Privacy Policy
General Information
Thank you very much for your interest in our business. The institution legally responsible for this internet page and its offerings is KWS Energy Knowledge eG. We have taken technical and organizational measures to make sure that all relevant privacy and IT security regulations are complied with. The following passages will inform you which information we may gather and how we process it.
Protecting your personal data is something we take very seriously, therefore we want you to feel safe with regard to your privacy whenever you visit our internet pages.
As a rule, we use your personal data to respond to your query, to process your order, or to give you access to specific information or offers. You may choose to provide us voluntarily with your personal data when you register, send an inquiry, or similar. There will be no transmission of your data to external third parties unless explicitly specified due to your query or the service/product you order. In such cases, you will be notified accordingly. If you so desire, you may provide us with personal data via apps embedded in our platform, like contact forms or services that require setting up a user account. Conditions other than those outlined in this privacy policy may apply when using such apps, which will be explicitly specified in the framework of supplementary data privacy clauses. Art. 6, Sec. 1 lit. b, GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation) serves as the legal basis for processing personal data required for the fulfillment of a contract to which you are a party. Insofar as processing personal data requires the consent of the parties involved, Art. 6, Sec. 1 lit. a, GDPR serves as the legal basis.
Protocol data and cookies
When you visit our internet page or call up a file, the data created by this process are stored in a protocol file on our internet server. This means that data will be automatically collected and stored during your visit on our internet page and transmitted to us by your browser.
These data comprise:
- The domain name of the internet page from which you came
- The internet page you visited within our product lineup
- The names of the files you called up
- The date and time of your call
- The name of your internet service provider
- Your computer’s operating system and browser version where applicable
- The host name of the accessing computer (IP address)
- Language settings
Collecting these data serves security and statistical purposes as well as optimizing our internet presence. These data are not attributed to specific individuals and not amalgamated with other data sources. The data are stored for six months and subsequently erased except where divulging such data is mandated by law.
Cookies are text files, usually consisting of letters and numbers, which are stored on the user’s computer during their visit to our internet page. Cookies enable us to broaden the scope of functions of our offerings so that our internet content may be designed to maximize user comfort.
So-called session cookies remain on your computer only for the duration of your visit to our internet page. Persistent cookies are stored past your first visit and serve to identify you upon your next visit. Our internet content may also contain cookies from third parties. These cookies are deployed upon viewing contents from third parties embedded in our offerings. You may reject the placement of cookies on your computer by using a respective setting in your browser software. Be advised, however, that you may not be able to fully use all functions of this website in this case.
Minors
Minors should not convey personal data to us without the consent of their parents or custodians. We advise all parents and custodians to instruct their children in the responsible handling of personal data on the internet. We will never intentionally gather personal data from children, use them in any way, or divulge them to third parties unauthorized.
Security
KWS Energy Knowledge eG makes arrangements for the security of your personal data. Your data are safeguarded against loss, destruction, falsification, manipulation, and unauthorized access or disclosure. The transmission of your data from the internet may be unencrypted in part. Therefore, unauthorized access by third parties cannot be fully ruled out.
Links to other internet pages
This internet page contains links to other internet pages. As operator of our internet page, we are only responsible for the contents of our own internet presence. We do not take responsibility for the contents of other providers, which are strictly separate from ours and which we do not make our own. Therefore, our privacy policy does not apply to the internet pages of other content providers even when linked to our internet page. Please notify us in case you detect a relevant violation of this provision. If necessary, the link will then be removed following an investigation.
For more information on the use of data for advertising by Google, settings and right of objection options, visit Google’s websites http://www.google.com/policies/technologies/ads, http://www.google.de/settings/ads, http://www.google.com/ads/preferences/.
By using this website, you consent to the processing of your data by Google in the manner described and for the purpose identified above.
Media platform for instruction materials
If you want to use our materials as e-books, log onto our media platform. An open source software tool called Matomo, formerly known as PIWIK, will be employed for the analysis of user behavior on the so-called bookshelf and when reading online.
For such users, Matomo is applied in an atypical manner because it does not use cookies. Instead, it is utilized as a log system in order to store personal data specified under “Protocol Data and Cookies”. This storage is necessary to prevent any misuse of the solution and to avert potential damage.
The software runs exclusively on the website’s servers. Any storage of personal user data takes place only there. Data are not passed on to third parties.
Your rights
You have the right to know at any time and free of charge which personal data of yours are being stored. You may also revoke the processing or use of your data unless this runs counter to the relevant purpose (e.g. a contractual agreement). Moreover, you may claim your rights vis-à-vis KWS to block, erase, and amend your personal data. Contact us at
Google Analytics
This website uses Google Analytics, a web analysis service of Google Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics employs so-called cookies, text files that are stored on your computer and facilitate an analysis of your use of the website. As a rule, the cookie-generated information about your use of this website will be transmitted to a Google server in the U.S.A. and stored there. If you choose to activate the IP anonymization on this website, your IP address will be abbreviated by Google beforehand in EU member states or in other signatories of the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement.
Only on rare occasions will your complete IP address be transmitted to a Google server in the U.S.A. and abbreviated there. By request of the operator of this website, Google will use this information to evaluate your use of the website, to compile reports on website activities, and to provide other services related to website usage and internet usage vis-à-vis the website operator. The IP address transmitted by your browser through Google Analytics will not be amalgamated with other Google data.
You may prevent storage of cookies by selecting the respective setting of your browser software. Be advised, however, that you may not be able to fully use all functions of this website in this case. You may also prevent the acquisition of data (including your IP address) created by cookies and related to your use of the website by downloading and installing available browser plug-ins at the following link: tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
For more information, go to tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout or www.google.com/intl/de/analytics/privacyoverview.html (general information on Google Analytics and data privacy). Be advised that Google Analytics has been supplemented by the „gat._anonymizeIp();“ code on this website in order to enable an anonymized acquisition of IP addresses (so-called IP masking).
Newsletter
When you subscribe to our newsletter, your data on the respective input form will be transmitted to the individuals responsible for processing these data. Upon subscribing to the newsletter, the user’s IP address as well as the time and date of registration are stored. This serves to prevent any misuse of the services or the email address of the individual involved. Data will not be divulged to third parties except where mandated by law.
Data will be used exclusively for mailing the newsletter. The subscription may be canceled by the respective subscriber at any time. The permission to store the subscriber’s personal data may also be revoked at any time. A link for this purpose is included in every newsletter.
The evolution of the internet shapes our privacy strategy. Any relevant changes will be posted on this page.
Thank you very much for your attention.