Privacy Policy

1. Purpose and controller

1.1. This privacy policy explains the nature, scope and purpose of data collection and use, and the use of cookies by our website and online content.

Provider / controller under data protection legislation:

Biotta AG
Pflanzbergstrasse 8
CH-8274 Tägerwilen
T: +41 (0)71 466 48 48
F: +41 (0)71 466 48 49
info@biotta.ch

1.2. The European General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR), Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG-neu) and German Telemedia Act (TMG) provide the legal bases for data protection.

2. Basic information about data processing

2.1. We collect, process and use the personal data of users only under observance of the pertinent data protection provisions. This means we process your data only if there is a legal need to do so or if you have given your consent.

2.2. We implement organisational, contractual and technical security measures to ensure compliance with legal data protection requirements and protect the data that we administer against accidental or deliberate manipulation, loss, destruction or access by unauthorised persons.

3. Collection, processing and use of personal data

3.1. The personal data of users is used for the following purposes:

- The performance of our various services, including the Forum and its features, for which opinions, posts and comments are stored in the user’s profile.

- To guarantee effective customer service. When contact is established with us, the details are stored for enquiry processing purposes and in case of follow-up questions.

- To send newsletters or other advertising material, provided that the recipient has given us their express consent to this.

3.2. We forward the data to third parties if required for service performance, billing or other purposes in order to meet our contractual obligations towards the users.

4. The sending of information by e-mail and newsletter

4.1. We will only send advertising information about ourselves and our services by e-mail with the express consent of the recipient. Users may opt out of receiving future marketing e-mails at any time.

4.2. If you would like to receive our newsletter, we will need you to provide a valid e-mail address as well as information that enables us to verify that you are the holder of the e-mail address provided or that you have the e-mail address holder's consent to receive the newsletter. We will not collect any other data. This data will be used only for sending the newsletter and will not be disclosed to third parties.

4.3. Before sending the newsletter, the e-mail holder will receive a confirmation e-mail with which to confirm the newsletter subscription. Any subscriptions that are not confirmed will be deleted automatically within four weeks at the latest. We may refrain from sending a confirmation mail if the e-mail address has been confirmed previously.

4.4. You may withdraw your consent for the storage of your data and e-mail address, and the use thereof for the purpose of sending the newsletter, at any time.

4.5. As part of the subscription process, we store both the time of subscription and the time of confirmation as well as the user's IP address. We are legally required to log the subscriptions in order to demonstrate proper performance of the subscription process.

5. Collection of access data

5.1. Every access to the server hosting this website is logged (in the form of server log files). The following information is logged: the name of the website visited, the file, date and time of access, volume of data transmitted, notification about whether data retrieval was successful, browser type and version, your operating system, referrer URL (the previously visited site), IP address and the requesting provider.

5.2. The log data does not include personal information about the user and is not used for profiling purposes. It is used only in accordance with the legal provisions to produce statistical reports for operational, security or website optimisation purposes. We do however reserve the right to inspect the log data retrospectively if there are specific and justified reasons to suspect unlawful use.

5.3. We use the log data of registered users of the Forum and the posts shared by users. We reserve the right to modify or delete posts if they do not follow the guidelines. In such cases, we also reserve the right to exclude users from the Forum and to make a note of such exclusion.

6. Cookies & reach measurement

6.1. Cookies are information that is transferred by our web servers or the web servers of third parties to the web browser of the user. Within this privacy policy, users are informed about the use of cookies as part of pseudonymous reach measurement.

6.2. Our website can be viewed without enabling cookies. If you do not want cookies to be stored on your computer, please disable them in your browser configuration settings. Cookies that have already been saved can be deleted in your browser configuration settings at any time. Disabling cookies may limit the functionality of this website, however.

7. Reach measurement: Google Analytics

7.1. We use Google Analytics, a web analytics service from Google Inc. (“Google”). Google uses cookies, that is, text files that are stored on your computer, to analyse use of this website. The information generated by the cookies about the use of this website by users is usually transferred to a Google server in the US and stored there.

7.2. Google analyses the transmitted data on our behalf and provides reports on website activities and use, and in order to render other services to us, which are associated with the use of this website and the use of the Internet.

7.3. We only use Google Analytics with IP masking enabled. This means that the user's IP address will be abbreviated by Google within Member States of the European Union or other states party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be transferred to a Google server in the United States and abbreviated there.

7.4. The IP address that your browser transmits as part of Google Analytics is not merged with any other Google data. You can configure your browser settings to prevent the storage of cookies; you can also opt out of the collection of cookie-generated data about website use and its processing by Google by downloading and installing the browser plugin at the following link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

7.5. As an alternative to the browser add-on or within browsers on mobile devices, please click this link to prevent the future collection of data on this website by Google Analytics (the opt-out only works in the browser and only for this domain). An opt-out cookie will then be stored on your device. You will need to re-click this link if you delete the cookies in this browser.

8. Information, withdrawal of consent, changes, corrections and updates

8.1. You have the right to request information, free of charge, about the personal data that has been stored about you. Details of the responsible contact person are provided in the legal notice.

8.2. You also have the right to the rectification of incorrect data, to withdraw your consent to or to restrict the processing of your data and to the erasure of your personal data insofar as there is no legal obligation to keep it.

9. Changes to the privacy policy

9.1. We reserve the right to amend the privacy policy in line with a change in legal situation or in the event of changes to the service and processing of data.

9.2. You are therefore asked to review it regularly.

(The English translation is provided as a courtesy. In case of dispute regarding interpretation, the original German version shall prevail.)