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Privacy policy

This is a convenience translation. The German version is legally binding.

Preamble

With the following privacy policy we would like to inform you about the types of your personal data (hereinafter also referred to as "data") we process, for what purposes and to what extent. The privacy policy applies to all processing of personal data carried out by us, both in the context of providing our services and in particular on our websites, in mobile applications and within external online presences, such as our social media profiles (hereinafter collectively referred to as the "online offering").

The terms used are not gender-specific.

Last updated: 13 June 2026

Table of contents

Controller

Christian Nielebock
An der Rosenhelle 2c
61138 Niederdorfelden, Germany

Email address: info@openbookcase.de

Legal notice: https://openbookcase.de/imprint

Overview of processing operations

The following overview summarises the types of data processed and the purposes of their processing, and refers to the data subjects concerned.

Types of data processed

  • Inventory data.
  • Employee data.
  • Contact data.
  • Content data.
  • Usage data.
  • Meta, communication and procedural data.
  • Log data.

Categories of data subjects

  • Employees.
  • Users.
  • Third parties.
  • Whistleblowers.

Purposes of processing

  • Provision of contractual services and fulfilment of contractual obligations.
  • Security measures.
  • Reach measurement.
  • Organisational and administrative procedures.
  • Profiles with user-related information.
  • Provision of our online offering and user-friendliness.
  • Information technology infrastructure.
  • Whistleblower protection.

Relevant legal bases

Relevant legal bases under the GDPR: Below you will find an overview of the legal bases of the GDPR on the basis of which we process personal data. Please note that, in addition to the provisions of the GDPR, national data protection requirements may apply in your or our country of residence or domicile. Should more specific legal bases be relevant in individual cases, we will inform you of these in the privacy policy.

  • Consent (Art. 6(1)(1)(a) GDPR) - The data subject has given consent to the processing of personal data concerning them for one or more specific purposes.
  • Performance of a contract and pre-contractual enquiries (Art. 6(1)(1)(b) GDPR) - Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party, or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract.
  • Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(1)(c) GDPR) - Processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject.
  • Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(1)(f) GDPR) - Processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require protection of personal data.

National data protection regulations in Germany: In addition to the data protection regulations of the GDPR, national regulations on data protection apply in Germany. These include in particular the Act on Protection against Misuse of Personal Data in Data Processing (Federal Data Protection Act – BDSG). The BDSG contains in particular special provisions on the right of access, the right to erasure, the right to object, the processing of special categories of personal data, processing for other purposes and transmission, as well as automated decision-making in individual cases including profiling. Furthermore, the data protection laws of the individual federal states may apply.

Security measures

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures in accordance with the legal requirements, taking into account the state of the art, the implementation costs and the nature, scope, circumstances and purposes of the processing, as well as the varying probability and severity of the risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons, in order to ensure a level of protection appropriate to the risk.

The measures include, in particular, safeguarding the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data by controlling physical and electronic access to the data as well as access to, input of, disclosure of, assurance of availability of and separation of the data. Furthermore, we have established procedures that ensure the exercise of data subjects' rights, the deletion of data and responses to threats to the data. We also take the protection of personal data into account as early as the development or selection of hardware, software and procedures, in accordance with the principle of data protection by design and by default.

Securing online connections using TLS/SSL encryption technology (HTTPS): In order to protect the data of users transmitted via our online services from unauthorised access, we rely on TLS/SSL encryption technology. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) are the cornerstones of secure data transmission on the internet. These technologies encrypt the information transmitted between the website or app and the user's browser (or between two servers), thereby protecting the data from unauthorised access. When a website is secured by an SSL/TLS certificate, this is signalled by the display of HTTPS in the URL.

General information on data storage and deletion

We delete personal data that we process in accordance with the legal provisions as soon as the underlying consent is revoked or there are no further legal grounds for the processing. This applies to cases in which the original purpose of the processing no longer applies or the data is no longer required. Exceptions to this rule exist where legal obligations or special interests require longer retention or archiving of the data.

In particular, data that must be retained for commercial or tax reasons, or whose storage is necessary for legal prosecution or to protect the rights of other natural or legal persons, must be archived accordingly.

Our privacy notices contain additional information on the retention and deletion of data that applies specifically to certain processing operations.

Where multiple retention periods or deletion deadlines apply to a given piece of data, the longest period always prevails. Data that is no longer retained for the originally intended purpose but due to legal requirements or other reasons is processed exclusively for the reasons that justify its retention.

Retention and deletion of data: The following general periods apply to retention and archiving under German law:

  • 10 years - Retention period for books and records, annual financial statements, inventories, management reports, opening balance sheets, and the working instructions and other organisational documents required to understand them (Section 147(1) no. 1 in conjunction with (3) AO, Section 14b(1) UStG, Section 257(1) no. 1 in conjunction with (4) HGB).
  • 8 years - Accounting vouchers, such as invoices and cost receipts (Section 147(1) no. 4 and 4a in conjunction with (3) sentence 1 AO and Section 257(1) no. 4 in conjunction with (4) HGB).
  • 6 years - Other business documents: received commercial or business letters, copies of dispatched commercial or business letters, other documents insofar as they are relevant for taxation (Section 147(1) no. 2, 3, 5 in conjunction with (3) AO, Section 257(1) no. 2 and 3 in conjunction with (4) HGB).
  • 3 years - Data required to consider potential warranty and damages claims or similar contractual claims and rights, as well as to process related enquiries, based on past business experience and customary industry practices, is stored for the duration of the regular statutory limitation period of three years (Sections 195, 199 BGB).

Start of the period at the end of the year: Where a period does not begin expressly on a specific date and is at least one year, it starts automatically at the end of the calendar year in which the triggering event occurred. In the case of ongoing contractual relationships in which data is stored, the triggering event is the point at which the termination or other ending of the legal relationship takes effect.

Rights of data subjects

Rights of data subjects under the GDPR: As a data subject, you are entitled to various rights under the GDPR, which arise in particular from Art. 15 to 21 GDPR:

  • Right to object: You have the right to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you which is based on Art. 6(1)(e) or (f) GDPR; this also applies to profiling based on these provisions. Where personal data concerning you is processed for direct marketing purposes, you have the right to object at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you for the purposes of such marketing; this also applies to profiling insofar as it is related to such direct marketing.
  • Right to withdraw consent: You have the right to withdraw consent given at any time.
  • Right of access: You have the right to request confirmation as to whether data concerning you is being processed and to obtain access to this data as well as further information and a copy of the data in accordance with the legal requirements.
  • Right to rectification: You have the right, in accordance with the legal requirements, to request the completion of data concerning you or the rectification of inaccurate data concerning you.
  • Right to erasure and restriction of processing: You have the right, in accordance with the legal requirements, to request that data concerning you be erased without delay, or alternatively to request a restriction of the processing of the data in accordance with the legal requirements.
  • Right to data portability: You have the right to receive data concerning you that you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format in accordance with the legal requirements, or to request its transmission to another controller.
  • Complaint to a supervisory authority: Without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your habitual residence, place of work or place of the alleged infringement, if you consider that the processing of personal data concerning you infringes the GDPR.

Provision of the online offering and web hosting

We process users' data in order to be able to provide them with our online services. For this purpose, we process the user's IP address, which is necessary to transmit the content and functions of our online services to the user's browser or device.

  • Types of data processed: Usage data (e.g. page views and duration of visit, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions); meta, communication and procedural data (e.g. IP addresses, time stamps, identification numbers, parties involved); log data (e.g. log files relating to logins or the retrieval of data or access times). Content data (e.g. textual or pictorial messages and contributions and the information relating to them, such as details of authorship or time of creation).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing and legitimate interests: Provision of our online offering and user-friendliness; information technology infrastructure (operation and provision of information systems and technical devices (computers, servers, etc.)). Security measures.
  • Retention and deletion: Deletion in accordance with the information in the section "General information on data storage and deletion".
  • Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(1)(f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

  • Provision of the online offering on rented storage space: For the provision of our online offering, we use storage space, computing capacity and software that we rent or otherwise obtain from a corresponding server provider (also called "web host"); Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(1)(f) GDPR).
  • Collection of access data and log files: Access to our online offering is logged in the form of so-called "server log files". The server log files may include the address and name of the web pages and files accessed, the date and time of access, the volume of data transferred, notification of successful access, browser type and version, the user's operating system, referrer URL (the previously visited page) and, as a rule, IP addresses and the requesting provider. The server log files may be used for security purposes, e.g. to prevent server overload (in particular in the event of abusive attacks, so-called DDoS attacks), and to ensure the utilisation and stability of the servers; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(1)(f) GDPR). Deletion of data: Log file information is stored for a maximum of 30 days and then deleted or anonymised. Data whose further retention is required for evidentiary purposes is excluded from deletion until the respective incident has been finally clarified.
  • Sending and hosting of emails: The web hosting services we use also include the sending, receiving and storage of emails. For these purposes, the addresses of the recipients and senders as well as further information concerning the sending of emails (e.g. the providers involved) and the content of the respective emails are processed. The aforementioned data may also be processed for the purpose of detecting SPAM. Please note that emails on the internet are generally not sent in encrypted form. As a rule, emails are encrypted during transport, but (unless a so-called end-to-end encryption method is used) not on the servers from which they are sent and received; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(1)(f) GDPR).
  • Alfahosting: Services in the field of the provision of information technology infrastructure and related services (e.g. storage space and/or computing capacity); Service provider: Alfahosting GmbH, Ankerstraße 3b, 06108 Halle (Saale), Germany; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(1)(f) GDPR); Website: https://alfahosting.de; Privacy policy: https://alfahosting.de/datenschutz/. Data processing agreement: Provided by the service provider.

Maps and location services

We embed map material as well as an address and place search from third-party providers in order to display the locations of public bookcases on an interactive map and to convert addresses or places into coordinates. When the map tiles are loaded and when the search is used, the user's IP address is transmitted to the respective providers, as they cannot send the requested content to the user's browser without the IP address. If users actively use their device's location feature (e.g. "My location"), the location data is additionally processed in the browser in order to centre the map on their position; this location data is not transmitted to us or stored by us.

  • Types of data processed: Usage data (e.g. map sections viewed and search queries); meta, communication and procedural data (e.g. IP addresses, time stamps); location data (only when the location feature is actively used, exclusively client-side).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing: Provision of our online offering and user-friendliness.
  • Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(1)(f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

Use of cookies

The term "cookies" refers to functions that store information on users' devices and read information from them. Cookies can also be used in relation to different concerns, for example for the purposes of the functionality, security and comfort of online offerings as well as the creation of analyses of visitor flows. We use cookies in accordance with the legal provisions. To this end, we obtain the prior consent of users where required. Where consent is not necessary, we rely on our legitimate interests. This applies where the storage and reading of information is essential in order to provide expressly requested content and functions. This includes, for example, the storage of settings and ensuring the functionality and security of our online offering. Consent can be revoked at any time. We provide clear information on its scope and which cookies are used.

Information on legal bases under data protection law: Whether we process personal data using cookies depends on consent. If consent is given, it serves as the legal basis. Without consent, we rely on our legitimate interests, which are explained above in this section and in the context of the respective services and procedures.

Storage duration: With regard to the storage duration, the following types of cookies are distinguished:

  • Temporary cookies (also: session cookies): Temporary cookies are deleted at the latest after a user has left an online offering and closed their device (e.g. browser or mobile application).
  • Permanent cookies: Permanent cookies remain stored even after the device is closed. For example, the login status can be stored and preferred content can be displayed directly when the user visits a website again. Likewise, the user data collected with the help of cookies can be used for reach measurement. Unless we provide users with explicit information about the type and storage duration of cookies (e.g. when obtaining consent), they should assume that these are permanent and that the storage duration can be up to two years.

General information on revocation and objection (opt-out): Users can revoke the consent they have given at any time and also object to processing in accordance with the legal requirements, including by means of the privacy settings of their browser.

  • Types of data processed: Meta, communication and procedural data (e.g. IP addresses, time stamps, identification numbers, parties involved).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(1)(f) GDPR).

Registration, login and user account

Users can create a user account. As part of the registration, users are informed of the required mandatory information, which is processed for the purposes of providing the user account on the basis of the performance of contractual obligations. The data processed includes in particular the login information (username, password and an email address).

When using our registration and login functions and using the user account, we store the IP address and the time of the respective user action. This storage takes place on the basis of our legitimate interests and those of the users in protection against misuse and other unauthorised use. This data is generally not passed on to third parties, unless it is necessary to pursue our claims or there is a legal obligation to do so.

Users may be informed by email about processes that are relevant to their user account, such as technical changes.

  • Types of data processed: Inventory data (e.g. full name, residential address, contact information, customer number, etc.); contact data (e.g. postal and email addresses or telephone numbers); content data (e.g. textual or pictorial messages and contributions and the information relating to them, such as details of authorship or time of creation); usage data (e.g. page views and duration of visit, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Log data (e.g. log files relating to logins or the retrieval of data or access times).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing and legitimate interests: Provision of contractual services and fulfilment of contractual obligations; security measures; organisational and administrative procedures. Provision of our online offering and user-friendliness.
  • Retention and deletion: Deletion in accordance with the information in the section "General information on data storage and deletion". Deletion after termination.
  • Legal bases: Performance of a contract and pre-contractual enquiries (Art. 6(1)(1)(b) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(1)(f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

  • Registration with pseudonyms: Users may use pseudonyms instead of real names as usernames; Legal bases: Performance of a contract and pre-contractual enquiries (Art. 6(1)(1)(b) GDPR).
  • User profiles are not public: User profiles are not publicly visible or accessible.
  • Deletion of data after termination: When users have terminated their user account, their data relating to the user account is deleted, subject to a legal permission, obligation or consent of the users; Legal bases: Performance of a contract and pre-contractual enquiries (Art. 6(1)(1)(b) GDPR).
  • No obligation to retain data: It is the responsibility of users to back up their data before the end of the contract upon termination. We are entitled to irretrievably delete all of the user's data stored during the term of the contract; Legal bases: Performance of a contract and pre-contractual enquiries (Art. 6(1)(1)(b) GDPR).

Web analytics, monitoring and optimisation

Web analytics (also referred to as "reach measurement") serves to evaluate the visitor flows of our online offering and may include behaviour, interests or demographic information about visitors, such as age or gender, as pseudonymous values. With the help of reach analysis we can, for example, recognise at what time our online offering or its functions or content are used most frequently, or invite re-use. We can also determine which areas need optimisation.

In addition to web analytics, we may also use testing procedures, for example to test and optimise different versions of our online offering or its components.

Unless otherwise stated below, profiles, i.e. data combined into a usage operation, may be created for these purposes, and information may be stored in a browser or device and then read. The information collected includes in particular websites visited and the elements used there, as well as technical information such as the browser used, the computer system used and information on usage times. If users have consented to the collection of their location data to us or to the providers of the services we use, the processing of location data is also possible.

In addition, users' IP addresses are stored. However, we use an IP masking procedure (i.e. pseudonymisation by truncating the IP address) to protect users. In general, no clear data of users (such as email addresses or names) is stored in the context of web analytics, A/B testing and optimisation, but rather pseudonyms. This means that we, as well as the providers of the software used, do not know the actual identity of the users, but only the information stored in their profiles for the purpose of the respective procedures.

Information on legal bases: If we ask users for their consent to the use of third-party providers, the legal basis for the data processing is consent. Otherwise, user data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests (i.e. interest in efficient, economical and recipient-friendly services). In this context, we would also like to refer you to the information on the use of cookies in this privacy policy.

  • Types of data processed: Usage data (e.g. page views and duration of visit, click paths, intensity and frequency of use, device types and operating systems used, interactions with content and functions). Meta, communication and procedural data (e.g. IP addresses, time stamps, identification numbers, parties involved).
  • Data subjects: Users (e.g. website visitors, users of online services).
  • Purposes of processing and legitimate interests: Reach measurement (e.g. access statistics, recognition of returning visitors). Profiles with user-related information (creating user profiles).
  • Retention and deletion: Deletion in accordance with the information in the section "General information on data storage and deletion". Storage of cookies for up to 2 years (Unless otherwise stated, cookies and similar storage methods may be stored on users' devices for a period of two years.).
  • Security measures: IP masking (pseudonymisation of the IP address).
  • Legal bases: Consent (Art. 6(1)(1)(a) GDPR). Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(1)(f) GDPR).

Further information on processing operations, procedures and services:

  • Matomo (without cookies): Matomo is privacy-friendly web analytics software that is used without cookies and in which the recognition of returning users is carried out using a so-called "digital fingerprint", which is stored anonymously and changed every 24 hours. With the "digital fingerprint", user movements within our online offering are recorded using pseudonymised IP addresses in combination with browser settings on the user's side in such a way that conclusions about the identity of individual users are not possible. The user data collected in the context of using Matomo is processed only by us and not shared with third parties; Legal bases: Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(1)(f) GDPR); Website: https://matomo.org/. Security measures: IP masking (pseudonymisation of the IP address).

Changes and updates

We ask you to regularly inform yourself about the content of our privacy policy. We adapt the privacy policy as soon as changes to the data processing carried out by us make this necessary. We will inform you as soon as the changes require an act of cooperation on your part (e.g. consent) or other individual notification.

Where we provide addresses and contact information of companies and organisations in this privacy policy, please note that the addresses may change over time and we ask you to check the details before contacting them.

Definitions of terms

In this section you will find an overview of the terms used in this privacy policy. Where the terms are legally defined, their legal definitions apply. The following explanations, on the other hand, are intended primarily to aid understanding.

  • Inventory data: Inventory data comprises essential information necessary for the identification and management of contractual partners, user accounts, profiles and similar associations. This data may include, among other things, personal and demographic details such as names, contact information (addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses), dates of birth and specific identifiers (user IDs). Inventory data forms the basis for any formal interaction between persons and services, facilities or systems.
  • Content data: Content data comprises information generated in the course of creating, editing and publishing content of all kinds. This category of data may include texts, images, videos, audio files and other multimedia content published on various platforms and media. Content data is not limited to the actual content, but also includes metadata that provides information about the content itself, such as tags, descriptions, author information and publication dates.
  • Contact data: Contact data is essential information that enables communication with persons or organisations. It includes, among other things, telephone numbers, postal addresses and email addresses, as well as means of communication such as social media handles and instant messaging identifiers.
  • Meta, communication and procedural data: Meta, communication and procedural data are categories that contain information about how data is processed, transmitted and managed. Metadata, also known as data about data, includes information that describes the context, origin and structure of other data. Communication data records the exchange of information between users via various channels. Procedural data describes the processes and workflows within systems or organisations, including audit logs used to track and verify operations.
  • Usage data: Usage data refers to information that records how users interact with digital products, services or platforms. This data includes a wide range of information showing how users use applications, which functions they prefer, how long they stay on certain pages and which paths they take through an application. Usage data may also include the frequency of use, time stamps of activities, IP addresses, device information and location data.
  • Personal data: "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. cookie) or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.
  • Profiles with user-related information: The processing of "profiles with user-related information", or "profiles" for short, comprises any kind of automated processing of personal data that consists of using this personal data to analyse, evaluate or predict certain personal aspects relating to a natural person (depending on the type of profiling, this may include information regarding demographics, behaviour and interests, such as interaction with websites and their content). Cookies and web beacons are often used for profiling purposes.
  • Log data: Log data is information about events or activities that have been logged in a system or network. This data typically contains information such as time stamps, IP addresses, user actions, error messages and other details about the use or operation of a system. Log data is often used to analyse system problems, for security monitoring or to create performance reports.
  • Reach measurement: Reach measurement (also referred to as web analytics) serves to evaluate the visitor flows of an online offering and may include the behaviour or interests of visitors in certain information, such as the content of web pages. With the help of reach analysis, operators of online offerings can, for example, recognise at what time users visit their web pages and which content they are interested in. Pseudonymous cookies and web beacons are often used for reach analysis purposes in order to recognise returning visitors.
  • Controller: The "controller" is 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.
  • Processing: "Processing" is any operation or set of operations which is performed on personal data or on sets of personal data, whether or not by automated means. The term is broad and covers practically any handling of data, whether it is collection, evaluation, storage, transmission or deletion.

Created with the free privacy policy generator by Dr. Thomas Schwenke

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