1. Our Data Privacy Principles
1.1 The protection and security of your personal data are prime concerns of BRITA Hong Kong Limited (“BRITA Hong Kong”, “we”, “us”, “our”). Handling your data in a responsible manner is a matter of course for us. Therefore, when collecting and using your personal data, we will strictly observe the provisions of data privacy law, in particular, the provisions of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486 of the Laws of Hong Kong) (the “PDPO”).
1.2 Furthermore, it is important to us that you always know what personal data is being collected when you visit our website or make use of our services and offers and how such data will be used. The following information serves to inform you in detail how your personal data is collected and used, as well as how we protect your personal data from manipulation, loss, destruction or misuse.
2. Collection and Use of Personal Data
2.1 For the purpose of this Privacy Policy, “personal data” means any data (i) relating directly or indirectly to a living individual; (ii) from which it is practicable for the identity of the individual to be directly or indirectly ascertained; and (iii) in a form in which access to or processing of the data is practicable. We will only collect and use your personal data where this is permitted by law and you have given your prior consent.
2.2 The purposes for which your personal data may be used are as follows:
(a) providing our products and services to you;
(b) processing, handling and fulfilling your orders placed with us;
(c) processing and responding to your requests and enquiries sent to us; and
(d) analyzing your preferences so that we may provide better user experience when you visit our website.
2.3 Your information held by us will be kept confidential, but we may provide such information to the following parties (whether within or outside the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (“Hong Kong”)) for the purposes set out in paragraph 2.2 above:
(a) the agents, contractors and/or third party service providers (including but not limited to mailing houses, printers, data processing companies and information technology companies) engaged by us in connection with the operation of our business; and/or
(b) BRITA SE, of which BRITA Hong Kong is a subsidiary, and the agents, contractors and/or third party service providers (including but not limited to data processing and storage companies and information technology companies) engaged by BRITA SE in connection with the hosting, management and operation of our website and/or the processing and storage of data held by us.
In so doing, your information may be transferred to places outside Hong Kong.
2.4 You are free to decide whether you wish to give us any information and, if so, what information. However, if you do not provide your information to us, we may not be able to open a customer account with us for you and provide our products and services to you.
3. Cookies Policy
3.1 What are Cookies?
We and our partners (which are listed under paragraph 3.2 b below) use so-called “Cookies” to fashion our website in a most user-friendly way and to enhance the relevance of advertisements for the users of our website. Cookies are small files stored on the user’s device. They allow the storage of information for a determinate period of time and the identification of the user’s device. For this purpose, tracking-pixel that are not stored on the user’s hard drive might also be used, but that may in the same way help to recognize a user’s device. For the purpose of this Privacy Policy, “Cookies” refers to cookies in the technical sense as well as tracking pixel and other technologies.
When you visit our website for the first time, the entry page will show a message regarding the consent to the use of Cookies. By using the website and not objecting to the use of Cookies, you agree to the use of Cookies and such consent will be stored in your browser (in the form of a Cookie), so that the said message does not have to be repeated on every page of our website. Should the consent be missing in your browser (e.g. if you have deleted your browser history) the privacy information will appear again the next time you visit our website.
3.2 What Cookies do we use?
On this website we use two types of Cookies: (1) Cookies required for technical purposes, without which the functionality of our website would be reduced, and (2) optional Cookies for analytics, targeting and advertising purposes, generally set by third-party providers:
(a) Cookies required for technical purposes
These Cookies are indispensable if we want to ensure proper functioning and easy navigation of our website. For instance, they offer you the opportunity to search for local retailers selling our products (e.g. by showing a map of your neighbourhood), or the storage of your consent/non-consent to the use of Cookies and your selected Cookie settings. Such Cookies do not collect any information about you for marketing purposes and do not record the sites you visit when surfing the internet. Instead, these Cookies are, in general, specifically set for individual sessions and expire when you leave the website and end the session, except where the respective functionality requires a storage beyond that (e.g. storage of the Cookie settings). A deactivation of this type of Cookies would reduce all or part of the functions of the website.
(b) Cookies for analytics, targeting and advertising purposes
Analytics Cookies gather general information on how users use a website, e.g. which pages they visit most frequently and whether they receive any error messages from websites. These Cookies do not collect any data that may identify the user. The data collected with these Cookies will not be merged with any other information on the visitors of our website. All information collected with the aid of such Cookies exclusively serves the purpose to comprehend and improve the functionality and services of the website. This website uses Google Analytics, a web analysis service of Google Inc. (“Google”). The information regarding your usage of this website generated by the use of Google Analytics is transmitted to and stored on a Google server in the US. However, due to the activated IP anonymisation on this website, Google will first abbreviate your IP address within the member states of the European Union and in other contracting states under the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Google will use such information to evaluate your use of the website, to compile reports on website activities for the operator of the website, and to render further services in connection with the use of the website and the internet. Google might transmit this information to third parties where this is prescribed by law or where data are processed by third parties on behalf of Google.
Targeting and advertising Cookies are used to better customise advertisements to your interests. They limit the number of times the same advertisement is shown to you, evaluate the efficacy of an advertising campaign, and analyse how the viewing of a certain advertisement influences the conduct of individual users. Such Cookies are usually placed by advertising networks with the consent of the respective website operator (in this case, us). They register a user’s visit of the website and either pass such information on to other entities, e.g. advertising companies, or directly adapt advertisements accordingly. Frequently, they are linked to certain website functions provided by such third companies. We use these Cookies to create a link to social networks, which in turn may use the information on your use of the website to customise advertisements on other websites to your interests, and also to provide the advertising networks used by us with information about your visit so that, based on your browsing behaviour, you will be shown exactly such advertisements as may potentially interest you. Also in these cases the data collected via such Cookies will not be merged with any other information on the visitors of our website.
A deactivation of this type of Cookies does not reduce the functionality of our website. The Cookies of this type presently used by us are offered by the following providers and you may refer to their respective websites for the information on /description of the respective Cookies or if you wish to opt out:
- Tool: Google AdWords
- Provider's data protection information: https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads?hl=en
- Option to object (Opt-out): https://goo.gl/8yAIki
- Tool: Google Analytics Remarketing
- Provider's data protection information: https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads?hl=en
- Option to object (Opt-out): https://goo.gl/8yAIki
- Tool: Google Analytics
- Provider's data protection information: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=en
- Option to object (Opt-out): https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en
- Tool: Facebook Ad Managers
- Provider's data protection information: https://www.facebook.com/privacy/explanation
- Option to object (Opt-out): https://www.facebook.com/help/568137493302217
If you would rather receive information about these Cookies directly from us, please contact us via email at: datapolicy@brita.net.
3.3 How to deactivate Cookies?
If you wish to generally deactivate analytics, targeting and advertising Cookies, you can easily do so by accessing our Cookie Settings. Alternatively, you may deactivate individual Cookies by clicking on one of the links in the column titled "Possibility to opt out" in the above table. Finally, you may prevent the use of any Cookies whatsoever by adjusting the settings in your browser accordingly. We wish to point out, however, that the functionality of our website will be reduced if also Cookies required for technical purposes are blocked.
For further information on Cookies and individual providers, you may, for instance, refer to www.youronlinechoices.com, where you may also object to usage-based online advertising via certain or any tools. Click here to be forwarded directly to the preferences manager in the above mentioned website.
4. Security
4.1 We take the security of your data very seriously. As a rule, any personal data exchanged between you and BRITA Hong Kong will be transferred via encrypted state-of-the-art connections.
4.2 We take technical and organizational security measures in order to prevent your personal data administered by us from being accidentally or deliberately manipulated, lost or accessed by unauthorized persons. Our data processing and our security measures are continuously improved in line with technological developments.
5. Retention of Data
Your personal data held by us will not be kept longer than is necessary for the fulfillment of the purposes set out in paragraph 2.2 above and the applicable statutory requirements.
6. Data Access and Correction Requests
You have the right to request access to and correction of information held by us about you. If you wish to access or correct your personal data, please contact our Customer Service Officer at Unit C&D, 31/F, Tower A, Billion Centre, 1 Wang Kwong Road, Kowloon Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong or at infohk@brita.net.
7. Information
Should you have any complaints, need any information or have general questions regarding our privacy policy, we will be glad to help. For this purpose, please send a letter to BRITA Hong Kong Limited, Unit C-E, 31/F, Tower A, Billion Centre, 1 Wang Kwong Road, Kowloon Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong or an email to infohk@brita.net.
8. Third party websites
This Privacy Policy only applies to BRITA Hong Kong’s website. We may provide links to websites of other companies or organizations and/or our associated companies ("Third Party Websites"). We do not control any of the Third Party Websites and this Privacy Policy does not apply to any of the Third Party Websites. We shall not be held liable or responsible in any way for the contents and/or privacy policies of the Third Party Websites when you access them via the links on this website.
Version Date: November 20, 2019