Privacy Policy

Last updated 9 July 2021

The Heard Write Privacy Policy is designed to help you understand how I collect and use the personal information you provide to me and to assist you in making informed decisions when using my site and services.

 

What information is collected?

When you visit this website, you may provide two types of information:

1. personal information you knowingly choose to disclose, which is collected on an individual basis

2. website use information, which is collected on an aggregate basis as you and others browse the site.

 

Personal information you choose to provide

1. Registration information
You’ll provide information about yourself, your business or brand, and your practices when you complete my contact form, register to be on my mailing list, or email me.

2. Email information
If you choose to correspond with me via email, I may retain the content of your emails including any contact information you provide.

3. Website use information
Similar to other commercial websites, this site utilises a standard technology called “cookies” (see explanation below, ‘What are cookies?’) and web server logs to collect information about how this site is used. Information gathered through cookies and web server logs may include the date and time of visits, the pages viewed, time spent at this site, and the websites visited just before and just after my site. I (or someone working on my behalf) may also use technology or pieces of code to determine which advertisements or promotions users have seen and how users responded to them.

 

How do I use the information you provide to me?

Broadly speaking, I use personal information for the purposes of administering and expanding my business activities, providing customer service, and making available other services to my customers and prospective customers. Occasionally, I may also use the information I collect to let you know about important changes to this website or new services and special offers I think you’ll find valuable. You can let me know if you don’t want to receive these offers by clicking the unsubscribe link contained in each such email.

 

What are cookies?

Cookies are delicious! Especially the ones that find themselves wrapped around ice-cream… Mmmm… ice-cream sandwiches… But seriously, a cookie (in this context) is a very small text document that often includes an anonymous unique identifier. When you visit a website, that site’s computer asks your computer for permission to store this file in a part of your hard drive specifically designated for cookies (kinda like a cookie jar). Each website can send its own cookie to your browser if your browser’s preferences allow it, but (to protect your privacy) your browser only permits a website to access the cookies it’s already sent to you, not the cookies sent to you by other sites.

 

How do I use the information I collect from cookies?

As you use this website, the site uses its cookies to differentiate you from other users. Cookies, in conjunction with my web server’s log files, let me calculate the aggregate number of people visiting this site as well as which parts of the site are most popular. This helps me gather feedback to constantly improve my site and to better serve my customers. Cookies don’t let me gather any personal information about you and I don’t generally store any personal information you provided to me in your cookies. By consenting and continuing to visit my site you consent to the placement of cookies on your device.

 

Sharing information with third parties

The information I collect is used to improve the content of this site and the quality of my service. I don’t share or sell that information with or to anyone for commercial purposes. However, your information could be shared under the following circumstances:

• If I use third parties to facilitate my business, including—but not limited to—sending emails and processing payments, these third parties may have access to your personal information for use in connection with those business activities.
• As I develop my business I may buy or sell assets or business offerings. Customer, email, and visitor information is generally one of the transferred business assets in these types of transactions. I may also transfer such information in the course of corporate divestitures, mergers, or any dissolution.
• If it becomes necessary to share information in order to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the physical safety of any person, violations of my terms of service, or as otherwise required by law.

 

Google AdWords remarketing

I may use remarketing to advertise online.

If I do, third-party vendors, including Google, will show my ads on sites across the internet. These vendors use cookies to serve ads based on your past visits to this website. You can opt out of Google’s use of cookies by visiting the Ads Preference Manager. You can opt out of a third-party vendor’s use of cookies by visiting Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page.

 

Notice of new services and changes

Occasionally, I may use the information I collect to let you know about important changes to this website, new services, and special offers I think you’ll find valuable. You’ll be given the opportunity to let me know you don’t want to receive these offers by clicking the unsubscribe link contained in each such email.

 

How do I secure information transmissions?

Email is not recognised as a secure medium of communication. For this reason, I ask that you do not send private information to me via email. Some of the information you may enter on this site may be transmitted securely via Secure Sockets Layer SSL, 128-bit encryption services. Pages utilising this technology will have URLs that start with HTTPS instead of HTTP.

 

Certain disclosures

I may disclose your personal information if required to do so by law or subpoena or if I believe that such action is necessary to (a) conform to the law or comply with a legal process served on us or affiliated parties; (b) protect and defend my rights and property, my site, the users of my site, and/or my affiliated parties; (c) act under circumstances to protect the safety of users of my site, me, or third parties.

 

What about other websites linked to this site?

I’m not responsible for the practices employed by websites linked to or from my site, nor the information or content contained therein. Often links to other websites are provided solely as pointers to information on topics that may be useful to the users of this site. Please remember, when you use a link to go from my site to another website, my Privacy Policy is no longer in effect. Your browsing and interaction on any other website, including sites that have a link on my site, is subject to that website’s own rules and policies. Please read over those rules and policies before proceeding.

 

My responsibilities as a ‘controller’ under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)

If you’re a resident of the European Economic Area (‘EEA’) you have certain rights and protections under the GDPR regarding the processing of your personal information. I am a controller under the GDPR as I collect, use, and store your personal information so I can provide you with services and information.

I rely on the following lawful means of processing your personal information:

1. Where it’s necessary to fulfil a contract with you.

2. Where you’ve given me valid consent to use your personal information, I’ll rely on that consent and only use the personal information for the specific purpose for which you have given consent. This includes where I email newsletters, or send mobile notifications;

3. I may also process your personal information where it is to further my legitimate interests where they are overridden by your rights or interests. This could include usage statistics, analytics and internal analysis so I can improve my services.

 

Your rights

If you’re an EEA resident you have various rights including the:

• right to be informed
• right of access
• right to rectification
• right to object
• right to restriction of processing
• right to erasure or to be forgotten
• right to data portability
• right not to be subject to automated processing
• right to party (according to the Beastie Boys at least).

If you want to access personal information I hold about you or want to ask for the information to be corrected, please contact me. In some circumstances, you also have a right to object to or ask that I restrict certain processing activities or delete your personal information. If you would like to limit or request deletion of your personal information or exercise any other rights, you can do so by contacting me.

 

Withdrawing your consent

You can withdraw your consent to my collecting or processing your personal information. You can do so by contacting me or by opting out of email newsletter communications by following the instructions in those emails or by clicking unsubscribe. If you withdraw your consent to the use of your personal information, you may not have access to my services, and I might not be able to provide you with my services. In some circumstances where I have a legal basis to do so, I may continue to process your information after you’ve withdrawn consent; for example, if it’s necessary to comply with an independent legal obligation or if it’s necessary to do so to protect my legitimate interest in keeping my services secure.

 

My compliance

All personal information stored on my platform is treated as confidential. It’s stored securely and is accessed by authorised personnel only. My collection is limited in relation to what is necessary for the purpose for which the personal information is processed and kept only for so long as is necessary for the purpose for which the personal information was collected. I implement and maintain appropriate technical, security, and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised or unlawful processing and use, and against accidental loss, destruction, damage, theft, or disclosure. I ensure the encryption and pseudonymisation of personal information and have adequate cyber security measures in place.

 

Your acknowledgement

By providing me with your personal information, you consent to me disclosing it to third parties who reside outside the EU. I’ll ensure those third parties are GDPR compliant.

 

Your consent

By using this site you consent to me collecting and using your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy. If I change my privacy policy, I’ll post those changes on this site to keep you aware of what information I collect, how I use it, and under what circumstances I may disclose it.