Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy statement is made by the PLAIN ERP consisting of all the entities listed (collectively, “Plain ERP”, “we”, “us” or “our”) and is effective as of 25th April 2021. It applies to all our division: Plain ERP.
Plain ERP’s Privacy Commitment
PLAIN ERP has worried about customer and user privacy for almost 2 years, long before it became fashionable, politically correct, or legally binding to take such a position. We ask for only the least amount of information necessary, gathering only what we believe is essential for doing business, or for the specific transaction at hand. We let customers know the information we have on them and allow them to opt out of specific engagements. But, by far, our biggest commitment is that we do not make a single dollar from advertising revenue never have, never will even from the free editions of our products. This means we avoid the fundamental conflict of interest between gathering customer information and fuelling advertising revenue, and the unavoidable compromises in customer privacy that it brings.
The goal of this policy is to make explicit the information we gather on our customers and users, how we will use it, and how we will not. This policy is unfortunately longer than we would like, but we must unambiguously address all the relevant cases. We will try and keep the language simple and direct as much as possible.
Scope of this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to all PLAIN ERP websites that link to it. It also applies to the products and services provided by PLAIN ERP through these websites, our mobile applications, and applications posted by PLAIN ERP on Plain ERPs online marketplace and in other third-party online marketplaces. This Privacy Policy does not apply to any of our websites, products or services that have a separate privacy policy.
This Privacy Policy is divided into three parts:
Part I – Information PLAIN ERP collects and controls.
This part deals with how PLAIN ERP collects and uses information about website visitors, potential customers, users of Plain ERP’s products and services, and others who contact PLAIN ERP through forms or email addresses published on or linked to our websites.
Part II – Information that PLAIN ERP processes on your behalf
This part deals with how PLAIN ERP handles data that you entrust to PLAIN ERP when you use our products and services, or when you share any personal or confidential information with us while requesting customer support.
Part III – General
This part deals with topics that are relevant to both Parts I and II, and other general topics such as Plain ERP’s security commitments and how we will inform you when we change this Privacy Policy.
Part I – Information PLAIN ERP collects and controls.
We only collect the information that we need. Some of that is information that you actively give us when you sign up for an account, register for an event, ask for customer support, or buy something from us. We store your name and contact information, but we don’t store credit card numbers (except with your permission and in one of our secured payment gateways).
When you visit one of our websites or use our software, we automatically log some basic information like how you got to the site, where you navigated within it, and what features and settings you use. We use this information to improve our websites and services and to drive new product development.
Sometimes we receive information indirectly. If you ask about our products through one of our referral programs or reselling partners or sign in to one of our products through an authentication service provider like LinkedIn or Google, they’ll pass on your contact information to us. We’ll use that information to complete the request that you made. If you engage with our brand on social media (for instance, liking, commenting, retweeting, mentioning, or following us), we’ll have access to your interactions and profile information. We’ll still have that information even if you later remove it from the social media site.
What we do with your information
We use your information to provide the services you’ve requested, create and maintain your accounts, and keep an eye out for unauthorized activity on your accounts. We also use it to communicate with you about the products you’re currently using, your customer support requests, new products you may like, chances for you to give us feedback, and policy updates. We analyse the information we collect to understand user needs and to improve our websites and services.
We’re required to have a legal basis for collecting and processing your information. In most cases, we either have your consent or need the information to provide the service you’ve requested from us. When that’s not the case, we must demonstrate that we have another legal basis, such as our legitimate business interests.
You can decline certain kinds of information use either by not providing the information in the first place or by opting out later. You can also disable cookies to prevent your browser from giving us information, but if you do so, certain website features may not work properly. We completely disable third-party cookies from all PLAIN ERP websites and products.
We limit access to your personal information to our employees and contractors who have a legitimate need to use it. If we share your information with other parties (like developers, service providers, domain registrars, and reselling partners), they must have appropriate security measures and a valid reason for using your information, typically to serve you.
The European Economic Area (EEA) provides certain rights to data subjects (including access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, data portability, and the right to object and to complain). PLAIN ERP undertakes to provide you the same rights no matter where you choose to live.
We keep your personal information for as long as it is required for the purposes stated in this Privacy Policy. When we no longer have a legitimate need to process your information, we will delete, anonymize, or isolate your information, whichever is appropriate.
Part II – Information that PLAIN ERP processes on your behalf
If you handle other people’s data using PLAIN ERP apps, such as information about your customers or employees, you are entrusting that data to us for processing. If you use a PLAIN ERP mobile app and give the app access to your contacts and photo library, you are entrusting data to us. The data you entrust to us for processing is called service data.
You own your service data. We protect it, limit access to it, and only process it according to your instructions. You may access it, share it through third-party integrations, and request that we export or delete it.
We hold the data in your account as long as you choose to use PLAIN ERP Services. After you terminate your account, your data will be automatically deleted from our active database within 6 months and from our backups within 3 months after that.
If you are in the European Economic Area and you believe that someone has entrusted your information to us for processing (for instance, your employer or a company whose services you use), you can request certain actions from us regarding your data. To exercise those data rights, please contact the person or company that entrusted the data to us and we will work with them on your request.
Part III – General
There are some limitations to the privacy we can promise you. We will disclose personal information if it’s necessary to comply with a legal obligation, prevent fraud, enforce an agreement, or protect our users’ safety. We do not currently honor Do Not Track signals from internet browsers; when a universal standard for processing them emerges, we will follow it.
Third-party websites and social media widgets have their own separate privacy policies. Always check the relevant privacy policy before sharing personal information with third parties.
You can always contact us to: ask questions about our privacy practices, request a GDPR-compliant Data Processing Addendum, alert us if you believe we have collected personal data from a minor, or ask to have your personal information removed from our blogs or forums. You can also check our Security Policy
We will contact you to let you know if we make any major changes to our privacy policy, or in the highly unlikely event that we ever decide to sell our business.
Purposes for using information
In addition to the purposes mentioned above, we may use your information for the following purposes:
• To communicate with you (such as through email) about products that you have downloaded and services that you have signed up for, changes to this Privacy Policy, changes to the Terms of Service, or important notices.
• To keep you posted on new products and services, upcoming events, offers, promotions and other information that we think will be of interest to you;
• To ask you to participate in surveys, or to solicit feedback on our products and services.
• To set up and maintain your account, and to do all other things required for providing our services, such as enabling collaboration, providing website and mail hosting, and backing up and restoring your data;
• To understand how users use our products and services, to monitor and prevent problems, and to improve our products and services.
• To provide customer support, and to analyze and improve our interactions with customers.
• To detect and prevent fraudulent transactions and other illegal activities, to report spam, and to protect the rights and interests of Plain ERP, Plain ERP’s users, third parties and the public.
• To update, expand and analyze our records, identify new customers, and provide products and services that may be of interest to you.
• To analyze trends, administer our websites, and track visitor navigations on our websites to understand what visitors are looking for and to better help them.
Legal bases for collecting and using information.
Legal processing bases applicable to PLAIN ERP: If you are an individual from the European Economic Area (EEA), our legal basis for information collection and use depends on the personal information concerned and the context in which we collect it. Most of our information collection and processing activities are typically based on (i) contractual necessity, (ii) one or more legitimate interests of PLAIN ERP or a third party that are not overridden by your data protection interests, or (iii) your consent. Sometimes, we may be legally required to collect your information, or may need your personal information to protect your vital interests or those of another person.
Withdrawal of consent: Where we rely on your consent as the legal basis, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, but this will not affect any processing that has already taken place.
Legitimate interests notice: Where we rely on legitimate interests as the legal basis and those legitimate interests are not specified above, we will clearly explain to you what those legitimate interests are at the time that we collect your information.
Your choice in information use
Opt out of non-essential electronic communications: You may opt out of receiving newsletters and other non-essential messages by using the unsubscribe function included in all such messages. However, you will continue to receive notices and essential transactional emails.
Disable cookies: You can disable browser cookies before visiting our websites. However, if you do so, you may not be able to use certain features of the websites properly.
Optional information: You can choose not to provide optional profile information such as your photo. You can also delete or change your optional profile information. You can always choose not to fill in non-mandatory fields when you submit any form linked to our websites.
Who we share your information with
All PLAIN ERP have access to the information covered in Part I. We do not sell any personal information. We share your information only in the ways that are described in this Privacy Policy, and only with parties who adopt appropriate confidentiality and security measures.
Employees and independent contractors: Employees and independent contractors of all PLAIN ERP group entities have access to the information covered in Part I on a need-to-know basis. We require all employees and independent contractors of PLAIN ERP group entities to follow this Privacy Policy for personal information that we share with them.
Third-party service providers: We may need to share your personal information and aggregated or de-identified information with third-party service providers that we engage, such as marketing and advertising partners, event organizers, web analytics providers and payment processors. These service providers are authorized to use your personal information only as necessary to provide these services to us.
Domain registrars: When you register a domain through PLAIN ERP from domain name registrars, we share your name and contact information such as your physical address, email address and phone number with them as per the ICANN domain registration rules.
Reselling partners: We may share your personal information with our authorized reselling partners in your region, solely for the purpose of contacting you about products that you have downloaded or services that you have signed up for. We will give you an option to opt out of continuing to work with that partner.
Marketplace application developers: When you install or purchase any application developed using Plain ERP’s APIs that is posted on Plain ERP’s online marketplace, your name and email address will be shared with the developer of the application, so they may engage with you directly as the provider of that application or service. PLAIN ERP does not control the use of your personal information by the developers, which will be based on their own privacy policies.
Other cases: Other scenarios in which we may share the same information covered under Parts I and II are described in Part III.
Your rights with respect to information we hold about you as a controller
If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have the following rights with respect to information that PLAIN ERP holds about you. PLAIN ERP undertakes to provide you the same rights no matter where you choose to live.
Right to access: You have the right to access (and obtain a copy of, if required) the categories of personal information that we hold about you, including the information’s source, purpose and period of processing, and the persons to whom the information is shared.
Right to rectification: You have the right to update the information we hold about you or to rectify any inaccuracies. Based on the purpose for which we use your information, you can instruct us to add supplemental information about you in our database.
Right to erasure: You have the right to request that we delete your personal information in certain circumstances, such as when it is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was originally collected.
Right to restriction of processing: You may also have the right to request to restrict the use of your information in certain circumstances, such as when you have objected to our use of your data but we need to verify whether we have overriding legitimate grounds to use it.
Right to data portability: You have the right to transfer your information to a third party in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, in circumstances where the information is processed with your consent or by automated means.
Right to object: You have the right to object to the use of your information in certain circumstances, such as the use of your personal information for direct marketing.
Right to complain: You have the right to complain to the appropriate supervisory authority if you have any grievance against the way we collect, use or share your information. This right may not be available to you if there is no supervisory authority dealing with data protection in your country.
Retention of information
We retain your personal information for as long as it is required for the purposes stated in this Privacy Policy. Sometimes, we may retain your information for longer periods as permitted or required by law, such as to maintain suppression lists, prevent abuse, if required in connection with a legal claim or proceeding, to enforce our agreements, for tax, accounting, or to comply with other legal obligations. When we no longer have a legitimate need to process your information, we will delete or anonymize your information from our active databases. We will also securely store the information and isolate it from further processing on backup discs until deletion is possible.
Part II – Information that PLAIN ERP processes on your behalf
Information provided in connection with services: You may entrust information that you or your organization (you) control, to PLAIN ERP in connection with use of our services or for requesting technical support for our products. This includes information regarding your customers and your employees (if you are a controller) or data that you hold and use on behalf of another person for a specific purpose, such as a customer to whom you provide services (if you are a processor). The data may either be stored on our servers when you use our services or transferred or shared to us as part of a request for technical support or other services.
Information from mobile devices: When you elect to allow it, some of our mobile applications have access to the camera, call history, contact information, photo library, and other information stored on your mobile device. Our applications require such access to provide their services. Similarly, when you elect to provide access, location-based information is also collected for purposes including, but not limited to, locating nearby contacts or setting location-based reminders. This information will be exclusively shared with our mapping providers and will be used only for mapping user locations. You may disable the mobile applications’ access to this information at any time by editing the settings on your mobile device. The data stored on your mobile device and their location information to which the mobile applications have access will be used in the context of the mobile application and transferred to and associated with your account in the corresponding services (in which case the data will be stored on our servers) or products (in which case the data will remain with you unless you share it with us).
(All the information entrusted to PLAIN ERP is collectively termed service data)
Ownership and control of your service data
We recognize that you own your service data. We provide you complete control of your service data by providing you the ability to (i) access your service data, (ii) share your service data through supported third-party integrations, and (iii) request export or deletion of your service data.
How we use service data
We process your service data when you provide us instructions through the various modules of our services. For example, when you generate an invoice, information such as the name and address of your customer will be used to generate the invoice; and when you use our campaign management service for email marketing, the email addresses of the persons on your mailing list will be used for sending the emails.