Critical Mention’s Commitment to Maintaining Your Privacy
At Critical Mention, we take your privacy seriously and are committed to protecting the personal information that you choose to share with us. This information is gathered at registration, during your use of the service, or through oral and written communications. We understand the importance of maintaining your trust and confidence, and we ensure that the personal information you submit to us remains private and is used solely for the purposes set out in this policy.
1. Data Collection
Information About Users Generally
Critical Mention gathers information about all users collectively, such as which areas users visit most frequently and what information they access the most. We use this data anonymously in connection with royalties payable to our content licensors. This helps us determine what is most beneficial for users and allows us to continually improve our services. We may share this anonymous information with business partners, but only in aggregate form, ensuring no individual user can be identified.
Data Collected for use in Search Results
Critical Mention collects and processes publicly available data to provide users with accurate and up-to-date search results relevant to their needs, for media monitoring purposes, and to facilitate trend analysis. The information available in search results includes data from the following sources:
- Broadcast Television & Radio
- Public Websites (News articles, Blogs, Forums, Reviews, Recipes, etc)
- Licensed News Articles
- Podcast Episodes
- Social Media (public content only):
- Instagram posts from monitored business profiles
- Facebook posts on monitored pages
- Anonymized public comments on posts on monitored pages
- YouTube videos
- X (formerly known as Twitter) tweets
Information About Users Specifically
When you register to use Critical Mention services, we collect personal information such as:
- Your name
- Address
- Email address
- Telephone number
We use this personal information to:
- Process, validate, and verify subscriptions
- Deliver the Critical Mention service
- Assess and improve our services
- Provide updates and advice on the use of Critical Mention services
- Invoice and collect payment
2. Purpose of Data Use
Your personal data is used to provide services effectively, improve service quality, and for business purposes such as internal reporting, billing, and communications. If you give us permission, we may also use your personal information to inform you of additional services or updates from Critical Mention.
3. Tracking Individual Usage
In certain cases, your usage of Critical Mention services and the information you retrieve may be reported to your employer or the subscriber who pays for your access. This information is shared solely with the subscriber for internal billing and usage purposes. Users are informed of this at registration.
4. Marketing of Other Critical Mention Services
If you give us permission, we may use your personal information to inform you about additional Critical Mention services. You can opt in or out of these communications during registration and can change your preferences at any time in the Preferences section of your account.
5. Sharing and Disclosure of Data
We will not share your personal information with third parties unless:
- You have provided consent
- It is necessary for providing services (e.g., third-party service providers under contract)
- We are required to comply with legal obligations
Any third parties with whom we share data will be subject to strict confidentiality agreements.
6. Requesting Data Deletion
You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data at any time. To request data deletion:
- Email us at [email protected].
- Once we receive your request, we will delete your personal data as soon as reasonably practicable but, in any event, no later than 30 days, subject to applicable legal and contractual obligations.
After data deletion, your account will be terminated, and access to Critical Mention services will be revoked. We will confirm once the deletion is complete. Please note that this process does not apply to Facebook/Meta users who are not Critical Mention service users but whose personal data may be processed to provide our services. In such cases, the data will either be anonymized or subject to separate legal obligations as applicable.
7. Data Security
We take the security of your personal information seriously and implement various security measures to protect your data, including:
- Secure servers
- Encryption
- Access control measures In the event of a data breach, we will notify affected users in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
8. Data Retention
We store your personal information for as long as you remain a registered user and for a reasonable period thereafter to facilitate account closure. Data may be retained for longer periods if required by law or for legitimate business purposes.
Search results for all content, including data from broadcast media, public websites, licensed articles, podcasts, and social media, are available in Critical Mention for up to 26 months after the content is first published. After this period, the content is no longer available through the search platform.
9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience with Critical Mention services, including:
- Remembering user preferences
- Managing session information
- Enhancing site functionality. You cannot opt out of cookies if you wish to use Critical Mention services, as they are essential for proper functionality.
10. User Rights
- Access to Data: You can request a copy of your personal information at any time.
- Correction of Data: You can update or correct any personal information by visiting the Preferences section of your account or contacting us.
- Data Portability: You can request that we transfer your personal data to another service provider in a commonly used format, subject to applicable laws.
11. Children’s Privacy
Critical Mention services are not intended for children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect data from children, and if we become aware that a child’s information has been collected, we will promptly delete it.
12. International Data Transfers
If you are accessing Critical Mention from outside the United States, your personal data may be transferred across borders. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for international transfers, such as Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent mechanisms.
13. Changes to the Privacy Policy
Critical Mention reserves the right to update this privacy policy to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or services. We will notify users of any significant updates via email or through the Critical Mention service. You are encouraged to review this policy periodically.
14. Contact Information
If you have any questions or concerns about this privacy policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us:
- By email: [email protected].
- For further inquiries, you may also write to us at our corporate address provided on our website.
