Privacy

1. The controller

for data processing as per the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other data protection protection regulations is

SONAX GmbH
Münchener Str. 75
86633 Neuburg
Germany

Phone: +49 / 84 31 / 53-0
Email: info@sonax.de
Internet: https://www.sonax.de

2. The data protection officer

of the controller is:

Ms Vera Schneider
Email: datenschutz@sonax.de

Also reachable under the contact information of the controller

3. Your rights as a data subject

You may exercise the following rights at any time by contacting our data protection officer at the address provided:

• Information about your stored data and how we process it,
• correction of incorrect personal data,
• deletion of your stored data,
• restriction of data processing if we are not yet permitted to delete your data due to legal obligations,
• objection to your data being processed by us and
• data portability, if you have consented to data processing or have concluded a contract with us. 

If you have given us your consent, you can permanently revoke it for the future at any time using any of the known channels of communication.

You can contact your local supervisory authority at any time with a complaint. Your supervisory authority varies depending on your country of residence, your work or the nature of the alleged infringement. A list of supervisory authorities (for the non-public sector) and their addresses can be found at: https://www.bfdi.bund.de/DE/Infothek/Anschriften_Links/anschriften_links-node.html.

4. Purposes of data processing by the responsible body and third parties

We only process your personal data for the purposes stated in this privacy policy. Your personal data will not be passed on to third parties for purposes other than those mentioned. We will only disclose your personal data to third parties if:

• you have given your express consent,
• processing is necessary to fulfil a contract agreed with you,
• processing is necessary for the fulfilment of a legal obligation, processing is necessary for the protection of legitimate interests and there is no reason to believe that you have an overriding legitimate interest in not having your data disclosed.

5. Legal basis for the processing of personal data

Insofar as we obtain the consent of data subjects for processing of personal data, then article 6 para. 1 lit. a of GDPR forms the legal basis.

In the processing of personal data required for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is a party, Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR serves as the legal basis. This also applies to processing operations that are necessary for carrying out pre-contractual measures.

Insofar as the processing of personal data is required to fulfil a legal obligation to which our company is subject, Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c GDPR serves as the legal basis.

If processing is necessary to safeguard a legitimate interest of our company or a third party and if the interests, fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject do not outweigh the first-mentioned interest, Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR serves as the legal basis for processing.

6. Data deletion and storage duration

The personal data of a data subject will be deleted or blocked as soon as the purpose of storage ceases to exist. Furthermore, data may be stored if this has been intended by the European or national legislation in regulations, laws or other provisions to which the controller is subject. Erasure or blocking of the data occurs therefore, if the prescribed storage deadline expires as outlined in the stated norms, unless that data retention is required for the performance of a contract or if there is an overriding legitimate interest.

7. Changes to our privacy policies

We reserve the right to adjust this privacy policy so that it always meets the current legal requirements or to implement changes to our services in the privacy policy, such as the introduction of new services. Any subsequent website access will then be subject to the terms of the new privacy policy.

8. Questions for the data protection officer

If you have any questions about data protection, please write us an email or contact the person responsible for data protection in our organisation directly: Ms Vera Schneider, email: datenschutz@sonax.de

9. Collection of general information when you visit our website

Information of a general nature is automatically collected by a cookie when you access our website. This information (server log files) includes, among others things, the type of browser used, the operating system used, the domain name of your internet service provider, and other similar data. None of the information collected can be connected to you as an individual.

This information is produced automatically when using the internet and is required for technical reasons so that the requested web content can be correctly displayed. The data is kept for up to one week. It is processed for the following purposes in particular:

• Ensuring smooth connection to the website,
• ensuring our website works properly,
• evaluation of system security and stability and
• for other administrative purposes.

The processing of your personal data is based on our legitimate interest arising from the aforementioned purposes of data collection. The legal basis for data processing is Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f GDPR. We do not use your data to draw conclusions about you as a person. The only recipients of the data are the data controller and, if applicable, the external order management processor. Anonymous information of this kind will be statistically analysed in order to improve our website and its underlying technology.

The data will be deleted as soon as it is no longer necessary to achieve the purpose for which it was collected. If data is gathered for the provision of the website, then this is the case once the respective visit is ended.  If IP addresses are stored in log files without being shortened, then the personal data will be deleted after seven days at the very latest or anonymised. Storage above and beyond this period is possible in combination with cookies or analysis services. In this case, the users' IP addresses are deleted or shortened so they can no longer be allocated to the visiting client. Further explanations for this are outlined below in this privacy policy.

10. Cookies

We use "cookies", as do many other websites. Cookies are small text files that are transferred from a website server to your hard drive.

Cookies cannot be used to run programs or transfer viruses to your computer. Based on the information contained in the cookies, we can simplify navigation for you and ensure that our website displays correctly.

We process and use the resulting data to improve the marketing for our website, to increase the usability of the websites as well as for other optimisation purposes. The analysis required for marketing and optimisation purposes does not generally allow us to draw any conclusions on your person or personal data. Specifically, no names, addresses, phone numbers or other data are stored which could be allocated to individuals. The analysis supplies only aggregated data, such as the number of visitors and page views. We would like to point out, however, that common opinion is that even dynamic IP addresses and the related usage data is to be classified as personal data.

Cookies allow us, among other things, to adapt the website to meet your wishes, to establish links between different visits to our websites or to save your password in the browser so that you do not have to enter it again each time you visit. In addition, we also use cookies for targeted advertising. We also allow data providers or other automated data collection tools to use our cookies, so they can support us with the provision of our own content and ads as well as in measuring the effectiveness of our advertisement measures. These cookies can provide anonymous or other data, link with data that you have provided to us and that we transfer to data providers in hashed form, i.e. unreadable by humans. For registered users, the data collected on our websites are not anonymous. This information is used in combination with other information that we know about you or derive from it, e.g. your preferences, so we are able to provide you with content, services and advertising tailored to you.

Some of the cookies we use are deleted after the browser session, i.e. after you close your browser (these are “session cookies”). Other cookies remain on your terminal and allow us to recognise your browser when you visit us again (“permanent cookies”). You can see how long cookies are stored for in the overview in the cookie settings section of your web browser. Otherwise, the general storage principles outlined above apply. Our website can, of course, be viewed without the use of cookies. Please note that some of our website features may not work if you have disabled the use of cookies.

Internet browsers are normally configured to accept cookies. You can disable the use of cookies at any time via your browser settings. Please refer to your Internet browser's help feature to learn how you can change these settings. Instructions for managing/disabling cookies (as of May 2018):

• Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/de/kb/Cookies-blockieren
• Firefox for Android: https://support.mozilla.org/de/kb/cookies-aktivieren-deaktivieren-firefox-android
• Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647
• Safari: https://support.apple.com/de-de/guide/safari/sfri11471/mac
• Opera: http://help.opera.com/Linux/9.01/de/cookies.html
• Internet Explorer: https://support.microsoft.com/de-de/help/17442/windows-internet-explorer-delete-manage-cookies

In addition, you will also find the option to deactivate immediately upon the description of cookies, plug-ins, tracking measures and other tools, insofar as it is possible.

11. Registration and contact on our website

Registration form

When you register to use our personalized services, we collect some of your personal data, such as your name, address, and contact and communication details like your telephone number and email address. If you are registered with us, you can access content and services that we only offer to registered users. If necessary, registered users may change or delete the data entered during registration at any time. Of course, we will also provide you with information about the personal data we have stored at any time. We will be happy to correct or delete your personal data at your request, provided that there are no legal storage obligations to the contrary. For this purpose, please use the contact details listed in the section “Questions for the data protection officer”.

Contact form

If you contact us with any questions by email or by using our contact form, then you give us consent to use your personal data to contact you.  A valid address and an email address is required for this purpose. This is used to allocate the request and then reply to it. In addition, we manditorily collect the address, the last name, the SONAX division to be contacted, your query and optionally, your first name and phone number.

We process your personal data to handle your queries, to provide the services you request and to ensure the observance of laws and regulations.

The legal basis for the data processing is article 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a and b GDPR, since you have given your consent for the use of a form or to be sent information and/or to have a contractual service provided.

The personal data collected is saved for as long as it is required for the described purposes.  As far as the data is subject to statutory retention obligations, e.g. the tax regulation or the German Commercial Code, then it has to be stored for six or ten years. Otherwise, the general storage principles outlined above apply.

12. SSL encryption

To protect the security of your data during transmission, we use state-of-the-art encryption methods (e.g. SSL) via HTTPS.

13. Web analytics, social plug-ins and other tools

Use of Matomo

This website uses Matomo (formerly Piwik), an open source software for the statistical analysis of visitor access. Matomo uses “cookies”, i.e. text files placed on your computer that enable an analysis of your use of the website.

The information that the cookie generates about your use of our internet presence is stored on a server in Germany.

The IP address is anonymised immediately following processing and prior to storage. You can prevent the installation of cookies by changing the settings in your web browser. Please be advised that the adjusted settings may mean that some website functions may no longer be available.

You may decide whether an explicit web analytics cookie may be stored on your browser to allow the website provider to collect and analyse various statistical data.

You may decide here whether a unique web analytics cookie may be stored in your browser in order to allow the operator of the website to collect and analyse various statistical data.

If you want to opt out, click the following link to install the Matomo deactivation cookie on your browser.

Your visit to this website is currently captured by Matomo Web Analytics. You have to deactivate your cookies to ensure that your visit is no longer captured. For this, follow the links in the section on “cookies”.

You can also disable the tool here: https://add-factory.de/analytics/index.php?module=CoreAdminHome&action=optOut&language=en

Use of Google Maps

This website uses Google Maps API to display geographical information. When Google Maps is used, Google also collects, processes, and utilizes data about the visitor's use of map functions. Further information about data processing by Google can be found in Google’s privacy policy information at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en. There you can also access the Data Protection Centre to change the protection settings for your personal data.

The use of Google Maps is in the interest of making our website appealing and to facilitate the location of places specified by us on the website. This represents a legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR.

Detailed instructions for managing your own data in relation to Google products can be found at http://www.dataliberation.org/.

The general disabling of cookies is described in the cookie section.

Embedded YouTube videos

We embed YouTube videos in some of our websites. The operator of these plug-ins is YouTube LLC, 901 Cherry Ave., San Bruno, CA 94066, USA. As soon as you visit a page with a YouTube plug-in, a connection to YouTube’s servers will be established. This will inform YouTube which pages you are visiting. If you are logged in to your YouTube account, YouTube can associate your browsing habits with you personally. You can prevent this by logging out of your YouTube account beforehand.

As soon as a YouTube video starts, the provider uses cookies that collect information about user behaviour. If you wish to prevent this, then you must block cookies from being saved in your browser.

If you have deactivated the storage of cookies for the Google Ad program, you will not have to expect such cookies when viewing YouTube videos. However, YouTube also stores non-personal usage information in other cookies. If you wish to prevent this, then you must block cookies from being saved in your browser.

Further information on data protection on YouTube can be found in the provider's data protection policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en.

The general disabling of cookies is described in the cookie section.

Recaptcha

To protect the forms on this website, we are using the “reCAPTCHA” service by Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043 USA, hereinafter referred to as “Google”. Using this service helps to distinguish whether the relevant entry has been made by a human or has been improperly made by an automated machine process. This service involves sending Google the IP address and any other data required by Google for the reCAPTCHA service. If you wish to prevent this, then you must block cookies from being saved in your browser.

The use of the provided information is done in line with Google’s terms of service: https://www.google.com/intl/de/policies/privacy/

The general disabling of cookies is described in the cookie section.

Google Tag Manager

This website uses Google Tag Manager. Using this service, website tags can be managed via an interface. The Google Tag Manager only implements tags. This means that no cookies are used and personal data is not collected. The Google Tag Manager triggers other tags that capture data again, if necessary. However, Google Tag Manager does not access this data. If deactivation occurs at domain or cookie level, it remains in use for all tracking tags, insofar as they are implemented with Google Tag Manager.

Social plug-ins

Social plug-ins from the providers listed below are used on our websites. You can recognize the plug-ins by the fact that they are marked with the corresponding logo.

These plug-ins may be used to send information to the service provider for its use. Said information may possibly include personal data. We use a 2-click solution to prevent the unintentional and unwanted collection and transmission of your data to these service providers. To activate a social plug-in, users must first click on the corresponding button. Only when the plug-in is activated will information be collected and transmitted to the corresponding service provider. We do not collect any personal data using the social plug-ins or about how they are used.

We have no influence on which data an activated plug-in collects and how it is used by the provider. At this time, you should assume that direct connections will be established to the services of the respective provider and that, at the very least, your IP address and device-related information will be captured and used. Service providers may also try to save cookies on your computer. Please refer to the data protection information of the respective service provider to find out which specific data is collected and how it is used. Note: if you are logged in to Facebook when you visit our site, Facebook can track your visit to specific pages.

We have included social media buttons from the following companies on our site:

• Facebook - Facebook Inc., 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
• Google+ - Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.
• Twitter - Twitter Inc., 1355 Market Street, Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA.

Facebook

Plug-ins for the social network Facebook (Facebook Inc., 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, California, 94025, USA) are integrated into our website. Facebook plug-ins can be recognised by the Facebook logo or by the "Like button" on our website. For an overview of Facebook plug-ins, see: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/plugins/.

The purpose of the integration is to simply leave a “like” on the Facebook platform. When you visit our website, a direct connection between your browser and the Facebook server is established through the plug-in. This enables Facebook to receive the information that you have visited our website with your IP address. If you click on the Facebook "Like button" while you are logged in to your Facebook account, you can link the content of our site to your Facebook profile. This allows Facebook to associate visits to our site with your user account. Please note that, as the provider of this site, we have no knowledge of the content of the data that is transmitted to Facebook or of how Facebook uses this data. For more information on this, please see Facebook's privacy policy at https://www.facebook.com/policy.php.

If you do not wish Facebook to associate your visit to our pages with your Facebook user account, please log out of your Facebook user account.

The function is disabled by default and must first be activated by clicking.

Twitter

Twitter functions are integrated into this website. The purpose of the integration is to simply leave a “like” on the Twitter platform. These functions are offered by Twitter Inc., 1355 Market Street, Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA. When you use Twitter and the “Retweet” function, the websites you visit are connected to your Twitter account and made known to other users. In the process, data will also be transferred to Twitter. Please note that, as the provider of this site, we have no knowledge of the content of the data that is transmitted to Twitter or of how Twitter uses this data. For more information of this, please see Twitter’s privacy policy at https://twitter.com/privacy.

You can change your data protection preferences with Twitter in your account settings at https://twitter.com/account/settings.

The function is disabled by default and must first be activated by clicking.

Google+

This website uses Google+ functions. The provider is Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.

Collection and further transmission of information: using the Google+ button, you can publish information worldwide. By means of the Google+ button, you and other users can receive custom content from Google and our partners. Google stores both the fact that you have clicked +1 for a piece of content and also information about the page you were viewing when you clicked +1. Your +1 can be displayed together with your profile name and photo in Google services, for example in search results or in your Google profile, or in other places on websites and advertisements on the internet.

Google records information about your +1 activity in order to improve Google services for you and others. To use the Google+ button, you need a globally visible, public Google profile that must contain at least the name chosen for the profile. This name is used by all Google services. In some cases, this name may also replace a different name that you have used to share content via your Google account. The identity of your Google profile can be shown to users who know your email address or other identifying information for you.

Use of the collected information: in addition to the above uses, the information you provide is used in accordance with the applicable Google data privacy provisions. Google may publish summary statistics about the +1 activity of users, or share it with users and partners such as publishers, advertisers or affiliate websites.

For more information please see Google's privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en. You can change your Google settings at https://myaccount.google.com/intro?hl=en.

The function is disabled by default and must first be activated by clicking.

The cookies, social plug-ins, tracking measures and other tools displayed here are used in line with Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f GDPR. The data processed thereby for the named purposes serves to protect the overriding legitimate interests of our enterprise and third parties within the scope of a balancing of interests, in particular on a promotional approach to our customers, and are therefore necessary according to the proportionality principle.