Privacy Policy
The following data protection information applies to all our online offers, which can be accessed via https://geseurope.de. These also apply to the blog integrated on our website at https://graphite-network.com The aforementioned online services are hereinafter also referred to collectively as “Services”.
- An overview of data protection
General information
The following information will provide you with an easy to navigate overview of what will happen with your personal data when you visit our website. The term “personal data” comprises all data that can be used to personally identify you. For detailed information about the subject matter of data protection, please consult our Data Protection Declaration, which we have included beneath this copy.
Data recording on our website
Who is the responsible party for the recording of data on this website (i.e. the “controller”)?
The data on this website is processed by the operator of the website, whose contact information is available under section “Information Required by Law” on this website.
How do we record your data?
We collect your data as a result of your sharing of your data with us. This may, for instance be information you enter into our contact form.
Our IT systems automatically record other data when you visit our website. This data comprises primarily technical information (e.g. web browser, operating system or time the site was accessed). This information is recorded automatically when you access our website.
What are the purposes we use your data for?
A portion of the information is generated to guarantee the error free provision of the website. Other data may be used to analyse your user patterns.
What rights do you have as far as your information is concerned?
You have the right to receive information about the source, recipients and purposes of your archived personal data at any time without having to pay a fee for such disclosures. You also have the right to demand that your data are rectified, blocked or eradicated. Please do not hesitate to contact us at any time under the address disclosed in section “Information Required by Law” on this website if you have questions about this or any other data protection related issues. You also have the right to log a complaint with the competent supervising agency.
Moreover, under certain circumstances, you have the right to demand the restriction of the processing of your personal data. For details, please consult the Data Protection Declaration under section “Right to Restriction of Data Processing.”
Analysis tools and tools provided by third parties
There is a possibility that your browsing patterns will be statistically analysed when your visit our website. Such analyses are performed primarily with cookies and with what we refer to as analysis programmes. As a rule, the analyses of your browsing patterns are conducted anonymously; i.e. the browsing patterns cannot be traced back to you. You have the option to object to such analyses or you can prevent their performance by not using certain tools. For detailed information about this, please consult our Data Protection Declaration below.
You do have the option to object to such analyses. We will brief you on the objection options in this Data Protection Declaration.
- General information and mandatory information
Data protection
The operators of this website and its pages take the protection of your personal data very seriously. Hence, we handle your personal data as confidential information and in compliance with the statutory data protection regulations and this Data Protection Declaration.
Whenever you use this website, a variety of personal information will be collected. Personal data comprises data that can be used to personally identify you. This Data Protection Declaration explains which data we collect as well as the purposes we use this data for. It also explains how, and for which purpose the information is collected.
We herewith advise you that the transmission of data via the Internet (i.e. through e-mail communications) may be prone to security gaps. It is not possible to completely protect data against third party access.
Information about the responsible party (referred to as the “controller” in the GDPR)
The data processing controller on this website is:
GES Europe GmbH
Taunusstraße 7
65183 Wiesbaden – Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 611 880 988 12
E-mail: sales@geseurope.eu
The controller is the natural person or legal entity that single-handedly or jointly with others makes decisions as to the purposes of and resources for the processing of personal data (e.g. names, e-mail addresses, etc.).
Revocation of your consent to the processing of data
A wide range of data processing transactions are possible only subject to your express consent. You can also revoke at any time any consent you have already given us. To do so, all you are required to do is sent us an informal notification via e-mail. This shall be without prejudice to the lawfulness of any data collection that occurred prior to your revocation.
Right to object to the collection of data in special cases; right to object to direct advertising (Art. 21 GDPR)
In the event that data are processed on the basis of Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. e or f GDPR, you have the right to at any time object to the processing of your personal data based on grounds arising from your unique situation. This also applies to any profiling based on these provisions. To determine the legal basis, on which any processing of data is based, please consult this Data Protection Declaration. If you log an objection, we will no longer process your affected personal data, unless we are in a position to present compelling protection worthy grounds for the processing of your data, that outweigh your interests, rights and freedoms or if the purpose of the processing is the claiming, exercising or defence of legal entitlements (objection pursuant to Art. 21 Sect. 1 GDPR).
If your personal data is being processed in order to engage in direct advertising, you have the right to at any time object to the processing of your affected personal data for the purposes of such advertising. This also applies to profiling to the extent that it is affiliated with such direct advertising. If you object, your personal data will subsequently no longer be used for direct advertising purposes (objection pursuant to Art. 21 Sect. 2 GDPR).
Right to log a complaint with the competent supervisory agency
In the event of violations of the GDPR, data subjects are entitled to log a complaint with a supervisory agency, in particular in the member state where they usually maintain their domicile, place of work or at the place where the alleged violation occurred. The right to log a complaint is in effect regardless of any other administrative or court proceedings available as legal recourses.
Right to data portability
You have the right to demand that we hand over any data we automatically process on the basis of your consent or in order to fulfil a contract be handed over to you or a third party in a commonly used, machine readable format. If you should demand the direct transfer of the data to another controller, this will be done only if it is technically feasible.
SSL and/or TLS encryption
For security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential content, such as purchase orders or inquiries you submit to us as the website operator, this website uses either an SSL or a TLS encryption programme. You can recognise an encrypted connection by checking whether the address line of the browser switches from “http://” to “https://” and also by the appearance of the lock icon in the browser line.
If the SSL or TLS encryption is activated, data you transmit to us cannot be read by third parties.
Information about, blockage, rectification and eradication of data
Within the scope of the applicable statutory provisions, you have the right to at any time demand information about your archived personal data, their source and recipients as well as the purpose of the processing of your data. You may also have a right to have your data rectified, blocked or eradicated. If you have questions about this subject matter or any other questions about personal data, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time at the address provided in section “Information Required by Law.”
Right to demand processing restrictions
You have the right to demand the imposition of restrictions as far as the processing of your personal data is concerned. To do so, you may contact us at any time at the address provided in section “Information Required by Law.” The right to demand restriction of processing applies in the following cases:
- In the event that you should dispute the correctness of your data archived by us, we will usually need some time to verify this claim. During the time that this investigation is ongoing, you have the right to demand that we restrict the processing of your personal data.
- If the processing of your personal data was/is conducted in an unlawful manner, you have the option to demand the restriction of the processing of your data in lieu of demanding the eradication of this data.
- If we do not need your personal data any longer and you need it to exercise, defend or claim legal entitlements, you have the right to demand the restriction of the processing of your personal data instead of its eradication.
- If you have raised an objection pursuant to Art. 21 Sect. 1 GDPR, your rights and our rights will have to be weighed against each other. As long as it has not been determined whose interests prevail, you have the right to demand a restriction of the processing of your personal data.
If you have restricted the processing of your personal data, these data – with the exception of their archiving – may be processed only subject to your consent or to claim, exercise or defend legal entitlements or to protect the rights of other natural persons or legal entities or for important public interest reasons cited by the European Union or a member state of the EU.
Rejection of unsolicited e-mails
We herewith object to the use of contact information published in conjunction with the mandatory information to be provided in section “Information Required by Law” to send us promotional and information material that we have not expressly requested. The operators of this website and its pages reserve the express right to take legal action in the event of the unsolicited sending of promotional information, for instance via SPAM messages.
- Recording of data on our website
Cookies
In some instances, our website and its pages use so-called “cookies”. Cookies do not cause any damage to your computer and do not contain viruses. The purpose of cookies is to make our website more user friendly, effective and more secure. Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer and stored by your browser.
Most of the cookies we use are so-called “session cookies.” They are automatically deleted after your leave our site. Other cookies will remain archived on your device until you delete them. These cookies enable us to recognise your browser the next time you visit our website.
You can adjust the settings of your browser to make sure that you are notified every time cookies are placed and to enable you to accept cookies only in specific cases or to exclude the acceptance of cookies for specific situations or in general and to activate the automatic deletion of cookies when you close your browser. If you deactivate cookies, the functions of this website may be limited.
Storage duration and cookies used:
If you allow us to use cookies through your browser settings or consent, the following cookies may be used on our websites:
Cookie NameUsageStorage periodCookie Type
_gaThis cookie is used for Google Analytics to distinguish between users.
14 months
Third-party cookie
_gatThis cookie is used for Google Analytics to reduce the request frequency of the player.
1 day
Third-party cookie
_gidThis cookie is used for Google Analytics to distinguish between users.
1 day
Third-party cookie
_wp-settings-time-1WordPress information about the current session
1 year
Session cookie
Insofar as these cookies may (also) concern personal data, we will inform you of this in the following sections.
You can delete individual cookies or the entire cookie stock via your browser settings. In addition, you will receive information and instructions on how these cookies can be deleted or their storage blocked in advance. Depending on the provider of your browser, you will find the necessary information under the following links:
- Mozilla Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/de/kb/cookies-loeschen-daten-von-websites-entfernen
- Internet Explorer: https://support.microsoft.com/de-de/help/17442/windows-internet-explorer-delete-manage-cookies
- Google Chrome: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/61416?hl=de
- Opera: http://www.opera.com/de/help
- Safari: https://support.apple.com/kb/PH17191?locale=de_DE&viewlocale=de_DE
Cookies that are required for the performance of the electronic communications transaction or to provide certain functions you want to use (e.g. the shopping cart function), are stored on the basis of Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. f GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in storing cookies to ensure the technically error free and optimised provision of the operator’s services. If other cookies (e.g. cookies for the analysis of your browsing patterns) should be stored, they are addressed separately in this Data Protection Declaration.
Server log files
The provider of this website and its pages automatically collects and stores information in so-called server log files, which your browser communicates to us automatically. The information comprises:
- The type and version of browser used
- The used operating system
- Referrer URL
- The hostname of the accessing computer
- The time of the server inquiry
- The IP address
This data is not merged with other data sources.
This data is recorded on the basis of Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. f GDPR. The operator of the website has a legitimate interest in the technically error free depiction and the optimization of the operator’s website. In order to achieve this, server log files must be recorded.
Contact form
If you submit inquiries to us via our contact form, the information provided in the contact form as well as any contact information provided therein will be stored by us in order to handle your inquiry and in the event that we have further questions. We will not share this information without your consent.
Hence, the processing of the data entered into the contact form occurs exclusively based on your consent (Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. a GDPR). You have the right to revoke at any time any consent you have already given us. To do so, all you are required to do is sent us an informal notification via e-mail. This shall be without prejudice to the lawfulness of any data collection that occurred prior to your revocation.
The information you have entered into the contact form shall remain with us until you ask us to eradicate the data, revoke your consent to the archiving of data or if the purpose for which the information is being archived no longer exists (e.g. after we have concluded our response to your inquiry). This shall be without prejudice to any mandatory legal provisions – in particular retention periods.
Request by e-mail, telephone or fax
If you contact us by e-mail, telephone or fax, your request, including all resulting personal data (name, request) will be stored and processed by us for the purpose of processing your request. We do not pass these data on without your consent.
The processing of these data is based on Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR, if your request is related to the execution of a contract or if it is necessary to carry out pre-contractual measures. In all other cases, the processing is based on your consent (Article 6 (1) a GDPR) and/or on our legitimate interests (Article 6 (1) (f) GDPR), since we have a legitimate interest in the effective processing of requests addressed to us.
The data sent by you to us via contact requests remain with us until you request us to delete, revoke your consent to the storage or the purpose for the data storage lapses (e.g. after completion of your request). Mandatory statutory provisions – in particular statutory retention periods – remain unaffected.
Processing of data (customer and contract data)
We collect, process and use personal data only to the extent necessary for the establishment, content organization or change of the legal relationship (data inventory). These actions are taken on the basis of Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. b GDPR, which permits the processing of data for the fulfilment of a contract or pre-contractual actions. We collect, process and use personal data concerning the use of our website (usage data) only to the extent that this is necessary to make it possible for users to utilize the services and to bill for them.
The collected customer data shall be eradicated upon completion of the order or the termination of the business relationship. This shall be without prejudice to any statutory retention mandates.
- our online presence on LinkedIn
Our presence on social networks and platforms serves a better, active communication with our customers and prospective customers. We inform them about our products and services.
When you visit our online presence in social media, your data may be automatically collected and stored for market research and advertising purposes. These data are used to create so-called user profiles using pseudonyms. These can be used, for example, to place advertisements inside and outside the platforms that presumably correspond to your interests. Cookies are generally used on your terminal device for this purpose. The visitor behaviour and the interests of the users are stored in these cookies. This serves in accordance with Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. f. GDPR to safeguard our predominantly legitimate interests in an optimised presentation of our offer and effective communication with customers and interested parties within the scope of a weighing of interests. If you are asked by the respective social media platform operators for their consent to data processing, e.g. with the help of a checkbox, the legal basis for data processing is Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. a GDPR.
Insofar as the aforementioned social media platforms have their headquarters in the USA, the following applies: The European Commission has issued an adequacy decision for the USA. This goes back to the EU-US Privacy Shield. A current certificate for the respective company can be viewed here.
The detailed information on the processing and use of the data by the providers on their pages as well as a contact option and your rights and settings to protect your privacy, in particular opt-out options, can be found in the data protection information of the providers linked below. Should you nevertheless require help in this regard, you can contact us.
LinkedIn (LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Irland) – privacy policy: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy
Objection possibility (Opt-Out):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/guest-controls/retargeting-opt-out
Privacy Shield: https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000L0UZAA0&status=Active.
- Social media
Social media plug-ins with Shariff
We do use plug-ins of social media networks on our website and its pages (LinkedIn).
As a rule, you will be able to recognise these plug-ins because of the respective social media logos that appear. To warrant the protection of data on our website, we use these plug-ins only in combination with the so-called “Shariff” solution. This application prevents the plug-ins that have been integrated into our website from transferring data to the respective provider as soon as you enter our website.
A direct connection to the provider’s server shall not be established until you have activated the respective plug-in by clicking on the affiliated button (which indicates your consent). As soon as you activate the plug-in, the respective provider receives the information that you have visited our website with your IP address. If you are simultaneously logged into your respective social media account (e.g. Facebook), the respective provider will be able to allocate your visit to our website to your user account.
The activation of the plug-in constitutes a declaration of consent as defined in Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. a GDPR. You have the option to revoke this consent at any time, which shall affect all future transactions.
LinkedIn plug-in
Our website uses functions of the LinkedIn network. The provider is LinkedIn Corporation, 2029 Stierlin Court, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.
Any time you access one of our sites that contains functions of LinkedIn, a connection to LinkedIn’s servers is established. LinkedIn is notified that you have visited our websites with your IP address. If you click on LinkedIn’s “Recommend” button and are logged into your LinkedIn account at the time, LinkedIn will be in a position to allocate your visit to our website to your user account. We have to point out that we as the provider of the websites do not have any knowledge of the content of the transferred data and its use by LinkedIn.
The use of the LinkedIn plug-in is based on Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. f GDPR. The operator of the website has a legitimate interest in being as visible as possible on social media.
For further information on this subject, please consult LinkedIn’s Data Privacy Declaration at: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy.
- Analysis tools and advertising
Google Analytics
This website uses functions of the web analysis service Google Analytics. The provider of this service is Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.
Google Analytics uses so-called cookies. Cookies are text files, which are stored on your computer and that enable an analysis of the use of the website by users. The information generated by cookies on your use of this website is usually transferred to a Google server in the United States, where it is stored.
The storage of Google Analytics cookies and the utilization of this analysis tool are based on Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. f GDPR. The operator of this website has a legitimate interest in the analysis of user patterns to optimize both, the services offered online and the operator’s advertising activities.
IP anonymization
On this website, we have activated the IP anonymization function. As a result, your IP address will be abbreviated by Google within the member states of the European Union or in other states that have ratified the Convention on the European Economic Area prior to its transmission to the United States. The full IP address will be transmitted to one of Google’s servers in the United States and abbreviated there only in exceptional cases. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google shall use this information to analyse your use of this website to generate reports on website activities and to render other services to the operator of this website that are related to the use of the website and the Internet. The IP address transmitted in conjunction with Google Analytics from your browser shall not be merged with other data in Google’s possession.
Browser plug-in
You do have the option to prevent the archiving of cookies by making pertinent changes to the settings of your browser software. However, we have to point out that in this case you may not be able to use all of the functions of this website to their fullest extent. Moreover, you have the option prevent the recording of the data generated by the cookie and affiliated with your use of the website (including your IP address) by Google as well as the processing of 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.
Objection to the recording of data
You have the option to prevent the recording of your data by Google Analytics by clicking on the following link. This will result in the placement of an opt out cookie, which prevents the recording of your data during future visits to this website: Google Analytics deactivation.
For more information about the handling of user data by Google Analytics, please consult Google’s Data Privacy Declaration at: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=en.
Contract data processing
We have executed a contract data processing agreement with Google and are implementing the stringent provisions of the German data protection agencies to the fullest when using Google Analytics.
Demographic parameters provided by Google Analytics
This website uses the function “demographic parameters” provided by Google Analytics. It makes it possible to generate reports providing information on the age, gender and interests of website visitors. The sources of this information are interest-related advertising by Google as well as visitor data obtained from third party providers. This data cannot be allocated to a specific individual. You have the option to deactivate this function at any time by making pertinent settings changes for advertising in your Google account or you can generally prohibit the recording of your data by Google Analytics as explained in section “Objection to the recording of data.”
Archiving period
Data on the user or incident level stored by Google linked to cookies, user IDs or advertising IDs (e.g. DoubleClick cookies, Android advertising ID) will be anonymized or deleted after 14 month. For details please click the following link: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/7667196?hl=de
Google Tag Manager
This website uses the Google Tag Manager. Google Tag Manager is a solution that allows marketers to manage website tags through a single interface. The Tag Manager tool itself (which implements the tags) is a cookie-less domain and does not collect any personally identifiable information. The tool triggers other tags that may themselves collect data. Google Tag Manager does not access this data. If deactivation has been made at the domain or cookie level, it will persist for all tracking tags implemented with Google Tag Manager. For more information, please see the usage guidelines under the link: https://www.google.com/intl/de/tagmanager/use-policy.html.
- Newsletter
Newsletter data
If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter offered on this website, we will need from you an e-mail address as well as information that allow us to verify that you are the owner of the e-mail address provided and consent to the receipt of the newsletter. No further data shall be collected or shall be collected only on a voluntary basis. We shall use such data only for the sending of the requested information and shall not share such data with any third parties.
The processing of the information entered into the newsletter subscription form shall occur exclusively on the basis of your consent (Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. a GDPR). You may revoke the consent you have given to the archiving of data, the e-mail address and the use of this information for the sending of the newsletter at any time, for instance by clicking on the “Unsubscribe” link in the newsletter. This shall be without prejudice to the lawfulness of any data processing transactions that have taken place to date.
The data you archive with us for the purpose of the newsletter subscription shall be archived by us until you unsubscribe from the newsletter. Once you cancel your subscription to the newsletter, the data shall be deleted. This shall not affect data we have been archiving for other purposes.
MailChimp
This website uses the services of MailChimp to send out its newsletters. The provider is the Rocket Science Group LLC, 675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Suite 5000, Atlanta, GA 30308, USA.
Among other things, MailChimp is a service that can be deployed to organise and analyse the sending of newsletters. Whenever you enter data for the purpose of subscribing to a newsletter (e.g. your e-mail address), the information is stored on MailChimp servers in the United States.
MailChimp is in possession of a certification that is in compliance with the “EU-US-Privacy-Shield.” The “Privacy-Shield” is a compact between the European Union (EU) and the United States of America (USA) that aims to warrant the compliance with European data protection standards in the United States.
With the assistance of the MailChimp tool, we can analyse the performance of our newsletter campaigns. If you open an e-mail that has been sent through the MailChimp tool, a file that has been integrated into the e-mail (a so-called web-beacon) connects to MailChimp’s servers in the United States. As a result, it can be determined whether a newsletter message has been opened and which links the recipient possibly clicked on. Technical information is also recorded at that time (e.g. the time of access, the IP address, type of browser and operating system). This information cannot be allocated to the respective newsletter recipient. Their sole purpose is the performance of statistical analyses of newsletter campaigns. The results of such analyses can be used to tailor future newsletters to the interests of their recipients more effectively.
If you do not want to permit an analysis by MailChimp, you must unsubscribe from the newsletter. We provide a link for you to do this in every newsletter message. Moreover, you can also unsubscribe from the newsletter right on the website.
The data is processed based on your consent (Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. a GDPR). You may revoke any consent you have given at any time by unsubscribing from the newsletter. This shall be without prejudice to the lawfulness of any data processing transactions that have taken place prior to your revocation.
The data you archive with us for the purpose of the newsletter subscription shall be archived by us until you unsubscribe from the newsletter. Once you cancel your subscription to the newsletter, the data shall be deleted from our servers as well as those of MailChimp. This shall not affect data we have been archiving for other purposes.
For more details, please consult the Data Privacy Policies of MailChimp at: https://mailchimp.com/legal/terms/.
Execution of a contract data processing agreement
We have executed a so-called “Data Processing Agreement” with MailChimp, in which we mandate that MailChimp undertakes to protect the data of our customers and to refrain from sharing it with third parties.
- Plug-ins and Tools
WordPress Stats
On the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in the analysis, optimisation and economic operation of our online offer in the sense of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f. of the German Civil Code), we make use of the information provided on this website. DSGVO) the Plugin Jetpack (here the subfunction “WordPress Stats”), which includes a tool for statistical evaluation of visitor access and from Automattic Inc., 60 29th Street #343, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA. Jetpack uses “cookies”, which are text files placed on your computer, to help the website analyze how users use the site.
The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website is stored on a server in the USA. User profiles can be created from the processed data, whereby these are only used for analysis and not for advertising purposes. Further information can be found in Automattic’s privacy policy: https://automattic.com/privacy/ and information on Jetpack cookies: https://jetpack.com/support/cookies/.
OpenStreetMap
We are using the mapping service provided by OpenStreetMap (OSM). The provider of this service is the Open-Street-Map Foundation (OSMF), 132 Maney Hill Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B72 1JU, United Kingdom.
When you visit any website, into which OpenStreetMap has been embedded, your IP address and other information concerning your behavior patterns on this website will be transferred to the OSMF. Under certain circumstances, OpenStreetMap will save cookies in your browser. Cookies are text files that are stored on your computer and that make it possible to conduct an analysis of your website use. You have the option to prevent the storage of cookies by making pertinent changes to the settings of your browser software. However, we have to point out that doing so may make it impossible for you to use all of the functions of this website to their fullest extent.
Furthermore, your location may be recorded if you have permitted this in your device settings, for instance on your cell phone. The provider of this website has no control over this type of data transfer. For details, please consult the Data Privacy Policy of OpenStreetMap under the following link: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Privacy_Policy.
We use OpenStreetMap with the objective of ensuring the attractive presentation of our online offers and to make it easy for visitors to find the locations we specify on our website. This establishes legitimate grounds as defined in Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. f GDPR.
- Changes and updates of the privacy policy
In the course of the continuous further development of the Internet, it is necessary to adapt this data protection declaration to changing circumstances on an ongoing basis. Such changes will be announced on this website in good time.
As of: 26th August 2019