Introduction

At our company, we understand the trust you place in us. Therefore, we strive to provide you with transparent and comprehensive information regarding the handling of your personal data. This includes informing you about the types of data we collect during your visit and/or use of our website, as well as how we utilize this data. Furthermore, this Privacy Policy extends to any personal data received through alternative communication channels, such as email, ensuring consistency across all interactions.

As both our website and the underlying technologies continue to evolve, alongside our ongoing business processes, we recognize the need to adapt our Privacy Notice accordingly. Any future updates or modifications will be readily accessible and published on this website, allowing you to stay informed about the latest privacy practices we employ.

Use of the website and data protection

1. Name and contact data of the controller of the website

Bitvisor Holding GmbH
Technologiepark 12, 33100 Paderborn
info@bitvisor.works

2. Contact data of the Data Protection Officer

Polarise is a brand of Bitvisor Holding GmbH. The data protection officer of Bitvisor can be reached as follows:

Bitvisor Holding GmbH
c/o Data Protection Officer
Technologiepark 12, 33100 Paderborn
privacy@polarise-data.com

3. Restriction of the scope of this Privacy Policy for visits to our website

Our Privacy Policy solely governs content stored on our servers, excluding any third-party website links.

4. Processing of personal data in the context of informational use of our website

a. Description and scope of data processing

When using our website for informational purposes, we do not collect any personal data beyond what is transmitted by your browser for enabling the visit. The data includes the date and time of your request, duration of your visit, content of the request (specific page), access status or HTTP status code, website and provider from which the request is made, browser, operating system, language and version of the browser software, and anonymized IP address.

Additionally, cookies are stored on your computer and tracking services are implemented, with your consent if required.

b. Purpose and legal basis of data processing

We store end device data to generate usage statistics and to detect and track unauthorized attempts to access our web servers. Any profiles created based on the use of our website are strictly anonymized and utilized solely for enhancing user navigation and optimizing our products and services. These objectives align with our legitimate interest in data processing, as outlined in Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR. It is important to note that we do not establish or process behavior profiles associated with specific individuals using the aforementioned information.

c. Duration of data storage

The data will be deleted as soon as they are no longer necessary to achieve the purpose for which they were collected. In the case of the collection of data for the provision of the website, this is the case when the respective session has ended.

5. Processing of personal data during the use of our website features

We only store personal data, such as your e-mail address or your name, if you choose to provide this information to us, e.g. in the context of the contact form, or for the performance of a contract (principle of direct collection).

a. Contact form

The following data is collected:

• Surname, Name
• Company
• Email address
• Any information you include in the message field

To effectively contact you and handle your request, we process the personal data you provide via the contact form in accordance with Art. 6 (1) lit. b GDPR. This data will not be shared with third parties without your consent. The data transmitted through the contact form will be retained by us until you request its deletion or until it is no longer necessary to store the data. It is important to note that mandatory legal regulations, including retention periods, remain unaffected. For information about your rights related to data processing, please refer to section III, point 7.

b. Newsletter 

If you have registered for our newsletter, you will receive information and news about Polarise and its business.

To register for our newsletter, we use a double opt-in procedure. This means that upon registration, you will receive an email requesting confirmation of your registration. This confirmation is necessary to prevent unauthorized registration using someone else’s email address. During the registration process, we store the user’s IP address, as well as the date and time of registration, to prevent misuse of our services or the user’s email address. The data is used exclusively for newsletter delivery and is not shared with any third parties, except if required by law.

The user can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time and revoke their consent to store personal data by using the relevant link in each newsletter. The legal basis for processing the data after the user has registered for the newsletter is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a) GDPR, provided the user has given consent. The legal basis for sending the newsletter after the sale of goods or services is Article 7(3) UWG.

6. Social Media (Company Pages)

We maintain public profiles on various social networks, which are listed below.

Social networks like Linkedin, among others, have the capability to extensively analyze your user behavior when you visit their website or a website with integrated social media content (such as “Like” buttons or advertising banners). Accessing our social media profiles triggers numerous data processing operations with implications for data protection. Here are the details:

If you are logged into your social media account and visit our social media presence, the social media platform operator can link this visit to your user account. However, your personal data may also be collected, even if you are not logged in or do not have an account with the respective social media platform. Such data collection may occur through cookies stored on your device or by recording your IP address.

Utilizing the collected data, social media platform operators can generate user profiles that store your preferences and interests. This enables them to display interest-based advertisements within and outside of the respective social media platform. If you have an account with the social network, interest-based advertisements may appear on all devices where you are or have been logged in.

It should be noted that we may not have full visibility into all the processing procedures performed by social media platforms. Depending on the provider, additional processing procedures may be carried out by the social media platform operators. For more information, please refer to the terms of use and privacy policies of the respective social media platforms.

a. Legal basis

Our social media presences are intended to ensure the most comprehensive possible presence on the Internet. This is a legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6 Para. 1S.1 lit. f DSGVO. The analysis processes initiated by the social networks may be based on different legal bases, which are to be stated by the operators of the social networks (e.g. consent within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a DSGVO).

b. Responsible party and assertion of rights

When you visit our social media platforms, such as Linkedin, we are jointly responsible for the data processing operations that occur during your visit. You have the right to exercise your data protection rights (such as access, correction, deletion, restriction of processing, data portability, and lodging a complaint) both against us and against the operator of the specific social media platform.

However, please note that while we share responsibility with the social media platform operators, we do not have complete control over the data processing procedures of these platforms. Our influence is limited by the respective provider’s corporate policies.

c. Storage period

The data collected directly by us via the social media presence will be deleted from our systems as soon as the purpose for storing it no longer applies, you request us to delete it, revoke your consent to store it or the purpose for storing the data no longer applies. Stored cookies remain on your end device until you delete them. Mandatory legal provisions – in particular retention periods – remain unaffected.

We have no influence on the storage period of your data, which is stored by the operators of the social networks for their own purposes. For details, please contact the operators of the social networks directly (e.g. in their privacy policy, see below).

d. Social networks in detail

aa. LinkedIn

We have a profile on Linkedin. The provider is LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Plaza, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland. LinkedIn uses advertising cookies.

If you would like to disable LinkedIn advertising cookies, please use the following link: https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/guest-controls/retargeting-opt-out.

For details on how they handle your personal data, please refer to LinkedIn’s privacy policy: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy.

7. Sharing with Third Parties

In order to fulfill the purposes mentioned, we may share your data with third parties that assist us in processing orders and inquiries. This may include granting access to your information to third parties who support us in providing services to you. For example, we may engage third parties to manage our web servers and analyze data, and they may have access to your data in this context. In such cases, a data processing agreement is established.

If you provide us with your personal data for potential future cooperation, investments, or to enable us to contact you, we may disclose this data to affiliated companies, provided there is a legitimate interest on our part and your interests, fundamental rights, and freedoms are not overridden.

Other than that, we only disclose your personal data to third parties if we are legally obliged to do so, at your request or with your consent. Alternatively, data may be disclosed after it has been anonymized or pseudonymized.

8. Data Security, Encryption

We take diligent precautions to protect your data against manipulation, loss, destruction, and unauthorized access. We continuously improve our security measures in line with technological advancements. All our employees are obligated to maintain data confidentiality as per the provisions of the GDPR.

We use HTTPS and TLS encryption to securely transmit data over the internet (Article 25(1) GDPR, data protection through technology design). With TLS (Transport Layer Security), an encryption protocol for secure data transmission, we ensure the protection of confidential information. You can recognize the use of this data transmission security by the small lock symbol in the top left corner of your browser and the use of the HTTPS scheme in our website address, instead of HTTP.

9. Technologies used

Certain sections of our website may utilize widely used internet technologies such as JavaScript, Java, Flash, or ActiveX to present information in a more user-friendly format. Please note that we do not utilize these technologies to spy on personal data or manipulate data on your computer.

10. Cookies

a. Description and scope of data processing

To improve our website design based on user needs, we collect certain information using cookies. Cookies are designed to enhance internet usage and communication. They are stored on your device, such as your PC, to anonymously identify the device and support the application when you return to our websites.

If you prefer, you have the option to control the storage of cookies through your web browser settings. This includes suppressing the storage of cookies overall or choosing to be asked for permission before storing a cookie. However, please note that if you do not accept cookies, some pages may not display correctly.

We utilize cookies on our website to store various parameters, such as language and country, browser settings, installed plug-ins, and data on the use of our website.

Our website utilizes two types of cookies:

1. Transient cookies: These are temporary cookies that are automatically deleted when you close your browser. They include session cookies, which store a “session ID” to group multiple requests from your browser into a shared session. This enables the website to recognize your computer when you return, and session cookies are deleted when you log out or close your browser.
2. Persistent cookies: These cookies are automatically deleted after a specified period, which may vary depending on the type of cookie. You can also manually delete cookies at any time through your browser’s security settings.

The user data collected through cookies is pseudonymized through technical measures, ensuring that it cannot be directly linked to the individual user. This data is not stored alongside other personal data of users.

For more information on how cookies work, you can visit the following website: https://www.allaboutcookies.org.

b. Purpose and legal basis of data processing

The use of cookies is partly technically necessary for the operation of our website and thus permissible without the consent of the user. In addition, we may use cookies to offer special functions and content as well as for analysis and marketing purposes. These may also include cookies from third-party providers (so-called third-party cookies). We only use such technically unnecessary cookies with your consent.

c. Duration of Storage and Options for Objection and Removal:

Cookies are saved on the user’s computer and transmitted to our website. As a user, you have full control over the use of cookies. You can deactivate or limit the transmission of cookies by adjusting the settings in your internet browser. You can also delete saved cookies at any time, including automatically. It’s important to note that if you deactivate cookies for our website, some functions may no longer be available to you in their full extent.

d. Customize cookie settings

When calling up our website, we offer you the possibility to individually adjust the cookies via the “Settings” item in the cookie banner. This consent is voluntary, not necessary for the use of this website and can be revoked at any time. You can adjust your cookie consents here at any time.

Consent with Borlabs Cookie Management

Our website utilizes the Borlabs consent technology to ensure compliance with data privacy regulations and obtain your consent for the storage of certain cookies and the use of specific technologies. This technology is provided by Borlabs GmbH, located at Rübenkamp 32, 22305 Hamburg, Germany.

Whenever you visit our website, a Borlabs cookie is stored in your browser, which keeps record of your consent or revocation of consent. We do not share this data with the provider of the Borlabs technology.

The recorded data is stored until you request its deletion, manually delete the Borlabs cookie, or when the purpose of data storage no longer exists. This is in accordance with applicable retention obligations. You can find further information about Borlabs’ data processing policies by visiting their website at https://de.borlabs.io/kb/welche-daten-speichert-borlabs-cookie/

We use the Borlabs cookie consent technology in order to comply with legal requirements regarding cookie usage. The legal basis for using these cookies is Art. 6 (1) lit. c of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

11. Google Analytics

We utilize the Google Analytics service provided by Google Ireland Limited on our website.

Google Analytics is a web analytics tool that enables us to collect and analyze data regarding visitor behavior on our website. This includes processing personal data in the form of online identifiers (such as cookie identifiers), IP addresses, device identifiers, and information on user interaction with our website.

Certain data is stored on the device you are using, and additional information may be stored via cookies. The collection and access to this information by Google Analytics only occur with your consent.

On our behalf, Google Ireland processes the collected data to evaluate the usage of our website, generate reports on website activities, and provide other related services. Pseudonymous user profiles may be created from this processed data.

The use of cookies and the processing of personal data described above are conducted with your consent under the legal basis of Art. 6 (1) lit. a GDPR. You have the ability to withdraw your consent at any time using our Consent Management Tool.

The personal data processed for the provision of Google Analytics may be transferred to any country where Google Ireland or its sub-processors have facilities. To ensure the protection of personal data during transfers to third countries, Google Ireland implements EU standard data protection clauses. More information regarding these clauses can be found at the following link: https://business.safety.google/
adsprocessorterms/sccs/eu-p2p-intra-group/.

We enable IP anonymization when using Google Analytics. This means that the IP addresses of users are shortened within member states of the European Union or other countries within the Agreement on the European Economic Area. The IP address transmitted by the user’s browser is not combined with other data. Additional details on the use of data for advertising purposes can be found in Google’s privacy policy: www.google.com/policies/technologies/ads/.

User action data is stored for a period of 2 months and then automatically deleted. Expired data is deleted automatically on a monthly basis.

We also utilize the remarketing feature of Google Analytics advertising. This allows us, in conjunction with Google’s cross-device functions, to display targeted and interest-based ads. Through remarketing, we present ads and products that have been identified as relevant on other websites within the Google network. Remarketing allows us to link advertising target groups created through Google Analytics Remarketing with Google Ads’ cross-device functions. As a result, personalized advertising messages based on previous usage and browsing behavior on one device (e.g. a cell phone) can be displayed on other devices (e.g. tablet or PC).

If you provide consent, Google will link your web and app browsing history to your Google Account. This enables the display of the same personalized advertising messages across all devices where you are logged in with your Google Account. The aggregation of collected data in your Google Account is solely based on your consent, which can be given or revoked through Google. Data is collected via Google Analytics for advertising purposes in these linked services. To support the remarketing function, Google Analytics collects users’ Google-authenticated IDs, which are temporarily associated with our Google Analytics data. This is used to define and create target groups for cross-device advertising.

For further information on how Google uses website or app data for advertising purposes, please refer to Google’s notice: www.google.com/policies/technologies/ads/.

12. Google Maps

Regarding Google Maps, we utilize the services of Google Ireland Limited to display maps and other features on our website. This integration requires the processing of your IP address to deliver the content to your browser. Therefore, your IP address is transmitted to Google, and Google may set its own cookies.

The processing of your data is based on your consent under Art. 6 (1) lit. a of the GDPR.

For additional information on data protection at Google, please consult Google’s privacy policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy.

13. Your rights

• Right to information according to Art. 15 GDPR:

You have the right to request information about your personal data processed by the controller. In particular, about the processing purposes, the categories of personal data and about recipients or categories of recipients to whom the personal data have been disclosed. Furthermore, you have the right to obtain information about the planned duration of storage.

• Right to rectification pursuant to Art. 16 GDPR:

You have the right to request without delay the correction of inaccurate or the completion of your personal data stored by the controller.

• Right to deletion according to Art. 17 GDPR

You have the right to request the deletion of your data under the conditions specified in Art. 17 GDPR.

• Right to restriction according to Art. 18 GDPR

In specific cases specified in the GDPR, you have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data.

• Right to data portability according to Art. 20 GDPR

In specific cases set out in the GDPR, you have the right to receive and transfer all personal data concerning you to another controller (right to data portability). 

In particular, you have a

• Right of objection according to Art. 21 GDPR

In accordance with Art. 21 (1) GDPR, you have the right to object to processing based on the legal basis of Article 6 (1) lit. e or f GDPR on grounds relating to your particular situation. If we process personal data about you for the purpose of direct marketing, you may object to this processing of direct marketing, you may object to this processing pursuant to Art. 21 (2) and (3) GDPR.

as well as a 

• Right of revocation according to Art. 7 para. 3 GDPR

Insofar as we process your data on the basis of your consent (Art. 6 (1) lit. a or Art. 9 (2) GDPR), you have the right to revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, without this affecting the lawfulness of the consent valid until then. The revocation is – like the granting of consent itself – possible orally or in text form. 

To assert your rights, you can contact the Data Protection Officer as mentioned at the beginning of this site.

• Right of appeal pursuant to Art. 77 GDPR

You have the right to complain to a data protection supervisory authority. As a rule, you can contact the supervisory authority of your usual place of residence or workplace or the registered office of the responsible controller.