Privacy Policy

1. Data protection at a glance

General information

The following information provides a simple overview of what happens to your personal data when you visit this website. Personal data is any data that can be used to identify you personally.

2. General information and mandatory disclosures

Data protection

The operators of these pages take the protection of your personal data very seriously. We treat your personal data confidentially and in accordance with the statutory data protection regulations and this privacy policy.

3. Controller

4. Data collection on this website

Server log files

The provider of these pages automatically collects and stores information in so-called server log files, which your browser automatically transmits to us. This includes: browser type and browser version, operating system used, referrer URL, hostname of the accessing device, time of the server request and IP address.

This data is not merged with other data sources. The collection of this data is based on Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR.

Contact form

If you send us enquiries via the contact form, your details from the enquiry form, including the contact data you provide there, will be stored with us for the purpose of processing the enquiry and for follow-up questions. We will not pass on this data without your consent. The processing is based on Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR.

5. Use of YouTube API Services

To publish our own content (e.g. technical videos accompanying our Insights articles) on our own YouTube channel, we use an automated process that relies on the YouTube API Services (YouTube Data API v3). This is used exclusively to manage and publish our own channel content. It does not process any personal data of YouTube users.

By using the YouTube API Services, the Google Privacy Policy and the YouTube Terms of Service apply. Access granted to Google/YouTube accounts can be reviewed and revoked at any time via the Google account settings (Security → Third-party access).

6. Web analytics with Matomo

We use Matomo, a self-hosted open-source web analytics software. Matomo runs on our own server under our control (analytics.blackfort-tec.de); no usage data is transferred to third parties. Matomo uses information about the use of this website to measure reach and improve our offering.

The IP address is anonymised before any evaluation (IP anonymisation), so that no personal reference is established. Processing is based on our legitimate interest in a needs-based design and statistical evaluation of our website (Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR). You may object to this processing at any time with effect for the future.

7. Google Tag Manager and Google Ads

We use Google Tag Manager (Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland). As a technical framework, the Tag Manager manages further services (tags) and loads them only after you have given your consent. Through the Tag Manager we integrate Google Ads to measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns (conversion measurement).

These services are activated exclusively with your consent (Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR). Without consent, no marketing or analytics tags are executed via Google Tag Manager. To this end we use Google Consent Mode v2, which blocks all consent-requiring storage access by default and only releases it after your approval. You may withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future (see “Consent management”).

8. Google Analytics 4

In addition to our self-hosted reach measurement with Matomo, we use Google Analytics 4, a web analytics service provided by Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland). Google Analytics evaluates information about your use of this website – such as the pages viewed, an approximate location based on the truncated IP address, the device and browser used, and interactions – in order to measure reach statistically and improve our offering. Cookies or comparable identifiers may be set in the process.

Google Analytics is loaded and executed exclusively after your consent to the “statistics” category (Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR); without consent, no Google Analytics script is loaded. The IP address is truncated by Google and not stored permanently. When Google Analytics is active, data is also transmitted to Google LLC, based in the USA. This transfer takes place on the basis of the EU Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses (Art. 46 (2) (c) GDPR) and – where Google is certified – the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. There is a risk that US authorities may access the transmitted data. You may withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future (see “Consent management”).

9. Meta Pixel

To measure and optimise advertising campaigns within Meta’s services (Facebook, Instagram), the use of the Meta Pixel (Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2, Ireland) is planned. Where active, the Meta Pixel is integrated via Google Tag Manager and executed exclusively after your consent (Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR). Without consent, the Meta Pixel is not loaded.

When the Meta Pixel is active, data is transmitted to Meta; the recipient is Meta Platforms, Inc., based in the USA. Transfer to the USA takes place on the basis of the EU Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses (Art. 46 (2) (c) GDPR) and – where Meta is certified – the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. There is a risk that US authorities may access the transmitted data. You may withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future.

10. Consent management

On your first visit to this website, we ask for your consent to consent-requiring services (statistics, marketing) via a consent banner. Your choice is stored locally in your browser (localStorage entry “bf-consent”); no personal cookie is set in the process.

You can change or withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by opening the “Cookie settings” link in the footer. Until consent is given, no consent-requiring services are loaded. The lawfulness of processing carried out until withdrawal remains unaffected.

11. Your rights

Within the scope of the applicable statutory provisions, you have the following rights regarding your personal data: the right to information (Art. 15 GDPR), rectification (Art. 16 GDPR), erasure (Art. 17 GDPR), restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR), data portability (Art. 20 GDPR) and objection (Art. 21 GDPR). You have the right at any time to obtain information free of charge about the origin, recipient and purpose of your stored personal data.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority (Art. 77 GDPR) if you believe that the processing of your personal data infringes the GDPR.

If you have any questions about data protection, please contact: info@blackfort-tec.de