Privacy Policy

Welcome to finermsg ("we", "us", "our"). We operate the website at finermsg.com (the "Site"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our Site. Please read this policy carefully. If you disagree with its terms, please discontinue use of the Site.

1. Who We Are

finermsg is an independent editorial publication focused on reviewing and reporting on messaging applications. We are the data controller responsible for your personal data processed through this Site. You may contact us at any time regarding privacy matters by emailing info@finermsg.com.

2. Data We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal data:

• Contact data — your name and email address when you submit our contact form.
• Message data — the subject and content of messages you send us.
• Usage data — your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URL, pages visited, and time spent on each page. This data is collected automatically via server logs and analytics tools.
• Cookie data — identifiers stored in cookies or similar technologies. See Section 7 for details.

3. How We Collect Data

We collect data in the following ways:

• Directly from you — when you fill in the contact form or otherwise contact us voluntarily.
• Automatically — when you browse the Site, through cookies, server logs, and analytics scripts.
• From third parties — where analytics or infrastructure providers pass aggregated or anonymised data to us.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Where the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or UK GDPR applies, we process your personal data on the following legal bases:

• Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) — for analytics cookies and non-essential tracking, where you have given clear consent via our cookie banner.
• Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) — for server-side logging and fraud prevention, where our interests are not overridden by your rights.
• Contract performance (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) — when processing contact form submissions to respond to your enquiry.
• Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR) — where processing is required by applicable law.

5. How We Use Your Data

We use the data we collect to:

• Operate, maintain, and improve the Site.
• Respond to your enquiries and support requests.
• Analyse usage patterns to understand our audience and improve content.
• Detect, prevent, and address technical issues or fraudulent activity.
• Comply with legal obligations.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to any third party for marketing purposes.

6. Sharing Your Data

We may share your data with carefully selected third parties only as described below:

• Hosting & infrastructure providers — companies that host our servers and process data solely on our behalf under data processing agreements.
• Analytics providers — currently Google Analytics (Google LLC). Data is transferred under Standard Contractual Clauses. You may opt out at any time — see Section 7.
• Legal authorities — if required by law, court order, or regulatory authority, we may disclose information to the relevant body.

All third-party processors are required to process data in accordance with applicable data protection law and solely on our documented instructions.

7. Cookies & Tracking

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies. A full breakdown of the cookies we set is available on our Cookies page. In summary:

• Strictly necessary cookies — required for core functionality (e.g., storing your cookie consent preference). These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies — used to collect anonymised statistics about how visitors use the Site (Google Analytics). These are only set with your consent.

You may withdraw your consent for analytics cookies at any time by visiting our Cookies page or adjusting your browser settings.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected:

• Contact form submissions — retained for up to 24 months to allow us to handle any follow-up queries.
• Analytics data — retained for up to 26 months in accordance with Google Analytics default settings.
• Server logs — typically retained for 90 days and then deleted.

After these periods, data is securely deleted or anonymised.

9. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures designed to protect your personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. These include HTTPS encryption, access controls, and regular security reviews.

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security and encourage you to take care when sharing personal information online.

10. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• Right of access — to request a copy of the data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification — to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure — to request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten").
• Right to restriction — to request that we restrict processing of your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability — to receive your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
• Right to object — to object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
• Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@finermsg.com. We will respond within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority (for EU residents, this is your national DPA; for UK residents, the ICO).

11. Children's Privacy

The Site is not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child, please contact us immediately at info@finermsg.com and we will take steps to delete it promptly.

12. International Transfers

Your personal data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or UK, including the United States, where data protection laws may differ. Where such transfers occur, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place — such as Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission — to provide an equivalent level of protection.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, technology, or our practices. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will reflect any revisions. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of the Site after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or the data we hold about you, please contact us:

• Email: info@finermsg.com
• Website: finermsg.com

We are committed to working with you to resolve any privacy-related concerns in a timely and transparent manner.