1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how Powersludge Inc. ("Powersludge", "we", "us", "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects personal information, and the privacy rights and choices we offer, in connection with our websites, online services, and products and services (collectively, our “Services”). By using our Services, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

2. Personal Information We Collect

Information You Provide to Us

Personal information you may provide to us includes:

• Contact details: Your first and last name, email and mailing addresses, and phone number.
• Account data: The username and password that you may use to establish an online account with us.
• Communications: Information you provide when you contact us with questions, feedback, or otherwise.
• Order and purchase history: Your interactions with our checkout page and order details.
• Payment details: Payment card number, bank account number, and shipping address. Payment processing is handled by third-party providers, and we do not store payment card numbers.
• Survey data: Information you provide when you fill out surveys or participate in focus groups.

Automatic Data Collection

We, our service providers, and our business partners may automatically log information about you, your computer or mobile device, and your interaction over time with our websites, online services, and our communications, such as:

• Device data: Your computer’s or mobile device’s operating system type and version, manufacturer and model, browser type, screen resolution, RAM and disk size, CPU usage, device type (e.g., phone, tablet), IP address, unique identifiers, language settings, mobile device carrier, radio/network information (e.g., WiFi, LTE, 3G), and general location information such as city, state, or geographic area.
• Online activity data: Pages or screens you viewed, how long you spent on a page or screen, the website you visited before browsing to our websites, navigation paths between pages or screens, information about your activity on a page or screen, access times, duration of access, and whether you have opened our marketing emails or clicked links within them.

We collect this information using cookies, Microsoft Clarity, and other similar technologies. For more information, please visit our “Cookies and Third-Party Analytics” section below.

3. How We Use Personal Information

We use personal information for the following purposes:

Service Delivery

We use personal information to perform our contractual obligations under our terms of use, including to:

• Provide, operate, and improve our Services and our business.
• Process your payments and complete transactions with you.
• Communicate with you about our Services, including by sending announcements, updates, security alerts, and support and administrative messages.

For Our Legitimate Interests

We use personal information to:

• Understand your needs and interests, and personalize your experience with the Services and our communications.
• Engage in surveys and focus groups, and record our video and audio chats with consumers.
• Troubleshoot, test, and research to keep the Services secure.
• Investigate and protect against fraudulent, harmful, unauthorized, or illegal activity.

For Research and Development

We may use personal information for research and development purposes in our legitimate business interests, including to analyze and improve our Services and our business. As part of these activities, we may create aggregated, de-identified, or other anonymous data from personal information we collect.

For Direct Marketing

We may send you direct marketing communications as permitted by law and in line with your marketing preferences to keep you updated about our products, activities, promotions, and other initiatives. You may opt-out of our marketing communications as described in the Opt-out of Marketing Communications section.

For Interest-Based Advertising

We may engage third-party advertising companies to display our ads on their online services. We may also share information about our users with these companies to facilitate advertising for our Services to them or similar users on other online platforms.

To Comply with Our Legal Obligations

We may use personal information to:

• Ensure our compliance with applicable laws, lawful requests, and legal processes, such as to respond to subpoenas or requests from government authorities.
• Audit our internal processes for compliance with legal requirements.
• Enforce the terms and conditions that govern our Services.
• Prevent, identify, investigate, and deter fraudulent, harmful, unauthorized, unethical, or illegal activity.

4. How We Disclose Personal Information

We may disclose personal information to:

• Affiliates: Within Powersludge for purposes consistent with this Privacy Policy.
• Service providers: Companies and individuals that provide services on our behalf or help us operate our Services or our business (such as hosting, information technology, customer support, email delivery, survey platform providers, and website analytics services).
• Payment processors: When you make a purchase at Powersludge, your payment card information is collected and processed directly by our payment processors. These payment processors may use your payment data in accordance with their privacy policies.
• Third parties: Third parties, such as advertising companies and data providers, for interest-based advertising and other marketing purposes, including those third parties’ own purposes.
• Professional advisors: Professional advisors, such as lawyers, auditors, bankers, and insurers, where necessary in the course of the professional services that they render to us.
• Authorities and others: Law enforcement, government authorities, and private parties, as we believe in good faith to be necessary or appropriate for the compliance and protection purposes described above.
• Business transferees: Acquirers and other relevant participants in business transactions (or negotiations for such transactions) involving a corporate divestiture, merger, consolidation, acquisition, reorganization, sale, or other disposition of all or any portion of the business or assets of, or equity interests in, Powersludge (including, in connection with a bankruptcy or similar proceedings).

Please keep in mind that whenever you voluntarily make your personal information available for viewing by third parties or the public on or through our Services, that information can be seen, collected, and used by others. We are not responsible for any use of such information by others.

5. Privacy Rights and Choices

Account Choices

If you have a Powersludge account, you can review and update certain account information by logging into your account. Registered users may also contact us to request the deletion of their account and certain personal information.

Opt-Out of Marketing Communications

You may opt out of marketing-related emails by following the opt-out or unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of the emails you receive from us. You may continue to receive service-related and other non-marketing emails.

Personal Information Requests

Depending on your location and the nature of your interactions with our Services, you may request the following in relation to personal information:

• Information about how we have collected and used personal information: We have made this information available to you without having to request it by including it in this Privacy Policy.
• Access to a copy of the personal information that we have collected about you: Where applicable, we will provide the information in a portable, machine-readable, readily usable format.
• Opt-out of the sale of personal information and the processing and sharing of personal information for targeted advertising: We engage in targeted advertising activities and may share personal information with third parties to provide you with offers and promotions.
• Correction of personal information that is inaccurate or out of date.
• Deletion of personal information that we no longer need to provide the Services or for other lawful purposes.

How to Submit Personal Information Requests

To request access or deletion of your personal information, please write to us as provided in the “How to Contact Us” section below.

We may ask for specific information from you to help us confirm your identity. You are entitled to exercise the rights described above free from discrimination.

Limits on Your Choices

In some instances, your choices may be limited, such as where fulfilling your request would impair the rights of others, our ability to provide a service you have requested, or our ability to comply with our legal obligations and enforce our legal rights.

Complaints

If you are not satisfied with how we address your request, you may submit a complaint by contacting us as provided in the “How to Contact Us” section below. If you are based in certain jurisdictions, you may lodge a complaint about how we handle your personal information with a supervisory authority, including in your country of residence, place of work, or where you believe an incident took place.

6. Cookies and Third-Party Analytics

What Are Cookies?

A cookie is a small amount of information that’s downloaded to your computer or device when you visit our site. We use a number of different cookies, including functional, performance, advertising, and social media or content cookies. Cookies make your browsing experience better by allowing the website to remember your actions and preferences. Cookies also provide information on how people use the website.

Types of Cookies We Use

• Cookies necessary for the functioning of the store: These include session cookies, security cookies, and cookies used in connection with the checkout process.<
• Performance cookies: Used for analytics and reporting to improve the functionality of our website.
• Functionality cookies: Allow us to remember your preferences and provide enhanced, more personalized features.
• Targeting cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertisements to you on our site and across the web.

Managing Cookies

You can control and manage cookies in various ways. Please keep in mind that removing or blocking cookies can negatively impact your user experience and parts of our website may no longer be fully accessible.

Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can choose whether or not to accept cookies through your browser controls. For more information on how to modify your browser settings or how to block, manage, or filter cookies, refer to your browser’s help file or visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

Do Not Track

Please note that because there is no consistent industry understanding of how to respond to “Do Not Track” signals, we do not alter our data collection and usage practices when we detect such a signal from your browser.

Third-Party Analytics

We partner with Microsoft Clarity and Microsoft Advertising to capture how you use and interact with our website through behavioral metrics, heatmaps, and session replay to improve and market our products/services. Website usage data is captured using first and third-party cookies and other tracking technologies to determine the popularity of products/services and online activity. Additionally, we use this information for site optimization, fraud/security purposes, and advertising. For more information about how Microsoft collects and uses your data, visit the Microsoft Privacy Statement.

7. Data Security

We employ a number of technical, organizational, and physical safeguards designed to protect the personal information we collect. These measures are intended to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure. However, no security measures are completely foolproof, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your personal information.

8. International Data Transfers

Powersludge Inc. is based in the United States, and your personal information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States or other countries where our service providers are located. These countries may not provide the same level of data protection as your home country. However, we take steps to ensure that your information is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Data Privacy Framework

Powersludge Inc. complies with the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, the UK Extension of the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, and the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (collectively, the “Data Privacy Framework”) as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of personal information transferred from the European Union, United Kingdom, and Switzerland to the United States. Powersludge Inc. has certified to the Department of Commerce that it adheres to the Data Privacy Framework Principles (the “Principles”).

9. Retention of Personal Information

We retain personal information only for as long as is necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected and processed, in accordance with our retention policies, and in accordance with applicable laws and regulatory obligations or until you withdraw your consent (where applicable).

To determine the appropriate retention period for personal information, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal information, the potential risk of harm from unauthorized use or disclosure of personal information, the purposes for which we use personal information and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

10. Children’s Privacy

Our Services are not intended for use by children under 16 years of age. If we learn that we have collected personal information through our Services from a child under 16 without the consent of the child’s parent or guardian as required by law, we will delete it. If you believe we might have any information from or about a child under 16, please contact us at privacy@powersludge.com.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time in order to reflect, for example, changes to our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. The updated version will be indicated by an updated "Effective Date" and will be effective as soon as it is accessible. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Email: 
privacy@powersludge.com

Mailing Address:
Powersludge Inc.
1207 Delaware Ave #3213
Wilmington, DE 19806
United States

Last updated: November 1, 2024
Effective Date: February 1, 2024