Privacy Policy

01Who we are

Auto Ascension is operated by Hepworth Digital Ltd ("we", "us", "our"), a company registered in England and Wales (company number 16194921), registered office: 25 Raby Drive, Moreton, Wirral, CH46 0TJ. We are the data controller for personal data we collect about you.

02What information we collect

We may collect:

• Contact information (name, email, phone, business name, address)
• Business information (Companies House number, services you offer)
• Payment information (processed by Stripe or Paddle — we don't store card details)
• Communications with us (email, WhatsApp, call recordings if made with consent)
• Website usage data (via cookies and analytics)
• Information you provide when booking a discovery call

03How we use your information

We use your data to:

• Provide the services you've agreed to
• Communicate about your account, services, and updates
• Process payments
• Improve our services
• Send relevant marketing (only with your consent, and you can unsubscribe anytime)
• Comply with legal obligations

04Lawful basis (UK GDPR)

We process personal data on the following lawful bases:

• Contract — to deliver services you've signed up for
• Legitimate interests — to improve services and contact prospective clients
• Consent — for marketing communications
• Legal obligation — e.g. financial record-keeping

05Who we share your data with

We share data only with:

• Service providers we use to run our business (hosting, payment processors, email delivery, CRM platforms)
• HMRC and other authorities where legally required
• Professional advisors (accountants, lawyers) where necessary

We do not sell your data to third parties.

06How long we keep your data

We keep personal data only as long as needed:

• Active client data: for the duration of our service relationship plus 6 years (HMRC requirement)
• Prospective client data: up to 2 years from last contact
• Website analytics: up to 26 months
• Marketing data: until you unsubscribe

07Your rights under UK GDPR

You have the right to:

• Access your data
• Correct inaccurate data
• Delete your data (subject to legal retention requirements)
• Object to processing
• Restrict processing
• Data portability (receive your data in a usable format)
• Complain to the ICO (ico.org.uk)

To exercise any of these rights, email dylan@autoascension.com.

08Cookies

We use essential cookies (to make the website work) and analytics cookies (to understand how visitors use the site). You can disable non-essential cookies via your browser settings. See our cookie banner for details.

09International transfers

Some of our service providers (e.g. hosting, email) may process data outside the UK/EU. Where this happens, we use appropriate safeguards (Standard Contractual Clauses or adequacy decisions).

10Security

We use industry-standard security including encrypted connections (HTTPS), encrypted password storage, encrypted secrets, regular backups, and access controls. No system is 100% secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect your data.

11Children

Our services are for businesses and are not directed at children under 18. We do not knowingly collect data from children.

12Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be notified by email to active clients. The "Last updated" date is shown at the top.

13Contact

Privacy questions? Email dylan@autoascension.com or write to Hepworth Digital Ltd, 25 Raby Drive, Moreton, Wirral, CH46 0TJ, United Kingdom.

Complaints can also be made to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or 0303 123 1113.