Privacy.

This is a courtesy translation. The German version is the legally binding one.

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1. Privacy at a glance

The following notes provide a simple overview of what happens to your personal data when you visit this website. Personal data is any data that can be used to identify you personally.

This policy also covers the processing that arises when you call my business number, because an AI-assisted phone assistant answers there whenever I am not available (section 10).

Data processing on this website is carried out by the website operator. You can find the operator’s contact details in the imprint.

Some of your data is collected because you provide it to us, for example data you enter into a contact form. Other data is collected automatically by our IT systems when you visit the website. This is primarily technical data such as your browser, operating system or the time the page was accessed.

You have the right at any time to receive information free of charge about the origin, recipients and purpose of your stored personal data. You also have the right to request the correction or deletion of this data. If you have given consent to data processing, you can withdraw that consent at any time with effect for the future.

2. Hosting and delivery

This website is hosted with an external service provider:

Hetzner Online GmbH
Industriestr. 25
91710 Gunzenhausen
Germany

The personal data collected on this website is stored on the host’s servers. This may include IP addresses, contact requests, meta and communication data, contract data, contact details, names, page accesses and other data generated through a website.

The host is used for the purpose of fulfilling contracts with potential and existing customers (Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR) and in the interest of secure, fast and efficient provision of our online offering by a professional provider (Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR).

Data processing agreement: A data processing agreement under Art. 28 GDPR is in place with the host. It obliges the host to process visitor data only on our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

Content delivery network (Cloudflare)

This website is delivered through the content delivery network of Cloudflare, Inc., 101 Townsend St, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA (“Cloudflare”), represented in the EU by Cloudflare Germany GmbH, Rosenheimer Straße 143C, 81671 Munich.

Purpose: Cloudflare serves the content from the geographically closest data centre and filters out malicious traffic before it reaches the server. That speeds up the site and protects it against denial-of-service attacks.

Data collected: Because every request to this website passes through Cloudflare, Cloudflare processes technical connection data in doing so, in particular your IP address, details of your browser and operating system, the address requested, and the date and time of access.

Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR. The legitimate interest lies in the secure and fast provision of the online offering.

Data processing agreement and transfer to the USA: A data processing agreement under Art. 28 GDPR is in place with Cloudflare. Cloudflare, Inc. is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework; standard contractual clauses under Art. 46 (2) (c) GDPR apply in addition.

Further information at cloudflare.com/privacypolicy.

3. General information and mandatory disclosures

Data protection

The operator of these pages takes the protection of your personal data very seriously. We treat your personal data confidentially and in accordance with statutory data protection regulations and this privacy policy.

When you use this website, various items of personal data are collected. Personal data is data that can be used to identify you personally. This privacy policy explains which data we collect and what we use it for. It also explains how and for what purpose this happens.

Controller

The controller for data processing on this website is:

Tim Rutte
Breill 7
52511 Geilenkirchen
Germany

Phone: +49 (2451) 6123001
Email: [email protected]

Retention period

Unless a more specific retention period is stated within this privacy policy, your personal data remains with us until the purpose for processing it no longer applies. If you make a legitimate request for deletion, or withdraw your consent to processing, your data will be deleted unless we have other legally permissible reasons for storing it. In the latter case, deletion takes place once those reasons cease to apply.

Withdrawing your consent to data processing

Many data processing operations are only possible with your explicit consent. You can withdraw consent you have already given at any time. The lawfulness of the processing carried out up to the point of withdrawal remains unaffected.

Right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority

In the event of breaches of the GDPR, data subjects have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the member state of their habitual residence, place of work or the place of the alleged breach.

4. Data collection on this website

Contact form

If you send us enquiries via the contact form, your details from the enquiry form, including the contact details you provide there, will be stored by us for the purpose of processing the enquiry and in case of follow-up questions. We do not pass this data on without your consent.

This data is processed on the basis of Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR where your enquiry relates to the performance of a contract or is necessary for pre-contractual measures. In all other cases, processing is based on our legitimate interest in the effective handling of enquiries addressed to us (Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR) or on your consent (Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR) where this has been requested.

The data you enter into the contact form remains with us until you ask us to delete it, withdraw your consent to storage, or the purpose for storing it no longer applies. Mandatory statutory provisions, in particular retention periods, remain unaffected.

Server log files

The provider of these pages automatically collects and stores information in what are known as server log files, which your browser transmits to us automatically. These are: browser type and version, operating system used, referrer URL, hostname of the accessing computer, time of the server request and IP address.

This data is not merged with other data sources. It is collected on the basis of Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR.

5. Google Analytics

This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland („Google").

Purpose: Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies to analyse how the website is used and to compile reports on website activity. The information obtained is used to improve the offering continuously.

Legal basis: Processing takes place exclusively on the basis of your explicit consent pursuant to Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR. You can withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future, see „Cookie settings" above.

Data collected: Google Analytics records, among other things, truncated IP addresses (IP anonymization is enabled), page views, session duration, the device and browser used, and the country of origin.

Interactions: In addition to page views, anonymous events about your use of the website are recorded: clicks on the booking link, starting, submitting or failing to submit the contact form, and progress through the system check. Only technical details are transmitted, such as page type, language and the place where the click occurred. Anything you enter into forms or into the system check is not transmitted to Google Analytics.

Data transfer to the USA: Google also processes data on servers in the USA. Google LLC is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (adequacy decision of the EU Commission of 10 July 2023), so an adequate level of data protection is ensured.

Retention period: Usage data is stored in Google Analytics for 14 months and then deleted automatically. Your consent decision is held in your browser’s local storage until you withdraw it.

Opt-out: In addition to withdrawing consent on this page, you can also prevent collection by Google Analytics using the browser add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

Further information on Google’s privacy practices is available at policies.google.com/privacy.

6. Google reCAPTCHA

To protect the forms against automated input, this website uses reCAPTCHA v3 provided by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland („Google").

When it loads: reCAPTCHA is not loaded when you open the page. It loads only once you select a field in the contact form or in the system check. If you only read the page, no connection to Google is made.

Purpose: reCAPTCHA v3 assesses in the background whether an entry comes from a human or from a program. Without it, the forms would be open to automated abuse.

Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR. The legitimate interest lies in preventing spam and abuse. The associated access to your device is based on Section 25 (2) no. 2 TDDDG, as it is necessary for the service you have explicitly requested, namely submitting the form.

Data collected: Google records, among other things, the IP address, details about browser and operating system, time spent and mouse movements, as well as Google cookies already set.

Data transfer to the USA: Google also processes data on servers in the USA. Google LLC is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework; standard contractual clauses pursuant to Art. 46 (2) (c) GDPR apply in addition.

Further information at policies.google.com/privacy and policies.google.com/terms.

7. Slack notifications

Form enquiries and the results of the system check reach me as a Slack notification in addition to email (Slack Technologies Limited, One Park Place, Hatch Street Upper, Dublin 2, Ireland, a Salesforce company).

Purpose and legal basis: handling your enquiry promptly. Processing is based on Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR where it serves to initiate a contractual relationship, otherwise on Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR.

Data transmitted: the details you entered in the form, that is your name, email address and message, or the answers and result of the system check.

Data transfer to the USA: Salesforce is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework; standard contractual clauses apply in addition.

Retention period: notifications are deleted once the enquiry has been handled and no retention obligations apply.

8. System check

The system check is a questionnaire for assessing technical risk. You answer the questions in your browser first; intermediate states are held in your device’s local storage so that you can resume the assessment.

Transmission: your details are only transmitted to me once you request the report at the end. At that point your first name, email address, your answers and the resulting scores are sent to this website’s server.

Purpose: producing and sending the PDF report you requested, and being able to answer your enquiry afterwards.

Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR – processing takes place to carry out pre-contractual measures at your request.

Recipients: the report is sent by email via my mail server; in addition I receive a Slack notification (see above). Your details are not passed on for advertising purposes.

Retention period: your details remain with me until the purpose no longer applies or you request deletion. You can delete the intermediate states stored in your browser at any time by clearing this site’s data.

9. VG WORT counting pixel (METIS)

The articles in this blog contain counting pixels of Verwertungsgesellschaft WORT (VG WORT), Untere Weidenstraße 5, 81543 Munich, Germany. They are loaded from the address met.vgwort.de.

Purpose: The METIS counting method records how often a text is read. That figure is the basis on which authors receive a share of the statutory remuneration for texts published online in Germany.

When it loads: The counting pixel appears only in blog articles, not on the other pages of this website. It loads when the article is opened.

Data collected: The address requested and technical connection data are transmitted. According to VG WORT, IP addresses are processed in anonymized form only: they are transmitted encrypted and shortened automatically without delay. No conclusions about your identity are possible.

Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR. The legitimate interest lies in exercising the statutory remuneration rights for the texts published on this website.

The method has been examined by the Bavarian Data Protection Authority, which found that the information transmitted does not constitute a collection of data relevant under data protection law. Further information at vgwort.de.

10. Phone assistant on the business number

Calls to the business number given in the imprint are answered by an AI-assisted phone assistant whenever I am not available myself. At the start of the call you are told that you are speaking to an AI system.

Purpose: to take down what you need and your contact details, to make a call back or an appointment possible, and to answer questions about my services from the content of this website. Without the assistant the call would end in voicemail.

Data collected: your phone number, the time and duration of the call, and a transcript of the conversation together with whatever is mentioned in it, such as your name, your request and a call back preference. No audio recording is made and none is stored; only the transcript is processed.

Services involved: the telephony connection from Twilio, processed in the EU region; the assistant itself running on a server at Hetzner Online GmbH in Germany (see section 2); and, for understanding and wording the answers, the language models of Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland ("Google") and Mistral AI SAS, France. The content of the conversation is transmitted to those models.

Processing inside the EU: all services involved are configured so that the content of the conversation is processed in data centres within the European Union.

Passed on to me: the summary of the call reaches me as a message in Slack (see section 7) and in my email inbox. It is not passed on for advertising purposes.

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR where the call serves to enter into or perform a contract, otherwise Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The legitimate interest lies in being reachable by phone outside the times when I can pick up myself.

Storage period: transcript and connection data are deleted after twelve months. Sooner if you request deletion and no retention obligations apply.

If you would rather not have an AI system take down your request, hang up and write to me at [email protected] or use the contact form. Nothing is lost to you by doing so.

11. Your rights

You have the right at any time to receive information free of charge about your stored personal data, its origin and recipients, and the purpose of the processing, as well as a right to have this data corrected or deleted. For this and for any further questions on the subject of personal data, you can contact us at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.