Privacy Policy

1. An overview of data protection

General information

The following information will provide you with an easy to navigate overview of what will happen with your personal data when you visit our website. The term “personal data” includes all data that can be used to personally identify you. For detailed information about the subject matter of data protection, please consult our Privacy Policy below.

Data collection on our website

Who is responsible for the data collection on this website (so-called “controller”)?

The data on this website is processed by the operator of the website, whose contact information is available under section “Information about the responsible party” in this Privacy Policy.

How do we collect your data?

We collect your data as a result of your sharing of your data with us. This could, for example, be information you enter into our contact form or during the registration of an account.

Other data is collected automatically by our IT systems when you visit the website. This data contains primarily technical data such as the browser and operating system you are using or when you accessed the page. This data is collected automatically as soon as you visit our website.

What are the purposes we use your data for?

Some of the data is collected to ensure the proper function of the website. Other data may be used to analyse your user behaviour.

What rights do you have as far as your information is concerned?

You have the right to receive information about the source, recipients and purposes of your archived personal data at any time without having to pay a fee for such disclosures. You also have the right to demand that your data is rectified, blocked or eradicated. If you have consented to data processing, you have the option to revoke this consent at any time, which shall affect all future data processing. Moreover, you have the right to demand that the processing of your data be restricted under certain circumstances. Furthermore, you have the right to log a complaint with the competent supervising agency.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at any time if you have questions about this or any other data protection related issues.

Analysis tools and tools provided by third parties

Your browsing patterns may be statistically analyzed when your visit this website. Such analyses are performed primarily with what we refer to as analysis programs.

For detailed information about these analysis programs please consult our Privacy Policy below.

2. General information and mandatory information

Data protection

The operators of this website take the protection of your personal data very seriously. Hence, we handle your personal data as confidential information and in compliance with the statutory data privacy regulations and this Privacy Policy.

Whenever you use this website, a variety of personal information will be collected. Personal information is any data with which you could be personally identified. explains which data we collect as well as the purposes we use this data for. It also explains how, and for which purpose the information is collected.

Information about the responsible party (referred to as the “controller” in the GDPR)

The data processing controller on this website is:

Felix Juengst
Falkenweg 14
63741 Aschaffenburg
Germany

Telephone: +49 6021 1304796

Email: webmaster@modding-forum.com

The controller is the natural person or legal entity that single-handedly or jointly with others makes decisions as to the purposes of and resources for the processing of personal data (e.g. names, e-mail addresses, etc.).

Storage duration

Unless a more specific storage period has been specified in this privacy policy, your personal data will remain with us until the purpose for which it was collected no longer applies. If you assert a justified request for deletion 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., tax or commercial law retention periods); in the latter case, the deletion will take place after these reasons cease to apply.

General information on the legal basis for the 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 are processed according to Art. 9 (1) DSGVO. In the case of explicit consent to the transfer of personal data to third countries, the data processing is also based on Art. 49 (1)(a) GDPR. If you have consented to the storage of cookies or to the access to information in your end device (e.g., via device fingerprinting), the data processing is additionally based on section 25 (1) of the German Telecommunications and Telemedia Data Protection Act (TTDSG). The consent can be revoked at any time. If your data is required for the fulfillment of a contract or for the implementation of pre-contractual measures, we process your data on the basis of Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. Furthermore, if your data is required for the fulfillment of a legal obligation, we process it on the basis of Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR. Furthermore, the data processing may be carried out on the basis of our legitimate interest according to Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. Information on the relevant legal basis in each individual case is provided in the following paragraphs of this privacy policy.

Information on data transfer to the USA and other non-EU countries

Among other things, we use tools of companies domiciled in the United States or other from a data protection perspective non-secure non-EU countries. If these tools are active, your personal data may potentially be transferred to these non-EU countries and may be processed there. We must point out that in these countries, a data protection level that is comparable to that in the EU cannot be guaranteed. For instance, U.S. enterprises are under a mandate to release personal data to the security agencies and you as the data subject do not have any litigation options to defend yourself in court. Hence, it cannot be ruled out that U.S. agencies (e.g., the Secret Service) may process, analyze, and permanently archive your personal data for surveillance purposes. We have no control over these processing activities.

Revocation of your consent to the processing of data

A wide range of data processing transactions are possible only subject to your express consent. You may revoke previously given consent at any time. This shall be without prejudice to the lawfulness of any data collection that occurred prior to your revocation.

Right to object to the collection of data in special cases; right to object to direct advertising (Art. 21 GDPR)

In the event that data is processed on the basis of Art. 6(1)(e) or (f) GDPR, you have the right to at any time object to the processing of your personal data based on grounds arising from your unique situation. This also applies to any profiling based on these provisions. To determine the legal basis, on which any processing of data is based, please consult this Privacy Policy. If you log an objection, we will no longer process your affected personal data, unless we are in a position to present compelling protection worthy grounds for the processing of your data, that outweigh your interests, rights and freedoms or if the purpose of the processing is the claiming, exercising or defence of legal entitlements (objection pursuant to Art. 21(1) GDPR).

If your personal data is being processed in order to engage in direct advertising, you have the right to at any time object to the processing of your affected personal data for the purposes of such advertising. This also applies to profiling to the extent that it is affiliated with such direct advertising. If you object, your personal data will subsequently no longer be used for direct advertising purposes (objection pursuant to Art. 21(2) GDPR).

Right to log a complaint with the competent supervisory agency

In the event of violations of the GDPR, data subjects are entitled to file a complaint with a supervisory agency, in particular in the member state where they usually maintain their domicile, place of work or at the place where the alleged violation occurred. The right to file a complaint is in effect regardless of any other administrative or court proceedings available as legal recourses.

Right to data portability

You have the right to demand that we hand over any data we automatically process on the basis of your consent or in order to fulfil a contract be handed over to you or a third party in a commonly used, machine readable format. If you should demand the direct transfer of the data to another controller, this will be done only if it is technically feasible.

Security measures

We use firewalls and other security measures to protect data transmissions.

For security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential content this website uses either an SSL or a TLS encryption. You can recognise an encrypted connection by checking whether the website's address line of the browser switches from “http://” to “https://” and also by the appearance of a lock icon next to the website's address in your browser.

We herewith advise you that the transmission of data via the Internet may be prone to security flaws. It is not possible to completely protect data against third party access.

Information about, rectification and eradication of data

Within the scope of the applicable statutory provisions, you have the right to at any time demand information about your archived personal data, their source and recipients as well as the purpose of the processing of your data. You may also have a right to have your data rectified, blocked or eradicated. If you have questions about this subject matter or any other questions about personal data, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time.

Right to demand processing restrictions

You have the right to demand the imposition of restrictions as far as the processing of your personal data is concerned. To do so, you may contact us at any time at the address provided in section “Information Required by Law.” The right to demand restriction of processing applies in the following cases:

• In the event that you should dispute the correctness of your data archived by us, we will usually need some time to verify this claim. During the time that this investigation is ongoing, you have the right to demand that we restrict the processing of your personal data.
• If the processing of your personal data was/is conducted in an unlawful manner, you have the option to demand the restriction of the processing of your data in lieu of demanding the eradication of this data.
• If we do not need your personal data any longer and you need it to exercise, defend or claim legal entitlements, you have the right to demand the restriction of the processing of your personal data instead of its eradication.
• If you have raised an objection pursuant to Art. 21(1) GDPR, your rights and our rights will have to be weighed against each other. As long as it has not been determined whose interests prevail, you have the right to demand a restriction of the processing of your personal data.

If you have restricted the processing of your personal data, this data – with the exception of their archiving – may be processed only subject to your consent or to claim, exercise or defend legal entitlements or to protect the rights of other natural persons or legal entities or for important public interest reasons cited by the European Union or a member state of the EU.

Rejection of unsolicited e-mails

We herewith object to the use of contact information published in conjunction with the mandatory information to be provided in section “Information Required by Law” to send us promotional and information material that we have not expressly requested. The operators of this website and its pages reserve the express right to take legal action in the event of the unsolicited sending of promotional information.

3. Collection of data on our website

Cookies

Our website and its pages use so-called cookies. Cookies are small text files that are saved by your browser. They are either stored temporarily for the duration of a session (session cookies) or they are permanently archived on your device (permanent cookies). Session cookies are automatically deleted once you terminate your visit. Permanent cookies remain archived on your device until you actively delete them, or they are automatically eradicated by your web browser.

Most of the cookies we use are so-called "session cookies". They are automatically deleted after you leave our site. Other cookies will remain archived on your device until you delete them. These cookies allow us to recognise your browser the next time you visit our website.

We are using cookies for the following purposes:

• Session: Upon first visit of our website, the system will create a new unique session for you which will be saved using a cookie on your computer. Sessions are required to recognise users between page visits. If a user is not logged on, this cookie is a temporary cookie which is deleted once you close your internet browser. If a user is logged in, this cookie is permanent, it is used to keep the user logged in between page visits.
• Security: Upon first visit of our website, a cookie with a so-called XSRF token will be stored. This token is used to prevent cross-site request forgery attacks. it is a temporary cookie and will be deleted once you close your internet browser.

You can adjust the settings of your browser to make sure that you are notified every time cookies are placed and to allow you to accept cookies only in specific cases or to exclude the acceptance of cookies for specific situations or in general and to activate the automatic deletion of cookies when you close your browser. If you deactivate cookies, the features of this website may be limited.

Cookies that are required for the performance of the electronic communications transaction or to provide certain functions you want to use, are stored on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, unless a different legal basis is cited. The website operator has a legitimate interest in storing cookies to ensure the technically error free and optimised provision of the operator’s services. If your consent to the storage of the cookies and similar recognition technologies has been requested, processing occurs exclusively on the basis of the consent obtained (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and section 25 (1) of the German Telecommunications and Telemedia Data Protection Act (TTDSG)); this consent may be revoked at any time.

Connections to our website

When our website is accessed, some information is automatically transmitted and collected:

• Pages visited within our website
• Browser type and browser version
• Operating system used
• Referrer URL sent by your browser
• Host name of the accessing computer
• Time of the server request
• IP address

The basis for this data processing is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, we have a legitimate interest because the collection of this data is necessary for the technical operation of this website.

This information will be analyised by our firewalls and stored in server log files to identify and prevent technical issues or security threats. If these log files contain personal data such as the IP address, they will be anonymised within 7 days. This data will not be combined with data from other sources. The basis for this data processing is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. We have a legitimate interest to protect our servers against threats and to identify technical errors.

Contact form

If you submit inquiries to us via our contact form, the information provided in the contact form as well as any contact information provided therein will be stored by us in order to handle your inquiry and in the event that we have further questions. We will not share this information without your consent.

The processing is based on our legitimate interest in the effective processing of the requests addressed to us (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) or on your agreement (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) if this has been requested; the consent can be revoked at any time.

The information you have entered into the contact form shall remain with us until you ask us to eradicate the data, revoke your consent to the archiving of data or if the purpose for which the information is being archived no longer exists (e.g. after we have concluded our response to your inquiry). This shall be without prejudice to any mandatory legal provisions – in particular retention periods.

Request by e-mail or telephone

If you contact us by e-mail or telephone, your request, including all resulting personal data (name, request) will be stored and processed by us for the purpose of processing your request. We do not pass this data on without your consent.

The data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interest in the effective handling of inquiries submitted to us (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) or on the basis of your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) if it has been obtained; the consent can be revoked at any time.

The data sent by you to us via contact requests remain with us until you request us to delete, revoke your consent to the storage or the purpose for the data storage lapses (e.g. after completion of your request). Mandatory statutory provisions - in particular statutory retention periods - remain unaffected.

Registration on this website

You have the option to register on our website to be able to use additional website functions. We shall use the data you enter only for the purpose of using the respective service you have registered for. The required information we request at the time of registration must be entered in full. Otherwise we shall reject the registration.

To notify you of any important changes to the scope of our portfolio or in the event of technical modifications, we shall use the e-mail address provided during the registration process.

We will process the data entered during the registration process on the basis of your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR).

The data recorded during the registration process shall be stored by us as long as you are registered on our website. Subsequently, such data shall be deleted. This shall be without prejudice to mandatory statutory retention obligations.

User generated content

If you choose to submit any content on this site, the time at which you created the content and your user account will be stored along with your content.

Storage of the IP address

When a user submits content, their IP address will be stored for 30 days. This is necessary in order to identify the author in the event of crimes or rights violations being committed.

Subscribing to content

As a registered user of this site, you will receive notifications, for example when your posts are quoted or you are mentioned. You can watch specific categories or content to get notified for new content. It is also possible to choose to recieve such notifications via email, by default all notifications are combined to one email per day. You can change your notification settings or disable email notifications at any time in your notification settings or by clicking the respective link in the respective emails.

Storage period for content

User generated content and the associated data (e.g. IP address) will be stored and remain on our website until the content your content is connected to (such as a post in a thread or a comment to other content) or the content itself is deleted.

Legal basis

User generated content and the associated data is stored on the basis of your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). You have the right to revoke at any time any consent you have already given us. This shall be without prejudice to the lawfulness of any data collection that occurred prior to your revocation.

4. Social media

Share content via plugins (Facebook, Google+, Twitter, etc.)

The content on our pages can be shared on other social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, or Google+. This tool does not establish a direct connection between the network and the user until the user has actively clicked on one of the buttons. The click on this button constitutes content as defined in Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and section 25 (1) of the German Telecommunications and Telemedia Data Protection Act (TTDSG). This consent may be revoked by the user at any time, which shall affect all future actions.

We do not automatically transfer user data to the operators of these platforms. If the user is registered with one of the social networks, an information window will pop up as soon as the social media element is used, which allows the user to confirm the text prior to sending it.

5. Analytics and Advertising

Matomo

This website uses the open source web analytics service Matomo. Matomo uses technologies that make it possible to recognize the user across multiple pages with the aim of analyzing the user patterns (e.g. device fingerprinting).

The following data is transferred to our analytics software:

• Pages visited within our website
• Browser type and browser version
• Display resolution
• Operating system used
• Referrer URL sent by your browser
• Host name of the accessing computer
• Time and duration of the visit
• IP address

The IP address is anonymised before it is stored and can therefore not be assigned to any specific person. This data will not be combined with data from other sources. Information about your use of this website will not be disclosed to third parties.

The storage of data is based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the analysis of user patterns, in order to optimize the operator’s services. If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and section 25 (1) of the German Telecommunications and Telemedia Data Protection Act (TTDSG), insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TTDSG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

If you do not consent to the storage and use of your data, you have the option to deactivate the storage and use of such data here. In this case, an opt out cookie will be placed in our browser, which prevent the storage of usage data by Matomo. If you delete your cookies, this will also result in the deletion of the Matomo opt out cookie. Hence, you will have to reactivate the opt out when you return to visit our website.

6. Plugins and Tools

Embedded Images and Videos

Users will be asked for their consent before embedded images and videos will be displayed. This consent only applies to the host of the specific embedded content. When embedded content from third-party websites is displayed, these websites can see personal data such as the user's IP adress and use such data to identify and track users.

Temporarily whitelisted hosts are saved in the user's session, this session is deleted when the browser is closed. Registered users are able to whitelist hosts permanently, they can see their whitelist in their user control panel and remove specifc hosts if needed.

The processing takes place on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and section 25 (1) of the German Telecommunications and Telemedia Data Protection Act (TTDSG), insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TTDSG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

Google reCAPTCHA

We use “Google reCAPTCHA” (hereinafter referred to as “reCAPTCHA”) on our websites. This service is provided by Google Ireland Limited („Google“), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

The purpose of reCAPTCHA is to determine whether data entered on our websites (e.g. information entered into a contact form) is being provided by a human user or by an automated program. To determine this, reCAPTCHA analyses the behaviour of the website visitors based on a variety of parameters. This analysis is triggered automatically as soon as the website visitor enters the site. For this analysis, reCAPTCHA evaluates a variety of data (e.g. IP address, time the website visitor spent on the site or cursor movements initiated by the user). The data tracked during such analyses are forwarded to Google.

reCAPTCHA analyses run entirely in the background. Website visitors are not alerted that an analysis is underway.

The data is processed on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. It is in the website operators legitimate interest to protect the operator’s web content against automated spam and other attacks. If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and section 25 (1) of the German Telecommunications and Telemedia Data Protection Act (TTDSG), insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TTDSG. This consent can be revoked at any time.

For more information about Google reCAPTCHA and Google's privacy policy, please visit the following links: https://policies.google.com/privacy and https://www.google.com/recaptcha/intro/android.html.

Discord

We provide a Discord server for our users. To use Discord, an account is necessary, please see the Discord website for more information.

To join our server, it is necessary to authorize the Modding Forum app in your Discord account through our Discord page. The app can access your unique Discord user ID, username and avatar and will automatically connect you to our server. In the Modding Forum Discord server, the app will automatically assign permissions and change your nickname to your Modding Forum username. No other personal information is transferred to our website.

The content is stored based on your consent per Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. You have the right to revoke at any time any consent you have already given us. This shall be without prejudice to the lawfulness of any data collection that occurred prior to your revocation.

Users can disconnect from our server through our Discord page. When disconnecting from our server, the connection between your Discord account and our website will be removed and any information stored will be deleted automatically.