This privacy policy informs you about the processing of personal data on the firm's website.
Responsible party: MAETZE | KOENIG Steuerberatungsgesellschaft mbH, Lindenstraße 9, 57548 Kirchen, Germany, Tel. +49 2741-6840010, Fax +49 2741-6840019, info@maetze-stb.de

2.1 Accessing the website
When the visitor accesses this website www.maetze-stb.de, data is automatically sent to the website server via the internet browser used and temporarily stored in a log file. Until automatically deleted, the following data is stored without further input from the visitor:

 

• IP ​​address of the visitor's device,
• Date and time of access by the visitor,
• Name and URL of the page accessed by the visitor,
• Website from which the visitor accesses the law firm's website (so-called referrer URL),
• Browser and operating system of the visitor's device, and the name of the access provider used by the visitor.

 

The processing of this personal data is justified in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR. The firm has a legitimate interest in data processing for the purpose of

 

• establishing a connection to the firm's website quickly,
• enabling user-friendly use of the website,
• identifying and ensuring the security and stability of the systems, and
• facilitating and improving website administration.

The processing is expressly not carried out for the purpose of gaining information about the website visitor.

 

2.2 Contact form
Visitors can send messages to the firm via an online contact form on the website. To receive a response, at least a valid email address is required. All other information can be provided voluntarily by the person making the inquiry. By sending the message via the contact form, the visitor consents to the processing of the transmitted personal data. Data is processed exclusively for the purpose of processing and responding to inquiries via the contact form. This is done on the basis of the voluntarily granted consent in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR. The personal data collected for the use of the contact form will be automatically deleted as soon as the request has been processed and there are no reasons for further storage (e.g. subsequent commissioning of our law firm).

Personal data will be transferred to third parties if:

 

• the data subject has expressly consented to this in accordance with Art. 6 (1) Sentence 1 Letter a) GDPR,
• the transfer is necessary in accordance with Art. 6 (1) Sentence 1 Letter f) GDPR to assert, exercise or defend legal claims and there is no reason to assume that the data subject has an overriding legitimate interest in not having their data transferred,
• there is a legal obligation to transfer the data in accordance with Art. 6 (1) Sentence 1 Letter c) GDPR, and/or
• this is necessary for the performance of a contractual relationship with the data subject in accordance with Art. 6 (1) Sentence 1 Letter b) GDPR.

 

In other cases, personal data will not be transferred to third parties.

The website uses so-called cookies. These are data packets exchanged between the law firm's website server and the visitor's browser. These are stored by the device used (PC, notebook, tablet, smartphone, etc.) when the website is visited. Cookies cannot cause any damage to the devices used. In particular, they do not contain viruses or other malware. Information related to the specific device used is stored in the cookies. The law firm cannot therefore directly obtain knowledge of the identity of the website visitor.

 

Cookies are generally accepted according to the basic browser settings. Browser settings can be configured so that cookies are either not accepted on the devices used, or that a special warning is displayed before a new cookie is created. However, please note that deactivating cookies may result in not being able to use all of the website's functions to their full potential.

 

The use of cookies is intended to make using the law firm's website more convenient. For example, session cookies can be used to determine whether a visitor has already visited individual pages of the website. These session cookies are automatically deleted after leaving the website.

 

Temporary cookies are used to improve user-friendliness. They are stored on the visitor's device for a temporary period of time. Upon revisiting the website, it is automatically recognized that the visitor has already accessed the page previously and which entries and settings were made so that these do not have to be repeated.

 

Cookies are also used to analyze website visits for statistical purposes and to improve the service. These cookies make it possible to automatically recognize that the website has already been accessed by the visitor upon a subsequent visit. In this case, the cookies are automatically deleted after a specified period of time.

 

The data processed by cookies is justified for the above-mentioned purposes to protect the legitimate interests of the firm in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR.

We use the website analysis service from Google Analytics on our website. The legal basis for the use of these analysis tools is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR. Website analysis is in the legitimate interest of our firm and serves to statistically record page usage for the continuous improvement of our firm's website and the range of our services.

 

The provider is Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Google Analytics uses so-called "cookies." These are text files stored on your computer that enable an analysis of your website use. The information generated by the cookie about your use of this website is usually transferred to a Google server in the USA and stored there.

 

Google Analytics cookies are stored on the basis of Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in analyzing user behavior in order to optimize both its website and its advertising.

6.1. Social Media Plug-ins

To enable content sharing, we also use plug-ins from the social networks LinkedIn, Xing, Twitter and  Facebook on our website. When you visit one of our websites that contains one of these plug-ins, the plug-ins prompt your browser to upload the visual representation of the plug-in from the servers of the respective social networks. The plug-ins inform the respective social network servers which of our websites you are currently visiting. Additional data such as your IP address is also transmitted. We have no influence on the amount of data collected by the social networks using the plug-ins. Information about this can be found in the privacy policies of the respective networks.

 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy
Xing: https://privacy.xing.com/de/datenschutzerklaerung
Twitter: https://twitter.com/privacy?lang=de
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms?ref=pf

 

6.2. Integration of third-party content and videos
In order to share content and videos from third parties, we use them on our website. When you access content and/or videos from third parties, they receive information about your computer's IP address, as the third parties cannot transfer content and videos to your computer without your IP address. We share videos from the YouTube platform on our website. The YouTube platform is operated by Google Ireland Ltd., Google Building Gordon House, 4 Barrow St, Dublin, D04 E5W5, Ireland (hereinafter: Google). Information on the purpose and scope of the collection and processing of your personal data when using the YouTube video platform by Google, as well as your rights in this regard and the available settings options for protecting your personal data and thus your privacy, can be found in Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de&gl=de

 

You have the option of technically deactivating the storage and use of cookies by Google, including when using the YouTube video platform, in your browser settings or by using browser add-ons. In this context, we would like to point out that a (partial) deactivation of the storage and use of cookies may lead to a restriction of the use of the functions on our website.

To the extent that your personal data is processed during your visit to our website, you, as a "data subject" within the meaning of the GDPR, are entitled to the following rights:

 

7.1 Information
You can request information from us as to whether your personal data is being processed by us. There is no right to information if providing the requested information would violate the obligation of confidentiality pursuant to Section 57 (1) of the German Tax Consultants Act (StBerG) or if the information must be kept secret for other reasons, in particular due to an overriding legitimate interest of a third party. Deviating from this, there may be an obligation to provide information if, particularly considering the threat of damage, your interests outweigh the interest in confidentiality. Furthermore, the right to information is excluded if the data is stored solely because it may not be deleted due to statutory or statutory retention periods, or if it serves exclusively the purposes of data backup or data protection control, provided that providing the information would require disproportionate effort and processing for other purposes is excluded by appropriate technical and organizational measures. If the right to information is not excluded in your case and your personal data is processed by us, you can request information from us about the following:

 

• Purposes of the processing,
• Categories of personal data processed by you,
• Recipients or categories of recipients to whom your personal data will be disclosed, in particular recipients in third countries,
• If possible, the planned duration for which your personal data will be stored or, if this is not possible, the criteria for determining the storage period,
• The existence of a right to rectification or erasure or restriction of processing of personal data concerning you or a right to object to such processing,
• The existence of a right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority for data protection,
• If the personal data was not collected from you as the data subject, the available information on the data origin,
• The existence of automated decision-making, including profiling, and meaningful information on the logic involved, as well as the scope and intended effects of automated decision-making,

 

In the case of transfer to recipients in third countries, unless a decision of the EU Commission on the adequacy of the level of protection pursuant to Art. 45 (3) GDPR exists, information on which appropriate guarantees are provided for the protection of personal data pursuant to Art. 46 (2) GDPR.

 

7.2 Correction and Completion
If you discover that we have inaccurate personal data concerning you, you can request that we correct this inaccurate data immediately. If your personal data concerning you is incomplete, you can request that it be completed.

 

Deletion
You have the right to erasure ("right to be forgotten") unless the processing is necessary to exercise your right to freedom of expression, the right to information, or to fulfill a legal obligation or to perform a task carried out in the public interest, and one of the following reasons applies:

• The personal data are no longer necessary for the purposes for which they were processed.
• The sole justification for the processing was your consent, which you have withdrawn.
• You have objected to the processing of your personal data that we have made public.
• You have objected to the processing of personal data that we have not made public and there are no overriding legitimate grounds for the processing.
• Your personal data were processed unlawfully.
• The deletion of personal data is necessary to fulfill a legal obligation to which we are subject.

 

There is no right to deletion if, in the case of lawful, non-automated data processing, deletion is not possible or only possible with disproportionate effort due to the special nature of the storage, and your interest in deletion is limited. In this case, restriction of processing takes precedence over deletion.

 

7.3 Restriction of processing
You can request that we restrict processing if one of the following reasons applies:

 

• You contest the accuracy of the personal data. In this case, the restriction can be requested for the period that enables us to verify the accuracy of the data.
• The processing is unlawful and you request the restriction of the use of your personal data instead of deletion.
• We no longer need your personal data for the purposes of processing, which you require to assert, exercise, or defend legal claims.
• You have lodged an objection in accordance with Art. 21 (1) GDPR. The restriction of processing can be requested as long as it is not yet clear whether our legitimate reasons outweigh your reasons.

 

Restriction of processing means that the personal data will only be processed with your consent or for the purpose of asserting, exercising, or defending legal claims or to protect the rights of another natural or legal person, or for reasons of important public interest. Before we lift the restriction, we are obliged to inform you.

 

7.4 Data portability
You have the right to data portability if the processing is based on your consent (Article 6 (1) Sentence 1 Letter a) or Article 9 (2) Letter a) GDPR) or on a contract to which you are a party and the processing is carried out using automated procedures. In this case, the right to data portability includes the following rights, provided that this does not adversely affect the rights and freedoms of others: You can request that we receive the personal data you have provided to us in a structured, common, and machine-readable format. You have the right to transmit this data to another controller without hindrance from us. Where technically feasible, you can request that we transmit your personal data directly to another controller.

 

7.5 Objection
If the processing is based on Art. 6 (1) Sentence 1 Letter e) GDPR (performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority) or on Art. 6 (1) Sentence 1 Letter f) GDPR (legitimate interest of the controller or a third party), you have the right to object at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you for reasons arising from your particular situation. This also applies to profiling based on Art. 6 (1) Sentence 1 Letter e) or Letter f) GDPR. After exercising your right of objection, we will no longer process your personal data unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override your interests, rights and freedoms, or the processing serves to assert, exercise or defend legal claims.

 

You can object to the processing of personal data concerning you for direct marketing purposes at any time. This also applies to profiling associated with such direct marketing. After exercising this right of objection, we will no longer use the personal data in question for direct marketing purposes.

 

You have the option of informally submitting your objection by telephone, email, fax, or to the postal address listed at the beginning of this privacy policy.

 

7.6 Revocation of consent
You have the right to revoke your consent at any time with future effect. You can revoke your consent informally by telephone, email, fax, or to our postal address. Revocation does not affect the legality of data processing that was carried out on the basis of your consent until receipt of the revocation. Upon receipt of the revocation, data processing that was based exclusively on your consent will be discontinued.

 

7.7 Complaint
If you believe that the processing of your personal data is unlawful, you can lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority responsible for the place of your residence or work or for the place of the alleged violation.

This privacy policy is dated September 25, 2024. We reserve the right to update this privacy policy from time to time to improve data protection and/or to adapt it to changes in official practice or case law.