Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Markus Tech Ltd ("we", "us", "our") is a company registered in England and Wales (Company Number: 16443285). Our registered office is at 49 Premier Avenue, Grays, United Kingdom, RM16 2SB.

We are the data controller for the personal information we process about you. If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your personal data, you can contact us at info@markusapp.co.uk.

2. Information We Collect

We collect and process the following types of personal information:

Information you provide directly:

• Contact information: Name, email address, organisation name when you contact us
• Account information: Email address, password, profile information when you create an account
• Communication data: Messages, feedback, and correspondence you send to us
• Educational content: Student work, assessments, and feedback when using our AI platform

Information we collect automatically:

• Technical data: IP address, browser type, device information, operating system
• Usage data: How you use our website and services, pages visited, time spent
• Cookies: Small data files stored on your device (see our Cookie Policy below)

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• To provide our services: Create and manage your account, deliver our AI-powered feedback platform
• To communicate with you: Respond to inquiries, send important updates about our services
• To improve our services: Analyse usage patterns, fix technical issues, develop new features
• For marketing: Send relevant information about our services (with your consent)
• Legal compliance: Meet our legal obligations and protect our rights

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:

• Legitimate interests: To operate our website, improve our services, and communicate with you
• Contract: To provide our services when you sign up for an account
• Consent: For marketing communications and non-essential cookies
• Legal obligation: To comply with applicable laws and regulations

5. Who We Share Your Information With

We may share your personal information with:

• Service providers: Third-party companies that help us operate our website and services (e.g., hosting, analytics)
• Educational institutions: Schools and colleges you are affiliated with (only with your explicit consent)
• Legal authorities: When required by law or to protect our rights

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes.

6. International Transfers

Your personal data is primarily processed within the UK. If we need to transfer your data outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:

• Adequacy decisions by the UK government
• Standard contractual clauses approved by the UK authorities
• Other legally recognised transfer mechanisms

7. How Long We Keep Your Information

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with legal obligations:

• Account data: For the duration of your account plus 2 years after closure
• Contact inquiries: For 3 years to track our relationship and provide support
• Educational content: As directed by the educational institution, typically for the academic year
• Marketing data: Until you withdraw consent or 2 years of inactivity

8. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Rectification: Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Erasure: Request deletion of your data (right to be forgotten)
• Restriction: Limit how we process your data
• Portability: Receive your data in a portable format
• Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw consent: For processing based on consent

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@markusapp.co.uk. We will respond within one month.

9. Cookie Policy

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. Cookies are small text files stored on your device.

Types of cookies we use:

• Essential cookies: Required for the website to function properly
• Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our website
• Functional cookies: Remember your preferences and settings

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.

10. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These include:

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest
• Regular security assessments and updates
• Access controls and staff training
• Secure hosting and backup procedures

11. Third-Party Services

Our website and services may contain links to third-party websites or use third-party services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external services. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.

Third-party services we use:

• Google Fonts: For website typography
• Google Apps Script: For contact form processing
• Hosting providers: For website and service hosting

12. Children's Privacy

Our services are designed for educational use and may be used by students under 18. When processing data of minors, we:

• Obtain appropriate consent from educational institutions
• Process only data necessary for educational purposes
• Implement additional safeguards for minors' data
• Comply with educational data protection requirements

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of any material changes by:

• Posting the updated policy on our website
• Updating the "last updated" date
• Sending email notifications for significant changes

14. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this privacy policy or our data practices, please contact us:

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.