Privacy Policy of Falkenstein ProAudio

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Thank you for your interest in our company. Protecting your data is of utmost importance to us.

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General Use of the Website:

You can visit our website without providing any personal data.

Necessity of Data Processing:

However, if you wish to make use of our company’s services via our website, it may become necessary to process personal data. If there is no legal basis for such processing, we will always obtain your explicit consent beforehand.

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Legal Basis for Data Processing:

The processing of personal data (e.g., name, address, email address, or telephone number) is carried out in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and in compliance with the country-specific data protection regulations applicable to our company.

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Purpose of the Privacy Policy:

This privacy policy aims to provide you with comprehensive information about the type, scope, and purpose of the personal data we collect, use, and process. Additionally, it informs you about your rights regarding your personal data.

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Technical and Organizational Measures:

As the party responsible for data processing, we have implemented numerous technical and organizational measures to ensure the most comprehensive protection of personal data processed via our website. However, we must point out that data transmissions over the internet can have security vulnerabilities, and complete protection cannot be guaranteed.

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Alternative Means of Data Transmission:

If you prefer, you can also provide us with your personal data through alternative means, such as by telephone.

If you need further information or have any questions regarding our privacy policy, we are happy to assist you.

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1. Definitions

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This privacy policy is based on the terms used by the European legislator when enacting the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (Article 4 GDPR). Our aim is to make this privacy policy easy to read and understand for everyone. To ensure this, we first want to explain the terminology used. This privacy policy includes, among others, the following definitions:

• "Personal data": Any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter referred to as "data subject"). A natural person is considered identifiable if they 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, or one or more specific characteristics that are an expression of the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural, or social identity of that natural person.

• "Data subject": Any identified or identifiable natural person whose personal data is processed by the data controller.

• "Processing": Any operation or set of operations performed on personal data, whether or not by automated means, such as collecting, recording, organizing, structuring, storing, adapting, or altering, retrieving, consulting, using, disclosing by transmission, dissemination, or otherwise making available, aligning or combining, restricting, erasing, or destroying.

• "Restriction of processing": The marking of stored personal data with the aim of limiting its processing in the future.

• "Profiling": Any form of automated processing of personal data that involves the use of personal data to evaluate certain personal aspects relating to a natural person, particularly to analyze or predict aspects concerning that natural person's performance at work, economic situation, health, personal preferences, interests, reliability, behavior, location, or movements.

• "Controller": The natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or other body that, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data. Where the purposes and means of such processing are determined by Union or Member State law, the controller or the specific criteria for its nomination may be provided for by Union or Member State law.

• "Recipient": A natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or another body to which personal data is disclosed, whether or not it is a third party. However, authorities that may receive personal data in the context of a specific investigative mandate under Union or Member State law are not regarded as recipients; the processing of such data by these authorities must comply with the applicable data protection rules in accordance with the purposes of the processing.

• "Third party": A natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or body other than the data subject, the controller, the processor, and persons who, under the direct authority of the controller or processor, are authorized to process personal data.

• "Consent": Any freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous indication of the data subject’s wishes by which he or she, by a statement or by a clear affirmative action, signifies agreement to the processing of personal data relating to him or her.

• 2. Name and Contact Details of the Controller

• This privacy notice applies to the data processing carried out by:

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• Controller: Falkenstein Pro Audio, represented by Managing Director Fabian Falkenstein
  Email: mail@falkenstein-proaudio.com
  Telephone: +49 (0)176 61738704

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Alternative Means of Data Transmission: 3. Collection and Storage of Personal Data as well as Type and Purpose of Their Use

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a) When visiting the Website
You can generally use our website without disclosing your identity. When you access our website, the browser used on your device automatically sends information to the server of our website. This information is temporarily stored in a so-called log file. The following information is collected without your intervention and stored until it is automatically deleted:

• IP address of the requesting computer,

• Date and time of access,

• Name and URL of the retrieved file,

• Website from which the access occurred (referrer URL),

• Browser used and, if applicable, your computer’s operating system, as well as the name of your access provider.

The aforementioned data is processed by us for the following purposes:

• Ensuring a smooth connection to the website,

• Ensuring convenient use of our website,

• Evaluation of system security and stability, and

• Other administrative purposes.

The legal basis for data processing is Article 6(1) sentence 1 lit. f GDPR. Our legitimate interest stems from the purposes for data collection listed above. Under no circumstances do we use the collected data to draw conclusions about your identity.

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Additional Information on Data Usage 

Cookies and Analytics

In addition to the data mentioned above, we also use cookies and analytics services when you visit our website. Further details about these can be found in Sections 5 and 7 of this Privacy Policy.

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b) Using our Contact Form c) When Placing Order via Our Website

If you have any questions, we offer you the opportunity to contact us via a form provided on our website. To do so, it is necessary to provide a valid email address so that we know who the inquiry is from and can respond to it. Any additional information you provide is optional. It is entirely your decision whether to input this data when using the contact form.

Data processing for the purpose of contacting us is carried out in accordance with Article 6(1) sentence 1 lit. a GDPR, based on your voluntarily provided consent.

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The personal data collected via the contact form will be automatically deleted once your inquiry has been resolved.

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c) When Placing Order via Our Website

You can place orders through our website either as a guest without registering or by registering as a customer for future orders. Registration offers you the advantage of logging in with your email address and password for future purchases without needing to re-enter your contact details.

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When you place an order through our website, whether as a guest or as a registered customer, the following personal data is collected, entered into a form, transmitted to us, and stored:

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• Title, first name, last name,

• A valid email address,

• Address,

• Phone number (landline and/or mobile).

The collection of this data serves the following purposes:

• To identify you as our customer;

• To process, fulfill, and manage your order;

• To correspond with you;

• To issue invoices;

• To handle any potential liability claims or to assert any claims against you;

• To ensure the technical administration of our website;

• To manage customer data.

 

As part of the ordering process, your consent is obtained for the processing of this data.

Data processing is carried out in response to your order and/or registration and is required under Article 6(1) sentence 1 lit. b GDPR for the purposes mentioned above, to appropriately process your order and to fulfill mutual obligations arising from the purchase agreement.

The personal data collected by us for the processing of your order will be stored until the expiration of the statutory retention period and then deleted, unless we are obliged to store it for a longer period in accordance with Article 6(1) sentence 1 lit. c GDPR due to retention and documentation obligations under tax and commercial law (e.g., from the German Commercial Code (HGB), Criminal Code (StGB), or Fiscal Code (AO)) or if you have consented to further storage under Article 6(1) sentence 1 lit. a GDPR.

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4. Disclosure of Data

Your personal data will only be disclosed to third parties involved in the execution of the contract, such as the logistics company responsible for delivery and the credit institution tasked with handling payment matters. In cases where your personal data is shared with third parties, the scope of the data transmitted is limited to the necessary minimum.

When making payments via PayPal, credit card through PayPal, direct debit through PayPal, installment purchase through PayPal, or "purchase on account" through PayPal, we transmit your payment data to PayPal (Europe) S.à r.l. et Cie, S.C.A., 22-24 Boulevard Royal, L-2449 Luxembourg (hereinafter "PayPal") as part of the payment process.

For payment methods such as credit card via PayPal, direct debit via PayPal, or "purchase on account" via PayPal, PayPal reserves the right to conduct a credit check. The results of the credit check, which include the statistical probability of payment default, are used by PayPal to decide whether to provide the respective payment method. The credit check may contain probability values (known as score values). If score values are included in the credit check result, they are based on a scientifically recognized mathematical-statistical process. Address data is also factored into the calculation of score values.

For more information on data protection, please refer to PayPal's Privacy Policy: https://www.paypal.com/de/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full

Your personal data will not be transferred to third parties for purposes other than those mentioned above.

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

• You have given your explicit consent under Article 6(1) sentence 1 lit. a GDPR;

• The disclosure is necessary under Article 6(1) sentence 1 lit. f GDPR for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims, and there is no reason to assume that you have an overriding legitimate interest in the non-disclosure of your data;

• There is a legal obligation for disclosure under Article 6(1) sentence 1 lit. c GDPR; or

• The disclosure is legally permissible and necessary under Article 6(1) sentence 1 lit. b GDPR for the execution of contractual relationships with you.

As part of the ordering process, your consent to the disclosure of your data to third parties will be obtained.

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5. Use of Cookies

We use cookies on our website. These are small files that your browser automatically creates and stores on your device (laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc.) when you visit our website. Cookies do not harm your device and do not contain viruses, Trojans, or any other malicious software.

The cookie stores information that is specific to the device used. However, this does not mean that we gain direct knowledge of your identity.

The use of cookies serves, on the one hand, to make your use of our services more pleasant. For example, we use so-called session cookies to recognize that you have already visited certain pages of our website. These are automatically deleted after you leave our site.

In addition, we use temporary cookies to optimize user-friendliness, which are stored on your device for a set period. If you visit our site again to use our services, it will automatically recognize that you have already been here and which entries and settings you made, so you do not have to re-enter them.

On the other hand, we use cookies to statistically record the usage of our website and evaluate it for the purpose of optimizing our offer for you (see section 7). These cookies enable us to automatically recognize that you have already been to our site during a subsequent visit. These cookies are automatically deleted after a defined period.

The data processed by cookies are necessary for the purposes mentioned in order to safeguard our legitimate interests and those of third parties under Article 6(1) sentence 1 lit. f GDPR.

Most browsers automatically accept cookies. However, you can configure your browser to prevent cookies from being stored on your computer or to always display a prompt before a new cookie is created. Please note that disabling cookies completely may result in not being able to use all features of our website.

6. Links auf Web-Sites Dritter

Die auf unserer Webseite veröffentlichten Links werden von uns mit größtmöglicher Sorgfalt recherchiert und zusammengestellt. Wir haben jedoch keinen Einfluss auf die aktuelle und zukünftige Gestaltung und Inhalte der verlinkten Seiten. Wir sind nicht für den Inhalt der verknüpften Seiten verantwortlich und machen uns den Inhalt dieser Seiten ausdrücklich nicht zu Eigen. Für illegale, fehlerhafte oder unvollständige Inhalte sowie für Schäden, die durch die Nutzung oder Nichtnutzung der Informationen entstehen, haftet allein der Anbieter der Web-Site, auf die verwiesen wurde. Die Haftung desjenigen, der lediglich auf die Veröffentlichung durch einen Link hinweist, ist ausgeschlossen. Für fremde Hinweise sind wir nur dann verantwortlich, wenn wir von ihnen, d.h. auch von einem eventuellen rechtswidrigen bzw. strafbaren Inhalt, positive Kenntnis haben und es uns technisch möglich und zumutbar ist, deren Nutzung zu verhindern.

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7. Tracking and Tracking Tools
The tracking measures listed below and used by us are carried out based on Article 6 (1) sentence 1 lit. f GDPR. With the tracking measures we implement, we aim to ensure that our website is appropriately designed and continuously optimized according to demand. Additionally, we use these tracking measures to statistically capture the use of our website and evaluate it for the purpose of optimizing our offering for you. These interests are considered legitimate under the aforementioned provision.

The specific data processing purposes and data categories can be found in the relevant tracking tools.

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a) Google Analytics

For the purpose of demand-oriented design and continuous optimization of our pages, we use Google Analytics, a web analytics service from Google Inc. (https://www.google.de/intl/de/about/) (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA; hereinafter referred to as "Google"). In this context, pseudonymized usage profiles are created, and cookies (see section 5) are used. The information generated by the cookie regarding your use of this website, such as:

• Browser type/version

• Operating system used

• Referrer URL (the previously visited page)

• Hostname of the accessing computer (IP address)

• Time of the server request

is transmitted to a server of Google in the USA and stored there. The information is used to evaluate the use of the website, to compile reports on website activities, and to provide other services related to website usage and internet usage for market research purposes and demand-oriented design of these web pages. This information may also be transferred to third parties if required by law or if third parties process this data on our behalf. Under no circumstances will your IP address be merged with other data from Google. IP addresses are anonymized, making it impossible to associate them with a specific user (IP masking).

You can prevent the installation of cookies by adjusting your browser software accordingly. However, please note that in this case, some functionalities of our website may not be fully available.

Additionally, you can prevent the collection of data generated by the cookie and related to your use of the website (including your IP address) as well as the processing of this data by Google by downloading and installing a browser add-on (https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en).

Alternatively, especially for browsers on mobile devices, you can prevent the collection by Google Analytics by clicking the link provided. This sets an opt-out cookie that prevents future data collection when you visit our website. The opt-out cookie only applies to this browser and only for our website, and it will be placed on your device. If you delete cookies in this browser, you must set the opt-out cookie again.

For more information about data protection in connection with Google Analytics, refer to the Google Analytics help at the following link: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=en.

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b) Google AdWord Conversione Tracking

To statistically capture the usage of our website and evaluate it for the purpose of optimizing our website for you, we also use Google Conversion Tracking. With Google AdWords, a cookie (see section 5) is set on your computer if you have arrived at our website via a Google ad.

These cookies expire after 30 days and are not used for personal identification. If the user visits certain pages of the AdWords customer's website and the cookie has not yet expired, Google and the customer can recognize that the user clicked on the ad and was redirected to this page.

Each AdWords customer receives a different cookie, meaning that cookies cannot be tracked across AdWords customer websites. The information collected with the conversion cookie is used to create conversion statistics for AdWords customers who have opted for conversion tracking. The AdWords customers learn the total number of users who clicked on their ad and were redirected to a page with a conversion tracking tag. However, they do not receive information that would allow them to personally identify users.

If you do not wish to participate in the tracking process, you can refuse the setting of a cookie required for this purpose—by, for example, adjusting your browser settings to generally disable the automatic setting of cookies. You can also deactivate cookies for conversion tracking by configuring your browser to block cookies from the domain "www.googleadservices.com." Google's privacy policy regarding conversion tracking can be found at the following link: https://services.google.com/sitestats/de.html.

 

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8. Social Media Plugins

We use social media plugins on our website based on Article 6 (1) sentence 1 lit. f GDPR to promote our company. The underlying commercial purpose is considered a legitimate interest under the GDPR. The responsibility for ensuring the data protection-compliant operation lies with the respective providers. The integration of these plugins by us is carried out using the so-called two-click method to best protect visitors to our website.

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a) Facebook

Our website uses social media plugins from Facebook to make the use of the platform more personalized. We use the "LIKE" or "SHARE" button for this, which is offered by Facebook.

When you visit a page on our website that contains such a plugin, your browser establishes a direct connection with Facebook's servers. The content of the plugin is transmitted directly from Facebook to your browser and embedded in the website by your browser.

By integrating the plugins, Facebook receives the information that your browser has visited the corresponding page of our website, even if you do not have a Facebook account or are not logged into Facebook at the time. This information (including your IP address) is transmitted directly from your browser to a server of Facebook in the USA and stored there.

If you are logged into Facebook, Facebook can directly associate the visit to our website with your Facebook account. If you interact with the plugins, for example by clicking the "LIKE" or "SHARE" button, the corresponding information is also transmitted directly to a server of Facebook and stored there. The information is then publicly displayed on Facebook.

Facebook may use this information for advertising, market research, and the demand-oriented design of Facebook pages. For this purpose, Facebook creates usage, interest, and relationship profiles, e.g., to evaluate your usage of our website in relation to the ads displayed to you on Facebook, to inform other Facebook users about your activities on our website, and to provide further services related to Facebook usage.

If you do not want Facebook to associate the data collected through our website with your Facebook account, you must log out of Facebook before visiting our website.

For the purpose and extent of data collection, as well as the further processing and use of data by Facebook, and your rights and options to protect your privacy, please refer to Facebook's privacy policy, which you can view at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/.

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b) Twitter

Our website integrates plugins from the microblogging network Twitter Inc. (Twitter). The Twitter plugins (tweet button) can be identified by the Twitter logo on our site. An overview of tweet buttons can be found here on Twitter: https://dev.twitter.com/web/tweet-button.

When you visit a page of our website that contains such a plugin, a direct connection is established between your browser and Twitter's servers. This gives Twitter the information that you have visited our page with your IP address. If you click the Twitter "tweet button" while logged into your Twitter account, you can link the content of our pages to your Twitter profile. As a result, Twitter can associate your visit to our pages with your user account. Please note that we, as the provider of the pages, have no knowledge of the content of the data transmitted or its usage by Twitter.

If you do not want Twitter to associate your visit to our pages, please log out of your Twitter account.

For more information, please refer to Twitter's privacy policy, which you can view here: https://twitter.com/de/privacy.

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c) Google "+1" Button

Our website uses the "+1" button of the social network Google, operated by Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043-1351, USA. The button is marked with a "+1."

The "+1" button is shorthand for "this is pretty cool" or "check this out." The button is not used to track your web visits.

If a page of our website contains the "+1" button, your internet browser will automatically load and display this button from the Google server. The Google server is automatically informed about the website you visited. When displaying a +1 button, Google does not permanently track your browsing history, but only for a period of up to two weeks.

Google stores this data about your visit for maintenance and error-correction purposes. However, this data is not structured in individual profiles, usernames, or URLs. This information is not accessible to website publishers or advertisers. This information is only used for maintenance and error correction within Google's internal systems. Your visit to a page with the +1 button is not evaluated by Google in any other way.

Further evaluation of your visit to a page of our website containing the "+1" button does not take place.

Issuing a +1 is a public action, meaning anyone who performs a Google search or accesses content that you +1 may potentially see that you have given a +1 to the relevant content. Therefore, only give a +1 if you are certain you want to share this recommendation with the entire world.

A click on the +1 button acts as a recommendation for other users in Google's search results. You can publicly indicate that you like our website, agree with our website, or recommend our website. If you have registered with Google+ and are logged in, the +1 button will turn blue when clicked. Additionally, the +1 will be added to the +1 tab in your Google profile. You can manage your +1 recommendations and decide whether to make the +1 tab public.

To store and publicly share your +1 recommendation, Google collects information through your profile about the URL you recommended, your IP address, and other browser-related information. If you withdraw your +1, this information is deleted. All your +1 recommendations are listed on the +1 tab in your profile.

For more details and the applicable privacy policy from Google, visit: https://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy/. Further information about Google's +1 button can be found here: https://developers.google.com/+/web/buttons-policy.

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9. Rights of Data Subjects

You have the right to:

• Pursuant to Article 15 GDPR, request information about the personal data we process about you. Specifically, you can request information about the purposes of processing, the categories of personal data, the categories of recipients to whom your data has been or will be disclosed, the planned retention period, the existence of a right to rectification, deletion, restriction of processing, or objection, the existence of a right to lodge a complaint, the origin of your data, if it was not collected by us, as well as information about the existence of automated decision-making, including profiling, and any relevant details about it.

• Pursuant to Article 16 GDPR, request the immediate correction of inaccurate or the completion of your personal data stored with us.

• Pursuant to Article 17 GDPR, request the deletion of your personal data stored with us, unless the processing is necessary for the exercise of the right to freedom of expression and information, to fulfill a legal obligation, for reasons of public interest, or for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims.

• Pursuant to Article 18 GDPR, request the restriction of processing of your personal data, provided that the accuracy of the data is contested by you, the processing is unlawful, but you object to the deletion, and we no longer need the data, but you need it for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims, or if you have lodged an objection to the processing pursuant to Article 21 GDPR.

• Pursuant to Article 20 GDPR, receive your personal data that you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, or request its transmission to another controller.

• Pursuant to Article 7 (3) GDPR, withdraw your consent once given to us at any time. This will result in us no longer being allowed to continue processing the data based on that consent in the future.

• Pursuant to Article 77 GDPR, lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. As a rule, you may contact the supervisory authority of your usual place of residence, workplace, or the location of our company headquarters.

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10. Right to Object

If your personal data is processed based on legitimate interests pursuant to Article 6 (1) sentence 1 lit. f GDPR, you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data under Article 21 GDPR, provided there are reasons related to your particular situation, or if the objection is directed against direct marketing. In the latter case, you have a general right to object, which will be implemented by us without the need for a specific situation.

If you wish to exercise your right of withdrawal or objection, simply send an email to: mail@falkenstein-proaudio.com

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11. Data Security

We use the commonly used SSL (Secure Socket Layer) procedure in connection with the highest encryption level supported by your browser while you visit our website. Typically, this involves 256-bit encryption. If your browser does not support 256-bit encryption, we instead use 128-bit v3 technology. You can recognize whether a particular page of our website is transmitted securely by the closed lock or key symbol in the lower status bar of your browser.

Furthermore, we employ appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your data against accidental or intentional manipulation, partial or complete loss, destruction, or unauthorized access by third parties. Our security measures are continuously improved based on technological developments.

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12. Current Status and Changes to this Privcy Policy

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This privacy policy is currently valid and is effective as of May 2024.

Due to the continued development of our website and the offerings provided there, or due to changes in legal or regulatory requirements, it may be necessary to update this privacy policy.

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13. TWIPLA
TWIPLA is a simple website analytics service that captures the traffic on our website and general information about website visitors. We collect statistics to improve the experience of our website visitors. For this purpose, we never use cookies.

As the website operator using TWIPLA for reach measurement, we process, depending on the privacy level we have activated, information about the device you are using and its characteristics, information about the technical features of the website visit, the number of page visits, and statistically relevant behavior of our visitors on the website. The platform does not use the collected data to identify individual users or match the data with additional information about a specific user.

Depending on your location when accessing our website, it is possible that, due to our technical settings in TWIPLA, no information about the device you are using will be collected.

The current privacy policy can be accessed and printed at any time on our website using the following link:

www.falkenstein-proaudio.com/datenschutzerklärung

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1 Privacy authorities require the conclusion of a data processing agreement for the lawful use of Google Analytics.

A corresponding template is available from Google at:

http://www.google.com/analytics/terms/de.pdf

Source: Sample privacy policy created by attorney Andreas Gerstel (http://www.anwaltblog24.de/)