Privacy policy
Status: April 2025
The Gesellschaft für Hopfenforschung e.V (hereinafter: ‘GfH’ or ‘we’) takes the protection of personal data very seriously. In the following, we explain which data we process in the context of providing our website, when and for what purposes.
1. responsibility
Responsible according to Art. 4 para. 7 European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the:
Society for Hop Research e.V
Hüll 5 1/3
85283 Wolnzach
Wolnzach, Germany
Phone: 08442/3597
Fax: 08442/2871
E-mail: gfh@hopfenforschung.de
If you have any concerns about data protection, you can contact us at any time using the contact details given above.
2 Legal basis, purpose and storage period of the processing of personal data
a. Website visit
Each time our website is accessed, our system automatically collects the following data and information from the computer system of the accessing computer
- Browser type and version used
- Operating system of the user
- Date and time of access
- Internet service provider of the user
- IP address of the user
- Amount of data transferred
- Notification of successful retrieval
- Website from which the user’s system accesses our website
- Website accessed by the user’s system via our website
We use the service provider hosting.de GmbH, Franzstr. 51, 52064 Aachen (Germany) for web hosting.
The legal basis for the temporary processing of this information is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. The temporary storage of this data is necessary to enable the user to use the website in a fully functional manner. For this purpose, the user’s IP address in particular must remain stored for the duration of the session. In addition, we use the data for the technical optimisation of the website and to ensure the security of our information technology systems. Our legitimate interest in data processing also lies in these purposes, Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR.
The data is generally deleted as soon as it is no longer required to fulfil the purpose for which it was 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. Log file information is stored for a maximum of 7 days for security reasons (e.g. to investigate misuse or fraud) and then deleted. Data whose further storage is required for evidentiary purposes is excluded from deletion until the respective incident has been finally clarified.
b. Contact
If you use our contact form or send us a message, e.g. by e-mail, we process the following data provided by you: Name, e-mail address and any other personal data that you provide in your message to us.
The legal basis for the collection of data in the context of contacting us is Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. b GDPR (processing is necessary for the fulfilment of a contract with the data subject) if a contractual relationship is sought or already exists. The legal basis is Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f GDPR (processing is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests) if no contractual relationship exists or is intended, e.g. if the contact is of a general nature. In the latter case, our legitimate interest is to respond to your enquiry in an appropriate manner.
The data will be deleted as soon as it is no longer required to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected or for documentation purposes. Mandatory statutory provisions – in particular retention periods – remain unaffected.
c. Newsletter
We provide the option of subscribing to our newsletter on our website. For this purpose, we use the service provider Mailchimp, Intuit Mailchimp 405 N Angier Ave. NE Atlanta, GA 30308 (USA). If you have consented to this, we will inform you regularly about current products, events and other news from our organisation. To subscribe to the newsletter, all you have to do is click on the button in the corresponding newsletter registration menu. A confirmation email will be sent to the email address entered by a data subject for the first time for the newsletter mailing using the double opt-in procedure. This confirmation email is used to check whether the owner of the email address as the data subject has authorised the receipt of the newsletter. We then process the email address that you confirmed when you registered, as well as your first name and surname.
The legal basis for the processing described above for the purpose of sending our e-mail newsletter is Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a GDPR (processing based on the consent of the data subject).
You can revoke your consent at any time and unsubscribe from the newsletter. After revoking your consent, you will no longer receive newsletters from us. To withdraw your consent, you can click on the unsubscribe link contained in every newsletter.
When registering for the newsletter, we also store the IP address assigned by the Internet service provider (ISP) of the computer system used by the data subject at the time of registration, as well as the date and time of registration. The collection of this data is necessary in order to be able to trace the (possible) misuse of a data subject’s e-mail address at a later date and therefore serves as legal protection for the controller.
The legal basis for the temporary processing of this information during registration is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR (processing is necessary to safeguard our legitimate interests). Our legitimate interest in data processing also lies in the aforementioned purposes.
The data will be deleted as soon as it is no longer required to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected or for documentation purposes or if a data subject objects to the processing.
d. Use of cookies
Cookies are small text files that store information on the use of our website (e.g. web pages visited, number of visits, visit times, time spent on individual pages, browser used, operating system used, etc.) on your computer or device if you allow this via your browser settings. Cookies cannot execute programmes or transfer viruses to your computer. In addition to cookies, so-called pixels (also known as tracking pixels or web beacons) may also be used on our website. Pixels are small, invisible graphics that are integrated into the website and can also be used to analyse information on the use of our website by website visitors. For the sake of standardisation, the term ‘cookies’ is used below when other cookie-like technologies such as those in the previous sentence are used and/or also in the case of e.g. the storage of data as a ‘local storage item’ in the browser.
When you use our website, we only use cookies that are technically necessary to operate our website in a user-friendly manner. The purpose of using these cookies, which are necessary for the operation of the website, is to enable the proper and meaningful usability of our website. We do not use any analysis or marketing cookies.
The legal basis for the processing of information from technically necessary cookies is Section 25 (2) No. 2 of the Act on Data Protection and Privacy in Telecommunications and Digital Services (TDDDG). Insofar as personal data, in particular your IP address, is processed in the context of technically necessary cookies, the legal basis for the processing is Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f GDPR (processing is necessary to safeguard our legitimate interests). We have a legitimate interest in being able to offer our website visitors a properly functioning, user-friendly and modern website. Basic functions of our website cannot be offered without the use of cookies. Our legitimate interest also lies in these purposes.
These cookies are deleted after one year.
e. Videos
With your consent, videos hosted on the YouTube and Vimeo platforms are displayed on our website. The provider for YouTube is Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street Dublin 4, Ireland. The provider for Vimeo is Vimeo LLC, 555 West 18th Street, New York, New York 10011 (USA). You can give your consent for a video to be displayed on our website. Your browser connects to the YouTube or Vimeo servers and sends your IP address, information about your server type, browser type or other device characteristics to YouTube or Vimeo. Your activities in the respective video (e.g. activation of the ‘Like’ button) as well as the session duration and bounce rate are also stored. If you are registered as a user with YouTube or Vimeo, further data may be processed, although we have no knowledge of this.
If cookies are set when the videos are displayed, the legal basis for the use of these non-mandatory cookies and the associated processing of information on your end device or access to this information is your consent in accordance with Section 25 (1) sentence 1 TDDDG. Insofar as personal data (including via cookies), in particular in the form of pseudonymous data or your IP address, is processed in the context of displaying the videos, the legal basis for the processing is also Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. a GDPR (processing on the basis of the consent of the data subject).
The data will be deleted as soon as it is no longer required to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected or for documentation purposes or a data subject objects to the processing.
3. data transfer
Like every company, we also use service providers who provide services for us as part of order processing.
When integrating videos and sending newsletters, it cannot be ruled out that personal data will be transferred outside the EU/EEA to third countries (in particular to the USA) due to the interconnectedness of the Group. In these third countries, there is usually no level of protection for data security comparable to that in the EU/EEA. In order to ensure an adequate level of data protection, we make sure that the service providers we select are certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework Agreement and/or conclude so-called EU standard clauses, according to which the relevant service provider undertakes to comply with standards set by the EU Commission in order to protect your personal data. We also select service providers according to whether they provide additional guarantees, such as acquired protection certificates and/or proof of additional and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data (e.g. data encryption).
4. non-existence of automated decision-making
Please note that you will not be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you.
5. no obligation to provide personal data
The provision of personal data is neither required by law nor by contract, nor is it necessary for the conclusion of a contract. You are therefore not obliged to provide the personal data. However, in order to be able to use our website (see the description of the respective services in section 2), it is necessary to provide the personal data required for this purpose.
6. rights of the data subject
You have the following rights vis-à-vis us with regard to your personal data:
- Right of access (Art. 15 GDPR),
- Right to rectification (Art. 16 GDPR),
- Right to erasure (Art. 17 GDPR; ‘right to be forgotten’),
- Right to restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR),
- Right to object to processing (Art. 21 GDPR),
- Right to data portability (Art. 20 GDPR).
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority in the Member State of your habitual residence, place of work or place of the alleged infringement concerning the processing of your personal data by us if you consider that the processing of personal data relating to you is unlawful.
If you have given us your consent to process your data, you can revoke this at any time with effect for the future. This does not affect the lawfulness of the processing of your data until you withdraw your consent. To assert your rights or for other data protection concerns, you can contact us at any time via the contact channels listed in section 1 above and/or the contact channels listed in our legal notice.
We would also like to point out that if your personal data is processed on the basis of a legitimate interest in the context of the balancing of interests pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 sentence 1 lit. f GDPR, you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data at any time.