Privacy Policy

Last updated: 1 January 2025

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how Cognos AI (Company Number 6143768), trading as EstaVetting ("we", "our", "us"), collects, uses, and protects your personal data when you use our social media scanning service.

Our registered address is Mallory House, Goostrey Way, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 7GY. We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and are committed to complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted at dataprocessing@estavetting.com.

2. Data We Collect

We collect the following categories of personal data:

  • Contact Information: Name, email address, and any other information you provide when contacting us or placing an order.
  • Social Media Usernames: The public social media handles you provide for scanning. We never request or store passwords.
  • Payment Information: Payment details are processed securely by our payment processor, Stripe. We do not store full card details on our servers.
  • Publicly Available Social Media Content: Posts, comments, images, and other publicly accessible content from your social media profiles, analysed temporarily during the scanning process.
  • Technical Data: IP address, browser type, operating system, and other technical data collected automatically when you visit our website.

3. Consent

By using our service and providing your social media usernames, you consent to us scanning publicly available content on those profiles. You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us, though this may affect our ability to provide the service.

4. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

  • To perform social media scans and generate risk assessment reports.
  • To process payments for our services.
  • To communicate with you about your order, including sending your report.
  • To respond to your enquiries and provide customer support.
  • To improve our service and develop new features.
  • To comply with legal obligations.

5. Disclosure of Data

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal data to third parties. We may share your data with:

  • Payment processors: Stripe, for the purpose of processing payments.
  • Service providers: Cloud hosting and email delivery providers who assist in delivering our service.
  • Legal authorities: Where required by law or to protect our legal rights.

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. All data transmission is encrypted using industry-standard TLS/SSL protocols.

7. Data Retention

Social media content analysed during the scanning process is not retained after your report has been generated and delivered. We retain your contact information and order records for a period of 6 years to comply with UK tax and accounting regulations. You may request earlier deletion where this does not conflict with our legal obligations.

8. Your Legal Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have the following rights:

  • Right of Access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to Rectification: You may request that we correct any inaccurate personal data.
  • Right to Erasure: You may request that we delete your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements.
  • Right to Restrict Processing: You may request that we limit how we use your data.
  • Right to Data Portability: You may request your data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
  • Right to Object: You may object to our processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Data Protection Officer at dataprocessing@estavetting.com.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us: