Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

The purpose of this policy is to explain the types of information we obtain from users through the Abacus website and other channels, how the information is obtained, how it is used, how it may be obtained by others, and how its use and disclosure can be restricted.

Abacus may change this policy from over time by updating this page. This policy is effective from 19/04/2021.

Legal basis for processing data

According to the definition of the ICO, Abacus is a private sector organisation (all for-profit business). Abacus utilises the lawful basis of Legitimate Interests under GDPR to process data and send out direct marketing communications under PECR/e-Privacy. Our business model relies on selling our products and services to other businesses to improve their customer engagement and so our marketing activity is potentially mutually beneficial. Email is our main form of marketing activity, and we provide an unsubscribe link for corporate individuals to opt-out/object to the further processing of their data should they so choose. We also use direct telesales, through which we allow the individual to reserve the right to notify us to not call them again. We only market to businesses and persons within those businesses that we genuinely believe would be interested in our products and services.

The ICO states that ‘Direct marketing covers the promotion of aims and ideals as well as the sale of products and services,’ and GDPR states that ‘the processing of personal data for direct marketing purposes may be regarded as carried out for a legitimate interest.’

Abacus has conducted a Legitimate Interests Assessment (LIA) Test which has identified the relevant legitimate interests and deemed it the most appropriate legal basis for our marketing activities. We have conducted a balancing test and are confident that our target individual’s interests do not override those legitimate interests. This has all been documented to justify our decision. We will keep our LIA under regular review and repeat both the assessment and balancing tests if our circumstances change.

Regarding current clients using our platforms and services, Abacus utilises the lawful basis of Contractual Obligations to send regular updates via email communications. This includes monthly release notes, support updates and any other relevant communications to their terms of use.

Data we collect

The main information we initially collect is name, job title, email address, and phone number. Abacus may use this information to make contact to further discuss (possible) interest in our company, platforms, and services.

Those that complete the Demo Request, Contact Us and/or Webinar Video forms agree that they are authorising Abacus to contact them regarding their enquiry and to be added to our marketing mailing list about our products and services. They can opt out of being further contacted by us by using the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails or contacting us at marketing@abacusemedia.com.

Use of IP Tracking

We currently use IP tracking technology (Google Analytics and Salesforce Pardot) to identify businesses visiting our site and the pages that are being used. This helps us analyse data about web page traffic in order to develop and improve our website for business visitors. It also helps us determine who is interested in our platforms and services and gives us better insight into how we might be able to provide a solution to their business.

Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, visitors who use these links to leave our site should note that we do not have any control over those other websites. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information provided whilst visiting such sites as they are not governed by this privacy policy. Visitors should exercise caution and review the privacy policy applicable to the website in question.

Abacus is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Disclosure

Abacus will not sell individual information to any third parties. Abacus does not disclose personal information to third parties, except as set forth in this policy and in cases where Abacus, acting in good faith, believes that such action is necessary to conform to legal requirements or comply with a legal process, such as a search warrant, subpoena, or court order.

Some frequently asked privacy questions

What are cookies?

Cookies are files of information that a website stores on a computer’s hard disk for record-keeping purposes. Cookies can make the web more useful by storing information about visitor preferences on a particular site. Cookies allow websites to ‘remember’ users across pages of a site and across multiple visits to a site. The use of cookies is an industry standard, and many major websites use them to provide useful features to their visitors. Cookies, in and of themselves, do not personally identify users, although they do identify a user’s computer. Most browsers are initially set up to accept cookies. Cookies cannot damage user files, nor can they read unrelated information from a user’s hard drive. Users may set their browser settings to refuse cookies, though this may affect website functionality and performance.

Is my personal information secure?

The personal information collected by Abacus is stored in secure operating environments that are not available to the general public. Abacus follows information security policies in accordance with ISO27001. However, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Consequently, while we strive to protect all personal information, Abacus cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information transmitted to us over the internet.

We reserve the right to change this privacy policy at any time.

Any questions regarding this privacy policy should be directed to our Data Protection Officer: Ian Eckert - ian.eckert@abacusemedia.com.