Privacy Policy GWE GmbH

Contact details of Controller / Data Protection Officer

The Controller as defined in Article 4 (7) of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is 

GWE GmbH
Moorbeerenweg 1
31228 Peine
Phone +49 5171 294-0
E-mail: info@bauer.de

You can reach our data protection officer at bag-datenschutz@bauer.de  or by writing to our mailing address “c/o Data Protection Officer.”

 Collection of general information

If you use our website for informational purposes only, that is, if you do not create an account or provide us with any other information, we only collect the personal data that your browser transmits to our server. This includes the following: The content of the request (specific page), date and time of the request, data volume, web browser and web browser version, operating system, the referrer URL (the page from which you accessed our website), access status and the IP address. 

The legal basis is Article 6 (1) Sentence 1 (f) GDPR. Without this data, it would not be technically possible to deliver and display the contents of this website. In this respect, the collection of data is absolutely necessary. Apart from this, we use anonymous information for statistical purposes. This helps us to optimize our website and technology. Furthermore, we reserve the right to subsequently inspect log files if we suspect illegal use of our website. 

Cookies / Cookiebot

On our website, we use session cookies that are required for the basic functions of the website such as page navigation, access to secure areas of the website, the shopping cart function and consent to the use of cookies. Cookies are small text files that your Internet browser stores and saves on your device. They are used to make the website more user-friendly and effective as a whole. These cookies are session cookies that are automatically deleted when you close the browser. They save a session ID that is used to attribute different requests from your browser to the same session.

In this context, we use the consent management tool “Cookiebot”. The settings you configure are saved in separate cookies, whereby personal data are also transmitted to Cookiebot. The following categories of data are involved: Anonymized IP address, date and time of consent, browser information, the URL of the subpage on our website from which you granted consent, a random encrypted key as well as the consent status, which acts as proof of consent. Consent granted to cookies using Cookiebot will be saved for a period of 12 months. 

The legal basis for technically essential cookies is Article 6 (1) Sentence 1 (f) GDPR, and also Article 6 (1) Sentence 1 (b) GDPR when entering into contracts through the website. Technically non-essential analytical cookies are only used on the basis of your consent pursuant to Article 6 (1) Sentence 1 (a) GDPR. You can change your browser settings to reflect your preferences, for example to accept third-party cookies or to refuse all cookies. However, we inform you that you may not be able to use all features of this website in that case. You may withdraw your consent to technically non-essential cookies at any time with future effect by clicking here.

Use of web analysis systems

Following your consent, our website uses the data-minimizing web analysis service Matomo, including Matomo Tag Manager, to statistically analyze visitor access. We have established a data processing agreement with Matomo for this purpose in line with the legal regulations. The information obtained through this service is used to analyze the use of our website and our reach. The legal basis is Article 6 (1) Sentence 1 (a) GDPR. To carry out this analysis, the usage information generated by the cookie (including your anonymized IP address) is transferred to the Matomo cloud in Frankfurt am Main, Germany and stored for the purpose of later analysis and optimization of our website content. Your IP address is anonymized before being transferred to the Matomo cloud, so that you as a user remain anonymous to us. Information concerning how our visitors use our website will only be transferred within the BAUER Group or to processors engaged on our behalf. It will not be transferred to third parties unless we are legally obligated to do so in exceptional cases. In addition, these cookies are automatically deleted 13 months after you granted consent if and as long as there are no statutory retention obligations.

If you do not agree to the storage and analysis of this data concerning your visit, you can prevent the use of cookies by changing the settings in the cookie banner accordingly. You can also prevent the use of cookies in general by changing the settings in your browser software. However, in this case your browser will block all cookies, not just the cookies stored on your computer for analytical purposes, and you may not be able to use all features of our website. To revoke your consent to the use of cookies on our website, follow the link for technically non-essential cookies under the “Cookies” section of this Privacy Policy and uncheck the box for the relevant cookies.

Newsletter / Job Alerts 

If you sign up for one of our newsletters, we save the information you provide for the purpose of sending you the newsletter and providing information relevant to this service or the signup process. The legal basis is Article 6 (1) Sentence 1 (a) GDPR. Click and open rates are analyzed in accordance with Article 6 (1) Sentence 1 (f) GDPR. Personal data is stored on the secured servers of our processor and will not be disclosed by us to third parties. In order to receive the newsletter, you must provide a valid e-mail address. You are not required to provide other information; this is marked separately and used in order to address you personally. We also store the IP address you use to sign up for the newsletter along with the date and time when you subscribe to the newsletter. This data serves as evidence in the event of misuse if someone else’s e-mail address is used to sign up for the newsletter. You can withdraw your consent to receive the newsletter and unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time. You can withdraw your consent by clicking on the link provided in each newsletter e-mail or by sending a message to our data protection officer listed above. We use the double opt-in process for subscribing to our NewsClick newsletter as well as our Career newsletter. This means that after you have signed up, we will send an e-mail to the e-mail address you provided asking you to confirm that you wish to receive the newsletter. Your information will be automatically deleted if you do not confirm your subscription within two weeks.

Ordering publications

When you order our company publications either by filling out the online form or by sending an e-mail, the personal data you provide (name, address, other contact details, publications ordered) is processed within the framework of our corporate communications in order to send you information about the BAUER Group, especially about the Group’s products, services and events. This processing is conducted either on the basis of an order received from you in accordance with Article 6 (1) Sentence 1 (b) GDPR or insofar as you have consented to the processing of personal data in accordance with Article 6 (1) Sentence 1 (a) GDPR. If consent is not required, processing occurs on the basis of our legitimate interest in direct marketing, if and insofar as this is legally permitted, for example advertising to existing customers. Within our company, access to your personal data will only be granted to those parties who require the data in order to send company publications. These include recipients in the following categories: shipping service providers, IT services, logistics, telecommunications and processors. Transfer of data to locations in countries outside the EU or the EEA (third countries) takes place only if your delivery address is located in a third country. We only store your data for as long as this is necessary in order to provide our services to you. After this period, the data will be erased unless other statutory obligations require further retention of the data, in particular retention periods under trade law and tax law (up to 10 years) or if the controller has a legitimate interest in this regard. You can withdraw your order or your consent to the receipt of publications at any time and cancel your subscription by sending an e-mail to public.relations@bauer.de.

Contact form

If you contact us via an online form or by e-mail, we will store the information you have provided in order to respond to your inquiry and ask any follow-up questions. The legal basis is Article 6 (1) Sentence 1 (a) GDPR, unless establishing contact is justified for the performance of a contract in accordance with the legal basis of Article 6 (1) Sentence 1 (b) GDPR. We also forward your inquiry to the appropriate parties within our Group where necessary in order to respond to your inquiry. We will erase the data collected for this purpose once its storage is no longer required, or restrict processing if we are required by law to retain the data. 

Creating an account on our website 

If you create an account on our website in order to use personalized services, the personal data shown on the registration form will be collected. This includes your name, address and e-mail address, which are used for contacting and communicating with you. By creating an account, you obtain access to services and content that are only available to registered users. When you log in to our site, we also store your IP address and the date and time of your login. This data serves as evidence in the event of misuse if a third party attempts to register on our website using your data without your knowledge. The legal basis is Article 6 (1) Sentence 1 (b) GDPR. Registration cannot be completed unless the required information is provided. 

Use of our BAUER store (www.bauer-products.de) 

If you want to order products from our online store, a contract will only be established if you provide the personal data that we need to process you order. Information required for the conclusion of contracts is marked separately; other information is voluntary. We process the data you provide for handling your order. In this context, we may forward your payment information to our principal bank. The legal basis here is Article 6 (1) Sentence 1 (b) GDPR. This data is stored in a customer account so that your information is available for subsequent purchases and may be withdrawn. You can manage the information for your user account in the customer area. To cancel your account you can send an e-mail to bag-webshop@bauer.de. We process your personal data as long as you maintain a customer account and as long as storage is required in order to fulfil our contractual obligations, as well as to assert or defend against claims arising from this contract. If the data is no longer required for the fulfillment of contractual obligations, it will be regularly erased unless retention obligations exist under commercial and tax law.

Use of our Career portal (jobs.bauer.de) 

The personal data and files you submit in the Career portal are used for registering and processing your online application. Your personal data will be stored on the secure servers of our contract processor and also forwarded to legally affiliated companies or the relevant department within the BAUER Group where a corresponding vacancy exists. Data and files marked as mandatory fields are necessary for our internal requirements. This means that you will not be able to participate in the online application process unless you provide us with this information. 

If the application you submit is not successful, we will store the information and files in our database for a period of six months in order to answer questions related to your application. If you send us an unsolicited application or have consented to being included in our applicant pool, we will store your data and files for a period of two years in order to consider you for jobs that become available in the future. After that, your personal data and files will be deleted from the Career portal. If your application concludes successfully, your personal data and files will continue to be used during your term of employment. The legal bases for the processing of personal data are Article 6 (1) Sentence 1 (a), (b) GDPR and Article 9 (2)(a) GDPR.

Use of our Customer Center (customercenter.bauer.de) 

Our Customer Center is a portal for customers and business partners which offers personal online services such as a second-hand equipment portal, a spare parts and information system as well as a feedback form (the statements regarding the contact form apply here as well). If you would like to use our Customer Center, you need to register by entering your personal data and your position so that appropriate access rights can be assigned to you for the individual modules, and you need to accept the Terms of Use for the portal. Your registration is only complete once we have assigned access rights to you for the individual modules and you have logged into the portal again using a password that was sent to you in a confirmation e-mail. 

We use the transmitted personal data of portal users for technical administration of the portal, to verify their authorization to access data, to support portal users with their specific data access (see above regarding cookies), for questions related to your user account and/or orders you have submitted. In the context of the second-hand equipment portal, we will forward personal data that is relevant for establishing contact to other interested users who are registered on the portal as soon as you have listed equipment or accessories to the portal for sale, or if you have sent us a request for listed equipment. The legal basis here is Article 6 (1) Sentence 1 (b) GDPR.

You can manage the information for your user account in the customer area. To cancel your account you can send a message using the feedback form or an e-mail to service@bauer.de. We process your personal data as long as you maintain a user account and as long as storage is required in order to fulfil our contractual obligations. If the data is no longer required for the fulfillment of contractual obligations, it will be regularly erased unless retention obligations exist under commercial and tax law. 

Online marketing

In the area of online marketing, we work together with the following providers: Meta and LinkedIn. These activities particularly include marketing ad spaces or displaying advertising content and other content based on the potential interests of users, as well as measuring the effectiveness of such activities. For this purpose, we use the following services:

• Meta-Pixel

For the purpose of measuring conversions, we use the meta pixel on the website, provided by Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Block J, Serpentine Avenue, Dublin 4, Ireland (hereinafter "Meta").

The Meta Pixel is a JavaScript code snippet that allows us and Meta to understand and track the activities of visitors to our website. The Meta Pixel is activated as soon as users activate certain content on our website (so-called event data).

As the website operator, we are not able to draw any conclusions about the identity of the users. However, it is possible that Facebook will establish a connection to the respective user profile on Facebook and use the data for its own purposes. We are unable to influence this use.

Legal basis: The use of the meta pixel is based on your consent in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR. 

The recipient is Meta Platforms Ireland Limited.

Meta acts as a processor for us in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR for the processing of personal information for the purpose of providing analyses and campaign reports. 

Further information on how Meta processes personal data can be found in Meta's privacy policy, available at https://de-de.facebook.com/privacy/policy/?entry_point=data_policy_redirect&entry=0.

• LinkedIn Insight Tag

For the purpose of conversion measurement and retargeting, we use the LinkedIn Insight Tag of the provider LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland.

The LinkedIn Insight Tag is a JavaScript code that enables us to understand and track the activities of visitors to our website. The LinkedIn Insight Tag triggers the setting of tracking cookies and enables the collection of the following data: URL, referrer URL, IP address (shortened or hashed), device and browser properties (user agent) and time stamp. 

LinkedIn does not share any personal data with us, but only provides reports and messages about the demographics of the website target group and the performance of our advertisements. We receive information on criteria such as industry, job title, company size, career level and location. 

If you are a LinkedIn member, you will be shown targeted advertisements as part of retargeting based on the data collected by LinkedIn.

Legal basis: The use of the LinkedIn Insight Tag is based on your consent in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR.

Storage period: The direct identifiers of members are removed from LinkedIn within seven days in order to pseudonymize the data. This remaining pseudonymized data is then deleted within 180 days.

Recipients: 

• LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Ireland 
• LinkedIn Corporation and other affiliated companies of LinkedIn, USA (certified under the Data Privacy Framework)

LinkedIn acts as a processor for us in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR.

For more information on how LinkedIn processes your data, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy?src=li-other&veh=www.linkedin.com and https://www.linkedin.com/help/lms/answer/a427661/linkedin-insight-tag-haufig-gestellte-fragen?lang=de.

You can adjust your settings for the ads displayed here: https://www.linkedin.com/mypreferences/d/categories/ads

You can deactivate LinkedIn retargeting here: https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/guest-controls/retargeting-opt-out

• LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms

We use the Lead Gen Forms service provided by LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland.

If you click on a form on our LinkedIn company page or in our advertising campaign, the data stored in your LinkedIn profile will be pre-filled. In the next step, you can decide whether you want to send this form to us.

We use these forms for recruitment purposes.

When you submit a form, we usually process the following data:

• Personal and contact details: first and last name, e-mail address, URL of LinkedIn profile, telephone number, city, country/region
• Professional data: qualifications (education, degrees), employer (company name, size, industry) and profession (job title, areas of activity, career level)

Legal basis: The processing of personal data from the Lead Gen Forms is based on your consent in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR.

Recipients: 

• LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Ireland
• LinkedIn Corporation and other affiliated companies of LinkedIn, USA (certified under the Data Privacy Framework)
• external service providers of the controller (e.g. marketing agency) who act as processors for us. 
• affiliated companies of the controller

LinkedIn acts as a processor for us in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR.

For more information on how LinkedIn processes your data, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy?src=li-other&veh=www.linkedin.com

Please refer to the Privacy Policy of the relevant provider and the indicated options for objecting to that provider (opt-out process). If no explicit opt-out option was mentioned, you also have the option of switching off cookies in your browser settings. However, this could restrict the functionality of our website. For this reason, we also recommend the following opt-out options: https://optout.aboutads.info.

Social media

We support communication on social media and provide corresponding social media links on our website (YouTube, Meta, Xing, WhatsApp, LinkedIn). We operate these pages as communication and informational channels to offer information about our services. The legal basis for data processing is Art. 6 (1)(f) GDPR. 

If you visit our social media pages, no personal data will initially be forwarded to the social media provider as a rule. You can recognize the social media provider from the text in the box above its first letter or by the logo. We allow you to access the provider’s website via the stored link. If you access those websites, you will leave our website and your data will processed by those providers according to their data protection regulations. You can find more information about the purpose and scope of data collection and its processing by the specific social media providers in the privacy policies published on their websites. These privacy policies also provide further information about your rights and configuration options for the protection of your privacy.

When you visit our social media pages, the relevant provider will save your IP address along with other information that is available on your PC in the form of cookies. This information is used to provide us, as operator of the specific social media pages, with statistical information about the use of the pages. The generated visitor statistics are exclusively transmitted to us by the provider in anonymized form. We use this statistical data to make our posts and activities on our social media pages more attractive for users.  The data collected about you in this context is processed by the specific social media provider and may be transferred to countries outside the European Union. Please refer to the Privacy Policy of the relevant provider.

If you communicate with us via social media, we also process your personal data. In this regard, we are joint controllers along with the specific social media provider for the collection of data concerning visitors to our specific social media page.

Embedded YouTube videos

We use the video platform "YouTube" of Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland (hereinafter "Google") to provide videos. According to Google, your IP address will be transmitted to Google and cookies may be set by Google when you use YouTube. If you are logged in to your Google account at the same time, Google may associate the data with your member account. If you do not want this to happen, please log out of your Google account before visiting our website. The videos are embedded in “privacy-enhanced mode,” which means that no data about you as a user is transferred to YouTube if you are not playing videos. Personal data is not transferred until you play the videos (e.g. IP address, data and time of access as well as information about the specific page you visited on your website and the video you played). In addition, a connection is established with Google’s advertising network. If you are logged in to YouTube at the same time, Google can attribute your video view on our website to your YouTube account and use this information for the purpose of personalized marketing. If you do not want this to occur, you need to log out of your YouTube account before activating the YouTube plugin. 

Apart from this, we have no influence on the transfer of data to YouTube. For more information on the purpose and scope of data collection and processing by YouTube, please refer to YouTube's Privacy Policy. This privacy policy also provides further information about your rights and configuration options for the protection of your privacy: http://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy. To revoke your consent to the use of cookies on our website, follow the link for technically non-essential cookies under the “Cookies” section of this Privacy Policy and uncheck the box for the relevant cookies.

When you visit the website, YouTube is informed that you have opened the corresponding page on our website. In addition, the personal data that your browser sends to our server is forwarded to YouTube. This happens regardless of whether you are logged into a user account provided by YouTube or if you do not have a user account. YouTube stores your data as usage profiles and uses this for the purposes of advertising, market research and/or targeted website design. This analysis, which also applies to anonymous users, is primarily used for placing custom ads and informing other users on the social network about your activities on our website. You have the right to object to the creation of these user profiles, but you must contact YouTube to exercise this right.

The legal basis for the integration of YouTube videos on our website and the associated processing of personal data is your consent in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR.

Embedded Google Maps

We use Google Maps on this website. This enables us to display interactive maps directly on the website and allows you to easily use the map feature. The map service is not loaded until you have agreed to cookies for marketing purposes in the cookie banner or until you have given your consent on the specific page where the map service is provided. The legal basis here is Article 6 (1) Sentence 1 (a) GDPR. The content is not loaded for website visitors until consent has been given; accordingly, Google will be informed that you have accessed this specific page of our website. In addition, the personal data that your browser sends to our server is forwarded to Google. This happens regardless of whether you are logged into a user account provided by Google or if you do not have a user account. If you are logged in to Google, your data is attributed directly to your account. If you do not want your data to be attributed to your profile on Google, you need to log out before activating the button. Google stores your data as usage profiles and uses this for the purposes of advertising, market research and/or targeted website design. This analysis, which also applies to anonymous users, is primarily used for placing custom ads and informing other users on the social network about your activities on our website.

You have the right to object to the creation of these user profiles, but you must contact Google to exercise this right. For more information about the purpose and scope of data collection and processing by the plug-in provider, please refer to the provider's privacy policies. These privacy policies also provide further information about your rights and settings options for the protection of your privacy: http://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy. To revoke your consent to the use of the map service on our website, follow the link for technically non-essential cookies under the “Cookies” section of this Privacy Policy and uncheck the box for marketing applications with future effect.

Data security

We adopt technical and organizational security measures to protect your data against unauthorized access. In addition to securing the operating environment, we use encryption in some areas (online application, customer account, contact form). The information you provide is then transmitted in encrypted form using the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol to prevent misuse of your data by third parties. You can tell that a page is secure if the status bar of your browser has a closed padlock icon and the address line begins with “https”.

Rights of the data subject regarding the processing of personal data 

You are entitled to the rights resulting from the General Data Protection Regulation and the German Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz), in particular the right to access information (Article 15 GDPR), the right to rectification (Article 16 GDPR), the right to erasure (Article 17 GDPR), the right to restriction of processing (Article 18 GDPR), the right to object against the processing (Article 21 GDPR) and the right to data portability (Article 20 GDPR). To exercise these rights, please contact the data protection officer listed above. 

Where processing of personal data is based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

Where we base the processing of your personal data on the weighing of interests, you may object to this processing. This is the case in particular if processing is not necessary for the performance of a contract with you, which we indicate specifically in the above description of functions. When exercising this right to object, we ask you to explain the reasons why we should not process your personal information as we have done. If your objection is justified, we will examine the situation and either stop or adjust data processing or demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds on the basis of which we will continue processing.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the data protection officer listed above or with a data protection supervisory authority. 

Changes to the Privacy Policy

The controller reserves the right to amend this Privacy Policy and will announce any changes here.