Privacy Policy

This is the privacy policy (“policy”) for the website www.meinfachwissen.de, wwww.my-specialized-knowledge.com which is run and provided by Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, Abraham-Lincoln-Str. 46, 65189 Wiesbaden, springerfachmedien-wiesbaden@springer.com (we, us and our). We will only use the personal data gathered over this website as set out in this policy. Below you will find information on how we use your personal data, for which purposes your personal data is used, with whom it is shared and what control and information rights you may have.

I. Summary of our processing activities

The following summary provides you with a quick overview of the processing activities that are undertaken on our website. You will find more detailed information under the indicated sections below.

• When you visit our website for informational reasons without setting up an account, only limited personal data will be processed to provide you with the website itself (see section III).
• Furthermore, your personal data will be used for interesting advertising of our services and products (see under V) as well as for statistical analysis to improve our website (see under VI).
• We have implemented appropriate safeguards to secure your personal data (see section VIII) and retain your personal data only as long as necessary (see section X).
• Under the legislation applicable to you, you may be entitled to exercise certain rights with regard to the processing of your personal data (see section XI).

lI. Definitions

• Personal data: means any information relating to a natural person who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, or an online identifier.
• Processing: means any operation which is performed on personal data, such as collection, recording, organisation, structuring, storage, adaptation or any kind of disclosure or other use.

III. Informational use of the website

When you visit our website for informational reasons, i.e. without registering for any of our provided services listed under IV and without providing us with personal data in any other form, we may automatically collect additional information about you which will contain personal data only in limited cases and which is automatically recognised by our server, such as:

• Your device type, name and screen resolution;
• Information about your browser version;
• Information about your operating system, including your language settings;
• The date and time of your requests;
• The content of your requests

We use such information only to assist us in providing an effective service (e.g. to adapt our website to the needs of your device or to allow you to log in to our website), and to collect broad demographic information for anonymised, aggregated use. 

The personal data automatically collected is necessary for us to provide the website, Article 6 sec. 1 sent. 1 lit. b GDPR, and for our legitimate interest to guarantee the website’s stability and security, Article 6 sec. 1 sent. 1 lit. f GDPR. 

Automatically collected personal data is anonymized and duly deleted immediately.

IV. Information about usage options that require user identification

In order to use the function described below, you must provide information about the user.

1. trial subscriptions and paid contracts

As a user, you have the option of subscribing to magazines. In addition, you may have the opportunity to access content free of charge for a limited period of time. The order is placed directly online. On the order form (also in the case of free trial access), we ask for the following data to enable us to assign the form and carry out the order

• Your first and last name, title,
• Your delivery address and, if applicable, a separate billing address if the selected subscription contains printed matter,
• Your field of specialization and focus of activity

2. web shop

We are required by law to retain transaction-related financial data (including address, payment, and order information) for ten years. However, 2 years after the end of the active customer relationship, we will no longer process your personal data. The storage of your personal data in this regard is based on Art. 6 (1) sentence 1 lit. c GDPR.

If you have any questions about your stored data or would like to have it changed or deleted, you can contact our customer service:

Customer Service Worldwide-E-Magazine (EN):

vertriebsunion meynen GmbH & Co. KG, Große Hub 10, 65344 Eltville, Germany

E-mail: worldwide-magazines@vuservice.de

Customer Service Print Magazines (DE+EN):

Springer Nature Customer Service Center GmbH, Tiergartenstraße 15-17, 69121 Heidelberg, Germany.

E-mail: springerfachmedien@springernature.com

3. Sweepstakes

You have the opportunity to participate in sweepstakes (if applicable, also without having created a user account in advance). To do so, enter the data requested on the website www.magazine-springer.de or other (Google) pages (first and last name, telephone number, postal address and e-mail address) and answer the questions.

Subject of the processing: The mandatory data and voluntary information provided by the participant when entering the sweepstake.

Purposes of processing: Conducting the prize-drawing including notification of the winner and dispatch/handover of the prize; transmission of special offers and information from Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH.

Legal basis for data processing: Art. 6 (1) lit. (b) of the General Data Protection Regulation (fulfilment of the contract resulting from participation in the prize draw); Art. 6 (1) lit. (f) of the General Data Protection Regulation (protection of legitimate interests): Sweepstake as a sales promotion measure; Assertion, exercise or defence of legal claims; Art. 6 (1) lit. (a) GDPR (consent to the transmission of advertising information).

Storage: Participants' data will be stored until the prizes are dispatched/handed over and will then be deleted. This does not apply to data provided to us for the purpose of sending special offers and information about the Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. Such data will only be deleted after receipt of your revocation.

Transmission to third parties: Data may be transmitted to IPO PrämienServices GmbH or SNCSC - Springer Nature Customer Service Center - for the purpose of sending the prize. Telephone marketing agencies (e.g. S&H Communication GmbH) will receive the data in the context of advertising communications. You can object to the processing of your personal data for the purpose of direct advertising at any time, see chapter XV. Your rights.

V. Online advertising

This website uses online advertising services to present you with advertising tailored to your interests. The respective advertisement is marked with the name of the service provider, e.g. "Google-Ad” In addition, this service helps us to improve our website to make your visit to our website more interesting for you. For this purpose, we collect statistical information about you, which is processed by the service provider. This processing is based on Art. 6(1) sentence 1 lit. f GDPR and represents our legitimate interest in enhancing your user experience and promoting our products and services.

1. cookies, web beacons

The service provider is automatically informed about your visit to our website. For this purpose, a web beacon is used, which places a cookie on your computer.

Please note that we have no influence on the scope of the personal data collected by the respective plug-in provider, nor do we know for what purpose it is processed or how long it is stored. Depending on the service provider, your personal data may be transferred to third countries, e.g. the United States, and processed there. For more information about the potential risks of cross-border data transfers, see IX.

It may be that the service provider passes on your personal data to business partners, third parties or authorities.

You can prevent the setting of such a cookie as follows:

(i) by selecting the appropriate setting in your browser that blocks the setting of third-party cookies,

(ii) by disabling the service provider's interest-based advertising at the link provided in the service provider details below,

(iii) (iii) or by generally disabling cookies, e.g. at www.google.com/settings/ads/plugin.

For more information on the processing of your personal data by our service provider, please refer to their privacy policy. In addition, you will receive further information about your privacy rights and settings. The provider's privacy policy is displayed by clicking on the link in the detailed information about the service provider.

2. Google AdWords

On the website we also use the so-called Google Conversion Tracking, an analysis service of Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland ("Google"). Google AdWords sets a cookie on your terminal device ("conversion cookie") if you have accessed our website via a Google ad. These cookies lose their validity after 30 days and are not used to personally identify users. If you visit certain pages of ours and the cookie has not yet expired, we and Google can recognize that someone has clicked on the ad and thus been redirected to our site. Each Google AdWords customer receives a different cookie. Therefore, cookies cannot be tracked across the websites of different AdWords customers. The information obtained using the conversion cookie is used to create conversion statistics for us. As an AdWords customer, we learn the total number of users who clicked on our ad and were redirected to a page tagged with a conversion tracking tag. However, we do not receive information that personally identifies users.

If you do not want information about your behavior on the website to be processed in the tracking procedure, you can also refuse the setting of a cookie required for this purpose ? for example, by means of a browser setting that generally deactivates the automatic setting of cookies. You can also disable cookies for conversion tracking by setting your browser to block cookies from the domain "googleadservices.com".

In addition, Google offers you the option of deactivating the use of cookies by Google for advertising purposes in the advertising preferences. You can find this here: www.google.com/settings/ads/.

Alternatively, you can disable the use of cookies by third parties by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page: www.networkadvertising.org/choices/ .

3. Bing Ads

We use Bing Ads to advertise on our site and third party websites to previous visitors of our site. Bing Ads (bingads.microsoft.com) is provided by Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, Washington 98052, USA. Phone: (+1) 425-882-8080 (“Microsoft”).

The advertisements are displayed on the basis of information that is stored in cookies which Microsoft places on your computer, if you have been directed to our website from a Microsoft Bing Ad. This way we and Microsoft can identify that a user has clicked on the Ad and has been directed to a pre-defined target site ("Conversion page"). We only receive the information how many users have been directed to the Conversion page.

The text files include information, on your visit of our website, in particular product views that is read-out in the course of subsequent visits of this or third party websites for specific product recommendations. The cookie includes a random alias. In case you visit our website within a certain period of time and view our products, Microsoft is able to recognize you by means of the alias. However, the information cannot be attributed to you personally. We or Microsoft will not merge this information with your personal data and will not disclose any of your personal data to any third party. 

You can prevent being tracked by choosing the appropriate preference in the privacy options of your browser or disable cookies. To withdraw your consent to the processing of your data by Microsoft you may also use the link https://account.microsoft.com/privacy/ad-settings/signedout?lang=en-GB. For more information about Bing Ads security see https://secure.bingads.microsoft.com/. For more information about Microsoft privacy policies see Microsoft Privacy Statement – Microsoft privacy  or contact the data controller office Microsoft Ireland Operations, Ltd., Attn: Data Protection, Carmenhall Road, Sandyford, Dublin 18, Ireland.

VI. analysis

1. general information about analysis

For our statistical analysis, we use web analytics services that collect data about the use of this site. The analytics services collect information such as.

• Device and browser details ( device type, operating system, browser version);
• IP address;
• Websites viewed, URL clickstream (order in which pages were viewed);
• Geographic location;
• Date and time of website visit;
• Reference site, application or service;

We use the information provided by the providers only to determine the most useful information for you and to improve and optimize this website. The information collected using analytics services is not linked to personal data.

Depending on the provider, data generated about your use of this website may be stored and processed in a country outside the European Economic Area (EEA), such as the United States. For more information about the potential risks of cross-border data transfers, see IX. The analytics services collect only the IP address that is assigned to them when you visit this website, not your name or other identifiers. The provider uses this information to evaluate your use of the website, to generate reports on website usage and to provide us with other services regarding the use of the website and the Internet.

The legal basis for this processing is Art. 6 (1) sentence 1 lit. f GDPR. The processing is based on our legitimate interest of evaluating the traffic on our website to enhance your user experience and to generally optimize the website.

2. reach measurement with Matomo

Within the scope of the range analysis with the tool Matomo, the following data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in the analysis, optimization and economic operation of our online offer within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR), the following data is processed:

• the type and version of browser you are using,
• the operating system you are using,
• your country of origin,
• the date and time of the server request,
• the number of visits,
• the time you spend on the website and the external links you click.
• The IP address of users is anonymized before it is stored.

Matomo uses cookies that are stored on the user's computer and that enable an analysis of the user's use of our online offer. In the process, pseudonymous user profiles can be created from the processed data. The cookies have a storage period of one week. The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website is only stored on our server and is not passed on to third parties. Users can object to the anonymized data collection by the Matomo program at any time with effect for the future by clicking on the link below:

www.meinfachwissen.de/piwik/index.php

In this case, a so-called opt-out cookie will be stored in their browser, with the result that Matomo will no longer collect any session data. If users delete their cookies, however, this has the consequence that the opt-out cookie is also deleted and must therefore be reactivated by the users. The logs with the users' data are deleted after 12 months at the latest.

VII. Third-party content and social network plug-ins

1. Links to third party websites

This website may contain links to third party websites. We are not responsible for the content and the data collection on respective third party websites; please check the privacy policy of respective websites for information of respective websites’ data processing activities.

VIII. Transfer of personal data to third parties

Your personal data will be disclosed to the following third parties for the above-mentioned purposes

• vertriebsunion meynen GmbH & Co. KG , Große Hub 10, 65344 Eltville, Germany
• Springer Nature Customer Service Center GmbH , Tiergartenstraße 15-17 , 69121 Heidelberg, Germany

The legal basis for this transfer of your personal data is Art. 6 (1) sentence 1 lit. b and f GDPR and serves our legitimate interest of order processing and customer service.

We may share anonymous aggregated statistics about the users of our websites in order to describe our services to potential partners, advertisers or other reputable third parties, as well as to fulfill other lawful purposes. However, these statistics do not include personally identifiable information.

Your personal information may be disclosed to the following contractors who assist us in providing our services:

• Reizwerk GmbH, Carlebachmühle, Weinheimer Straße 6, 69488 Birkenau, Germany

In the event of a restructuring or sale of our company to a third party, the transfer of your personal data to the restructured company or third party is possible in accordance with applicable law.

If we are legally entitled or obliged to do so (e.g. due to applicable law or a court order), we may disclose your personal data.

IX. Transfer of personal data to third countries

Within the scope described above, we may transfer your personal data to other countries (including countries outside the EEA), where different data protection standards may apply than in your country of residence. Please note that data processed in other countries may be subject to foreign laws and may be accessible to local governments, courts, law enforcement and regulatory authorities. However, when transferring your personal data to such countries, we will take appropriate measures to adequately secure your data.

When transferring to a state outside the EEA, the transfer is protected by the EU-US Privacy Shield. For more information on the above safeguards, please contact the Group Privacy Officer by email at dataprotection@springernature.com.

X. Security

We have appropriate, state-of-the-art security measures in place to protect your data from loss, misuse and alteration. For example, our security guidelines and data privacy statements are regularly reviewed and improved as necessary. In addition, only authorized employees have access to personal data. Although we cannot guarantee or warrant that loss, misuse or alteration of data will never occur, we do everything in our power to prevent it. Please keep in mind that data transmission over the Internet is never completely secure. We cannot guarantee the security of data entered on our website during transmission over the Internet. This is at your own risk.

XI. Storage periods

Our aim is to process your personal data only to the minimum extent possible. If no exact storage periods are specified in this statement, we will only store your personal data for as long as it is necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was originally collected and - if applicable - for as long as required by law.

XII. Your rights

You have the following data protection rights, depending on the circumstances of the specific case:

• To request access to and/or copies of your personal data. This includes information about the purpose of the use, the category of data used, its recipients and persons authorized to access it, and, if possible, the planned duration of data storage or, if this is not possible, the criteria for determining this duration;
• to request the rectification, erasure or restriction of the processing of your personal data insofar as its use is unlawful under data protection law, in particular because (i) the data is incomplete or inaccurate, (ii) it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, (iii) the consent on which the processing was based has been revoked, or (iv) you have successfully exercised a right to object to data processing; in cases where the data is processed by third parties, we will forward your requests for rectification, erasure or restriction of processing to those third parties, unless this proves impossible or involves a disproportionate effort;
• Refuse consent or - without affecting the lawfulness of data processing carried out prior to the withdrawal - revoke your consent to the processing of your personal data at any time;
• not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing which produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you;
• request the personal data concerning you that you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and to transfer this data to another controller without hindrance from us; you may also have the right to request that we transfer the personal data directly to another controller, insofar as this is technically feasible;
• Take legal action or call the competent supervisory authorities if you believe that your rights have been violated as a result of processing of your personal data that does not comply with data protection law.

In addition to this, you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data at any time:

• if we process your personal data for direct marketing purposes; or insofar as we process your personal data for the pursuit of our legitimate interests and there are grounds based on your particular situation.
• You may (i) exercise the above rights or (ii) ask questions or (iii) lodge a complaint about the processing of your personal data carried out by us by contacting us as indicated below.

XIII. Contact

If you have any questions, concerns or comments about this data privacy statement or any inquiries about your personal data, please feel free to contact our Corporate Privacy Officer by e-mail. You can reach our Corporate Privacy Officer at dataprotection@springer.com.

The information you provide when contacting us (springerfachmedien@springernature.com) will only be processed in order to handle your inquiry. It will be deleted immediately thereafter. Alternatively, we restrict the processing of your personal data in accordance with the statutory provisions on retention obligations.

XIV. Changes to this data protection declaration

We reserve the right to change this data protection declaration in accordance with the updating of our website. Please visit this website regularly and check the current data protection declaration. This Privacy Policy was last updated on 29 July 2022.