Privacy Policy
1) Collection of Personal Data and Contact Details of the Data Controller
1.1 Welcome to our website! We take the protection of your personal data seriously. Here, you’ll find information about how we handle your personal data when you use our website. Personal data includes any data with which you can be personally identified.
1.2 Salt Yards is the controller of this website as defined by the Data Protection Regulation (DSGVO). The controller is the person or legal entity that alone or jointly with others determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data.
1.3 To ensure the security of your data and to protect the transfer of personal and other confidential content (such as orders or inquiries), this site uses SSL or TLS encryption. You can recognize an encrypted connection by the “https://” address and the lock symbol in your browser bar.
2) Data Collection When Visiting Our Website
When you visit our website for informational purposes without registering or providing us information, we only collect data that your browser transmits to our server (so-called “server log files”). This includes:
• The specific pages of our site that you visit
• Date and time of access
• Amount of data sent in bytes
• Source from which you came to the site
• Browser used
• Operating system used
• IP address (anonymized if applicable)
This processing is based on Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f DSGVO, which allows the processing of data to fulfill a legitimate interest, in this case, to improve the stability and functionality of our website. Data is not shared without cause; however, we reserve the right to review server logs if there are clear indications of unlawful activity.
3) Cookies
Our website uses cookies to enhance your experience and enable certain functionalities. Cookies are small text files stored on your device. Some cookies (session cookies) are deleted after the browser session ends, while others (persistent cookies) remain to recognize your browser on subsequent visits. They may store data such as browser and location details, and IP address values. Persistent cookies are automatically deleted after a predetermined period.
Cookies may also facilitate the ordering process (e.g., remembering cart contents). Processing through cookies, when involving personal data, follows Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b DSGVO for contract fulfillment or Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f DSGVO for legitimate interest in optimizing site functionality and user experience.
We may also use third-party cookies in collaboration with advertising partners to make our website more engaging. You will be informed about such usage and the extent of data collected as needed.
Note: You can configure your browser to inform you about cookie settings and individually decide on their acceptance or exclusion for specific cases or generally. Please be aware that disabling cookies may limit website functionality.
4) Contacting Us
When you contact us via contact form or email, we collect personal data. The specific data collected is indicated on the contact form. This data is solely used for responding to your inquiries or for technical administration. The legal basis is Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f DSGVO, based on our legitimate interest in responding to your inquiries. If your contact aims at concluding a contract, then Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b DSGVO also applies. Data is deleted once your inquiry is fully processed, unless legal retention obligations apply.
5) Data Processing for Account Management and Contract Execution
Under Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b DSGVO, we collect and process personal data when you provide it to us for contract execution or during the account setup. The specific data collected is visible on the respective entry forms. You may delete your account at any time by messaging us at the provided contact details. Data necessary for contract processing is retained until the completion of the contract or deletion of your account, following which it is retained as required by tax and commercial law and then deleted after these periods expire, unless further usage of your data is lawfully retained and communicated to you.
6) Use of Your Data for Direct Advertising
6.1 Email Newsletter Subscription
When you subscribe to our email newsletter, we send you regular updates on our offers. The required information is your email address; any additional information is voluntary and helps personalize your experience. We use a double opt-in process for subscription, where you must confirm your consent via a confirmation email. Your data is used solely for newsletter communication. You can unsubscribe at any time and your email address will be promptly removed from our distribution list unless otherwise consented for further use. This process is in accordance with Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a DSGVO.
6.2 Newsletter to Existing Customers
If you’ve purchased goods or services and provided your email address, we may send you emails about similar offers. This does not require separate consent, as it’s based on our legitimate interest in direct marketing per Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f DSGVO. You can opt-out at any time by contacting us, and we will cease using your email for direct marketing.
7) Data Processing for Order Handling
7.1 Personal Data Transmission
We transmit your personal data to the shipping company responsible for delivery, to the extent necessary to fulfill the contract. Payment data is sent to the processing financial institution. We comply with Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b DSGVO for necessary data transfer.
7.2 Payment Service Providers
• PayPal: We share necessary data with PayPal for payment processing. PayPal may conduct credit checks to ensure payment security. Details on data use and your rights can be found in PayPal’s privacy policy.
• SOFORT: For “SOFORT” payments, we transfer necessary data to SOFORT GmbH for transaction processing. More details are available in their data protection policies.
8) Contact for Rating Reminder
We may send a one-time email reminder for you to rate your purchase, provided you’ve given prior consent. This is in compliance with Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a DSGVO, and you can withdraw consent anytime by contacting us.
9) Use of Social Media: Social Plugins
We use social plugins from Facebook, Google+, and Instagram to enhance user interaction on our site. These plugins are integrated using a Shariff solution, ensuring no direct connection is made with social media servers without your involvement. This method protects your privacy by preventing automatic data transmission to social media platforms. Each platform’s data use is detailed in their respective privacy policies, available on their websites.
10) Online Marketing
10.1 DoubleClick by Google
This website utilizes DoubleClick, an online marketing tool from Google LLC. DoubleClick uses cookies to display ads that are relevant to users, optimize campaign performance, and prevent the same ads from being shown repeatedly. The data collected includes which ads are shown in which browser, enhancing ad delivery based on user interactions. This data processing aligns with our legitimate interest in effective marketing as per Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f DSGVO. Google may link this information to a Google account if logged in. You can opt out of this tracking through your browser settings or by visiting specific opt-out pages like Google’s ads settings or the Digital Advertising Alliance site. More information can be found in Google’s privacy policy.
10.2 Google AdWords Conversion Tracking
We use Google AdWords conversion tracking to measure the effectiveness of our advertising efforts. This tool sets a cookie on your device when you click on a Google Ad. If you visit certain pages on our website while the cookie is still valid, both Google and we can track that you clicked the ad and were redirected to our page. This information is used to compile conversion statistics. Conversion cookies are used only for statistical purposes and do not contain information that personally identifies users. You can opt out by adjusting your browser settings to block cookies from Google AdWords services.
11) Web Analytics Services: Google (Universal) Analytics
This website uses Google Analytics for detailed web analytics. It includes the anonymization function “anonymizeIP” to ensure an anonymized collection of IP addresses. Google may use the data to evaluate site usage, compile reports on website activity for website operators, and provide other services related to website and internet usage. You can refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, or by installing a browser plug-in that prevents data collection by Google Analytics. For cross-device analysis of visitor flows, Google Analytics uses a user ID. You can deactivate this feature at any time. More information is available on Google’s official website.
These measures are implemented to ensure targeted advertising and website optimization, compliant with relevant data protection standards, including the GDPR.
12) Retargeting/Remarketing/Referral Advertising
Facebook Custom Audience via Pixel Method: This tool allows us to track user activity after they’ve interacted with ads on Facebook to evaluate ad effectiveness. Data collected is used by Facebook to personalize future advertising based on user behavior under their data use policy. Consent is required, and users can disable cookies to prevent this tracking.
Google AdWords Remarketing: This service by Google allows us to present targeted ads based on your past visits to our website by placing a cookie on your device. This is done under our legitimate interest in marketing our services effectively. Users can opt-out of this service by modifying their cookie settings or using Google’s Ads Settings.
These advertising tools are managed under stringent data protection agreements, including the EU’s Privacy Shield framework, ensuring compliance with EU data protection levels. For more details on data handling practices, you can refer to Google’s privacy policy at Google’s Privacy Policy and for adjusting settings, visit the Digital Advertising Alliance site at About Ads.
13) Rights of the Data Subject
13.1 Comprehensive Rights:
You have several rights under data protection laws regarding your personal data:
• Right to Access: You can request details about the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification: You have the right to correct inaccurate or complete incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure: You can ask to delete your data under certain conditions.
• Right to Restrict Processing: You may limit how we process your data.
• Right to Data Portability: You can receive your data in a structured, commonly used format.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: At any time, you can withdraw consent where it is the legal basis for processing.
• Right to Object: You can object to the processing of your data, especially for direct marketing.
• Right to Lodge a Complaint: You can complain to a supervisory authority if you feel your data is not being used in compliance with the law.
13.2 Right to Object:
You have the right to object to processing based on our legitimate interests. If you object, we will stop processing your data unless there are compelling legitimate grounds that override your rights.
14) Duration of Storage of Personal Data
The period for which we store your personal data is determined by legal retention requirements, such as those related to commercial or tax law. We keep data as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in our privacy policy, including meeting these legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Once the retention period expires, the data will be routinely deleted unless there is a need to retain it longer for legal proceedings or ongoing contractual relationships.