Privacy Policy

At AskLawson, we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our legal information platform and services.

1. Information We Collect

1.1: Information You Provide Directly

• Account Information: Name, email address, and other contact details when you create an account
• Legal Inquiries: Questions, case details, and other information you submit when seeking legal information
• Uploaded Documents: Legal documents, notices, contracts, and other files you upload for analysis
• Communication Data: Messages, feedback, and correspondence with our support team
• Payment Information: Billing details and payment method information (processed securely through third-party payment processors)

1.2: Information Collected Automatically

• Usage Data: How you interact with our platform, including pages visited, features used, and time spent
• Device Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, and device identifiers
• Cookies and Tracking Technologies: Data collected through cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to enhance your experience

1.3: Information from Third Parties

• Professional Verification: Information obtained to verify attorney credentials and professional standing
• Integration Data: Information from connected legal databases or professional networks (with your consent)

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Provide legal information based on your jurisdiction and the details you submit
• Process and analyze documents you upload
• Generate Legal Information Reports and other deliverables
• Process payments and manage your account
• Improve our platform and develop new features
• Communicate with you about our services, updates, and promotional offers
• Ensure platform security and prevent fraud
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms of service
• Analyze usage patterns to enhance user experience

3. Information Sharing and Disclosure

3.1: Service Providers

We work with trusted third-party service providers who assist with:

• Payment processing
• Document parsing and extraction
• AI-powered analysis
• Data hosting and storage
• Analytics and performance monitoring
• Customer support
• Marketing and communications

3.2: Document Processing and AI Services

When you upload documents or submit legal inquiries, your information is processed through the following services:

3.3: Legal Requirements

We may disclose information when required by law, legal process, or to:

• Comply with court orders, subpoenas, or government requests
• Protect our rights, property, or safety
• Investigate potential violations of our terms
• Prevent fraud or security threats

3.4: Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of the business transaction. We will notify you of any such transfer and any choices you may have regarding your information.

4. Important Notice: Legal Information vs. Legal Advice

AskLawson is an AI-powered legal information platform—not a law firm and not a substitute for an attorney. Communications through AskLawson:

• Do not create an attorney-client relationship
• Do not invoke attorney-client privilege
• Do not constitute legal advice

AskLawson provides legal information to help you understand statutes, procedures, and requirements that relate to your topic. Any privileged communications or attorney-client relationships occur only after you establish a direct relationship with a licensed attorney outside our platform.

5. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information, including:

• Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and at rest (AES-256)
• Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
• Access controls and authentication protocols
• Secure data centers with physical and network security
• Employee training on data protection practices

Third-Party Security Standards

Our infrastructure partners maintain rigorous security certifications:

• Google Firebase/Cloud: ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3, FIPS 140-2 validated encryption
• PDF.co: SOC 2 certified, hosted on AWS infrastructure with encryption in transit and at rest
• Google Gemini API: ISO 27001, SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3, governed by the Gemini API Additional Terms of Service

All data transmission between services uses TLS encryption.

6. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the right to:

• Access: Request information about the personal data we hold about you
• Correction: Update or correct inaccurate information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal obligations)
• Portability: Receive a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Opt-out: Unsubscribe from marketing communications
• Restriction: Limit how we process your information

To exercise these rights, contact us at support@asklawson.com.

7. Data Retention

7.1: Document Processing Retention

Documents uploaded for analysis are temporarily processed and not permanently stored by our third-party processing services:

• PDF.co automatically deletes uploaded files within one hour of processing
• Google Gemini API temporarily retains prompts and responses solely for automated abuse monitoring, as defined in Google's Abuse Monitoring Policy. When live legal research (Google Search grounding) is used, related query data is retained by Google for up to 30 days and cannot be disabled while grounding is active.

7.2: User-Controlled Document Storage

Storage of documents within AskLawson is entirely at your discretion:

• If you choose to save documents, they are stored securely in your dashboard
• If you delete documents, they are permanently removed and cannot be retrieved by you or by AskLawson
• If you delete your account, all associated documents are permanently deleted

7.3: Account Information

We retain account information for as long as necessary to:

• Provide our services and maintain your account
• Comply with legal obligations
• Resolve disputes and enforce agreements

8. Inactive Accounts

To protect your privacy and maintain platform security, we implement the following inactive account policy:

Logging into your account at any time resets the inactivity period. Before deletion, you will have the opportunity to download your documents. Paid subscription accounts with active billing remain exempt from inactivity deletion.

9. International Data Transfers

If you access our services from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States, where our services and infrastructure are hosted. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for such transfers, including:

• Standard contractual clauses approved by relevant authorities
• Data processing agreements with all third-party providers
• Compliance with applicable international data transfer frameworks

10. Children's Privacy

Our services are not intended for individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If we discover we have collected such information, we will delete it promptly.

11. Third-Party Links and Services

Our platform may contain links to third-party websites or integrate with external services. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any information.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or applicable laws. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Posting the updated policy on our website with a revised "Last Updated" date
• Sending email notifications to registered users
• Providing in-app notifications

Your continued use of AskLawson after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

13. Contact Information

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

AskLawson
Email: support@asklawson.com
For data protection inquiries in the EU, you may also contact our Data Protection Officer at dpo@asklawson.com.

14. Jurisdiction-Specific Rights

14.1: California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

California residents have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act and California Privacy Rights Act, including:

• The right to know what personal information is collected, used, and shared
• The right to request deletion of personal information
• The right to opt-out of the sale or sharing of personal information
• The right to non-discrimination for exercising privacy rights

AskLawson does not sell your personal information.

14.2: European Users (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation, including:

• The right to lodge complaints with your local supervisory authority
• The right to withdraw consent at any time (where processing is based on consent)
• The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests

Our legal basis for processing your information includes: performance of our contract with you, your consent, compliance with legal obligations, and our legitimate business interests.