Contact our DPO at privacy@chatbeacon.ai
or call +1-918-388-5900
This Privacy Policy explains how SmartMax Software, Inc. ("SmartMax," "we," "us," or "our"), the company that provides ChatBeacon products and services, collects, uses, discloses, retains, and protects personal information. It also explains the privacy choices and rights that may be available to you.
This Policy applies to personal information SmartMax collects for its own purposes through chatbeacon.ai, chatbeacon.io, related subdomains, and other SmartMax websites, sales and demonstration activities, account administration, contracting, billing, support, recruiting, events, communications, and related business operations. SmartMax uses both chatbeacon.ai and chatbeacon.io in connection with its websites, software, licensing, trials, email, and related operations. This Policy also describes, at a general level, how ChatBeacon processes customer-controlled information when SmartMax acts as a processor, service provider, or contractor. It also applies to updates, upgrades, new releases, replacement or successor versions, and additional features that link to or incorporate this Policy. A materially different product or processing activity may be subject to a separate or supplemental notice.
When an organization uses ChatBeacon on its website, application, portal, or support channel, that organization generally decides what information to collect and why. Questions or requests concerning a conversation with that organization should ordinarily be directed to the organization. SmartMax assists its customers as required by applicable law and contract.
This Policy is a privacy notice. It does not create a customer, fiduciary, advisory, confidential, support, partnership, agency, or other contractual relationship, expand a warranty, or alter the allocation of responsibility in the Terms and Conditions or an applicable written agreement. Nothing in this Policy limits a right that cannot lawfully be limited.
By using the Services, you consent to the data practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services.
SmartMax may process personal information in different roles depending on the relationship and activity.
SmartMax as controller or business. SmartMax generally determines the purposes and means of processing for information collected through its own websites, direct sales and demonstration activities, contracts, billing, account administration, security, support, recruiting, and business operations.
SmartMax as processor or service provider. When ChatBeacon processes conversations or other customer-controlled information on behalf of a customer, the customer generally determines the purposes of processing and SmartMax generally acts as a processor, service provider, contractor, or similar regulated entity under the applicable agreement. The specific role may differ based on the activity, jurisdiction, deployment, configuration, and contract.
Customer-controlled deployments. For On-Premise deployments, the customer operates the infrastructure and generally controls storage, access, backups, retention, deletion, and security within its environment. Connected AI services, integrations, licensing, updates, email, SMS, video, or authorized support may involve additional processing, depending on the selected configuration.
Additional terms. Customer agreements, Data Processing Addenda, Business Associate Agreements, deployment documentation, and the ChatBeacon Service Privacy Notice may provide additional terms for customer-controlled information. If this Policy conflicts with an applicable written agreement concerning Customer Data, the written agreement controls to the extent of the conflict.
The information we collect depends on how you interact with SmartMax, the services and features used, the deployment model, customer configuration, and the information you or a customer chooses to provide.
Identifiers and contact information. Name, business contact details, email address, telephone number, company, job title, account username, postal address, and similar identifiers.
Account, commercial, and transaction information. Subscription, order, quotation, contract, license, billing, payment status, product interest, customer history, and related business records. Payment processors may collect payment card information. SmartMax does not intend to store complete payment card numbers in its application systems.
Communications and inquiry information. Messages, chat content, support requests, emails, meeting notes, product questions, demonstration requests, survey responses, attachments, and information supplied during inquiry-related communications.
Customer content and conversation data. Chat transcripts, form responses, visitor metadata, uploaded knowledge sources, website URLs, documents, prompts, AI responses, summaries, classifications, files, and other content a customer, its authorized users, or people who interact with that customer through ChatBeacon submit to the service.
Audio, video, co-browse, and screen-sharing information. Audio, video, screen-sharing, co-browse content, and related metadata when those features are used. Whether a session is recorded depends on the feature, customer configuration, and notice provided. SmartMax does not use audio or video to create biometric identifiers unless that processing is separately disclosed and lawfully authorized.
Device, network, usage, and interaction information. IP address, browser and device type, operating system, language, timestamps, referring pages, pages viewed, clicks, chat initiation, continuation, closure or abandonment, messages, response timing, feature use, session events, downloads, uploads, authentication activity, attempted or failed actions, approximate location derived from IP address, cookie or similar identifiers, logs, diagnostics, and security events.
Authentication, security, and administration information. Login records, role and permission information, multifactor authentication status, audit logs, security events, support access records, and information used to detect or investigate misuse.
Identity-provider information. When a customer or user chooses an enterprise identity provider, single sign-on service, or similar authentication method, SmartMax may receive identifiers, account attributes, authentication status, and other information needed to authenticate the user, administer access, and maintain security.
Integration information. Information received from or sent to third-party services that a customer or user chooses to connect, subject to the integration settings and authorization provided.
Inferences and derived information. Product interest, account health information, summaries, classifications, and other information derived from interactions, where permitted by law.
Consent, preference, and compliance information. When relevant and available, SmartMax may maintain records of privacy or communication preferences, consents, permissions, opt-ins, opt-outs, suppression requests, withdrawals, and information about when, how, or under what notice a preference or choice was communicated.
Sensitive information. SmartMax does not request sensitive personal information through general website inquiries unless it is reasonably necessary and clearly identified. ChatBeacon customers may configure conversations or workflows that collect sensitive information. Do not submit health information, financial account data, government identification numbers, authentication credentials, or other highly sensitive information unless requested through an authorized and appropriately protected channel.
Applicant information. If you apply for work with SmartMax, we may collect contact details, employment and education history, resume information, references, interview notes, and legally permitted eligibility information.
We may obtain personal information from the following sources:
We may use personal information for the following purposes, as appropriate to the relationship and subject to applicable law:
We may use aggregated or deidentified information for lawful purposes. We will not attempt to reidentify information that we maintain as deidentified except as permitted by law to test or validate our deidentification processes.
Inquiry-related communications
If you initiate or continue a chat with SmartMax, request information, submit a form, request a demonstration or quotation, or otherwise contact SmartMax, information you provide to an AI assistant or human representative may be stored in SmartMax's customer relationship management system. We may use the information to respond during the conversation and through a reasonable number of messages related to that inquiry. These communications may include answers to your questions, requested product information, scheduling, a quotation, or direct inquiry-related follow-up.
Before a visitor sends a message or submits contact information through a chat controlled by SmartMax, the chat window provides notice that SmartMax may use the information to respond to and contact the visitor about the inquiry. The notice links to this Policy. A visitor may ask us to stop inquiry-related communications at any time.
Visiting or navigating a SmartMax website, loading or opening a chat window, starting or abandoning a chat, attempting to use a feature, or otherwise interacting with a website or service may generate usage and interaction information automatically, even if you do not send a message, provide contact information, create an account, request a demonstration, purchase a service, or complete the interaction. We may use that information for the purposes described in Section 4, subject to applicable law and available privacy choices.
Visitors are responsible for providing accurate and lawful information. A general inquiry, chat, demonstration request, or unsolicited communication should not contain trade secrets, legally privileged material, regulated data, credentials, or other sensitive or confidential information unless SmartMax has requested it through an approved workflow. SmartMax may retain inquiry and communication records as reasonably necessary to respond, maintain security, prevent misuse, enforce agreements, collect amounts due, and establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.
Providing contact information for an inquiry does not by itself enroll you in recurring or unrelated promotional marketing. It does not authorize marketing text messages, automated calls, or prerecorded calls. If SmartMax offers a separate marketing subscription, SMS program, or other communication that requires additional consent, we will request that consent separately where required.
Email marketing
We may send marketing email where permitted by applicable law. Marketing messages will identify SmartMax or ChatBeacon, use accurate sender and subject information, include legally required contact information, and provide a clear method to unsubscribe. We will honor valid opt-out requests within the period required by law.
Whether a particular inquiry-related message is considered transactional, relationship-based, or commercial depends on its content and applicable law. When an opt-out mechanism or other disclosure is legally required, SmartMax will provide it. Opting out of marketing does not prevent service, security, billing, support, or other non-marketing communications that are necessary for an existing relationship or requested transaction.
You may unsubscribe through the link in a marketing email or contact SmartMax using either privacy email address listed in Section 21. We may retain limited suppression-list information so that we can honor an opt-out and avoid sending additional marketing to the opted-out address.
ChatBeacon is an enterprise communications platform. SmartMax does not independently decide why a customer collects information through its ChatBeacon experience. Customers select the deployment, features, forms, knowledge sources, integrations, retention settings, user permissions, AI configuration, and uses of customer-controlled information.
Customer-controlled information may include information submitted by the customer, its administrators, operators, employees, contractors, and other authorized users, as well as information submitted by people who communicate with the customer through a ChatBeacon chat window, AI agent, chatbot, messaging channel, application, portal, website, or other customer-controlled implementation. The customer is responsible for providing its users and chat participants with legally sufficient notices and for obtaining any permissions, consents, or other lawful basis required for its collection and use of that information.
Customer-controlled information may also include usage and interaction information generated when an authorized user or chat participant accesses, attempts to use, continues, ends, or abandons an interaction with the customer's ChatBeacon implementation. Depending on the deployment and configuration, SmartMax may process that information on the customer's behalf, while the customer determines the purposes, settings, notices, lawful basis, access, and retention applicable to its implementation.
Cloud. ChatBeacon Cloud is hosted in a Microsoft Azure environment operated by SmartMax. SmartMax hosts and operates the contracted service. The customer controls its users, configuration, lawful collection and use, and the information submitted to the service.
Dedicated Private Cloud. A Dedicated Private Cloud uses a single-customer Microsoft Azure environment. Responsibilities depend on the architecture and agreement. The customer controls its users, configuration, lawful collection and use, and the information submitted to the environment.
On-Premise. The customer operates ChatBeacon within infrastructure selected and controlled by the customer. The customer generally controls its network, database, backups, access, retention, deletion, and infrastructure security. SmartMax provides the software and contracted support.
Data location, support access, backup architecture, external connectivity, retention, and deletion vary by deployment and configuration. The applicable agreement and deployment documentation control if they conflict with a general website description.
Sensitive information. Customers should not submit or configure the collection of sensitive personal information through ChatBeacon unless that processing is permitted by the applicable agreement and supported by an appropriate deployment, configuration, and safeguards. The customer is responsible for determining the applicable legal basis, providing required notices, obtaining required permissions or consents, and entering into any required Business Associate Agreement or other data-protection agreement.
When a customer enables AI features, ChatBeacon may process conversation content, customer-approved knowledge sources, prompts, responses, summaries, classifications, and related context to provide the configured feature. The customer determines which AI features and knowledge sources are enabled and how AI-assisted conversations are used or transferred to a live agent.
Depending on the selected architecture and configuration, information may be transmitted to Microsoft Azure OpenAI, the OpenAI API, or another customer-selected or contractually approved AI service. Applicable contracts, deployment documentation, and provider terms govern those data flows. SmartMax does not use Customer Data to train generalized AI models for other customers. If a customer requests or authorizes a different arrangement, it must be addressed through the applicable written agreement and configuration.
AI output may be inaccurate or incomplete. Customers are responsible for configuring appropriate human oversight and reviewing AI-assisted output where required by their use case, industry, or law. SmartMax does not use personal information collected through its general website inquiry process to make solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects about an individual.
Our websites and hosted services may use cookies, local storage, pixels, scripts, software development kits, logs, and similar technologies. The technologies used depend on the page, service, account, location, and configuration.
Essential technologies. These support security, authentication, load balancing, network management, fraud prevention, accessibility, and core functionality. They cannot always be disabled through a preference tool.
Functional technologies. These remember settings and preferences and provide requested features.
Analytics technologies. These help us understand website and product use, diagnose errors, measure performance, and improve services.
Advertising or marketing technologies. These may measure campaigns or support advertising when used and permitted. Where consent is required, we will not set non-essential advertising or marketing technologies before obtaining that consent.
Where required by law, we provide a cookie preference mechanism for non-essential technologies. You may also use browser settings to block or delete cookies, although doing so may affect functionality. We process legally recognized browser-based opt-out preference signals, including Global Privacy Control, where required and technically applicable to the browser or device from which the signal is sent. Because Do Not Track signals do not have a uniform legal or technical standard, our response to them may vary unless applicable law requires otherwise.
A ChatBeacon widget placed on a customer's website may collect technical and interaction information configured by that customer, such as pages visited, referral source, device type, timestamps, conversation content, and form entries. The customer is responsible for providing the notices and choices required for its use of the widget.
ChatBeacon provides an AI-powered customer engagement platform that includes, but is not limited to:
We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Services at any time, with reasonable notice when possible. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may disclose personal information to the following categories of recipients for the purposes described in this Policy:
⚠️ Important: Violation of acceptable use policies may result in immediate account suspension or termination without refund.
SmartMax does not sell personal information for monetary consideration. Based on the practices described in this Policy, SmartMax does not knowingly share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising or process personal information collected for its own purposes for targeted advertising, as those terms are defined by applicable U.S. state privacy laws.
If our practices change in a way that constitutes sale, sharing, or targeted advertising under applicable law, we will update this Policy and provide the required notice, consent, or opt-out mechanism before or at the time required by law. We will also process recognized opt-out preference signals where required.
When SmartMax acts as a controller and processes sensitive personal information, SmartMax obtains consent or another legally permitted authorization where applicable law requires it. This statement does not change the responsibilities of a ChatBeacon customer that determines whether and how to collect sensitive information through its own deployment.
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including to provide services, maintain business and financial records, comply with legal and contractual obligations, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, protect security, and preserve or defend legal claims.
Retention periods depend on the type of information, the relationship, customer instructions, deployment model, configuration, contract, legal requirements, sensitivity, security needs, and whether the information is contained in backups or records that must be preserved. Customer-controlled conversation data is retained according to the applicable agreement, deployment, available settings, customer instructions, and legal requirements. On-Premise customers generally control retention and deletion in their own environments.
SmartMax may retain records of privacy notices, consents, permissions, communication preferences, opt-outs, suppression requests, and related communications for as long as reasonably necessary to honor individual choices, demonstrate compliance, resolve disputes, or establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.
When information is deleted from active systems, residual copies may remain in backups, security logs, archives, or legally protected records until overwritten or deleted through normal retention cycles, unless earlier deletion is required and technically feasible. We may retain deidentified or aggregated information that cannot reasonably be linked to an individual.
SmartMax maintains administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information within systems under its control. Safeguards may include access controls, authentication, encryption, monitoring, logging, secure development and change management, incident response, personnel controls, and vendor oversight appropriate to the applicable service and deployment.
ChatBeacon Cloud and Dedicated Private Cloud operate on Microsoft Azure infrastructure covered by Microsoft's applicable SOC 2 Type II attestations. SmartMax maintains controls for the ChatBeacon application and environment within its scope of responsibility.
ChatBeacon offers HIPAA-ready deployment options designed to support customers' HIPAA obligations when appropriately configured and used with the relevant safeguards, customer procedures, contractual terms, and, where applicable, a Business Associate Agreement.
Where required by applicable law or contract, SmartMax will provide notice of a personal data breach to the affected customer, individuals, regulators, or other appropriate parties in accordance with the applicable requirements.
No security measure can eliminate every risk. Customers and users are responsible for credentials, permissions, endpoints, networks, configurations, and data-collection practices within their control. If you believe information has been compromised, contact security@chatbeacon.ai.
SmartMax is based in the United States. Personal information may be processed in the United States and in other locations where SmartMax, its customers, or approved service providers operate, depending on the deployment, configuration, enabled services, support arrangements, and contract.
ChatBeacon is operated from the United States. If you access the Services from outside the US, your data will be transferred to and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your country.
Where applicable law requires a transfer mechanism, SmartMax and the relevant customer or service provider may use approved Standard Contractual Clauses, the United Kingdom International Data Transfer Addendum or Agreement, adequacy decisions, contractual safeguards, or another lawful mechanism. Customers should consult their agreement, Data Processing Addendum, and deployment documentation for information applicable to their environment.
Depending on your location, relationship with SmartMax, and applicable law, you may have rights to:
To submit a request concerning information SmartMax processes for its own purposes, use either privacy email address, the telephone number, or the other contact information listed in Section 21. Describe the request and provide information reasonably necessary to locate the relevant records. We may verify your identity and authority before completing a request. Authorized agents may submit requests where permitted by law, but we may require proof of authorization and direct identity verification.
We will respond within the period required by applicable law. If we deny a request, we will explain the basis when required and provide appeal instructions where applicable. We will not discriminate or retaliate against you for exercising a legally protected privacy right.
If your request concerns a conversation or other information controlled by a ChatBeacon customer, contact that organization first. When SmartMax acts as a processor or service provider, we will refer the request to the customer or assist the customer as required by law and contract.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@chatbeacon.ai. We will respond within 30 days (or sooner if required by applicable law).
This section supplements the rest of this Policy for residents of U.S. states with comprehensive privacy laws that apply to SmartMax's processing. During the preceding twelve months, SmartMax may have collected the categories described below. The exact categories depend on the interaction and service used.
16.1 California Privacy Rights
For California residents, the categories above correspond generally to identifiers; customer records; commercial information; internet or other electronic network activity; professional or employment information; audio, electronic, visual, or similar information; inferences; and, in limited circumstances, sensitive personal information. We collect these categories from the sources in Section 3, use them for the purposes in Section 4, and disclose them to the recipient categories in Section 9.
SmartMax does not sell personal information for monetary consideration and does not knowingly share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. SmartMax does not use or disclose sensitive personal information for purposes that require a right to limit under the California Consumer Privacy Act. We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of consumers under 16 years of age. SmartMax does not currently offer financial incentives in exchange for personal information.
California's Shine the Light law may permit residents to request information about certain disclosures of personal information to third parties for their own direct marketing. SmartMax does not disclose personal information to third parties for their own direct marketing as described by that law. Questions may be sent using either privacy email address listed in Section 21.
To submit a California privacy request, contact us at privacy@chatbeacon.ai or call +1-918-388-5900.
16.2 State opt-outs, appeals, and specific third parties
Where applicable, you may opt out of sale, sharing, targeted advertising, or profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects. Based on the practices described in this Policy, SmartMax does not currently engage in those activities with personal information collected for its own purposes. If that changes, we will provide the required opt-out method. We process legally recognized opt-out preference signals where required.
If applicable state law gives you a right to appeal a denial, email either privacy address listed in Section 21 with the subject line Privacy Request Appeal and explain the decision you want reviewed. We will respond within the period required by law and provide any further complaint information required by your state.
Residents of states that provide a right to request a list of specific third parties to which personal information has been disclosed may submit that request using the contact information in Section 21. The right is subject to the scope, exceptions, and verification requirements of applicable law.
Exercising Your Rights
To exercise privacy rights relating to information SmartMax processes for its own purposes, contact:
Privacy: privacy@chatbeacon.ai
Phone: +1-918-388-5900.
We may request information reasonably necessary to verify your identity or authority to make the request. We will respond within the time required by applicable law.
For information processed through ChatBeacon on behalf of one of our customers, please contact the organization whose website, application, portal, or support channel you used. More information about how privacy responsibilities are divided between ChatBeacon customers and SmartMax is available in our Service Privacy Notice in the ChatBeacon Trust Center.
For personal data subject to the European Union General Data Protection Regulation, United Kingdom data-protection law, or substantially similar Swiss requirements, SmartMax relies on one or more of the following legal bases, depending on the activity:
Contract. To provide requested services, administer accounts, process transactions, and take steps at your request before entering into a contract.
Legitimate interests. To respond to business inquiries, conduct proportionate business-to-business communications, secure and improve services, manage customer relationships, prevent misuse, and operate our business, where those interests are not overridden by your rights.
Consent. For optional cookies, certain direct marketing, or another activity where consent is requested. Consent may be withdrawn at any time.
Legal obligation. To comply with tax, accounting, regulatory, law-enforcement, and other applicable legal requirements.
Legal claims and vital interests. Where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims or protect an individual's vital interests.
When information is required to enter into or perform a contract, we will identify it as required where appropriate. If required information is not provided, we may be unable to create an account, provide a requested service, complete a transaction, or respond fully to the request.
When SmartMax processes customer-controlled personal data on behalf of a customer, the customer determines the applicable legal basis and SmartMax processes the data under the customer's documented instructions and applicable agreement. Requests concerning that data should ordinarily be directed to the customer.
Individuals may have rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection, portability, withdrawal of consent, and rights concerning certain automated decisions, subject to the requirements and exceptions of applicable law. You may also lodge a complaint with the data-protection authority where you live or work, or where you believe an infringement occurred. United Kingdom residents may contact the Information Commissioner's Office.
SmartMax is established in the United States. Whether an EU representative, UK representative, or data protection officer is legally required depends on the processing to which European or United Kingdom law applies. Where an appointment is legally required, SmartMax will make the representative's or officer's contact information available as required. The privacy contact listed in this Policy is not identified as a formally appointed data protection officer unless expressly stated.
Exercising Your Rights
To exercise privacy rights relating to information SmartMax processes for its own purposes, contact:
Privacy: privacy@chatbeacon.ai
Phone: +1-918-388-5900.
We may request information reasonably necessary to verify your identity or authority to make the request. We will respond within the time required by applicable law.
For information processed through ChatBeacon on behalf of one of our customers, please contact the organization whose website, application, portal, or support channel you used. More information about how privacy responsibilities are divided between ChatBeacon customers and SmartMax is available in our Service Privacy Notice in the ChatBeacon Trust Center.
SmartMax's websites and business services are not directed to children and are not intended for anyone under 16. SmartMax does not knowingly collect personal information directly from children through its own website for marketing or account-registration purposes. If you believe a child has provided personal information directly to SmartMax, contact SmartMax at please contact us at privacy@chatbeacon.ai or using the information in Section 21 so we can review and take appropriate action.
A ChatBeacon customer may use the platform in a context involving minors. That customer is responsible for determining whether the use is lawful and for providing any required notices, permissions, parental consent, configuration, and safeguards. SmartMax processes that customer-controlled information according to the applicable agreement and customer instructions.
Our websites and services may link to or integrate with third-party websites, services, applications, social networks, payment services, or customer-selected tools. Their privacy practices are governed by their own notices and agreements. SmartMax is not responsible for a third party's independent processing. Review the relevant third-party terms before providing information or enabling an integration.
We may update this Policy to reflect new products, services, releases, features, deployment models, processing activities, technology, business practices, contracts, applicable laws or regulations, regulatory guidance, or recognized industry standards. We will post the revised Policy and update the date above. A change becomes effective on the stated effective date unless applicable law requires a different process. If applicable law requires additional notice or consent for a material change, we will provide it before the change takes effect. Prior versions may be retained for our records.
For privacy questions or requests concerning information SmartMax processes for its own purposes, contact:
For information associated with a conversation conducted through another organization's website, application, portal, or support channel, contact that organization. It generally controls the conversation information and can evaluate your request, with assistance from SmartMax where applicable.
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