Privacy Policy
Last updated 17 August 2026
This policy explains how PlainAnswer collects, uses and protects personal data. PlainAnswer is a product of Culture & Clarity Ltd. We keep this in plain language on purpose, because being straight with people is the whole idea behind PlainAnswer.
1. Who we are
PlainAnswer is operated by Culture & Clarity Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 16795837), whose registered office is 28 Maxwell Drive, Kingstown, Carlisle, CA6 4EB, United Kingdom. In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" mean Culture & Clarity Ltd. We are registered with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), registration reference ZC161196.
For most of the personal data described here, we are the data controller. There is one important exception, explained in the next section.
2. Two different roles: our data, and our customers' data
PlainAnswer is a tool that businesses add to their own websites. That means personal data flows through it in two different ways, and our role is different for each.
When we are the controller
For people who visit plainanswer.co.uk, sign up for an account, or contact us, we decide how and why the data is used, so we are the controller. This policy governs that data.
When we are the processor
When a business customer puts the PlainAnswer agent on their own website, and their visitors ask questions or leave their contact details, that visitor data belongs to the business customer. They are the controller and we act as their processor, handling the data only to provide the service on their behalf. How we do that is set out in our Data Processing Addendum. If you are a visitor to a business that uses PlainAnswer, please see that business's own privacy notice for how they use your data.
3. What we collect
If you have an account with us
- Your name or business name, and your email address.
- Your website address and the content you add, such as FAQs and notes.
- Billing details. Payments are handled by Stripe. We do not see or store your full card number.
- Records of your use of the dashboard and service, for support and security.
If you visit our website or use our demo
- Questions you type into our own chat agent or demo, and any contact details (name, phone or email) if you choose to leave them.
- Basic technical information such as your IP address, browser and device type, used to keep the service secure and working.
- A small amount of storage in your browser, described in our Cookie notice.
Website content we read
To answer questions, our agent reads the public pages of a website it has been given. That content is usually not personal data, but if a public page happens to contain personal data, it may be stored as part of what the agent has read.
4. How we use your information, and our legal basis
| Why we use it | Legal basis (UK GDPR) |
|---|---|
| To provide the service, run your account and answer questions | Performance of a contract |
| To take payment and keep financial records | Contract, and legal obligation |
| To keep the service secure, prevent abuse and fix problems | Our legitimate interests |
| To reply to you when you contact us | Our legitimate interests |
| To send you service and account emails | Contract, and our legitimate interests |
| To send marketing emails, where we do | Consent, or a soft opt-in you can withdraw at any time |
5. Who we share it with
We do not sell your personal data, and we never sell or share your customers' emails. We use a small number of trusted service providers (subprocessors) to run PlainAnswer. Each only receives what it needs to do its job.
| Provider | What it does |
|---|---|
| Our AI model providers | Generate the agent's answers. The question and the relevant passages from your own content are sent to produce a reply. We use more than one provider so the service keeps working if one has an outage. |
| Stripe | Processes payments securely. Card details are handled by Stripe, not by us. |
| Our hosting provider | Runs the servers and stores the data that powers the service. |
| Our email provider | Delivers sign-in links, account emails and the notifications that tell an owner a customer needs them. |
We may also share data if the law requires it, or to protect our rights, or as part of a business sale or reorganisation, in which case any buyer would be bound by this policy.
6. International transfers
Some of our providers are based outside the United Kingdom, including in the United States. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we rely on appropriate safeguards recognised under UK data protection law, such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or an adequacy decision, so your data keeps a similar level of protection.
7. How long we keep it
- Account data: for as long as your account is active, and for a short period afterwards so we can meet legal and accounting duties.
- Financial records: as required by law, normally six years.
- Visitor questions and leads handled through a customer's agent: kept on that customer's behalf and controlled by their settings and their own retention choices.
- Enquiries to us: up to three years after our last contact, unless you ask us to delete them sooner.
8. Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to access the personal data we hold about you, to have it corrected or deleted, to restrict or object to how we use it, and to ask for a copy in a portable format. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time. To exercise any of these, email us at hello@plainanswer.co.uk.
9. How we protect your data
We take security seriously. Data is encrypted in transit, each business's data is kept separate from every other's, and access is limited to what is needed to run the service. No system can be guaranteed perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information and to act quickly if anything goes wrong.
10. Children
PlainAnswer is a business tool and is not intended for children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we make a significant change, we will update the date at the top and, where appropriate, let account holders know.
12. Contact
For any privacy question or request, email hello@plainanswer.co.uk or write to Culture & Clarity Ltd, 28 Maxwell Drive, Kingstown, Carlisle, CA6 4EB, United Kingdom.