Privacy

This English version is provided for your convenience. Only the German version is legally binding.

1. Data protection at a glance

General information

The following information provides a simple overview of what happens to your personal data when you visit this website. Personal data is any data that can be used to identify you personally. For detailed information on data protection, please refer to our privacy policy set out below this text.

Data collection on this website

Who is responsible for the data collection on this website?

Data processing on this website is carried out by the website operator. You can find the operator’s contact details in the section “Information about the controller” in this privacy policy.

How do we collect your data?

On the one hand, your data is collected when you provide it to us – for example your email address when you create a wishlist, the contents of your wishlists, or what you enter in the feedback form.

Other data is collected automatically by our IT systems when you visit the website. This is primarily technical data (e.g. internet browser, operating system or time of the page request). This data is collected automatically as soon as you enter this website.

What do we use your data for?

Part of the data is collected to ensure that the website is provided without errors. The data you enter yourself is processed to provide the website’s functions to you: creating and sharing wishlists, reserving wishes, signing you in by email. Other data is evaluated statistically without reference to you as a person in order to improve the service. The service is free of charge; no goods are sold through this website.

What rights do you have regarding your data?

You have the right at any time to receive information free of charge about the origin, recipients and purpose of your stored personal data. You also have the right to request the rectification or erasure of this data. If you have given consent to data processing, you can revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future. In addition, you have the right, under certain circumstances, to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data. Furthermore, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.

You can contact us at any time regarding this and any other questions on the subject of data protection.

Analysis tools and third-party tools

When you visit this website, your browsing behavior may be statistically evaluated. This is done primarily with so-called analysis programs.

Detailed information about these analysis programs can be found in the following privacy policy.

2. Hosting and service providers

We use the following service providers to operate this website.

Hetzner

The provider is Hetzner Online GmbH, Industriestr. 25, 91710 Gunzenhausen, Germany (hereinafter Hetzner). The server running the website and its database is located in a Hetzner data center in Falkenstein (Germany).

We store images of wishes – uploaded ones as well as those taken over from product links – in Hetzner’s Object Storage, also in Falkenstein. Your browser loads these images directly from there; for technical reasons, Hetzner receives your IP address in the process. The file names are chosen at random, and no directory of all images can be retrieved.

For details, please refer to Hetzner’s privacy policy: https://www.hetzner.com/de/legal/privacy-policy/.

Hetzner is used on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. We have a legitimate interest in presenting our website as reliably as possible.

Data processing

We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) for the use of the above-mentioned service. This is a contract required by data protection law which ensures that the provider processes the personal data of our website visitors only in accordance with our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

Ploi

We manage the server through the service Ploi (ploi.io), based in the Netherlands. Ploi sets up the server and deploys new versions of the website; for this purpose, the service has technical access to the server. We do not evaluate any personal data through Ploi.

Ploi is used on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. Our legitimate interest lies in operating the website securely and maintainably.

Sending email via Google

The emails of this website – sign-in links, confirmations, the daily summary of reservations, and your messages from the feedback form – are sent via the SMTP relay service of Google Workspace. The provider is Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland. In doing so, Google processes the recipient’s address and the content of the respective email.

A transfer of data to the USA cannot be ruled out. Google LLC is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework; the transfer is based on the European Commission’s adequacy decision (Art. 45 GDPR). For details, please refer to Google’s privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy.

Emails are sent on the basis of Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR insofar as they are required for using your account (such as the sign-in link), and otherwise on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. Our legitimate interest lies in reliable delivery.

3. General information and mandatory information

Data protection

The operators of these pages take the protection of your personal data very seriously. We treat your personal data confidentially and in accordance with the statutory data protection regulations and this privacy policy.

When you use this website, various personal data is collected. Personal data is data that can be used to identify you personally. This privacy policy explains what data we collect and what we use it for. It also explains how and for what purpose this is done.

Please note that data transmission over the internet (e.g. when communicating by email) may have security gaps. Complete protection of data against access by third parties is not possible.

Information about the controller

The controller responsible for data processing on this website is:

Sebastian Widmann
Ringstr. 19a
76228 Karlsruhe

Phone: +49 721 85143099
Email: kontakt@die-wunschliste.de

The controller is the natural or legal person who, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data (e.g. names, email addresses, etc.).

Storage period

Unless a more specific storage period has been stated in this privacy policy, your personal data will remain with us until the purpose for the data processing no longer applies. If you assert a justified request for erasure or revoke your consent to data processing, your data will be deleted unless we have other legally permissible reasons for storing your personal data (e.g. retention periods under tax or commercial law); in the latter case, the data will be deleted once these reasons no longer apply.

General information on the legal bases for data processing on this website

If you have consented to data processing, we process your personal data on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR or Art. 9(2)(a) GDPR if special categories of data pursuant to Art. 9(1) GDPR are processed. In the case of express consent to the transfer of personal data to third countries, data processing is also carried out on the basis of Art. 49(1)(a) GDPR. If you have consented to the storage of cookies or to access to information in your end device (e.g. via device fingerprinting), data processing is additionally carried out on the basis of Section 25(1) TDDDG. Consent can be revoked at any time. If your data is required to fulfill a contract or to carry out pre-contractual measures, we process your data on the basis of Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. Furthermore, we process your data if this is necessary to fulfill a legal obligation on the basis of Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR. Data processing may also be carried out on the basis of our legitimate interest pursuant to Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The legal bases relevant in each individual case are set out in the following paragraphs of this privacy policy.

Recipients of personal data

In the course of our business activities, we work together with various external parties. In some cases, this also requires the transfer of personal data to these external parties. We only pass on personal data to external parties if this is necessary for the fulfillment of a contract, if we are legally obliged to do so (e.g. passing on data to tax authorities), if we have a legitimate interest pursuant to Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR in the disclosure, or if another legal basis permits the disclosure of data. When using processors, we only pass on our customers’ personal data on the basis of a valid data processing agreement. In the case of joint processing, a joint processing agreement is concluded.

Revocation of your consent to data processing

Many data processing operations are only possible with your express consent. You can revoke consent you have already given at any time. The lawfulness of the data processing carried out until the revocation remains unaffected by the revocation.

Right to object to data collection in special cases and to direct marketing (Art. 21 GDPR)

Right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority

In the event of violations of the GDPR, data subjects have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the member state of their habitual residence, their place of work or the place of the alleged violation. The right to lodge a complaint exists without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedies.

Right to data portability

You have the right to have data that we process automatically on the basis of your consent or in fulfillment of a contract handed over to you or to a third party in a common, machine-readable format. If you request the direct transfer of the data to another controller, this will only be done insofar as it is technically feasible.

Access, rectification and erasure

Within the framework of the applicable statutory provisions, you have the right at any time to obtain information free of charge about your stored personal data, its origin and recipients and the purpose of the data processing and, if applicable, a right to rectification or erasure of this data. You can contact us at any time regarding this and any other questions on the subject of personal data.

Right to restriction of processing

You have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data. You can contact us about this at any time. The right to restriction of processing exists in the following cases:

• If you dispute the accuracy of your personal data stored by us, we usually need time to verify this. For the duration of the verification, you have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data.
• If the processing of your personal data was/is unlawful, you can request the restriction of data processing instead of erasure.
• If we no longer need your personal data, but you need it to exercise, defend or assert legal claims, you have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data instead of erasure.
• If you have lodged an objection pursuant to Art. 21(1) GDPR, a balancing of your interests and ours must be carried out. As long as it has not yet been determined whose interests prevail, you have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data.

If you have restricted the processing of your personal data, this data – apart from its storage – may only be processed with your consent or for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims or for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person or for reasons of important public interest of the European Union or of a member state.

SSL or TLS encryption

For security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential content, such as orders or inquiries that you send to us as the site operator, this site uses SSL or TLS encryption. You can recognize an encrypted connection by the fact that the address bar of the browser changes from “http://” to “https://” and by the lock symbol in your browser bar.

If SSL or TLS encryption is activated, the data you transmit to us cannot be read by third parties.

Objection to advertising emails

We hereby object to the use of contact data published in connection with the legal notice obligation for sending unsolicited advertising and information materials. The operators of the pages expressly reserve the right to take legal action in the event of unsolicited advertising information being sent, for example by spam emails.

4. Data collection on this website

Two addresses, one service

This website can be reached at die-wunschliste.de (in German) and at the-wish-list.com (in English). Both addresses belong to the same application of the same operator and access the same data; this privacy policy applies to both. The language in which you see the site depends on the address you visit.

Cookies and storage in your browser

This website only sets technically necessary cookies. There are no cookies for advertising or analysis purposes and no third-party cookies, which is why we do not ask for consent. In detail:

• Session: keeps your session – such as your sign-in and the name you gave when reserving. The cookie expires after 120 minutes of inactivity.
• XSRF-TOKEN: protects forms against forged requests and is valid as long as the session.
• Stay signed in (“remember_web_…”): set when you sign in so that you do not need a new sign-in link on every visit. It expires after 60 days or when you sign out.
• Appearance (“appearance”): remembers whether you chose the light, the dark or your system’s appearance. It expires after one year.
• Own reservations (“own_reservations”): remembers on your device which wishes you have reserved yourself on shared wishlists (the number of the wish and when you reserved it), so that you recognize them as yours on your next visit and can release them without a warning. The cookie is encrypted, contains no name and holds at most your 20 most recent reservations; released wishes are removed from it. It expires one year after it was last changed.

Storing these cookies is permitted without consent under Section 25(2) No. 2 TDDDG because it is strictly necessary for the functions you request; further processing is based on Art. 6(1)(b) or (f) GDPR.

You can set your browser to inform you about cookies being set, to allow cookies only in individual cases, or to exclude them altogether. Without cookies, however, you cannot sign in, and a reservation will not be recognized as your own.

If you object to the audience measurement, the statistics script stores your objection in your browser’s local storage (see section 5).

Server log files

The provider of the pages automatically collects and stores information in so-called server log files, which your browser automatically transmits to us. These are:

• Browser type and browser version
• Operating system used
• Referrer URL
• Hostname of the accessing computer
• Time of the server request
• IP address

This data is not merged with other data sources.

This data is collected on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the technically error-free presentation and optimization of its website – for this purpose, the server log files must be collected.

The server log files are kept only as long as necessary for secure operation. In addition, the application keeps its own log of errors and special events. In individual cases it may contain an email address, for example if a sign-in link could not be delivered, and it is deleted after 14 days. Records of failed background tasks are deleted after 7 days.

Feedback form

You can send us a message via the feedback form. We process your email address, the subject, your message and – if you provide it – your name. This information is not stored in the website’s database but delivered to us as an email (via Google, see section 2) so that we can reply to you.

Processing is based on your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR), which you give by ticking the box below the form; you can withdraw it at any time. We keep the email until your request has been dealt with, unless statutory retention periods apply.

Inquiries by email, phone or fax

If you contact us by email, phone or fax, your inquiry, including all resulting personal data (name, inquiry), will be stored and processed by us for the purpose of handling your request. We do not pass on this data without your consent.

This data is processed on the basis of Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR if your inquiry is related to the fulfillment of a contract or is necessary to carry out pre-contractual measures. In all other cases, processing is based on our legitimate interest in the effective handling of inquiries addressed to us (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) or on your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) if this has been requested; consent can be revoked at any time.

The data you send to us via contact requests will remain with us until you ask us to delete it, revoke your consent to storage or the purpose for data storage no longer applies (e.g. after your request has been processed). Mandatory statutory provisions – in particular statutory retention periods – remain unaffected.

Your account without a password

Your email address is all you need to create a wishlist. There is no password: you sign in via a link that we send you by email and that is valid only once and only for a limited time.

For your account we store your email address, a name if you provide one, the time of your last sign-in, whether you would like to receive the daily summary of reservations, and the language of the address under which you created the account or last switched (German or English). You receive our emails in this language. The daily summary is switched off until you switch it on in the settings.

Processing is carried out to perform the user relationship established by your account (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR).

If you do not confirm your email address by opening a sign-in link, your account is deleted after 7 days together with its wishlists, wishes and images. If you do not add a single wish within 28 days of signing up, we also delete your account together with any empty wishlists. You can delete your account yourself at any time in the settings; all wishlists, wishes and images are then deleted immediately. Otherwise we store the data for as long as your account exists.

Wishlists, wishes and reservations

We store the wishlists and wishes you create (titles, description, occasion, links, prices, comments and images) in order to show them to you and to the people you share a wishlist with. Anyone who knows the secret link of a shared wishlist can see it. We count how often a shared wishlist was opened, without reference to the visitors.

When you paste a product link, our server fetches the linked page to take over the name, price and image. Your IP address is not passed on to the shop in the process.

Anyone who reserves a wish can voluntarily give a name. Only the owner of the wishlist (also in the daily summary if switched on) and we as the operator see this name; other guests do not. So that you recognize your own reservation, it is noted on your device (see cookies); guests do not need an account.

Anyone who notes down a gift that is not on the wishlist can also voluntarily add a name. The entry and the name are visible to everyone who knows the link to the wishlist, and to us as the operator. The owner of the wishlist only sees them if they explicitly choose to display these entries in their management view; they can then remove them. Anyone who can see the wishlist can also remove an entry. These entries are deleted together with the wishlist.

Deleted wishlists and wishes first go to the trash and are permanently deleted together with their images after 30 days.

Processing is based on Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR and, for the names of guests, on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. Our legitimate interest lies in avoiding duplicate gifts.

Switching languages between the addresses

If you use the language switcher to go to the other address while you are signed in or after you have reserved something on a shared wishlist, we hand over your sign-in or your own reservations and the name you last entered to the other address. Without this handover, you would be signed out there, because cookies only apply to the address that set them.

For this purpose, the server generates a random one-time code, stores it only as a checksum and for no longer than 60 seconds, and transmits it by form – not in the address bar – to the other address. There it is redeemed once and deleted immediately. A code that is not redeemed expires after 60 seconds.

The processing is carried out on the basis of Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR insofar as you are signed in, and otherwise on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. We have a legitimate interest in enabling you to switch languages without having to sign in again or losing sight of your reservations.

5. Audience measurement and error monitoring

Audience measurement via info.the-wish-list.com and info.die-wunschliste.de

We embed a small statistics script: on the-wish-list.com from info.the-wish-list.com, on die-wunschliste.de from info.die-wunschliste.de. Both addresses lead to the same server, which we operate ourselves; the data is not transmitted to other companies. No cookies are set.

When a page is requested, your browser transmits the following to this server: the address of the requested page (without query parameters, with the exception of campaign identifiers such as “utm_source”; for shared wishlists without the secret part of the address), the title of the page – for a shared wishlist, the title of the list or the wish as entered by the person who created the list –, the page you came from, your screen width and the width of the browser window, whether your device has a touchscreen, the language setting, your operating system including its version number, as well as the time spent on the page and how far you scrolled down the page. The script also records measurements of how quickly the page loads, how stable its layout stays while loading and how quickly it responds to input (so-called Web Vitals). If you click on a link to another website, its address is also recorded. As with any request on the internet, the server receives your IP address for technical reasons.

Your IP address is not stored in the process. From it, your browser identifier and a random value that is generated anew every day and deleted afterwards, the server only forms an anonymous checksum in order to group the page views of one day. After that, your IP address can no longer be derived, not even by us. In addition, the website counts individual events – such as a wishlist being created or a wish being reserved – without email addresses, names or identifiers. The raw data is deleted after 400 days at the latest.

You can object to the measurement: open a page of this website with ?statistics_ignore=1 added to the address. The script stores your objection in your browser’s local storage and no longer records your visits; ?statistics_ignore=0 removes the objection again.

The processing is carried out on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. We have a legitimate interest in understanding how our service is used in order to improve it.

Error and performance monitoring (Outpost)

To detect and fix errors quickly, the website reports technical errors and loading-time measurements to Outpost, a service we operate ourselves on our own server at Hetzner in Germany. The data is not passed on to other companies, and no cookies are set.

In the event of an error, the following is transmitted: the error message, the requested address, details of the browser and operating system, the last steps before the error (such as clicks and pages opened) and, if you are signed in, the internal identifier of your account. Passwords, tokens and cookies are removed before sending. Individual entries of the application log (see server log files) may contain an email address. In addition, for some visits we measure the loading times of pages together with the device class.

The processing is carried out on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. We have a legitimate interest in a fast and error-free website.