Data protection

At B&M Optik GmbH, we attach special importance to the protection of personal data of all visitors who use our web presence and contact us. 

The processing of personal data by B&M Optik GmbH complies with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the German Data Protection Act, as amended (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz – BDSG-neu). 

1. Purposes for which the personal data will be processed 

a) Processing of data for the performance of a contract concluded between you and us (point b) of Article 6(1) GDPR)
As part of the processing of business transactions in order to fulfil the existing contractual relationship, to provide the contractually owed services and to send to you contractual documents, we as well as third parties or processors commissioned by us process the following data in relation to you or your company if you provided us with such data upon the conclusion of the contract or in the course of the contractual relationship: 

• Personal details (name, company address, phone number, fax number, e-mail address and homepage, if applicable)

For this purpose, we store these details in our contact database. 

b) Data usage based on your consent (point a) of Article 6(1) GDPR)
If we contact you for marketing purposes, such contact will be initiated only via the communication channels to which you have given your consent. We use the data provided by you for the following purposes: 

• Contact via phone, e-mail and fax; 
• General and personalised advertising. 

c) Processing of data for the purposes of our legitimate interests (point f) of Article 6(1) GDPR): Information about products and services
It is our objective to establish, maintain and evaluate the customer relationship with you and to offer you relevant and optimised products and services.
To this end, we use your customer data and contact details.
To avoid duplication and in order to maintain only one data set related to you, we verify your customer data with our customer database. 

2. Categories of data recipients for personal data 

To the extent permitted by law, we forward personal data to companies in our corporate group as well as to external service providers: 

• Group companies for the performance of your contract and for reporting; 
• IT service providers to maintain our IT infrastructure; 
• Public authorities, if justified (such as social insurance carriers, tax authorities, police, public prosecutor’s office, regulatory authorities); 
• Collection service providers and attorneys to collect receivables and enforce claims in court. If, in case of collection, personal data (customer data and contact details, payment data, point-of-use data and data related to the receivable) are transferred to a collection service provider, we notify you beforehand about the intended transfer. 

3. Transfer to third countries 

A transfer of personal data in countries outside the European Union or the EEA is made on the basis of the requirements set out in points a) to g) of Article 49(1) GDPR. 

4. Retention period applicable to data 

We retain your data for the term of the existing contract as well as after the termination of the contract.

If legal retention periods apply, we are obliged to retain the data until the retention periods are expired. After the legal retention obligations, which primarily result from commercial and tax law (in particular the German Tax Code [Abgabenordnung] and the German Commercial Code [Handelsgesetzbuch – HGB]), have expired, such data will be deleted. 

If we contact you for marketing purposes, we store your data until you object to the data usage, you revoke your consent or contacting you is no longer permitted by law. We store your remaining data for as long as we need them to fulfil the particular purpose (e.g. for the performance of a contract or contract execution) and delete them when the purpose no longer exists.  

5. Processing of personal data on our website (website analysis tool, cookies etc.)

Personal data may be collected, used and processed in the following cases: 

a) Contact

If you contact B&M Optik GmbH, the details provided by the user are stored to process the query and potential follow-up requests. The user provides such data on a voluntary basis.

b) Cookies 

Our websites and pages use what the industry refers to as “cookies.” Cookies are small text files that do not cause any damage to your device. They are either stored temporarily for the duration of a session (session cookies) or they are permanently archived on your device (permanent cookies). Session cookies are automatically deleted once you terminate your visit. Permanent cookies remain archived on your device until you actively delete them, or they are automatically eradicated by your web browser. In some cases, it is possible that third-party cookies are stored on your device once you enter our site (thirdparty cookies). These cookies enable you or us to take advantage of certain services offered by the third party (e.g., cookies for the processing of payment services).

Cookies have a variety of functions. Many cookies are technically essential since certain website functions would not work in the absence of the cookies (e.g., the shopping cart function or the display of videos). The purpose of other cookies may be the analysis of user patterns or the display of promotional messages.
Cookies, which are required for the performance of electronic communication transactions (required cookies) or for the provision of certain functions you want to use (functional cookies, e.g., for the shopping cart function) or those that are necessary for the optimization of the website (e.g., cookies that provide
measurable insights into the web audience), shall be stored on the basis of Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. f GDPR, unless a different legal basis is cited. The operator of the website has a legitimate interest in the storage of cookies to ensure the technically error free and optimized provision of the operator’s services. If your consent to the
storage of the cookies has been requested, the respective cookies are stored exclusively on the basis of the consent obtained (Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. a GDPR); this consent may be revoked at any time. You have the option to set up your browser in such a manner that you will be notified any time cookies are placed and to permit the acceptance of cookies only in specific cases. You may also exclude the acceptance of cookies in certain cases or in general or activate the delete function for the automatic eradication of cookies when the browser closes. If cookies are deactivated, the functions of this website may be limited. In the event that third-party cookies are used or if cookies are used for analytical purposes, we will separately notify you in conjunction with this Data Protection Policy and, if applicable, ask for your consent.

c) Cookie Consent with Cookiebot

Our website uses the Cookiebot cookie consent technology to obtain your consent to the storage of certain cookies in your browser and for their data privacy protection compliant documentation. The provider of this technology is Cybot A/S, Havnegade 39, 1058 Kopenhagen, Denmark (hereinafter referred to as Cookiebot). Whenever you visit our website, a Cookiebot cookie will be stored in your browser, which archives any declarations or revocations of consent you have entered. These data are not shared with the provider of the Cookiebot technology.

The recorded data shall remain archived until you ask us to eradicate them, delete the Cookiebot cookie on your own or the purpose of storing the data no longer exists. This shall be without prejudice to any retention obligations mandated by law. To review the details of Cookiebots data processing policies, please visit https://www.cookiebot.com/en/privacy-policy/

We use the Cookiebot cookie consent technology to obtain the declarations of consent mandated by law for the use of cookies. The legal basis for the use of such cookies is Art. 6 Sect. 1 Sentence 1 lit. c GDPR.

d) Google Tag Manager

We use the Google Tag Manager. The provider is Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland

The Google Tag Manager is a tool that allows us to integrate tracking or statistical tools and other technologies on our website. The Google Tag Manager itself does not create any user profiles, does not store cookies, and does not carry out any independent analyses. It only manages and runs the tools integrated via it. However, the Google Tag Manager does collect your IP address, which may also be transferred to Google’s parent company in the United States.

The Google Tag Manager is used on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the quick and uncomplicated integration and administration of various tools on his website. If the relevant consent has been requested, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR; the consent can be revoked at any time.

e) Google Analytics

This website uses functions of the web analysis service Google Analytics. The provider of this service is Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland. Google Analytics enables the website operator to analyze the behavior patterns of website visitors. To that end, the website operator receives a variety of user data, such as pages accessed, time spent on the page, the utilized operating system and the user’s origin. Google may consolidate these data in a profile that is allocated to the respective user or the user’s device.

Google Analytics uses technologies that make the recognition of the user for the purpose of analyzing the user behavior patterns (e.g., cookies or device fingerprinting). The website use information recorded by Google is, as a rule transferred to a Google server in the United States, where it is stored. This analysis tool is used on the basis of 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. If a corresponding agreement has been requested (e.g., an agreement to the storage of cookies), the processing takes place exclusively on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR; the agreement can be revoked at any time.

Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://privacy.google.com/businesses/controllerterms/mccs/.

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 analyze 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 can prevent the recording and processing of your data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plugin available under the following link:
https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en.
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 “demographic characteristics” function of Google Analytics, to be able to display to the website visitor compatible ads within the Google advertising network. This allows reports to be created that contain information about the age, gender, and interests of the 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=en

f) Google Ads

The website operator uses Google Ads. Google Ads is an online promotional program of Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland. Google Ads enables us to display ads in the Google search engine or on third-party websites, if the user enters certain search terms into Google (keyword targeting). It is also possible to place targeted ads based on the user data Google has in its possession (e.g., location data and interests; target group targeting). As the website operator, we can analyze these data quantitatively, for instance by analyzing which search terms resulted in the display of our ads and how many ads led to respective clicks. The use of Google Ads is based on Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. et seq. GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in marketing the operator’s services and products as effectively as possible. Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://policies.google.com/privacy/frameworks and https://privacy.google.com/businesses/controllerterms/mccs/.

g) Google Remarketing

This website uses the functions of Google Analytics Remarketing. The provider of these solutions is Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland. Google Remarketing analyzes your user patterns on our website (e.g., clicks on specific products), to allocate a certain advertising target groups to you and to subsequently display matching online offers to you when you visit other online offers (remarketing or retargeting).

Moreover, it is possible to link the advertising target groups generated with Google Remarketing to device encompassing functions of Google. This makes it possible to display interest-based customized advertising messages, depending on your prior usage and browsing patterns on a device (e.g., cell phone) in a manner
tailored to you as well as on any of your devices (e.g., tablet or PC). If you have a Google account, you have the option to object to personalized advertising under the following link: https://www.google.com/settings/ads/onweb/.

The use of Google Remarketing is based on Art. 6 1 lit. et seq. GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the marketing of the operator’s products that is as effective as possible. If a respective declaration of consent was requested, processing shall occur exclusively on the basis of Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. a GDPR; the given consent may be revoked at any time. For further information and the pertinent data protection regulations, please consult the Data Privacy Policies of Google at:
https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads?hl=en.

Formation of Target Groups with Customer Reconciliation

For the formation of target groups, we use, among other things, the Google Remarketing customer reconciliation feature. To achieve this, we transfer certain customer data (e.g., email addresses) from our customer lists to Google. If the respective customers are Google users and are logged into their Google accounts, matching advertising messages within the Google network (e.g., YouTube, Gmail or in a search engine) are displayed for them to view.

h) Google Conversion-Tracking

This website uses Google Conversion Tracking. The provider of this service is Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

With the assistance of Google Conversion Tracking we are in a position to recognize whether the user has completed certain actions. For instance, we can analyze the how frequently which buttons on our website have been clicked and which products are reviewed or purchased with particular frequency. The purpose of
this information is to compile conversion statistics. We learn how many users have clicked on our ads and which actions they have completed. We do not receive any information that would allow us to personally identify the users. Google as such uses cookies or comparable recognition technologies for identification purposes.

We use Google Conversion Tracking on the basis of Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. et seq. GDPR. The operator of the website has a legitimate interest in the analysis of the user patterns with the aim of optimizing both, the operator’s web presentation and advertising. If a respective declaration of consent was requested (e.g., concerning the storage of cookies), processing shall occur exclusively on the basis of Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. a GDPR; the given consent may be revoked at any time.

For more information about Google Conversion Tracking, please review Google’s data protection policy at: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en

6. Rights of data subjects 

You may request us at any time to give you access to data stored about you and their correction in the case of errors. In addition, you may request the restriction of processing, data portability in a machine-readable format or the erasure of your data, to the extent that they are no longer need. 

Moreover, you have the right at any time to object to the use of your data that are based on public or legitimate interests. To the extent that we process data on the basis of a consent given by you, you may withdraw such consent at any time with future effect. Upon receipt of your withdrawal, we cease processing your data for the purposes stated in such consent. 

Please send your withdrawal or objection to advertising to: datenschutz@bm-optik.de

B&M Optik GmbH
Am Fleckenberg 20 D-65549 Limburg, Germany
E-mail: office.limburg(at)bm-optik.de

We reserve the right to amend this Privacy Notice.
Version dated 25 May 2018