Privacy & Data Policy

Introduction

Datacy, Inc. (“we”, “us”, “our” or “Datacy”) collects your data directly from you (“you”, “your” or the “End User”), through our browser extension and web applications (the “Platform”). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and disclose your information. All capitalized terms not otherwise defined in this Privacy Policy shall have the same definitions ascribed to them in the Terms and Conditions.

By visiting datacy.com and/or using any of our Services, you agree to the terms outlined in this privacy policy.

Our Privacy Principles

When it comes to collecting, storing, and processing your data, Datacy treats your data the way we would want our own data to be treated. This can be broken down into the following principles:

1. We ensure that you have a right to exercise control over what data is collected and shared via our Services. We will never collect, access, use, modify, sell, license, or share your data without your explicit permission.
2. We only process your data in accordance with your instructions, if such processing is necessary to provide the Service to you or to detect, prevent or otherwise address fraud or security issues.
3. We ensure that we have appropriate measures in place to handle your data securely.

What we do

Datacy puts you in charge of your data by giving you the tools to manage it, the power to control who uses it, and the opportunity to earn money every time you share it. By using the Datacy browser extension, linking existing data sources to Datacy, answering questions, or simply interacting with our products, you empower Datacy algorithms to work on your behalf to draw valuable insights and analytics from your data that you can share with participating Businesses for a reward.

By joining and participating in the Services, you are providing your consent to Datacy and the Businesses you choose to share your data with (defined below) to utilize your data as described herein.

The Services provided through the Platform allows you to determine what data you would like to share and be included in the compensation for the sale of your data to various third parties, including, but not limited to, brands, financial institutions, market researchers, and data management platforms (collectively, the “Businesses”) in accordance with our Terms and Conditions.

Datacy provides Services directly to you as the owner of the data by providing you with a medium to exchange your data with the Businesses through the Platform. The Businesses we partner with generally use your data for market research, product development, and to better understand consumer perceptions and behaviors.

How You Earn

At Datacy, your opportunity to earn depends on community and fit. Here’s the simple breakdown:

Step into the Right Community: Brands collaborate with us to create communities based on specific consumer behavior criteria. These criteria are like a wishlist of consumer habits and preferences that brands are keen to understand.

Match Your Behavior: Keep using the Datacy desktop Chrome extension. The more data you gather, the clearer your behavior profile becomes. When your data shows behavior that aligns with a brand’s criteria, that’s when the magic happens—you’re matched!

You can be a part of Multiple Communities: Your diverse activities could be the ticket to joining several communities, each adding to your earning potential.

Earn While You Wait: Even before you match, you’re valued. 

The data we collect

1. How Is Your Data Collected on Datacy?
   Datacy collects data directly from you when you (i) elect to link a data source, (ii) answer profile questions, and (iii) install the Datacy browser extension.
2. What data do we collect?
   We collect your data directly from your devices through our browser extension and our web application (the “Platform”). We hold and deal with your data in accordance with our privacy principles and in accordance with your instructions. All our Services are designed to give you control of your data and enable you to profit directly every time it is used, with Datacy acting as a platform that allows you to do so. We don’t collect, store or use your data without your consent and only access the information we need to function as a secure and feature-rich Platform. This means that, unlike the majority of the other online services, we don't use your data for ad targeting or for commercial purposes not related to our Services. We will store your data as long as your account is active or you are being rewarded for sharing data. Any time your data is shared as part of the Services, we will use a pseudonymized ID to recognize you, your browser, and/or your device without allowing a Business to know your real-world identity. The type of data that we collect from you may include: 
   1. Basic Account data
      You provide us with details such as your name and email address to create a Datacy account that is needed to use our Services.  
   2. Cross-device functionality
      We may also store some aggregated metadata to create Datacy features that work across all your devices. 
   3. Safety and security
      As our user numbers grow, it is likely we will become a lucrative target for spammers and hackers. To improve the security of your account and to prevent spam, abuse, and other violations of our Terms of Service, we may collect metadata such as your IP address, devices you've used, history of username changes, etc. If collected, this metadata will be kept for 12 months maximum.
3. What data we don't collect 
   1. Your sensitive personal data
      Datacy does not process payments from or to users and instead relies on payment providers around the world. It is the payment providers that handle and store your bank and/or credit card details. Your bank and/or credit card information never reaches Datacy’s servers and we do not access or store this information. Although we work in partnership with payment providers, they are completely independent of Datacy. Please study their relevant privacy policies before sharing your financial data with them. 
   2. Your payment information
      Datacy does not process payments from or to users and instead relies on payment providers around the world. It is the payment providers that handle and store your bank and/or credit card details. Your bank and/or credit card information never reaches Datacy’s servers and we do not access or store this information. Although we work in partnership with payment providers, they are completely independent of Datacy. Please study their relevant privacy policies before sharing your financial data with them. 
   3. Data of users under the age of 18
      If you are under the age of 18, you may not have an Account on Datacy. Datacy does not knowingly collect information from or direct any of our content specifically to individuals under 18. If we learn or have reason to suspect that you are a User who is under the age of 18, we will have to close your Account.
4. Third-party Platform Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
   If you are under the age of 18, you may not have an Account on Datacy. Datacy does not knowingly collect information from or direct any of our content specifically to individuals under 18. If we learn or have reason to suspect that you are a User who is under the age of 18, we will have to close your Account.

Keeping your data safe

Datacy is committed to safeguarding the data you collect, manage and share through our Platform. We have implemented industry-standard security procedures to protect the storage and disclosure of the data we process, including encryption in transit and at rest. No method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure; therefore, while we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Processing your data

To the extent that our processing of your data is subject to certain international laws (including, but not limited to, the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)), Datacy is required to notify you about the legal basis on which we process User Personal Information. Datacy processes User Personal Information on the following legal bases:

1. Contract Performance 
   1. Our services
      We will process your data to provide you with our Service. For example, we may use your information to: 
      • help us maintain your datacy account 
      • improve the Services we provide 
   2. Spam and Abuse
      To prevent phishing, spam and other kinds of abuse and violations of our Terms of Service, our systems may check your data. If you abuse any of the terms of our Terms of Service, your account may be suspended – temporarily or permanently. You can send an appeal using [email protected]. In case of more serious violations, your account may be banned. We may also use automated algorithms to analyze the data to stop the abuse. 
   3. Advanced features
      We may use aggregated data about how you use Datacy to build useful features. For example, when you open the Search menu, Datacy may display the data you are more likely to search in a box at the top of the screen. To do this, we calculate a rating that shows which data you search for frequently.
2. Consent
   We rely on your consent to use your data and personal information when you use the Datacy browser extension, fill out the information in your profile; when you take surveys or answer questions about yourself, or when you link other data sources with the intention to receive a reward for doing so. You can access, modify, and delete this data at any time. You may withdraw your consent for us to use this data at any time by removing the data from sale or restricting data from being collected through the Datacy browser extension
3. Legitimate Interests
   Generally, the remainder of the processing of your data and personal information we perform is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interest, for example, for legal compliance purposes, security purposes, or to maintain ongoing confidentiality, integrity, availability, and resilience of Datacy’s systems, Website, and Service. If you would like to request deletion of data we process on the basis of consent or if you object to our processing of personal information, please email us at [email protected]

Onward transfer

Datacy shares information with trusted third-party vendors who may help us to manage the Websites and our Platform (e.g., cloud hosting services). These third-party vendors are prohibited via written contract from using the information for purposes other than performing services for Datacy.

Datacy may be required to disclose your information to third parties when obligated to do so by law and to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding suspected, or actual prohibited activities, including transfer, reasonably intended to meet national security or law enforcement requirements, or when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, including but not limited to fraud and situations involving potential threats to the physical safety of any person.

Finally, Datacy may transfer information, including any data we have on the platform, to a successor entity in connection with a corporate merger, consolidation, sale of assets, bankruptcy, or other corporate change. We will provide notice of this transfer in our privacy policy.

Sharing your data

Except as otherwise stated in this Privacy Policy, we do not collect, store, access, use, sell, rent or share your data without your explicit consent. We may use the Personal Information you provide to us to communicate with you, for example, in response to questions you have asked or to provide technical support.

Your data is licensed by Datacy to Businesses - only with your explicit consent - at fair market value, and in turn, a portion of this revenue is given to you. We license your data on your behalf whenever a Business subscribes to get insights into your data. All transactions are made with your explicit permission and in accordance with the terms, you set. Our Platform gives you full visibility over who is subscribing to your data and for what purpose, including a right to restrict any Business you do not want to share your data with. Before any sale, all data is stripped of any association with personally identifiable information and aggregated to preserve your anonymity and privacy.

By agreeing to this Privacy Policy and choosing to share your data, you are instructing us to transfer your data, on your behalf, to those Businesses in accordance with this Privacy Policy. We employ all appropriate technical and organizational measures (including encryption of your data) to ensure a high level of security for all your data.

Your rights

Datacy is built to give you visibility, control, and ownership over your data. Through your Datacy account you can:

• access all data you collect or sell through Datacy
• control how your data is collected or sold
• delete or amend your personal information
• restrict, or object to, the processing of any of your data
• withdraw any consent you’ve previously given us
• correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold on you

If you need help in exercising any of these rights, please get in touch with us at [email protected]

Deleting your data

1. Accounts You can delete your account at any time from your settings page. Deleting your account will remove all your data from the datacy network. When you delete your data on datacy it’s gone forever and cannot be recovered 
2. Account Self-Destruction By default, if you stop using datacy for at least 1 year, your account will be deleted along with all your data held on the datacy network. You can go to your Settings to change the exact period of inactivity, after which your inactive account will self-destruct. In some circumstances, like cases of anti-money laundering or fraud, we may have to keep your data for longer.

Retention

Unless stated otherwise in this Privacy Policy, we will store your data for as long as it is necessary to provide you with the Services and meet the laws and regulations of the countries we operate in.

Making a complaint

If you have a complaint, please contact us and we’ll do our best to fix the problem. If you’re still not happy, you can refer your complaint to your relevant national data regulation authority.

Changes to this policy

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make changes to the Policy, we will notify you by revising the “Last Updated” date at the top of the Policy. The most current version of this Privacy Policy will govern our current use of your information and your use of our Services, the Websites, and/or the Platform. We encourage you to review our Privacy Policy regularly to stay informed about our privacy practices. Your continued use of the Website and/or the app and/or any of the Services following a change or changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes your binding acceptance of the change or changes.