Privacy Policy

Last updated February 22nd 2025.

General Information

Alek is committed to protecting the privacy and security of the information we collect and to being transparent about the ways in which we collect and process your information. This statement (the “Privacy Policy”) sets forth our policies and practices for handling the information we collect from or about you. It applies to the websites and online services that we operate and that link to this Privacy Policy (the “Services”).

Collection of Information

We collect the following categories of information when you use our Services:

  • Information you provide directly to us:
    • Contact information, like name and email address.
    • Background information on yourself, including but not limited to details about your job, address, and interests.
    • Conversations you record using our Services, including what you say and what other people say to you.
  • Information we collect automatically. We collect internet, or other electronic activity information automatically from your browser and the devices you may use, including your IP address, browser type, and operating system (including mobile device information, if applicable). We also capture errors, performance metrics, and interactions both on the website and within the app.
  • Information specific to the website - We partner with Microsoft Clarity and Microsoft Advertising to capture how you use and interact with our website through behavioral metrics, heatmaps, and session replay to improve and market our products/services. Website usage data is captured using first and third-party cookies and other tracking technologies to determine the popularity of products/services and online activity. Additionally, we use this information for site optimization, fraud/security purposes, and advertising. For more information about how Microsoft collects and uses your data, visit the Microsoft Privacy Statement.

Data Storage, Security and Retention

Your personal information is securely stored in a databases hosted on Microsoft Azure Cloud in the Australia East region. We implement industry-standard security measures, including:

  • Encryption: Data is encrypted at rest using Azure's standard encryption and in transit using Transport Layer Security (TLS) to ensure secure communication with the database.
  • Access Control: Database access is restricted to authorised developers for development and maintenance purposes. Access is managed using Azure's security controls, and permissions are granted following the principle of least privilege.
  • Auditing and Logging: Access to the database is logged and monitored for security and compliance purposes.
  • Retention: We retain contact and account-related information for as long as your account remains active. If you request deletion of your account, we will erase or anonymise your personal data, except where retention is required by law.
  • Aggregated and Anonymised Data: Aggregated, anonymised data, such as usage metrics that does not identify an individual person, may be retained indefinitely for analytical and research purposes.

We continuously monitor and update our security practices to protect your data and comply with applicable data retention laws. This privacy statement and the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page will be updated when relevant storage and security changes are made.

Use of Information and Purpose of Data Processing

We collect and process the above categories of personal information for the following business purposes:

  • To provide personalised suggested responses:
    • Your contact and background information, along with your conversations, are processed to enable us to provide more relevant suggested responses.
  • To improve our Services and to ensure that content is presented in the most relevant and effective manner for you and your device, to help with troubleshooting errors, performing data analytics, testing new and existing features.

Disclosure of Information

We are committed to maintaining your trust, and we want you to understand when and with whom we may share the information we collect. Besides our own staff, we may share the information we collect with:

  • Authorized third-party vendors and service providers: We send some of the information you provide directly to us, and the information we collect automatically, to services that process data for us for business purposes related to providing the products or service you have requested, such as text to speech, speech to text, or suggested responses. 
  • Business transfers: We may transfer any of the information we collect about you if Alek is acquired by, or merged with another company, in connection with a substantial corporate transaction.
  • Legal purposes: We may disclose any of the information we collect to respond to subpoenas, court orders, legal process, law enforcement requests, legal claims or government inquiries.
  • Consent: We may share any of the information we collect for any other purposes disclosed to you at the time we collect the information or pursuant to your consent.

Alek does not sell your information to third parties. Alek does permit third parties to collect the information described above through our Service and discloses such information with third parties for business purposes as described in this Privacy Policy. The information practices of these third parties are not covered by this Privacy Policy.

Your Rights and Choices

Providing some information is optional. If you choose not to provide some of the requested information, we may be unable to some parts of our Services.

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

  • Access: You may request a copy of any personal information we hold about you.
  • Correction: You may request that we correct or update any inaccurate or incomplete information.
  • Deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information from our databases.
  • Data Portability: Where applicable, you may request that we provide your information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at inquiries@rhetorica.co.nz.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will notify you by updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy to stay informed about our information practices.

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at inquiries@rhetorica.co.nz.