Privacy Policy
Thank you for visiting our website.
The purpose of this Privacy Policy is to inform you about the processing of your personal data that we collect when you visit our website. Our data protection practices comply with the legal provisions of the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The following privacy policy serves to fulfill the information obligations arising from the FADP and the GDPR. These can be found, for example, in Art. 8 et seq. of the FADP and Art. 13 et seq. of the GDPR.
The controller or responsible party within the meaning of Article 3(i) of the DSG or Article 4(7) of the GDPR is the person who, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data. The controller within the meaning of Article 4(7) of the GDPR is also the recipient of the personal data within the meaning of Article 4(9) of the GDPR. Any third-party recipients are identified separately.
The owner or person responsible for our website is:
VAL Group AG
2 Nordstrasse, 900 Brig, Switzerland
Your rights as a data subject
You may exercise the following rights at any time by contacting our Data Protection Officer using the contact information provided:
- Information about the data we have stored about you and how it is processed,
- Correction of inaccurate personal data,
- Deletion of your data stored with us,
- Restriction of data processing if we are not yet permitted to delete your data due to legal obligations,
- to object to our processing of your data and
- Data portability, provided that you have consented to the processing of your data or have entered into a contract with us.
If you have given us your consent, you may revoke it at any time with future effect.
You may file a complaint with a supervisory authority at any time, such as the competent supervisory authority in the canton where you reside, or the authority responsible for us as the data controller.
Website hosting and log file creation
Every time you visit our website, our system automatically collects data and information from the device (e.g., computer, mobile phone, tablet, etc.) used to access the site.
What personal data is collected, and to what extent is it processed?
(1) Information about the browser type and version used;
(2) the operating system of the accessing computer;
(3) the hostname of the accessing computer;
(4) the IP address of the accessing computer;
(5) Date and time of access;
(6) Websites and resources (images, files, other page content) accessed on our website;
(7) Websites from which the user’s system accessed our website (referrer tracking);
(8) Notification of whether the request was successful;
(9) Amount of data transferred
This data is stored in our system's log files. This data is not stored alongside the personal information of any specific user, so individual visitors to the website cannot be identified.
Legal basis for the processing of personal data
Personal data is processed in accordance with the principle of lawfulness (Art. 4 of the Data Protection Act) and the principle of good faith (Art. 2 of the Swiss Civil Code), as well as Art. 6(1)(f) of the GDPR (legitimate interests).
Purpose of data processing
The temporary (automated) storage of data is necessary for the duration of a website visit in order to enable the website to function. Personal data is also stored and processed to ensure our website remains compatible with as many visitors as possible, to combat misuse, and to resolve technical issues. For this purpose, it is necessary to log the technical data of the accessing computer in order to be able to respond as early as possible to display errors, attacks on our IT systems, and/or errors in the functionality of our website. In addition, we use the data to optimize the website and to generally ensure the security of our IT systems.
Duration of storage
The aforementioned technical data will be deleted as soon as it is no longer necessary to ensure the website’s compatibility for all visitors, but no later than 3 months after accessing our website.
Right to object and right to erasure
You may object to the processing of your data at any time in accordance with Article 21 of the GDPR and request the erasure of your data in accordance with Article 17 of the GDPR. You can find out what rights you have and how to exercise them in the section below of this Privacy Policy.
Special features of the website
Our website offers various features that involve the collection, processing, and storage of personal data by us. Below, we explain what happens to this data:
Contact form(s)
What personal data is collected, and to what extent is it processed?
The data you entered in our contact forms, which you entered into the contact form's input fields.
Legal basis for the processing of personal data
The processing of personal data is carried out in accordance with the principle of lawfulness (Art. 4 FADP) and the principle of good faith (Art. 2 CC), as well as in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR (consent expressed through a clear affirmative act or conduct).
Purpose of data processing
We use the data collected via our contact form(s) exclusively to process the specific inquiry submitted through the contact form. Please note that we may also send emails to the address you provided in order to fulfill your contact request. The purpose of this is to send you a confirmation that your request has been correctly forwarded to us. However, sending this confirmation email is not mandatory for us and is provided solely for your information.
Duration of storage
Once your request has been processed, the collected data will be deleted immediately, unless there are any legal retention requirements.
Right to object and right to erasure
You may object to the processing of your data at any time in accordance with Article 21 of the GDPR and request the erasure of your data in accordance with Article 17 of the GDPR. You can find out what rights you have and how to exercise them in the section below of this Privacy Policy.
Requirement to Provide Personal Data
Use of the contact forms is voluntary. You are not required to contact us via the contact form; you may also use the other contact options available on our website. If you wish to use our contact form, you must fill out the fields marked as required. If you do not fill out the required fields on the contact form, you will either be unable to submit your inquiry, or we will be unable to process your inquiry due to missing information.
Disclosure of Information to Third Parties
Personal data is processed in accordance with the principle of lawfulness (Art. 4 of the Data Protection Act) and the principle of good faith (Art. 2 of the Swiss Civil Code).
The disclosure of information to third parties depends on the scope of our website’s activities or offerings, or on our business model described below.
We generally retain your data only for as long as necessary and treat it confidentially. Exceptions to this include the transfer of personal data to debt collection agencies, public bodies and authorities, as well as to private individuals who have a legal right to receive such data pursuant to statutory provisions, court rulings, or official orders; and the transfer of data to authorities for the purpose of initiating legal proceedings or enforcing the law when our legally protected rights are infringed.
Use of Google Analytics
Nature and purpose of the processing:
This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA (hereinafter: "Google"). Google Analytics uses so-called "cookies," text files that are stored on your computer and enable an analysis of your use of the website. The information generated by the cookie regarding your use of this website is generally transmitted to a Google server in the United States and stored there. However, due to the activation of IP anonymization on these websites, your IP address will be truncated by Google within member states of the European Union or in other signatory states to the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be transmitted to a Google server in the United States and truncated there. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google will use this information to evaluate your use of the website, to compile reports on website activity, and to provide other services related to website and internet usage to the website operator. The IP address transmitted by your browser as part of Google Analytics will not be merged with other Google data.
The purpose of data processing is to analyze website usage and compile reports on website activity. Based on website and internet usage, additional related services are then provided.
Legal basis for the processing of personal data:
The legal basis for data processing is your consent to the use of cookies and web tracking as indicated in our information banner (consent given through a clear confirmation of an action or behavior) in accordance with Art. 13(1) of the DSG and Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR.
Beneficiary:
The recipient of the data is Google, acting as a data processor. We have entered into the appropriate data processing agreement with Google for this purpose.
Storage period:
The data will be deleted as soon as it is no longer needed for our record-keeping purposes.
Transfer to a third country:
Google processes your data in the United States and has certified its compliance with the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield. We have also entered into standard data protection clauses with Google regarding the use of Google Analytics.
Mandatory or required provision:
Providing your personal information is voluntary and is based solely on your consent. If you choose not to provide it, this may result in limited functionality on the website.
Withdrawal of consent:
You can prevent cookies from being stored by adjusting your browser settings accordingly; however, please note that in this case you may not be able to use all features of this website to their full extent. You can also prevent the collection of data generated by the cookie and related to your use of the website (including your IP address) by Google, as well as the processing of this data by Google, by downloading and installing the browser plugin available at the following link: Browser Add-On to Disable Google Analytics.
In addition to or as an alternative to the browser add-on, you can prevent Google Analytics from tracking your activity on our site by clicking this link. This will install an opt-out cookie on your device. This will prevent Google Analytics from collecting data for this website and this browser in the future, as long as the cookie remains installed in your browser.
Profiling:
Using the Google Analytics tracking tool, we can evaluate the behavior of website visitors and analyze their interests. To this end, we create a pseudonymous user profile.
Use of Google Maps
Nature and purpose of the processing:
We use Google Maps on this website. Google Maps is operated by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA (hereinafter "Google"). This allows us to display interactive maps directly on the website and enables you to use the map feature conveniently.
For more information about how Google processes data, please see the Google Privacy Policy. There, you can also change your privacy settings in the Privacy Center.
You can find detailed instructions on how to manage your own data in connection with Google products here.
Legal basis:
The legal basis for the transfer of personal data is your consent pursuant to Art. 4(5) of the DSG or Art. 13(2) of the DSG and pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR or Art. 9(2)(a) of the GDPR, which you provided on our website.
Beneficiary:
When you visit the website, Google receives information indicating that you have accessed the relevant page of our website. This occurs regardless of whether you are logged in to a Google account or do not have a Google account. If you are logged in to Google, your data will be directly associated with your account.
If you do not wish for your data to be associated with your Google profile, you must log out of Google before clicking the button. Google stores your data as user profiles and uses them for advertising, market research, and/or to tailor its website to your needs. Such analysis is carried out in particular (even for users who are not logged in) to deliver targeted advertising and to inform other users of the social network about your activities on our website. You have the right to object to the creation of these user profiles; to exercise this right, you must contact Google.
Storage period:
We do not collect any personal data through the integration of Google Maps.
Transfer to a third country:
Google processes your data in the United States and has certified its compliance with the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield https://www.privacyshield.gov/EU-US-Framework.
Withdrawal of consent:
If you do not want Google to collect, process, or use data about you through our website, you can disable JavaScript in your browser settings. However, if you do so, you will not be able to use our website, or your use of it will be limited.
Mandatory or required provision:
Providing your personal information is voluntary and is based solely on your consent. If you choose not to provide it, this may result in limited functionality on the website.
Using Google Tag Manager
What personal data is collected, and to what extent is it processed?
We use the Google Tag Manager service on our website, provided by Google Ireland Ltd., Gordon House, Barrow Street, 4 Dublin, Ireland, email: support-deutschland@google.com, website: http://www.google.com/ (hereinafter: Google Tag Manager). Google Tag Manager provides a technical platform for executing and bundling other web services and web tracking programs using so-called "tags". In this context, Google Tag Manager stores cookies on your computer and analyzes your browsing behavior (so-called "tracking") when web tracking tools are executed via Google Tag Manager. The data sent by the individual tags integrated into Google Tag Manager is consolidated, stored, and processed by Google Tag Manager under a unified user interface. All integrated "tags" are listed separately in this Privacy Policy. Further information regarding the data protection of the tools integrated into Google Tag Manager can be found in the respective section of this Privacy Policy. When using our website with Google Tag Manager tags enabled, data—including, in particular, your IP address and your user activities—is transmitted to servers operated by Google Ireland Limited. The provisions in the corresponding section of this privacy policy apply to the web services integrated via Google Tag Manager. The tracking tools used in Google Tag Manager ensure that the IP address is anonymized via IP anonymization of the source code before transmission by Google Tag Manager. Google Tag Manager is only capable of collecting IP addresses in an anonymized form (so-called IP masking).
Legal basis:
The legal basis for data processing is your consent to the use of cookies and web tracking as indicated in our information banner (consent given through a clear confirmation of an action or behavior) in accordance with Art. 13(1) of the DSG and Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR.
Purpose of data processing:
On our behalf, Google will use the information collected via Google Tag Manager to analyze your visit to this website, to compile reports on website activity, and to provide us with other services related to website and internet usage.
Storage period:
Google stores the data relevant to the operation of Google Tag Manager for as long as is necessary to fulfill the contracted web service. Data is collected and stored in an anonymized form. If the data can be linked to an individual, it is deleted immediately, provided that no legal retention requirements prevent this. In any case, the data is deleted once the retention period has expired.
Right to object and request deletion:
You can prevent the collection and transmission of personal data to Google (in particular your IP address) as well as the processing of this data by Google by disabling the execution of script code in your browser, installing a script blocker in your browser, or enabling the "Do Not Track" setting in your browser. You can also prevent the collection of data generated by the Google cookie and related to your use of the website (including your IP address) by Google, as well as the processing of this data by Google, by downloading and installing the browser plugin available at the following link : http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de . Google’s security and privacy policies can be found at https://policies.google.com/privacy.
Use of Google Fonts
We use the Google Fonts service on our website, provided by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, 4 Dublin, Ireland, email: support-deutschland@google.com, website: http://www.google.com/. According to the Swiss authorities, data processing takes place in safe third countries. You can find Switzerland’s list of countries at the following link: https://www.edoeb.admin.ch/edoeb/
en/home/data-protection/trade-and-economy/transborder-data-flows.html. Personal data is also transferred to the United States. For the transfer of personal data to the United States, an adequacy decision regarding the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework has been issued by the European Commission pursuant to Article 45 of the General Data Protection Regulation (hereinafter: DPF - https://commission.europa.eu/document/
fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en). The service provider is certified under the DPF, meaning that the standard level of protection under the GDPR applies to the transfer.
The legal basis for the transfer of personal data is your consent pursuant to Art. 4(5) of the DSG or Art. 13(2) of the DSG and pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR or Art. 9(2)(a) of the GDPR, which you provided on our website.
We use the Google Fonts service to incorporate attractive fonts into our website, allowing us to present our website in a more visually appealing way. The service may also be used on our website when other Google services are loaded on our website that require Google Fonts to function. This is the case, for example, when our website uses Google services that require Google Fonts to function.
For the processing itself, the service—or rather, we—collect the following data: data regarding fonts, the visitor’s IP address, statistics on font usage, and other data from Google services related to our website.
When the service is enabled on our website, our website establishes a connection to the servers of Google Ireland Limited and transmits the necessary data. As part of order processing, personal data may also be transmitted to the servers of Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, 94043 Mountain View, USA. When using the Google service on our website, Google may transfer and process information from other Google services to provide background services for the display and data processing of the services offered by Google. For this purpose, data may also be transferred to the Google services Google APIs, Google Cloud, and Google Ads in accordance with Google’s privacy policy. You can view the certification under the EU-US Privacy Shield at https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/s/participant-search/participant-detail?id=a2zt000000001L5AAI&status=Active.
You may withdraw your consent at any time. For more information on how to withdraw your consent, please refer to the consent form itself or the end of this Privacy Policy.
For more information on how the provider handles the data you submit, please refer to the provider’s privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy.
The provider also offers an opt-out option at https://support.google.com/My-Ad-Center-Help/answer/12155451?hl=de.
Using YouTube
Nature and Purpose of Processing
We embed YouTube videos and Facebook/Instagram links on some of our websites. The operators of these plugins are YouTube, LLC, 901 Cherry Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066, USA (hereinafter "YouTube") and Facebook Inc., Menlo Park, California. When you visit a page with the YouTube plugin, a connection is established to the YouTube servers. In doing so, YouTube is informed of which pages you visit. If you are logged into your YouTube account, YouTube can associate your browsing behavior with you personally. You can prevent this by logging out of your YouTube account beforehand.
When a YouTube video is played, the provider uses cookies to collect information about user behavior.
For more information on the purpose and scope of data collection and processing by YouTube, please refer to the provider’s privacy policy, where you will also find further information about your rights in this regard and settings options for protecting your privacy (https://policies.google.com/privacy). Google processes your data in the United States and has committed to the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield https://www.privacyshield.gov/EU-US-Framework.
Legal basis
The legal basis for the integration of YouTube and the associated transfer of data to Google is your consent.
Recipient
When you visit YouTube, a connection to Google is established automatically.
Retention period and withdrawal of consent
If you have disabled cookies for the Google Ads program, you won’t encounter such cookies when watching YouTube videos. However, YouTube also stores non-personal usage information in other cookies. If you want to prevent this, you must block cookies in your browser.
For more information about data protection on "YouTube," please refer to the provider's privacy policy at:
https://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy/
Transfer to a third country
Google processes your data in the United States and has certified its compliance with the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield https://www.privacyshield.gov/EU-US-Framework.
Is the regulation mandatory or required?
Providing your personal information is voluntary and is based solely on your consent. If you choose not to provide it, this may result in limited functionality on the website.
Integration of external web services and processing of data outside the EU
On our website, we use active content from external providers, known as web services. When you visit our website, these external providers may receive personal information about your visit. This may involve the processing of data outside of Switzerland and the EU. You can prevent this by installing an appropriate browser plugin or by disabling the execution of scripts in your browser. This may result in limited functionality on the websites you visit.
Using Webflow
We host our website with Webflow. The provider is Webflow, Inc., 398 11th Street, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA (hereinafter: Webflow). When you visit our website, Webflow collects various log files, including your IP addresses.
Webflow is a tool for creating and hosting websites. Webflow stores cookies or other tracking technologies that are necessary for displaying the site, providing certain website features, and ensuring security (essential cookies).
For more details, please see Webflow's privacy policy: EU & Swiss Privacy Policy | Webflow 41.
The use of Webflow is based on Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR. We have a legitimate interest in ensuring that our website is displayed as reliably as possible. If consent has been obtained, processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR and Section 25(1) of the TTDSG, provided that the consent covers the storage of cookies or access to information on the user’s device (e.g., device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TTDSG. Consent may be revoked at any time.
Data is transferred to the United States based on the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses. For more details, please see: EU & Swiss Privacy Policy | Webflow 41.
Use of CloudFlare
We use the CloudFlare service on our website, provided by Cloudflare, Inc., 101 Townsend St, 94107 San Francisco, United States, email: support@cloudflare.com, website: https://www.cloudflare.com/de-de/. Your personal data is transferred to so-called non-EU countries. In doing so, we have ensured that the involved partners comply with the data protection laws applicable in Switzerland (typically EU Standard Contractual Clauses) in accordance with Art. 6(2)(a) of the Swiss Data Protection Act (DSG). You have given your consent for this, or there is a direct connection between the country and the conclusion of the contract. Personal data is also transferred to the United States. With regard to the transfer of personal data to the United States, an adequacy decision regarding the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework has been issued by the European Commission pursuant to Article 45 of the General Data Protection Regulation (hereinafter: DPF – https://commission.europa.eu/document/fa09cbad-dd7d-4684-ae60-be03fcb0fddf_en). The service provider is certified under the DPF, so that the standard level of protection under the GDPR applies to the transfer.
The legal basis for the transfer of personal data is our legitimate interest in processing such data pursuant to Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR. Our legitimate interest lies in achieving the purpose described below.
Cloudflare is a content delivery network that not only distributes the website across multiple servers but also provides security features. Cloudflare also acts as a reverse proxy for our website.
You can view the certification under the EU-US Privacy Shield at https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/s/participant-search/participant-detail?id=a2zt0000000GnZKAA0 .
With regard to the processing of your data, you have the right to object under Article 21 of the GDPR. Further information can be found at the end of this Privacy Policy.
For more information on how the provider handles the data you submit, please refer to the provider’s privacy policy at https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/.
Using Hotjar
We use Hotjar to better understand our users’ needs and to optimize this service and user experience. Hotjar is a technology service that helps us better understand our users’ experiences (e.g., how much time they spend on which pages, which links they click, what users like and dislike, etc.) and enables us to build and maintain our service based on user feedback.
The legal basis for the transfer of personal data is our legitimate interest in processing such data pursuant to Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR. Our legitimate interest lies in achieving the purpose described below.
Hotjar uses cookies and other technologies to collect data about our users’ behavior and their devices. This includes a device’s IP address (which is processed during your session and stored in an anonymized form), the device’s screen size, device type (unique device identifiers), browser information, geographic location (country only), and the preferred language in which our website is displayed. Hotjar stores this information on our behalf in a pseudonymized user profile. Hotjar is contractually prohibited from selling the data collected on our behalf.
For more details, see the "About Hotjar" section on the Hotjar support website: https://help.hotjar.com/hc/en-us/categories/115001323967-About-Hotjar
Using Vimeo
We use the Vimeo service on our website, provided by Vimeo, Inc., 555 West 18th Street, 10011 New York, United States, email: Privacy@vimeo.com, website: http://www.vimeo.com/. Your personal data is transferred to so-called non-EU countries. In doing so, we have ensured that the partners involved comply with the data protection laws applicable in Switzerland (typically EU Standard Contractual Clauses) in accordance with Art. 6(2)(a) of the Swiss Data Protection Act (DSG). You have given your consent for this, or there is a direct connection between the country and the conclusion of the contract. From the EU’s perspective, data processing takes place in a third country for which there is no adequacy decision by the European Commission. Therefore, the standard level of protection under the GDPR cannot be guaranteed for the transfer, as it cannot be ruled out that, for example, authorities in the third country may have access to the collected data.
The legal basis for the transfer of personal data is your consent pursuant to Art. 4(5) of the DSG or Art. 13(2) of the DSG and pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR or Art. 9(2)(a) of the GDPR, which you provided on our website.
Videos from the Vimeo platform are embedded on our website using the Vimeo service.
You may withdraw your consent at any time. For more information on how to withdraw your consent, please refer to the consent form itself or the end of this Privacy Policy.
For more information on how the provider handles the data you submit, please refer to the provider’s privacy policy at https://vimeo.com/privacy.
The provider also offers an opt-out option at https://vimeo.com/privacy.
SSL encryption
To protect the security of your data during transmission, we use state-of-the-art encryption methods (e.g., SSL) via HTTPS.
Right to data portability
Under Article 20 of the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the right to receive the personal data concerning you. We will provide the data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format. The data may be transmitted either to you or to a controller designated by you.
Upon request, we will provide you with the following information:
- Data collected on the basis of consent (Art. 13(1) of the Data Protection Act and Art. 6(1)(a) of the GDPR);
- Data that we have received from you in connection with existing contracts (Art. 13(2)(a) of the Data Protection Act, as well as Art. 6(1)(b) and Art. 9(2)(a) of the GDPR);
- Data that has been processed as part of an automated procedure.
We will transfer the personal data directly to a data controller of your choice, provided this is technically feasible. Please note that, in accordance with Article 9(1)(b) of the DSG and Article 20(4) of the GDPR, we may not transfer data that would adversely affect the legitimate interests of third parties, or may only do so to a limited extent.
Changes to Our Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to amend this Privacy Policy to ensure that it always complies with current legal requirements or to reflect changes to our services, such as the introduction of new services. The updated Privacy Policy will then apply to your next visit.
Questions for the Data Protection Officer
If you have any questions about data protection, please send us an email: info@valgroup.ch
