Privacy Policy

 

Synergy Accounts has created this privacy policy in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to privacy.

This policy is broken down into four specific sections covering the various ways in which you may interact with the company:

• Application Privacy
• Support Privacy
• Transaction Monitoring Privacy
• Website Privacy

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Application Privacy

Synergy Accounts as an application seeks always to maintain your privacy and the security of your data.  Unlike many other software providers:

1. Synergy Accounts will never transfer any information from the software to any other party including ourselves without your explicit permission which must be given on an opt-in basis.  In other words, we will never assume your permission, even for something as simple as a bug report.
2. You decide where to store your data, whether or not it is stored in an encrypted format*, and which database engine you use to store and process your data.
3. Your data will at all time remain within your infrastructure unless you choose otherwise.
4. Regardless of whether or not you are still using Synergy Accounts you always retain full ownership and control of your data, and where you store it. Unless you give explicit permission for us to access your application and data, and furnish us with the necessary access and credentials to do so we will be literally unable to access your data at all.

In short, your data is and will always remain yours and be stored wherever you choose.  It is not possible to be more private than that!

*Note: Some data is ALWAYS encrypted during storage for security reasons, including but not limited to such things as passwords, security details, and any data that is required to be encrypted for legal or regulatory purposes. If you elect to encrypt your data generally then such data will be encrypted at least twice.

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Support Privacy

Synergy Accounts takes the privacy of our customers and the security of their data very seriously.  Synergy Accounts software is used to store and process critical business data belonging to our customers, and they have the right to be protected from any abuse or theft of their data.

When offering support to our customers, it is possible and even probable that our support team, or other members of our staff, may see or otherwise come into contact with the data belonging to those customers which may constitute trade secrets or be personal data within the meaning of the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulation. In addition it is possible that in some circumstances the customer may become a party to information belonging to Synergy Accounts.  It is our firm policy that all such data should be seen only if absolutely necessary to provide the service, and should be protected from all forms of inappropriate dissemination.

In particular the following terms shall apply to Synergy Accounts Ltd, its staff, any of its contractors or assignees, and to users of Synergy Accounts software, who may come into contact with such data during the provision of technical support services or in any other circumstances.  These entities are referred to below as the ‘receiving party’:

1. Each receiving party shall at all times, both during the term hereof and for a period of at least 3 years after termination, keep in confidence all such Confidential Information (as defined below) using a standard of care such party uses with its own information of this nature, but in no event less than reasonable care.
2. The receiving party shall not use any Confidential Information other than in the course of its permitted activities under the agreement between the parties.
3. Without the prior written consent of the disclosing party, the receiving party shall not disclose any Confidential Information except on a “need to know” basis to an employee or contractor under binding obligations or confidentiality substantially at least equivalent to those set forth in this policy or optionally more restrictive.
4. If a receiving party is legally compelled to disclose any of the disclosing party’s Confidential Information, then, prior to such disclosure, the receiving party will
   (i) assert the privileged and confidential nature of the Confidential Information and
   (ii) co-operate fully with the disclosing party in protecting against any such disclosure and/or obtaining a protective order narrowing the scope of such disclosure and/or use of the Confidential Information.
5. In the event such protection is not obtained, the receiving party shall disclose the Confidential Information only to the extent necessary to comply with the applicable legal requirements.
6. “Confidential Information” shall mean any agreement, business plans, marketing plans, affiliated parties, potential customers, customer and supplier lists, pricing information, trade secrets, and all information a party discloses to the other which has been either
   (i) characterised in writing as confidential at the time of its disclosure or
   (ii) orally characterised as confidential at the time of disclosure or
   (iii) would normally be characterised by any reasonable person as confidential
7. The preceding clause shall not apply to information which the receiving party can demonstrate:
   (i) is previously rightfully known to the receiving party without restriction on disclosure;
   (ii) is or becomes, from no act or failure to act on the part of the receiving party, generally known in the relevant industry or public domain;
   (iii) is disclosed to the receiving party by a third party as a matter of right and without restriction on disclosure; or
   (iv) is independently developed by the receiving party without access to the Confidential Information.
8. Notwithstanding the above, any user that receives the benefit of being granted membership of our Beta Test team and being given access to new software in advance of release will be required to enter into a separate agreement part of which will require them to maintain the confidentiality of certain “trade secrets” of The Company forever, unless written consent otherwise is received by the tester. “Trade Secret” information covered by this restriction shall include any and all information relative to the Software and Documentation, the results of testing provided by the tester, the fact that the tester has entered into the agreement with The Company, and the existence of the Software. All terms and conditions with respect to Confidential Information shall pertain to “trade secrets” except that the obligation of non-disclosure shall be perpetual with respect to “trade secrets.”

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Making Tax Digital – Transaction Monitoring Privacy Statement

This privacy statement explains how we understand that HMRC collects and uses your personal information for transaction monitoring purposes. You should read the HMRC Privacy Notice alongside this privacy statement.

 Important: The information in this statement is based on information provided by HMRC and to the best of our knowledge and belief was correct at the time of writing.  It is possible that at some point in the future the HMRC policy may change and therefore this statement may also need to be changed.  The latest HMRC Transaction Monitoring Privacy Statement will always take precedence over our interpretation.  A link to the HMRC policy and the date of publication of the guidance on which this statement is based is included at the foot of this statement.

In order to protect your data and their services HMRC operates transaction monitoring capabilities and when interacting with HMRC systems on your behalf Synergy is required to obtain certain security information and transfer it to HMRC for Fraud Prevention purposes. The information we are required to pass details how you are connected to HMRC systems, and what is done whilst you are using them or Synergy is using them on your behalf. HMRC will only monitor you when you are signed into their services, or when Synergy has signed in with your express permission in order to perform actions on your behalf.

If you do not grant Synergy the necessary permissions, the software will not be able to undertake any actions on your behalf and you will no longer be compliant with the requirements of Making Tax Digital unless you make alternative arrangements to record and transfer accounting data to HMRC digitally.

Critical Information: You cannot use Synergy to transfer data to and from HMRC without giving permission. 

Why HMRC processes your data

HMRC processes your data for transaction monitoring purposes to:

• keep your data safe, private and secure
• make sure that your data is protected from people looking to use it for fraudulent and criminal purposes
• prevent fraud
• prevent, detect, investigate and prosecute criminal activity

What data HMRC collects and when

Transaction monitoring records information about you when you are signed into HMRC online services. HMRC collect personal data about:

• the computers, phones or devices you use
• the internet connections you use
• what you do when you are using HMRC services
• what you tell HMRC

Transaction monitoring may collect your personal data even if you do not directly use HMRC systems, for example when:

• an authorised tax agent or representative contacts HMRC on your behalf
• your employer pays your income tax on your behalf by PAYE
• you sign in to Government Gateway to access another government service
• you use a software package or application which is compatible with Making Tax Digital to record your business records which helps you complete and submit tax updates or returns

How HMRC process your data

When you sign in to one of the HMRC services they create unique identifiers in the browser, application or device you’re using. HMRC also give you a transaction monitoring cookie which they use to help recognise you and link you to your account.

The information HMRC may collect includes:

• unique identifiers
• browser type and settings
• device type and settings
• operating system
• mobile network information including carrier name and phone number
• application version number

HMRC will also collect information about the interaction of your apps, software, browsers and devices with our services, including the:

• IP address
• date and time
• referrer URL of your request

HMRC will collect information about what you do when using their services, such as:

• pages you access
• information you give them

HMRC may also collect information about you from their trusted security partners who provide them with information to protect against abuse.

HMRC use this information to help improve the safety and security of their services. This includes detecting, preventing and responding to fraud, abuse, security risks and technical issues that could harm HMRC, or their customers.

HMRC legal basis for processing your personal data

HMRC collects and processes personal data for transaction monitoring purposes to prevent and detect crime and fraud and for the purposes set out above because it is necessary to do so in the public interest and so that they can carry out their official functions as a government department.

Important:  As HMRC is permitted to carry out transaction monitoring without your consent, you cannot withdraw your consent.

When HMRC may share your personal information with third parties

HMRC will, in some circumstances and where the law allows, share your data with third parties. For example, when HMRC detects crime it may share information with other law enforcement agencies, government departments, credit reference agencies, and anti-fraud groups.  Data will only be shared where it is legal and appropriate for HMRC to share that data.

Overseas data transfers

In order to develop a reliable device identification, transaction monitoring device profiling system, HMRC shares IP addresses and device information with a third party supplier which has data centres located in the EU and the USA, and which complies with the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework.

How long HMRC keeps your data

In line with with HMRC records management and retention and disposal policy, transaction monitoring records are kept for 6 years plus the current year. Where you have held a continuous account with HMRC for longer than this standard retention period we may hold some account information which is older, but which is still up to date.

Your rights in relation to transaction monitoring

You can read about your rights in the HMRC Privacy Notice: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-protection-act-dpa-information-hm-revenue-and-customs-hold-about-you

How to contact HMRC or make a complaint

You can contact HMRC if you have questions about their privacy notice or want to make a complaint: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-protection-act-dpa-information-hm-revenue-and-customs-hold-about-you/data-protection-act-dpa-information-hm-revenue-and-customs-hold-about-you#contact-dpo

Changes to this privacy statement

HMRC keeps its privacy notices under regular review. If they make changes to their policy and notices, we will do our best to update this information accordingly but we cannot guarantee that this statement will always reflect the latest changes when you read it.  For example, you may be looking at an older version of a published manual or help file and there may already be a newer version available that contains updated information, or there may be a delay between our receiving notification of a change and our implementing changes to this topic due to the need to clarify legal points before providing an interpretation.

You can always find the latest version of the HMRC privacy notice at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transaction-monitoring-privacy-notice/transaction-monitoring-privacy-notice. HMRC amends the date at the top of their notice page automatically whenever it changes.

This Transaction Monitoring Privacy Statement is based on the guidance published by HMRC on 19th March 2019.

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Website Privacy

The following sets out our information gathering and dissemination practices for this website: Synergy Accounts Website.

This site may contain links to other sites. Synergy Accounts is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Web sites.

Any information you may choose to provide is used exclusively by Synergy Accounts, its successors or assignees, and is not normally made available to any external Third Parties. However, if exceptional circumstances arise we do reserve the right to administer any such data as we see fit.

Anyone can visit our site without any personally identifying information whatsoever being obtained or retained. However, our site uses a number of Feedback, Information Request and Order / Quotation Request Forms for customers to request information, products, and services. We collect visitor’s contact information (like their email address and telephone number). Contact information from the form is used to send information about our company, and/or the products in which they have expressed an interest, to our customers. The customer’s contact information is also used to get in touch with them directly should it prove necessary.

This information is retained only as long as is absolutely necessary for the provision of information and/or services and to meet the requirements of legislation or the lawful orders of government agencies. Once it is no longer needed the information is permanently deleted.

Users may also choose to register to receive occasional information, special offers etc. via Email, again entirely at their own choice, by subscribing to our Mailing Lists. For the protection of our users the system operates on a ‘Double Opt-In’ basis, requiring users to confirm their wish to be part of the list by clicking a link in a confirmation email sent to their stated email address after subscribing and before any mailings take place. Users may always opt-out of receiving future mailings; see the choice/opt-out section below for more details.

Anonymous information such as Visitor Numbers and Visit Durations may be retained by our ISP for statistical and management purposes, but none of this information can be used to personally identify individual visitors.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

Any modifications to our privacy practices will be reflected first within this area of our Web site. If there is a material change in our privacy practices, we will indicate on our site that our privacy practices have changed and provide a link to the new privacy statement. If we are going to be using the information collected from users in a manner materially different from that stated at the time of collection we will send affected users written notice of the change.

Security

This site has security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control.

Choice/Opt-Out

Our site provides users the opportunity to opt-out of receiving communications from us at the point where we request information about the visitor. If users do not wish to be contacted they can simply leave the page without registering their contact details.

This site gives users the following options for removing their information from our database in order not to receive future communications.

1. An ‘Unsubscribe’ link is provided in every email that we send to any of our list members. You can click this link to be removed from the list automatically.
2. To be removed from our list after entering information on a Feedback Form or if you have any other issues or problems with our mailing list service you can contact us using any of the methods shown below. We will do our best to resolve whatever issues you may have as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Contacting the Web Site

If you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this Web site, you can contact Synergy Accounts directly:

Telephone:

0345 193 0617

Postal address:

89 Railway Road, Newhaven, East Sussex, BN9 0AY

Electronic mail:

General Information: info@synergyaccounts.com
Sales: sales@synergyaccounts.com
Customer Support: support@synergyaccounts.com

 

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