T.A. Cook & Partner Consultants GmbH ("T.A. Cook" or "we") operates the Internet portal, which can be accessed via www.tacook.com and all other domains and related web pages and sub-domains ("tacook.com"). In the following Privacy Policy, T.A. Cook would like to inform you about the type, extent and purpose of the collection and use of your personal data when you visit tacook.com, register for online services such as our newsletter, sign up for conferences or order studies online.

We take the protection of personal data very seriously and comply with all applicable data protection laws and directives. T.A. Cook only processes personal data and personally identifiable information when you have given us your express consent to do so or as permitted by law. We assure you that our operational office data practices comply with respective national data protection laws.

Personal Data

"Personal data" or personally identifiable information (PII) refers to any information relating to a natural person that identifies or can be used to identify said person. Personal information does not include corporate data or data that cannot be used to identify an individual.

Use of the Website

In general, you can browse T.A. Cook's web pages anonymously. Unless you voluntarily provide us with such data, we do not collect or store personally identifiable information when you visit tacook.com. Our log files are completely anonymous and are used for the sole purpose of diagnosing and resolving problems with the technical operation of tacook.com and for statistical purposes to improve and optimise the content and design of tacook.com.

However, notwithstanding the foregoing, every web server automatically records each visit to a website. To maintain system security, when you visit our website, our host's web server saves your IP address, the date of access, the URL of the page(s) visited, any content that is viewed and any other transactions. This information is collected anonymously and cannot be used by us to identify the user. Personally identifiable information is only collected when the visitor voluntarily submits such information, for example, to register with us or sign up for a conference (please see below). Any personal data you provide is used for the sole purpose of answering your questions, completing your orders or for technical administration.

On our website, you may find links to third party websites. We have no control over the data or privacy practices of these websites.

Cookies

We use cookies on our website. A cookie is a small text file sent by a web server to a web browser and stored locally on your hard drive in accordance with your browser's settings. Cookies contain information which can be subsequently read by a web server in the domain in which the cookie was issued to you. Cookies cannot execute programs or place viruses on your computer. Their sole purpose is to make our website more user-friendly and efficient.

Cookies provide us with information on what type of browser and which version you use, the URL click stream (sequence of pages that you visit on our website), the date and time of your visit and the cookie number but do not disclose the name, address, email address or IP addresses of our visitors. The cookies stored by T.A. Cook are used exclusively for statistical purposes, for example, to show us which content is viewed most often on our website. This information enables us to create customised content such as our "Most Read" section and to offer visitors to our website a more user-friendly experience. Furthermore, statistical information regarding browser type and operating system helps us to optimise our web design. We also aim to provide visitors to tacook.com with relevant content and services. To this end, we or our partners automatically analyse information contained in log files or cookies. We do this with the sole intention of supplying users with content and offers specific to their location (for example, local news or weather information). It is possible that third-party companies that advertise on tacook.com or that market advertising on tacook.com will also use cookies. In such cases, these companies may at times record and evaluate for marketing purposes information on usage, such as visited websites, number of visits, times of visits, length of time spent on individual pages etc. Any data collected cannot be used by us to identify individual visitors because the processing of such data is either completely anonymous or pseudonymised. We will never share, sell or otherwise disclose your name, postal address or email address for marketing or promotional purposes without your consent.

If you wish to prevent cookies from being placed on your computer, your Internet browser should give you the option to reject new cookies. You can then either accept or block cookies. Most Internet browsers are automatically set to accept cookies. You can change the settings of your Internet browser, however, so that cookies are blocked by default. Details on how to change your settings can be found in your browser's help menu.

Google Analytics

This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics tool provided by Google Inc. ("Google"). Google Analytics uses "cookies", i.e. text files that are stored on your computer and enable tacook.com to analyse the use of this website. In principle, information on your use of this website contained in the cookie is sent to and stored on Google's servers in the USA. If IP masking has been activated on this website, your IP address will first be shortened by Google in member states of the European Union or the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases shall the full IP address be sent to Google's server in the USA and subsequently shortened. On behalf of tacook.com, Google uses this information to evaluate how visitors engage with the website in order to compile reports on website activity and to offer the website operator tacook.com further services pertinent to current website and Internet usage. The IP addresses sent from your browser to Google Analytics are not linked to any other data collected by Google. You can prevent the storage of cookies by changing the settings of your Internet browser; we must advise you, however, that some functionality of this website may be impaired if you block cookies. If you do not wish data generated by cookies on your use of the website (incl. your IP address) to be shared with Google or to prevent the processing of such data by Google, you can download and install the browser add-on available at the following link: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en

The collection and use of your personal information by T.A. Cook strictly complies with applicable laws on data privacy protection and data security and the most recent regulations and guidelines contained in data protection directives as well as in accordance with the privacy options of your user account. If you would like to change the way in which we use your personal information, please follow the instructions given in the next section on "Editing personal data and data protection preferences".

Services that require registration (e.g. newsletter), other services (e.g. signing up for conferences, ordering studies) and your consent

Some of the services available on tacook.com require users to register with us. Such services include subscribing to our newsletter or email alerts, signing up for conferences organised by T.A. Cook or ordering studies. When you register for any of these services, T.A. Cook shall ask you for further personal information in order to provide you with the requested service (e.g. email address when you subscribe to the newsletter; contact, company and payment details when registering for a conference, postal address for studies). All other personal data provided by the user will be solely used with the express consent of the user, when strictly necessary to complete an order or as otherwise permitted by law.

Where your consent is required to register for any service, we provide clear information about how and to what extent we may use your personal data. T.A. Cook will keep a record your consent. Should you not consent to the processing of your personal information in any way, it is possible that you will not be able to avail of the respective services.

Editing personal data and data protection preferences

You can at all times view, change or correct your personal data and preferences related to data protection and privacy (e.g. whether and what kind of promotional material you want to receive), except where applicable data protection law allows otherwise. You can edit your personal data:

a) by logging into your account on one of T.A. Cook's websites or

b) by writing to us at T.A. Cook & Partner Consultants GmbH, Leipziger Platz 2, 10117 Berlin, Germany or per fax 0049 30 - 884 30 730. Please always state your name, postal address and/or email address.

Right of Access to Information

You have the right to receive information on all data that we have stored about you at any time. Please write to us at:
T.A. Cook & Partner Consultants GmbH
Leipziger Platz 2
10117 Berlin
Germany
or send an email to service@tacook.com.

Opt-out Clause

You can revoke your consent allowing T.A. Cook to collect and store personal data at any time. If you wish to do so, please write to us at the following address:

T.A. Cook & Partner Consultants GmbH
Leipziger Platz 2
10117 Berlin
Germany
or send an email to service@tacook.com

We are committed to exercising all necessary measures to protect and ensure the security of your data.


If you have any questions or comments with regard to our Privacy Policy please send us an email at service@tacook.com

Berlin, November 2011