Privacy Statement for the Kärcher Home & Garden App (Version: January 2023)

Personal data is processed when you use the Kärcher Home & Garden App, which we inform you about below.

1. Controller of the Kärcher Home & Garden App

Use of the Kärcher Home & Garden App (hereinafter referred to as the App) is only possible for smartphones with an iOS or Android operating system. 

The controller for the following processing of the personal data in the App is Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG, Alfred-Kärcher-Straße 28-40, 71364 Winnenden, Germany, phone: +49 (0)7195/14-0, email: info@karcher.com (hereinafter referred to as Kärcher).

You can contact the Kärcher Data Protection Officer at the address above or by emailing datenschutzbeauftragter@de.kaercher.com.

2. Downloading the App

You can download the App free of charge from the Google Play store or the Apple App Store. To do so, you must open a customer account in either the Google Play store or the App Store, and enter your data there. However, this data is not collected by Kärcher, and Kärcher therefore has no influence over it and is not responsible for it.

You must also accept the Terms of Use of the app store in question in order to open a customer account. 

When downloading the App from an app store, the information needed for this is transferred to the app store, in particular your user name, email address and customer number of your account, the date/time of downloading and the individual device ID. However, we have no influence over the collection of this data and are not responsible for it.

3. Registration and log-in 

To start up and use the App, you can register by email or via a social login. Alternatively, we offer you the option of using the App as a guest.  

Depending on the chosen registration option, the following data (hereinafter referred to as Registration Data) are processed:

a) Registration by email

When you create a user account with Kärcher, we will ask you for the following information:

  • email address; 
  • any other personal data provided voluntarily when registering.

This data is processed for registration and future notifications, therefore to provide the Kärcher Home & Garden App Service in accordance with Article 6(1) sentence 1 b General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

b) Registration by social login

By using the functions “Register with Facebook”, “Register with Apple” and “Register with Google” (hereinafter referred to as Social Login) you have the alternative option of registering or logging into the Kärcher Home & Garden App using your data as follows: 

If you register using Social Login, the following information is transmitted to Kärcher each time you login:

  • When logging in using Facebook: Facebook ID, first and surnames stored in Facebook, email address (if you log in via Facebook).
  • When logging in using Google: Google ID, stored first and surnames, email address.
  • When logging in using Apple: Apple ID, first and surnames stored in Apple, email address.

By registering via the Social Login you give us your consent (Article 6(1) a) GDPR) to process the above-mentioned data for registration and future logins. This information is transmitted to Kärcher by the respective provider without Kärcher requesting it. Of this information, Kärcher only stores your Facebook ID, Apple ID or Google ID and the email address that the user has stored there.

4. Using the App

When you use the Kärcher Home & Garden App, we collect and process the following data (hereinafter referred to as App Data) transmitted to Kärcher by your mobile device to enable you to use the App. The information is:

  • your device identification (name of model, device category, brand name);
  • unique device ID is recorded (UUID (Universal Unique Identifier) for Android devices, IDFV (identifier for vendor) for iOS devices);
  • date and time of device;
  • screen tracking (tracks how movements are made in the App);
  • access status/HTTP status code;
  • device IP address;
  • volume of data transmitted;
  • App version;
  • browser;
  • operating system and version;
  • usage time (launch, use);
  • country and language of the device;
  • crash reports;
  • Kärcher device list.


When you use the App to manage your Kärcher devices, the following data (hereinafter referred to as Device Data) is collected and processed, depending on the type and scope of application of the device concerned:

  • general data for device management (e.g. device ID, device name, floor plans of the property concerned, voluntary information on your living environment);
  • general data for managing accessories and cleaning agents (e.g. ID, name);
  • voluntary location-related information as entered by you (street and house number as well as GPS coordinates accurate to the nearest metre when you use the ’use my location’ function);
  • use of device functions (e.g. time and frequency of individual actions, period of use);
  • hardware and software version;
  • Device status data (battery level, connection status).


5. Purpose of the processing and legal basis

The App and Device Data are processed by Kärcher to provide the Kärcher Home & Garden App Service in accordance with Article 6(1) sentence 1 b GDPR. 

Kärcher also uses the App and Device Data for the purposes of quality assurance and to improve the quality of its smart products in accordance with Article 6(1) sentence 1 f GDPR. 

In addition, Kärcher evaluates your usage behaviour and information on where and how you use the products in question in accordance with Article 6(1) sentence 1 f) GDPR on the basis of the legitimate interests of Kärcher in the context of market research, to identify trends and to make product recommendations. The data concerned is pseudonymised for this purpose. By using this data in this way, Kärcher does not draw any conclusions of any kind regarding individual users and, in particular, does not profile users.

If you actively agree to such in the App or a corresponding query in the settings of your mobile device, Kärcher processes the corresponding data based on your consent (Article 6(1) sentence 1 a) GDPR).  

6. Transaction processing via commercetools

To process any transaction, the app uses the services of commercetools GmbH, Adams-Lehmann-Str. 44, 80797 Munich, Germany (‘commercetools’).
When you place an order in our app, Kärcher transfers your name, address, email address and technical user ID to commercetools, which processes these data on our behalf (Article 28 GDPR).

commercetools stores the buyer’s name and address as well as the technical user ID to process the transaction. The buyer’s email address is also stored for the purpose of sending the order confirmation and the receipt. Furthermore, consent to acknowledgment of the Terms and Conditions, the cancellation notice, consent to the waiver of the right of cancellation and the clicking of the button ‘Order and pay’ are stored.
These data are processed in order to process the respective transaction and therefore to execute the contract pursuant to point b) of Article 6 (1) sentence 1 GDPR.
commercetools stores the data for a period of 12 months for successfully processed payments. Cancelled payments shall be erased after 7 days.

7. Recipients of the data

We exchange personal data within the Kärcher Group if and to the extent that such is necessary for the performance of a contract or for the implementation of pre-contractual measures pursuant to point b) of Article 6 (1) GDPR or a legitimate interest arises in an intra-Group transfer in accordance with point f) of Article 6 (1) GDPR.
In addition to the cases explicitly mentioned in this Privacy Policy, your personal data will only be passed on to third parties without your express prior consent if such is legally permissible or required.
If necessary to investigate the illegal or abusive use of the Platform or for legal prosecution, personal data will be forwarded to the law enforcement authorities or other public authorities and, if necessary, to injured third parties. However, this will only happen if there are indications of illegal or abusive conduct. We are also legally obligated to provide information to certain public bodies upon request. These may be criminal prosecution authorities, public authorities that prosecute administrative offences subject to fines, and the financial authorities.
Any transfer of personal data is justified by the fact that (1) the processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to transfer data to law enforcement authorities to which we are subject in accordance with point c) of Article 6 (1) GDPR in conjunction with national legal requirements, or (2) we have a legitimate interest in passing the data on to the named third parties if there are indications of abusive conduct or to enforce legal claims and your rights and interests in the protection of your personal data within the meaning of point f) of Article 6 (1) GDPR do not prevail.
External companies and external service providers are used to enable us to offer the services on this Platform. Under Article 28 (1) GDPR, any third-party companies and external service providers used as processors are carefully selected, regularly reviewed and contractually obligated to process all personal data exclusively in accordance with our instructions.

8. Newsletter

You can subscribe to the Kärcher email newsletter by ticking the checkbox provided.

Once you have subscribed to our email newsletter, we or the company from the Kärcher Group which is responsible for you on the basis of your registered office will regularly send you information regarding our promotions, offers and services. We use the double opt-in procedure to send the newsletter. This means that we will only send you an email newsletter once you have expressly given your consent to receive it. We will then send you a confirmation email in which you will be requested to confirm that you wish to receive the newsletter in future by clicking on a corresponding link.

If you subscribe to the newsletter in the App by ticking the newsletter checkbox in the App or if you have already subscribed to the newsletter in the past, your stored profile information and the devices stored in the App will be added to your existing newsletter profile or used as the basis for creating a new newsletter profile. This information is used to personalise newsletters in order to provide you with the most suitable information on our promotions, offers and services. When you subscribe to the newsletter, we store your IP address as provided by your Internet service provider (ISP) as well as the date and time of subscription in order to trace any potential abuse of your email address at a later point in time. We also store the date and time upon which the confirmation link was clicked in the confirmation mail which is sent for control purposes (double opt-in procedure), and the IP address provided by the Internet service provider (ISP).

For the purpose of analysis, the emails sent with Adobe Campaign contain a so-called ’tracking pixel’ which connects with the Adobe Campaign servers when the email is opened. In this way, it is possible to assess whether a newsletter message has been opened.

This data is processed on the basis of your consent as per Art. 6 (1) a GDPR or based on justified interests on our part as per Art. 6 (1) f GDPR as proof of the necessary consent or needs-based design of the newsletter.

You can revoke your consent and unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time.

The data you provide us with in order to receive the newsletter and which we store to demonstrate your consent are stored until you are removed from the newsletter mailing list and then erased once you unsubscribe from the newsletter. Your email address and all the personal data listed here are erased from our newsletter mailing list once you have unsubscribed, unless you have expressly consented to the further use of your data or if we reserve the right to use your data beyond this scope in a manner which is permitted by law and about which we have informed you in this declaration.

9. Contact option

If you contact us using the developer’s email address in the app store, we may send you a Google form to classify your query and then forward it to the Kärcher sales company responsible for you. 

10. Use of cookies

Cookies are stored on your end device when you use the App. Cookies are small text files stored on your end device which provide Kärcher with certain information. Cookies cannot execute programs or transmit viruses to your computer. Their purpose is to make the App more user-friendly and effective. Currently only the required cookies are used to recognise the user based on a previous login. You can erase cookies from your end device by default after using the App.

11. Local storage

Kärcher uses local storage technology for temporary local storage of information from your smart device. Local storage uses the storage capacity of your web browser. In other words, data is stored in your web browser. This data is stored on your browser for an unlimited period of time and updated each time you connect to the Kärcher Cloud. You can use your browser settings to check which data is stored in your browser's local storage and also clear the local storage.

12. Kärcher Cloud

The Kärcher Cloud stores the data at a storage location of Amazon Ireland, Burlington Plaza, Burlington Rd, Saint Peter's, Dublin 4, Ireland.     

Data is stored and processed on servers of Amazon Web Services in the European Union. For this purpose, Kärcher has concluded a commissioned data processing agreement with Amazon with standard contractual clauses.

13. Storage duration

Erasure of your registration data

Upon termination of the contractual relationship, the data held at Kärcher is erased provided that this does not conflict with any statutory retention obligations. This will happen if you erase your account or if the product is removed from your account.

Erasure of App and Device Data

The data generated by the device will be available to you for a maximum period of 90 days and will then be pseudonymised by Kärcher. If you erase your account, the pseudonym assigned to the usage data will be erased by Kärcher. 

14. Integration of third-party services

Firebase

The App uses the Google Firebase technology of Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA (’Firebase’).

Firebase generally uses servers located in the European Economic Area for its services. If data are transferred to the USA, Kärcher has concluded a commissioned data processing agreement with Google with standard contractual clauses for this purpose, in which Google is required to process users’ data only in accordance with our instructions and to comply with the European level of data protection.

The legal basis for use of this cloud service is a legitimate interest according to Article 6 (1) f GDPR in the analysis, optimisation and user-friendly design of the Kärcher Home & Garden App.

You can find more information on Google Firebase and data protection at:
https://firebase.google.com/terms/data-processing-terms
https://firebase.google.com/terms/
https://firebase.google.com/support/privacy/

The App uses the following Firebase services:

Google Analytics for Firebase makes it possible to analyse the use of the Kärcher Home & Garden App. It enables information on the use of the App to be recorded, transferred to Google and stored there. Google uses the advertising ID of the end device in this regard. The above information is used to evaluate the use of the App anonymously. In the device settings, use of the advertising ID can be restricted (iOS: Privacy/Advertising/ Limit Ad Tracking; Android: Account/ Google/ Ads).

Firebase Crashlytics is used for stability and improvement of the Kärcher Home & Garden App. Here, information is gathered on the end device used and on the use of the App. This includes, for example, the times when the App is started and when a crash occurs. This information enables Kärcher to diagnose and solve problems.

Kärcher accepts no responsibility for the proper processing of data by Google, Apple or any other App store provider. Please refer to the data privacy statements of these providers. There is no further exchange of data with these companies.

15. Your rights, questions and information

You have the right to information as to whether and which personal data concerning you we store, to rectification or erasure, or to restrict the processing of your data, to object to the processing, and the right to data portability. As your personal data is processed for the performance of a contract, you can no longer use the services provided under the contract once you have objected to the processing of your personal data.

Objection (market research/direct advertising). You can object to the processing of your data for market research or for the purposes of direct advertising at any time. For this purpose, please send an email to datenschutzbeauftragter@de.kaercher.com. Once you have objected, the personal data will no longer be processed for such purposes.

The consent given by you to Kärcher for the use of your personal data, for example, to send the Kärcher newsletter, can be withdrawn at any time. If you wish to revoke your consent to receive the newsletter, please click on the 'unsubscribe from newsletter' link at the bottom of any of the newsletter emails received. In all other cases, please contact the data protection officer.

If you have any further questions regarding the processing of your data or if you would like information regarding the data concerning you that is stored in the Kärcher Cloud, you can contact the Data Protection Officer at the address provided above or by emailing datenschutzbeauftragter@de.kaercher.com.

16. Competent supervisory authority

As the data subject, you have the right — without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy — to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your habitual residence, place of work or place of the alleged infringement if you believe that the processing of personal data relating to you infringes data protection regulations.

If you have a complaint relating to the use of your personal data, you can also contact the competent supervisory authority of Kärcher, the Baden-Württemberg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, Königstraße 10a, 70173 Stuttgart, Germany, phone: +49 (0)711/615541-0, telefax +49 (0)711/615541-15, https://www.baden-wuerttemberg.datenschutz.de/ Email: poststelle@lfdi.bwl.de.