11. Cookies and Google analytics services
Cookies are
small data files that your browser automatically creates and stores on your
terminal device for a predefined time. These cookies are used to store
information in connection with the respective terminal device used.
We use various
types of cookies to safeguard our legitimate interests in the following tasks.
In order to make your use of our services more pleasant, we use so-called
session cookies to recognize that you have already visited individual pages of
our websites. The date of your last visit is stored here. We also use cookies
that allow us to recognize your internet browser when you visit our websites
again and use our services. This means that you do not have to re-enter your
entries and settings that you made last time. Finally, we also use cookies for
optimization purposes. These cookies collect the use of our websites
statistically and are then evaluated for the purpose of optimizing the service
to you.
You can
configure your browser so that either no cookies are stored on your end device
or at least a message is displayed before a new cookie is stored. If you
completely deactivate the cookie function in your browser, you may not be able
to use all functions of our websites. This also applies to the services listed
below, which also use cookies. You may disable the use of third-party cookies
for online advertising purposes on the US site
http://www.aboutads.info/choices/ or the EU site
http://www.youronlinechoices.com/.
To protect our
legitimate interests, we use analysis and tracking tools such as the Google
analysis services listed below
(https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245) on our websites. These
serve to ensure the continuous optimization of our websites and to provide a
needs-based design. In addition, these measures are also used to statistically
record the use of our websites in order to evaluate it for you in order to
optimize our services.
On our websites, we use Google Tag Manager (https://www.google.com/analytics/terms/tag-manager/) to manage website tags and event tracking over a single interface and to integrate Google Analytics and other Google marketing services. The tool itself reportedly only implements tags and does not collect personal data, but it does trigger other tags, which in turn may collect data. The Google Tag Manager reportedly does not access this data. If deactivated on domain or cookie level, this will remain in effect for all existing tracking tags as far as they are implemented with the Google Tag Manager.
We use Google
Analytics (https://www.google.com/analytics/terms/de.html) on our websites,
together with Google Conversion-Tracking. Google Analytics uses cookies in this
context. The information generated by the cookies about your use of our
websites such as browser type/version, operating system used, referrer URL (the
previously visited page), host name of the accessing computer (IP address) and
time of the server enquiry are generally transmitted to a Google server in the
USA and stored there. However, because IP anonymization is activated on our
websites, your IP address will be abbreviated by Google within EU Member States
or in other countries that are party to the EEA Agreement. Only in exceptional
cases, will the full IP address be transmitted to a Google server in the USA
and abbreviated there. Google uses this information for the purpose of
evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity and
providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage.
In addition to
the general deactivation of cookies shown above, you can prevent Google from
collecting the data generated by the cookie and relating to your use of the
website (including your IP address) and from processing this data by Google by
downloading and installing the browser plug-in available under the following
link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en. You can prevent Google
Analytics from collecting your data by clicking on the following link. An
Opt-Out-Cookie is set, which prevents the collection of your data with future
visits of this web page: Disable Google Analytics
We also use
the remarketing function of Google Analytics to direct advertising campaigns -
including Google AdWords campaigns - to the visitors of our pages. Based on
your previous visits to our pages, relevant advertisements are presented to you
when you visit other pages of the Google Display Network. The DoubleClick
cookie allows Google to target advertisements to us and other third parties
that match the interests determined based on your previous visits to our
websites and/or other websites. This advertising may be displayed on websites
operated by Google and/or other Google network operators. We also use the
Google Analytics advertising functions to analyze the effectiveness of our own
advertising campaigns.
You can
personalize your Google ad settings and object to Google's interest-based ads.
In this case, the cookie ID (assigned individually for each cookie) of the
DoubleClick cookie is overwritten and can no longer be associated with a
particular browser. If you delete all cookies from your device, a new
DoubleClick cookie may be placed. Then you may have to renew your objection
settings. You can permanently deactivate the DoubleClick cookie by downloading
and installing the corresponding browser plugin here:
http://www.google.com/settings/ads/plugin You can disable Google's remarketing
feature by making the appropriate settings at
http://www.google.com/settings/ads Furthermore, the use of cookies can be
deactivated via http://www.networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp or by
changing the settings in your browser.
We use Google
AdWords on our websites (https://ads.google.com/intl/de_EN/home/). Conversion
tracking is also used here. With this tool, Google AdWords places a cookie on
your PC when you visit our websites via a Google ad. It is not for individual
traceability. If you visit our websites as a user and the cookie is still
working, together with Google we can see that you have clicked on the
corresponding advertisement and have been redirected to our page. The data
collected through conversion cookies is used to generate conversion statistics
for AdWords customers. As customers, we ascertain the total number of users who
responded to our ad and were then directed to a website that was tagged with a
conversion tracking tag.
If you choose
not to follow the tracking process, you can disable the Google Conversion
Tracking cookie from your Internet browser. If necessary, use the browser's
help function for further information. For more information about Google's
privacy policy, please visit https://policies.google.com/privacy?gl=en.