Privacy policy | Flowcontrol systems for car washes

1. Controller and legal basis

Controller

Florian Hofmann
Flowcontrol by Florian Hofmann
Johannisstraße 13a
93059 Regensburg, Germany
Email: datenschutz@flowcontrol.de
Phone: +49 174 6010390

Legal basis for processing

We process your personal data on the following legal bases under Article 6 GDPR:

Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)) — business communication and service provision
Performance of a contract (Art. 6(1)(b)) — performance of our service agreements
Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) — marketing communication and optional services
Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)) — compliance with German and EU regulations

2. Information we collect

We only collect the information you provide to us voluntarily through our contact form :

Contact form data

When you fill in our contact form, we collect:

First and last name (required fields)
Email address (required field)
Phone number (optional)
Company (optional)
Message text (required field)

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in handling your enquiry) and Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (steps prior to entering into a contract)

Retention period: See section 7, “Data retention”

Server log files

Each time our website is accessed, our system automatically records data and information from the requesting device. The following data is collected:

IP address of the user
Date and time of the request
Page or file requested
HTTP status code (success/error)
Referrer URL (previously visited page)
Browser type and version
Operating system of the user
Volume of data transferred

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in the technical provision and security of the website)

Purpose: System security, error analysis, spam prevention, protection against misuse

Retention period: 7 days, then deleted automatically

Server location: EU (Cyprus) — hosting by HOSTINGER INTERNATIONAL LTD

Contact by email

If you contact us directly by email (info@flowcontrol.de or datenschutz@flowcontrol.de), we store:

Email address
Name (if provided)
Content of the message
Date and time of the message

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in handling your enquiry)

Retention period: See section 7, “Data retention”

3. How we use your information

We use the information collected through the contact form exclusively for:

Primary use

Handling enquiries: replying to your enquiry by email or telephone
Preparing quotes: providing information about our services
Arranging appointments: coordinating consultation or service appointments
Business communication: discussing potential business relationships

Legal basis

Processing is based on your legitimate interest in initiating a business relationship (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) and on steps prior to entering into a contract (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR).

No marketing without consent

We do not use your data for advertising or newsletters unless you expressly agree to it. Contact form data is used only to handle your enquiry directly.

4. Sharing and disclosure of information

We do not sell, trade or rent your personal data to third parties.

Recipients of your data

Your contact form data is passed on to the following recipients:

Hosting provider: HOSTINGER INTERNATIONAL LTD, 61 Lordou Vironos Street, Lumiel Building, 4th floor, 6023 Larnaca, Cyprus
Purpose: technical provision of the website and server operation
Email provider: HOSTINGER INTERNATIONAL LTD, 61 Lordou Vironos Street, Lumiel Building, 4th floor, 6023 Larnaca, Cyprus
Purpose: delivering your enquiry to our team
Authorised staff: to handle your business enquiry

All recipients are contractually obliged to comply with the GDPR (data processing agreements under Art. 28 GDPR). The hosting provider is located in the EU (Cyprus).

No data transfer to third-party providers

We use exclusively self-hosted resources. Your IP address is not transmitted to external providers such as Google Fonts, CDN services or other tracking services. All website resources are loaded from our own server.

Legal obligations

We may only disclose your information where this is required by law (for example in response to official requests or court orders).

5. Data security

We take the security of your personal data seriously and implement appropriate measures to protect it:

Technical safeguards

Encryption of data in transit and at rest
Secure servers and database protection
Regular security updates and patches
Access controls and authentication systems
Network security monitoring

Organisational safeguards

Staff training on data protection
Limited access to personal data on a need-to-know basis
Regular security audits and assessments
Incident response procedures

Important note

Although we implement robust security measures, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we undertake to protect your information using standard industry practices.

6. Your data protection rights (GDPR)

You have a number of rights regarding your personal data:

Your rights under the GDPR

Right of access (Art. 15)

Request access to your personal data and information about the processing

Right to rectification (Art. 16)

Correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data

Right to erasure (Art. 17)

Request deletion of your personal data under certain conditions

Right to data portability (Art. 20)

Receive your data in a structured, commonly used format

Right to object (Art. 21)

Object to processing based on legitimate interests or to direct marketing

Right to restriction of processing (Art. 18)

Restrict the use of your personal data in certain circumstances

Right to lodge a complaint

You have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. The authority responsible for us is the Bavarian Data Protection Authority (Bayerisches Landesamt für Datenschutzaufsicht, BayLDA), Promenade 18, 91522 Ansbach: www.lda.bayern.de. You may also contact the supervisory authority in your country of residence.

Communication preferences

Unsubscribe from marketing communication at any time
Choose your preferred communication channels
Update your preferences for how often we get in touch

How to exercise your rights

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at:

Email: datenschutz@flowcontrol.de
Phone: +49 174 6010390
Post: Flowcontrol by Florian Hofmann, Data Protection Officer, Johannisstraße 13a, 93059 Regensburg

We will respond to your request within 30 days.

7. Data retention

We keep your contact form data only for as long as it is needed to handle your enquiry:

Retention periods

Enquiries without a resulting contract: 2 years after the last communication
Business communication resulting in a contract: 10 years (under section 257 of the German Commercial Code)
Email correspondence: according to the business relationship in question
Contact details without business interest: deleted on request

No permanent storage on your device

Because our website itself uses no user accounts, cookies or tracking, no data is stored permanently on your device. Exception: if you load YouTube videos, YouTube sets cookies (see section 9).

8. Third-party services and cookies

✅ Privacy-friendly hosting — no third parties loading automatically

This website itself uses no automatically loading external third-party services. All resources (fonts, styling, JavaScript) are loaded exclusively from our own server.

No cookies: This website sets no cookies or tracking tools of its own. The only exception: if you explicitly click “load video” on a YouTube video (see section 9).

9. YouTube videos (opt-in)

As a rule, our website uses no external third-party services. The exception is YouTube videos, which you can load on some product pages with your explicit consent :

⚠️ YouTube videos (consent required)

On some product pages we offer the option of loading YouTube videos with your consent. Important: Videos are only loaded after you explicitly click “Accept and play”.

Provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland (parent company: Google LLC, USA)
Data transfer: Your IP address, browser information and device data are transmitted to Google/YouTube
Third-country transfer: Data may be transferred to the USA (adequacy decision under Art. 45 GDPR — EU-US Data Privacy Framework)
Cookies: Once the video has loaded, YouTube sets tracking cookies in your browser (for example CONSENT, VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE, YSC)
Purpose of the processing: Video playback, analysis of user behaviour, personalised advertising by Google
Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR (your explicit consent by clicking “Accept and play”)

✅ Privacy-friendly implementation

No automatic loading: videos are NOT loaded automatically when the page opens
No thumbnails from YouTube: we show only a generic placeholder, no YouTube preview images
Explicit consent: contact with YouTube is made only after you click “Accept and play”
Privacy notice: before every video we inform you about the data transfer to Google
Link to Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

🔒 Your rights and withdrawal

Withdrawing consent: you can withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the YouTube cookies in your browser settings
Alternative: videos do not have to be loaded — all information is available without them
Google account: if you are signed in to Google/YouTube, further data may be linked to your account
Your controls: you can manage advertising settings and data use in your Google account settings

⚠️ Note on data processing by Google

Google may combine the data collected via YouTube with other Google services (for example Search, Gmail, Android) and use it for its own purposes (advertising, profiling). This processing takes place outside our control and in accordance with Google's privacy policy.

10. International data transfers

As a German company we process your data in principle in Germany or the EU:

Processing in Germany

Contact form data: processed exclusively in Germany
Email communication: via German or EU-based email providers
No third-country transfers of your contact details without your consent

⚠️ Third-country transfers only with consent (YouTube)

In principle we process your data exclusively in Germany or the EU. The exception is YouTube:

YouTube videos: if you click “Accept and play”, data is transmitted to Google/YouTube and may be processed in the USA
Legal basis for the transfer to the USA: adequacy decision of the EU Commission under Art. 45 GDPR (EU-US Data Privacy Framework)
Your control: by clicking “Accept and play” you decide whether a transfer takes place
Alternative: all information is available without loading the videos

Important: Without your click on “Accept and play”, NO data is transferred to the USA. Your contact form data stays 100% in Germany/the EU.

11. Changes to this privacy policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements or other factors. When we make changes, we will:

update the “last updated” date at the top of this policy
notify you of material changes by email or by a notice on the website
give you reasonable time to review the changes

We encourage you to review this privacy policy regularly to stay informed about how your information is protected.

12. Contact details

If you have questions, concerns or requests regarding this privacy policy or our data protection practices, please contact us:

Flowcontrol by Florian Hofmann

Data protection contact: Florian Hofmann

Email: datenschutz@flowcontrol.de

Phone: +49 174 6010390

Business hours: Monday to Friday, 9am–4pm

Response time: We aim to answer all data protection enquiries within 30 days

We undertake to address your concerns and to protect your data protection rights in accordance with applicable data protection law.