Legal
Privacy policy
How Optima Mail Guard collects, uses and protects personal data.
Draft. This page must be reviewed by a qualified solicitor before launch.
Last updated: [Date]
1. Who we are
Optima Mail Guard is provided by Optima Online Solutions Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 13395947), registered office Horley Green House, Halifax, HX3 6AS (“we”, “us”). For your account and billing data we are the controller. For the content of the mailboxes you connect, we act as your processor, processing email only on your instructions to provide the filtering service. Contact: privacy@optimawebdesign.co.uk.
2. Data we process
| Category | Examples | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Account data | Name, email address, password (hashed), two-factor settings, organisation name | Providing and securing your account |
| Mailbox connection data | Mailbox address, server name, and encrypted login details or access tokens | Connecting to your mailbox |
| Email content (transient) | Sender, subject and message text of new emails | Checked automatically to decide whether each email is wanted, then discarded. Never stored |
| Classification metadata | The decision, a confidence level, a category and a short reason, plus an anonymous reference to the message | Operating the filter, corrections and analytics |
| Rules | Sender addresses, domains or phrases you choose to allow or block | Applying your preferences |
| Billing data | Plan, credit balance, invoices. Card details are held by our payment processor, not us | Taking payment and keeping accounts |
| Technical data | Security and audit logs (without email content) | Security, fraud prevention and troubleshooting |
3. Lawful bases
- Contract: to provide the service you signed up for, including processing your mailbox.
- Legitimate interests: keeping the service secure, preventing abuse and improving reliability, balanced against your rights.
- Legal obligation: keeping financial records.
- Consent: for any optional marketing, which you can withdraw at any time.
The emails in your mailbox may contain personal data about third parties (for example, people who email you). You are the controller of that data; we process it on your behalf under our data processing terms and only for the purpose of filtering.
4. Sub-processors
We use carefully selected providers to run the service. Each is bound by a data processing agreement and may only act on our instructions.
| Category of provider | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Cloud database and sign-in provider | Storing your account and settings securely |
| Hosting providers | Running our website and our filtering service |
| Automated processing provider | Helping assess whether an email is wanted, using text with personal details removed |
| Payment processor | Taking payments. Your card details are never held by us |
| Email delivery provider | Sending account emails such as sign-up confirmations and password resets |
| Microsoft | Mailbox access, only when you connect a Microsoft 365 or Outlook.com mailbox |
A list of the named providers we use is available on request from privacy@optimawebdesign.co.uk.
Where a provider processes data outside the UK, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum, or adequacy regulations. We choose UK/EU data regions where our providers offer them.
5. How long we keep data
- Email content: not retained, and discarded immediately after each check.
- Per-message classification records: up to 120 days.
- Daily usage totals: for the life of your account.
- Mailbox credentials: until you disconnect the mailbox or delete your account.
- Account data: for the life of your account, then deleted, except billing records kept for up to 6 years for legal reasons.
6. Security
We use encryption in transit and at rest, strict separation between customer accounts, least-privilege access and optional two-factor authentication. Your mailbox login details are encrypted and cannot be read by our staff. See our Security page for more.
7. Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have rights to access, rectify, erase, restrict or object to processing of your personal data, and to data portability. To exercise them, email privacy@optimawebdesign.co.uk. You can also delete your account from your dashboard at any time.
8. Complaints
Please contact us first so we can try to help. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or on 0303 123 1113.
9. Changes
We'll notify you of material changes to this policy by email or in your dashboard before they take effect.