Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Estate Map ("we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website and use our estate planning calculator tools.

Please read this privacy policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access the site.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Calculator Data (Not Collected)

Important: Estate Map's calculator runs entirely in your browser. Any property data, financial information, or personal details you enter into our calculators are processed locally on your device and are never transmitted to our servers or stored by us. We have no access to this information.

2.2 Email Addresses (Newsletter)

When you sign up for newsletters or updates, we collect:

• Your email address
• Date and time of signup
• IP address (for security and fraud prevention)
• Referral source (how you found our site)

2.3 Analytics and Usage Data

We collect anonymised usage data through analytics services to understand how visitors interact with our site:

• Pages visited and time spent on pages
• Browser type and version
• Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
• Operating system
• Referring website
• General geographic location (city/region level only)
• Date and time of visits

2.4 Session Recordings and Heatmaps

With your consent, we use Microsoft Clarity to record anonymised sessions of how visitors interact with our site. This includes:

• Mouse movements, clicks, and scroll behaviour
• Page navigation patterns
• Interaction with page elements

Important: Clarity automatically masks all form inputs, so any data you enter (including financial information) is never visible in recordings. This data helps us identify usability issues and improve the site experience.

2.5 Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve your experience. See Section 4 for detailed information.

2.6 Subscription Data (Paid Features)

When you purchase access to our premium features, we store the following data securely on our servers (Vercel KV):

• Your email address
• Stripe customer ID (a unique identifier from our payment provider)
• Subscription status (active, cancelled, or expired)
• Access type (one-time, monthly, or annual)
• Access expiration date (for one-time purchases)
• Account creation and last update timestamps

Note: We do not store your payment card details. All payment processing is handled securely by Stripe.

2.7 Contact Form Data

When you use our "Contact a Financial Planner" form, we collect:

• Your name
• Your email address
• Your phone number
• Your message

This data is transmitted via SendGrid (our email service provider) to enable us to respond to your enquiry.

2.8 Browser Storage (Your Device Only)

The following data is stored locally on your device and is never transmitted to our servers:

• Calculator Form Data: Your estate planning inputs (stored in localStorage as estate_wizard_data)
• Wizard Progress: Which step you're on in the calculator (stored in localStorage as estate_wizard_progress)
• Cookie Preferences: Your consent choices (stored in localStorage as estate_cookie_consent)
• Marketing Attribution: How you found our site (stored in sessionStorage as utm_params, cleared when you close the browser)

You can clear this data at any time by clearing your browser's site data for estatemapcalc.co.uk.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Service Delivery: To provide you with access to our calculators and tools
• Subscription Management: To manage your premium calculator access and subscription status
• Payment Processing: To process payments securely via Stripe
• Contact Responses: To respond to enquiries submitted via our contact form
• Communications: To send you newsletters, updates, and information about our services (only if you've opted in)
• Improvement: To analyse how our site is used and improve our content and functionality
• Security: To protect against fraud, abuse, and security threats
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws and regulations
• Marketing: To send relevant updates about estate planning tools and resources (with your consent)

4. Cookies and Local Storage

We use cookies and browser storage to enhance your experience on our site. Here is exactly what we store:

Essential Cookies (Required)

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off:

Analytics Cookies (Consent Required)

The following analytics services are only activated after you click "Accept All" on our cookie banner. If you reject non-essential cookies, no analytics data is collected:

• Vercel Analytics: Collects anonymised page view and performance data
• Google Analytics 4: Collects anonymised usage data for understanding site traffic
• Microsoft Clarity: Records anonymised session replays and generates heatmaps to help us improve usability. All form inputs are automatically masked.

Local Storage (Your Device Only)

Your calculator data and preferences are stored in your browser's local storage. This data never leaves your device unless you purchase a premium report. See Section 2.8 for details.

Managing Cookies

You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking the "Cookie Settings" link in our website footer. You can also clear cookies through your browser settings, but this may log you out of premium features.

5. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate our website and provide our services. Each service has its own privacy policy governing how they handle your data:

Important: We do not sell your personal data to any third parties. Data is only shared with these services as necessary to provide our calculator and payment services.

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect your information:

• Encryption in Transit: All data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted using HTTPS/TLS
• Encryption at Rest: Subscription data stored in Vercel KV (our database) is encrypted at rest
• Secure Authentication: Authentication tokens are signed using HMAC-SHA256 and stored in HttpOnly cookies (inaccessible to JavaScript)
• No Card Data Storage: We never store your payment card details - Stripe handles all payment information securely
• Rate Limiting: Sensitive API endpoints are protected by rate limiting to prevent abuse
• Webhook Verification: All payment events are verified using Stripe's signature verification

However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Your Data Protection Rights (GDPR & UK GDPR)

Under UK data protection law and GDPR, you have the following rights:

• Right to Access: Request copies of your personal data
• Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data
• Right to Restrict Processing: Request that we limit how we use your data
• Right to Data Portability: Request transfer of your data to another service
• Right to Object: Object to our processing of your data
• Rights Related to Automated Decision-Making: Not be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 12.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary:

After the retention period, we securely delete or anonymise your information.

9. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries outside the UK and European Economic Area (EEA), including the United States, where our service providers are located. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:

• Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission
• Privacy Shield certification (where applicable)
• Ensuring providers comply with GDPR requirements

10. Children's Privacy

Our service is not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us, and we will delete such information.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. We will notify you of any material changes by:

• Updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy
• Posting a notice on our homepage
• Sending an email to subscribers (for significant changes)

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

12. Contact Us

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

• Email: hello@estatemapcalc.co.uk
• Website: www.estatemapcalc.co.uk

We aim to respond to all data protection requests within 30 days.

ICO Registration: Estate Map is exempt from ICO registration as a sole trader processing limited personal data for direct business purposes. You still retain all your data protection rights as detailed in Section 7.

For data protection inquiries, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection authority:

• ICO Website: www.ico.org.uk
• ICO Helpline: 0303 123 1113

13. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

We process your personal data under the following legal bases:

• Consent: When you sign up for our newsletter (you can withdraw consent at any time)
• Legitimate Interests: To improve our services, conduct analytics, and ensure security
• Legal Obligation: To comply with applicable laws and regulations