Privacy Policy

How Twikz uses personal information and uploaded documents

This privacy notice explains how personal information is handled when you use the Twikz website, calculate a fee, purchase a service, upload documents, provide document-specific requirements, communicate about an order or exercise a data-protection right.

It should be read alongside the Confidentiality & AI page, which explains document-access controls, working-file retention and the use of generative AI and analytical systems.

Who is responsible for your information

Twikz must identify the legal data controller clearly. References in this notice to “Twikz” mean that controller.

Twikz is a trading name of twikz.com, who is the controller of the personal information described in this notice.

Privacy questions and data-protection requests can be submitted through the Twikz Contact Us form.

Information Twikz collects

The information collected depends on how you use the service.

Twikz may collect:

• identity and contact information, such as your name, email address and telephone number;
• account, service-selection and order information;
• billing, transaction and payment-status information;
• document information, including document type, word count, destination, requirements and turnaround;
• uploaded documents, supporting files and the personal information contained in them;
• messages, support requests, correction requests and other communications;
• technical and security information such as IP address, device or browser data, access logs and fraud-prevention information;
• cookie, analytics and preference information where applicable; and
• marketing preferences and records of consent or opt-out.

Twikz does not need every category for every customer or order.

Information contained in documents

Uploaded documents may contain information about you and other people.

Academic, career and professional documents may contain employment, education, financial, commercial or other personal information about the customer or third parties.

They may also contain special-category information, such as information about health, ethnicity, religion or other particularly sensitive matters. Twikz does not request this information as a standard part of the service. Where it is not necessary for the review, remove or redact it before upload.

If special-category information is necessary for a service, Twikz will process it only where an applicable lawful basis and an additional condition for processing special-category data are available. If those requirements cannot be met, the information must be removed or redacted before the service proceeds.

You must have the right to provide any personal or confidential information contained in the material you submit.

How Twikz obtains information

Most information comes directly from you or from the systems used to complete your order.

Twikz may obtain personal information:

• when you use the website, calculator or checkout;
• when you create an account or purchase a service;
• when you upload a document or provide document-specific requirements;
• when you contact Twikz before or after purchase;
• from payment, hosting, security and other service providers involved in processing the transaction or supporting the service; and
• from technical systems that generate security, access or cookie information.

Why information is used

Service selection, calculator use and steps requested before purchase

To provide service information, calculate an estimate where applicable and take requested steps towards a purchase.

Basis: steps taken at your request before entering into a contract and, where that basis does not apply, legitimate interests in responding to enquiries and operating the service.

Orders and service delivery

To administer the purchase, receive the document, record requirements, assign the reviewer, deliver the editing service and provide order support.

Basis: performance of the contract for customer information; legitimate interests where it is necessary to process third-party personal information contained in submitted documents, together with an applicable condition where special-category information is involved.

Payments, invoices, accounting and tax

To process payment, maintain financial records and meet accounting or tax requirements.

Basis: contract and legal obligation.

Security, fraud prevention and misuse

To protect customer material, accounts, payment flows and Twikz systems.

Basis: legitimate interests and, where applicable, legal obligation.

Corrections, complaints and legal claims

To investigate service issues, provide remedies, manage disputes and establish or defend legal rights.

Basis: contract, legitimate interests and legal obligation where applicable.

Marketing

To send relevant service updates or marketing communications where permitted.

Basis: consent where required, or legitimate interests where the electronic-marketing rules permit an existing-customer soft opt-in. Every marketing email must provide an opt-out.

Non-essential cookies and analytics

To understand website use and performance where the relevant technology requires consent.

Basis: consent where required.

Legitimate interests

Legitimate interests are used only where the processing is necessary and proportionate.

Relevant interests may include securing the service, preventing misuse, administering the business, maintaining service quality, supporting customers and handling or defending claims.

Where Twikz relies on legitimate interests, the interests and necessity of the processing must be balanced against the rights and interests of the people affected.

Marketing

You can stop direct marketing at any time.

Twikz sends electronic marketing only where permitted by applicable data-protection and electronic-marketing rules. Where consent is required, marketing will not be sent unless that consent has been obtained.

Where the existing-customer soft opt-in applies, marketing is limited to Twikz’s own similar services and an opt-out must be offered when the details are collected and in every marketing message.

Your right to object to direct marketing is absolute. If you object or unsubscribe, Twikz will stop using your information for direct marketing. A minimal suppression record may be retained so that the opt-out continues to be honoured.

Who receives information

Information is shared only where a recipient needs it for a defined purpose.

Depending on the service and systems in use, recipients may include:

• the assigned editor or reviewer and authorised quality or operational personnel;
• website, hosting and content-management providers;
• file-storage, backup and document-delivery providers;
• email, customer-support and order-administration providers;
• payment processors and payment-security providers;
• analytics, security and fraud-prevention providers where enabled;
• accountants, insurers, lawyers and other professional advisers where necessary; and
• regulators, courts, law-enforcement bodies or other authorities where disclosure is required or permitted by law.

Processor relationships are subject to appropriate contractual and security requirements. Some payment or other providers may act as independent controllers for part of their processing and will provide their own privacy information.

International transfers

Some service providers used by Twikz may process personal information outside the United Kingdom. Where this results in a restricted transfer under UK data-protection law, Twikz uses an applicable transfer mechanism, such as UK adequacy regulations or appropriate safeguards including the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or UK Addendum.

Further information about the safeguards used for an international transfer can be requested through the Contact Us form.

Generative AI and automated decisions

Customer documents are not submitted to generative AI without explicit permission.

Twikz does not submit customer documents, or material extracted from them, to a generative-AI service unless explicit permission has been given for the stated purpose and for the use of the information and processor identified when that permission is requested.

Analytical systems may support defined parts of the editorial workflow as explained on the Confidentiality & AI page, but material analytical findings are validated by a human editor before they guide substantive editorial intervention.

Twikz does not use solely automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects on customers.

How long information is kept

Different information needs different retention periods.

Twikz keeps personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purpose for which it was collected, or for a longer period where legal, tax, security or dispute requirements apply.

• Enquiries and unsuccessful service enquiries: normally up to 6 months after the last meaningful contact.
• Working and delivered customer documents: normally 3 months after delivery, unless a different period is required for an active correction, dispute or legal obligation.
• Routine order-support records: normally up to 12 months after the matter is closed, unless needed for a complaint, claim or legal obligation.
• Transaction, invoice, accounting and tax records: retained for as long as required by applicable tax, accounting and company law and for legitimate legal-record purposes.
• Marketing consent records: retained for as long as needed to demonstrate the marketing permission relied on.
• Marketing suppression records: retained for as long as necessary to make sure an opt-out continues to be respected.
• Security and access records: retained for a period proportionate to the security purpose and risk.

Security

Twikz uses proportionate technical and organisational safeguards.

Measures may include access controls, account security, restricted permissions, secure provider accounts, software updates, backup arrangements, confidentiality obligations and incident-response procedures.

No internet-based service can guarantee absolute security. Customers should also avoid submitting information that is not necessary for the editing service.

Your data-protection rights

Your rights depend partly on the information and lawful basis involved.

Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights to request access to personal information, correct inaccurate information, ask for erasure or restriction, receive certain information in a portable form, object to particular processing and withdraw consent where processing depends on consent.

Twikz may need to confirm your identity before acting on a rights request. Some rights are subject to legal conditions and exemptions, so they do not apply in every situation.

You have a specific right to object to direct marketing. You may also object to processing based on legitimate interests in appropriate circumstances. Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn. To exercise a data-protection right, use the Contact Us form.

Cookies and analytics

Non-essential cookies and similar technologies are used only after any required consent has been obtained.

The website may use cookies or similar technologies that are necessary for functions such as security, basket or checkout operation and session management.

Where consent is required for analytics, advertising or other non-essential technologies, those technologies are not set until the required consent has been obtained.

The cookie notice or settings tool provides information about the non-essential technologies in use, including their purpose, provider and duration.

Customers under 18

Twikz services are intended for customers aged 18 or over.

Do not create an account or purchase a Twikz service if you are under 18. If Twikz becomes aware that an order has been placed by someone under 18, the order may be paused or cancelled while the appropriate next step is considered.

Changes to this notice

This notice will be updated when the processing changes.

The current version will be published on this page with an updated date. Where a change materially affects how existing personal information is used, Twikz will provide additional notice where appropriate before the new processing begins.

Contact and complaints

Contact Twikz first if you have a privacy question or rights request.

Privacy questions and data-protection rights requests can be submitted using the Twikz Contact Us form.

If you remain dissatisfied with how your personal information has been handled, you may complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK’s independent data-protection regulator, at ico.org.uk.