Data protection

for aha! Swiss Allergy Centre

Table of contents

  1. Consent of the user when visiting our websites
  2. Address for questions about data protection
  3. Collection of data on the websites
    3.1    Anonymous data collection
    3.2    Processing of personal dat
  4. Transmission of personal data
  5. Storage of your personal data
  6. Information, correction, transfer
  7. Right of revocation and deletion
    7.1    Revocation and deletion in general
    7.2    Confirmation of the correction, deletion or blocking of addresses
  8. Lodging a complaint with a supervisory authority
  9. Cookies
    9.1    What are cookies?
    9.2    We use the following types of cookies
    9.2.1 Essential cookies
    9.2.2 Analysis cookies
    9.2.3 Third-party cookies
    9.2.4 Other cookies used
    9.3    How to disable or delete cookies?
    9.4    Technical information for disabling or deleting cookies
  10. Google Tools
    10.1   Google Analytics
    10.2   Google AdWords conversion tracking
  11. Hotjar
  12. Changes to this data protection declaration


aha! Swiss Allergy Centre attaches great importance to the protection of your data and the protection of your privacy. The following information is provided to inform you about the collection and/or use of individual information and/or data within the scope of the use of the website www.immunodeficiency-switzerland.ch.

We assume no responsibility for, and deny all liability for links such as those in advertising banners, which lead from our websites or apps to the websites of third parties. You are solely responsible for clicking on an external link.

1. Consent of the user when visiting our websites

Please note that by visiting and using our websites, you give your consent to the processing of your personal data within the scope of the following data protection declaration and the applicable data protection law principles.

2. Address for questions about data protection

If you have any questions about our privacy practices that are not answered in this Privacy Policy, please feel free to contact us at

aha! Swiss Allergy Centre
Scheibenstrasse 20
3014 Berne
datenschutz@aha.ch

3. Collection of data on the websites

3.1 Anonymous data collection

If you visit our websites without providing any personal information, the only data stored will be data that does not show any connection to your person. This data is used solely for the statistical, quantitative and qualitative evaluation of our pages, so that we can improve the content of the websites.

3.2. Processing of personal data

Within the scope of your customer profile, we only collect data provided by you. The processing of your personal data on the websites takes place exclusively in the factual context of an enquiry submitted by you, for error correction and/or improvement of our web appearance, as well as if necessary for internal statistical purposes.

Insofar as no further explicit processing is mentioned in this data protection declaration, the following list is exhaustive:

  • Any information that you explicitly provide as part of an enquiry via the e-mail address info@aha.ch: name, address, age, gender, contact details and other important information for the pre-screening and processing of your request;
  • If you order or download the free information brochure on the page "Living with an immunodeficiency", you will get to the aha!shop on www.aha.ch. The aha!shop is subject to the privacy policy of aha! Allergiezentrum Schweiz / Allergy Centre Switzerland;
  • IP adress;
  • Browser version and type used;
  • Date/time of the visit or request;
  • The password you created for the download in the aha!shop (this is stored in the database as encrypted data).
  • We do not carry out profiling in the sense of a fully automated evaluation and interpretation of your personal data. We also do not create personality profiles.

4. Transmission of personal data

The use of e-mails is not technically secure; e-mails may not be delivered. When e-mails are transmitted, they can leave national borders, even if the sender and recipient are in the same country. The confidentiality of e-mails cannot be guaranteed if encryption is missing or insufficient. Unencrypted e-mails are, therefore, not suitable for sending confidential information.

By using the e-mail address(es) on www.immunschwaeche-schweiz.ch, you agree to communication via e-mail with knowledge of the risks described.

5. Storage of your personal data

Our web agency, WeServe AG, hosts the systems and data itself. The servers are located in Switzerland, are physically accessible exclusively by the web agency, WeServe AG, and are shielded as well as possible against unauthorised external access.

6. Information, correction, transfer

You have the right to see the information we have stored about you free of charge and at any time, as well as the right to correct that information. Please contact us regarding this. You will find our contact details in Section 2 of this data protection declaration.

7. Right of revocation and deletion

7.1 Revocation and deletion in general

You can revoke your consent to this data protection declaration at any time and request the deletion of your personal data. Please contact us regarding this. You will find our contact details in Section 2 of this data protection declaration.

A deletion request for your profile in the user database of the aha!shop is possible at any time. The deletion can be carried out partially, or as a whole. In this case, we delete your entire data record from the user database of the CMS tool. If you would like to download brochures again later, you would have to register and create a login again. If you wish a complete and final deletion, your data will also be set to "deleted" in our address management system Cobra. When requesting for a deletion, please specify whether you would like to have a partial or a complete one.

Please note that we are obliged under commercial and tax law to keep documents such as invoices for ordered brochures for at least 10 financial years. We can, therefore, neither delete nor process the personal data contained in these documents. Your request for cancellation, therefore, only applies to this extent for future processing.

If a contractual relationship is still pending at the time of receipt of your cancellation and deletion request, your personal data will be processed further until the order has been completely processed. Your revocation under data protection law has expressly no influence on the processing of existing contractual relationships and is not regarded as an extraordinary reason for termination.

7.2 Confirmation of the correction, deletion or blocking of addresses

You will be informed by e-mail as soon as your address has been corrected, deleted or blocked as requested.

8. Lodging a complaint with a supervisory authority

We take the protection of your personal data very seriously and ask you to contact us if you think that we are not collecting or processing your personal data correctly. This will allow us to check for any potential violation of your personal data and to take appropriate action to protect your personal data. Our contact details can be found in Section 2 of this data protection declaration.

If you believe that your personal data has not been appropriately collected or processed in connection with a service, you have the option of lodging a complaint with the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) once the new Federal Act on Data Protection becomes effective – until then your options for lodging an official complaint are limited. Your options for lodging a complaint with the FDPIC and the statutory response options of the FDPIC are in accordance with the Federal Act on Data Protection.

9. Cookies

9.1 What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files, usually consisting of letters and digits, which are sent when visiting a website and stored in the user's browser. We also use the technologies common to most websites.

Cookies help make our offers more user-friendly, efficient and secure. The files allow certain information to be recorded. For example, if you visit our pages repeatedly, the browser you are using will return the contents of the cookie. This allows us to be notified in anonymous form that you have already visited our site.

It is important to note that our websites only use cookies automatically. We do not trace cookies back to user profiles in order to gain advantages for the user, beyond the above-mentioned advantages, or to gain personal insights.

Certain cookies are automatically deleted at the end of the browser session (so-called session cookies), others are stored for a specified time or permanently in the user's browser and then delete themselves independently (so-called temporary or permanent cookies).

The special names and types of cookies and other comparable technologies used by us may change from time to time. Here is a short glossary to help you better understand these principles:

  • Session cookies expire at the end of your browser session and allow us to link together your actions during that particular browser session.
  • Permanent cookies are stored on your device between browser sessions and allow us to document your priorities or actions across multiple pages.
  • Initial provider cookies are stored by the page you have just accessed.
  • Third-party cookies are placed by a third party site that is different from the site you are visiting.

9.2 We use the following types of cookies

9.2.1 Essential cookies

  • Cookies used to identify or authenticate our users;
  • Cookies that temporarily store certain user inputs (e.g. content of a shopping basket or an online form); which means, for example, that you can simply log in again after registering.
  • Cookies that store certain user preferences (e.g. search or language settings);
  • Cookies that store data in order to ensure interference-free playback of video or audio content.ree playback of video or audio content.

9.2.2 Analysis cookies

We use analysis cookies to record and statistically evaluate usage behaviour (e.g. pages visited, sub-pages visited, search queries made, etc., including clicked advertising banners of our sponsors and cooperation partners). These cookies enable us to count visits and determine sources of access to measure and improve the performance of our website. They help us answer the questions of which pages are most popular, which are least used and how visitors move around the website. All information collected by these cookies is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not accept these cookies, we cannot know when you visited our website.

9.2.3 Third-party cookies

We allow companies that advertise on our site to collect user data for analysis purposes using tracking cookies. Placed advertising is identified as such on the websites www.aha.ch or www.pollenundallergie.ch. It should also be noted that the placement of advertising is subject to strict sponsoring guidelines and is controlled by HON during the annual audit.

9.2.4 Other Cookies used

  • addthis.com: This tool allows website users to share content on their social media profiles.
  • YouTube: YouTube provides personalised advertising. Specific third-party provider cookies and systems are used for this purpose.
  • google.com: Google uses this cookie to identify you for advertising purposes.
  • doubleclick.net: This cookie provides information to the Google Ad Network.

9.3 How to disable or delete cookies?

You can disable or remove cookies using tools that are available as part of most commercial browsers. Preferences must be set separately for each browser you use, with different browsers offering different functionalities and options; see section Technical Notes. 

Please note, however, that our online offers may not function or may only function to a limited extent if cookies are disabled.

9.4 Technical information for disabling or deleting cookies

Below are the links to the technical information and guidance for the most popular browsers such as,

10. Google Tools

10.1 Google Analytics

Our websites uses Google Analytics, a web analysis service provided by Google Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics uses cookies, as described above.

According to Google, if IP anonymisation is activated on this website, your IP address will be truncated beforehand within the member states of the European Union or in other countries that are contracting parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area.

Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be forwarded to a Google server in the USA and truncated there. Google will use this information on behalf of the operator of this website to evaluate your use of the website, compile reports about activities on the website and to provide the website operator with other services associated with the use of the website and the internet.

According to Google, the IP address sent by your browser for the purposes of Google Analytics is not combined with any other Google data.

You can prevent cookies being saved on your device by selecting the appropriate settings in your browser. However, please be advised that by doing so you may not be able to use all the features of our website.

You can also object to this tool collecting or evaluating your data by downloading and installing the browser plugin under the following link.

However, we wish to point out that Google Analytics is an important tool for us, as it allows us to regularly measure and analyse the quality of our websites based on visitor numbers and visitor behaviour.

Ultimately, these figures help us optimise our offers in a user-oriented manner. These figures also serve as a reporting tool for our supporters. As a foundation and non-profit organisation, we are financially dependent on the support of third parties. Only in this way is it possible for us to keep the evidence-based content up to date at all times and to guarantee its quality.

10.2 Google AdWords conversion tracking

We use Google Grants advertising to promote our services, offers and evidence-based information. The provider commissioned by us for the management and administration of this application uses the "Google AdWords" online advertising program and, as part of Google AdWords, conversion tracking on a case-by-case basis. Google Conversion Tracking is an analysis service provided by Google Inc.

When you click an ad delivered by Google, a cookie for conversion tracking is stored on your computer. These cookies have a limited validity period; they contain no personal data and are, therefore, not used for personal identification.

If you visit certain pages within our website and the cookie has not yet expired, Google and we can recognise that you have clicked on the advert and have been directed to that page.

Each Google AdWords advertiser has a different cookie. There is, therefore, no way of tracking cookies through the websites of AdWords customers.

The information gathered by this conversion cookie helps generate conversion statistics for AdWords customers who have opted in to conversion tracking. Here, customers can find out the total number of users who have clicked on their advert and were directed to the page using the conversion tracking tag. However, they do not obtain any information that can be used to personally identify users.

If you do not want to participate in tracking, you can block the installation of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser software (disable option). By doing so, you will not be included in the conversion tracking statistics.

For further information and Google's privacy policy.

11. Hotjar

We use the web analysis service Hotjar of Hotjar Ltd for our websites. Hotjar is a European company based in Malta (Hotjar Ltd, Level 2, St Julians Business Centre, 3, Elia Zammit Street, St Julians STJ 1000, Malta). This tool allows us to track movements on our website (also known as heatmaps). For example, it allows us to see how far users scroll and which buttons they click on and how often. The tool also allows us to obtain immediate user feedback, thus providing valuable information as to how we can make our website even faster and more customer-friendly.

We pay particular attention to the protection of your personal data when using this tool. We therefore track only which buttons are clicked on, the movements of the mouse, how far down users scroll, the screen size of the device, the type of device and browser information, the location (just the country) and the language selected to display our website. Here, detailed guidance with information about your browser.

12. Changes to this data protection declaration

Changes to this data protection declaration are effective from the time of their publication on our website. The processing of personal data collected under an older data protection declaration is carried out in accordance with this data protection declaration.

We reserve the right to change this data protection declaration at any time and to inform customers about the changes in an appropriate manner.

Update: June 2022