Privacy Policy
Thank you for showing your interest in both our company and services. We want to take this time to inform you about handling your personal information in regard to the use of our website and any LIQUIDTOOL applications. (e.g., Online-Webshop, LIQUIDTOOL platform, LIQUIDTOOL community, etc.)
1. Data Protection at LIQUIDTOOL Systems AG
LIQUIDTOOL Systems AG (hereinafter referred to as “LIQUIDTOOL”) offers high-quality products and excellent customer services. Our goal is that this standard also applies to our digital platforms while protecting your privacy. We at LIQUIDTOOL hold ourselves at a high standard in the protection of your data. In this Privacy Policy, we explain the essence, scope, and purpose of collecting and processing personal data. This privacy policy applies to all LIQUIDTOOL applications mentioned above and to all LIQUIDTOOL websites. Please note that our websites and LIQUIDTOOL applications may link to other websites and applications in which different rules and regulations may apply. Personal data is all information that relates to a specific or identifiable natural person.
The processing of personal data by us is based on the provisions of Swiss Law (Federal Law on Data Protection DSG and the regulation VDSG) and, as far as applicable, the European General Data Protection Regulation GDPR/DSGVO).
2. Provider and Controller within the meaning of the Data Protection Law
2.1 Representation for Data Protection issues in the EU
3. Rights of the persons concerned
Within the Data Protection law applicable to you, you have the right to request information regarding personal data concerns, correction, deletion, restriction or blocking of processing, objection to processing, and data portability. To assert your rights, you can contact us at the address given in section 2.
Furthermore, you have the right to enforce your claims in court or to complain at the supervisory authority listed in section 2.1 about the processing of your personal data.
If the data processing is based on your consent, you can revoke your consent at any time and without giving reasons with effect for the future.
Consents given via cookies can also be revoked this way.
4. Collection and Processing of personal data
We process personal data from our customers, suppliers, and other business partners throughout our working relationship with them. We also process data from other persons involved, collecting from their users when operating our websites and any LIQUIDTOOL applications or other applications. Permitted by applicable law, we can collect specific data from publicly accessible sources (e.g., debt collection registers, land registers, commercial registers, press, internet). We can also receive such data from authorities and other third parties such as partner companies, service providers, or business partners. In addition to data, we receive directly from you, the categories of personal data about you we receive from third parties contain information from public registers or from authorities in connection with administrative procedures or court procedures, the information in connection with professional functions and activities (i.e., that way we can conclude and process transactions with your employer with your help). Information about you in correspondence and meetings with third parties, information about you that third parties send to us to sign contracts with you or with your help (i.e., power of attorney, information to comply with legal regulations such as anti-money laundering and export restrictions, information from banks, insurances, from distributors or other contractual partners of ours for the use or provision of services). Information about you from media or the internet (as long as this is appropriate in the relevant situation)( i.e., in connection with a job application, press release, marketing/sales, etc.), your address, if applicable, your interests, and other sociodemographic information (for marketing), the information in connection with the use of the websites and LIQUIDTOOL applications (i.e., IP-address, information about your computer and the settings, Cookies, date and time of your visit, pages and content viewed, used functions referring websites, location information).
5. Purpose of data processing and legal basis
We use the personal data collected to complete and process contracts with our clients and business partners, buying products and services from our suppliers and subcontractors, and comply with the legal obligations at home and abroad. If you work for one of our customers or a business partner, your data may also be collected.
Furthermore, we process personal data from you within the legal framework, and to the extent where we deem appropriate, also for the following purposes in which we and, where relevant third parties have a legitimate interest:
- Offer and further development of our offers, services, websites and LIQUIDTOOL applications on which we are present or which we operate
- Administrative purposes within LIQUIDTOOL
- Communication with third parties and processing their request (i.e., applications)
- Testing and optimization of demand analysis procedures for direct customer contact, as well as the collection of personal data from publicly available sources for customer acquisition
- Advertising and marketing (including organization of events and analysis, optimization, and operation of our online offers) unless you have objected to the use of your data (if we send you advertising as an existing customer, you may object at any time; see section 3 “Rights of data subjects” below).
- Market- and opinion research, media monitoring
- Assertion of legal claims and defence in connection with legal disputes and administrative procedures
- Prevention and investigation of criminal offenses and other misconducts (i.e., the conduction of internal investigations, data analysis to combat fraud)
- Guarantee of our operations, primarily IT, websites, LIQUIDTOOL applications, and their security and to ensure that they are safe and protected from unwanted and automated access
- Measures for the security of the IT, the buildings and the facilities and the protection of our employees and other persons as well as values belonging or entrusted to us (such as access control, visitor lists, network- and mail scanner)
- Buying and selling business units, companies, or parts of companies and other corporate transactions under company law. Along with the related transfers of personal data and the measures for business management to comply with the legal and regulatory requirements and internal regulations of LIQUIDTOOL.
If consent has been given to process your data for specified purposes (i.e., via Cookie Banner, newsletter registration, registration for the LIQUIDTOOL applications), we will process your data base on this consent, unless we have another legal basis and need such basis. Consent given can be revoked at any time. However, this will have no impact on the data processing already done in the past. (see section 3. “Rights of data subjects” below).
6. Provision of the Websites and the LIQUIDTOOL applications
6.1 Creation of Log files
Whenever a user accesses a website or a LIQUIDTOOL application and when a file is downloaded, the relevant information is saved in a log file. This is not personal data; LIQUIDTOOL can therefore not trace which user had accessed detailed data.
In detail, the following record of each access is saved:
- Name of the accessed file
- Date and time of the access
- Amount of data transferred
- Message whether the entry has been successful
- IP-Address
- Operating system and browser software of your computer (if applicable).
- Online access point from which you accessed our website.
Therefore, no user profile can be created. This data is only evaluated for statistical purposes.
7. Google Web Fonts
Our websites use Web fonts provided by Google LLC. When visiting a website, your browser loads the necessary Web Fonts into your browser cache to display texts and fonts correctly. If your browser does not support Web Fonts, a standard font on your computer will be used. If a script- or a font library is contacted, a connection to the library operator is built automatically. It is theoretically possible but also unclear and for what reasons, the operator of such libraries will collect data.
You can find further information for Google Web Fonts under https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq and in the Privacy Statement of Google: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en&gl=en
8. Cookies
LIQUIDTOOL uses cookies on your webpage to recognize multiple user services by the same user/owner of the internet-connection. Cookies are small text files your internet-browser saves on your computer. They serve to optimize the internet presence and the offers of LIQUIDTOOL. We use “session cookies,” which are deleted at the end of your visit. These cookies are used to make our advertisements more relevant and interesting for you. Using these cookies, we make sure that you only see advertisements and offers suitable for you.
In some cases, these cookies provide information that will help us recognize “you” as the user. This recognition takes place based on IP-address stored within the cookies. The data collected by doing so optimizes the services of LIQUIDTOOL and provides you with easier access to the LIQUIDTOOL website. The information generated from cookies about your usage of our websites and LIQUIDTOOL applications is then sent and stored at a Google-Server located in the USA. However, personal data will only be transferred to the USA in compliance with the right guarantees under data protection law.
8.1 Cookie settings and consents
8.2 Revocation of the consent to use cookies
You can revoke your consent and the setting of the relevant cookies by:
- Refusing or revoking your consent via Cookie Banner
- via the setting of your browser, which deactivates the setting of cookies automatically
- setting your browser in a way that cookies from the domain “googleleadservices.com” are blocked.
You can prevent data collection generated by the cookies related to your use of websites and the LIQUIDTOOL applications (including your IP address to Google and the processing of this data by Google by downloading and install the browser plugin available under the following link: Browser Add On zur Deaktivierung von Google Analytics.
8.3 Google Tag Manager
Our websites use Google Tag Manager. Through the Tag Manager, tracking tools and website-tags are managed. This service does not set any cookies, and no data is collected. We use Google Analytics, Google Ads, Remarketing, and Google Optimize through the Google Tag Manager. The Google Tag Manager facilitates the integration and administration of our tags, making them easier to manage. For more information about the Google Tag Manager, please see: https://marketingplatform.google.com/intl/en/about/analytics/tag-manager/use-policy/
8.4 Web analysis – Google Analytics
To design, analyze and improve our websites and LIQUIDTOOL applications in line with demand, we use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google Inc.
Google Analytics uses “cookies,” which are text files placed on your computer, to help the website and LIQUIDTOOL applications analyze how users use the site. The information generated from cookies about your usage of our websites and LIQUIDTOOL applications is then sent and stored at a Google-Server located in the USA. However, due to the activated IP anonymization on our websites, Google will shorten your IP address before transferring between member states of the European Union or other European Economic Area member states. Only in exceptional cases will your full IP address be transferred to a Google server in the United States and shortened there.
Google will use this information to analyze your use of the websites and the LIQUIDTOOL applications for us, compile reports on our website activities, and provide other services connected to your usage of the websites and the LIQUIDTOOL applications internet. The IP address transmitted by your browser as part of Google Analytics will not be merged with any other data held by Google.
For more information on terms of use and data protection, please visit https://policies.google.com/?hl=en&gl=en.
We also use some services and technologies from Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland (Google).
8.5 Google Ads Conversion
Our websites and the LIQUIDTOOL applications use Google Conversion-Tracking. If you have reached one of our websites through Google’s advertisement, Google Ads will install a cookie on your computer. These cookies lose their validity after 30 days, and they are not used for personal identification. If a user visits a page on our website and the cookies are still valid, our team and Google can detect that the user clicked on the advertisement and was redirected to that page. Each customer of Google Ads gets a different cookie, and the cookies can therefore not be followed across the Ads customer’s websites. The information collected using the conversion cookie serves to create conversion statistics for ads customers who have decided to use conversion tracking. Clients will learn the total number of users who have reached and clicked their advertisements and were redirected to a page tagged with a conversion tracking tag. However, they do not receive information with which users can be personally identified.
For more information on the purpose and scope of data collection and processing, as well as further information on your rights in this regard and settings options for protecting your privacy, please contact Google Dublin, Google Ireland Ltd, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, Fax: +353 (1) 436 1001.
8.6 Google Optimize
Based on your consent, we will use Google Optimize’s services A/B and multivariant tests to improve our websites’ usability. New functions and content are displayed to a select number of our users, the change in usage will be evaluated statistically. Google Optimize uses cookies.
8.7 Remarketing
Aside from Goggle Ads Conversion, we also use Google Remarketing. Our advertisements will continue to show with this application while exploring other sites on the internet browser after visiting our websites. The stored cookies saved in your browser, used by Google, collect and evaluate your usage behaviour when visiting different websites. Google can detect your previous visit to our website using this method.
According to Google’s statements, Google will not merge collected data in context with remarketing your information, which Google may already store. Pseudonymization is used in remarketing.
If you do not want to participate in remarketing, you can reject the cookie’s setting required for this function. See section 8.2 in revoking consent.
For more information on the purpose and scope of data collection and processing, as well as further information on your rights in this regard and settings options for protecting your privacy, please contact Google Dublin, Google Ireland Ltd, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland, Fax: +353 (1) 436 1001.
8.8 Facebook Custom Audience (Facebook Pixel)
Our websites and the LIQUIDTOOL applications use the visitor action pixel from Facebook. Facebook Inc., 1601 S. California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA. This gives us the possibility of tracking visitors’ behaviors on the website after clicking on a corresponding Facebook advertisement. The Facebook advertisements’ effectiveness can be evaluated for statistical and marketing research purposes to optimize future promotional activities.
The collected data is anonymous, and as operators of these websites and LIQUIDTOOL applications, we cannot draw any conclusions on the users’ identity. The information is stored and processed by Facebook. Therefore, connections to the respective user’s profile can be made, and Facebook can use the data for its advertising purposes according to the Facebook Data Use Policy. Facebook can enable advertisements on Facebook pages and outside of Facebook. As site operators, we cannot influence the data processing as described above.
In the privacy policy of Facebook, you will find further information on the protection of your privacy: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/
You can also deactivate the “Custom Audiences” remarketing function in the advertisements section settings at https://www.facebook.com/ads/preferences/?entry_product=ad_settings_screen
To do so, you must be registered and logged in to Facebook.
If you don’t have a Facebook account, you can deactivate user-based advertising on the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance website: https://www.youronlinechoices.com/de/praferenzmanagement/.
9. Microsoft Advertising and Clarity
We partner with Microsoft Clarity and Microsoft Advertising to capture how you use and interact with our website through behavioral metrics, heatmaps, and session replay to improve and market our products/services. Website usage data is captured using first and third-party cookies and other tracking technologies to determine the popularity of products/services and online activity. Additionally, we use this information for site optimization, fraud/security purposes, and advertising. For more information about how Microsoft collects and uses your data, visit the Microsoft Privacy Statement.
10. Social Media Plug Ins
Our websites and LIQUIDTOOL applications, use plug-ins from social networks such as Facebook, Google, Instagram, KakaoTalk, Line, LinkedIn, Sina Weibo, Twitter, Vkontakte, WeChat, WhatsApp, Xing, or YouTube. All can be visible to you through each corresponding icon. We configured these elements so that they are disabled by default. Suppose you activate the features by clicking on the icon. The respective social network operator can register that you are on one of our websites or a LIQUIDTOOL application and can use this information for its purposes. The processing of your data will then be the operator’s responsibility according to their privacy regulations. We do not receive any information about you from the operator.
Social Network
Website
Data protection notice
11. Online Shop
All personal data transferred to the online shop while ordering and activating the services and All personal data collected during the ordering and activation of services and LIQUIDTOOL sensors via the appropriate form in the online store, during registration, filling out the forms, sending of the order are exclusively transferred with your consent. It is your decision on what information and data you want to enter into our system. If you enter personal data, at the same time, you are giving consent that LIQUIDTOOL can use your data to process the order.
The following information needed from you is:
- the name of the company / the customer
- your first and last name as the contact person
- your business email
- your business telephone number
11.1 Payment service provider
An external payment service provider is used when paying for products and services ordered in the online shop. The information required for payments must be directly entered with the payment service provider, and the applicable terms and conditions are to be accepted separately.
Our payment service providers are:
- Adyen N.V., Simon Camiggeltstraat 6-50, 1011 DJ Amsterdam, the Netherland. For more information, please see Adyen’s privacy policy here: https://www.adyen.com/policies-and-disclaimer/privacy-policy
- Stripe, 510 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA. For more information, see Stripe’s privacy policy here: https://stripe.com/privacy
11.2 Delivery
FedEx carries out the delivery of the products ordered by you in the online shop. The address valid for the delivery will be validated by a service of FedEx and saved in the online shop.
Terms and conditions for delivery and services can be found at www.fedex.com.
12. LIQUIDTOOL Platform
The LIQUIDTOOL sensors measure the concentration and temperature of the coolant by an automated process in an individually adjustable cycle and at most every 30 minutes and transmit these values to the LIQUIDTOOL platform. Via an AMQP protocol, the data is transmitted to the platform. This message contains: Credentials; date and time; Brix value; temperature value, state data about the sensor, and raw values for each sensor (for AI analyses).
The platform collects, processes, and stores the data of the coolant connected to the sensor. Based on this data processing, the customer receives information and notifications for the optimization of the coolant management. The goal of this data collection is to optimize the handling of the coolant.
If you want to use our platform, it is necessary to provide your personal data. Necessary mandatory data are named, further data are voluntary. We process the data you provide exclusively for the provision and handling of the related services and products.
All devices connected to the VPN network open extended debugging possibilities. The connection via VPN network is not mandatory and is turned off by default. You can turn on the VPN connection independently.
13. LIQUIDTOOL Community
Within the LIQUIDTOOL Community, you can exchange with other LIQUIDTOOL customers. Your name will be published with the post. Your name and email address are required, but all additional information is optional. If you create a post, your information will not be associated with the IP address used when using our websites.
In the context of LIQUIDTOOL Community’s comment function, in addition to your comment, information about the time of the creation of the comment and the username you have chosen will be stored and published on the LIQUIDTOOL Community page. Your IP-address is also logged and saved. The storage of your IP-address is done for security purposes, in case the person commenting is violating the rights of third parties or is posting illegal contents. We need your Email address to contact you if a third-party objects to your published content as unlawful. The legal basis for the storage of your data is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b and f DSGVO. We reserve the right to delete comments if they are objected to by third parties as unlawful.
Your data, including your email address, will be saved by us until unsubscribing from the LIQUIDTOOL Community or the retention period has expired at the latest.
14. Social Sign-In
For our LIQUIDTOOL applications, we offer the possibility of Social Sign-In. With Social Sign-In, you can log in directly to LIQUIDTOOL’s Community via an existing social account at Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn without having to create an account.
With Social Sign-In, information about the visit to the Community is passed on to the respective provider of the Social Sign-In.
- Last name, first name
- Nickname
- Email-address
- Profile picture
15. Chatbot
A chatbot is available on the website and LIQUIDTOOL applications.
The transfer of the data entered in the Chatbot communication is encrypted (SSL-encryption). The data entered in the Chatbot-communication will be stored to process your request or contact the person making contact. This data will not be transferred to third parties.
16. Newsletter
LIQUIDTOOL offers the possibility to subscribe to a newsletter on its websites and LIQUIDTOOL applications. With this newsletter, you receive information on topics and offers of LIQUIDTOOL regularly. To receive the newsletter, you need a valid email address. LIQUIDTOOL will check your given email-address to make sure it’s correct and complete. To guarantee a mailing address, we use the double-opt-in procedure. The potential recipient allows himself to be included in a distribution list. Subsequently, you will receive a confirmation email to confirm the legal registration. Only when the confirmation is received will the address be added to the mailing list.
Your registration information, IP address, the date and time of your registration will be saved. This is done for security purposes and to prevent that your email from being misused by unauthorized third parties. We will not store any personal data from you. The data collected will only be used for the mailing of the newsletter.
You can cancel the newsletter at any time without specifying reasons why. You can revoke, at any time, consent to save the data, email, and its use for the newsletter’s mailing by using the “unsubscribe” link in the newsletter. The details are marked in each newsletter.
17. Contact by Email
When contacting us by email, we will save the information you have provided us (email, name if applicable, telephone number, along with other information provided to us in the email) to help arrange appointments, process your request, or answer any questions. As soon as your data is no longer needed, we will delete it or restrict the processing if a legal retention period is applicable.
18. Contact forms
Our websites and LIQUIDTOOL applications contain contact forms that can be used to contact us. The transfer of data entered in the forms is encrypted (SSL encryption). The data entered in the forms will be saved and used to process your requests or contact the right department needed. This data will not be transferred to third parties.
19. Deletion of data and storage duration
We process and save your data, fulfilling our contractual and legal obligations as long as necessary to perform the required means. We process the business relationship’s duration (contract initiation, contract execution, and termination of the contract) and as long as we are legally obliged to store and document it. We will retain personal information for as long as it seems fit for reasons such as; claims being brought against our company, being required to do so by law, or legitimate business interests so require. If your data is no longer necessary for the purposes mentioned above, it will be deleted or anonymized.
20. Transfer of personal data to third parties
When permitted to do so, we may disclose your data to third parties (recipients) because they process data for us or for their own purposes. We contractually oblige these recipients to comply with the legal regulations. The following recipients are:
- Third parties who provide services to us
- Dealer, suppliers, and subcontractors
- Clients
- Domestic and foreign authorities
- Third parties in the context of possible or current legal proceedings
The recipients can be located domestically or abroad. Suppose we transfer personal data to countries without adequate legal data protection. We conclude appropriate contracts (particularly based within the standard contractual clauses of the EU) or use Binding Corporate Rules to ensure an adequate level of protection.
21. Data Security
We take appropriate technical and organizational precautions to protect your personal data from unauthorized access or misuses, such as issuing instructions, training, IT and network security solutions, access controls and restrictions, encryption of data carriers and transmissions, pseudonymization, or anonymization, and controls.
22. Data Protection Supervisory authority
The responsible data protection supervisory authority in Switzerland is
Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner:
(Eidgenössischer Datenschutz- und Öffentlichkeitsbeauftragter/EDÖB)
Feldeggweg 1
CH – 3003 Bern
Phone +41 58 462 43 95
https://www.edoeb.admin.ch
As long as LIQUIDTOOL falls within the scope of the European General Data Protection Regulation (DSGVO / GDPR), the responsible data protection supervisory authority is
The State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information:
(Der Landesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit)
House Address
Königstrasse 10 a
70173 Stuttgart
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 10 29 32
70025 Stuttgart
Phone: 0711/615541-0
Fax: 0711/615541-15
E-Mail:
23. Changes of the Privacy Statement
LIQUIDTOOL reserves the right to change these regulations regarding data protection at any time in compliance with applicable and valid data protection regulations; the current status is January 2021.
Should you have any questions regarding the procession or your personal data security, you can contact LIQUIDTOOL’s Data Protection Officer directly anytime under section 2.
Hasle-Rüegsau, 11 January 2021
