Privacy policy

1. Data protection at a glance

General information

The following information provides 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 personally identify you. For detailed information on the subject of data protection, please refer to our data protection declaration listed below this text.

Data collection on this website

Who is responsible for data collection on this website?

Data processing on this website is carried out by the website operator. You can find their contact details in the section “Information on the responsible party” in this data protection declaration.

How do we collect your data?

On the one hand, your data is collected because you provide it to us. This may, for example, be data that you enter in a contact form.

Other data is collected automatically, or after you have given your consent, when you visit the website through our IT systems. This is primarily technical data (e.g. internet browser, operating system, or the time the page was accessed). This data is collected automatically as soon as you enter this website.

What do we use your data for?

Some of the data is collected to ensure that the website is provided without errors. Other data may be used to analyse your user behaviour. Insofar as contracts can be concluded or initiated via the website, the transmitted data will also be processed for contract offers, orders or other requests for services.

What rights do you have regarding your data?

You have the right, at any time, to receive information free of charge about the origin, recipient 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 your consent to data processing, you can revoke this consent at any time for the future. You also have the right, under certain circumstances, to request that the processing of your personal data be restricted. Furthermore, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.

You may contact us at any time regarding this and any other questions about data protection.

Analysis tools and third-party tools

When you visit this website, your surfing behaviour may be statistically analysed. This is done primarily using so-called analysis programs.

Detailed information on these analysis programs can be found in the following data protection declaration.

2. Hosting

We host the content of our website with the following provider:

External hosting

This website is hosted externally. The personal data collected on this website is stored on the servers of the host(s). This may include, in particular, IP addresses, contact requests, meta and communication data, contract data, contact details, names, website access data and other data generated via a website.

External hosting is carried out for the purpose of fulfilling contracts with our potential and existing customers (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) and in the interest of a secure, fast and efficient provision of our online services by a professional provider (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). Where appropriate consent has been requested, processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and Section 25(1) TDDDG, insofar as the consent includes the storage of cookies or access to information in the user's terminal device (e.g. device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TDDDG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

Our host(s) will only process your data to the extent necessary to fulfil their contractual obligations and will follow our instructions with regard to this data.

We use the following host(s):

pirobase imperia GmbH
Sechtemer Straße 5
50968 Köln

Data processing agreement

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) for the use of the above-mentioned service. This is a contract required by data protection law which ensures that the provider only processes the personal data of our website visitors in accordance with our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

3. General information and mandatory information

Data protection

The operators of these pages take the protection of your personal data very seriously. We treat your personal data confidentially and in accordance with the statutory data protection regulations and this data protection declaration.

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

Please note that data transmission over the internet (e.g. when communicating by e-mail) may be subject to security vulnerabilities. Complete protection of data against access by third parties is not possible.

Information on the responsible party

The party responsible for data processing on this website is:

Oberbergischer Kreis
Der Landrat
Klaus Grootens
Moltkestraße 42
51643 Gummersbach

Main telephone: 02261 88-0
Fax: 02261 88-1033
E-mail: mail@obk.de

The responsible party is the natural or legal person who, alone or jointly with others, decides on the purposes and means of processing personal data (e.g. names, e-mail addresses, etc.).

Storage period

Unless a more specific storage period has been specified within this data protection declaration, your personal data will remain with us until the purpose for the data processing no longer applies. If you assert a legitimate request for deletion or revoke your consent to data processing, your data will be deleted, unless we have other legally permissible reasons for storing your personal data (e.g. retention periods under tax or commercial law); in the latter case, deletion will take place after these reasons cease to apply.

General information on the legal basis for data processing on this website

If you have consented to data processing, we process your personal data on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR or Art. 9(2)(a) GDPR, insofar as special categories of data are processed pursuant to Art. 9(1) GDPR. In the event of explicit consent to the transfer of personal data to third countries, data processing is also carried out on the basis of Art. 49(1)(a) GDPR. If you have consented to the storage of cookies or access to information on your terminal device (e.g. via device fingerprinting), data processing is additionally carried out on the basis of Section 25(1) TDDDG. Consent can be revoked at any time. If your data is required for the performance of a contract or for the implementation of pre-contractual measures, we process your data on the basis of Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. Furthermore, we process your data if this is necessary to fulfil a legal obligation, on the basis of Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR. Data processing may also be carried out on the basis of our legitimate interest under Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. Information on the relevant legal basis in each individual case is provided in the following paragraphs of this data protection declaration.

Data protection officer

We have appointed a data protection officer.

Oberbergischer Kreis
Der Landrat
Management staff unit
Data protection officer
Moltkestraße 42
51643 Gummersbach

Telephone: 02261 88-1409
E-mail: datenschutz@obk.de

Recipients of personal data

In the course of our business activities, we work together with various external parties. This sometimes requires the transfer of personal data to these external parties. We only pass on personal data to external parties if this is necessary for the performance of a contract, if we are legally obliged to do so (e.g. disclosure of data to tax authorities), if we have a legitimate interest under Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR in the disclosure, or if another legal basis permits the data disclosure. When using data processors, we only disclose personal data of our customers on the basis of a valid data processing agreement. In the case of joint processing, a joint controller agreement is concluded.

Revocation of your consent to data processing

Many data processing operations are only possible with your express consent. You can revoke any consent already given at any time. The lawfulness of the data processing carried out until the revocation remains unaffected by the revocation.

Right to object to the collection of data in special cases and to direct advertising (Art. 21 GDPR)

IF DATA PROCESSING IS CARRIED OUT ON THE BASIS OF ART. 6(1)(E) OR (F) GDPR, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT AT ANY TIME TO OBJECT TO THE PROCESSING OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA FOR REASONS ARISING FROM YOUR PARTICULAR SITUATION; THIS ALSO APPLIES TO PROFILING BASED ON THESE PROVISIONS. YOU CAN FIND THE RESPECTIVE LEGAL BASIS ON WHICH PROCESSING IS BASED IN THIS DATA PROTECTION DECLARATION. IF YOU OBJECT, WE WILL NO LONGER PROCESS YOUR PERSONAL DATA CONCERNED, UNLESS WE CAN DEMONSTRATE COMPELLING LEGITIMATE GROUNDS FOR THE PROCESSING WHICH OVERRIDE YOUR INTERESTS, RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS, OR THE PROCESSING SERVES THE ESTABLISHMENT, EXERCISE OR DEFENCE OF LEGAL CLAIMS (OBJECTION PURSUANT TO ART. 21(1) GDPR).

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 PERSONAL DATA CONCERNING YOU FOR THE PURPOSE OF SUCH ADVERTISING; THIS ALSO APPLIES TO PROFILING TO THE EXTENT THAT IT IS RELATED TO SUCH DIRECT ADVERTISING. IF YOU OBJECT, YOUR PERSONAL DATA WILL SUBSEQUENTLY NO LONGER BE USED FOR THE PURPOSE OF DIRECT ADVERTISING (OBJECTION PURSUANT TO ART. 21(2) GDPR).

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 infringement. The right to lodge a complaint exists without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy.

Right to data portability

You have the right to have data that we process automatically on the basis of your consent or in performance of a contract handed over to you or to a third party in a common, machine-readable format. If you request the direct transfer of the data to another controller, this will only be done to the extent technically feasible.

Access, rectification and erasure

Within the scope of the applicable statutory provisions, you have the right at any time to free information about your stored personal data, its origin and recipients, and the purpose of data processing, and, if applicable, a right to rectification or erasure of this data. You may contact us at any time regarding this and any other questions on the subject of personal data.

Right to restriction of processing

You have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data. You may contact us at any time for this purpose. The right to restriction of processing exists in the following cases:

• If you dispute the accuracy of your personal data stored by us, we generally need time to verify this. For the duration of the verification, you have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data.

• If the processing of your personal data was/is unlawful, you may request the restriction of data processing instead of erasure.

• If we no longer need your personal data, but you need it to exercise, defend or assert legal claims, you have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data instead of its erasure.

• If you have lodged an objection pursuant to Art. 21(1) GDPR, a balance must be struck between your interests and ours. As long as it has not yet been determined whose interests prevail, you have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data.

If you have restricted the processing of your personal data, this data may - apart from being stored - only be processed with your consent or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, or for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person, or for reasons of important public interest of the European Union or a member state.

4. Data collection on this website

Cookies

Our websites use so-called “cookies”. Cookies are small data packets and do not cause any damage to your terminal device. They are stored either temporarily for the duration of a session (session cookies) or permanently (permanent cookies) on your terminal device. Session cookies are automatically deleted at the end of your visit. Permanent cookies remain stored on your terminal device until you delete them yourself or they are automatically deleted by your web browser.

Cookies can originate from us (first-party cookies) or from third-party companies (so-called third-party cookies). Third-party cookies enable the integration of certain services from third-party companies within websites (e.g. cookies for processing payment services).

Cookies have various functions. Many cookies are technically necessary, as certain website functions would not work without them (e.g. the shopping cart function or the display of videos). Other cookies may be used to evaluate user behaviour or for advertising purposes.

Cookies that are necessary for carrying out the electronic communication process, for providing certain functions you have requested (e.g. for the shopping cart function), or for optimising the website (e.g. cookies for measuring the web audience) (necessary cookies) are stored on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, unless another legal basis is specified. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the storage of necessary cookies for the technically error-free and optimised provision of its services. If consent to the storage of cookies and comparable recognition technologies has been requested, processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of this consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and Section 25(1) TDDDG); this consent can be revoked at any time.

You can set your browser so that you are informed about the setting of cookies and only allow cookies on a case-by-case basis, exclude the acceptance of cookies for certain cases or in general, and activate the automatic deletion of cookies when closing the browser. If cookies are deactivated, the functionality of this website may be limited.

You can find out about any further cookies and services used on this website in this data protection declaration.

You can review, change or revoke your consent at any time. You can access your cookie settings and adjust your selection via the button.

Cookie consent management with Klaro!

We use the “Klaro!” service on our website to manage your consents for the use of cookies and comparable technologies.

When you visit our website, you can use the cookie consent management to decide which optional services and technologies you wish to consent to. You can change or revoke your selection at any time via the cookie settings on our website.

The processing of your selection serves to store and manage your consents and to prove whether and to what extent you have consented to the use of certain services.

The legal basis for the processing of personal data in connection with your consent is Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. Insofar as the storage of or access to information on your terminal device is required, this is done on the basis of Section 25(1) TTDSG.

You can find further information on the individual services, cookies and processing operations in the respective cookie settings.

Use of AI on the Website

We use AI-powered services and/or applications on our website.

We use Artificial Intelligence (AI) on our website as follows:

The website uses AzureAI:
a. ImageDescription → ALT texts
b. AISuggest → Suggestions for teaser texts and tags/search terms
c. Translate → Multilingual translations

The use of these AI-powered features is based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. We have a legitimate interest in using modern technologies on our website to improve our offerings and services and to identify new opportunities from interacting with our customers. If consent is required, processing will only take place based on Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25(1) TDDG. You can withdraw your consent at any time.

Further information on the data processing of this tool or service can be found at the corresponding location in this privacy policy.

Inquiry via Email, Phone, or Fax

If you contact us via email, phone, or fax, your inquiry, including all resulting personal data (name, inquiry), will be stored and processed by us for the purpose of handling your request. We do not share this data without your consent.

The processing of this data is based on Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR, provided your inquiry is related to the performance of a contract or is necessary for the implementation of pre-contractual measures. In all other cases, the processing is based on our legitimate interest in the effective handling of inquiries addressed to us (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) or on your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) if this has been requested; consent can be withdrawn at any time.

The data you send to us via contact inquiries will remain with us until you request deletion, withdraw your consent to storage, or the purpose for data storage no longer applies (e.g., after your request has been processed). Mandatory statutory provisions – especially statutory retention periods – remain unaffected.

5. Analysis Tools and Advertising

Matomo

This website uses the open-source web analytics service Matomo.

With the help of Matomo, we are able to collect and analyze data on the use of our website by visitors. This allows us to determine, among other things, when which page views occurred and from which region they originate. We also collect various log files (e.g., IP address, referrer, used browsers, and operating systems) and can measure whether our website visitors perform certain actions (e.g., clicks, purchases, etc.).

The use of this analytics tool is based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in analyzing user behavior to optimize both its web offerings and its advertising. If consent has been requested, processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25(1) TDDG, provided the consent includes the storage of cookies or access to information on the user's end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TDDG. Consent can be withdrawn at any time.

IP Anonymization

When analyzing with Matomo, we use IP anonymization. In this process, your IP address is shortened before analysis so that it can no longer be clearly assigned to you.

Hosting

We host Matomo exclusively on our own servers so that all analytics data remains with us and is not passed on.

6. Plugins and Tools

YouTube with Enhanced Privacy

This website incorporates videos from the website YouTube. The website is operated by Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

When you visit a website on which YouTube is embedded, a connection to YouTube's servers is established. In doing so, the YouTube server is informed about which of our pages you have visited. If you are logged into your YouTube account, you enable YouTube to associate your browsing behavior directly with your personal profile. You can prevent this by logging out of your YouTube account.

We use YouTube in enhanced privacy mode. According to YouTube, videos played in enhanced privacy mode are not used to personalize browsing on YouTube. Ads displayed in enhanced privacy mode are also not personalized. In enhanced privacy mode, no cookies are set. Instead, so-called local storage elements are stored in the user's browser, which, like cookies, contain personal data and can be used for recognition. Details on enhanced privacy mode can be found here: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/171780.

Additional data processing operations may be triggered after activating a YouTube video, over which we have no influence.

The use of YouTube is in the interest of a visually appealing presentation of our online offerings. This constitutes a legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. If consent has been requested, processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25(1) TDDG, provided the consent includes the storage of cookies or access to information on the user's end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TDDG. Consent can be withdrawn at any time.

Further information on data protection at YouTube can be found in their privacy policy at: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en.

The company is certified under the "EU-US Data Privacy Framework" (DPF). The DPF is an agreement between the European Union and the United States that aims to ensure compliance with European data protection standards for data processing in the USA. Every company certified under the DPF commits to adhering to these data protection standards. Further information can be obtained from the provider under the following link: https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/participant/5780.

Integration of Map Data from the Regionalverband Ruhr

This website incorporates geodata from the Regionalverband Ruhr (RVR), Kronprinzenstraße 35, 45128 Essen, for the purpose of map representation. The map representation is carried out using the JavaScript library Leaflet. The required map sections are retrieved via a Web Map Service (WMS) from the Geoportal Ruhr.

When you access a page with such a map, your browser establishes a direct connection to the servers of the Regionalverband Ruhr. The map data required to display the respective map section is retrieved. In this process, your IP address is technically transmitted to the Regionalverband Ruhr. In addition, technically required connection data, such as the time of the retrieval, the requested resource, and information about the browser used, may be processed.

The data transfer is necessary to provide you with the map content within our website. The map service is not used for advertising or analysis purposes.

The WMS service we use does not, according to our technical review, set cookies or similar technologies for user recognition and does not access information already stored on your device. Therefore, consent via our cookie settings is not required for the use of this map service.

The processing of personal data that occurs when connecting to the map service is based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR.

Further information about the Geoportal Ruhr and data protection at the Regionalverband Ruhr can be found at:

Geoportal Ruhr: https://www.geoportal.ruhr/
Data Protection of the Regionalverband Ruhr: https://www.rvr.ruhr/daten-digitales/geodaten/impressum-geoportal-ruhr