Privacy Policy

Below you will find the information required under Articles 13 and 14 of the General Data Protection Regulation (‘GDPR’) regarding the processing of your personal data when you visit (hereinafter referred to as “you” or “your”) of our websites www.kostal-industrie-elektrik.com, kostal.clickmeeting.com, www.kostal-drives-technology.com, www.kostal-electronic-solutions.com (hereinafter referred to as the “website”) by KOSTAL Industrie Elektrik GmbH & Co. KG (hereinafter referred to as “we” or “us”).

 

A. Data controller and data protection officer

KOSTAL Industrie Elektrik GmbH & Co. KG, An der Bellmerei 10, 58513 Lüdenscheid, info-industrie@kos-tal.com, Telephone: +49 2331 8040 – 800.
Data Protection Officer for the KOSTAL Group, An der Bellmerei 10, 58513 Lüdenscheid, datenschutz@kostal.com.

 

B. Information on the processing of personal data

Below you will find information on the processing of your personal data for the purposes set out in more detail there, as well as, amongst other things, the legal basis for the processing. Where a ‘balancing of interests’ is stated as the legal basis for processing, you may request further information on this balancing of interests from us using the contact details provided in Section A.

 

I. Use of the website

1. Informational use of the website

When you visit our website, we process the IP address of your device for technical reasons, i.e. to be able to display the website at all. Without you providing this information, we cannot make the website content you have accessed available to you.

Furthermore, to protect our IT infrastructure, we process the IP address of your device, the type and version of the web browser you are using, information about your device’s operating system, information on the pages accessed, the previously visited page (referrer URL), as well as the date and time of the visit, and store this information in so-called log files.
The legal basis for this processing is the balancing of interests (Article 6(1), first sentence, point (f) of the GDPR). Our legitimate interest lies in providing the website content accessed by the user and in protecting the IT infrastructure used to provide the website, in particular to identify, rectify and document, for the purposes of preserving evidence, any disruptions (e.g. DDoS attacks). You may request further information regarding this balancing of interests from us using the contact details provided in Section A.

The recipient of this data is our hosting provider, Microsoft Azure, which acts as a data processor on our behalf. Another recipient is PSV NEO GMBH, which also acts as a data processor and is responsible for the development, maintenance and upkeep of the website.

We generally store this personal data in the log files for thirty (30) days. In the event of a security-related incident (e.g. an attack), we will store the log files for a longer period until the security-related incident has been resolved and fully investigated.

 

2. Typo3

To provide this website, we use the Typo3 web content management system, which provides analytics functions for analysing browsing behaviour. To this end, information generated by cookies regarding the use of this website is collected and stored in a database on a server belonging to a service provider contracted by us. The data collected is anonymised by technical measures (e.g. by deleting the last digits of the IP address), including the anonymised IP address (anonymisation is achieved by deleting the last digit).

The legal basis for the use of Typo3 is the balancing of interests under Article 6(1), first sentence, point (f) of the GDPR. Our legitimate interest is the provision of the website content accessed by the user, as well as the protection of the IT infrastructure used to provide the website. 

You can prevent the installation of cookies by adjusting the settings in your browser software accordingly. This is described in Section D.II. However, we would like to point out that this may mean that you are unable to make full use of all the functions of this website.

The recipient of this data is our hosting provider, Microsoft Azure, which acts as a data processor on our behalf.

We generally store this personal data in the log files for thirty (30) days. In the event of a security-related incident (e.g. an attack), we will retain the log files for a longer period until the security-related incident has been resolved and fully investigated.

 

3. Usercentrics

We use the Usercentrics Consent Manager to manage your consents, any withdrawals of consent and objections to the use of cookies.

Data processing in this context is carried out to manage users’ decisions regarding cookies (consent, withdrawal, opt-out) and to ensure the security of the application.

The data processed includes the IP address of your device, the type and version of the web browser you are using, information about your device’s operating system, information about the pages accessed, the previously visited page (referrer URL), and the date and time of access. In addition, the user’s decision regarding individual cookies or groups of cookies is stored at the time the decision is made and during the last visit.

The legal basis for the processing is the balancing of interests (Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR). Our legitimate interest here lies in the simple and reliable management of cookies.
The recipient of the data is Usercentrics GmbH, which acts on our behalf as our data processor.

We store the data for a period of 6 months. The withdrawal of previously given consent is retained for three years (accountability). Server log data is anonymised before storage. 

Please note that it is not possible to use the website without the transmission of personal data, such as the IP address. No automated decision-making takes place regarding consent to the use of cookies.

 

II. Use of the contact form

If you contact us via our contact form regarding an enquiry, we will process your contact details and the details of your enquiry for the purpose of dealing with your enquiry. This data typically includes your name, the name of any company you may work for, your role within the company, the nature of your enquiry, address details and telephone numbers, as well as any arrangements made with you. You are not obliged to provide this data. However, without this data, we cannot deal with your enquiry properly. Fields that are mandatory for using the contact form are marked with an asterisk (*).
If you are a prospective customer or a customer yourself, the legal basis for the processing is the implementation of pre-contractual measures at your request or the performance of a contract with you (Article 6(1), first sentence, point (b) of the GDPR). If you are acting not on your own behalf but – for example, as an employee – on behalf of a legal entity, the legal basis for the processing is the balancing of interests (Article 6(1), first sentence, point (f) of the GDPR). In this case, our legitimate interest lies in processing the enquiries you have submitted.

The recipient of this data is PSV NEO GmbH, which also acts as a data processor and is commissioned with the development, maintenance and upkeep of the website. Furthermore, a copy of the information entered in the contact form is stored by Leopold Kostal GmbH & Co. KG, which also acts as a data processor on our behalf.

We store this data for the duration of the processing of your enquiry and thereafter for the duration of the statutory retention periods (Section 257 of the German Commercial Code (HGB) and Section 147 of the German Fiscal Code (AO)). This currently amounts to six (6) years for commercial correspondence and ten (10) years for supporting documents, in each case from the end of the calendar year in which the commercial correspondence was received or sent, or in which the accounting document was created. The legal basis for this further retention is compliance with our legal obligation (Article 6(1), first sentence, point (c) of the GDPR).

 

III. Subscription to the email newsletter

If you subscribe to our newsletter, we will process your name, email address, your selected customer group, company name, street, house number, postcode, town and the country you are from for the purpose of sending you the newsletter. The legal basis for this processing is the double opt-in
consent you have given (Article 6(1), first sentence, point (a) of the GDPR). You are not obliged to provide this data. Without this data, we will be unable to include you in future newsletter mailings.
Upon receipt of your newsletter subscription, the recipient of this personal data is our data processor, the service provider Inxmail GmbH. The data is stored by Leopold Kostal GmbH & Co. KG.
The legal basis for this processing is the balancing of interests. The legitimate interest we pursue in this context is our interest in optimising our newsletter (Article 6(1), first sentence, point (f) of the GDPR).

 

IV. Use of the email newsletter

If you have subscribed to our newsletter, we process your name and your email address for the purpose of sending you the newsletter. The legal basis for this processing is the consent you have given (Article 6(1), first sentence, point (a) of the GDPR). You are not obliged to provide this data. However, without this data, we cannot send you the newsletter.

The recipient of this personal data is our service provider, Inxmail GmbH, which acts as a data processor and is commissioned to send the newsletter.

We will store this data until you withdraw your consent or otherwise unsubscribe from the newsletter, and in order to safeguard our legitimate interest in proving that consent was originally given and that your withdrawal has been complied with, based on the balancing of interests (Article 6(1), first sentence, point (f) of the GDPR) for a period of 3 years from receipt of your withdrawal.

In addition, we record when you open the email containing the newsletter in order to better understand our subscribers’ interest in the newsletter and to optimise it, and we store this data in aggregated form. The legal basis for this processing is the balancing of interests. The legitimate interest we pursue in this context is our interest in optimising our newsletter (Article 6(1), first sentence, point (f) of the GDPR).

 

V. Customer bonus scheme

If we have promised to award you a bonus upon reaching certain turnover targets, we process your contact details, agreements regarding bonuses and information about the transactions you have carried out with us and the turnover achieved in this context, in order to verify whether the targets have been met and to award the bonus. The legal basis for the processing is the performance of the contract with you (Article 6(1), first sentence, point (b) of the GDPR). If we have concluded the bonus agreement not with you but with a company you represent, the legal basis for the processing of your personal data in this context is the balancing of interests (Article 6(1), first sentence, point (f) of the GDPR). The legitimate interest we pursue in this regard is the fulfilment of the bonus agreement with the company. The provision of this data is necessary for the conclusion and implementation of the bonus agreement; without this data, we cannot verify whether targets have been met and whether you are entitled to the bonus.
The recipient of the sales information is Leopold Kostal GmbH & Co. KG, which, as a joint controller with us, operates the KOSTAL Group’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. The legal basis for this transfer is the balancing of interests. Our legitimate interest lies in the use of a central ERP system of the KOSTAL Group for the efficient handling of our internal processes (Article 6(1), first sentence, point (f) of the GDPR). Leopold Kostal GmbH & Co. KG is responsible for the security and operation of the ERP system. Furthermore, both we and Leopold Kostal GmbH & Co. KG are responsible for ensuring compliance with the data subjects’ rights set out in Section E. You may exercise these rights both with Leopold Kostal GmbH & Co. KG and with us at the address specified in Section A.

We store this data until the bonus agreement has been fulfilled and thereafter for the duration of the applicable statutory retention periods (Section 257 of the German Commercial Code (HGB) and Section 147 of the German Fiscal Code (AO)). This currently amounts to 6 years for commercial correspondence and 10 years for supporting documents, in each case from the end of the calendar year in which the commercial correspondence was received or sent, or in which the accounting document was created. The legal basis for this further retention is compliance with our legal obligation (Article 6(1), first sentence, point (c) of the GDPR).

 

VI. Job Vacancies

You will also find links to job vacancies on the website. These links lead to an external website, which is subject to its own privacy policy. You can find this here.

 

VII. Surveys and competitions

If you take part in one of our surveys, we use your data for market and opinion research. In doing so, we collect data such as your name, company, field of activity and position. We require this information to enable us to further improve our products and services in the future and tailor them to the needs of our customers. We generally analyse the data for internal purposes. Where surveys are not analysed anonymously, the data is collected exclusively with your consent. The GDPR does not apply to anonymous surveys, and for analyses involving personal data, the legal basis is the aforementioned consent pursuant to Article 6(1), first sentence, point (a) of the GDPR.

In the context of prize draws and promotions, such as gift campaigns, we use your data for the purpose of conducting the prize draw and notifying winners, or for carrying out the promotion. Where applicable, you will find detailed information in the terms and conditions for the respective prize draw. The legal basis for the processing is the prize draw contract or the contract governing participation in the promotion in accordance with Article 6(1), first sentence, point (b) of the GDPR.

We store this data for the duration of the processing of your enquiry and, thereafter, where necessary, for the duration of the statutory retention periods (Section 257 of the German Commercial Code (HGB) and Section 147 of the German Fiscal Code (AO)). This currently amounts to six (6) years for commercial correspondence and ten (10) years for supporting documents, in each case from the end of the calendar year in which the commercial correspondence was received or sent, or in which the accounting document was created. The legal basis for this extended retention is compliance with our legal obligation (Article 6(1), first sentence, point (c) of the GDPR).

Your personal data will not be disclosed to third parties for purposes other than those listed below.

We will only disclose your personal data to third parties if:

• you have given your explicit consent in accordance with Article 6(1), first sentence, point (a) of the GDPR,
• the disclosure is necessary, pursuant to Article 6(1), first sentence, point (f) of the GDPR, for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, and there is no reason to assume that you have an overriding legitimate interest in the non-disclosure of your data,
• where there is a legal obligation to disclose the data under Article 6(1), first sentence, point (c) of the GDPR, or
• this is permitted by law and necessary under Article 6(1), first sentence, point (b) of the GDPR for the performance of contractual relationships with you.

Some of the data processing may be carried out by our service providers. In addition to the service providers mentioned in this privacy policy, these may include, in particular, marketing agencies and consultancy firms, data centres that host our website and databases, and IT service providers that maintain our systems. Data may also be transferred within our group of companies. Where we transfer data to our service providers, they may use the data solely for the purpose of fulfilling their tasks. We have carefully selected and commissioned these service providers. They are contractually bound by our instructions, have appropriate technical and organisational measures in place to protect the rights of data subjects, and are regularly monitored by us.

Furthermore, data may be disclosed in connection with requests from public authorities, court orders and legal proceedings where this is necessary for the pursuit or enforcement of legal claims.

a) Email marketing service providers
We use the provider Inxmail GmbH, Wentzingerstr. 17, 79106 Freiburg to carry out our email marketing. To this end, we pass on your master data (name, address, email address and, where applicable, company, customer group, telephone number, website) as well as your registration data (IP address, permission, date of registration) to them. The legal basis for this is Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR, based on our legitimate interest in the efficient implementation of product advertising and customer communication, the provision of information and working materials, lead generation and lead qualification. Further information can be found in the privacy policy of Inxmail GmbH (https://www.inxmail.de/datenschutz).

b) Website marketing service provider
We use the services of the marketing provider kostal design GmbH & Co. KG, Spichernstraße 4, 50672 Cologne, to provide our website and its associated functions. To this end, it is sometimes necessary to pass on your personal and usage data to this provider. The legal basis for this is Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR, based on our legitimate interest in providing an attractive and useful
website to represent our company, promote our products and provide customer information. Further information on data protection can be found in the privacy policy of kostal design GmbH & Co. KG, Spichernstraße 4, 50672 Cologne. (https://www.kostaldesign.com/datenschutz/)

 

VIII. Analysis of website behaviour using

1. Analysis of website behaviour using Google Analytics

If you have given your consent to this, we use the web analytics technology ‘Google Analytics’ to record and analyse usage behaviour on our website by means of cookies (see Section D). Google Analytics is a service provided by Google LLC (‘Google’), which is based in the USA. The personal data collected using this cookie includes your IP address, as well as information about the sub-pages you have visited, the duration of your visit, the website from which you accessed our website, and the page you visit after leaving our website. There is no obligation to provide this data. If you do not provide this data, we will be unable to measure our website audience.

The processing serves to optimise the website by analysing your usage behaviour on our website. For example, by analysing the frequency with which sub-pages are accessed, we can identify which content is of particular interest to visitors to our site and which content, for instance, might need to be positioned differently in order to attract visitors’ attention.

It is technically necessary for your full IP address to be transmitted to Google. However, we have implemented what is known as IP anonymisation. This means that your address is truncated immediately after being transmitted to Google, our data processor, and is not stored by Google. It is therefore no longer possible to trace the data back to the user of the device. In the event that personal data is transferred to the USA, we have entered into standard contractual clauses with Google.

On the basis of this truncated IP address and the information contained in the cookies, Google compiles the aforementioned analysis of usage behaviour on our website for us. As a general rule, it is not possible for us to identify you as an individual from these usage profiles. We do not know which pseudonym has been assigned to you. Consequently, we are generally unable to identify, on the basis of the Google Analytics usage profiles, which specific actions you have carried out on the website.

The legal basis for this processing – including the setting and reading of cookies – is your separate consent (Article 6(1), first sentence, point (a) of the GDPR). You may withdraw this consent by deleting the cookies. This is described in Section D.II.

The data described in this Section B.VIII may be transferred to Google in the USA; in this case, we have entered into standard contractual clauses with Google. Under EU data protection law, the USA is not considered a safe third country. Please note that US companies are obliged to disclose personal data to security authorities, and you, as the data subject, would not be able to take legal action against this.
We have no control over this processing activity, and it cannot be ruled out that US authorities (e.g. intelligence services) may process, analyse and permanently store your data held on US servers for surveillance purposes.
Further information on this can be found in the Google Analytics privacy policy: support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245.
We store the usage profiles for twenty-six (26) months.

2. Google Analytics 4

Provided you have given your consent, the website uses the web analytics service Google Analytics 4, which is provided to users in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, and for all other users by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA (‘Google’). We integrate Google Analytics 4 via Google Tag Manager. If you have not consented to the use of these analytics tools, your data will not be collected via Google Analytics 4.

Google Analytics 4 uses JavaScript and pixels to read information from your device, as well as cookies to store information on your device. This is used to analyse your usage behaviour and to improve our website. The access data is aggregated by Google on our behalf into pseudonymous usage profiles and transferred to a Google server in the USA. We will process the information obtained to evaluate your use of the website and to compile reports on website activity.

As part of this analysis, Google Analytics 4 also uses artificial intelligence, such as machine learning, to automatically analyse and enrich the data. For example, Google Analytics 4 models conversions where there is insufficient data available to optimise the analysis and reports. You can find further information on this in the relevant Google documentation. Data analysis is carried out automatically using artificial intelligence or on the basis of specific, individually defined criteria. You can find more information on this in the relevant Google documentation.

The data collected as part of the usage analysis by Google Analytics 4 is enriched with data from Google Search Console and linked to data from Google Ads, in particular to measure the success of our advertising campaigns (so-called ‘conversions’).

Data processed: Google Analytics 4 may process the following data:

• IP address;
• User ID and device ID;
• Referrer URL (previously visited page);
• pages visited (date, time, URL, title, duration of visit);
• files downloaded;
• links clicked to other websites;
• Achievement of specific goals (conversions);
• technical information (operating system; browser type, version and language; device type, make, model and resolution);
• approximate location (country, region and, where applicable, city, based on an anonymised IP address).

Privacy settings: We have configured the following privacy settings in Google Analytics 4:

• IP address anonymisation;
• advertising functionality disabled;
• personalised advertising disabled;
• remarketing disabled;
• Retention period of 2 months (and no reset of the retention period upon new activity);
• Cross-device and cross-site tracking disabled (Google Signals);
• data sharing disabled (in particular Google products and services, benchmarking, technical support, account specialist).

We have entered into a data processing agreement with Google Ireland Limited for the use of Google Analytics 4. In the event that personal data is transferred from Google Ireland Limited to the USA, Google Ireland Limited and Google LLC have entered into standard contractual clauses (Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/914, Module 3) in accordance with Article 46(2)(c) of the GDPR. In addition, we also obtain your explicit consent for the transfer of your data to third countries in accordance with Article 49(1)(a) of the GDPR.

Further information on Google Analytics 4 can be found in Google’s privacy policy and in the Google Analytics privacy notice. Further information on the cookies used by Google Analytics 4 can also be found in Google’s documentation.

 

3. Plausible Analytics

The website uses Plausible Analytics. The provider is Plausible Insights OÜ, Västriku tn 2, 50403, Tartu, Estonia.
Plausible Analytics is a web analytics tool that provides us with anonymised information about the use of our website. We use the insights gained to optimise our content and services accordingly. Plausible Analytics collects the following data: page URL, HTTP request, HTTP referrer, browser, operating system, device type and IP address. The HTTP request and IP address are stored in a hash for 24 hours; within this period, a user can be recognised if they return to the website. It is not possible to identify the individual; Plausible Analytics does not set any cookies and does not store any information in users’ browsers. Plausible Analytics acts as a data processor on our behalf and processes the data only in accordance with our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

Plausible Analytics is integrated on the basis of our interest in analysing the usage of our website statistically. This constitutes a legitimate interest within the meaning of Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR. Further information on the handling of user data can be found in Plausible Analytics’ privacy policy: plausible.io/privacy and plausible.io/data-policy.

4. Google DoubleClick (Floodlight)

This website uses Google DoubleClick cookies (Floodlight). DoubleClick is a service provided to users in the European Economic Area and Switzerland by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, and to all other users by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA (collectively ‘Google’). Cookies are small text files stored in a user’s browser. These are used to analyse the use of this website. The data collected is analysed solely for statistical purposes and in anonymised form. In doing so, a pseudonymous identification number (ID) is assigned to your browser. DoubleClick cookies do not contain any personal data. As a general rule, we are unable to draw any conclusions about you as an individual from these usage profiles. We do not know which pseudonym has been assigned to you. Consequently, based on the usage profiles from Google DoubleClick, we are generally unable to identify which specific actions you have carried out on the website.

We use Google Syndication to store and load advert content and other resources related to DoubleClick adverts from the Google CDN.
The legal basis for this processing – including the setting and reading of cookies – is your separate consent (Article 6(1), first sentence, point (a) of the GDPR). You may withdraw this consent by deleting the cookies. This is described in Section D.II.

You can prevent the use of DoubleClick cookies by downloading and installing the browser plug-in available at the following link under the heading ‘DoubleClick Opt-out Extension’. Alternatively, you can deactivate DoubleClick cookies on the Digital Advertising website via the following link (http://optout.aboutads.info/?c=2&lang=EN).

The data described in this Section B.VIII may be transferred to Google in the USA; in this case, we have entered into standard contractual clauses with Google. Under EU data protection law, the USA is not considered a safe third country. Please note that US companies are obliged to disclose personal data to security authorities without you, as the data subject, being able to take legal action against this. Further information on this can be found in Google’s privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/?hl=de.

 

5. Google Ads Conversion Tracking and Ads Remarketing (formerly AdWords)

This website uses the ‘Google Ads’ service, which is provided to users in the European Economic Area and Switzerland by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, and to all other users by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA (collectively ‘Google’).
With Google Ads, customer actions defined by us (such as clicking on an advert, page views or downloads) are recorded and analysed using ‘Google Ads Conversion Tracking’. We use ‘Google Ads Remarketing’ to display personalised advertising messages for our products on Google’s partner websites.
The adverts are delivered by Google via so-called ‘ad servers’. To this end, we use ad server cookies, which enable certain performance metrics – such as the display of adverts or clicks by users – to be measured. If you access our website via a Google advert, Google Ads will store a cookie on your device.

These cookies usually expire after 30 days and are not intended to identify you personally. The data typically stored in connection with this cookie includes the unique cookie ID, the number of ad impressions per placement (frequency), the last impression (relevant for post-view conversions) and opt-out information (indicating that the user no longer wishes to be targeted).

The cookies enable Google to recognise your web browser. If a user visits certain pages on an Ads client’s website and the cookie stored on their computer has not yet expired, Google and the client can recognise that the user clicked on the advert and was redirected to that page. Each Ads client is assigned a different cookie. Cookies cannot therefore be tracked across the websites of Ads clients.
We do not collect any personal data in this context and, like Google, we only receive statistical analyses which enable us to identify which advertising measures are effective. We do not receive any further data; in particular, we are unable to identify the user.

It is technically necessary for your browser to automatically establish a direct connection with Google’s server. We have no influence over the scope or further use of the data collected by Google through the use of this tool.

To the best of our knowledge, through the integration of Ads Conversion, Google receives the information that you have accessed the relevant section of our website or clicked on one of our adverts. If you are registered with a Google service, Google may associate the visit with your account. Even if you are not registered with Google or have not logged in, it is possible that the provider may obtain and store your IP address.

The legal basis for this processing – including the setting and reading of cookies – is your separate consent (Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR). You can prevent participation in this tracking process in various ways: a) by adjusting the settings in your browser software; in particular, blocking third-party cookies will mean that you do not receive adverts from third-party providers; b) by installing the plug-in provided by Google via the following link: www.google.com/settings/ads/plugin; c) by disabling interest-based adverts from providers participating in the ‘About Ads’ self-regulatory campaign via the link www.aboutads.info/choices, although this setting will be reset; d) by permanently disabling this feature in your Firefox, Internet Explorer or Google Chrome browsers via the link www.google.com/settings/ads/plugin, e) by adjusting your cookie settings accordingly. You may withdraw any consent you have given by deleting the cookies. This is described in Section D.II

The data described in this Section B.VIII may be transferred to Google in the USA; in this case, we have entered into standard contractual clauses with Google. Under EU data protection law, the USA is not considered a safe third country. Please note that US companies are obliged to disclose personal data to security authorities, and you, as the data subject, would not be able to take legal action against this.

We have no influence over this processing activity, and it cannot be ruled out that US authorities (e.g. intelligence services) may process your data stored on US servers for surveillance purposes.

 

6. LinkedIn Pixel (Insight Tag)

This website uses the LinkedIn Insight Tag. The provider of this service is LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Plaza, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland.
The LinkedIn Insight Tag enables us to obtain information about visitors to our website. If a website visitor is registered with LinkedIn, we can, amongst other things, analyse the key professional details (e.g. career level, company size, country, location, sector and job title) of our website visitors and thus better tailor our site to the respective target groups. Furthermore, with the help of LinkedIn Insight Tags, we can measure whether visitors to our website make a purchase or take any other action (conversion tracking). Conversion tracking can also be carried out across devices (e.g. from a PC to a tablet). LinkedIn Insight Tag also offers a retargeting function, which enables us to display targeted adverts to visitors to our website outside the website; according to LinkedIn, this does not involve the identification of the person receiving the advert.

LinkedIn itself also collects so-called log files (URL, referrer URL, IP address, device and browser characteristics, and time of access). IP addresses are truncated or (if used to reach LinkedIn members across devices) hashed (pseudonymised). The direct identifiers of LinkedIn members are deleted by LinkedIn after seven days. The remaining pseudonymised data is then deleted within 180 days.

As the website operator, we are unable to link the data collected by LinkedIn to specific individuals. LinkedIn will store the personal data collected from website visitors on its servers in the USA and use it for its own advertising purposes. For further details, please refer to LinkedIn’s privacy policy at https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy#choices-oblig.

The use of the LinkedIn plugin is based on your consent in accordance with Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR; this consent may be withdrawn at any time. Access to and storage of information on the end device is based on the implementing legislation of the ePrivacy Directive in EU Member States; in Germany, this is in accordance with Section 25(1) of the TTDSG. The transfer of your data to the USA and other third countries is based on your explicit consent in accordance with Article 49(1)(a) of the GDPR.

Data transfers to the USA are based on the EU Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses. Further details can be found here: www.linkedin.com/legal/l/dpa and https://www.linkedin.com/legal/l/eu-sccs.

You can object to the analysis of usage behaviour and targeted advertising by LinkedIn via the following link: https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/guest-controls/retargeting-opt-out.

Furthermore, LinkedIn members can control the use of their personal data for advertising purposes in their account settings. To prevent LinkedIn from linking data collected on our website to your LinkedIn account, you must log out of your LinkedIn account before visiting our website.

We have entered into a data processing agreement (DPA) with the aforementioned provider. This is a contract required under data protection law, which ensures that the provider processes the personal data of our website visitors only in accordance with our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

 

IX. Presence on social media

We maintain an online presence on social media platforms. We use these platforms to inform our customers and prospective clients about our products and services, and also to communicate with users on these platforms. As a rule, users’ data is used by social media platforms for market research and advertising purposes. We would like to point out that user data may also be transferred outside the EEA in this context. We have no influence over this processing activity. This data is normally stored using cookies. Based on these usage profiles, advertisements are then displayed, for example, within the social media platforms as well as on third-party websites.
As part of the operation of our online platforms, we may have access to information such as statistics on the use of our online platforms, which are provided by the social media platforms. These statistics are aggregated and may include, in particular, demographic information and data on interaction with our online presence and the posts and content published via it. Please refer to the list below for details and links to the data from social networks to which we, as operators of the online presence, have access.
The legal basis for the processing is the balancing of interests (Article 6(1), first sentence, point (f) of the GDPR). The legitimate interest lies in effective communication with users and the analysis of user behaviour. In addition, the legal basis is Article 6(1), first sentence, point (b) of the GDPR, as we maintain contact with our customers via these platforms and, where applicable, carry out pre-contractual measures with prospective customers.
Information regarding stored data and the exercise of users’ rights can be obtained directly from the service provider or asserted with them. For a more detailed description of the data processing activities and options for objecting, please refer to the following information provided by the service provider:
Please consult the privacy policy of the respective social network for the legal basis of the data processing carried out by the social networks under their own responsibility. Information regarding stored data and the exercise of user rights can be obtained or asserted directly from the service provider. The links below also provide further information on the respective data processing activities and the options for objecting.

• Instagram (Facebook Ireland Ltd., 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland): Privacy policy: https://help.instagram.com/519522125107875;
• Google/YouTube (Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland): Privacy policy: policies.google.com/privacy; Opt-out: https://www.google.com/settings/ads;
• LinkedIn (LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland): Operation of the LinkedIn company page under joint responsibility on the basis of an agreement on the joint processing of personal data (known as the ‘Page Insights Joint Controller Addendum’): legal.linkedin.com/pa-ges-joint-controller-addendum; Information on the Page Insights data processed and how to contact us regarding data protection enquiries: legal.linkedin.com/pages-joint-controller-addendum; Privacy policy: www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy; Opt-out: https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/gu-est-controls/retargeting-opt-out;
• Facebook (Agreement on joint responsibility for the processing of personal data (https://de-de.facebook.com/legal/technology_terms)

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X. Registration for webinars / training courses

KOSTAL Industrie Elektrik GmbH & Co. KG provides the Online Academy via the provider Clickmeeting at the web address .click-meeting.com. The website is used to organise and run webinars on the products of KOSTAL Industrie Elektrik GmbH & Co. KG. If you register for one of the webinars via this web address, we will process your contact details and other information for the purpose of running the webinar.

This data typically includes your name, the name of the company you may work for, your role within the company, the title of the webinar, address details and telephone numbers, as well as any arrangements made with you. You are not obliged to provide this data. However, without this data, we cannot guarantee your participation in the webinar. Fields that are mandatory for using the contact form are marked with an asterisk (*).

The recipient of this data is Clickmeeting, which acts as our data processor and is responsible for the development, maintenance and upkeep of the website. The recipients of this data are Leopold Kostal GmbH & Co. KG, which, as our data processor, operates the customer relationship management system (CRM system) on our behalf, as well as CAS Software AG, which, as a data processor, is responsible for maintaining the CRM system.

We store this data for the purpose of organising the webinar and thereafter for the duration of the statutory retention periods (Section 257 of the German Commercial Code (HGB) and Section 147 of the German Fiscal Code (AO)). This currently amounts to six (6) years for commercial correspondence and ten (10) years for supporting documents, in each case from the end of the calendar year in which the commercial correspondence was received or sent, or in which the accounting document was created. The legal basis for this extended retention period is compliance with our legal obligation (Article 6(1), first sentence, point (c) of the GDPR).