Privacy Policy

Who is responsible

Nael & Associates is responsible for the personal information it holds. Our Privacy Officer oversees how we handle it and answers questions about this policy.

What we collect

• When you contact us through the website form, by email or by phone: your name, email address, phone number, company, job title, and anything you include in your message.
• When we work together: the business contact details of the people we deal with, and the information we need to deliver, manage and bill our services.
• When you apply to work with us or join as an associate: your CV and the details you send us.
• When you visit the website: basic technical information such as your IP address, browser and device type, the pages you visit, and the date and time. This comes from our hosting provider’s standard logs.

We do not ask for sensitive information, such as health details, bank or card numbers, or government ID numbers, through this website. Please do not include them in your messages.

How we use it

• To reply to your enquiry and arrange a conversation
• To prepare proposals, and to deliver, manage and bill our services
• To consider job and associate applications
• To keep the website working, secure, and to understand how it is used
• To meet our legal, tax and accounting obligations

We use personal information only for these purposes, or for others you would reasonably expect. If we want to use it for something new, we will ask you first, unless the law requires or allows it.

Your consent

When you send us an enquiry, you agree to us using your details to respond. You can withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual limits. If withdrawing affects what we can do for you, we will explain how.

We will not add you to a mailing list or send you marketing emails without your permission. Any such email will include a simple way to unsubscribe, in line with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL).

Information we handle for our clients

In our IT services (developer services, QA and testing, help desk and office support), our people may have access to a client’s systems, which can hold personal information about that client’s staff or customers. We handle that information on the client’s behalf, use it only to do the work we were asked to do, keep it confidential, and follow the client’s instructions and our agreement with them. Questions about that information should go to the organization that holds it.

Who we share it with

We do not sell or rent personal information. We share it only:

• with our consultants and associates who need it to work on your engagement;
• with service providers who help us run our business, such as website hosting, email and document storage. They may use it only to provide those services to us, and must protect it;
• when the law requires it, or to protect our legal rights;
• as part of a sale or reorganization of our business, under an agreement to protect it.

Where your information is stored

Our team works in Canada and in other countries, including Pakistan and the Middle East, and some of our service providers store data in the United States and elsewhere. This means your information may be stored or accessed outside your province or country, where it may be available to courts, law enforcement and national security authorities under local law. We take reasonable steps, including through our agreements, to protect it wherever it is held.

Cookies and analytics

Our website uses only the cookies it needs to work. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies.

How long we keep it

We keep personal information only as long as we need it for the purposes above. Enquiries that do not lead to work are usually deleted within two years. Client and billing records are kept for as long as tax and accounting law requires. When we no longer need information, we delete it or make it anonymous.

How we protect it

We use reasonable safeguards suited to the sensitivity of the information. Access is limited to people who need it, our systems are password-protected, the website uses an encrypted (HTTPS) connection, and our team and associates are bound by confidentiality. No method of storage or transmission is completely secure. If a breach creates a real risk of significant harm, we will notify you and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, as the law requires.

Your rights

You can ask us:

• what personal information we hold about you, how we use it, and who we have shared it with;
• to correct information that is wrong or incomplete;
• to stop using your information, where we are not required to keep it.

Contact our Privacy Officer using the details above. We will reply within 30 days, and there is normally no charge. We may need to confirm your identity first. If you live outside Canada, the laws where you live may give you further rights. Contact us and we will help.

Questions or concerns

Please contact our Privacy Officer first, and we will try to resolve the matter. If you are not satisfied, you can contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at www.priv.gc.ca or 1-800-282-1376.

Other websites

Our website links to other sites, such as LinkedIn. We are not responsible for their privacy practices, so please read their policies.

Children

Our website and services are meant for businesses and professionals. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows when it last changed. If we make a significant change, we will note it on this page.