We are very pleased about your interest in our company. The management of TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH attaches great importance to data protection. A use of the internet pages of TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH is basically possible without any indication of personal data. However, if a person concerned would like to use special services of our company via our internet site, it might be necessary to process personal data. If it is necessary to process personal data and there is no legal basis for such processing, we generally obtain the consent of the person concerned.

The processing of personal data, such as the name, address, e-mail address or telephone number of a data subject, is always carried out in accordance with the basic data protection regulation and in compliance with the country-specific data protection regulations applicable to TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH. By means of this privacy policy our company would like to inform the public about the type, scope and purpose of the personal data collected, used and processed by us. Furthermore, this data protection declaration informs affected persons about the rights to which they are entitled.

TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH, as the person responsible for processing, has implemented numerous technical and organizational measures to ensure the most complete protection possible of the personal data processed via this website. Nevertheless, Internet-based data transmissions can generally have security gaps, so that absolute protection cannot be guaranteed. For this reason, every person concerned is free to transmit personal data to us by alternative means, such as by telephone.

1. definitions of terms
The data protection declaration of TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH is based on the terminology used by the European guidelines and ordinances when the basic data protection regulation (DS-GVO) was issued. Our data protection declaration should be easy to read and understand both for the public and for our customers and business partners. To ensure this, we would like to explain the terms used in advance.

We use the following terms, among others, in this data protection declaration:

(a) personal data
Personal data means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter referred to as ‘data subject’). An identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier, or one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.

(b) data subject
Data subject means any identified or identifiable natural person whose personal data are processed by the controller.

(c) processing
Processing is any operation or set of operations, performed upon personal data, whether or not by automatic means, such as collection, recording, organisation, organisation, filing, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, restriction, erasure or destruction.

(d) Restriction of processing
Restriction of processing is the marking of stored personal data with the aim of limiting their future processing.

(e) profiling
Profiling is any automated processing of personal data consisting of the use of such personal data to evaluate certain personal aspects relating to a natural person, in particular to analyse or predict aspects relating to that natural person’s performance at work, economic situation, health, personal preferences, interests, reliability, conduct, location or change of location.

(f) Pseudonymisation
Pseudonymisation is the processing of personal data in such a way that the personal data can no longer be attributed to a specific data subject without the use of additional information, provided that this additional information is stored separately and is subject to technical and organisational measures that ensure that the data is not disclosed to third parties.

(g) Controller or data controller
Controller or data controller shall mean the natural or legal person, public authority, agency or any other body which alone or jointly with others determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data. Where the purposes and means of such processing are determined by Union law or by the law of the Member States, provision may be made for the controller or for the specific criteria for his or her designation in accordance with Union law or the law of the Member States.

(h) Processor
Processor is a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which processes personal data on behalf of the controller.

(i) recipient
The recipient is a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body to whom personal data are disclosed, whether or not it is a third party. However, authorities which may receive personal data in the course of a specific investigation, in accordance with Union or national law, shall not be considered as recipients.

(j) third parties
Third party means any natural or legal person, public authority, agency or body other than the data subject, the controller, the processor and the persons who, under the direct authority of the controller or the processor, are authorized to process the personal data.

(k) Consent
Consent shall mean any freely given specific and informed expression of the data subject’s will in an informed and unequivocal manner, in the form of a declaration or other unequivocal affirmative act by which the data subject signifies his or her consent to the processing of personal data relating to him or her.

2. the name and address of the controller
The person responsible within the meaning of the basic data protection regulation, other data protection laws applicable in the member states of the European Union and other provisions of a data protection nature is the:

TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH
Industriestr. 15
70565 Stuttgart / Deutschland
Tel.: +49711131620
E-Mail: info@tao-group.de
Website: www.tao-group.de

3. collection of general data and information

The website of TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH collects a number of general data and information every time a data subject or automated system accesses the website. These general data and information are stored in the log files of the server. The (1) browser types and versions used, (2) the operating system used by the accessing system, (3) the website from which an accessing system accesses our website (so-called referrer), (4) the sub-websites that are accessed via an accessing system on our website, (5) the date and time of an access to the Internet site, (6) an Internet Protocol address (IP address), (7) the Internet service provider of the accessing system and (8) other similar data and information which serve to prevent danger in the event of attacks on our information technology systems.

When using this general data and information TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH does not draw any conclusions about the person concerned. This information is rather required to (1) deliver the contents of our website correctly, (2) optimize the contents of our website as well as the advertising for it, (3) to ensure the permanent functionality of our information technology systems and the technology of our website as well as (4) to provide law enforcement agencies in case of a cyber attack with the information necessary for prosecution. These anonymously collected data and information are therefore statistically evaluated by TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH on the one hand and furthermore with the aim of increasing data protection and data security in our company, in order to ultimately ensure an optimal level of protection for the personal data processed by us. The anonymous data of the server log files are stored separately from all personal data provided by a person concerned.

4. routine deletion and blocking of personal data
The controller shall process and store personal data relating to the data subject only for the time necessary to achieve the purpose of storage or where provided for by the European Directive and Regulation or by any other law or regulation to which the controller is subject.

If the purpose of storage ceases to apply or if a storage period prescribed by the European Directive and Regulation Giver or any other competent legislator expires, the personal data will be blocked or deleted as a matter of routine and in accordance with the statutory provisions.

5. rights of the data subject

(a) Right to confirmation
Every data subject has the right, granted by the European Directives and Regulations, to obtain confirmation from the controller as to whether personal data relating to him are being processed. If a data subject wishes to exercise this right of confirmation, he or she may at any time contact our Data Protection Officer or any other employee of the controller.

b) Right of access
Any person affected by the processing of personal data has the right, granted by the European Directives and Regulations, to obtain at any time and free of charge from the controller information on the personal data stored in relation to him or her and a copy thereof. Furthermore, the European Directive and Regulation Giver has granted the data subject access to the following information:

• the processing purposes
• the categories of personal data processed
• the recipients or categories of recipients to whom the personal data have been or will be disclosed, in particular to recipients in third countries or to international organisations
• if possible, the planned duration for which the personal data will be stored or, if this is not possible, the criteria for determining this duration
• the existence of a right of rectification or erasure of personal data relating to them or of a right of objection to their processing by the controller
• the existence of a right of appeal to a supervisory authority
• if the personal data are not collected from the data subject: All available information on the origin of the data
• the existence of automated decision-making, including profiling, in accordance with Article 22(1) and (4) of the DPA and, at least in these cases, meaningful information about the logic involved and the scope and intended impact of such processing on the data subject

The data subject shall also have the right to obtain information as to whether personal data have been transferred to a third country or to an international organisation. If this is the case, the data subject shall also have the right to obtain information on the appropriate safeguards in relation to the transfer.

If a data subject wishes to exercise this right of access, he or she may at any time contact our Data Protection Officer or any other employee of the controller.

c) Right of rectification

Every person concerned by the processing of personal data has the right, granted by the European legislator, to request the rectification without delay of inaccurate personal data concerning him. Furthermore, the data subject shall have the right to request the completion of incomplete personal data, including by means of a supplementary declaration, having regard to the purposes of the processing.

If a data subject wishes to exercise this right of rectification, he or she may at any time contact our Data Protection Officer or any other member of staff of the controller.

d) Right of deletion (right to be forgotten)
Any person affected by the processing of personal data has the right, granted by the European Directives and Regulations, to obtain from the controller the immediate erasure of personal data relating to him/her, where one of the following reasons applies and provided that the processing is not necessary:

• The personal data has been collected or otherwise processed for purposes for which it is no longer necessary.
• The data subject withdraws the consent on which the processing was based under Article 6(1)(a) of the DPA or Article 9(2)(a) of the DPA, and there is no other legal basis for the processing.
• The data subject lodges an objection to the processing pursuant to Article 21(1) DPA and there are no overriding legitimate reasons for the processing, or the data subject lodges an objection to the processing pursuant to Article 21(2) DPA.
• The personal data were processed unlawfully.
• The deletion of the personal data is necessary to comply with a legal obligation under Union law or the law of the Member States to which the controller is subject.
• The personal data were collected in relation to information society services offered in accordance with Article 8 (1) DS-GVO.

If any of the above reasons apply and a data subject wishes to have personal data stored by TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH deleted, he/she may contact our data protection officer or any other employee of the data controller at any time. The data protection officer of TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH or another employee will arrange for the deletion request to be complied with immediately.

If the personal data has been made public by TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH and our company is responsible as data controller in accordance with Art. 17 Para. 1 DS-GVO, TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH will take reasonable measures, including technical measures, taking into account the available technology and the implementation costs, to inform other data controllers who process the published personal data that the data subject has requested that these other data controllers delete all links to this personal data or copies or replications of this personal data, unless the processing is necessary. The data protection officer of TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH or another employee will arrange the necessary steps in individual cases.

e) Right to limit processing
Any person affected by the processing of personal data has the right, granted by the European Directives and Regulations, to request the controller to restrict the processing if one of the following conditions is met:

the accuracy of the personal data is contested by the data subject, for a period of time sufficient to enable the controller to verify the accuracy of the personal data.

The controller no longer needs the personal data for the purposes of the processing, but the data subject needs them in order to assert, exercise or defend legal claims.

The data subject has lodged an objection to the processing in accordance with Article 21 (1) of the DPA and it is not yet clear whether the legitimate reasons given by the controller outweigh those of the data subject.
If one of the above-mentioned conditions is met and a data subject wishes to request the restriction of personal data stored at TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH, he/she may contact our data protection officer or another employee of the data controller at any time. The data protection officer of TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH or another employee will initiate the restriction of the processing.

(f) Right to data portability
Every person concerned by the processing of personal data has the right, granted by the European Directives and Regulations, to receive the personal data concerning him/her which have been provided by the data subject to a controller in a structured, common and machine-readable format. He/she also has the right to have this data communicated to another controller without hindrance by the controller to whom the personal data has been made available, provided that the processing is based on the consent pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) DPA or Art. 9(2)(a) DPA or on a contract pursuant to Art. 6(1)(b) DPA and that the processing is carried out by means of automated procedures, unless the processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.

Furthermore, when exercising their right to data transferability in accordance with Art. 20 Paragraph 1 FADP, the data subject has the right to obtain that personal data be transferred directly from one controller to another controller, insofar as this is technically feasible and provided that this does not adversely affect the rights and freedoms of other persons.

In order to assert the right to data transfer, the person concerned can contact the data protection officer appointed by TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH or another employee at any time.

g) Right of opposition
Every person concerned by the processing of personal data has the right, granted by the European legislator for directives and regulations, to object at any time, for reasons arising from his or her particular situation, to the processing of personal data concerning him or her that is carried out on the basis of Article 6(1)(e) or (f) of the DPA. This also applies to profiling based on these provisions.

In the event of an objection, TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH will no longer process the personal data, unless we can prove compelling reasons for processing worthy of protection which outweigh the interests, rights and freedoms of the data subject, or the processing serves to assert, exercise or defend legal claims.

If TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH processes personal data for the purpose of direct marketing, the data subject has the right to object at any time to the processing of personal data for the purpose of such marketing. This also applies to profiling, insofar as it is related to such direct marketing. If the data subject objects to TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH processing for direct marketing purposes, TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH will no longer process the personal data for these purposes.

In addition, the data subject has the right to object, for reasons arising from his or her particular situation, to the processing of personal data concerning him or her being carried out at TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH for scientific or historical research purposes or for statistical purposes in accordance with Article 89, paragraph 1 of the DS-GVO, unless such processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest.

To exercise the right of objection the data subject may directly contact the data protection officer of TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH or another employee. The data subject is also free to exercise his or her right of objection in connection with the use of information society services, notwithstanding Directive 2002/58/EC, by means of automated procedures involving technical specifications.

(h) Automated case-by-case decisions including profiling
Every person concerned by the processing of personal data has the right, as granted by the European Directives and Regulations, not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal effects concerning him or her or significantly affects him or her in a similar way, provided that the decision (1) is not necessary for the conclusion or performance of a contract between the data subject and the controller, or (2) is authorised by Union or national law to which the controller is subject and that such law provides for adequate safeguards with respect to the rights and freedoms and legitimate interests of the data subject, or (3) is accompanied by an explicit statement to that effect.

If the decision (1) is necessary for the conclusion or performance of a contract between the data subject and the data controller or (2) is made with the explicit consent of the data subject, TAO Trans Atmospheric Operations GmbH shall take reasonable measures to safeguard the rights and freedoms as well as the legitimate interests of the data subject, which shall include at least the right to obtain the intervention of a person from the data controller, to present his point of view and to challenge the decision.

If the data subject wishes to exercise rights relating to automated decisions, he or she may at any time contact our Data Protection Officer or any other member of staff of the controller.

i) Right to withdraw consent under data protection law

Every person affected by the processing of personal data has the right, granted by the European Directive and Regulation Giver, to revoke his or her consent to the processing of personal data at any time.

If the data subject wishes to exercise his or her right to withdraw consent, he or she may at any time contact our Data Protection Officer or any other employee of the controller.

6. data protection for applications and in the application process
The controller collects and processes the personal data of applicants for the purpose of processing the application procedure. The processing may also be carried out by electronic means. This is particularly the case if an applicant submits the relevant application documents to the controller electronically, for example by e-mail or via a web form on the website. If the data controller concludes an employment contract with an applicant, the transmitted data is stored for the purpose of processing the employment relationship in compliance with the statutory provisions. If the controller does not conclude an employment contract with the applicant, the application documents shall be automatically deleted two months after notification of the rejection decision, unless deletion is contrary to any other legitimate interests of the controller. Other legitimate interests in this sense include, for example, a duty of proof in proceedings under the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG).

7. legal basis of the processing
Art. 6 I lit. a DS-GVO serves our company as a legal basis for processing operations for which we obtain consent for a specific processing purpose. If the processing of personal data is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is a party, as is the case, for example, with processing operations necessary for the supply of goods or the provision of another service or consideration, the processing is based on Art. 6 I lit. b DS-GVO. The same applies to such processing operations which are necessary for the implementation of pre-contractual measures, for example in cases of enquiries about our products or services. If our company is subject to a legal obligation which makes it necessary to process personal data, for example to fulfil tax obligations, the processing is based on Art. 6 I lit. c DS-GVO. In rare cases, the processing of personal data may be necessary to protect the vital interests of the data subject or another natural person. This would be the case, for example, if a visitor to our company was injured and his or her name, age, health insurance details or other vital information had to be disclosed to a doctor, hospital or other third party. The processing would then be based on Art. 6 I lit. d DS-GVO. Finally, processing operations could be based on Art. 6 I lit. f DS-GVO. Processing operations which are not covered by any of the above legal bases are based on this legal basis if the processing is necessary to safeguard a legitimate interest of our company or of a third party, provided that the interests, fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject do not prevail. We are permitted to carry out such processing operations in particular because they have been specifically mentioned by the European legislator. In this respect, it took the view that a legitimate interest could be assumed if the data subject is a customer of the controller (Recital 47 sentence 2 DS-GVO).

8. legitimate interests in the processing pursued by the controller or a third party
If the processing of personal data is based on Article 6 I lit. f DS-GVO, our legitimate interest is to carry out our business activities for the benefit of the well-being of all our employees and our shareholders.

9. the duration for which the personal data are stored
The criterion for the duration of storage of personal data is the respective legal retention period. After expiry of this period, the corresponding data is routinely deleted, provided that it is no longer required for the fulfilment of the contract or the initiation of a contract.

10. legal or contractual provisions on the provision of personal data; necessity for the conclusion of the contract; obligation of the data subject to provide the personal data; possible consequences of not providing the data
We would like to inform you that the provision of personal data is partly required by law (e.g. tax regulations) or can also result from contractual regulations (e.g. information on the contractual partner). Sometimes it may be necessary for a contract to be concluded that a data subject provides us with personal data, which must subsequently be processed by us. For example, the person concerned is obliged to provide us with personal data if our company concludes a contract with him/her. Failure to provide the personal data would mean that the contract with the person concerned could not be concluded. Before the person concerned makes personal data available, he or she must contact our data protection officer. Our data protection officer will inform the data subject on a case-by-case basis whether the provision of the personal data is required by law or contract or is necessary for the conclusion of the contract, whether there is an obligation to provide the personal data and what the consequences would be if the personal data were not provided.

11. existence of automated decision making
As a responsible company, we avoid automatic decision making or profiling.

This data protection declaration was created by the data protection declaration generator of the DGD Deutsche Gesellschaft für Datenschutz GmbH, which conducts data protection audits, in cooperation with the media law firm  Medienrechtskanzlei WILDE BEUGER SOLMECKE.