), content data (e.g. entries in online forms), usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Affected people: Customers, employees (e.g. employees, applicants, former employees), interested parties, communication partners.
  • Purposes of processing: Office and organizational procedures.
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a. GDPR), contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b. GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Services and service providers used:

Newsletters and electronic notifications

We only send newsletters, emails and other electronic notifications (hereinafter “newsletter”) with the consent of the recipient or legal permission. If the contents are specifically described when registering for the newsletter, they are decisive for the user's consent. Our newsletters also contain information about our services and us.

In order to register for our newsletters, it is generally sufficient to provide your email address. However, we may ask you to provide a name so that you can be addressed personally in the newsletter, or other information if this is necessary for the purposes of the newsletter.

Double opt-in procedure: Registration for our newsletter generally takes place in a so-called double opt-in process. This means that after registering you will receive an email asking you to confirm your registration. This confirmation is necessary so that no one can log in with someone else's email address. Registrations for the newsletter are logged in order to be able to provide evidence of the registration process in accordance with legal requirements. This includes storing the registration and confirmation times as well as the IP address. Changes to your data stored by the shipping service provider are also logged.

Deletion and restriction of processing: We can store the unsubscribed email addresses for up to three years based on our legitimate interests before deleting them in order to be able to prove that consent was previously given. The processing of this data is limited to the purpose of possible defense against claims. An individual request for deletion is possible at any time, provided that the previous existence of consent is confirmed at the same time. In the event of obligations to permanently observe contradictions, we reserve the right to store the email address in a blacklist (so-called “blocklist”) solely for this purpose.

The registration process is recorded on the basis of our legitimate interests for the purpose of providing evidence of its proper execution. If we commission a service provider to send emails, this is based on our legitimate interests in an efficient and secure shipping system.

Notes on legal bases: The newsletter is sent on the basis of the consent of the recipient or, if consent is not required, on the basis of our legitimate interests in direct marketing, if and to the extent that this is permitted by law, for example in the case of advertising to existing customers. If we commission a service provider to send emails, this is done on the basis of our legitimate interests. The registration process is recorded based on our legitimate interests to demonstrate that it was carried out in accordance with the law.

Contents: Information and news about our work, projects, calls for donations and our association.

Measuring open and click rates: The newsletters contain a so-called “web beacon”, ie a pixel-sized file that is retrieved from our server or, if we use a shipping service provider, from their server when the newsletter is opened. As part of this retrieval, technical information is initially collected, such as information about the browser and your system, as well as your IP address and the time of retrieval.

This information is used to technically improve our newsletter based on the technical data or the target groups and their reading behavior based on their access locations (which can be determined using the IP address) or access times. This analysis also includes determining whether the newsletters are opened, when they are opened and which links are clicked. This information is assigned to the individual newsletter recipients and stored in their profiles until it is deleted. The evaluations help us to recognize the reading habits of our users and to adapt our content to them or to send different content according to the interests of our users.

The measurement of the opening rates and click rates as well as the storage of the measurement results in the users' profiles and their further processing are based on the users' consent.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to revoke the success measurement separately; in this case, the entire newsletter subscription must be canceled or objected to. In this case, the saved profile information will be deleted.

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), contact data (e.g. email, telephone numbers), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses), usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), event data ( Facebook) (“Event data” is data that can be transmitted by us to Facebook, for example via Facebook pixel (via apps or other ways) and relates to people or their actions; the data includes, for example: B. Information about visits to websites, interactions with content, functions, installations of apps, purchases of products, etc.; the event data is processed for the purpose of forming target groups for content and advertising information (custom audiences); event data does not contain the actual data Content (such as written comments), no login information and no contact information (i.e. no names, email addresses and telephone numbers). Event data is deleted by Facebook after a maximum of two years, the target groups formed from it are deleted with the Deletion of our Facebook account).
  • Affected people: Communication partners, users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Direct marketing (e.g. by email or post), reach measurement (e.g. access statistics, recognition of returning visitors), conversion measurement (measuring the effectiveness of marketing measures), profiles with user-related information (creating user profiles), contact inquiries and communication.
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a. GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f. GDPR).
  • Option to object (opt-out): You can cancel your receipt of our newsletter at any time, i.e. revoke your consent or object to further receipt. You will find a link to cancel the newsletter either at the end of each newsletter or you can use one of the contact options listed above, preferably email.

Services and service providers used:

Advertising communication via email, post, fax or telephone

We process personal data for the purposes of advertising communication, which can take place via various channels, such as email, telephone, post or fax, in accordance with legal requirements.

The recipients have the right to revoke their consent at any time or to object to the advertising communication at any time.

After revocation or objection, we can store the data required to prove consent for up to three years based on our legitimate interests before deleting it. The processing of this data is limited to the purpose of possible defense against claims. An individual request for deletion is possible at any time, provided that the previous existence of consent is confirmed at the same time.

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. names, addresses), contact details (e.g. email, telephone numbers).
  • Affected people: Communication partner.
  • Purposes of processing: Direct marketing (e.g. via email or post).
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a. GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Web analysis, monitoring and optimization

Web analysis (also referred to as “reach measurement”) is used to evaluate the flow of visitors to our online offering and can include behavior, interests or demographic information about visitors, such as age or gender, as pseudonymous values. With the help of reach analysis, we can, for example, identify at what time our online offering or its functions or content are used most frequently or invite reuse. We can also understand which areas require optimization.

In addition to web analysis, we can also use testing procedures, for example to test and optimize different versions of our online offering or its components.

For these purposes, so-called user profiles can be created and stored in a file (so-called “cookie”) or similar procedures can be used for the same purpose. This information may include, for example, content viewed, websites visited and elements used there and technical information such as the browser used, the computer system used and information about times of use. If users have consented to the collection of their location data, this can also be processed, depending on the provider.

The users’ IP addresses are also stored. However, we use an IP masking process (ie pseudonymization by shortening the IP address) to protect users. In general, as part of web analysis, A/B testing and optimization, no clear user data (such as email addresses or names) is stored, but rather pseudonyms. This means that we and the providers of the software used do not know the actual identity of the users, but only the information stored in their profiles for the purposes of the respective procedures.

Notes on legal bases: If we ask users for their consent to the use of third-party providers, the legal basis for processing data is consent. Otherwise, user data will be processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (ie interest in efficient, economical and recipient-friendly services). In this context, we would also like to draw your attention to the information on the use of cookies in this data protection declaration.

  • Types of data processed: Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Affected people: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Reach measurement (e.g. access statistics, recognition of returning visitors), profiles with user-related information (creation of user profiles).
  • Safety measures: IP masking (pseudonymization of the IP address).
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a. GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Services and service providers used:

Online marketing

We process personal data for online marketing purposes, which may include, in particular, the marketing of advertising space or the presentation of advertising and other content (collectively referred to as “content”) based on the potential interests of users and the measurement of their effectiveness.

For these purposes, so-called user profiles are created and stored in a file (so-called “cookie”) or similar processes are used, by means of which the user information relevant to the display of the aforementioned content is stored. This information may include, for example, content viewed, websites visited, online networks used, but also communication partners and technical information such as the browser used, the computer system used and information about times of use. If users have consented to the collection of their location data, this can also be processed.

The users’ IP addresses are also stored. However, we use available IP masking procedures (ie pseudonymization by shortening the IP address) to protect users. In general, as part of the online marketing process, no clear user data (such as e-mail addresses or names) is stored, but rather pseudonyms. This means that we as well as the providers of online marketing processes do not know the actual identity of the users, but only the information stored in their profiles.

The information in the profiles is usually stored in cookies or using similar methods. These cookies can later generally be read on other websites that use the same online marketing process, analyzed for the purposes of displaying content, and supplemented with further data and stored on the server of the online marketing process provider.

In exceptional cases, clear data can be assigned to the profiles. This is the case, for example, if the users are members of a social network whose online marketing processes we use and the network connects the users' profiles with the aforementioned information. We ask you to note that users can make additional agreements with the providers, for example by giving consent during registration.

We generally only receive access to aggregated information about the success of our advertisements. However, as part of so-called conversion measurements, we can check which of our online marketing processes have led to a so-called conversion, ie, for example, to the conclusion of a contract with us. Conversion measurement is used solely to analyze the success of our marketing measures.

Unless otherwise stated, we ask you to assume that cookies used will be stored for a period of two years.

Notes on legal bases: If we ask users for their consent to the use of third-party providers, the legal basis for processing data is consent. Otherwise, user data will be processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (ie interest in efficient, economical and recipient-friendly services). In this context, we would also like to draw your attention to the information on the use of cookies in this data protection declaration.

We use the “Google Marketing Platform” (and services such as “Google Ad Manager”) to place ads in the Google advertising network (e.g., in search results, in videos, on websites, etc.). The Google Marketing Platform is characterized by displaying ads in real time based on users' presumed interests. This allows us to display advertisements for and within our online offering in a more targeted manner in order to only present users with advertisements that potentially match their interests. For example, if a user is shown ads for products that they were interested in on other online offerings, this is referred to as “remarketing”.

With the help of the Facebook pixel (or comparable functions for transmitting event data or contact information via interfaces in apps), it is possible for Facebook to use visitors to our online offering as a target group for the display of advertisements (so-called “Facebook Ads”). ) to determine. Accordingly, we use the Facebook pixel to only show the Facebook ads we place to those users on Facebook and within the services of partners that cooperate with Facebook (so-called “Audience Network”). https://www.facebook.com/audiencenetwork/ ) who have also shown an interest in our online offering or who have certain characteristics (e.g. interest in certain topics or products, which are evident from the websites visited), which we transmit to Facebook (so-called “Custom Audiences”). With the help of the Facebook pixel, we also want to ensure that our Facebook ads correspond to the potential interest of the users and do not appear annoying. With the help of the Facebook pixel, we can also track the effectiveness of Facebook advertisements for statistical and market research purposes by seeing whether users were redirected to our website after clicking on a Facebook advertisement (so-called “conversion measurement”).

We are together with Facebook Ireland Ltd. for the collection or receipt as part of a transmission (but not further processing) of “event data” that Facebook collects using the Facebook pixel and comparable functions (e.g. interfaces) that are carried out on our online offering or receives as part of a transmission for the following purposes: a) displaying content advertising information that corresponds to the presumed interests of the users; b) Delivery of commercial and transaction-related messages (e.g. addressing users via Facebook Messenger); c) Improve ad delivery and personalization of features and content (e.g. improving detection of which content or advertising information is likely to match users' interests). We have concluded a special agreement with Facebook (“Addition for Controllers”, https://www.facebook.com/legal/controller_addendum), which regulates in particular which security measures Facebook must observe (https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/data_security_terms) and in which Facebook has agreed to fulfill the rights of those affected (i.e. users can, for example, send information or deletion requests directly to Facebook). Note: If Facebook provides us with measured values, analyzes and reports (which are aggregated, i.e. do not contain any information about individual users and are anonymous to us), then this processing does not take place within the framework of joint responsibility, but rather on the basis of an order processing contract (“data processing conditions” , https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing), the “Data Security Conditions” (https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/data_security_terms) as well as with regard to processing in the USA on the basis of standard contractual clauses (“Facebook-EU Data Transfer Addendum, https://www.facebook.com/legal/EU_data_transfer_addendum). The rights of users (in particular to information, deletion, objection and complaint to the responsible supervisory authority) are not restricted by the agreements with Facebook.

  • Types of data processed: Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses), event data (Facebook) (“event data” is data that is transmitted, for example, via Facebook -Pixels (via apps or other means) can be transmitted by us to Facebook and relate to people or their actions; the data includes, for example, information about visits to websites, interactions with content, functions, installations of apps, Purchases of products, etc.; the event data is processed for the purpose of forming target groups for content and advertising information (custom audiences); event data does not include the actual content (such as written comments), no login information and no contact information (i.e. no names, email addresses and telephone numbers). Event data is deleted by Facebook after a maximum of two years; the target groups formed from them are deleted when our Facebook account is deleted).
  • Affected people: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Marketing, profiles with user-related information (creation of user profiles), conversion measurement (measuring the effectiveness of marketing measures), remarketing, target group formation, target group formation (determination of target groups relevant for marketing purposes or other output of content).
  • Safety measures: IP masking (pseudonymization of the IP address).
  • Legal basis: Consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a. GDPR), legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f. GDPR).
  • Option to object (opt-out): We refer to the data protection information of the respective providers and the objection options specified for the providers (so-called “opt-out”). If no explicit opt-out option has been provided, you have the option of turning off cookies in your browser settings. However, this may restrict the functions of our online offering. We therefore also recommend the following opt-out options, which are offered in summary for the respective areas:

    a) Europe: https://www.youronlinechoices.eu.
    b) Canada: https://www.youradchoices.ca/choices.
    c) USA: https://www.aboutads.info/choices.
    d) Cross-territorial: https://optout.aboutads.info.

Services and service providers used:

Presences in social networks (social media)

We maintain online presences within social networks and process user data in this context in order to communicate with active users there or to offer information about us.

We would like to point out that user data may be processed outside the European Union. This can result in risks for users because, for example, it could make it more difficult to enforce users' rights.

Furthermore, user data within social networks is usually processed for market research and advertising purposes. For example, usage profiles can be created based on usage behavior and the resulting interests of users. The usage profiles can in turn be used, for example, to place advertisements within and outside the networks that presumably correspond to the interests of the users. For these purposes, cookies are usually stored on the users' computers, in which the usage behavior and interests of the users are stored. Furthermore, data can also be stored in the usage profiles regardless of the devices used by the users (particularly if the users are members of the respective platforms and are logged in to them).

For a detailed description of the respective forms of processing and the options for objection (opt-out), we refer to the data protection declarations and information provided by the operators of the respective networks.

In the case of requests for information and the assertion of the rights of those affected, we would also like to point out that these can most effectively be asserted with the providers. Only the providers have access to user data and can take appropriate measures and provide information directly. If you still need help, you can contact us.

Facebook: We are together with Facebook Ireland Ltd. responsible for collecting (but not further processing) data from visitors to our Facebook page (so-called “fan page”). This data includes information about the types of content users view or interact with, or the actions they take (see “Things you and others do and provide” in the Facebook Data Policy: https://www.facebook.com/policy), as well as information about the devices used by users (e.g. IP addresses, operating system, browser type, language settings, cookie data; see “Device information” in the Facebook data policy statement: https://www.facebook.com/policy). As explained in the Facebook Data Policy under “How do we use this information?”, Facebook also collects and uses information to provide analytics services called “Page Insights” to site operators to help them understand how people engage with their Pages and interact with the content associated with them. We have concluded a special agreement with Facebook (“Information on Page Insights”, https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/page_controller_addendum), which regulates in particular which security measures Facebook must observe and in which Facebook has agreed to fulfill the rights of those affected (i.e. users can, for example, send information or deletion requests directly to Facebook). The rights of users (in particular to information, deletion, objection and complaint to the responsible supervisory authority) are not restricted by the agreements with Facebook. Further information can be found in the “Information about Page Insights” (https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/information_about_page_insights_data).

  • Types of data processed: Contact data (e.g. email, telephone numbers), content data (e.g. entries in online forms), usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).
  • Affected people: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Contact inquiries and communication, feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form), marketing.
  • Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f. GDPR).

Services and service providers used:

Plugins and embedded functions and content

We include functional and content elements in our online offering that are obtained from the servers of their respective providers (hereinafter referred to as “third-party providers”). This can be, for example, graphics, videos or city maps (hereinafter referred to as “content”).

The integration always requires that the third party providers of this content process the users' IP address, as without the IP address they would not be able to send the content to their browser. The IP address is therefore required to display this content or functions. We strive to only use content whose respective providers only use the IP address to deliver the content. Third parties may also use so-called pixel tags (invisible graphics, also known as “web beacons”) for statistical or marketing purposes. The “pixel tags” can be used to evaluate information such as visitor traffic on the pages of this website. The pseudonymous information can also be stored in cookies on the user's device and may contain, among other things, technical information about the browser and operating system, referring websites, the time of visit and other information about the use of our online offering, as well as being linked to such information from other sources.

Notes on legal bases: If we ask users for their consent to the use of third-party providers, the legal basis for processing data is consent. Otherwise, user data will be processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (ie interest in efficient, economical and recipient-friendly services). In this context, we would also like to draw your attention to the information on the use of cookies in this data protection declaration.

Facebook plugins and content: We are together with Facebook Ireland Ltd. for the collection or receipt as part of a transmission (but not further processing) of “event data” that Facebook collects using the Facebook social plugins (and embedding functions for content) that are carried out on our online offering or in As part of a transmission for the following purposes, we are jointly responsible: a) displaying content and advertising information that correspond to the presumed interests of the users; b) Delivery of commercial and transaction-related messages (e.g. addressing users via Facebook Messenger); c) Improve ad delivery and personalization of features and content (e.g. improving detection of which content or advertising information is likely to match users' interests). We have concluded a special agreement with Facebook (“Addition for Controllers”, https://www.facebook.com/legal/controller_addendum), which regulates in particular which security measures Facebook must observe (https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/data_security_terms) and in which Facebook has agreed to fulfill the rights of those affected (i.e. users can, for example, send information or deletion requests directly to Facebook). Note: If Facebook provides us with measured values, analyzes and reports (which are aggregated, i.e. do not contain any information about individual users and are anonymous to us), then this processing does not take place within the framework of joint responsibility, but rather on the basis of an order processing contract (“data processing conditions” , https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/dataprocessing), the “Data Security Conditions” (https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/data_security_terms) as well as with regard to processing in the USA on the basis of standard contractual clauses (“Facebook-EU Data Transfer Addendum, https://www.facebook.com/legal/EU_data_transfer_addendum). The rights of users (in particular to information, deletion, objection and complaint to the responsible supervisory authority) are not restricted by the agreements with Facebook.

  • Types of data processed: Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times), meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses), event data (Facebook) (“event data” is data that is transmitted, for example, via Facebook -Pixels (via apps or other means) can be transmitted by us to Facebook and relate to people or their actions; the data includes, for example, information about visits to websites, interactions with content, functions, installations of apps, Purchases of products, etc.; the event data is processed for the purpose of forming target groups for content and advertising information (custom audiences); event data does not include the actual content (such as written comments), no login information and no contact information (i.e. no names, email addresses and telephone numbers). Event data is deleted by Facebook after a maximum of two years, the target groups formed from them are deleted when our Facebook account is deleted), contact data (e.g. email, telephone numbers), content data (e.g. entries in online forms), inventory data (e.g. names, addresses).
  • Affected people: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of our online offering and user-friendliness, provision of contractual services and customer service, profiles with user-related information (creation of user profiles), feedback (e.g. collecting feedback via online form), marketing.
  • Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f. GDPR), consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. a. GDPR), contract fulfillment and pre-contractual inquiries (Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. b. GDPR).

Services and service providers used:

  • Facebook plugins and content: Facebook social plugins and content – This can include, for example, content such as images, videos or texts and buttons with which users can share content from this online offer within Facebook. The list and appearance of the Facebook social plugins can be viewed here: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins/; Service provider: Facebook Ireland Ltd., 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland, parent company: Facebook, 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA; Website: https://www.facebook.com; Data protection: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy; Option to object (opt-out): Settings for advertisements: https://www.facebook.com/adpreferences/ad_settings (Facebook login is required).
  • Font Awesome: Display of fonts and symbols; Service Provider: Fonticons, Inc. ,6 Porter Road Apartment 3R, Cambridge, MA 02140, USA; Website: https://fontawesome.com/; Data protection: https://fontawesome.com/privacy.
  • Google Fonts: We integrate the fonts (“Google Fonts”) from the provider Google, whereby the user’s data is used solely for the purpose of displaying the fonts in the user’s browser. The integration is based on our legitimate interests in a technically secure, maintenance-free and efficient use of fonts, their uniform presentation and taking into account possible licensing restrictions for their integration. Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, parent company: Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheater Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA; Website: https://fonts.google.com/; Data protection: https://policies.google.com/privacy.
  • Google Maps: We integrate the maps from the “Google Maps” service provided by Google. The data processed may include, in particular, IP addresses and location data of users, which, however, are not collected without their consent (usually carried out as part of the settings of their mobile devices); Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, parent company: Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheater Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA; Website: https://cloud.google.com/maps-platform; Data protection: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Option to object (opt-out): Opt-out plugin: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de, Settings for displaying advertisements: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.
  • Content from Getty Images: Integration of Getty Images – images; Service provider: Getty Images, Inc., 605 5th Avenue South, Suite 400, Seattle, Washington 98104, USA; Website: https://www.gettyimages.de; Data protection: https://www.gettyimages.de/company/privacy-policy.
  • MyFonts: fonts; Data processed as part of the font retrieval includes the identification number of the web font project (anonymized), the URL of the licensed website, which is linked to a customer number to identify the licensee and the licensed web fonts, and the referrer URL; the anonymized webfont project identification number is stored in encrypted log files with such data for 30 days to determine the monthly number of page views; After such extraction and storage of the number of page views, the log files are deleted; Service provider: Monotype Imaging Holdings Inc., 600 Unicorn Park Drive, Woburn, Massachusetts 01801, USA; Website: https://www.myfonts.co; Data protection: https://www.myfonts.com/info/legal/#Privacy.
  • reCAPTCHA: We include the “reCAPTCHA” function in order to be able to recognize whether entries (e.g. in online forms) are made by people and not by automatically acting machines (so-called “bots”). The data processed may include IP addresses, information about operating systems, devices or browsers used, language settings, location, mouse movements, keyboard strokes, time spent on websites, previously visited websites, interactions with ReCaptcha on other websites, possibly cookies and results of manual recognition processes ( e.g. answering questions or selecting objects in pictures). Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, parent company: Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheater Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA; Website: https://www.google.com/recaptcha/; Data protection: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Option to object (opt-out): Opt-out plugin: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de, Settings for displaying advertisements: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.
  • Soundcloud Music Player Widget: Soundcloud Music Player Widget; Service provider: SoundCloud Limited, Rheinsberger Str. 76/77, 10115 Berlin, Germany; Website: https://soundcloud.com; Data protection: https://soundcloud.com/pages/privacy.
  • Spotify Music Player Widget: Spotify Music Player Widget; Service provider: Spotify AB, Regeringsgatan 19, SE-111 53 Stockholm, Sweden; Website: https://www.spotify.com/de; Data protection: https://www.spotify.com/de/legal/privacy-policy/.
  • Twitter plugins and content: Twitter plugins and buttons – This can include, for example, content such as images, videos or texts and buttons with which users can share content from this online offering within Twitter. Service provider: Twitter International Company, One Cumberland Place, Fenian Street, Dublin 2 D02 AX07, Ireland, parent company: Twitter Inc., 1355 Market Street, Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA; Website: https://twitter.com/de; Data protection: https://twitter.com/de/privacy.
  • YouTube videos: video content; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, parent company: Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheater Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA; Website: https://www.youtube.com; Data protection: https://policies.google.com/privacy; Option to object (opt-out): Opt-out plugin: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de, Settings for displaying advertisements: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.
  • YouTube videos: video content; YouTube videos are integrated via a special domain (recognizable by the “youtube-nocookie” component) in the so-called “extended data protection mode”, which means that no cookies are collected on user activities in order to personalize video playback. Nevertheless, information about the user's interaction with the video (e.g. remembering the last playback point) can be saved; Service provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, parent company: Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheater Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA; Website: https://www.youtube.com; Data protection: https://policies.google.com/privacy.
  • Vimeo: video content; Service provider: Vimeo Inc., Attention: Legal Department, 555 West 18th Street New York, New York 10011, USA; Website: https://vimeo.com; Data protection: https://vimeo.com/privacy; Option to object (opt-out): We would like to point out that Vimeo can use Google Analytics and refer to the data protection declaration (https://policies.google.com/privacy) as well as the opt-out options for Google Analytics (https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de) or Google's settings for data use for marketing purposes (https://adssettings.google.com/).

Changes and updates to the data protection declaration

We ask you to regularly inform yourself about the content of our data protection declaration. We will adapt the data protection declaration as soon as changes to the data processing we carry out make this necessary. We will inform you as soon as the changes require your cooperation (e.g. consent) or other individual notification.

If we provide addresses and contact information for companies and organizations in this data protection declaration, please note that the addresses may change over time and ask you to check the information before contacting us.

Rights of data subjects

As a data subject, you are entitled to various rights under the GDPR, which arise in particular from Articles 15 to 21 GDPR:

  • Right to object: You have the right, for reasons arising from your particular situation, to object at any time to the processing of your personal data, which is carried out on the basis of Article 6 (1) (e) or (f) of the GDPR; This also applies to profiling based on these provisions. If your personal data is processed for the purpose of direct advertising, you have the right to object at any time to the processing of your personal data for the purpose of such advertising; This also applies to profiling insofar as it is connected to such direct advertising.
  • Right to withdraw consent: You have the right to revoke your consent at any time.
  • Right of providing information: You have the right to request confirmation as to whether the data in question is being processed and to receive information about this data as well as further information and a copy of the data in accordance with legal requirements.
  • Right to rectification: In accordance with legal requirements, you have the right to request that the data concerning you be completed or that incorrect data concerning you be corrected.
  • Right to deletion and restriction of processing: In accordance with the legal requirements, you have the right to demand that data concerning you be deleted immediately, or alternatively, in accordance with the legal requirements, to request a restriction on the processing of the data.
  • Right to data portability: You have the right to receive data concerning you that you have provided to us in a structured, common and machine-readable format in accordance with legal requirements or to request that it be transmitted to another person responsible.
  • Complaint to supervisory authority: In accordance with legal requirements and without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority, in particular a supervisory authority in the Member State in which you usually reside, the supervisory authority of your place of work or the place of the alleged violation If you believe that the processing of your personal data violates the GDPR.

Definitions of terms

This section provides an overview of the terms used in this data protection declaration. Many of the terms are taken from the law and are defined primarily in Article 4 GDPR. The legal definitions are binding. The following explanations, on the other hand, are intended primarily to provide understanding. The terms are sorted alphabetically.

  • IP masking: “IP masking” is a method in which the last octet, i.e. the last two numbers of an IP address, is deleted so that the IP address can no longer be used to uniquely identify a person. Therefore, IP masking is a means of pseudonymizing processing procedures, especially in online marketing
  • Conversion measurement: Conversion measurement (also known as “visit action evaluation”) is a procedure that can be used to determine the effectiveness of marketing measures. For this purpose, a cookie is usually stored on the users' devices within the websites on which the marketing measures take place and then accessed again on the target website. For example, we can understand whether the advertisements we placed on other websites were successful.
  • Personal data: “Personal data” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter “data subject”); A natural person is considered identifiable if he or she can be identified directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier (e.g. cookie) or one or more special features, which are an expression of the physical, physiological, genetic, psychological, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.
  • Profiles with user-related information: The processing of “profiles with user-related information”, or “profiles” for short, includes any type of automated processing of personal data, which consists in using this personal data to determine certain personal aspects relating to a natural person (depending on Depending on the type of profile creation, different information regarding demographics, behavior and interests, such as interaction with websites and their content, etc.) can be analyzed, evaluated or predicted (e.g. interests in certain content or products, etc.). Click behavior on a website or location). Cookies and web beacons are often used for profiling purposes.
  • Range measurement: Reach measurement (also known as web analytics) is used to evaluate the flow of visitors to an online offering and can include the behavior or interests of visitors in certain information, such as the content of websites. With the help of reach analysis, website owners can, for example, identify at what time visitors visit their website and what content they are interested in. This allows you, for example, to better adapt the content of the website to the needs of your visitors. For the purposes of reach analysis, pseudonymous cookies and web beacons are often used to recognize returning visitors and thus obtain more precise analyzes of the use of an online offering.
  • Remarketing: “Remarketing” or “retargeting” occurs when, for example, for advertising purposes, it is noted which products a user was interested in on a website in order to remind the user of these products on other websites, for example in advertisements.
  • Responsible person: The “controller” is the natural or legal person, public authority, institution or other body that alone or jointly with others decides on the purposes and means of processing personal data.
  • Processing: “Processing” means any operation or series of operations relating to personal data, carried out with or without the aid of automated procedures. The term is wide-ranging and includes practically every handling of data, be it collecting, evaluating, storing, transmitting or deleting.
  • Target group formation: Target group formation (or “custom audiences”) occurs when target groups are determined for advertising purposes, such as displaying advertisements. For example, based on a user's interest in certain products or topics on the Internet, it can be concluded that this user is interested in advertisements for similar products or the online shop in which he viewed the products. “Lookalike audiences” (or similar target groups) are when the content deemed suitable is displayed to users whose profiles or interests presumably correspond to the users for whom the profiles were created. Cookies and web beacons are usually used for the purpose of forming custom audiences and lookalike audiences.

Created with the Datenschutz-Generator.de by Dr. Thomas Schwenke

General terms and conditions (GTC) with customer information

As of September 3, 2022

Table of contents

1. Scope of the General Terms and Conditions

  1. For the business relationship between Focus Congo eV, Röntgenstr. 8, 76351 Linkenheim-Hochstetten (hereinafter referred to as “Seller”) and the purchaser of the Seller’s products and services (hereinafter referred to as “Products” or “Goods”), hereinafter referred to as “Buyer”, are subject exclusively to the following General Terms and Conditions (hereinafter referred to as “Terms and Conditions”).
  2. Differing conditions of the customer will not be recognized, even if the seller provides his service without objection, unless the seller expressly agrees to the validity of the customer's different conditions.
  3. “Consumer” within the meaning of these General Terms and Conditions is any natural person who concludes a legal transaction for purposes that cannot primarily be attributed to their commercial or independent professional activity.
  4. “Entrepreneur” within the meaning of the General Terms and Conditions is a natural or legal person or a partnership with legal capacity who, when concluding a legal transaction, acts in the exercise of their commercial or independent professional activity.

2. Contact and service details

  • Please note the following information about how to reach our customer service.
  1. E-mail address: info@focuscongo.com
  2. Telephone number: +49 157 8803 9268
  3. Contact form: www.focuscongo.com/kontakt

3. General information on offers and orders

  1. The presentation of the products in the shop, on websites and in digital printed brochures, catalogs or comparable product presentations from the seller does not constitute a legally binding offer, but rather an invitation to place an order and thus the customer's offer.
  2. Customers are responsible for ensuring that the information they provide is accurate and that any changes are communicated to the seller if they are necessary for the fulfillment of the contract. In particular, customers must ensure that the email and delivery addresses provided are correct and that any obstructions to receipt for which the customer is responsible are taken into account (e.g. by checking the spam folder of the email software used).
  3. Customers are asked to carefully read and follow the instructions during the ordering process and, if necessary, to use the existing support functions of their software and hardware (e.g. magnification or reading functions). Required information will be marked as such by the seller in an appropriately recognizable manner for the customer (e.g. by visual highlighting and/or an asterisk). Until the order is sent, customers can change and view the product selection and their entries at any time, go back in the ordering process or cancel the ordering process altogether. To do this, customers can use the usual functions available to them on their software and/or end device (e.g. the back and forth buttons in the browser or keyboard, mouse and gesture functions on mobile devices). Furthermore, unwanted entries can be corrected by canceling the ordering process.

4. Ordering process and conclusion of contract

  1. The customer can select products from the seller's range offered to the customer and collect them in a so-called shopping cart. In the selection within the shopping cart, the product selection can be changed, for example deleted. Otherwise, the customer can initiate the completion of the ordering process.
  2. By clicking on the button that completes the ordering process, the customer makes a binding offer to the seller to purchase the products in the shopping cart.
  3. The seller can accept the customer's offer within the acceptance period. The acceptance period is five days. The acceptance period begins when the customer completes the ordering process (in the shop, or if used and named, on the platform used or via other communication channels) and ends at the end of the last day. The seller can accept the customer's offer by explicitly accepting the contract, including by email. Acceptance can also take place through the dispatch of the goods and their receipt by the customer within the acceptance period, as well as through a payment request addressed to the customer by the seller and at the latest by completing the payment process. In the case of multiple acceptance processes, the earliest acceptance time is decisive. If the seller does not accept the customer's offer within the acceptance period, no contract is concluded and the customer is no longer bound to his offer.
  4. A contract between the customer and the seller can also be concluded by email. The customer can send a binding offer to the seller by email or, if the seller sends a binding offer, accept it by email.
  5. A contract between the customer and the seller can also be concluded by telephone. The customer can make a binding offer to the seller by telephone or, if the seller makes a binding offer, accept it by telephone.
  6. A contract between the customer and the seller can also be concluded using information in a contact form. The customer can submit a binding offer to the seller using the contact form or, if the seller submits a binding offer, accept it using the contact form.
  7. A contract between the customer and the seller can also be concluded by post. The customer can send a binding offer to the seller by post or, if the seller sends a binding offer, accept it by post.

5. Contract text and contract language

  1. The seller saves the contract text and makes it available to the customer in text form (e.g. via email or printed with the delivery of the order). The customer can print out the contract text before submitting the order to the seller by using the print function of their browser or the save function for web pages in the last step of the order.
  2. If customers have created a customer account, they can view the orders placed in their account area. The full text of the contract is not accessible in the account area.
  3. The contract language is German, contracts can be concluded in this language.

6. Information about prices and shipping costs

  1. Unless stated otherwise, all prices are total prices including the applicable statutory sales tax (VAT).
  2. The delivery and shipping fees that apply in addition to the sales price will be communicated to the customer or linked to in the respective product description and before the order is completed.

7. Payment methods and payment conditions

  1. Unless otherwise agreed, payments are to be made without deductions, discounts or other discounts.
  2. When using financial institutions and other payment service providers, the payment service providers' terms and conditions and data protection information also apply with regard to payment. Customers are asked to observe these regulations and instructions as well as information during the payment process. This is particularly because the provision of payment methods or the course of the payment process can also depend on the agreements between the customer and financial institutions and payment service providers (e.g. agreed spending limits, location-restricted payment options, verification procedures, etc.).
  3. The customer ensures that he meets the requirements required for successful payment using the chosen payment method. This includes in particular the sufficient coverage of bank and other payment accounts, registration, legitimation and authorization for payment services as well as the confirmation of transactions.
  4. If a payment is not made or reversed due to insufficient funds in the customer's account, incorrect bank details or an unjustified objection by the customer, then the customer will be responsible for the resulting fees, provided that he is responsible for the failed or reversed booking and in the event a SEPA transfer was informed in good time about the transfer (so-called “pre-notification”).
  5. Advance payment – If payment has been agreed in advance by means of a bank transfer, the payment amount is due upon conclusion of the contract, unless an express agreement to the contrary is made. The seller informs the customer of his bank details. The delivery will take place after the payment. If, despite being due, the advance payment has not been received by the seller within 10 calendar days of sending the order confirmation, despite the due date, the seller will withdraw from the contract with the result that the order is no longer valid and the seller is not obliged to deliver. The order is then completed without any further consequences for the customer and seller.
  6. SEPA direct debit – By submitting the order, the customer gives the seller a SEPA direct debit mandate. By granting the SEPA direct debit mandate, the seller is authorized to initiate the payment transaction, which will automatically debit the customer's bank account. The customer will be informed of the date of debiting the bank account (referred to as “Pre-Notification”). The pre-notification is not tied to any form and can, for example, take the form of an invoice, information in an email, on a website or in terms and conditions. The deadline for advance notice of the date of debiting the bank account is 5 days (referred to as the “Pre-Notification Period”). The invoice amount is due after the direct debit mandate has been issued, but not before the pre-notification deadline has expired. The account will be debited before the goods are dispatched, but not before the pre-notification period has expired.
  7. Purchase on account - The invoice amount is due after the product has been delivered and invoiced and must be paid by the customer within 7 days without deductions by payment to the seller's bank account, unless otherwise agreed.
  8. Credit card payment – When placing the order, customers provide their credit card details. The customer's credit card will be charged immediately after completing the order and after being authorized as the legitimate cardholder.
  9. Klarna – Payment is carried out via the payment service provider Klarna AB, Sveavägen 46, Stockholm, Sweden (hereinafter: “Klarna”) using the Klarna payment method provided or chosen by the customer. Klarna’s terms of use apply, which can be found at https://www.klarna.com/de/ can be viewed and communicated to the customer as part of the payment process.
  10. Klarna PayNow credit card – In order to make the payment, the customer must identify themselves as the legitimate cardholder before the payment transaction is carried out and the customer's account is automatically debited.
  11. Klarna PayNow direct debit – The customer gives Klarna a SEPA direct debit mandate. By granting the SEPA direct debit mandate, Klarna is authorized to initiate the payment transaction, which will automatically debit the customer's bank account. The customer will be informed of the date of debiting the bank account (referred to as “Pre-Notification”).
  12. Klarna invoice – the prerequisite is that the address and creditworthiness of the customer have been successfully checked by Klarna. When purchasing on account, customers receive the goods first. The payment term is 14 days, unless otherwise agreed during the payment process. The seller assigns his payment claim to Klarna. A debt-discharging payment can only be made to Klarna in accordance with Klarna's conditions.
  13. Klarna Sofortüberweisung (Sofort) – Payment is carried out using online banking data by the provider Sofort GmbH immediately after the order is placed in accordance with the conditions of Klarna Sofortüberweisung (which are also communicated to the customer as part of the ordering process). Additional Information: https://www.klarna.com/sofort/.
  14. PayPal – Payment is made via the payment service provider PayPal (Europe) S.à rl et Cie, SCA, 22-24 Boulevard Royal, L-2449 Luxembourg (hereinafter: “PayPal”) using the PayPal method provided or selected by the customer -Payment made. Customers will be redirected directly to PayPal at the end of the ordering process. For customers who have a PayPal account, the following PayPal terms of use apply: https://www.paypal.com/de/webapps/mpp/ua/useragreement-full. If customers use PayPal's services without having a PayPal account, the following terms of use apply: https://www.paypal.com/de/webapps/mpp/ua/privacywax-full. Overview of all conditions: https://www.paypal.com/de/webapps/mpp/ua/legalhub-full.
  15. PayPal Express – The customer pays the amount owed using the PayPal transaction process.
  16. PayPal Plus (PayPal) – The customer must have a PayPal account and pays the amount owed using the PayPal transaction process.
  17. PayPal Plus (credit card) – The customer can pay using a credit card via PayPal even if they do not have a PayPal account. In order to make the payment, the customer must identify themselves as the legitimate cardholder before the payment transaction is carried out and the customer's account is automatically debited.
  18. Costs arising from reminders of overdue claims will be invoiced to the customer. The seller is entitled to claim reminder costs of a flat rate of 1.00 euros. In the case of customers who are entrepreneurs, the seller is entitled to claim reminder costs of a flat rate of 5.00 euros. Customers reserve the right to provide evidence of no or lower costs
  19. In the event of late payment, the seller is entitled to claim default interest at the statutory rate as well as other consequences and costs determined by law from the defaulting customers. In the case of customers who are entrepreneurs, the seller is entitled to charge default interest of at least 9 percentage points above the applicable base interest rate. The customer's obligation to pay default interest does not preclude the seller from claiming further damages due to default. Damages caused by delay include costs of legal enforcement, such as costs for legal advice, dunning procedures or debt collection.

8. Retention of title

If the seller makes advance payments, the delivered products remain the property of the seller until full payment has been made.

9. Delivery, availability of goods

  1. The ordered goods will be delivered to the specified delivery address unless different agreements have been made.
  2. If a payment service provider is used with which a delivery address is stored and through the use of the payment method by the customer the seller is informed of this delivery address as being relevant for the ordered delivery, the goods will be delivered to the different delivery address.
  3. If the customer agrees to pick up the goods, the seller will inform the customer that the goods are ready to be picked up at the agreed pick-up location. Unless otherwise expressly agreed, the customer does not incur any shipping costs.
  4. If the delivery of the goods fails due to the customer's fault despite three delivery attempts, the seller can withdraw from the contract. Any payments made will be refunded to the customer immediately.
  5. If the ordered goods are not available because the seller is not supplied with this product by his supplier through no fault of his own, in particular with regard to ensuring delivery and making all possible and reasonable efforts, the seller can withdraw from the contract. In this case, the seller will inform the customer immediately and, if necessary, suggest delivery of comparable goods. If no comparable goods are available or the customer does not request delivery of comparable goods, the seller will immediately reimburse the customer for any consideration already provided.

10. Cancellation policy

The information on the right of withdrawal for consumers can be found in the seller's cancellation policy.

11. Warranty and liability

  1. The warranty (liability for defects) is determined by statutory provisions, subject to the following regulations.
  2. The seller assumes no liability for the customer's Internet connection, the software and hardware used by the customer, or any disruptions caused by them in the establishment or execution of the contract between the customer and seller.
  3. The seller has unlimited liability for damages if the cause of the damage is due to intent or gross negligence. Furthermore, the seller is liable for the slightly negligent violation of essential obligations, the violation of which jeopardizes the achievement of the purpose of the contract, for the violation of obligations whose fulfillment makes the proper execution of the contract possible in the first place and on whose compliance the customer regularly relies (cardinal obligations) or in Case of agreed guarantee promises. In this case, however, the seller is only liable for foreseeable, contract-typical and expected damage. The seller is not liable for slightly negligent breaches of obligations other than those mentioned above. The above limitations of liability do not apply in the event of injury to life, body or health, for a defect after a guarantee has been given for the quality of the product and for defects that are fraudulently concealed. Liability under the Product Liability Act remains unaffected. To the extent that the seller's liability is excluded or limited, this also applies to the personal liability of employees, representatives and vicarious agents. Otherwise, claims for damages from the customer are excluded. The above liability regulations also apply to the customer's claims for damages within the scope of the seller's statutory warranty.
  4. The restrictions on the warranty and liability obligations as well as shortening of relevant deadlines do not apply to customer claims for damages and reimbursement of expenses, goods that were used for a building in accordance with their normal use and caused its defects, or to existing update obligations in the case of contracts for digital products .

12. Dispute resolution and consumer dispute resolution

  1. The European Commission provides a platform for online dispute resolution (OS), which you can find at https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/ find. Consumers have the opportunity to use this platform to resolve their disputes.
  2. We are neither willing nor obliged to take part in a dispute resolution procedure before a consumer dispute resolution board.

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Cancellation instructions and cancellation form for consumers


“Consumer” within the meaning of this cancellation policy is any natural person who concludes a legal transaction for purposes that cannot be predominantly attributed to either their commercial or independent professional activity.

Right of withdrawal

You have the right to cancel this contract within 14 days without giving reasons.

The cancellation period is 14 days from the day on which you or a third party named by you who is not the carrier took possession of the last goods.

In order to exercise your right of withdrawal, you must contact us (Focus Congo e. V., Orion Boyinkere Rwizibuka, Röntgenstraße 8, 76351 Linkenheim-Hochstetten, email address: info@focuscongo.com, telephone number: +49 157 8803 9268) by means of a a clear statement (e.g. a letter sent by post or an email) about your decision to withdraw from this contract. You can use the attached sample cancellation form, although this is not mandatory.

In order to meet the cancellation period, it is sufficient that you send the notification of your exercise of the right of cancellation before the cancellation period expires.

Consequences of revocation

If you cancel this contract, we will have to pay you all payments we have received from you, including delivery costs (except for additional costs resulting from you choosing a method of delivery other than the cheapest standard delivery offered by us have) to be repaid immediately and at the latest within fourteen days from the day on which we received notification of your cancellation of this contract. For this repayment we use the same payment method that you used for the original transaction, unless something different was expressly agreed with you; under no circumstances will you be charged any fees as a result of this repayment.

We may refuse repayment until we have received the goods back or until you have provided evidence that you have sent the goods back, whichever is the earlier.

You must return or hand over the goods to us immediately and in any case no later than fourteen days from the day on which you notify us of your cancellation of this contract. The deadline is met if you send the goods before the fourteen day period has expired.

You bear the direct costs of returning the goods.

You are only liable for any loss in value of the goods if this loss in value is due to the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.

Sample cancellation form

(If you want to cancel the contract, please fill out this form and send it back.)

At

Focus Congo e. V., Orion Boyinkere Rwizibuka, Röntgenstraße 8, 76351 Linkenheim-Hochstetten, email address: info@focuscongo.com

I/we (*) hereby revoke the contract concluded by me/us (*).

Purchase of the following goods (*)/provision of the following service (*)

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

Ordered on (*) ____________ / received on (*) _________________

_______________________________________________________

Name of the consumer(s)

_______________________________________________________

Address of the consumer(s)

_______________________________________________________

Signature of the consumer(s) (only for paper notification)

_________________________

Date

(*) Delete what is not applicable

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