Privacy Policy

DATA PROTECTION STATEMENT

Peter Hacker respects your privacy and has adopted policies and procedures to ensure that personal information collected on the site about visitors (“you”, “User”) is handled responsibly. This online privacy policy is designed to tell you about how we collect and use your personal information according to Art. 4 of the GDPR so that you can make an informed choice about using this website identified by the URL https://www.distinction.global.

Personal data (usually referred to just as “data” below) will only be processed by us to the extent necessary and for the purpose of providing a functional and user-friendly website, including its contents, and the services offered there.

Per Art. 4 No. 1 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679, i.e. the General Data Protection Regulation (hereinafter referred to as the “GDPR”), “processing” refers to any operation or set of operations such as collection, recording, organization, structuring, storage, adaptation, alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination, or otherwise making available, alignment, or combination, restriction, erasure, or destruction performed on personal data, whether by automated means or not.

The following privacy policy is intended to inform you in particular about the type, scope, purpose, duration, and legal basis for the processing of such data either under our own control or in conjunction with others. We also inform you below about the third-party components we use to optimize our website and improve the user experience which may result in said third parties also processing data they collect and control.

Our privacy policy is structured as follows:

I. Information about us as controllers of your data

II. The rights of users and data subjects

III. Information about the data processing

I. INFORMATION ABOUT US AS CONTROLLERS OF YOUR DATA

The party responsible for this website (the “controller”) for purposes of data protection law is:

Distinction.global
Aelpli 7
8707 Uetikon am See
Switzerland

Legal Representative: Peter Hacker
phone: +41 (0)79 934 45 76
email: peter@distinction.global

II. THE RIGHTS OF USERS AND DATA SUBJECTS

With regard to the data processing to be described in more detail below, users and data subjects have the right

  • to confirmation of whether data concerning them is being processed, information about the data being processed, further information about the nature of the data processing, and copies of the data (cf. also Art. 15 GDPR);
  • to correct or complete incorrect or incomplete data (cf. also Art. 16 GDPR);
  • to the immediate deletion of data concerning them (cf. also Art. 17 DSGVO), or, alternatively, if further processing is necessary as stipulated in Art. 17 Para. 3 GDPR, to restrict said processing per Art. 18 GDPR;
  • to receive copies of the data concerning them and/or provided by them and to have the same transmitted to other providers/controllers (cf. also Art. 20 GDPR);
  • to file complaints with the supervisory authority if they believe that data concerning them is being processed by the controller in breach of data protection provisions (see also Art. 77 GDPR).

In addition, the controller is obliged to inform all recipients to whom it discloses data of any such corrections, deletions, or restrictions placed on processing the same per Art. 16, 17 Para. 1, 18 GDPR. However, this obligation does not apply if such notification is impossible or involves a disproportionate effort. Nevertheless, users have a right to information about these recipients.

Likewise, under Art. 21 GDPR, users and data subjects have the right to object to the controller’s future processing of their data pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f) GDPR. In particular, an objection to data processing for the purpose of direct advertising is permissible.

III. INFORMATION ABOUT THE DATA PROCESSING

Your data processed when using our website will be deleted or blocked as soon as the purpose for its storage ceases to apply, provided the deletion of the same is not in breach of any statutory storage obligations or unless otherwise stipulated below.

SERVER DATA

For technical reasons, the following data sent by your internet browser to us or to our server provider will be collected, especially to ensure a secure and stable website: These server log files record the type and version of your browser, operating system, the website from which you came (referrer URL), the webpages on our site visited, the date and time of your visit, as well as the IP address from which you visited our site.

The data thus collected will be temporarily stored, but not in association with any other of your data.

The basis for this storage is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f) GDPR. Our legitimate interest lies in the improvement, stability, functionality, and security of our website.

The data will be deleted within no more than seven days, unless continued storage is required for evidentiary purposes. In which case, all or part of the data will be excluded from deletion until the investigation of the relevant incident is finally resolved.

COOKIES

a) Session cookies

We use cookies on our website. Cookies are small text files or other storage technologies stored on your computer by your browser. These cookies process certain specific information about you, such as your browser, location data, or IP address.

This processing makes our website more user-friendly, efficient, and secure, allowing us, for example, to display our website in different languages or to offer a shopping cart function.

The legal basis for such processing is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b) GDPR, insofar as these cookies are used to collect data to initiate or process contractual relationships.

If the processing does not serve to initiate or process a contract, our legitimate interest lies in improving the functionality of our website. The legal basis is then Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f) GDPR.

When you close your browser, these session cookies are deleted.

b) Third-party cookies

If necessary, our website may also use cookies from companies with whom we cooperate for the purpose of advertising, analyzing, or improving the features of our website.

Please refer to the following information for details, in particular for the legal basis and purpose of such third-party collection and processing of data collected through cookies.

c) Disabling cookies

You can refuse the use of cookies by changing the settings on your browser. Likewise, you can use the browser to delete cookies that have already been stored. However, the steps and measures required vary, depending on the browser you use. If you have any questions, please use the help function or consult the documentation for your browser or contact its maker for support. Browser settings cannot prevent so-called flash cookies from being set. Instead, you will need to change the setting of your Flash player. The steps and measures required for this also depend on the Flash player you are using. If you have any questions, please use the help function or consult the documentation for your Flash player or contact its maker for support.

If you prevent or restrict the installation of cookies, not all of the functions on our site may be fully usable.

CONTACT FORM

If you contact us via email or the contact form, the data you provide will be used for the purpose of processing your request. We must have this data in order to process and answer your inquiry; otherwise we will not be able to answer it in full or at all.

The legal basis for this data processing is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b) GDPR.

Your data will be deleted once we have fully answered your inquiry and there is no further legal obligation to store your data, such as if an order or contract resulted therefrom.

CUSTOMER ACCOUNT/REGISTRATION

If you create a customer account with us via our website, we will use the data you entered during registration (e.g. your name, your address, or your email address) exclusively for services leading up to your potential placement of an order or entering some other contractual relationship with us, to fulfill such orders or contracts, and to provide customer care (e.g. to provide you with an overview of your previous orders or to be able to offer you a wishlist function). We also store your IP address and the date and time of your registration. This data will not be transferred to third parties.

During the registration process, your consent will be obtained for this processing of your data, with reference made to this privacy policy. The data collected by us will be used exclusively to provide your customer account.

If you give your consent to this processing, Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a) GDPR is the legal basis for this processing.

If the opening of the customer account is also intended to lead to the initiation of a contractual relationship with us or to fulfill an existing contract with us, the legal basis for this processing is also Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b) GDPR.

You may revoke your prior consent to the processing of your personal data at any time under Art. 7 Para. 3 GDPR with future effect. All you have to do is inform us that you are revoking your consent.

The data previously collected will then be deleted as soon as processing is no longer necessary. However, we must observe any retention periods required under tax and commercial law.

NEWSLETTER

Our website offers you the opportunity to subscribe to our newsletter. The newsletter provides you periodically with information about our services. To receive our newsletter, we require a valid email address. We will review the email address you provide for the purpose of determining whether you are in fact the owner of the email address provided or whether the actual owner of said address is authorized to receive the newsletter. When subscribing to our newsletter, we will store your IP address as well as the date and time you subscribed. This serves to protect us in the event a third party improperly and without your knowledge makes use of your email address to subscribe to our newsletter. We will not collect any other data. The data thereby collected is used solely for the purpose of receiving our newsletter. No data is transferred to third parties. Nor is any of this information matched to any information that other components of our website may collect. You may cancel your subscription to the newsletter at any time. You will find additional details in the email confirming your subscription as well as in each newsletter.

ORDER PROCESSING

The data you submit when ordering goods and/or services from us will have to be processed in order to fulfill your order. Please note that orders cannot be processed without providing this data.

The legal basis for this processing is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b) GDPR.

After your order has been completed, your personal data will be deleted, but only after the retention periods required by tax and commercial law.

In order to process your order, we will share your data with the shipping company responsible for delivery to the extent required to deliver your order and/or with the payment service provider to the extent required to process your payment.

The legal basis for the transfer of this data is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b) GDPR.

USE OF GOOGLE MAPS

We use the “Google Maps” component of Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043 USA, hereinafter “Google.”

Google sets a cookie in order to process the user configuration and data when the page with the integrated “Google Maps” component is displayed. As a general rule, this cookie is not deleted by closing the browser, but rather expires after a certain time, as long as it is not previously manually deleted by you.

If you do not agree with this processing of your data, you may choose to deactivate the “Google Maps” service and thereby prevent the transfer of data to Google. To do this, you must deactivate the Java Script function in your browser. However, we would like to point out that in this case you will not be able to use “Google Maps” or at least only to a limited extent.

The use of “Google Maps” and the information obtained through “Google Maps” is according to Google’s Terms of Use http://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/terms/regional.html as well as the additional Terms and Conditions for “Google Maps” https://www.google.com/intl/de_de/help/terms_maps.html.

SHARIFF SOCIAL MEDIA BUTTONS

Our website uses the plug-ins of the following social networks. To integrate these plug-ins, we use the Shariff plug-in.

The legal basis is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f) GDPR. Our legitimate interest lies in improving the quality of our website.

Shariff is an open source program developed by c’t and heise. By integrating this plug-in, linked graphics prevent the following social network plug-ins from automatically establishing a connection to the respective social networks server when you visit website(s) on which the plug-ins are integrated. Only if you click on one of these linked graphics will you be forwarded to the service of the respective social network. Only then will information about your use of our site be recorded by the respective social network. This information may include your IP address, the date and time you visited our site, as well as the pages you viewed.

If you are logged in to one of the social network services while visiting one of our plugged-in websites, the information collected by the plug-in from your specific visit will be recognized by the provider of that social network and assigned to your personal user account there and/or publish information about your interaction with our site there. If, for example, you use the a share button for the social network, this information may be stored in your user account there and published on the platform of the respective social network provider. To prevent this, you must either log out of the social network before clicking the graphic or make the appropriate settings in your social network account.

Further information about Shariff is available at http://www.heise.de/ct/artikel/Shariff-Social-Media-Buttons-mit-Datenschutz-2467514.html.

The following social networks are integrated into our website:

Google+ operated by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, California, 94043, USA.

Privacy information is available at https://policies.google.com/privacy

Through certification according to the EU-US Privacy Shield

https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI&status=Active

Google guarantees that it will follow the EU’s data protection regulations when processing data in the United States.

Facebook operated by Facebook Inc, 1601 S. California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA, operated within the EU by Facebook Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2, Ireland.

Privacy information can be found at https://www.facebook.com/policy.php

Through certification according to the EU-US Privacy Shield

https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000GnywAAC&status=Active

Facebook guarantees that it will follow the EU’s data protection regulations when processing data in the United States.

Twitter operated by Twitter Inc, 795 Folsom St., Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA.

Privacy information can be found at https://twitter.com/privacy

Through certification according to the EU-US Privacy Shield

https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000TORzAAO&status=Active

Twitter guarantees that it will follow the EU’s data protection regulations when processing data in the United States.