Privacy Policy

Last updated: Feb 14, 2024.
Last reviewed: Feb 14, 2024.

Introduction

Methodical (also referred to as ‘us’, ‘we’, and ‘our’ in this document) respects your personal data and your privacy. We’re not just saying that. We actually do, as this privacy policy will make clear.

It explains the data we collect, store, transfer, or process in any way — not just online, but also when working with us, or through conversations with us by email or by phone.

We process personal data in a way that is fair, lawful, and transparent. We do this in line with the principles and requirements of data protection regulations and laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) EC 2016/679 and California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA).

We want to make sure it’s clear how we process data and what this means for you. If you have any questions, please get in touch at [email protected] and we’ll go through it together.

What is personal data?

Personal data is information about an individual that would make it possible to identify that person.

Personal data does not include:

Publicly available information from government records.
De-identified or aggregated consumer information.
Information excluded from the CCPA’s scope, such as:
- health or medical information covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA) or clinical trial data;
- personal information covered by certain sector-specific privacy laws, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FRCA), the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) or California Financial Information Privacy Act (FIPA), and the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act of 1994.

Who we are

Methodical is a design agency based in California, founded by Matt Watkinson and Ben Smith. (We are a joint venture of Matt Watkinson & Friends LLC in California, and Beanz Limited Partnership in New Zealand, trading together as Methodical.)

Matt Watkinson & Friends LLC acts as agent, and our address is:

c/o Methodical
5716 Corsa Ave, Suite 110
Westlake Village, CA 91362
United States

You can contact us by post at that address, by email at [email protected], or by telephone on (+1) 415-429-3000.

Any inquiries about our collection and use of your personal data should be addressed to those same contact details.

Let’s get into the details.

Cookies

Let’s start with the main thing. We don’t use any cookies or trackers on our website. We can’t see what you do on our website, where you arrived from, or where you go when you leave. We’re not interested in tracking or cyber-stalking you. We don’t run digital performance marketing campaigns or even use web analytics — we don’t need to because that’s not part of our business model. Our website provides information, and a way for people to contact us. All our work comes from book readers, speaking engagements and referrals.

The rest of this document covers data collection elsewhere, and describes the full gamut of interactions we may have with you.

How and why we collect personal data

We collect as little personal data as we can.

Any data we do collect is so that we can stay in touch while we work together, and to let you know of any changes, billing inquiries, or other events that relate directly to the services we are providing to you. We collect your personal data only when we need it to work with you.

We don’t send newsletters or promotional communications, but if you do contact us with inquiries, complaints and feedback we will process your data in order to communicate with you.

All of the data we collect is processed in accordance with data protection regulations, meaning we have an appropriate legal basis for processing it.

What types of data do we collect?

This table shows the data we collect as a business, none of which is slurped up through our website.

Category	Examples	Collected
A. Identifiers.	A real name, postal and email address, unique personal identifier, online identifier, IP address for identification, Social Security Number, driver’s license number, passport number, or other similar identifiers.	YES
B. Personal information categories listed in the California Customer Records statute (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.80(e)).	A name, signature, Social Security Number, address, telephone number. For identification we may collect passport number, driver’s license or state identification card number.	YES
C. Protected classification characteristics under California or federal law.	Age (40 years or older), race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, religion or creed, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, sex (including gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy or childbirth and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, veteran or military status, genetic information (including familial genetic information).	NOT COLLECTED
D. Commercial information.	Records of personal property, products or services purchased, obtained, or considered, or other purchasing or consuming histories or tendencies.	NOT COLLECTED
E. Biometric information.	Genetic, physiological, behavioral, and biological characteristics, or activity patterns used to extract a template or other identifier or identifying information, such as, fingerprints, faceprints, and voiceprints, iris or retina scans, keystroke, gait, or other physical patterns, and sleep, health, or exercise data.	NOT COLLECTED
F. Internet or other similar network activity.	Browsing history, search history, information on a consumer’s interaction with a website, application, or advertisement.	NOT COLLECTED
G. Geolocation data.	Physical location or movements.	NOT COLLECTED
H. Sensory data.	Audio, electronic, visual, thermal, olfactory, or similar information.	NOT COLLECTED
I. Professional or employment-related information.	Current or past job history or performance evaluations.	NOT COLLECTED
J. Non-public education information (per the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g, 34 C.F.R. Part 99)).	Education records directly related to a student maintained by an educational institution or party acting on its behalf, such as grades, transcripts, class lists, student schedules, student identification codes, student financial information, or student disciplinary records.	NOT COLLECTED
K. Inferences drawn from other personal information.	Profile reflecting a person’s preferences, characteristics, psychological trends, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, intelligence, abilities, and aptitudes.	NOT COLLECTED

How long we keep your data

We keep your data for no longer than is necessary for the purpose(s) it was initially collected, and to meet any legal responsibilities or obligations.

We do not share your data with 3rd parties (also known as ‘processors’) and we do not transfer your data to any international organizations or countries without adequate data protection provisions.

Everyone at Methodical is trained to treat your data in accordance with this privacy policy. Only people who require access to your data are permitted access, and we use appropriate technologies, including, but not limited to, password management software, to assist in the prevention of data leaks or data breaches.

How we store your data

The data we collect from you is stored within the U.S. using secure servers at Google that may be located outside of the country where you live.

Regardless of where your information is stored, we apply the same protections described in this policy.

We use a paid-for Google Workspace account because the collaboration tools are invaluable, and because a paid account means we — Methodical and our customers — own our data. Google Workspace has received a satisfactory SSAE 16 and ISAE 3402 Type II audit, ISO 27018 Cloud Privacy Standard, and ISO 27001 certification. This means that an independent auditor has examined the controls protecting the data in Google Workspace (including logical security, privacy, Data Center security, etc.) and provided reasonable assurance that these controls are in place and operating effectively. There is no advertising in Google Workspace, Google does not sell our data to third parties, and Google never collects or uses data from Google Workspace services for any advertising purposes.

Your data — and our own — is therefore stored and protected by business-level Google Workspace policies and security measures.

We take your privacy rights and the protection of your personal data very seriously and use all reasonable efforts to ensure appropriate security measures to keep it safe. The security of information being transmitted via the internet cannot be guaranteed, however, and though we follow strict procedures to protect your data and prevent unauthorized access, you submit all data at your own risk.

Your rights

Under certain circumstances you have the right to:

request access to a copy of the personal data we store or process for you
request the personal data we store or process for you to be corrected
request that we erase your data
request to transfer your personal data to another entity
object to the processing of your personal data

Before exercising your rights, Methodical may request more information in order to prove your identity. If we cannot verify your identity, we have the right to deny your rights request.

We may also have the right to deny your rights request for the purpose of fulfilling other legal obligations and responsibilities.

Complaints

If you have a complaint about our use of your information, we would prefer you to contact us directly so that we can address it with you.

However you can also contact the Federal Trade Commission via their website www.ftc.gov, or write to them at:

Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
United States

How quickly we respond

We aim to respond to a verifiable consumer request within 30 days of its receipt. If we need more time (up to 90 days), we will let you know in writing. We will explain the reason and how much longer we need, and deliver the written response by mail or electronically.

If applicable, our response will explain any reasons we cannot comply with a request.

For data portability requests, we will choose a format for your personal information that is readily usable and should allow you to transmit information from one entity to another without hindrance.

We do not charge a fee to process or respond to your verifiable consumer request unless it is excessive, repetitive, or manifestly unfounded. If we think that a request warrants a fee, we will tell you why, and provide you with a cost estimate before completing your request.

Non-discrimination

We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights. Unless permitted by the CCPA, we will not:

Deny you goods or services
Charge you different prices or rates for goods or services, including through granting discounts or other benefits, or imposing penalties
Provide you a different level or quality of goods or services
Suggest that you may receive a different price or rate for goods or services or a different level or quality of goods or services

Changes to our Policy

We reserve the right to amend our policies at any time. You will be notified by email of the changes to our privacy policy or terms and conditions. They will also be reflected on this page.

Contact details

If you have any questions about the use, storage and collection of your personal information, please get in touch at [email protected] and we’ll go through it together.