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Data protection

The protection of personal data is a top priority for GC Graphic Consult GmbH. The personal data you provide is therefore always handled in accordance with the relevant legal regulations, in particular those of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG). Accordingly, GC Graphic Consult ensures that your personal data is processed and used in a transparent and purpose-limited manner.

Below, you will learn to what extent we collect personal information from you when you use our website, how we handle the collected data, and for what purpose and on what legal basis the processing takes place.

In addition, we inform you about how long we store your personal data and what rights you have regarding the processing of your personal data.

Please note that this website may contain links to other websites that are not subject to this Privacy Policy.

Data Controller and Data Protection Officer

The controller pursuant to Article 4(7) of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is:

GC Graphic Consult GmbH
Weihenstephaner Straße 1
85716 Unterschleißheim

Email: comcenter(at)graphicconsult(.)com
Legal Notice: www.graphicconsult.com/impressum/

Managing Director: Oliver Cynamon

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the processing of your personal data by GC Graphic Consult or this privacy policy, please feel free to contact datenschutz(at)graphicconsult(.)com at any time.

When you contact us via email or through a contact form, the data you provide (your email address and, if provided voluntarily, your name and phone number) will be stored by us in order to answer your questions. We will delete the data collected in this context once storage is no longer necessary, or restrict processing if statutory retention obligations apply. 

If we use contracted (external) service providers for specific functions of our website or wish to use your data for advertising purposes, we will provide detailed information below regarding the respective processes. We will also specify the established criteria for the retention period. 

Your Rights

You have the right at any time to request more detailed information about the data stored about you, to view this data, and to request that inaccurate data about you be corrected or that the stored data be deleted in whole or in part.

If your personal data is processed, you are a data subject within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and you have the following rights vis-à-vis GC Graphic Consult (the controller):

1. Right of access

Pursuant to Article 15 of the GDPR, you may request information regarding your personal data processed by us. In particular, you may request information regarding 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, erasure, 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 the existence of automated decision-making, including profiling, and, where applicable, meaningful information regarding its details.

2. Right to Rectification

Pursuant to Art. 16 GDPR, you may request the immediate rectification of inaccurate personal data or the completion of your personal data stored by us.

3. Right to erasure

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

4. Right to restriction of processing

Pursuant to Article 18 of the GDPR, you may request the restriction of the processing of your personal data if you contest the accuracy of the data, the processing is unlawful but you oppose its erasure, and we no longer need the data but you require it for the establishment, exercise, or defend legal claims, or you have objected to the processing pursuant to Article 21 of the GDPR.

5. Right to data portability

Pursuant to Article 20 of the GDPR, you may request to receive the personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, or request that it be transmitted to another controller, provided that the processing is based on consent or on a contract and is carried out using automated means.

6. Right to Object

To the extent that we base the processing of your personal data on a balancing of interests (legal basis: Article 6(1)(f) GDPR), you may object at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you for reasons arising from your particular situation; this also applies to so-called “profiling” based on these provisions.

Processing of your data based on a balancing of interests (legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) occurs in particular when the processing is not necessary for the performance of a contract with you, as we will explain in the following description. If you exercise such a right to object, we ask that you explain the reasons why we should not process your personal data as we currently do. In the event of your justified objection, we will review the situation and either cease or adjust the data processing, or explain to you our compelling legitimate grounds on the basis of which we will continue the processing.

You also have the right to withdraw your consent under data protection law at any time with future effect. The relevant data will then be deleted without delay, subject to certain exceptions. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out on the basis of consent prior to withdrawal.

In this case, please send your revocation, stating your full name and email address, to:

comcenter@gc-online.de

In cases provided for by law, deletion may be replaced by a restriction of processing (blocking of the data).

Of course, you may object to the processing of your personal data for advertising and data analysis purposes at any time.

You can inform us of your objection to advertising using the following contact information:

GC Graphic Consult GmbH
Weihenstephaner Straße 1
85716 Unterschleißheim

comcenter(at)graphicconsult(.)com

7. Automated Decision-Making in Individual Cases, Including Profiling

You have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing—including profiling—that produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you. This does not apply if the decision

  1. is necessary for the conclusion or performance of a contract between you and the controller,
  2. is permitted by Union or Member State law to which the controller is subject, and that law provides for appropriate measures to safeguard your rights and freedoms as well as your legitimate interests, or
  3. is based on your explicit consent.

However, these decisions may not be based on special categories of personal data as defined in Article 9(1) of the GDPR, unless Article 9(2)(a) or (g) applies and appropriate measures have been taken to protect your rights and freedoms as well as your legitimate interests.

With regard to the cases mentioned in (1.) and (3.), the controller shall take appropriate measures to safeguard your rights and freedoms as well as your legitimate interests, which shall include at least the right to obtain human intervention on the part of the controller, to present your point of view, and to contest the decision.

8. Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent data protection supervisory authority regarding our processing of your personal data.

Without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your habitual residence, place of work, or the place of the alleged infringement, if you consider that the processing of personal data concerning you infringes the GDPR.

The supervisory authority to which the complaint was submitted shall inform the complainant of the status and results of the complaint, including the possibility of a judicial remedy under Article 78 of the GDPR.

9. General Questions and Contact Information

If you have any questions regarding the collection, processing, or use of your personal data, or in cases involving access to, correction, or deletion of data, as well as the withdrawal of consent, please contact our Data Protection Officer. You can find the contact details under [Section 1] of this Privacy Policy.

Collection of Personal Data When Visiting Our Website

1. Personal Data

The term “personal data” is legally defined in Art. 4(1) of the GDPR and refers to any “information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person.” Personal data therefore includes all data that can be linked to you personally, such as your name, address, email addresses, user behavior, and IP address.

2. Technical Data

When you use the website for informational purposes only—that is, if you do not register or otherwise provide us with information—we collect only the personal data that your browser transmits to our server. This information is temporarily stored in a so-called log file. When you view our website, we collect the following data, which is technically necessary for us to display our website to you and to ensure its stability and security:

  • IP address (anonymized)
  • Date and time of the request
  • Time zone difference from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
  • Content of the request (specific page)
  • Access status/HTTP status code
  • Amount of data transferred
  • Website from which the request originates
  • Browser
  • Operating system and its interface
  • Language and version of the browser software
  • Location

The legal basis for the collection and storage of this data is Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR.

3. Cookies

In addition to the data mentioned above, cookies are stored on your computer when you use our website. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your hard drive and associated with the browser you are using, and through which certain information is transmitted to the entity that sets the cookie (in this case, us). Cookies cannot execute programs or transmit viruses to your computer. They serve to make the website more user-friendly and effective overall.

4. Use of Cookies:

a) This website uses the following types of cookies, the scope and functionality of which are explained below:

Transient cookies (see b)
Persistent cookies (see c)

b) Transient cookies are automatically deleted when you close your browser. These include, in particular, session cookies. These store a so-called session ID, which allows various requests from your browser to be associated with the same session. This enables your computer to be recognized when you return to our website. Session cookies are deleted when you log out or close your browser.

c) Persistent cookies are automatically deleted after a specified period, which may vary depending on the cookie. You can delete these cookies at any time in your browser’s security settings.

d) You can configure your browser settings according to your preferences and, for example, refuse to accept third-party cookies or all cookies.

e) When you first visit one of our websites, you have the option to object to the use of cookies. You can adjust these settings at any time. Please note that with certain browser configurations, you may not be able to use all features of this website.

f) The following cookies are used on our websites:

  • GA - Google Anlalytics

Additional Features and Services on Our Website

In addition to the purely informational use of our website, we offer various services that you can use if interested. To do so, you generally need to provide additional personal data, which we use to provide the respective service and to which the aforementioned data processing principles apply.

When using our contact form and for questions of any kind, we offer you the option to contact us via a form provided on the website. Providing a valid email address is required so that we know who the inquiry is from and can respond to it. Additional information may be provided voluntarily. Data processing for the purpose of contacting us is carried out pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR on the basis of your voluntarily given consent. The personal data we collect for the use of the contact form is processed by us in Salesforce.

In some cases, we also use external service providers such as Microsoft and Google to process your data. These providers have been carefully selected and commissioned by us, are bound by our instructions, and are regularly monitored.

Furthermore, we may share your personal data with third parties if we offer promotional campaigns, contests, contract conclusions, or similar services in collaboration with partners. You can obtain further information on this when providing your personal data or in the description of the offer below.

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

  • you have given your explicit consent pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR,
  • the disclosure is necessary pursuant to Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR to assert, exercise, or defend legal claims, and there is no reason to assume that you have an overriding legitimate interest in the non-disclosure of your data,
  • in the event that there is a legal obligation to disclose the data pursuant to Article 6(1)(c) of the GDPR, and
  • this is legally permissible and necessary under Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR for the performance of contractual relationships with you.
  • Your personal data will not be transferred to third parties for purposes other than those listed below.

If our service providers or partners are based in a country outside the European Union or the European Economic Area (EEA), we will inform you of the implications of this in the description of the offer or the service provided.

Creating a Customer Account and Using Our Webshop Portals

If you wish to create a customer account for our web shop, you must register by providing your email address, a password of your choice, and a username of your choice. There is no requirement to use your real name; pseudonymous use is permitted.

We use the so-called double opt-in procedure for registration, i.e., your registration is only complete once you have confirmed your sign-up by clicking the link in a confirmation email sent to you for this purpose. If you do not confirm this within [24 hours], your registration will be automatically deleted from our database. Providing the aforementioned data is mandatory; you may voluntarily provide any additional information by using our web shop portal.

When you use our web shop portal, we store the data necessary for contract fulfillment, including payment method details, until you permanently delete your account. Furthermore, we store the voluntary data you provide for the duration of your use of the web shop portal, unless you delete it beforehand. You can manage and change all information in the secure customer area. The legal basis for the processing of your data is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR.

To prevent unauthorized access by third parties to your personal data, particularly financial data, the connection is encrypted using TLS technology.

Newsletter

With your consent, you can subscribe to our newsletter, through which we inform you about our current offers and products from GC Graphic Consult. The advertised services are specifically listed in the consent form.

We use the so-called double opt-in procedure for subscribing to our newsletter. This means that after you subscribe, we will send an email to the email address you provided, asking you to confirm that you wish to receive the newsletter. If you do not confirm your registration within [24 hours], your information will be blocked and automatically deleted after one month. In addition, we store your IP addresses and the times of registration and confirmation. The purpose of this procedure is to verify your registration and, if necessary, to investigate any potential misuse of your personal data.

Required information for receiving the newsletter includes your first name, last name, and email address. Providing additional, separately marked data is voluntary and is used to address you personally. After your confirmation, we store your email address for the purpose of sending you the newsletter. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR.

You may revoke your consent to receive the newsletter at any time and unsubscribe from the newsletter. You can revoke your consent by clicking the link provided in every newsletter email or by sending an email to comcenter@gc-online.de

Please note that we analyze your user behavior when sending the newsletter. For this analysis, the emails sent contain so-called web beacons or tracking pixels, which are single-pixel image files stored on our website. For the analyses, we link the data mentioned in the section “Collection of Personal Data When Visiting Our Website” and the web beacons with your email address and an individual ID.

Web Analytics and User Tracking

We use the analysis and tracking measures to ensure that our website is designed to meet your needs and is continuously optimized. Additionally, we use these tracking measures to statistically record the use of our website and to evaluate it for the purpose of optimizing our offerings for you. These interests are considered legitimate within the meaning of the aforementioned provision. The respective data processing purposes and data categories can be found in the description of the corresponding analytics and tracking tools.

The analytics and tracking measures we use are carried out on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legal basis).

Use of Third-Party Content and Redirects

It may occur that third-party content, such as videos from YouTube, map data from Google Maps, RSS feeds, or graphics from other websites, is integrated within this online offering. This always requires that the providers of this content receive the user’s IP address. Without the IP address, they would not be able to send the content to the respective user’s browser. The IP address is therefore necessary for the display of this content. We strive to use only content whose respective providers use the IP address solely for the purpose of delivering the content. However, we have no influence over whether third-party providers store the IP address, e.g., for statistical purposes. To the extent we are aware of this, we inform users accordingly.

1. Embedding of YouTube Videos

We have embedded YouTube videos in our online offering that are stored on https://www.youtube.com and can be played directly from our website. [These are all embedded in “enhanced privacy mode,” meaning that no data about you as a user is transmitted to YouTube unless you play the videos. Only when you play the videos is the data mentioned in the following paragraph transmitted. We have no influence over this data transmission.]

By visiting the website, YouTube receives the information that you have accessed the corresponding subpage of our website. In addition, the data mentioned in the section “Collection of Personal Data When Visiting Our Website” is transmitted. This occurs regardless of whether YouTube provides a user account through which you are logged in or whether no user account exists. If you are logged in to Google, your data is directly associated with your account. If you do not wish for this data to be associated with your YouTube profile, you must log out before activating the button. YouTube stores your data as usage profiles and uses them for advertising, market research, and/or to tailor its website to your needs. Such analysis is carried out in particular (even for users who are not logged in) to deliver targeted advertising and to inform other users of the social network about your activities on our website. You have the right to object to the creation of these user profiles, in which case you must contact YouTube to exercise this right.

Further information on the purpose and scope of data collection and its processing by YouTube can be found in the privacy policy. There you will also find further information on your rights and settings options for protecting your privacy: www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy. Google also processes your personal data in the United States and has submitted to the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/s/

2. Integration of Google Maps

We use Google Maps on this website. This allows us to display interactive maps directly on the website and enables you to conveniently use the map feature.

When you visit the website, Google receives the information that you have accessed the corresponding subpage of our website. In addition, the data mentioned in the section “Collection of Personal Data When Visiting Our Website” is transmitted. This occurs regardless of whether Google provides a user account through which you are logged in or whether no user account exists. If you are logged in to Google, your data is directly associated with your account. If you do not wish for this association with your Google profile, you must log out before activating the button. Google stores your data as usage profiles and uses them for advertising, market research, and/or to tailor its website to your needs. Such analysis is carried out in particular (even for users who are not logged in) to deliver targeted advertising and to inform other users of the social network about your activities on our website. You have the right to object to the creation of these user profiles, in which case you must contact Google to exercise this right.

Further information regarding the purpose and scope of data collection and its processing by the plugin provider can be found in the provider’s privacy policy. There you will also find further information regarding your rights in this regard and settings options for protecting your privacy: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de&gl=de.

3. Redirection

Any redirection to providers of social media services such as YouTube, Facebook, etc., occurs via a link, so that in this case, data regarding your visit to our website (e.g., IP address, time, URL) or data stored on your device (e.g., cookie information) is only transmitted to the respective providers when you intentionally use the link.

Data and IT Security

During your visit to our website, we support the highest level of security encryption set by your browser.

SSL or TLS Encryption

For security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential content, such as contact forms that you send to us as the site operator, this site uses SSL or TLS encryption. You can recognize an encrypted connection by the fact that the address bar of the browser changes from “http://” to “https://” and by the lock icon in your browser bar.

When SSL or TLS encryption is enabled, the data you transmit to us cannot be read by third parties.

We also use 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 in line with technological developments.

Links to Other Websites

Please note that this website may contain links to other websites that are not subject to this Privacy Policy.

Changes and Updates to the Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy is currently valid as of February 2024. Due to the further development of our website and the services offered through it, or due to changes in legal or regulatory requirements, it may become necessary to amend this Privacy Policy. We will announce any changes on this page in a timely manner. Therefore, you should visit this page regularly to stay informed about the current status of the Privacy Policy.