The media owner BRC Bluechip Ratings Inc. (hereinafter referred to as “Bluechip”, “we”, “us” or “our”) considers the adequate protection of your personal data to be of great importance. We therefore comply with the applicable legal provisions on the protection, lawful handling, and confidentiality of personal data, as well as on data security, in particular the Austrian Data Protection Act (“DSG”), the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), and the Telecommunications Act (“TKG”).

This privacy policy informs you about the nature, scope, and purposes of the collection and use of your personal data. This privacy policy describes how Bluechip collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects your information when you access and use Bluechip's website (the "Website").

We know how important privacy is to our users, which is why we only collect the information we need and will not share your personal information with any third parties, unless necessary to perform the services you request. It is important that you read this privacy policy together with any other privacy notice we may provide. This privacy policy supplements the other notices and is not intended to override them.

We collect, process, and use your personal data only with your consent or your order (be it goods or services) for the purposes agreed with you or if there is another legal basis in accordance with the GDPR; this is done in compliance with data protection and civil law provisions.

We only collect personal data that is necessary for the performance and processing of our services or that you have voluntarily provided to us.

Bluechip uses collected information for the following purposes:

• To provide the information or content you have requested, including the full functionality of the Website;

• To improve our Website and for internal business purposes; 

• To ensure the security of the Website;

• To understand how you use the Website;

• To enforce compliance with our User Agreement and other policies;

• To stay connected with you: whether providing customer service, notifying you of new features or updates, or providing notices or other information to you; and

• To fulfil any other purpose for which the information was collected

Personal data is any data that contains individual details about personal or factual circumstances, such as name, address, email address, telephone number, date of birth, age or gender. It does not include data where the identity has been removed (anonymous data).

We collect this information when you use our provided services, when you sign up for our newsletter or when you use or view the Website (including cookies) with your browser. We may collect, use, store, and transfer various types of personal data about you. For example, we collect the following information:

• Identity Data: title, name, username and/or other similar information; 

• Contact Data: email address, telephone number and/or address;

• Technical Data: internet protocol address (IP-address), your login data, browser type and/or other similar information;

• Usage Data: information about how you use the Website; 

• Marketing and Communications Data: your preferences in receiving marketing information from us and your communication preferences;

• Location Data: information about your device location.

We also collect, use, and share Aggregated Data such as statistical or demographic data for any purpose. Aggregated Data may be derived from your personal data but is legally not considered personal data as this data does not directly or indirectly reveal your identity. For example, we may aggregate your Usage Data to calculate the percentage of users accessing a specific app feature. However, if we combine or connect Aggregated Data with your personal data so that it can directly or indirectly identify you, we treat the combined data as personal data which will be used in accordance with this privacy policy.

When you use the website, certain information is automatically created, collected and/or stored:

• the address (URL) of the web page called up;

• browser and browser version;

• the operating system used;

• the address (URL) of the previously and subsequently visited web pages (referrer URL)

• the host name and IP address of the device used for access of the website;

• Date and time in files as so-called web server log files;

• Number, duration, and time of visits (your interaction with the website) and the language;

• Search engines and keywords you used to find us.

This data is not combined with personal data sources. We reserve the right to review this data at a later date if we become aware of specific indications of illegal use.

Bluechip has a legitimate interest in enabling the website to operate as error-free as possible by recording web server log files.

You have the following rights:

Revocation of consent: In accordance with Art 7 (3) GDPR, you may revoke your consent at any time. As a result, we will no longer be permitted to continue processing the data based on this consent in the future.

Right to information: Pursuant to Art 15 GDPR, you may request information about your personal data processed by us. In particular, you may request information about the purposes of processing, the categories of personal data, the categories of recipients to whom your data has been or will be disclosed, the planned storage period, the existence of a right to rectification, deletion, restriction of processing or objection, the existence of a right of appeal, the origin of your data if it was not collected by us, and the existence of automated decision-making, including profiling and, if applicable, meaningful information about its details.

Right to correction: Pursuant to Art 16 GDPR, you may request the correction of inaccurate personal data concerning you or the completion of your personal data stored by us.

Right to Deletion: Pursuant to Art 17 GDPR, you may request the deletion of your personal data stored by us, unless the processing is necessary for the exercise of the right to freedom of expression and information, for the fulfilment of a legal obligation, for reasons of public interest, or for the assertion, exercise or defence of legal claims.

Right to objection: If your personal data is processed on the basis of legitimate interests pursuant to Art 6 (1) (s 1) (f) GDPR, you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data pursuant to Art 21 GDPR, provided that there are reasons for this arising from your particular situation.

Right to Data transfer: Pursuant to Art 20 GDPR, you may receive your personal data that you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format or request its transfer to another responsible person.

Exercising your rights: If you wish to exercise your rights, simply send an email. The contact details are listed below in a separate section.

Complaint to supervisory authority: Pursuant to Art 77 GDPR, you may lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. As a rule, you can contact the supervisory authority of your usual place of residence or workplace or our firm's registered office.

The Website is not intended for children under 18 years of age, and we do not knowingly collect information from children under 18 without parental consent. If we learn we have collected or received personal information from a child under 18, we will delete that information.

We do our utmost to make your visit and use of our website as secure as possible. We therefore comply with Art 32 GDPR to ensure the confidentiality and security of your personal data and take appropriate technical and organizational security measures. These precautions relate in particular to protection against unauthorized, unlawful, or accidental access, processing, loss, use, and manipulation.

Despite our efforts to maintain a consistently high level of care, we cannot rule out the possibility that information you disclose to us via the Internet may be viewed and used by other persons.

Please note that we therefore accept no liability whatsoever for the disclosure of information due to errors in data transmission and/or unauthorized access by third parties (e.g., hacking of email accounts or telephones, interception of faxes) that are not caused by us.

We retain your personal data for as long as it is necessary to fulfil the stated purposes and our contractual or legal obligations. Information associated with your account will generally be kept until it is no longer necessary to provide the products and services or until you ask us to delete it or your account is deleted, whichever comes first. Additionally, we may retain information from deleted accounts to comply with the law, prevent fraud, resolve disputes, troubleshoot problems, assist with investigations, enforce our User Agreement, and take other actions permitted by law. The information we retain will be handled in accordance with this privacy policy.

Taking the above statements into account, web server logfiles are generally stored for two weeks and are then automatically deleted.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties for commercial purposes. We only share your personal data with third parties to provide products or services you’ve requested, when we have your permission, or under the following circumstances:

• In order to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, violations of our User Agreement, or as otherwise required by law.

• To fulfil legal or regulatory obligations.

• We may publish aggregated and anonymized data for statistical and research purposes. In any such instance, the information can be traced back to any individual.

• We may choose to sell, transfer, or merge parts of our business or our assets to third parties. Alternatively, we may acquire other businesses or merge with them. If a change happens to our business, then the new owners may use your personal data in the same way as set out in this privacy policy.

Our website also uses cookies. These are small text files that are stored on your computer and saved by your browser. Cookies do not cause any damage to your computer and do not contain viruses.

You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when websites set or access cookies. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of the Website may become inaccessible or not function properly.

Some of our cookies are functional cookies (hereinafter also referred to as “necessary cookies”) for the technical provision of the website. Processing is based on Art 6 (1) (b) GDPR (performance of a contract).

We also use web analysis and tracking cookies. These are divided into “preference cookies,” “statistics cookies,” and “marketing cookies.”

Preference cookies enable a website to remember information that affects the way a website behaves or looks (e.g., your preferred language or the region you are in). Statistics cookies help website owners understand how visitors interact with websites by collecting and reporting information anonymously. The legal basis for the cookies used on this website is Art 6 (1) (f) GDPR.

On this website, we use Google Analytics from Google LLC (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View, CA 94043, USA) or, in Europe, Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland) to statistically analyse visitor data. Google Analytics uses targeted cookies for this purpose.

You can find more information on terms of use and data protection at http://www.google.com/analytics/terms/de.html

What data is stored by Google Analytics? 

Google Analytics uses a tracking code to create a random, unique ID that is linked to your browser cookie. This is how Google Analytics recognises you as a new user. The next time you visit our site, you will be recognised as a ‘returning’ user. All collected data is stored together with this user ID. This is what makes it possible to analyse pseudonymous user profiles in the first place.

Your interactions on our website are measured using identifiers such as cookies and app instance IDs. Interactions are all types of actions that you carry out on our website. If you also use other Google systems (such as a Google account), data generated via Google Analytics may be linked to third-party cookies. Google does not pass on any Google Analytics data unless we as the website operator authorise this. Exceptions may be made if required by law.

Pseudonymisation:

Our concern in terms of the GDPR is the improvement of our offer and our website. As the privacy of our users is important to us, user data is pseudonymised. Data processing is carried out on the basis of the statutory provisions, in particular Art. 6 EU GDPR para. 1 lit a (consent) and/or f (legitimate interest) of the GDPR.

Deactivation of data collection by Google Analytics:

You can prevent Google from collecting the data generated by the cookie and relating to your use of the website and from processing this data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plug-in available at the following link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de

Google Analytics Data Processing Addendum:

We have concluded a direct customer contract with Google for the use of Google Analytics by accepting the ‘Data Processing Addendum’ in Google Analytics.

You can find out more about the data processing addendum for Google Analytics here: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/3379636?hl=de&utm_id=ad

Google Analytics IP anonymisation:

We have implemented IP address anonymisation from Google Analytics on this website. This function was developed by Google so that this website can comply with the applicable data protection regulations and recommendations of the local data protection authorities if they prohibit the storage of the full IP address. The anonymisation or masking of the IP takes place as soon as the IP addresses arrive in the Google Analytics data collection network and before any storage or processing of the data takes place.

You can find more information on IP anonymisation at https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/2763052?hl=de.

Google Analytics reports on demographic characteristics and interests:

We have switched on the functions for advertising reports in Google Analytics. The reports on demographic characteristics and interests contain information on age, gender and interests. This allows us to get a better picture of our users without being able to assign this data to individual persons. You can find out more about the advertising functions at https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/3450482?hl=de_AT&utm_id=ad. You can stop using the activities and information of your Google account under ‘Settings for advertising’ at https://adssettings.google.com/authenticated by ticking the checkbox.

We use the web analytics tool Plausible Analytics on our website, provided by Plausible Insights OÜ, Västriku tn 2, 50403, Tartu, Estonia.

Plausible Analytics does not use cookies and does not store any personal data. Only aggregated, anonymised usage data is processed, which does not allow any conclusions to be drawn about individual visitors. Personal data such as IP addresses are only processed in anonymised form.

You can find more information on data protection at Plau-sible Analytics at: https://plausible.io/data-policy

The processing is based on our legitimate interest pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR in the analysis of user behaviour in order to improve our website.

We make every effort to ensure that data breaches are detected at an early stage and, if necessary, reported immediately to you or the competent supervisory authority, taking into account the categories of data concerned.

We may change this privacy policy from time to time. When we do make updates, we will let you know by changing the date at the top of this privacy policy. It is your responsibility to review this privacy policy periodically. You hereby consent to any updates to this privacy policy whenever you access the Website after the privacy policy has been updated.

Please contact our privacy team with any questions, concerns, or feedback regarding this privacy policy by sending an email to contact@bluechip.org.