Data privacy policy

Beckhoff Automation GmbH & Co. KG, Germany and Beckhoff Automation Pte. Ltd., Singapore (hereinafter referred to as: "we", “our”, and “us”) are responsible as the site operator for processing (including collecting, using and disclosing) the personal data of users of our website. Our contact details can be found in the legal notice on our company website, while the contacts for questions relating to processing of personal data are listed directly in this Data Privacy Policy.

We take the protection of your privacy and personal data very seriously. We collect, store, use and disclose your personal data strictly in compliance with the content of this Data Privacy Policy and with the applicable data protection law, in particular the European General Data Protection Regulation (hereinafter referred to as: “GDPR”) and the Singapore Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (hereinafter referred to as: “PDPA”).

This Data Privacy Policy is intended to inform you about the scope and purpose for which personal data is processed in connection with the use of our website.

Personal data

Personal data used in this Data Privacy Policy shall have meaning ascribed to the term under the applicable data protection law. This includes all information relating to your identity, such as your name, e-mail address, phone number, and postal address. Information that cannot be linked to your identity (such as statistical data, for example on the number of users of the website) is generally not considered to be personal data.

In general, you can use our website without disclosing your identity or entering your personal data. In this case, we only collect general information about your visit to our website. However, for certain services, personal data is collected from you. In this case, we will only use and disclose this data for the purposes relating to your use of our website, in particular for providing the requested information by you. When collecting personal data, you will only be required to enter the mandatory data. It may be possible for you to enter additional data but such data is entered voluntarily by you. In each case, we will indicate whether a field is a mandatory or optional. We will provide specific details in the appropriate section of this Data Privacy Policy.

No automated decisions are made on the basis of your personal data collected from your use of our website.

Processing personal data

Your personal data is stored by us on specially protected servers within the European Union. Technical and organizational measures are used to protect these servers against the loss or destruction of, access or change to, or the dissemination of your personal data by unauthorized persons. Only authorized persons will have access to your personal data. These persons are responsible for the technical, commercial, or editorial management of the servers. However, although regular checks are conducted, it is not possible to protect your personal against all risks.

Your personal data is transmitted in encrypted form over the Internet. We use TLS/SSL encryption (Transport Layer Security/Secure Socket Layer encryption) for data transmission.

Disclosure or transfer of personal data to third parties

In principle, we will only use your personal data to provide the services as requested by you. If we employ external service providers as part of our provision of services, they should only access the personal data for the purpose of providing services. We adopt technical and organizational measures to ensure compliance with the requirements under the data protection law and also require our external service providers to do the same.

In addition, we do not disclose or transfer your personal data to third parties without your explicit consent, in particular for advertising purposes. Your personal data shall only be disclosed or transferred if you have given your consent for us to do so, or if we are entitled or obliged to do so under the applicable data protection law. In particular, this may involve the provision of personal data for purposes of criminal prosecution, where it is necessary to respond to an emergency that threatens your life, health or safety of another person or for legal proceedings.

If we transfer or our external service providers transfer your personal data to countries outside the European Union or Singapore, as the case may be, we shall comply with the special requirements of Art. 44 et seq. of the GDPR or Section 26 of the PDPA, as the case may be, and shall similarly oblige our external service providers to comply with the same. We shall therefore only transfer your personal data to countries outside the European Union or Singapore, as the case may be, subject to the level of protection as required under the applicable data protection law. Where the GDPR is applicable, the level of protection is guaranteed by an adequacy decision of the European Commission or through use of standard data protection clauses in accordance with Art. 46(2)(c) of the GDPR.

Legal basis for data processing

If we obtain consent to process your personal data, Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR or Section 14 of the PDPA, as the case may be, serves as the legal basis for data processing.

If we process your personal data because this is necessary for the performance of a contract or as part of a quasi-contractual relationship with you, Art. 6(1)(b) of the GDPR or Section 15 of the PDPA, as the case may be, serves as the legal basis for data processing.

If we process your personal data in order to comply with a legal obligation, Art. 6(1)(c) of the GDPR or the relevant law in Singapore, as the case may be, serves as the legal basis for data processing.

Furthermore, Art. 6(1)(f) of the GDPR or the legitimate interest exception under the PDPA, as the case may be, comes into consideration as the legal basis if the processing of your personal data is required to protect the legitimate interests of our company or of a third party and your interests, fundamental rights, and fundamental freedoms which require the protection of personal data, do not prevail

In this Data Privacy Policy, we always indicate the legal basis applied to the processing of your personal data.

Erasure, cessation to retain or blocking of personal data and storage period

In principle, we always erase, cease to retain or block your personal data as soon as the purpose for storing it no longer applies. However, the personal data may remain stored beyond this period if this is legally required such as in respect of legal retention and documentation obligations. In such cases, we shall erase, cease to retain or block your personal data once the appropriate requirements no longer apply.

Information about your computer

Every time you access our website, we collect the following information about your computer regardless of your registration status: the IP address of your computer, your browser, your request, and the time this request was made. The status and of the transmitted data volume are also recorded as part of this request. We also collect product and version information about the browser used and your computer's operating system. Furthermore, we record the website from which our website was accessed. Your computer’s IP address is only saved for the period of time in which the website is used and the subsequent three months. After this time, it is erased or anonymized by abbreviating it. The rest of the data is stored for a limited period of time.

We use this data to operate our website; in particular, we use it to identify and fix errors, to determine the utilization level of our website, and to make modifications or improvements. These purposes also cover our legitimate interest in processing data pursuant to Art. 6(1)(f) of the GDPR or the legitimate interest exception under the PDPA, as the case may be.

Use of cookies

Like many other websites, our website uses cookies. Cookies are small text files that are saved on your computer and store certain settings and data for the purposes of exchange with our website via your browser. A cookie generally contains the name of the domain from which the cookie file was sent as well as information about the age of the cookie and an alphanumeric identifier.

Cookies allow us to identify your computer and to make any default settings available immediately. As far as possible, we use session cookies, which are automatically erased at the end of the browser session. In limited cases, we may also use cookies with a longer storage period so that your default settings and preferences can be taken into account the next time you visit our website.

Most browsers are set to accept cookies automatically. However, you can disable the saving of cookies or adjust your browser settings so that it informs you as soon as cookies are sent. It is also possible to erase previously saved cookies manually via the browser settings. Please note that your use of our website may be blocked or restricted if you do not consent to the saving of required cookies or if you erase required cookies.

If cookies are not required for our website, we request that you consent to the use of cookies the first time you access the website. In each case, the legal basis for the associated personal data processing, including the sharing of personal data with third parties, is your consent in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR or Section 14 of the PDPA, as the case may be. Once consent is granted, it can be withdrawn at any time with effect for the future, in particular by changing the selected settings.

The legal basis for the use of required cookies is our legitimate interest in the proper provision of our website in accordance with Art. 6(1)(f) of the GDPR or the legitimate interest exception under the PDPA, as the case may be, and – if contracts are concluded or performed via our website – the performance of a contract in accordance with Art. 6(1)(b) of the GDPR or Section 15 of the PDPA, as the case may be.

Registration

You can register to use our website under “myBeckhoff.” To do this, you must share the personal data that is requested during the registration process, such as your name, address, and e-mail address. We also record the date and time of registration and the IP address. During the registration process, we obtain your consent to the use of your personal data. This gives you the advantage of not having to enter such personal data every time you use the website or place an order.

The legal basis for the processing of your personal data for the purposes of registration is Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR or Section 14 of the PDPA, as the case may be, when consent is granted. If you register with us for the purposes of the performance or initiation of a contract, the additional legal basis for the processing of data is Art. 6(1)(b) of the GDPR or Section 15 of the PDPA, as the case may be, is applicable.

The information requested as mandatory fields during the registration process is required for the performance or initiation of a contract with us for specific services. However, you are not under any obligation to register. It is also possible to conclude a contract without registering.

When you register, a customer account is created for you. We store the personal data in the customer account for as long as an active customer relationship exists. If it is not possible to identify any activity for a period of three years, the status of the customer relationship is set to inactive. You can request that your customer account be erased at any time.

Matomo

For our website, we use the open-source software Matomo (formerly known as Piwik) for statistical evaluation of usage. Matomo is a web analytics service. The data collected through Matomo is stored in a database for the purposes of usage analysis in order to optimize our website. The data collected includes the abbreviated IP address, the time of access, the website accessed, the website from which you accessed our website, the browser used, the period of time you stayed on our website, and the frequency of access.

The evaluations generated by Matomo are fully anonymized and cannot be used to identify an individual person. The data saved by Matomo is not linked to any other data sources or shared with third parties.

Our legal basis for the use of Matomo is your consent in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR or Section 14 of the PDPA, as the case may be. You are free to withdraw this consent at any time. Any data processing operations completed before consent is withdrawn are not affected. You can opt out of Matomo data analysis by following this link. A cookie will be saved on your end device via your web browser that prevents any further analysis.

Privacy settings

You can edit your settings for privacy and the individual cookie here.

For certain features on our website, we have integrated third-party services. These services are optional features which you must select to use. We have concluded contractual agreements with the relevant providers for the provision or integration of their services and we do everything we can to ensure that the third-party providers give transparent information about the extent to which personal data is processed and comply with data protection provisions.

Google Maps

We use “Google Maps” to generate directions and show the locations of our branch offices on maps. This is a service provided by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland (hereinafter referred to as “Google”).

Whenever our website is accessed, a connection is established to the Google’s servers in the United States in order to display the maps and associated text.

If you access Google Maps when you visit our website, Google saves a cookie on your end device via your browser. Your user data is processed by Google in order to display the location and to generate directions. It is possible that Google may use servers in the United States for this purpose.

The legal basis for this is Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR or Section 14 of the PDPA, as the case may be. You can withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future.

Google can use the data transmitted to it to identify the website from which your request has been sent from and the IP address to which the directions are to be transmitted.

If you do not agree to the saving and processing of your personal data, you have to stop the installation of cookies by configuring the relevant settings in your browser. In this regard, we refer you to our section above on cookies.

The use of Google Maps is subject to Google's terms of use as well as its general terms and conditions. You can find Google's data privacy policy here: https://policies.google.com/privacy.

Vimeo

We use "Vimeo" from Vimeo LLC, 555 West 18th Street, New York, New York 10011, USA to display videos on our website (hereinafter referred to as "Vimeo").

Some user data is processed on Vimeo servers in the United States.

The legal basis for this is Art 6(1)(a) of the GDPR or Section 14 of the PDPA, as the case may be. You will ask to give your explicit consent when allowing external content to be embedded

If you give your consent to embed Vimeo videos, a connection is established to Vimeo’s servers in the United States in order to display the video. Your IP address is therefore transmitted and processed by Vimeo for technical reasons. In addition, the date and time of your visit to the relevant website is also recorded.

If you are logged in to Vimeo when you visit one of our websites on which a Vimeo video is embedded, Vimeo assigns the collected user data to your personal user account. To prevent this from happening, you must either log out of Vimeo before visiting our website or configure the account settings on Vimeo accordingly.

Vimeo uses Google Analytics for the purposes of web analytics. Google Analytics saves cookies on your end device via your browser and sends information to Google on your use of our websites in which a Vimeo video is embedded. Google may save and process the information on its servers in the United States.

If you do not agree to the saving and processing on your personal data, you have to stop the installation of cookies. You can do so by configuring the relevant settings in your browser. In this regard, we refer you to our section above on cookies.

Further information on the processing of personal data by Vimeo as well as on your rights and options for protecting privacy can be found here: http://vimeo.com/privacy.

Retargeting or remarketing refers to technologies that allow the targeting of users who had previously visited a certain website with appropriate advertising even after they leave the website. Such technologies are able to recognize Internet users after they have left the website by using the cookies from the appropriate service providers and previous usage behavior of the users. For example, if a user views certain products, the exact or similar products may be shown to this user later on as advertisement on other websites. These advertisements are customized to the needs of the individual user. For customized advertisements, it is not necessary for the user to be identified beyond the initial recognition. This means that we do not combine the data used for retargeting or remarketing with any other data.

We use technologies of this type to place advertisements on the Internet. We use third-party providers to place the advertisements on the Internet. We use Google’s services, among others, to enable products that are of interest to Internet users to be shown automatically. This function is implemented using cookies. The possibility that data may be transmitted to Google’s servers in the United States in this process, and that the United States agencies may gain access to this data, cannot be ruled out. More information on this technology can be found in Google’s privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy. The installation of cookies for Google’s remarketing and Google AdWords conversion tracking can be stopped by configuring your setting in the relevant browser software by accessing here: http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/ads/ and changing the corresponding settings.

Our legal basis for using the previously described above is your consent pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR or Section 14 of the PDPA, as the case may be. You are free to withdraw this consent at any time. Any data processing operations completed before your consent is withdrawn are not affected.

You have the option to take part in webinars hosted by us by following various links on our website. If you wish to take part in a webinar, we will process personal data that you enter in a registration form, in particular your name, e-mail address, and company and organization. We process the data transferred via the registration form solely for the purpose of conducting the webinar, making contact with you in relation to the webinar, and providing you with further information in relation to the webinar.

The webinars will be hosted on the “GoToWebinar” platform. The GoToWebinar platform is managed by GoTo Technologies Ireland Unlimited Company, The Reflector, 10 Hanover Quay, Dublin 2, D02R573, Ireland (hereinafter referred to as: “GoTo”). We have no influence on the data processed on the GoToWebinar platform by GoTo. You will find further information on data processing on the GoToWebinar platform here: https://www.goto.com/company/legal and https://www.goto.com/company/legal/privacy.

Our legal basis for data processing in relation to the hosting of webinars and with respect to the information transferred by you to us in this regard is your consent pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR or Section 14 of the PDPA, as the case may be.

Amazon Web Services

We use Amazon Web Services to save the data collected by us. This is a web hosting service of Amazon Web Services, Inc., 410 Terry Avenue North, Seattle WA 98109, USA (hereinafter referred to as: “Amazon”).

We use this service to save our data on Amazon’s servers in United States. If you transfer data to us or if data is lawfully collected from you, this data is stored in the cloud. As the data is stored on servers in United States, the possibility that security agencies in the United States may access it cannot be ruled out. Amazon is an active participant in the European Union – United States Data Privacy Framework, which regulates the correct and secure transfer of the personal data of European Union citizens to the United States.

The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) of the GDPR and the legitimate interest exception under the PDPA, as the case may be. Our legitimate interest is in the provision of a fast and secure website.

Further information about data processing can be found in the Amazon’s privacy notice here: https://aws.amazon.com/privacy/.

You can apply for a job position via our job applicant portal. This gives you the opportunity to complete our application form and submit the information and documents required for the application form to us by means of file upload. The use of our job applicant portal is purely voluntary; you can also send us your application in other ways, such as via e-mail or post.

When you submit the completed application form via the job applicant portal, your documents are sent electronically to the responsible employees in our company. If you have applied for an advertised position, the documents will be automatically erased latest three months after the end of the recruitment process, provided that the erasure is not contrary to legal purposes or other legitimate business interests. Such legitimate interests may include, for example, evidence of equal treatment of job applicants under . If an application relates to a position that is not advertised (speculative application), the application will be retained for as long as the application may be of interest. You can request for the erasure of your application at any stage, even before the scheduled retention periods expire. If your application is successful, the data transferred is stored for the purpose of processing the employment relationship in compliance with the legal requirements. The legal basis for processing your personal data in this respect is Section 26, Para. 1 Sentence 1 of the Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz – BDSG) or the relevant exception on the entry, management and termination of employment relationship exception under the PDPA, as the case may be. Data processing within the context of the job applicant portal is also based on your consent in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR or Section 14 of the PDPA, as the case may be.

You can contact us in a number of ways, including via the contact form on our website. We will also be happy to give you regular information about our business through our newsletter made available to you using our e-mail.

Contact form

If you wish to contact our Sales, Technical Support, or Service teams directly, you can use the online contact form. If you wish to use the contact form, we record the personal data that you enter in the contact form, particularly your name and e-mail address. We also save the IP address and the date and time of the request. We process the data transmitted via the contact form solely for the purposes of responding to your request or concern.

You can choose which information to send via the contact form. The legal basis for processing your data is your consent in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR or Section 14 of the PDPA, as the case may be.

Once we have processed the matter, the data will initially be saved in case there are any subsequent queries. You can request that the data be erased at any time, otherwise we will erase the data once the matter has been fully resolved; legal retention obligations remain unaffected in this case.

Newsletter

If you subscribe to our newsletter, your e-mail address will be used for our own advertising purposes until you unsubscribe. You will regularly receive information via e-mail in this regard on current topics as well as e-mails on specific events and special promotions. The e-mails may be personalized and customized based on our information about you.

We use the double-opt-in process when you register for our newsletter, unless you have given us your consent in writing. This means that we will only send you a newsletter via e-mail if you have explicitly confirmed that you wish for us to activate the sending of the newsletter. We will then send you a notification e-mail asking you to confirm by clicking a link in the e-mail that you would like to receive our newsletter. We record the opening of the newsletter and any links that it may contain. In addition, we also process the following data in relation to your use of the newsletter: the e-mail program you used to open the newsletter, your operating system, the time of access, and your abbreviated IP address.

The legal basis for processing your personal data is your consent pursuant to Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR or Section 14 of the PDPA, as the case may be, if you have chosen to subscribe to the newsletter.

In addition to our website, we use various social media and social networking platforms for information transmission and communication. You will find links to these social media and social networking platforms on our website, and links to our website on these social media and social networking platforms. Specifically, we use the social media platform “Instagram”, the social networking platforms “Facebook” and “LinkedIn”, as well as the “YouTube” and “Vimeo” platforms. The links can be identified by the relevant service provider’s logo.

Clicking the links opens the websites to the relevant social media and social networking platforms, which are generally subject to the terms and conditions and privacy policies of the relevant service providers. We have provided an overview of the policies from each service provider below.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/policy.php

Instagram: https://help.instagram.com/519522125107875

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy

YouTube: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en-US

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/privacy

No personal data is transferred to the relevant service providers before opening the links. When you open the links, this is also the basis for data processing by the relevant service providers.

Please also note that the Federal Office for Information Security provides general information on the safe use of social media and social networking platforms on its website here: https://www.bsi.bund.de/EN/Themen/Verbraucherinnen-und-Verbraucher/Informationen-und-Empfehlungen/Onlinekommunikation/Soziale-Netzwerke/soziale-netzwerke_node.html.

Our use of social media and social networking platforms is also subject to the following notices regarding the associated processing of your personal data.

Facebook fan page

In addition to our website, we also operate a fan page on the Facebook social networking platform. The fan page provides information about our activities as well as a communication channel. The operator of the Facebook social network is Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2, Ireland (hereinafter referred to as “Meta”). We therefore access the technical platform and services of Meta.

Delimitation of responsibility

Please note that you use the fan page and its features under your own responsibility, particularly with regard to interactive features such as comments, shares, or ratings. Alternatively, you can access the information provided on the fan page via our homepage.

As far as possible on Facebook, we try to protect your privacy and your personal data. If we process your personal data in connection with your visit to the fan page, the explanations in this Data Privacy Policy apply without restriction. Please also note that personal data is processed by Meta at the same time due to the integration of the fan page in the Facebook website. When you visit the fan page, Meta records data such as your IP address as well as other information that may be saved on the end device that you are using or in the relevant browser in the form of cookies. We have no influence on the processing of data by Meta; in particular, Meta does not come under our responsibility as a processor for us. According to information provided by Meta, data processing by Meta is subject to the Facebook’s policy, which can be accessed here: https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/?entry_point=data_policy_redirect&entry=0. Please note that the data about you collected by Meta in this context may also be transferred to outside the European Union or Singapore, as the case may be.

From the perspective of data protection law, joint responsibility between Meta and us can be assumed with regard to the operation of the fan page or the evaluation of user data when visiting the fan page. In accordance with requirements under data protection law, we have concluded an agreement internally with Meta regarding the delimitation of responsibility.

Facebook Insights

Meta gives operators of fan pages the option to gain an overview of the usage of the fan page and its users via the Page Insights feature. In particular, Page Insights can be used to access and evaluate statistical data. We use data from Page Inisghts to make the fan page as attractive and efficient as possible. For this purpose, Meta provides us with the data that Meta has generated itself. Facebook provides further information on the functionality of the Page Insights feature and the relevant responsibilities here: https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/page_controller_addendum.

Facebook Messenger

Users who are registered on Facebook also have the option to communicate directly via Facebook Messenger. If you contact us via Facebook Messenger, the transmitted data is saved and used by us solely to respond to your request. The legal basis for processing your personal data is your consent in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR or Section 14 of the PDPA, as the case may be, as well as our legitimate interest in accordance with Art. 6(1)(f) of the GDPR or the legitimate interest exception under the PDPA, as the case may be. Our legitimate interest is in the recording and processing of customer inquiries, the evaluation of customer inquiries, as well as the monitoring of unfair practices.

The data is erased as soon as it is no longer required to achieve the purpose for which it was collected. For your personal data, this is the case when the relevant conversation has ended. The conversation ends for us when it can be taken from the circumstances that the relevant matter has been fully resolved. You have the option to withdraw your consent to the processing of personal data at any time; in this case, we will erase the data immediately unless there is a legal basis for us to continue to store it.

Further information on Facebook

If you have any questions about our use of personal data in connection with the use of the fan page on Facebook, you can contact our Customer Service department or our Data Protection Officer at any time. The contact details and communication channels are provided in our Privacy Policy. If you have any questions about data protection at Facebook, please contact Meta directly.

Instagram account

We also have an account on Instagram. The Instagram account provides information in the form of publications about our activities and offers you with another communication channel with us. The Instagram social network is operated by Meta.

Please note that your use of Instagram and its features is under your own responsibility, particularly with regard to interactive features such as comments, shares, or ratings.

Responsibility under data protection law

As far as possible on Instagram, we try to protect your privacy and your personal data. If we process your personal data in connection with your visit to our Instagram account, the explanations in this Privacy Policy apply without restriction. Please also note that personal data is processed by Meta at the same time due to the integration of our Instagram account in Meta’s services. When you access our Instagram account content, Meta records data such as your IP address as well as other information that may be saved on the end device that you are using or in the relevant browser in the form of cookies. We have no influence on the processing of data by Meta; in particular, Meta does not come under our responsibility as a processor for us. According to information provided by Meta, data processing by Meta is subject to the Facebook’s policy, which can be accessed here: https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/155833707900388. Please note that the data about you collected by Meta in this context may also be transmitted outside the European Union or Singapore, as the case may be.

From the perspective of data protection law, two separate responsibilities can be assumed for Meta and us regarding the operation of the Instagram account and the associated communication and evaluation options. If we process your data in connection with your visit to our Instagram page and we alone decide the purposes and means of this data processing, we are responsible for this data processing. This is generally the case if you communicate with us directly via the “Instagram Direct Messaging” feature and transmit your data to us in the process. If Meta processes your data and Meta alone decides the purposes and means of this data processing, Meta alone is responsible for this data processing. This applies in particular to the evaluation of user behavior by Meta for its own purposes.

Instagram Insights

Meta gives operators of Instagram accounts the option to gain an overview of the usage of the account and its users via the “Instagram Insights” feature. In particular, Instagram Insights can be used to access and evaluate statistical data. We use the data from Instagram Insights to make the Instagram account as attractive and efficient as possible. For this purpose, Meta provides us with data that Meta has generated itself under its own responsibility. The data that we receive from Meta is mostly anonymized data and statistics. If we receive personal data in this context, we are responsible for our further processing of this personal data for the purposes of evaluation of the usage of our Instagram account. Meta provides further information about Instagram Insights here: https://help.instagram.com/1533933820244654.

Instagram Direct Messaging

On Instagram, you have the option to communicate with us directly via the “Instagram Direct Messaging” feature. If you contact us via the Instagram Direct Messaging feature, the transmitted data is saved and used by us solely to respond to your request. The legal basis for processing your personal data is your consent in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR or Section 14 of the PDPA, as the case may be, as well as our legitimate interest in accordance with Art. 6(1)(f) of the GDPR or the legitimate interest exception under the PDPA, as the case may be. Our legitimate interest is in the recording and processing of customer inquiries, the evaluation of customer inquiries, as well as the monitoring of unfair practices.

The data is erased as soon as it is no longer required to achieve the purpose for which it was collected. For your personal data, this is the case when the relevant conversation has ended. The conversation ends for us when it can be taken from the circumstances that the relevant matter has been fully resolved. You have the option to withdraw your consent to the processing of personal data at any time; in this case, we will erase the personal data immediately unless there is a legal basis for us to continue to store it.

Further information on Instagram

If you have any questions about our use of personal data in connection with your use of our Instagram account, you can contact our Customer Service department or our Data Protection Officer at any time. The contact details and communication channels are provided in our Data Privacy Policy. If you have any questions about data protection on Instagram, please contact Meta directly.

LinkedIn account

In addition to our website, we also operate an account on the social networking platform “LinkedIn”. The account provides information about our company and activities and offers you with another communication channel with us. The LinkedIn career network is operated by LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland (hereinafter referred to as: “LinkedIn”).

Please note that you use LinkedIn and its features under your own responsibility. This applies in particular to the use of its interactive features (e.g. likes, shares, comments).

Processing of personal data

The data about you collected during use of the service is processed by LinkedIn. It is possible that data may also be transferred to countries outside the European Union or Singapore, as the case may be. The processed data includes but is not limited to the data entered voluntarily by you, such as your name, user name, e-mail address, telephone number, career information, profile data, content that you create, upload, or receive, as well as comments, your IP address, information on the end device that you use, information on websites and content accessed, and your location. We have no influence on the type and extent of the data processed by LinkedIn, the type of processing, or the sharing of this data with third parties. You will find information about what types of data are processed by LinkedIn and for what purposes they are used in the LinkedIn’s privacy policy here: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy.

We process the data you enter on LinkedIn to the extent that we like, comment on, or share your posts, or contact you and interact with you. In this way, the information freely published and distributed by you on LinkedIn is integrated by us into our offering.

The general settings for your LinkedIn account offer ways to restrict the processing of your data. In addition, the setting options on mobile devices allow you to restrict access for LinkedIn to contact and calendar information, photos, location information, etc. However, this is dependent on the operating system used by you. Further information about the data protection settings on LinkedIn can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy.

Analytics

LinkedIn gives operators of LinkedIn accounts the option to gain an overview of the usage of the account and its users. In particular, the analytics feature can be used to access and evaluate statistical data. We use the data to make our account as attractive and efficient as possible. For this purpose, LinkedIn provides us with data that LinkedIn has generated itself under its own responsibility. The data that we receive from LinkedIn is mostly anonymized data and statistics. If we receive personal data in this context, we are responsible for our further processing of this data for the purposes of evaluation of the usage of our LinkedIn account. Further information can be found in the LinkedIn’s privacy policy here: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy.

Communication

On LinkedIn, you have the option to communicate with us directly. If you contact us via LinkedIn, the transmitted data is saved and used by us solely to respond to your request. The legal basis for processing your personal data is your consent in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR or Section 14 of the PDPA, as the case may be, as well as our legitimate interest in accordance with Art. 6(1)(f) of the GDPR or the legitimate interest exception under the PDPA, as the case may be. Our legitimate interest is in the recording and processing of inquiries, the evaluation of inquiries, as well as the monitoring of unfair practices.

The data is erased as soon as soon as it is not required to achieve the purpose for which it was collected. For your personal data, this is the case when the relevant conversation has ended. The conversation ends for us when it can be taken from the circumstances that the relevant matter has been fully resolved. You have the option to withdraw your consent to the processing of personal data at any time; in this case, we will erase the data immediately unless there is legal basis for us to continue to store it.

Further information on LinkedIn

If you have any questions about our use of your personal data in connection with the use of our LinkedIn account, you can contact our Customer Service department or our Data Protection Officer at any time. The contact details and communication channels are provided in our Data Privacy Policy. If you have any questions about data protection at LinkedIn, please contact LinkedIn directly.

YouTube channel

We also operate a channel on the YouTube social media platform. The channel provides information about our activities as well as a communication channel. The YouTube video platform is operated by Google. Please note that your use of YouTube and its features is under your own responsibility. This applies in particular to the use of its interactive features (e.g. discussions, comments).

Processing personal data

The data about you collected during the use of the service is processed by Google and may also be transferred to countries outside the European Union or Singapore, as the case may be. The processed data includes but is not limited to the data entered voluntarily by you, such as your name, user name, e-mail address, and telephone number, as well as the content you upload, or receive, such as photos, videos, documents, tables, as well as comments, your IP address, information on the end device that you use, information on website and content accessed, your location and mobile service provider. We have no influence on the type and extent of the data processed by Google, the type of processing, or the sharing of this data with third parties. You will find information about what types of data are processed by Google and for what purposes they are used in the Google’s privacy policy here: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en-US.

We process the data that you enter on YouTube, particularly your user name and the content published on your account, to the extent that we may link your posts or reply to these posts or create our own posts that refer to your account. In this way, the information freely published and distributed by you on YouTube is integrated by us into our offering and made accessible to our followers.

The general settings for your Google account offer ways to restrict the processing of your data. In addition, the setting options on mobile devices allow you to restrict access for Google to contact and calendar information, photos, location information, etc. However, this is dependent on the operating system used by you. In addition to these tools, Google offers specific privacy controls for YouTube. You can learn more here: https://policies.google.com/privacy#infochoices.

YouTube Analytics

Google gives operators of YouTube channels the option to gain an overview of the usage of the account and its users via the “YouTube Analytics” feature. In particular, YouTube Analytics can be used to access and evaluate statistical data. We use the data from YouTube Analytics to make the YouTube channel as attractive and efficient as possible. For this purpose, Google provides us with data that Google has generated itself under its own responsibility. The data that we receive from Google is mostly anonymized data and statistics. If we receive personal data in this context, we are responsible for our further processing of this personal data for the purposes of evaluation of the usage of our YouTube channel. Google provides further information about YouTube Analytics at https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9002587?hl=en.

Further information on YouTube

If you have any questions about our use of personal data in connection with the use of the YouTube channel, you can contact our Customer Service department and our Data Protection Officer at any time. The contact details and communication channels are provided in our Data Privacy Policy. If you have any questions about data protection at Google, please contact Google directly.

Vimeo channel

In addition to our website, we also operate a channel on the Vimeo video platform. The channel provides information about our activities as well as a communication channel. Vimeo video platform is operated by Vimeo.

Please note that you use the Vimeo video platform and its features under your own responsibility. This applies in particular to the use of its interactive features (e.g. comments).

Processing personal data

The data about you collected during the use of the service is processed by Vimeo and may also be transferred to countries outside the European Union or Singapore, as the case may be. The processed data includes but is not limited to the data entered voluntarily by you, such as your name, user name, e-mail address, telephone number, as well as the content you upload, or receive, such as photos and videos, documents, tables, as well as comments, your IP address, information on the end device that you use, information on websites and content accessed, your location and mobile service provider. We have no influence on the type and extent of the data processed by Vimeo, the type of processing, or the sharing of this data with third parties. Further information on data processing at Vimeo can be found here: https://vimeo.com/privacy.

We process the data that you enter on Vimeo, particularly your user name and the content published on your account, to the extent that we may link your posts or reply to these posts or create our own posts that refer to your account. In this way, the information freely published and distributed by you on Vimeo is integrated by us into our offering and made accessible to our followers.

The general settings for your Vimeo account offer ways to restrict the processing of your data. In addition, the setting options on mobile devices allow you to restrict access for Vimeo to contact and calendar information, photos, location information, etc. However, this is dependent on the operating system used by you.

Direct messages

On Vimeo, you have the option to communicate with us directly using the “Message” feature. If you contact us via this feature, the transmitted data is saved and used by us solely to respond to your request. The legal basis for processing your data is your consent in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR or Section 14 of the PDPA, as the case may be, as well as our legitimate interest in accordance with Art. 6(1)(f) of the GDPR or the legitimate interest exception under the PDPA, as the case may be. Our legitimate interest is in the recording and processing of customer inquiries, the evaluation of customer inquiries, as well as the monitoring of unfair practices.

The data is erased as soon as it is no longer required to achieve the purpose for which it was collected. For your personal data, this is the case when the relevant conversation has ended. The conversation ends for us when it can be taken from the circumstances that the relevant matter has been fully resolved. You have the option to withdraw your consent to the processing of personal data at any time; in this case, we will erase the data immediately unless there is a legal basis for us to continue to store it.

Vimeo Analytics

Vimeo gives operators of Vimeo channels the option to gain an overview of the usage of the account and its users via the “Vimeo Analytics” feature. In particular, Vimeo Analytics can be used to access and evaluate statistical data. We use the data from Vimeo Analytics to make the Vimeo channel as attractive and efficient as possible. For this purpose, Vimeo provides us with data that Vimeo has generated itself under its own responsibility. The data that we receive from Vimeo is mostly anonymized data and statistics. If we receive personal data in this context, we are responsible for our further processing of this data for the purposes of evaluation of the usage of our Vimeo channel. Vimeo provides further information about Vimeo Analytics here: https://vimeo.com/features/video-analytics.

We take great care to ensure that the processing of your personal data is explained as transparently as possible and that you are also informed about your rights. Should you require more information or want to exercise your rights, you can contact our Customer Service department at any time so that we can take care of your request.

Rights of the data subject

You have a number of rights available to you in relation to our processing your personal data. First of all, you have a comprehensive right of access and can request to have your personal data corrected, erased, or blocked, if necessary. You can also request to restrict the processing of your personal data by us and a right to object. Furthermore, you have a right to data portability.

If you would like to exercise one of your rights and/or receive more information in this regard, please contact our Customer Service department. Alternatively, you can also consult our Data Protection Officer.

Withdrawal of consent and objection

You can freely withdraw your consent to our processing of your personal data at any time with effect for the future. The withdrawal of your consent shall not affect the lawfulness of processing completed on the basis of the consent up to the time of withdrawal. Our Customer Service department and Data Protection Officer are also the points of contact in this matter.

If the processing of your personal data is not based on consent or a different legal basis, you can object to this data processing. Your objection will lead to an investigation and possibly a termination of the data processing. You will be informed of the outcome of the investigation and – in the data processing will be continued despite the objection – you will receive more information from us as to why data processing is permitted.

Data Protection Officer and contact

We have appointed a Data Protection Officer who provides us with support us in relation to matters relating to data protection law and who is available for you to contact directly. Our Data Protection Officer is available to you to deal with queries relating to our handling of your personal data or to provide you with more information on data protection law:

Data Privacy Contact
Phone: + 49 (0) 52 46 / 9 63 - 0
E-mail: datenschutz@beckhoff.de

Complaints

If you believe that the processing of your personal data by us is not in compliance with this Data Privacy Policy or the applicable data protection law, you have the right to lodge a complaint to the relevant regulatory authority. You can also lodge a complaint to our Data Protection Officer. The Data Protection Officer will then investigate the matter and inform you about the outcome of the investigation.

Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to other websites. These links are generally identified as such. We have no influence on the extent to which the applicable data protection laws are observed for the linked websites. We therefore recommend that you obtain further information from the linked websites or read their data privacy policies.

Changes to this Data Privacy Policy

The version of this Data Privacy Policy is set out below. We reserve the right to change this Data Privacy Policy at any time with effect for the future. Changes may arise in the case of technical modifications to the website or changes to the applicable data protection law. The current version of the Data Privacy Policy can be accessed directly via our website. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with this Data Privacy Policy and check back regularly for updates.

Version of Data Privacy Policy: March 2024