Privacy Policy

BlackTide Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 24 Feb 2025

This Privacy Policy explains how BlackTide ("Company," "we," "our," "us"), a UK-based company providing due diligence, investigations, research, and OSINT services, collects, uses, discloses, and safeguards your personal data. We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring our processing complies with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

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1. Introduction

At BlackTide, we understand the sensitivity of the data we handle. Whether you are a client, a subject of an investigation, or an individual interacting with our website, we aim to be transparent about how your personal data is processed. By engaging with our services or using our website, you agree to the practices outlined in this Privacy Policy.

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2. Information We Collect

a. Personal Data You Provide

When you interact with us, you may provide personal information such as:

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Contact Details: Name, email address, telephone number, postal address

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Identification Data: Photographic ID, passport, or other identification documents required for due diligence and investigations.

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Payment Information: Credit card or bank details for billing purposes.

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Communications: Any details you provide when contacting us for inquiries, consultations, or support.

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b. Data Collected Automatically

When you visit our website or use our online services, we may automatically collect:

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Technical Information: IP address, browser type, device information, and operating system.

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Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, click streams, and referring URLs.

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Cookies and Similar Technologies: To enhance your user experience and for analytical purposes.

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c. Third-Party and Public Sources

For our due diligence, investigations, research, and OSINT services, we may also collect personal data available from:

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Public Databases: Information that is lawfully available in public records.

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Third-Party Providers: Data obtained from partners or publicly accessible sources to support our investigative services.

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3. What makes BlackTide different?

We use your data for purposes including, but not limited to:

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Service Delivery: Processing your requests, providing due diligence, investigations, research, and OSINT services.

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Client Management: Managing client relationships, billing, and customer support

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Risk and Compliance: Conducting background checks, identity verification, and risk assessments in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

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Website Improvement: Enhancing our website functionality and user experience.

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Legal Obligations: Complying with legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations.

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4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data under the following lawful bases

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Contractual Necessity: To provide and manage our services.

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Legal Obligation: To comply with statutory requirements, such as anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regulations.

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Legitimate Interests: For internal administrative purposes, security, and risk management, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.

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Consent: Where applicable, and where you have provided explicit consent for specific types of processing.

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5. Disclosure of Your Information

We may share your personal data with:

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Service Providers: Trusted third-party vendors (e.g. IT services, payment processors, data analytics providers) who process data on our behalf.

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Regulatory Authorities: When required by law or in response to valid legal requests(e.g. court orders, subpoenas).

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Business Partners: In the event of mergers, acquisitions, or asset transfers, provided that appropriate safeguards are in place.

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Public Sources: For investigative purposes, data from public records and authorised third-party sources may be used in our OSINT services.

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6. Data Security

We employ industry standard security measures to protect your personal data, including:

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Encryption: Secure encryption methods for data in transit and at rest.

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Access Controls: Strict internal policies and access restrictions to ensure only authorised personnel have access.

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Regular Audits: Periodic reviews and monitoring of our data processing activities to maintain data integrity and confidentiality.

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While we strive to safeguard your data, no system is entirely immune to risk. We continuously review and update our security measures accordingly.

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7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to:

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Fulfil the purposes for which it was collected.

Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.

Resolve disputes and enforce our agreements.

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After the retention period expires, your data will be securely deleted or anonymised in accordance with our data retention policy.

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8. International Data Transfers

As part of our services, your data may be transferred and stored on servers outside the UK.In such cases, we will ensure that adequate safeguards are in place to protect your data, consistent with UK GDPR requirements.

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9. Your Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have several rights regarding your personal data, including:

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Right of Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.

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Right to Rectification: Request corrections of any inaccurate or incomplete information.

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Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal and contractual obligations.

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Right to Restrict Processing: Request limitations on how we process your data.

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Right to Object: Object to certain types of processing, including direct marketing.

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Right to Data Portability: Request a copy of your data in a commonly used, machine-readable format.

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To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided below

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10. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website to:

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Enhance your browsing experience.

Analyse website usage and trends

Deliver personalised content and advertisements.

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You can adjust your cookie settings through your browser. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our website.

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11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our data practices or regulatory requirements. Any changes will be posted on our website with an updated effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

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12. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

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Email: enquiries@blacktideintelligence.com

Website: www.blacktideintelligence.com

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13. Governing Law and Complaints

This Privacy Policy is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United Kingdom. If you believe that we have not complied with your data protection rights, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at https://ico.org.uk.