Privacy policy

We don't sell your data and we don't hoard it. This page says what we collect, why we hold it, who else sees it and how long we keep it. It's written to be read, not skipped.

1. Who we are

LITEMODE is a business name of The Cafe Specialists Ltd, a company registered in Ireland.

The Cafe Specialists Ltd is the data controller for everything in this policy. "We", "us" and "our" mean that company throughout.

Data questions go to hello@litemode.ie. We haven't appointed a Data Protection Officer. Your email lands with the people who run the company and we answer it ourselves.

2. What this policy covers

It covers litemode.ie, the quote builder on it, and the work we do for clients.

It does not cover the websites we build for other people. Once a client's site is live, that client decides what happens to the data their visitors send. See section 13.

3. What we collect, and why

• The quote builder. Your name, business name and email address. Your phone number and current website if you give them. The options you ticked, plus any notes or files you attach. We need this to price the job and reply to you.
• Email and phone. Whatever you send us when you get in touch, plus our replies.
• Project material. Your logo, photos, copy, and any logins you give us for a domain, a hosting account or an analytics property. We use those strictly to do the work you've paid for.
• Billing records. Business name, billing address and invoice history. Card and bank details go straight to Stripe. We never see or store your full card or bank details.
• Server logs. Netlify records things like IP address, browser type and the pages requested. That's how the site stays up and stays secure.

We don't ask for anything we don't need. We don't collect special category data such as health or ethnicity, and the site isn't built for anyone under 18.

4. Our legal basis for holding it

• Contract. To quote, build, host, manage or run SEO on your site.
• Legal obligation. Invoices and tax records, which Irish tax law makes us keep.
• Legitimate interests. Replying to enquiries, keeping the site secure, and showing finished work in our portfolio.
• Consent. Only where we ask for it, such as a marketing email. You can withdraw it at any time and it takes one line in an email.

5. Who else sees it

Only the people working on your project, and the providers we use to run the business:

• Netlify. Hosts litemode.ie and receives every form submission from the site, including the quote builder.
• Google Workspace. Holds your brief, your emails and any files you send.
• Stripe. Processes invoice payments.
• Our accountant. Sees invoices so the company's tax returns are right.

We don't sell your data, rent it, or share it for advertising. We hand data to authorities in Ireland only where the law requires it, which has not happened yet.

Ask us and we'll tell you exactly which providers touch your project.

6. Data sent outside the EEA

Netlify is a United States company. Where your data leaves the European Economic Area, the transfer runs under the European Commission's standard contractual clauses in that provider's data processing agreement.

The same applies to any other US provider we use. If a provider can't offer that cover, we don't use it.

7. How long we keep it

• Enquiries that go nowhere. Twelve months, then deleted.
• Client project files and correspondence. For as long as we work together, then six years.
• Invoices and tax records. Six years, because Irish tax law says so.
• Logins you gave us. Removed from our password manager when the work ends, or sooner if you ask.
• Server logs. Held by Netlify under their own retention policy, not ours.

8. Cookies

This site sets no tracking cookies and no advertising cookies. There's no Meta pixel and no Google Analytics on it.

One thing worth saying plainly: the site loads its fonts from Google Fonts, so your browser asks Google for the font files and Google sees your IP address in that request. No cookie is set by it.

If we ever add analytics, we'll update this page and ask for your consent before anything is set.

9. Security

Every page is served over HTTPS. Access to your files is limited to the people working on your project. Client logins are kept in a password manager rather than sitting in an inbox.

No system is completely safe and we won't pretend otherwise. If your data is ever breached and it puts you at risk, we'll tell you and report it to the Data Protection Commission within 72 hours, as GDPR requires.

10. Your rights

Under GDPR you can:

• Ask for a copy of what we hold on you
• Ask us to correct anything that's wrong
• Ask us to delete it
• Ask us to restrict what we do with it
• Ask for it in a portable file you can take elsewhere
• Object to us holding it on legitimate interests grounds
• Withdraw consent you gave earlier

Email hello@litemode.ie and we'll action it within one month. It costs you nothing. We may ask you to confirm who you are first, so we're not handing your file to a stranger.

Some records we have to keep. Tax records stay for six years even if you ask us to delete everything else, and we'll tell you when that applies.

11. Complaints

Tell us first and we'll try to sort it. If you're still unhappy, you can complain to the Irish Data Protection Commission at dataprotection.ie. You can go straight to them if you'd rather.

12. Automated decisions

The quote builder adds up the options you tick. It doesn't profile you and it doesn't make any decision about you. A person reads every enquiry.

13. Sites we build for clients

When we build or host a site for a client, and that site collects data from its visitors, the client is the controller of that data. We act as their processor and only do what they instruct.

If you're a client and you need a data processing agreement on file, email us and we'll sign one.

14. Changes to this policy

If we change it, we change the date at the top. If the change is significant, clients get an email about it rather than being left to spot it.

15. Contact

The Cafe Specialists Ltd, trading as LITEMODE. Email hello@litemode.ie and a person reads it — that's the fastest route to us for anything in this policy, including a data request.