Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 23, 2025

1. Introduction

Welcome to Summarie ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal data when you use our website located at https://summarie.co (the "Website") and our Chrome extension (the "Extension"), collectively referred to as the "Service". Our Service is intended for users primarily located in the United Kingdom.

This policy explains your rights regarding your personal data and how the law protects you, in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By accessing or using our Service, you acknowledge the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

2. Information We Collect

We collect and process the following types of personal data:

2.1 Information You Provide Directly (Personal Data)

When you register for an account, use interactive features, or communicate with us, we collect:

  • Contact Data: Email address, first and last name (used for account creation, login, service communication, and personalisation).
  • Communications Data: Any information you voluntarily provide when you contact us for support or provide feedback.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically (Usage & Technical Data)

When you access and use the Service, we automatically collect:

  • Usage Data:
    • URLs of websites you summarize (to provide the service and your history).
    • Content You Summarize: The text content of the page you submit is processed to generate the summary. We store the generated summary text as part of your account history until you delete it or close your account. We do not store the original full text after processing.
    • Types of summaries requested.
    • Usage Metrics (number of summaries, credit usage, dates/times of access).
    • Interaction Data (pages visited on our Service, time spent).
  • Technical Data: Browser type/version, operating system, IP address (processed for security, diagnostics, and approximate location, but not stored long-term linked directly to your user account), device information.

Chrome Extension Specifics: The Extension only accesses the content of a webpage *when you explicitly activate it* to request a summary for that page. It sends the URL and page content to our servers for processing. The Extension does not track your general Browse history.

2.3 Cookies

We use cookies solely for the essential operation of our Service. Cookies are small text files stored on your device.

  • Strictly Necessary Cookies: We use cookies that are essential to provide you with services available through our Website and Extension and to enable you to use some of their features. For example, they allow you to log in to secure areas and help the content of the pages you request load quickly. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the Service, you cannot refuse them without impacting how our Service functions. Under UK data protection law, your consent is not required for these essential cookies.

We do not use cookies for analytics, advertising, or tracking purposes.

3. Legal Basis for Processing Your Personal Data

Under UK GDPR, we must have a valid legal basis to process your personal data. We rely on the following:

  • Performance of a Contract: Processing your Contact Data, Usage Data (summarized URLs, generated summaries), and related Technical Data is necessary to provide the Service you have requested, including creating/managing your account, generating summaries, and maintaining your history as per our Terms of Service.
  • Legitimate Interests: We process Usage Data and Technical Data to understand service usage, improve our Service, maintain security, prevent fraud, and provide support. We only do this where our interests are not overridden by your data protection rights.
  • Legal Obligation: We may process your data where necessary to comply with legal or regulatory obligations (e.g., responding to lawful requests from authorities).

4. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

  • To provide, operate, secure, and maintain our Service.
  • To manage your account, including registration and login.
  • To generate summaries based on the content you submit.
  • To provide your summary history and manage credits.
  • To communicate with you (service updates, support responses).
  • To monitor usage, analyse trends, and improve the Service (often using aggregated or anonymised data).
  • To prevent fraud and address technical issues.
  • To comply with applicable UK laws and regulations.

5. Data Storage and Retention

Storage Location: Your personal data is stored and processed on secure servers located within the United Kingdom.

Retention Period: We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary:

  • Account Information & Summary History: Retained while your account is active to provide the Service.
  • Account Closure: When you close your account via the app feature, we will securely delete your personal data (including account details and summary history) within 30 days, unless retention is required for legal reasons (e.g., resolving disputes, enforcing agreements, legal/regulatory requirements).
  • Usage/Technical Data for Analysis: Generally retained for shorter periods, often in aggregated/anonymised form, unless needed for security investigations or legal requirements.

6. Data Transfer

As your data is stored within the UK and the service is primarily for UK users, your personal data is generally not transferred outside the UK. Should we need to use service providers located outside the UK in the future, we will update this policy and ensure appropriate legal safeguards compliant with UK GDPR are in place to protect your data.

7. Disclosure of Your Data

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data.

We may share your data with the following third parties under specific circumstances:

  • Service Providers: Companies that provide services on our behalf, such as cloud hosting (servers based in the UK), data storage, and potentially customer support tools. These providers are contractually bound to protect your data and only use it for the purposes we specify.
  • Legal Requirements: If required by law, regulation, or valid legal process (e.g., court order, government request) applicable in the UK.
  • Business Transfers: If Summarie undergoes a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you before your data becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
  • Protection of Rights: To protect the rights, property, or safety of Summarie, our users, or others.

8. Security of Your Data

We implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures designed to protect your personal data from accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure, or access. These include measures like encryption (where appropriate), access controls, and secure server environments. However, please remember that no internet transmission or electronic storage method is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Your Data Protection Rights (Under UK GDPR)

You have rights concerning your personal data:

  • Right to Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data. (You can often update basic details in your account settings).
  • Right to Erasure ('Right to be Forgotten'): Request deletion of your personal data. You can initiate this via the account closure feature in the app.
  • Right to Restrict Processing: Request limitation of how we process your data in certain circumstances.
  • Right to Data Portability: Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format to transfer it elsewhere (where processing is based on contract or consent).
  • Right to Object: Object to processing based on our legitimate interests.
  • Rights related to automated decision-making and profiling: We do not currently perform automated decision-making or profiling with legal or similarly significant effects using your personal data.

How to Exercise Your Rights: To exercise most rights, please use your account settings or the account closure feature. For other requests or assistance, contact us at hello@summarie.co. We may need to verify your identity first.

Right to Complain: You have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK's data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), if you believe we have infringed your data protection rights. (www.ico.org.uk)

10. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not intended for individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe we might have collected data from a child under 13, please contact us immediately so we can take steps to remove it.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this policy occasionally. We will notify you of significant changes by posting the new policy on this page, updating the "Last updated" date, and potentially via email or an in-app notification.

Please review this policy periodically. Changes are effective when posted.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

By email: hello@summarie.co