ZEISS online services use cookies, tracking pixels and other similar technologies (collectively called "cookies" from now on) to recognize your browser or end device, to learn more about your interests and to provide you with essential functions and services as well as for other purposes.

Cookies have the advantage that they enable you to use many of our offerings, services or features. If you do not allow cookies to be placed or reject cookies, you may not be able to use various aspects of our online services or to use other products or services as these may require cookies.

Approved third party providers may also place cookies when you interact with ZEISS services. Third party providers include search engines, measurement and analysis service providers, social media networks and advertising companies. Third parties use cookies to provide content, including ads, that is relevant to your interests, to measure the effectiveness of their ads, and to provide services on behalf of ZEISS. For more information about third parties who may place cookies, please refer to the "Tracking and Cookie Technologies" section.

In certain cases, the data collected can be used to identify the visitor. The data collected is used to improve the offering or target customers. IP addresses are generally shortened or only processed in an anonymous form.

Depending on their function and purpose, cookies can be grouped into different categories: cookies needed for technical reasons, as well as functional cookies, statistics cookies, cookies for marketing purposes and social media cookies.

ZEISS uses cookies in a number of ways and for the following purposes:

• To authenticate and identify you when you use one of our websites or applications, so that we can provide you with the services you have requested
• To make the ZEISS websites and applications you use available to you
• To store your settings or record the point at which you stopped using a ZEISS website or application
• To measure your use of ZEISS websites and applications so that we can improve our websites and online services and adjust them to suit your likely interests.
• To understand what your interests likely are so that we can present you with relevant information when you visit ZEISS websites
• To provide content, including advertisements, that is relevant to your interests on ZEISS websites and third-party websites and generate reports. This allows us to measure and analyze the performance of our services.
• To prevent fraud and improve security.
• To undertake research and diagnostics to improve content, products and services.

We use software to create user profiles and keep them up to date. The process involves the use of cookies for tracking purposes on the website.

In some cases we use retargeting by which visitors to a web page are tagged so that they can be presented with targeted information on other web pages. This information cannot be used to identify individuals and can be deactivated at any time by changing the display settings or privacy settings in your browser.

In some cases we use the retargeting function of Google Inc. This feature is used to present website visitors with advertisements related to their interests within the Google advertising network. To do this, a cookie is saved to the visitor's browser which makes it possible to identify the user when he or she visits another website which is part of the Google advertising network. On these sites, the user may be presented with advertising related to content that he or she viewed previously on other websites which employ the Google retargeting feature. According to Google, it does not collect personal information during this process. If you do not want Google to use the retargeting feature, this can generally be deactivated by changing the settings under  http://www.google.com/settings/ads .

Through the use of the Google retargeting feature and the "similar audiences" feature, you may be presented with advertising from ZEISS which is tailored to your person and personal interests when you visit websites within Google's so-called "Display Network". You can also deactivate the cookies used in this process at any time by changing the display settings or privacy settings in your browser.

As an example, we use social media cookies to activate social media plug-in icons. This also allows access to social media and surfing on our and other websites can be tracked by the operator of the social network.

If you want to modify, limit, or object to the use of cookies or the analysis of your surfing behavior, or if you wish to withdraw your objection, you can change and manage the settings for each website in most standard browsers as follows:

• Chrome: Click the padlock icon next to the address bar (on SSL-certified pages) or on the information icon (i).
• Firefox: Click the icon next to the web address. Look to the right of the check box and select "Further information". The cookie management is located under "Privacy & Security".
• Internet Explorer/Edge: Click the gear icon, then go to "Extras" > "Internet Options". Go to the "Privacy" tab. The cookie management options are located under "Advanced".

You can also manage browser cookies for the most common web browsers via the browser settings. The help function of most web browsers explains how to prevent your browser from accepting new cookies, how your browser can notify you when you receive a new cookie, how to disable cookies and when the cookies expire. If you deactivate all cookies in your browser, neither ZEISS nor third parties will transmit cookies to your browser. However, if you do this, you may need to manually adjust some settings each time you visit a website, and some features and services may not work.

These buttons, if displayed on the website, do not establish any contact with the servers from Facebook and Twitter or similar online service providers. For a connection to be activated, and for communication with Facebook and Twitter to be established, you must firstly grant your approval – by clicking on the buttons.

If you are already logged into a social network of your choice, this is carried out without another window being opened. As this transfer occurs directly, we do not obtain any knowledge of the data transferred. What is transferred is the fact that you have launched the respective site. If you are simultaneously logged onto Facebook & Co., this information will be assigned to your social media account and will thus be connected with you.

The best way to obtain information on the further use and storage of your personal data by Facebook and Twitter, is to go directly to these social media companies.

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/policy.php
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/about/legal/privacy/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy
• Pinterest: https://policy.pinterest.com/en/privacy-policy
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/en/privacy
• Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/privacy
• Xing: https://privacy.xing.com/en
• YouTube: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en&gl=de

It is likewise possible to block social plugins through your browser using add-ons.