Combionic Privacy Statement
Latest actualization: February 2014
This privacy statement applies to Combionic websites, services and products which collect data and
display these terms, as well as their offline product support services. It does not apply to Websites,
services and products which do not display or link to this statement or which have their own privacy
statements.
1. Cookies & Similar Technologies
Most Combionic websites use "cookies," small text files which can be read by a web server in the domain which puts
the cookie on your hard drive. We may use cookies to store your preferences and settings; help with sign-in;
provide targeted ads; to combat fraud; and analyze site operations.
We also use web beacons to help deliver cookies and compile analytics. These may include third-party web beacons,
which are prohibited from collecting your personal information. You have a variety of tools to control cookies and
similar technologies, including:
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Browser controls to block and delete cookies;
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Advertising controls, including Combionic’s controls and
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Controls from some analytics providers to opt out of data collection in web beacons.
Our Use of Cookies
Cookies contain text which can be read by a web server in the domain which issued the cookie to you. That text often
consists of a string of numbers and letters which uniquely identifies your computer, but may contain other
information as well. Here is an example of a unique ID number stored in a cookie which Combionic might place on
your device when you visit one of our web sites: E3732CA7E319442F97EA48A170C99801
We may use cookies for:
Storing your preferences and settings. If you enter your city or postal code to get local news or weather
information on a Combionic site, we may store that city or postal code in a cookie so that you will see the
relevant local information when you return to the site. This can save you time by eliminating the need to
repeatedly enter the same information every time you visit the site.
Sign-in and Authentication
When you sign in to a site or service using your Combionic account, we store your unique ID number, and the time
you signed in, in an encrypted cookie on your hard disk. This cookie allows you to move from page to page at the
site with-out having to sign in again on each page. When you sign out, these cookies are deleted from your
computer. We also use cookies to improve the sign-in experience. For example, your e-mail address may be stored
in a cookie that will remain on your computer after you sign out. This cookie allows your e-mail address to be
pre-populated, so that you will only need to type your password the next time you sign in. If you are using a
public computer or do not want this information to be stored, you can select the appropriate radio button on the
sign-in page, and this cookie will not be used.
Site Analytics
Combionic may use cookies to count the number of unique visitors to a web page or service or to develop other aggregate
statistics about the operations of our sites and services. These analytics help us operate and improve the
performance of these sites and services.
Some of the cookies Combionic commonly uses are listed in the following chart. This list is not exhaustive, but it is
intended to illustrate the reasons why cookies are typically set. If you visit one of our web sites, the site may set
some or all of the fol-lowing cookies:
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MUID: Identifies unique browsers to Combionic sites. It is used for advertising, site analytics and other operational purposes.
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CC: Contains a country code as determined by reverse IP address lookup.
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Combionic-Konto-Authentifizierung: Authentication cookies (e.g., RPSTAuth, MSNRPSAuth, KievRPSAuth) used when a user signs in with a Combionic account.
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NAP: Contains an encrypted version of the user’s country, postal code, age, gender, language and occupa-tion, if known, based on the user’s Combionic account profile.
In addition to the cookies Combionic may set when you visit our web sites, third parties may also set certain
cookies on your device when you visit Combionic sites. In some cases, that is because we have hired the third
party to provide certain services on our behalf, such as site analytics. In other cases, it is because our web
pages contain content or ads from third parties, such as videos, news content or ads delivered by other ad
networks. Because your browser connects to those third parties’ web servers to retrieve that content, those
third parties are able to set or read their own cookies on your device and may collect information about your
online activities across websites or online services.
HOW TO CONTROL COOKIES
BROWSER CONTROLS TO BLOCK COOKIES:
Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to block cookies.
For example, in Internet Explorer 11, you may block cookies by taking the following steps:
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Click "Tools" and then select "Internet Options"
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Click the "Privacy" tab at the top of the window
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Move the slider up or down to indicate the rules you want to apply for blocking cookies
Instructions for blocking cookies in other browsers are available at each browser’s privacy statement. Please be
aware that if you choose to block cookies, you may not be able to sign in or use other interactive features of
Coimbionic sites and services that depend on cookies, and some advertising preferences that are dependent on
cookies may not be able to be respected.
BROWSER CONTROLS TO DELETE COOKIES:
If you accept cookies, you can delete them later. For example, in Internet Explorer 11, you may delete cookies by taking the following steps:
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Click "Tools" and then select "Internet Options"
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On the "General" tab, under "Browsing History," click the "Delete" button
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On the pop-up, select the box next to “Cookies”
Instructions for deleting cookies in other browsers are available at each browser’s privacy statement. Please be
aware that if you choose to delete cookies, any settings and preferences controlled by those cookies, including
advertising preferences, will be deleted and may need to be recreated. Browser Controls for “Do Not Track” and
Tracking Protection. Some newer browsers have incorporated “Do Not Track” features. Most of these features, when
turned on, send a signal or preference to the web sites you visit indicating that you do not wish to be tracked.
Those sites (or the third party content on those sites) may continue to engage in activities you might view as
tracking even though you have expressed this preference, depending on the sites’ privacy practices. Because there
is not yet a common understanding of how to interpret the DNT signal, Combionic does currently not respond to the
browser DNT signals on its own websites.
Internet Explorer (versions 9 and up) have a feature called Tracking Protection that helps prevent the web sites
you go to from automatically sending details about your visit to third-party content providers. When you add a
Tracking Protection List, Internet Explorer will block third-party content, including cookies, from any site
that is listed as a site to be blocked. By limiting calls to these sites, Internet Explorer will limit the
information these third-party sites can collect about you. For more information about Tracking Protection
Lists and Do Not Track, please see the Internet Explorer Privacy Statement or Internet Explorer Help.
OUR USE OF WEB BEACONS
Combionic web pages may contain electronic images known as web beacons - sometimes called single-pixel gifs - that
may be used to help deliver cookies on our sites, let us count users who have visited those pages and deliver
co-branded services. We may include web beacons in our promotional e-mail messages or newsletters to determine
whether messages have been opened and acted upon.
Combionic may also work with other companies that advertise on Combionic sites to place web beacons on their sites or in
their advertisements to let us develop statistics on how often clicking on an advertisement on a Combionic site
results in a purchase or other action on the advertiser's site. Finally, Combionic sites may contain web beacons
from third parties to help us compile aggregated statistics regarding the effectiveness of our promotional
campaigns or other web site operations. These web beacons may allow the third parties to set or read a cookie
on your computer. These com-panies may collect information about your online activities across websites or online
servers, however, we prohibit third parties from using web beacons on our sites to collect or access your personal
information.
You may be able to opt out from data collection or use by these third-party analytics companies by clicking the
links for each of the following analytics providers:
OTHER SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES
In addition to standard cookies and web beacons, web sites can use other technologies to store and read data files
on your computer. This may be done to maintain your preferences or to improve speed and performance by storing
certain files locally. But, like standard cookies, it can also be used to store a unique identifier for your
computer, which can then be used to track behavior. These technologies include Local Shared Objects (or "Flash
cookies"), HTML5 Local Storage and Silverlight Application Storage.
Local Shared Objects or "Flash cookies." Web sites that use Adobe Flash technologies may use Local Shared Objects
or "Flash cookies" to store data on your computer. Note that the ability to clear Flash cookies may or may not be
controlled by your browser setting for standard cookies as that may vary by browser. To manage or block Flash
cookies, go to
http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager.html .
Silverlight Application Storage. Web sites or applications that use Microsoft Silverlight technology also have the
ability to store data by using Silverlight Application Storage.
2. Information collected by Combionic
Combionic collects many kinds of information in order to operate effectively and provide you with the best products,
services and experiences it can. Some of this information you are directly providing to us. Some of it we get by
observing how you interact with our products and services. Some of it is available from other sources that we
may combine with the data we collect directly. Regardless of the source, we believe it's important to treat that
information with care and to help you maintain your privacy.
What we collect and how:
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Registration - When you sign up to use our sites or services you may be required to provide information
about yourself, such as your name, date of birth and postal code.
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Signing in - To access some Combionic services, you will need to sign in with an e-mail address and
password, to which we refer as your Combionic account. If you access our services via a mobile phone,
you may also use your telephone number and a PIN as an alternative credential to your username and
password. By signing in on one Combionic site or service, you may be automatically signed into other
Combionic sites and services that use Combionic account.
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Using our sites and services - We collect information that tells us how you interact with our services,
including the browser you're using, your IP address, location, cookies or other unique IDs, the pages
you visit and features you use.
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Data from other sources - We may get additional information about you, such as demographic data we
purchase from other companies.
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Web forms, such as when you type information into a registration form or type a search query into a search box.
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Technologies like cookies and web beacons
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Web logging, which enables us to collect the standard information your browser sends to every web site you
visit - such as your IP address, browser type and language, and the site you came from - as well as the
pages you visit and the links you click while using our sites and services.
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Software installed on your computer or other device, which may send back information needed to operate,
update or improve that software.
3. How Combionic Uses Your Personal Information
Combionic uses the information it collects to operate, improve and personalize the products and services offered.
Information collected through a Combionic service may be combined with information collected through other
Combionic services to give you a more consistent and personalized experience in your interactions with us.
We may also supplement this with information from other companies. For example, we may use services from other
companies to help us derive a general geographic area based on your IP address in order to customize certain
services to your geographic area.
We also may use the information to communicate with you, for example, informing you when a subscription is ending,
letting you know when security updates are available or letting you know when you need to take action to keep
your account active.
4. Reasons Combionic Shares Your Personal Information
Except as described in this privacy statement, Combionic won’t disclose your personal information to a third party without your consent. Exceptions:
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Within Combionic affiliates and subsidiaries
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As part of a merger or sale of a business
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With vendors and agents of Combionic
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When required by law or to respond to legal process or lawful requests, including from law enforcement or
other government agencies
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When required to combat fraud or protect our interests
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To protect life and safety
If you have further questions, please contact us by phone +49 (0)30 8321 7950 or write us
Combionic GmbH
Datenschutz/Privacy
Bundesallee 28
10717 Berlin / Deutschland
5. Communication Preferences
If you receive promotional e-mails from us and would like to stop getting them in the future, you can do so by
following the directions in that message. Depending on the respective service, you may also have the option of
proactively making choices about the receipt of promotional e-mail, telephone calls, and postal mail from
particular Combionic sites or services by visiting and signing into the following pages:
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Combionic’s Communications Manager allows you to update contact information, manage Combionic wide
contact preferences, opt out of subscriptions, and choose whether to share your contact information
with Combionic partners.
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If you do not have a Combionic account, you can manage your Combionic email communication preferences by
using this web form.
6. Location Based Services
When you use a location based service or feature, available cell tower data, Wi-Fi data and Global Position System
(GPS) data may be sent to Combionic. Combionic uses location information to provide the services you request,
personalize your experience and improve Combionic products and services. Certain services may allow you to control
when location information is sent to Combionic or made available to others. In some cases, location information
is essential to the service and may require uninstalling the feature or discontinuing the service to stop the
sending of location information. Refer to the documentation that came with your device for information about
how to turn off location features.
7. Support Data
Support Data is the information Combionic collects when you submit a support request or run an automated troubleshooter,
including information about hardware, software, and other details related to the support incident, such as:
contact or authentication information, chat session personalization, information about the condition of the
machine and the application from when the fault occurred and during diagnostics, system and registry data about
software installations and hardware configurations, and error-tracking files. We use Support Data as described in
this privacy statement, and additionally use it to resolve your support incident and for training purposes.
Support may be provided through phone, e-mail, or online chat. Combionic may use Remote Access (RA), with your permission,
to temporarily navigate your desktop. Phone conversations, online chat sessions, or Remote Access sessions with
support professionals may be recorded and/or monitored. For RA, you may also access the recording after your
session. For Online Chat or RA, you may end a session at any time of your choosing.
Following a support incident, Combionic may send you a survey about your experience and offerings. You must opt-out of
support surveys separately from other communications provided by Combionic, by contacting Support or through the
e-mail footer.
To review and edit your personal information collected through our support services, please contact us by using
our Web form. Some business customers may purchase enhanced support offerings (e.g. Premier etc.). These offerings
are covered by their own contract terms and notices.
8. Other Important Privacy Information
Below you will find additional privacy information you may find important. Much of this describes practices that
are common across the industry, but we want to make sure you are aware of them. Please keep in mind that this
information is not a complete description of our practices - this is all in addition to the other, more specific
information contained elsewhere in this privacy statement.
WHERE INFORMATION IS STORED AND PROCESSED
Personal information collected on Combionic sites and services may be stored and processed in Germany, in Europe
or in the United States or any other country where Combionic or its affiliates, subsidiaries or service providers
maintain facilities. Combionic abides by the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework and the U.S.-Swiss Safe Harbor
Framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of data
from the European Economic Area, and Switzerland. To learn more about the Safe Harbor program, and to view our
certification, please visit
http://www.export.gov/safeharbor/ .
Combionic may retain your personal information for a variety of reasons, such as to comply with our legal
obligations, resolve disputes, enforce our agreements, and as long as necessary to provide services. To learn
how to access your personal information, visit Accessing Your Information.
9. Changes to Our Privacy Statements
Combionic will occasionally update its privacy statements to reflect customer feedback and changes in its services. When
we post changes to a statement, we will revise the "last updated" date at the top of the statement. If there are
material changes to the statement or in how Combionic will use your personal information, we will notify you
either by prominently posting a notice of such changes before they take effect or by directly sending you a
notification. We encourage you to periodically review the privacy statements for the products and services you
use to learn how Combionic is protecting your information. We pay attention to safe harbor
policy:
https://safeharbor.export.gov/list.aspx .
The guidelines of „Bureau of Consumer Protection“, FTC privacy initiatives:
http://business.ftc.gov/privacy-and-security and other national initiatives and recommendations unless it
appears possible and practical.
10. How to Contact Us
If you have a technical or general support question, please visit
http://www.combionic.com/ to learn more
about Combionic Support offerings.
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If you have a Combionic account password question, please visit Combionic account support.
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If you have a general privacy question, or a question for the Chief Privacy Officer of Combionic,
please contact us by phone: +49 (0)30 8321 7950 or write us
Combionic GmbH
Datenschutz/Privacy
Bundesallee 28
10717 Berlin / Deutschland
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To find the Combionic subsidiary in your country or region, please send us a message from the Contact Us page.