Privacy Policy

IconicNewswire Incorporated, an Illinois corporation ("IconicNewswire," "we," "us," or "our"), is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, store, and share information when you visit our website at iconicnewswire.com or use any of our press release distribution services (collectively, the "Platform").

This Policy applies to all users of the Platform, including visitors, registered account holders, and paying customers. By accessing or using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy.

If you do not agree with the practices described here, please discontinue use of the Platform immediately. For any questions about this Policy, please contact us at [email protected].

We collect information in several ways depending on how you interact with the Platform:

Information you provide directly:

• Account registration details: name, email address, company name, phone number, and billing address.
• Press release content you submit for distribution, including any embedded media, quotes, and contact information.
• Payment information: payments are processed by PayPal and Stripe, which receive your payment details directly. We do not receive or store full card numbers. We keep a record of each transaction (amount, date, order and billing details).
• Communications you send us via email, contact forms, or support channels.

Information collected automatically:

• IP address, browser type, operating system, and device information.
• Pages visited, time spent on pages, referring URLs, and clickstream data.
• Cookie identifiers and similar tracking technologies (see Section 4).
• Distribution report data including syndication confirmations and analytics.

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Service delivery: To process orders, distribute press releases to our media network, and generate distribution reports.
• Account management: To create and maintain your account, authenticate logins, and manage your preferences.
• Customer support: To respond to inquiries, resolve disputes, and provide technical assistance.
• Billing and payments: To process transactions, issue invoices, and prevent payment fraud.
• Platform improvement: To analyze usage patterns, diagnose technical issues, and enhance our features and distribution network.
• Marketing communications: To send relevant product updates, promotional offers, and service announcements, with your consent where required by law.
• Legal compliance: To comply with applicable laws, respond to legal process, and enforce our Terms of Use.

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to operate and improve the Platform. The types of cookies we use include:

• Essential cookies: Required for the Platform to function, including login sessions and security tokens. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies: Help us understand how users interact with the Platform (e.g., Google Analytics). Data collected is aggregated and anonymized.
• Preference cookies: Remember your settings and choices to improve your experience across sessions.
• Marketing cookies: Used to serve relevant advertising and measure campaign effectiveness. These are only set with your consent.

You can manage or disable non-essential cookies through your browser settings or our cookie consent manager. Disabling certain cookies may affect Platform functionality.

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:

• Distribution partners: Press release content (which is public by nature) is transmitted to media outlets and wire services within our distribution network as part of the service you purchased.
• Service providers: We share data with trusted third-party vendors who assist with payment processing, email delivery, analytics, hosting, and customer support, bound by confidentiality agreements. These include PayPal and Stripe for payment processing.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose information when required by law, subpoena, court order, or governmental authority, or when necessary to protect the rights and safety of IconicNewswire, our users, or the public.
• Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you before your data is subject to a materially different privacy policy.

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law:

• Account data: Retained for the duration of your account and for up to 3 years after account closure to comply with legal and financial obligations.
• Transaction records: Retained for 7 years for tax, audit, and legal compliance purposes.
• Press release content: Distributed releases become publicly accessible through media outlets and may persist indefinitely on those platforms, independent of our retention practices.
• Usage and analytics data: Aggregated and anonymized data may be retained indefinitely for internal research and platform improvement.
• Support communications: Retained for up to 2 years from the date of last contact.

You may request deletion of your personal data at any time, subject to our legal obligations to retain certain records.

Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion: Request that we delete your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements.
• Portability: Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Objection: Object to certain processing activities, including direct marketing.
• Restriction: Request that we limit how we process your data in certain circumstances.
• Withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, withdraw that consent at any time without affecting prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days and may request identity verification before fulfilling your request.

If you are located in the European Union or European Economic Area, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies to our processing of your personal data. Our legal bases for processing include:

• Contract performance: Processing necessary to deliver the services you have purchased.
• Legitimate interests: Processing necessary for fraud prevention, security, and platform improvement, balanced against your interests.
• Legal obligation: Processing required to comply with applicable laws and regulations.
• Consent: Processing for marketing communications and non-essential cookies, where you have provided explicit consent.

EU/EEA users also have the right to lodge a complaint with their local data protection authority (DPA) if they believe their rights have been violated. IconicNewswire acts as the data controller for personal data processed through the Platform.

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) grant you specific rights regarding your personal information:

• Right to Know: You may request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you in the past 12 months.
• Right to Delete: You may request deletion of personal information we have collected, subject to certain exceptions.
• Right to Opt-Out: You have the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information. IconicNewswire does not sell personal information.
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.
• Right to Correct: You may request correction of inaccurate personal information.

To submit a CCPA request, contact us at [email protected] with "CCPA Request" in the subject line. We will verify your identity and respond within 45 days.

We implement industry-standard technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, loss, destruction, or alteration. These measures include:

• TLS/SSL encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and our servers.
• PCI-DSS compliant payment processing through certified third-party processors.
• Access controls limiting data access to authorized personnel only, on a need-to-know basis.
• Regular security assessments, penetration testing, and vulnerability monitoring.
• Encrypted storage for sensitive account and billing information.

While we take data security seriously, no system is completely impenetrable. In the event of a data breach that affects your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and applicable authorities as required by law, within 72 hours where required under GDPR.

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites, media outlets, and external services. This Privacy Policy applies only to IconicNewswire's Platform and services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites, including the 670+ media outlets in our distribution network.

Once your press release is distributed and published on third-party outlets, that content is subject to each outlet's own privacy and data practices. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit.

Third-party services we use (such as payment processors and analytics providers) have their own privacy policies governing how they handle data collected through our Platform.

IconicNewswire's Platform is not directed to, and is not intended for use by, individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors.

If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a person under 18, we will take immediate steps to delete that information from our systems. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us at [email protected] so we can promptly address the matter.

IconicNewswire operates globally and your personal information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in countries outside your country of residence, including the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction.

For transfers from the European Union or United Kingdom to countries not deemed adequate by the relevant authorities, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission, or other legally recognized transfer mechanisms.

By using the Platform, you acknowledge that your data may be transferred internationally in accordance with this Policy and applicable legal requirements.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.
• Notify registered users via email or a prominent notice on the Platform at least 14 days before the changes take effect.
• Where required by law, seek your renewed consent for any new processing activities.

Your continued use of the Platform after any changes to this Policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically.

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal data, please contact us:

• IconicNewswire Incorporated
  626 E Whispering Oaks Ct, Palatine, IL 60074, United States
  Phone: +1 (224) 386-7906
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: iconicnewswire.com/contact
• Response time: We aim to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 5 business days.

For GDPR-related requests, please include "GDPR Request" in your subject line. For CCPA requests, include "CCPA Request." For urgent data breach concerns, mark your subject line "DATA SECURITY URGENT."