Cookie Policy for Engel & Völkers Berlin Mitte GmbH

Cookie Policy for Engel & Völkers Berlin Mitte GmbH (hereinafter ‘Engel & Völkers’, ‘us’, or ‘we’) for the website www.engelvoelkers.com and all its sub-pages (hereinafter the ‘website’), valid from 12 September 2022.

Starting with the most important point:

The consent and settings you have undertaken upon visiting the website and its sub-pages via the consent management platform from Didomi SAS (hereinafter the ‘CMP tool’) can be revoked, whether in full or in part, with future effect at any time. To do so, please use the menu item ‘Manage cookie settings’ at the bottom of the website.

I. What data does Engel & Völkers process when the website is used?

In principle, you can use the website www.engelvoelkers.com and all its sub-pages (hereinafter the ‘website’) without registering or actively sharing personal data. Please see our Privacy Policy for further information, which can be found here: https://www.engelvoelkersberlin.com/en/private-policy/

When you visit the website, we collect a limited amount of data about the end device used and your usage behaviour in relation to our offering. We cannot connect this data to any individual person. When accessing the website, this includes the following data, for instance:

• Personal data that is transmitted by users’ internet browsers every time they access the website and is stored within log files, also known as ‘server log files’. This data includes: the IP address (internet protocol address) of the accessing computer; the name of the page accessed; the date and time of the access; the URL from which the user accessed the page; the volume of data transferred; a status notification for successful access; a session ID number;
• Personal data in the form of location data (GPS data, known as the ‘locate me’ function) that is transferred by your internet browser every time if you have activated this setting in your browser, whether as a general setting or for this specific application.

II. Usage of cookies and other tracking technologies

1. What are cookies?As on all other commercial websites, the website also uses cookies and other tracking technologies (hereinafter jointly referred to as ‘cookies’).

Cookies are small text files stored locally on the working memory or hard drive of your computer or mobile device (hereinafter ‘end device’). They fulfil a wide range of functions and can process data to various ends. If the website in question is accessed on a return visit, the user’s browser sends the content of the cookies back, enabling the user to be recognised. Third-party technologies like scripts, pixels and tags used by Engel & Völkers for advertising purposes place cookies on your end device. Certain cookies are automatically erased once the browser session has ended (known as ‘session cookies’). Others are stored in the user’s browser for a set period of time and then automatically deleted after this period has expired, or are stored permanently (known as ‘temporary’ or ‘permanent’ cookies). Many cookies contain a ‘cookie ID’. A cookie ID is an unambiguous identifier of the cookie that enables websites and servers to be assigned to the actual internet browser in which the cookie was stored. This enables the websites visited to differentiate the user’s browser from other internet browsers: cookies cannot, in principle, identify you as an individual. However, the cookie does enable your end device to be identified.

A. Types of cookies

We use various types of cookies:

(I) Technically necessary cookies

Firstly, we use technically necessary cookies to operate the website. Technically necessary cookies are required for the functionality of the website; it would not be possible to use the website, or only be possible to use it to a limited extent, without them. The user data collected by technically necessary cookies is not used to create user profiles. These cookies also include temporary cookies (session cookies). In principle, they do not collect data from your computer and are automatically erased when you close your browser.

(II) Non-technically necessary cookies

Alongside this, there are non-technically necessary cookies. These cookies fulfil a wide range of purposes, such as optimising the website, creating user profiles and displaying interest-based advertising. In principle, these purposes are analysis or marketing.

If we use cookies for analysis or marketing purposes, we process your data on the basis of your consent pursuant to Art. 6 (1) (1) (a) GDPR. You can give us your consent via the CMP tool. Alternatively, Art. 6 (1) (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interest) can also provide a legal basis for cookies for analysis or marketing purposes. Please see our CMP tool for further details (accessible via the ‘Manage cookie settings’ menu item at the bottom of the website). Here, we set out in detail the purposes for which, and on which legal basis, we use cookies for analysis or marketing purposes. Further explanations are also detailed below.

B. Managing cookies in our CMP tool

You can independently find out information about the cookies utilised when the website is used, from which service provider/partner (‘vendor’) they are specifically being offered, which of your data is processed by them and whether you would like to consent to this, and make your own decisions in this respect.

To enable you to make an informed decision in this regard, we use a process for cookie consent management (the CMP tool described above). Within the framework of this tool, you can manage your consent to the use of cookies, or to the processing and vendors mentioned within the framework of the cookie consent management process, and – if wished – revoke this consent. To this end, the declaration of consent is saved so it is not requested repeatedly and so that your consent can be proved in line with the legal obligations. It can be stored on the server side and/or in a cookie (known as an ‘opt-in cookie’, or with the use of comparable technologies) so the consent can be allocated to a user or their end device. Subject to specific details regarding the providers of cookie management services, the following information applies: the consent can be stored for up to 12 months. As part of this process, a pseudonymous user identifier is created and linked to the time of consent and details on the scope of consent (e.g. what categories of cookies and/or service providers).

The CMP tool helps you to filter the various cookies, trackers and analytics tools used by us, and potentially our vendors, by user to generate an overview, to select from them on the basis of their purpose of processing and – if desired – to deactivate them in general or in specific instances. However, technically necessary cookies, trackers and analysis tools cannot be deactivated, for the above reasons.

To access this CMP tool (or access it again), click on ‘Manage cookie settings’ (accessible via the menu item at the bottom of the website).

As mentioned above, you can use the website initially and subsequently without any non-technically necessary cookies and other tracking mechanisms. In this case, only technically necessary cookies, trackers and analysis tools that are necessary for the usage of the website remain.

Information on consent: some of the services listed in the CMP tool are deployed by our vendors or we transmit your data to these vendors. More details can be found in our CMP tool.

Information on consent: some of the services listed in the CMP tool transmit data to the USA. Data processing and data protection in the USA do not align with the standard set out in the GDPR. The services/vendors are subject to US law. This means they may be obliged to submit data to US authorities or US intelligence services if statutory requirements are met. This gives rise to certain risks for you, in particular, challenges in asserting your rights, a lack of monitoring for further processing or further disclosure of your data and the access to it by state bodies, as mentioned. More details can also be found in our CMP tool.

Please click on ‘Manage cookie settings’ to exercise your cookie settings options/your options to object in this respect.

C. Managing cookies via your browser

You can also deactivate the storage of cookies via your browser settings and erase cookies that had previously been stored in your browser at any time.

2. Summary of the purposes for which we use cookies or process personal data within web tracking

A. To create individual offerings for our services or the services of our licence partners

Provided you have given your consent under Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR, we place cookies and/or potentially process personal data like your IP address, or work with unique identifiers (a unique identifier, UID, consists of codes in the form of strings of letters and numbers), to inform you about our services. To this end, we also take into account your preferences generated by your usage behaviour on our website.

In our CMP tool, these cookies can be found under the following headings:

• Necessary

B. Usage profiles on the basis of statistical evaluations for the needs-based design of the website

We need statistical information about the usage of the online offering on the website so we can shape it or its content in a more user-friendly way and undertake market research or reach analysis. We use web analysis tools (‘tools’) for this purpose. Usage profiles are created with the aid of analysis cookies or by evaluating your log files. In principle, the providers of these tools process your data as contract processors and do not do so for their own purposes. The tools either do not use users’ IP addresses at all or truncate them immediately after collection.

The legal basis for this can be your consent (if we process your personal data, Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR is the legal basis, if we use cookies and do not process personal data, the ePrivacy Directive 2002/58 EC, or, within the Federal Republic of Germany, Section 25 II of the Telecommunications-Telemedia Data Protection Act, serves as the legal basis). Alongside this, Engel & Völkers has an overriding legitimate interest in a designing the website in a manner oriented to needs and usage habits, and in performing statistical evaluation on the website. In this instance, the legal basis for data processing is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR.

For the above purposes, we use cookies for the website and sub-pages; these cookies both include our cookies and those from third-party providers that we transmit to your computer using your web browser. They enable our systems to differentiate your browser from others. On the one hand, we transmit persistent cookies to you. On the other, we use session cookies. These cookies give you a session ID for the duration of a visit, which enables us to differentiate you from other visitors to the website.

In our CMP tool, these cookies can be found under the following headings:

• Analysis
• Advertising
• Functional

Some of the services listed in the CMP tool transmit data to the USA. Data processing and data protection in the USA do not align with the standard set out in the GDPR. The services are subject to US law. This means they may be obliged to submit data to US authorities or US intelligence services if statutory requirements are met. This gives rise to certain risks for you, in particular, challenges in asserting your rights, a lack of monitoring for further processing or further disclosure of your data and the access to it by state bodies, as mentioned. Some providers, such as Google, may also process data for their own purposes. In such cases, data is processed on the basis of your consent, see Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR.

More details can also be found in our CMP tool (accessible via the ‘Manage cookie settings’ menu item at the bottom of the website).

3. Links on social media pages

Our website may contain links to key social media networks (e.g. Facebook). These are not embedded social media plugins, but rather a link via which personal data is not transmitted to social media operators.

III. Disclosure of your personal data and potential disclosure to non-EEA countries

Please see the information within our CMP tool regarding the extent to which we pass personal data to our partners and whether these partners have their registered office in third countries.

The recipients of personal data may be located outside the EEA/UK. If personal data is transmitted to locations outside the EEA/UK, we will ensure, as required by law, that your data protection rights are appropriately protected, either because the European Commission has decided that the country to which personal data is being transmitted safeguards an appropriate level of protection (Art. 45 GDPR) or the transmission is subject to the appropriate guarantees (e.g. standard contractual clauses) of the European Union as agreed with the recipient (Art. 46 GDPR), subject to the condition that the GDPR does not provide for an exception (Art. 49 GDPR). Besides this, we intend to agree additional measures with recipients, to the extent necessary, to ensure an appropriate level of data protection. It is possible to request copies of the appropriate protective measures (provided we have undertaken the same) and a list of recipients outside the EEA/United Kingdom. Please note that these copies may be redacted to the extent necessary to protect business secrets or other confidential information.

IV. Storage and erasure of data

Engel & Völkers stores your personal data for the period required to fulfil the purpose for which the data was collected and processed, including any retention period required under applicable law (e.g. retention of accounting documentation). Please see our CMP tool for further information on storage durations.

V. Privacy Policy

Our Privacy Policy provides information on various topics, including responsibilities, our contact details and your rights in terms of data processing: https://www.engelvoelkersberlin.com/en/private-policy/