Privacy Policy

This English version is provided for convenience only. The German version is legally binding.

This privacy policy informs you about the nature, scope and purpose of the processing of personal data (hereinafter “data”) within our online offering and the websites, functions and content connected with it, as well as external online presences such as our social media profiles (hereinafter jointly referred to as “online offering”). With regard to the terms used, such as “processing” or “controller”, we refer to the definitions in Art. 4 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Controller

Name: Bernard Zitzer
Street, no.: Paul-Lincke-Ufer 45
Postcode, city, country: 10999, Berlin, Germany
Email address: impressum@bernard.digital

Types of data processed

– Master data (e.g. names, addresses).
– Contact data (e.g. email).
– Content data (e.g. text input, photographs, videos).
– Usage data (e.g. websites visited, interest in content, access times).
– Meta/communication data (e.g. device information, IP addresses).

Processing of special categories of data (Art. 9 (1) GDPR)

No special categories of data are processed.

Categories of data subjects

– Customers, prospects, visitors and users of the online offering, business partners (hereinafter we also refer to the data subjects collectively as “users”).

Purpose of processing

– Providing the online offering, its content and functions.
– Providing contractual services, service and customer care.
– Answering contact requests and communicating with users.
– Marketing, advertising and market research.
– Security measures.

As of: Dec 2022

1. Terms used

1.1. “Personal data” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter “data subject”); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier (e.g. a cookie) or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.

1.2. “Processing” means any operation or set of operations performed on personal data, whether or not by automated means. The term is broad and covers practically any handling of data.

1.3. “Controller” means the natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data.

2. Relevant legal bases

In accordance with Art. 13 GDPR, we inform you of the legal bases of our data processing. Unless the legal basis is stated in this privacy policy, the following applies: the legal basis for obtaining consent is Art. 6 (1) (a) and Art. 7 GDPR; the legal basis for processing to provide our services, carry out contractual measures and answer enquiries is Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR; the legal basis for processing to fulfil our legal obligations is Art. 6 (1) (c) GDPR; and the legal basis for processing to safeguard our legitimate interests is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR. Where vital interests of the data subject or another natural person require the processing of personal data, Art. 6 (1) (d) GDPR serves as the legal basis.

3. Changes and updates to this privacy policy

Please check the content of our privacy policy regularly. We adapt the privacy policy as soon as changes to our data processing make this necessary. We will inform you as soon as the changes require action on your part (e.g. consent) or other individual notification.

4. Security measures

4.1. In accordance with Art. 32 GDPR, taking into account the state of the art, the costs of implementation and the nature, scope, context and purposes of processing as well as the varying likelihood and severity of the risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons, we take appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure a level of protection appropriate to the risk. These measures include in particular safeguarding the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data by controlling physical access to the data, as well as access, input, disclosure, ensuring availability and separation. We have also established procedures to ensure the exercise of data subjects’ rights, the deletion of data and the response to threats to data. Furthermore, we take the protection of personal data into account when developing or selecting hardware, software and procedures, in line with the principle of data protection by design and by default (Art. 25 GDPR).

4.2. Security measures include in particular the encrypted transmission of data between your browser and our server.

5. Cooperation with processors and third parties

5.1. If, in the course of our processing, we disclose data to other persons and companies (processors or third parties), transmit it to them or otherwise grant them access to the data, this only takes place on the basis of a legal permission (e.g. if a transfer of data to third parties, such as payment service providers, is necessary for the performance of a contract pursuant to Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR), if you have consented, if a legal obligation provides for it, or on the basis of our legitimate interests (e.g. when using agents, web hosts, etc.).

5.2. If we commission third parties to process data on the basis of a so-called “data processing agreement”, this is done on the basis of Art. 28 GDPR.

6. Transfers to third countries

If we process data in a third country (i.e. outside the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA)), or if this occurs in the context of using third-party services or disclosing or transferring data to third parties, this only takes place if it is necessary to fulfil our (pre-)contractual obligations, on the basis of your consent, due to a legal obligation or on the basis of our legitimate interests. Subject to legal or contractual permissions, we only process or have data processed in a third country if the special requirements of Art. 44 et seq. GDPR are met. This means processing takes place, for example, on the basis of special guarantees, such as the officially recognised determination of a level of data protection equivalent to the EU (e.g. for the USA through the “EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework”) or compliance with officially recognised special contractual obligations (so-called “standard contractual clauses”).

7. Rights of data subjects

7.1. You have the right to request confirmation as to whether data concerning you is being processed and to access this data, as well as further information and a copy of the data in accordance with Art. 15 GDPR.

7.2. In accordance with Art. 16 GDPR, you have the right to request the completion of data concerning you or the correction of inaccurate data concerning you.

7.3. In accordance with Art. 17 GDPR, you have the right to request that data concerning you be deleted without undue delay or, alternatively, in accordance with Art. 18 GDPR, to request a restriction of the processing of the data.

7.4. You have the right to receive the data concerning you that you have provided to us in accordance with Art. 20 GDPR and to request its transfer to other controllers.

7.5. You also have the right, pursuant to Art. 77 GDPR, to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.

8. Right of withdrawal

You have the right to withdraw consent given pursuant to Art. 7 (3) GDPR with effect for the future.

9. Right to object

You can object to the future processing of data concerning you at any time in accordance with Art. 21 GDPR. The objection may in particular be made against processing for direct marketing purposes.

10. Cookies and right to object to direct marketing

10.1. “Cookies” are small files stored on users’ computers. Different information can be stored within cookies. A cookie is primarily used to store information about a user (or the device on which the cookie is stored) during or after their visit to an online offering. Temporary cookies, or “session cookies” or “transient cookies”, are cookies that are deleted after a user leaves an online offering and closes their browser. Such a cookie may store, for example, the contents of a shopping basket in an online shop or a login status. “Permanent” or “persistent” cookies remain stored even after the browser is closed. For example, the login status can be saved if users visit again after several days. Such a cookie can also store users’ interests used for reach measurement or marketing purposes. “Third-party cookies” are cookies offered by providers other than the controller operating the online offering (otherwise, if they are only the controller’s cookies, they are called “first-party cookies”). We use temporary and permanent cookies and explain this in our privacy policy.

10.2. If users do not want cookies to be stored on their computer, they are asked to deactivate the corresponding option in their browser’s settings. Stored cookies can be deleted in the browser settings. Excluding cookies may limit the functionality of this online offering.

10.3. A general objection to the use of cookies for online marketing purposes can be declared for many services, especially in the case of tracking, via the US site http://www.aboutads.info/choices/ or the EU site http://www.youronlinechoices.com/. Furthermore, the storage of cookies can be prevented by switching them off in the browser settings. Please note that in this case not all functions of this online offering may be usable.
10.4. We only use cookies for analytics purposes with your consent, see section 17.

11. Deletion of data

11.1. The data we process is deleted or its processing restricted in accordance with Art. 17 and 18 GDPR. Unless expressly stated in this privacy policy, the data stored by us is deleted as soon as it is no longer required for its intended purpose and no statutory retention obligations prevent deletion. If the data is not deleted because it is required for other legally permissible purposes, its processing is restricted. This means the data is blocked and not processed for other purposes. This applies, for example, to data that must be retained for commercial or tax law reasons.

11.2. Under German law, retention is in particular for 10 years pursuant to §§ 147 (1) AO, 257 (1) no. 1 and 4, (4) HGB (books, records, management reports, accounting vouchers, commercial books, documents relevant for taxation, etc.) and 6 years pursuant to § 257 (1) no. 2 and 3, (4) HGB (commercial letters).

12. Contact and customer service

12.1. When you contact us (via contact form or email), the user’s details are processed to handle the contact request pursuant to Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR.

12.2. Users’ details may be stored in our customer relationship management system (“CRM system”) or a comparable request management system.

12.3. We delete enquiries once they are no longer required. We review the necessity every two years; enquiries from customers with a customer account are stored permanently, and we refer to the customer account information regarding deletion. Statutory archiving obligations also apply.

13. Newsletter

13.1. With the following information we inform you about the content of our newsletter as well as the registration, dispatch and statistical evaluation procedures and your rights to object. By subscribing to our newsletter, you agree to receive it and to the procedures described.

13.2. Content of the newsletter: we only send newsletters, emails and other electronic notifications with promotional information (hereinafter “newsletter”) with the consent of the recipients or a legal permission. If the content of the newsletter is specifically described when signing up, this description is decisive for the users’ consent. Otherwise, our newsletters contain information on online and digital marketing and our services.

13.3. Extras: we may offer newsletters together with our e-books (and comparable benefits, such as competitions, memberships, etc.) as a single service. The e-books may be a free extra when subscribing to our newsletter or, conversely, newsletters may be part of the e-book offer.

13.4. Double opt-in and logging: registration for our newsletter takes place in a so-called double opt-in procedure. This means that after registering you receive an email asking you to confirm your registration. This confirmation is necessary so that nobody can register with someone else’s email address. Newsletter registrations are logged in order to be able to prove the registration process in accordance with legal requirements. This includes storing the time of registration and confirmation as well as the IP address. Changes to your data stored with the mailing service provider are also logged.

13.5. Mailing service provider: newsletters are sent using “Kit” (formerly ConvertKit) of Kit, Inc., USA (hereinafter “mailing service provider”). You can view the mailing service provider’s privacy policy here: https://kit.com/privacy. The mailing service provider processes data in the USA. Our pages also include a script from the mailing service provider that loads sign-up forms. When the page is loaded, your IP address is transmitted to the mailing service provider’s servers (legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR, our interest in simple newsletter registration).

13.6. Where we use a mailing service provider, it may, according to its own information, use this data in pseudonymous form, i.e. without assignment to a user, to optimise or improve its own services, e.g. for technical optimisation of dispatch and presentation of the newsletter or for statistical purposes to determine which countries recipients come from. However, the mailing service provider does not use the data of our newsletter recipients to write to them itself or pass it on to third parties.

13.7. Registration data: to sign up for the newsletter, it is sufficient to provide your email address. Optionally, we ask you to provide a name so we can address you personally in the newsletter.

13.8. Measuring success: the newsletters contain a so-called “web beacon”, i.e. a pixel-sized file that is retrieved from our server or, if we use a mailing service provider, from its server when the newsletter is opened. During this retrieval, technical information such as information about the browser and your system, as well as your IP address and the time of retrieval, is collected. This information is used to technically improve the services based on the technical data or the target groups and their reading behaviour based on their retrieval locations (which can be determined using the IP address) or access times. Statistical surveys also include determining whether the newsletters are opened, when they are opened and which links are clicked. For technical reasons, this information can be assigned to individual newsletter recipients. However, it is neither our intention nor, where used, that of the mailing service provider to observe individual users. Rather, the evaluations help us recognise the reading habits of our users and adapt our content to them or send different content according to our users’ interests.

13.9. The newsletter is sent and its success measured on the basis of the recipients’ consent pursuant to Art. 6 (1) (a), Art. 7 GDPR in conjunction with § 7 (2) no. 3 UWG.

13.10. The registration process is logged on the basis of our legitimate interests pursuant to Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR and serves as proof of consent to receive the newsletter.

13.11. Cancellation/withdrawal: you can unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time, i.e. withdraw your consent. You will find an unsubscribe link at the end of every newsletter. We may store unsubscribed email addresses for up to three years on the basis of our legitimate interests before deleting them, in order to be able to prove previously given consent. The processing of this data is limited to the purpose of a possible defence against claims. An individual deletion request is possible at any time, provided that the former existence of consent is confirmed at the same time.

14. Collection of access data and log files

14.1. On the basis of our legitimate interests within the meaning of Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR, we collect data about every access to the server on which this service is located (so-called server log files). Access data includes the name of the website accessed, file, date and time of access, amount of data transferred, notification of successful access, browser type and version, the user’s operating system, referrer URL (the previously visited page), IP address and the requesting provider.

14.2. For security reasons (e.g. to investigate misuse or fraud), log file information is stored for a maximum of seven days and then deleted. Data whose further retention is required for evidence purposes is excluded from deletion until the incident in question has been finally clarified.

15. Online presences on social media

15.1. We maintain online presences on social networks and platforms in order to communicate with the customers, prospects and users active there and to inform them about our services. When accessing the respective networks and platforms, the terms and conditions and data processing policies of their respective operators apply.

15.2. Unless otherwise stated in our privacy policy, we process users’ data if they communicate with us within the social networks and platforms, e.g. write posts on our online presences or send us messages.

16. Social media buttons and links

The links/buttons to social networks and platforms used within our online offering (hereinafter “social media”) do not establish direct contact between social networks and users. They function like a regular online link.

17. Consent to analytics services

17.1. Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity are only loaded on this website after you have clicked “Accept” in the bar at the bottom of the screen. Without your consent, these services are not loaded and no cookies from these services are set. The legal basis is your consent pursuant to § 25 (1) TDDDG and Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR.

17.2. We store your choice (“Accept” or “Decline”) together with the time in your browser’s local storage (entry “bz-consent”) so that we don’t have to ask you again on every page view. This storage is technically necessary (§ 25 (2) no. 2 TDDDG). We ask again after twelve months.

17.3. You can withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future or give it later: via the “Privacy settings” link at the end of every page or directly here: Open privacy settings. If you withdraw consent, we delete the Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity cookies in your browser as far as technically possible.

17.4. If your browser sends the “Global Privacy Control” signal, we treat this as a refusal and do not show the bar. You can still give consent via the link mentioned.

18. Google Analytics

18.1. With your consent (see section 17), we use Google Analytics 4, a web analytics service of Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland (“Google”). We use it to evaluate how our online offering is used, for example pages viewed, time spent, approximate origin, device and browser, in order to improve it.

18.2. Google Analytics sets cookies, including “_ga” and “_ga_T7HRCV2VSJ”, with a storage period of up to two years. According to Google, IP addresses are not stored in Google Analytics 4. The “Google Signals” feature and ad personalisation are disabled in our implementation.

18.3. Data may be transferred to servers of Google LLC in the USA. Google LLC is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework. User- and event-level data in Google Analytics is automatically deleted after 14 months at the latest.

18.4. Further information on data use by Google: https://policies.google.com/privacy.

19. Microsoft Clarity

19.1. With your consent (see section 17), we use Microsoft Clarity, an analytics service of Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, One Microsoft Place, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin 18, Ireland (“Microsoft”). Clarity records how visitors use our pages: mouse movements, clicks, scrolling and page views. This produces session recordings and heatmaps that help us identify usability problems. Input in form fields is masked according to Clarity’s default settings.

19.2. Clarity sets cookies, including “_clck” and “_clsk”, with a storage period of up to one year.

19.3. Data may be transferred to servers of Microsoft Corporation in the USA. Microsoft Corporation is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework.

19.4. Further information: https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-gb/privacystatement.

20. Appointment booking via Cal.com

20.1. For booking appointments, we embed the Cal.com calendar on some pages (Cal.com, Inc., 2261 Market Street #4382, San Francisco, CA 94114, USA). When you open a page with an embedded calendar, your browser connects to Cal.com servers. Your IP address is transmitted, and Cal.com may set cookies required for booking.

20.2. When you book an appointment, Cal.com processes the data you enter (name, email address, chosen time and voluntary information) so the appointment can take place. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in simple appointment scheduling (Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR) and, when booking, the implementation of pre-contractual measures (Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR).

20.3. Cal.com processes data in the USA and, according to its own information, is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework. Privacy policy: https://cal.com/privacy.

21. Integration of third-party services and content

21.1. On the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in the analysis, optimisation and economic operation of our online offering within the meaning of Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR), we use content or service offerings from third-party providers within our online offering in order to integrate their content and services, such as videos or fonts (hereinafter uniformly referred to as “content”). This always requires that the third-party providers of this content perceive the users’ IP address, since without the IP address they could not send the content to their browser. The IP address is therefore required to display this content. We endeavour to use only content whose respective providers use the IP address solely to deliver the content. Third-party providers may also use so-called pixel tags (invisible graphics, also known as “web beacons”) for statistical or marketing purposes. Pixel tags can be used to evaluate information such as visitor traffic on the pages of this website. The pseudonymous information may also be stored in cookies on users’ devices and may contain, among other things, technical information about the browser and operating system, referring websites, time of visit and other information about the use of our online offering, and may be combined with such information from other sources.

21.2. The following overview lists third-party providers and their content, together with links to their privacy policies, which contain further information on data processing and, in some cases already mentioned here, options to object (so-called opt-out):

– If our customers use third-party payment services (e.g. PayPal or Sofortüberweisung), the terms and conditions and privacy notices of the respective third-party providers apply, which are available on the respective websites or transaction applications.
– Videos from the “YouTube” platform of the third-party provider Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy, Opt-Out: https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated.
– Videos from the “Vimeo” platform of the third-party provider Vimeo Inc., Attention: Legal Department, 555 West 18th Street New York, New York 10011, USA. Privacy policy: https://vimeo.com/privacy.

As of: 11 October 2026