Privacy Policy

1 INTRODUCTION

We are delighted that you have shown interest in the services of Golden Tree Events LLC, our registered office is based in Al Arabia 4U Business Centre, Al Saaha Offices C Old Town, Downtown Dubai, Level 2 Office no.W202, Dubai (hereinafter referred to as "Golden Tree", "we", "us", "our") which are provided via https://internationaltravelawards.org , https://internationalspaawards.com or, https://internationaldiningawards.com  , 

https://worldlifestyleawards.com ,

https://arabianawards.com ,

https://itechnologyawards.com ,

https://internationalgmawards.com and the services provided through the website and through our software, APIs, or otherwise and mobile website and mobile applications related, linked, or otherwise connected thereto (collectively the "Platform"). Data protection is a particularly high priority for Golden Tree. The use of the Platform of Golden Tree is possible without any indication of personal data; however, if a data subject wants to use special services via our Platform, processing of personal data may become necessary. If the processing of personal data is necessary, and there is no statutory basis for such processing, we generally obtain consent from the data subject.

The processing of personal data, such as the name, address, email address, or telephone number of a data subject shall always be in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and in accordance with the country-specific data protection regulations applicable to Golden Tree. Utilizing this data protection declaration, our enterprise would like to inform the general public of the nature, scope, and purpose of the personal data we collect, use and process. Furthermore, data subjects are informed through this data protection declaration, of the rights to which they are entitled.

As the controller, Golden Tree has implemented numerous technical and organizational measures to ensure the complete protection of personal data processed through this Platform. However, Internet-based data transmissions may, in principle, have security gaps, so absolute protection may not be guaranteed. For this reason, every data subject is free to transfer personal data to us via alternative means, e.g., by telephone.

2 DEFINITIONS

The data protection declaration of Golden Tree is based on the terms used by the European legislator for the adoption of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Our data protection declaration should be legible and understandable for the general public, as well as our customers and business partners. To ensure this, we would like to first explain the terminology used. In this data protection declaration, we use, among other things, the following terms:

A) Personal data

Personal data means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person ("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 or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural, or social identity of that natural person.

B) Data subject

Data subject is any identified or identifiable natural person, whose personal data is processed by the controller responsible for the processing.

C) Processing

Processing is any operation or set of operations which are performed on personal data or on sets of personal data, whether or not by automated means, such as collection, recording, organization, structuring, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, restriction, erasure, or destruction.

D) Restriction of processing

Restriction of processing is the marking of stored personal data with the aim of limiting their processing in the future.

E) Profiling

Profiling means any form of automated processing of personal data consisting of the use of personal data to evaluate certain personal aspects relating to a natural person, in particular, to analyze or predict aspects concerning that natural person’s performance at work, economic situation, health, personal preferences, interests, reliability, behavior, location or movements.

F) Pseudonymization

Pseudonymization is the processing of personal data in such a manner that the personal data can no longer be attributed to a specific data subject without the use of additional information, provided that such additional information is kept separately and is subject to technical and organizational measures to ensure that the personal data are not attributed to an identified or identifiable natural person.

G) Controller or controller responsible for the processing

Controller or controller responsible for the processing 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; where the purposes and means of such processing are determined by Union or Member State law, the controller or the specific criteria for its nomination may be provided for by Union or Member State law.

H) Processor

Processor is a natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or other body which processes personal data on behalf of the controller.

I) Recipient

Recipient is a natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or another body, to which the personal data are disclosed, whether a third party or not. However, public authorities which may receive personal data in the framework of a particular inquiry in accordance with Union or Member State law shall not be regarded as recipients; the processing of those data by those public authorities shall be in compliance with the applicable data protection rules according to the purposes of the processing.

J) Third-party

Third-party is a natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or body other than the data subject, controller, processor, and persons who, under the direct authority of the controller or processor, are authorized to process personal data.

K) Consent

Consent of the data subject is any freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous indication of the data subject’s wishes by which he or she, by a statement or by clear affirmative action, signifies agreement to the processing of personal data relating to him or her.

3 NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE CONTROLLER

Controller for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), other data protection laws applicable in Member states of the European Union and other provisions related to data protection is:

Golden Tree Events LLC, Abdulrahman Hassan Building, Al Khabeesi, Dubai, UAE.. support@goldentreeawards.com 

4 COOKIES

The Platform of Golden Tree uses cookies. Cookies are text files that are stored in a computer system via an Internet browser.

Many Internet sites and servers use cookies. Many cookies contain a so-called cookie ID. A cookie ID is a unique identifier of the cookie. It consists of a character string through which the Platform and servers can be assigned to the specific Internet browser in which the cookie was stored. This allows visited Internet sites and servers to differentiate the individual browser of the data subject from other Internet browsers that contain other cookies. A specific Internet browser can be recognized and identified using the unique cookie ID.

Through the use of cookies, Golden Tree can provide the users of this Platform with more user-friendly services that would not be possible without the cookie setting.

By means of a cookie, the information and offers on our Platform can be optimized with the user in mind. Cookies allow us, as previously mentioned, to recognize our Platform users. The purpose of this recognition is to make it easier for users to utilize our Platform. The Platform user that uses cookies, e.g., does not have to enter access data each time the Platform is accessed, because this is taken over by the Platform, and the cookie is thus stored on the user’s computer system. Another example is the cookie of a shopping cart in an online shop. The online store remembers the articles that a customer has placed in the virtual shopping cart via a cookie.

The data subject may, at any time, prevent the setting of cookies through our Platform by employing a corresponding setting of the Internet browser used, and may thus permanently deny the setting of cookies. Furthermore, already set cookies may be deleted at any time via an Internet browser or other software programs. This is possible in all popular Internet browsers. If the data subject deactivates the setting of cookies in the Internet browser used, not all functions of our Platform may be entirely usable. Golden Tree uses the following cookies.

5 COLLECTION OF GENERAL DATA AND INFORMATION

The Platform of Golden Tree collects a series of general data and information when a data subject or automated system calls up the Platform. This general data and information are stored in the server log files. The general data collected may be (1) the browser types and versions used, (2) the operating system used by the accessing system, (3) the website from which an accessing system reaches our Platform (so-called referrers), (4) the sub-websites, (5) the date and time of access to the Platform, (6) an Internet protocol address (IP address), (7) the Internet service provider of the accessing system, (8) names, (9) email address, (10) Payment method details such as credit card details (11) phone numbers and, (12) any other similar data and information that may be used in the event of attacks on our information technology systems.

All personal information that you provide to us must be true, complete, and accurate, and you must notify us of any changes to such personal information.

When using these general data and information, Golden Tree does not draw any conclusions about the data subject. Rather, this information is needed to (1) deliver the content of our Platform correctly, (2) optimize the content of our Platform as well as its advertisement, (3) ensure the long-term viability of our information technology systems and website technology, (4) for analytics purposes, (5) to facilitate account creation and logon process, (6) request feedback (7) as necessary for the basic functionality of the Platform and account management (billing our clients) and, (8) provide law enforcement authorities with the information necessary for criminal prosecution in case of a cyber-attack. Therefore, Golden Tree analyses anonymously collected data and information statistically, with the aim of increasing the data protection and data security of our enterprise and to achieve an optimal level of protection for the personal data we process. The anonymous data of the server log files are stored separately from all personal data provided by a data subject.

6 HOW WE COLLECT AND USE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

We collect personal information about our voters (users), subscribers, nominees, event attendees, media contacts and other customers. We use this information to provide goods and services. We do not sell personal information to anyone and only share it with third parties you consent to or who are facilitating the delivery of our services including but not limited to marketing, advertising, branding, newsletters, and PR services.

7 PERSONAL INFORMATION YOU PROVIDE TO US:

7.1 Voters (Users)

To avoid fraudulent votes, we require that users register prior to voting. When you register as a user to vote, we collect information about you including (but not limited to) your name, your country location, and your email address. An email will be sent to you to verify your email address and activate your account. Unverified accounts will receive a reminder email before being deleted.

If you work in the travel & tourism industry you may update your account by providing your employer's name and website, your job title and industry classification. Your account status will be accordingly changed by Golden Tree. If you work for one of our nominees, we may contact you about your nomination.

During registration, you may opt-in to our mailing lists including our media partner Breaking Travel News's daily industry news mailing list. If you opt-in to this third-party mailing list your email address will be shared with our online magazine/newsletters in order for them to provide you with the service.

We collect your IP address during registration and voting which we use for detecting and combating fraudulent voting.

We process your personal information to provide you with a user account with which you can vote.

Users may edit their profile at any time to change, add, or remove personal information by requesting us through email.

7.2 Mailing List Subscribers

When you subscribe to our newsletter, and our magazine mailing lists we collect your email address and IP address for our Media mailing list. We may ask you to supply contact information with respect to who you represent.

We use this information to send you the content you have subscribed to. You may unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link at the bottom of every email or sending us a request to unsubscribe to support@goldentreeawards.com.

7.3 Nominees and entrants

We collect information from you when you submit an entry or contact us about your nomination. With a few exceptions, this information is limited to the kinds of information that can be found on a business card: first name, last name, employer name, work address, job title, work email and work phone numbers.

We use this information to process entries or orders and to notify you about your nomination.

7.4 Events

We host award ceremonies. If you attend one of our events, we will collect your name and contact information, which we will store in our database and use to provide you with your ticket and services associated with the event.

We keep a record of your participation in our events.

Attendees may have photos and videos taken at the event which will be posted on the https://internationaltravelawards.org website.

Some of our events are sponsored. We may provide an attendee and nominees list to sponsors and/or co-sponsors of our events. If you do not wish to have your information included in an attendee list, you may contact us directly at support@goldentreeawards.com.

7.5 Personal information we get from third parties

We may receive personal information about individuals from third parties. This may happen if your employer or someone from your company provides your contact details as:

7.5.1 an attendee for an event.

7.5.2 a designated contact to receive notifications about your company's nomination/s.

7.6 Personal information we source

We may source personal information about individuals from your company website or by contacting your company. This may happen if your company is a nominee or shortlisted for the award program and we require a new contact at your company.

You can unsubscribe from the mailing list in case you do not wish to receive emails from us.

8 WHEN AND HOW WE SHARE INFORMATION WITH OTHERS

The personal information we collect from you is stored in one or more databases hosted by third-party web hosting services located in the Europe Region or USA or UAE. These third parties do not use or have access to your personal information for any purpose other than storage and retrieval.

We do not otherwise reveal your personal data to third parties for their independent use unless: (1) you request or authorise it; (2) the information is provided to comply with the law (for example, to comply with a search warrant, subpoena or court order), enforce an agreement we have with you, or to protect our rights, property or safety, or the rights, property or safety of our employees or others; (3) the information is provided to our agents, vendors or service providers who perform functions on our behalf; (4) to address emergencies or acts of God; or (5) to address disputes, claims, or to persons demonstrating legal authority to act on your behalf. We may also gather aggregated data about our users and Site visitors and disclose the results of such aggregated (but not personally identifiable) information to our partners, service providers and/or other third parties for marketing or promotional purposes.

Our website uses sharing tools with social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and others. If you choose to share information from our website through these services, you should review the privacy policy of that service. If you are a member of a social media site, the interfaces may allow the social media site to connect your site visit to your personal data.

9 TRANSFERRING PERSONAL DATA FROM THE UAE TO THE US

Our headquarters are in the UAE. Where permitted by applicable law, we may transfer your personal data to the United States and other jurisdictions outside the UAE for the purposes of providing services as set out in this privacy policy.

10 CONTACT POSSIBILITY VIA THE PLATFORM

The Platform of Golden Tree contains information that enables quick electronic contact with our enterprise, as well as direct communication with us, which also includes a general address of the so-called electronic mail (email address). If a data subject contacts the controller by email or via a contact form, the personal data transmitted by the data subject are automatically stored. Such personal data transmitted on a voluntary basis by a data subject to the data controller are stored for the purpose of processing or contacting the data subject. There is no transfer of this personal data to third parties.

11 CCPA PROVISO

The California Code of Regulations defines a "resident" as:

11.1 every individual who is in the State of California for other than a temporary or transitory purpose and

11.2 every individual who is domiciled in the State of California who is outside the State of California for a temporary or transitory purpose

All other individuals are defined as "non-residents."

If this definition of "resident" applies to you, certain rights and obligations apply regarding your personal information.

if you are a resident of California, you are granted specific rights regarding access to your personal information.

Your California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, you have the following rights specified under the California Consumer Privacy Act:

Right to Know. You have the right to know and see what data we have collected about you over the past 12 months, including:

(1) The categories of personal information we have collected about you;

(2) The categories of sources from which the personal information is collected;

(3) The business or commercial purpose for collecting your personal information;

(4) The categories of third parties with whom we have shared your personal information; and

(5) The specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.

Right to Delete. You have the right to request that we delete the personal information we have collected from you (and direct our service providers to do the same).

If you are under 18 years of age, reside in California, and have a registered account with the Platform, you have the right to request the removal of unwanted data that you publicly post on the Platform. To request the removal of such data, please contact us using the contact information provided below, and include the email address associated with your account and a statement that you reside in California. We will make sure the data is not publicly displayed on the Platform, but please be aware that the data may not be completely or comprehensively removed from all our systems (e.g., backups, etc.).

Other Rights. California Civil Code Section 1798.83, also known as the "Shine The Light" law, permits our users who are California residents to request and obtain from us, once a year and free of charge, information about categories of personal information (if any) we disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes and the names and addresses of all third parties with which we shared personal information in the immediately preceding calendar year. If you are a California resident and would like to make such a request, please submit your request in writing to us using the contact information provided in this document. 

Certain information may be exempt from such requests under applicable law. For example, we need certain types of information so that we can provide the Platform to you. If you ask us to delete it, you may no longer be able to access or use the Platform.

To exercise your rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act, please contact us by either sending us an e-mail at HYPERLINK "mailto:" support@goldentreeawards.com . Please provide your full name and e-mail address so that we may respond to your request as quickly as possible. You may be required to verify your identify before we fulfill your request. To do so, you will need to provide us with certain account information, such as your full name and email address. You can also designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf. To do so, you must provide us with written authorization for the agent to act on your behalf. You will still need to verify your identity directly with us.

12 SECURITY

This Platform ensures that data is encrypted when leaving the Platform. This process involves the converting of information or data into a code to prevent unauthorised access. This Platform follows this process and employs secure methods to ensure the protection of all credit and debit card transactions. Encryption methods such as SSL are utilised to protect customer data when in transit to and from this Platform over a secure communications channel.

Whilst we do everything within our power to ensure that personal data is protected at all times from our Platform, we cannot guarantee the security and integrity of the information that has been transmitted to our Platform.

13 ROUTINE ERASURE AND BLOCKING OF PERSONAL DATA

The data controller shall process and store the personal data of the data subject only for the period necessary to achieve the purpose of storage, or as far as this is granted by the European legislator or other legislators in laws or regulations to which the controller is subject.

If the storage purpose is not applicable, or if a storage period prescribed by the European legislator or another competent legislator expires, the personal data are routinely blocked or erased in accordance with legal requirements.

14 RIGHTS OF THE DATA SUBJECT

A) Right of confirmation

Each data subject shall have the right granted by the European legislator to obtain from the controller the confirmation as to whether or not personal data concerning him or her are being processed. If a data subject wishes to avail himself of this right of confirmation, he or she may, at any time, contact us or another employee of the controller.

B) Right of access

Each data subject shall have the right granted by the European legislator to obtain from the controller free information about his or her personal data stored at any time and a copy of this information. Furthermore, the European directives and regulations grant the data subject access to the following information: the purposes of the processing; the categories of personal data concerned; the recipients or categories of recipients to whom the personal data have been or will be disclosed, in particular recipients in third countries or international organizations; where possible, the envisaged period for which the personal data will be stored, or, if not possible, the criteria used to determine that period; the existence of the right to request from the controller rectification or erasure of personal data, or restriction of processing of personal data concerning the data subject, or to object to such processing; the existence of the right to file a complaint with a supervisory authority; where the personal data are not collected from the data subject, any available information as to their source; the existence of automated decision-making, including profiling, referred to in Article 22(1) and (4) of the GDPR and, at least in those cases, meaningful information about the logic involved, as well as the significance and envisaged consequences of such processing for the data subject.

Furthermore, the data subject shall have a right to obtain information as to whether personal data are transferred to a third country or an international organization. Where this is the case, the data subject shall have the right to be informed of the appropriate safeguards relating to the transfer.

If a data subject wishes to avail himself of this right of access, he or she may at any time contact us or another employee of the controller.

C) Right to rectification

Each data subject shall have the right granted by the European legislator to obtain from the controller without undue delay the rectification of inaccurate personal data concerning him or her. Taking into account the purposes of the processing, the data subject shall have the right to have incomplete personal data completed, including by means of providing a supplementary statement.

If a data subject wishes to exercise this right to rectification, he or she may, at any time, contact us or another employee of the controller.

D) Right to erasure (Right to be forgotten)

Each data subject shall have the right granted by the European legislator to obtain from the controller the erasure of personal data concerning him or her without undue delay, and the controller shall have the obligation to erase personal data without undue delay where one of the following grounds applies, as long as the processing is not necessary:

The personal data is no longer necessary in relation to the purposes for which they were collected or otherwise processed.

The data subject withdraws consent to which the processing is based according to point (a) of Article 6(1) of the GDPR, or point (a) of Article 9(2) of the GDPR, and where there is no other legal ground for the processing.

The data subject objects to the processing in accordance with Article 21(1) of the GDPR, and there are no overriding legitimate grounds for the processing, or the data subject objects to the processing pursuant to Article 21(2) of the GDPR.

The personal data have been unlawfully processed.

The personal data must be erased for compliance with a legal obligation in Union or Member State law to which the controller is subject.

The personal data have been collected in relation to the offer of information society services referred to in Article 8(1) of the GDPR.

If one of the aforementioned reasons applies, and a data subject wishes to request the erasure of personal data stored by Golden Tree, he or she may at any time contact us or another employee of the controller. Golden Tree or another employee shall promptly ensure that the erasure request is complied with immediately.

Where the controller has made personal data public and is obliged pursuant to Article 17(1) to erase the personal data, the controller, taking account of available technology and the cost of implementation, shall take reasonable steps, including technical measures, to inform other controllers processing the personal data that the data subject has requested the erasure by such controllers of any links to, or copy or replication of, those personal data, as far as processing is not required. Golden Tree or another employee will arrange the necessary measures in individual cases.

E) Right of restriction of processing

Each data subject shall have the right granted by the European legislator to obtain from the controller restriction of processing where one of the following applies:

The accuracy of the personal data is contested by the data subject, for a period enabling the controller to verify the accuracy of the personal data.

The processing is unlawful, and the data subject opposes the erasure of the personal data and requests the restriction of their use instead.

The controller no longer needs the personal data for the processing, but they are required by the data subject for the establishment, exercise, or Defense of legal claims.

The data subject has objected to processing pursuant to Article 21(1) of the GDPR pending the verification whether the legitimate grounds of the controller override those of the data subject.

If one of the conditions mentioned above is met, and a data subject wishes to request the restriction of the processing of personal data stored by Golden Tree, he or she may at any time contact us or another employee of the controller. Golden Tree or another employee will arrange the restriction of the processing.

F) Right to data portability

Each data subject shall have the right granted by the European legislator, to receive the personal data concerning him or her, which was provided to a controller, in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format. He or she shall have the right to transmit those data to another controller without hindrance from the controller to which the personal data have been provided. As long as the processing is based on consent pursuant to point (a) of Article 6(1) of the GDPR or point (a) of Article 9(2) of the GDPR, or on a contract pursuant to point (b) of Article 6(1) of the GDPR, and the processing is carried out by automated means, as long as the processing is not necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.

Furthermore, in exercising his or her right to data portability pursuant to Article 20(1) of the GDPR, the data subject shall have the right to have personal data transmitted directly from one controller to another, where technically feasible and when doing so does not adversely affect the rights and freedoms of others.

In order to assert the right to data portability, the data subject may at any time contact Golden Tree or another employee.

G) Right to object

Each data subject shall have the right granted by the European legislator to object, on grounds relating to his or her particular situation, at any time, to the processing of personal data concerning him or her, which is based on point (e) or (f) of Article 6(1) of the GDPR. This also applies to profiling based on these provisions.

Golden Tree shall no longer process the personal data in the event of the objection unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override the interests, rights, and freedoms of the data subject, or for the establishment, exercise, or Defense of legal claims.

If Golden Tree processes personal data for direct marketing purposes, the data subject shall have the right to object at any time to the processing of personal data concerning him or her for such marketing. This applies to profiling to the extent that it is related to such direct marketing. If the data subject objects to Golden Tree for the processing for direct marketing purposes, Golden Tree will no longer process the personal data for these purposes.

In addition, the data subject has the right, on grounds relating to his or her particular situation, to object to the processing of personal data concerning him or her by Golden Tree for scientific or historical research purposes, or for statistical purposes pursuant to Article 89(1) of the GDPR, unless the processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out for reasons of public interest.

In order to exercise the right to object, the data subject may directly contact Golden Tree or another employee. In addition, the data subject is free in the context of the use of information society services, and notwithstanding Directive 2002/58/EC, to use his or her right to object by automated means using technical specifications.

H) Automated individual decision-making, including profiling

Each data subject shall have the right granted by the European legislator not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal effects concerning him or her, or similarly significantly affects him or her, as long as the decision (1) is not is necessary for entering into, or the performance of, a contract between the data subject and a data controller, or (2) is not authorized by Union or Member State law to which the controller is subject and which also lays down suitable measures to safeguard the data subject’s rights and freedoms and legitimate interests, or (3) is not based on the data subject’s explicit consent.

If the decision (1) is necessary for entering into, or the performance of, a contract between the data subject and a data controller, or (2) it is based on the data subject’s explicit consent, Golden Tree shall implement suitable measures to safeguard the data subject’s rights and freedoms and legitimate interests, at least the right to obtain human intervention on the part of the controller, to express his or her point of view and contest the decision.

If the data subject wishes to exercise the rights concerning automated individual decision-making, he or she may at any time directly contact Golden Tree or another employee of the controller.

I) Right to withdraw data protection consent

Each data subject shall have the right granted by the European legislator to withdraw his or her consent to the processing of his or her personal data at any time.

If the data subject wishes to exercise the right to withdraw the consent, he or she may at any time directly contact Golden Tree or another employee of the controller. 

15 DATA STORAGE AND INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS

You agree that your information will be held by us in UAE and may also be held and accessed by our staff and third parties working for us, or our subsidiaries and affiliates, inside and outside UAE. If your information is gathered outside UAE, you agree that it may be transferred to Golden Tree’s UAE offices to be used for these purposes, and it may be transferred to and shared with any of Golden Tree’s worldwide locations including the United States. We currently store data in data centers provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) located in the US (see https://aws.amazon.com/security for information on their security practices). You may request a full list of Golden Tree group companies.

Golden Tree will not sell your information to third-party marketers or similar organizations.

By providing us with your personal information, you consent to the disclosure to overseas third parties specified above in "Disclosure of Personal Information to Third Parties".

We will ensure that any transfer of personal information from all countries and countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) to countries outside the EEA will be protected by appropriate safeguards, for example, by using standard data protection clauses approved by the European Commission or the use of binding corporate rules or other legally accepted means.

Where we transfer personal information from a non-EEA country to another country, you acknowledge that third parties in other jurisdictions may not be subject to similar data protection laws to the ones in our jurisdiction. There are risks if any such third party engages in any act or practise that would contravene the data privacy laws in our jurisdiction, and this might mean that you will not be able to seek redress under our jurisdiction’s privacy laws.

16 DATA PROTECTION PROVISIONS ABOUT THE APPLICATION AND USE OF AMAZON WEB SERVICES

We use the Amazon Web Services ("AWS") service from Amazon Web Services, Inc., 410 Terry Avenue North, Seattle WA 98109-5210, USA, ("AWS") to host the database and web content. The data is only stored in a certified German data centre (Frankfurt / Main). As a company, AWS has signed up to the Privacy Shield Agreement. You can find more information on AWS and data protection at https://aws.amazon.com/de/compliance/eu-data-protection/ and at https://aws.amazon.com/de/privacy/.

AWS is included on the basis of our legitimate interests in the secure and efficient provision and optimization of our online offer in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f. GDPR.

17 DATA PROTECTION PROVISIONS ABOUT THE APPLICATION AND USE OF GOOGLE ANALYTICS (WITH ANONYMIZATION FUNCTION)

On this Platform, the controller has integrated the component of Google Analytics (with the anonymizer function). Google Analytics is a web analytics service. Web analytics is the collection, gathering, and analysis of data about the behavior of visitors to websites. A web analysis service collects, inter alia, data about the website from which a person has come (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages were visited, or how often and for what duration a sub-page was viewed. Web analytics are mainly used for the optimization of a website and in order to carry out a cost-benefit analysis of Internet advertising.

The operator of the Google Analytics component is Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, CA 94043-1351, United States.

For the web analytics through Google Analytics, the controller uses the application "_gat. _anonymizeIp". By means of this application, the IP address of the Internet connection of the data subject is abridged by Google and anonymized when accessing our Platform from a Member State of the European Union or another Contracting State to the Agreement on the European Economic Area.

The purpose of the Google Analytics component is to analyze the traffic on our Platform. Google uses the collected data and information, among other things, to evaluate the use of our Platform and provide online reports, which show the activities on our Platform and provide other services concerning the use of our Platform for us.

Google Analytics places a cookie on the information technology system of the data subject. The definition of cookies is explained above. With the setting of the cookie, Google is enabled to analyze the use of our Platform. With each call-up to one of the individual pages of this Platform, which is operated by the controller and into which a Google Analytics component was integrated, the Internet browser on the information technology system of the data subject will automatically submit data through the Google Analytics component for the purpose of online advertising and the settlement of commissions to Google. During the course of this technical procedure, the enterprise Google gains knowledge of personal information, such as the IP address of the data subject, which serves Google, inter alia, to understand the origin of visitors and clicks, and subsequently create commission settlements.

The cookie is used to store personal information, such as the access time, the location from which the access was made, and the frequency of visits to our Platform by the data subject. With each visit to our Platform, such personal data, including the IP address of the Internet access used by the data subject, will be transmitted to Google in the United States of America. These personal data are stored by Google in the United States of America. Google may pass these personal data collected through the technical procedure to third parties.

The data subject may, as stated above, prevent the setting of cookies through our Platform at any time by means of a corresponding adjustment of the web browser used and thus permanently deny the setting of cookies. Such an adjustment to the Internet browser used would also prevent Google Analytics from setting a cookie on the information technology system of the data subject. In addition, cookies already in use by Google Analytics may be deleted at any time via a web browser or other software programs.

In addition, the data subject has the possibility of objecting to a collection of data that are generated by Google Analytics, which is related to the use of this Platform, as well as the processing of this data by Google and the chance to preclude any such. For this purpose, the data subject must download a browser add-on under the link https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout and install it. This browser add-on tells Google Analytics through JavaScript that any data and information about the visits of the Platform may not be transmitted to Google Analytics. The installation of the browser add-ons is considered an objection by Google. If the information technology system of the data subject is later deleted, formatted, or newly installed, then the data subject must reinstall the browser add-ons to disable Google Analytics. If the browser add-on was uninstalled by the data subject or any other person who is attributable to their sphere of competence or is disabled, it is possible to execute the reinstallation or reactivation of the browser add-ons.

Further information and the applicable data protection provisions of Google may be retrieved under https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/ and under http://www.google.com/analytics/terms/us.html. Google Analytics is further explained under the following Link https://www.google.com/analytics/.

18 PAYMENT METHOD: DATA PROTECTION PROVISIONS ABOUT THE USE OF PAYPAL, CHECKOUT AND STRIPE AS A PAYMENT PROCESSOR

On this Platform, the controller has integrated components of PayPal, Checkout and Stripe. PayPal, Checkout and Stripe are online payment service providers. Payments are processed via so-called PayPal, Checkout and Stripe accounts, which represent virtual private or business accounts. PayPal, Checkout and Stripe are also able to process virtual payments through credit cards when a user does not have a PayPal, Checkout and Stripe account. A PayPal, Checkout and Stripe account is managed via an e-mail address, which is why there are no classic account numbers. PayPal, Checkout and Stripe make it possible to trigger online payments to third parties or to receive payments. PayPal, Checkout and Stripe also accept trustee functions and offers buyer protection services.

The European operating company of PayPal is PayPal (Europe) S.à.r.l. & Cie. S.C.A., 22-24 Boulevard Royal, 2449 Luxembourg, Luxembourg.

Stripe’s services in Europe are provided by a Stripe affiliate—Stripe Payments Europe Limited ("Stripe Payments Europe")—an entity located in Ireland. In providing Stripe Services, Stripe Payments Europe transfers personal data to Stripe, Inc.

Checkout.com’s appointed data protection officer can be reached at: 

Email address: dpo@checkout.com

Postal Address:

Data Protection Officer Checkout Ltd

Wenlock Works, Shepherdess Walk, London, N1 7BQ

United Kingdom

If the data subject chooses "PayPal", "Checkout" or "Stripe" as the payment option in the online shop during the ordering process, we automatically transmit the data of the data subject to PayPal, Checkout and Stripe accordingly. By selecting these payment options, the data subject agrees to the transfer of personal data required for payment processing.

The personal data transmitted to PayPal, Checkout and Stripe is usually first name, last name, address, email address, IP address, telephone number, mobile phone number, or other data necessary for payment processing. The processing of the purchase contract also requires such personal data, which is in connection with the respective order.

The transmission of the data is aimed at payment processing and fraud prevention. The controller will transfer personal data to PayPal, Checkout and Stripe, in particular, if a legitimate interest in the transmission is given. The personal data exchanged between PayPal, Checkout and Stripe and the controller for the processing of the data will be transmitted by PayPal, Checkout and Stripe to economic credit agencies. This transmission is intended for identity and creditworthiness checks.

PayPal, Checkout and Stripe will, if necessary, pass on personal data to affiliates and service providers or subcontractors to the extent that this is necessary to fulfil contractual obligations or for data to be processed in the order.

The data subject has the possibility to revoke consent for the handling of personal data at any time from PayPal, Checkout and Stripe. A revocation shall not have any effect on personal data which must be processed, used, or transmitted in accordance with (contractual) payment processing.

The applicable data protection provisions of PayPal, Checkout and Stripe may be retrieved under https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full. And https://stripe.com/en-in/privacy 

https://www.checkout.com/legal/privacy-policy respectively. 

19 DATA PROTECTION PROVISIONS OF THE EMAIL MARKETING SERVICE PROVIDERS

Sendybay and Mailerlite are the data processor of our Platform that provide email marketing services to us.

We use the newsletter software „MailerLite", from the provider UAB "MailerLite", J. Basanavičiaus 15, LT-03108 Vilnius, Lithuania. (https://www.mailerlite.com/)

Your data will be sent to MailerLite. MailerLite is not allowed to sell your data or to use it for purposes other than the sending of newsletters. MailerLite is a GDPR-certified Lithuanian provider that was selected in line with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation and the Austrian Federal Data Protection Act. Further information is available here: https://www.mailerlite.com/gdpr-compliance/ 

We collect your e-mail when you sign up for our newsletter on the Platform. The information collected is retained by Sendybay’s database, which may be made accessible to us. For more information concerning Sendybay’s data collection practices and protection, please visit their privacy policy at: https://www.sendybay.com/gdpr-policy.  

Further processing on servers other than the aforementioned servers of Shopify will only take place within the scope of the following information. 

20 LEGAL BASIS FOR THE PROCESSING

Art. 6(1) lit. a GDPR serves as the legal basis for processing operations for which we obtain consent for a specific processing purpose. If the processing of personal data is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is a party, as is the case, for example, when processing operations are necessary for the supply of goods or to provide any other service, the processing is based on Article 6(1) lit. b GDPR. The same applies to such processing operations which are necessary for carrying out pre-contractual measures, for example, in the case of inquiries concerning our services. If we are subject to a legal obligation by which processing of personal data is required, such as for the fulfilment of tax obligations, the processing is based on Art. 6(1) lit. c GDPR. In rare cases, the processing of personal data may be necessary to protect the vital interests of the data subject or another natural person. Then the processing would be based on Art. 6(1) lit. d GDPR. Finally, processing operations could be based on Article 6(1) lit. f GDPR. This legal basis is used for processing operations which are not covered by any of the abovementioned legal grounds, if the processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by us 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. Such processing operations are particularly permissible because they have been specifically mentioned by the European legislator. He considered that a legitimate interest could be assumed if the data subject is a client of the controller (Recital 47 Sentence 2 GDPR).

21 THE LEGITIMATE INTERESTS PURSUED BY THE CONTROLLER OR BY A THIRD PARTY

Where the processing of personal data is based on Article 6(1) lit. f GDPR our legitimate interest is to carry out our business in favor of the well-being of all our employees and the shareholders.

22 PERIOD FOR WHICH THE PERSONAL DATA WILL BE STORED

The criteria used to determine the period of storage of personal data is the respective statutory retention period. After the expiration of that period, the corresponding data is routinely deleted, as long as it is no longer necessary for the fulfilment of the contract or the initiation of a contract. If the data subject requests for termination or terminates his Golden Tree Account, the personal data shall be retained for a period of 1 year from the date of termination.

23 PROVISION OF PERSONAL DATA AS STATUTORY OR CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENT; REQUIREMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT; OBLIGATION OF THE DATA SUBJECT TO PROVIDE THE PERSONAL DATA; POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF FAILURE TO PROVIDE SUCH DATA

We clarify that the provision of personal data is partly required by law (e.g., tax regulations) or can also result from contractual provisions (e.g., information on the contractual partner). Sometimes it may be necessary to conclude a contract that the data subject provides us with personal data, which must subsequently be processed by us. The data subject is, for example, obliged to provide us with personal data when we sign a contract with him or her. The non-provision of the personal data would have the consequence that the contract with the data subject could not be concluded. Before personal data is provided by the data subject, the data subject must contact us. We will clarify to the data subject whether the provision of the personal data is required by law, contract or is necessary for the conclusion of the contract, whether there is an obligation to provide the personal data and the consequences of non-provision of the personal data.