Privacy Policy

This privacy policy explains how Aaran Beattie Names collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you use our website and services.

1. Introduction

1.1 This Privacy Policy governs the collection, processing, and protection of personal data in connection with the activities of Aaran Beattie Names, a sole trader business operated under the trading name “Aaran Beattie Names” (also referred to as “ABNames”)

1.2 All references to “ABNames”, “Aaran Beattie Names”, “we”, “us”, or “our” within this Privacy Policy refer to the same sole trading individual, operating independently and without legal separation from the proprietor. This policy applies exclusively to the naming and domain-related activities of ABNames, including the acquisition, creation, listing, negotiation, sale, and transfer of domain names, as well as the delivery of bespoke naming services and all associated communications and transactions.

1.3 This Privacy Policy applies to personal information collected through the domain abnames.com and any related communications, systems, or processes necessary to facilitate the delivery of services described above. It does not cover other businesses or trading names operated by Aaran Beattie under separate websites or service models.

1.4 The purpose of this Privacy Policy is to explain the manner in which personal information is collected, used, retained, disclosed, and protected. It is intended to provide individuals with a clear understanding of their rights, the legal basis for processing their data, and the safeguards implemented to maintain confidentiality and integrity.

1.5 ABNames is committed to protecting personal privacy and complying fully with applicable data protection laws, including the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”), the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (“PECR”), as amended.

1.6 By visiting abnames.com, submitting an enquiry, engaging in a transaction, or otherwise providing personal data in connection with the services we offer, you acknowledge that your information will be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the terms outlined herein, you are advised not to engage with the services or communications channels operated under the ABNames trading name.

1.7 For the purposes of applicable data protection legislation, Aaran Beattie is the Data Controller in respect of all personal data collected, processed, and retained under this Privacy Policy.

2. Information we collect

2.1 Personal data is collected in the course of operating the ABNames business, responding to enquiries, managing domain sales and naming engagements, and maintaining the supporting infrastructure required to deliver services. The nature of the data collected depends on the specific context of the interaction.

2.2 Where you engage with ABNames to enquire about or purchase a domain, personal data may include information submitted through the domain listing enquiry form, correspondence during negotiation, the execution of a sale agreement, and the processing of payment and transfer.

2.3 Where you engage with ABNames for bespoke naming services, personal data may include information provided during the initial consultation, naming brief, written agreement, collaborative communications, and the delivery of naming recommendations and related outputs.

2.4 Personal data may also be collected through website interactions, email correspondence, or administrative processes necessary to ensure the functionality, security, and lawful operation of ABNames services.

2.5 The types of personal data collected may include, but are not limited to: (a) identity information, such as full name and business affiliation; (b) contact information, including email address and any other communication details voluntarily submitted; (c) correspondence records, including enquiry forms, email exchanges, sale agreements, and naming briefs; (d) transactional information, such as offer submissions, signed agreements, payment confirmation, and domain transfer records; and (e) technical information, including browser type, IP address, and standard server log data, where required for system integrity and fraud prevention.

2.6 Personal data is collected directly from you or your authorised representatives, either through website forms, email correspondence, or other communication channels operated under the domain abnames.com.

2.7 Supplementary information may occasionally be sourced from publicly available records – including corporate websites, WHOIS domain records, and Companies House filings – where necessary to validate identity, confirm business use, or support lawful transaction processing.

2.8 Personal data is collected only to the extent necessary for the delivery of services or fulfilment of legal obligations. ABNames applies strict data minimisation principles and does not collect excessive, irrelevant, or unnecessary information.

2.9 No services are directed to, or intended for, individuals under the age of 18. Personal data relating to individuals under 18 is not knowingly collected. If such information is inadvertently provided, reasonable steps will be taken to delete it promptly and securely.

3. How your information is used

3.1 Personal data is processed solely for legitimate, proportionate purposes directly connected to the operation of ABNames, including the delivery of domain sales, bespoke naming services, business administration, lawful record-keeping, and the protection of legal and operational interests.

3.2 Personal data is used to respond to enquiries, evaluate and process domain name offers, issue sale agreements, facilitate secure payment and domain transfer, and administer communications related to transactional activity.

3.3 Where you engage in a bespoke naming project, personal data is used to assess the naming brief, communicate project details, issue engagement agreements, deliver naming recommendations, and ensure the provision of a professional and complete service in line with agreed terms.

3.4 Personal data may be used to send service-related updates, confirm progress, request clarification, issue documentation, or otherwise communicate necessary information related to an ongoing or prospective transaction or engagement.

3.5 Personal data may also be processed to verify the identity of individuals, validate the legitimacy of enquiries, assess the stated use case for a domain, or conduct informal background checks where required to protect business integrity, prevent misuse, or comply with regulatory or legal obligations.

3.6 Personal data may be retained and reviewed for the purposes of fulfilling contractual obligations, defending or enforcing legal rights, maintaining business continuity, or responding to enquiries or claims made after the conclusion of a transaction or engagement.

3.7 No profiling, behavioural advertising, marketing segmentation, or automated decision-making is performed using your personal data. Personal data is not analysed for marketing purposes, and no analytics systems are employed to monitor user behaviour across the website or other channels.

3.8 Personal data is never sold, rented, or shared with third parties for marketing, promotional, or commercial reuse purposes. All processing is conducted on a strictly functional and lawful basis.

3.9 The lawful bases for processing personal data include: (a) the performance of a contract or preparation for entering into a contract; (b) compliance with a legal obligation; and (c) the pursuit of legitimate interests, provided such interests are not overridden by your fundamental rights and freedoms.

3.10 In cases where explicit consent is required under applicable law, it will be sought separately and in clear terms. Where processing relies on consent, that consent may be withdrawn at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

4. Communications and recordings

4.1 Communications relating to domain sales or bespoke naming services may take place via email, video call, telephone, or other digital platforms, depending on the nature of the engagement and the preferences of the parties involved. In certain circumstances, these communications may be recorded or retained in written form for operational, legal, or quality assurance purposes.

4.2 Recording may occur during live consultations or naming discussions conducted via video or audio call, provided such recording is lawful and technically feasible. These recordings are created to support accurate record-keeping, assist in the delivery of services, resolve potential misunderstandings, and maintain professional standards.

4.3 Communications conducted via email or form submission are routinely retained as part of standard business practice. These records form part of the client file and may include naming briefs, offer details, agreement drafts, and other exchanges relevant to the transaction or engagement.

4.4 By submitting an enquiry, entering into a sale or service agreement, or engaging in dialogue with ABNames in connection with its services, you acknowledge that communications may be recorded or retained as described. This Privacy Policy serves as the primary form of notification. Where practicable, additional notice may be provided at the time of recording.

4.5 If you object to the recording of a live call or session, you must notify ABNames in advance. Requests to disable recording will be considered, but there is no obligation to conduct unrecorded sessions. Where recording is deemed necessary for professional, legal, or operational reasons, services may be declined or rescheduled if agreement cannot be reached.

4.6 All recordings and communication records are treated as confidential and are stored securely, subject to appropriate technical and organisational safeguards. Access is strictly limited to Aaran Beattie and any authorised individuals operating under confidentiality obligations, solely for purposes of service delivery, internal review, or legal compliance.

4.7 Recordings and written communications are not used for marketing, external training, or public distribution. No material is shared with third parties except where required by law, regulatory request, contractual enforcement, or dispute resolution.

4.8 Recordings, where created, are retained for a minimum period of twelve (12) months from the date of the communication, unless a longer retention period is necessary to fulfil legal, regulatory, or contractual obligations. After this period, recordings are either securely deleted or irreversibly anonymised.

5. Cookies and technical tracking

5.1 The website operated under the domain abnames.com does not use cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, or similar tracking technologies for the purposes of analytics, marketing, personalisation, behavioural profiling, or user segmentation.

5.2 This position is intentional and reflects a commitment to user privacy, clarity of purpose, and the elimination of unnecessary intrusion. It is the view of ABNames that tracking cookies – even for nominal analytics – compromise user autonomy and introduce avoidable privacy risks without delivering proportionate operational value.

5.3 The only technical processes employed are those strictly necessary for the secure and lawful functioning of the website. These may include session-level processes, server-side logging for threat detection, and protective mechanisms to guard against abuse or malicious access. None of these processes are used to individually profile users or to track behaviour across sessions.

5.4 Because no non-essential cookies or tracking technologies are used, no cookie banners, consent pop-ups, or tracking notifications are required under the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (“PECR”) or the UK GDPR. All website functionality is accessible without interruption or consent prompts.

5.5 Should the future introduction of cookies or tracking technologies become necessary to support legitimate technical, legal, or functional requirements, this Privacy Policy will be revised in advance of any such deployment. Any changes will be implemented in full compliance with applicable law and will include appropriate consent mechanisms where required.

6. Disclosure to third parties

6.1 Personal data is treated as confidential and is not disclosed to third parties except where strictly necessary to deliver services, comply with legal obligations, or protect legitimate business interests in accordance with applicable data protection law.

6.2 Personal data may be shared with trusted service providers who support the technical and administrative operation of ABNames. These may include website hosting services, domain registrars, cloud storage providers, secure email platforms, electronic signature tools, and third-party payment services. All such providers are contractually obligated to process data solely on behalf of ABNames, in accordance with appropriate confidentiality, integrity, and security standards.

6.3 Personal data may be disclosed where required by law, court order, statutory obligation, or lawful request from public authorities. Disclosure may also occur where necessary to enforce contractual rights, investigate suspected wrongdoing, or defend the business in legal proceedings.

6.4 In the event of a business restructure, asset transfer, or future incorporation, personal data may be transferred as part of the affected assets, provided that the recipient agrees to uphold protections consistent with this Privacy Policy or an equivalent standard. No such transfer will occur without a lawful basis.

6.5 ABNames does not sell, rent, license, or otherwise share personal data with third parties for marketing or promotional purposes. No advertising partners, analytics platforms, or third-party data processors are engaged for behavioural tracking or audience targeting.

6.6 Public disclosure will never occur without explicit consent. In limited cases, anonymised case studies, engagement summaries, or naming examples may be published for illustrative purposes. Where any identifiable information is included, prior written consent will be obtained.

6.7 All disclosures of personal data, whether internal or external, are governed by strict necessity and proportionality. No information is shared without a lawful basis and a clearly defined operational or legal justification.

7. Data security measures

7.1 ABNames implements appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, loss, or destruction. These measures are proportionate to the nature, volume, and sensitivity of the data processed, and are regularly reviewed to ensure ongoing effectiveness

7.2 Security safeguards include, but are not limited to: (a) the use of encrypted, access-restricted storage systems for personal data; (b) secure email communication protocols and encrypted document sharing where appropriate; (c) role-based access controls, limited strictly to the business owner and any authorised individuals acting under binding confidentiality obligations; (d) routine logging, monitoring, and review of relevant systems to detect and mitigate potential threats or vulnerabilities; and (e) the use of reputable service providers that adhere to recognised standards of information security.

7.3 All personal data is retained only within trusted hosting environments that meet acceptable standards of security and data protection. Where third-party service providers are used, they are contractually bound to uphold data protection principles and to act only on instructions provided by ABNames.

7.4 Physical infrastructure is not used in the operation of the business. All business data is stored digitally using secure cloud-based platforms. No paper records are maintained.

7.5 While all reasonable measures are taken to protect personal data, no digital or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be fully secure. Accordingly, engagement with ABNames services and the submission of personal data is undertaken at your own risk. In the unlikely event of a data breach affecting your personal information, prompt notification will be provided where legally required, along with details of any corrective actions taken.

7.6 Users are encouraged to observe strong security practices when engaging with ABNames, including the use of secure email addresses, updated software, and appropriate discretion when sharing documents or personal information.

8. Cross-border data transfers

8.1 Personal data is ordinarily processed and stored within the United Kingdom. However, certain trusted service providers supporting infrastructure, communications, file storage, or domain-related transactions may operate servers or systems located in other jurisdictions, including countries outside the United Kingdom.

8.2 Where personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, such transfers are conducted in full compliance with applicable data protection law. Appropriate safeguards are implemented to ensure that the level of protection afforded to the data remains consistent with that required under the UK GDPR.

8.3 These safeguards may include: (a) transfers to jurisdictions recognised by the United Kingdom as providing an adequate level of data protection; (b) the use of Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or other legally approved mechanisms to contractually ensure equivalent protection; or (c) reliance on providers who operate under established international data protection frameworks and who have adopted binding corporate rules or other enforceable commitments.

8.4 Personal data is not transferred internationally without a lawful basis and a clearly defined operational purpose. All cross-border transfers are evaluated to ensure they are limited to what is necessary and proportionate for the delivery of services.

8.5 If you have specific questions about the international handling of your personal data or wish to receive further information on the safeguards applied, you may contact ABNames using the details set out in Section 12 of this Privacy Policy.

9. Retention of personal information

9.1 Personal data is retained only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including the completion of domain transactions or naming engagements, the maintenance of business records, the resolution of disputes, and the satisfaction of legal, regulatory, or contractual obligations.

9.2 Retention periods are determined with reference to the type of data, the nature of the engagement, the applicable legal requirements, and the operational needs of ABNames. Where no statutory retention period applies, data is retained only for as long as it is reasonably required for legitimate business purposes.

9.3 Standard retention periods are as follows: (a) client communications, domain offer records, signed agreements, and transaction-related correspondence are retained for a minimum of six (6) years from the date of the final material interaction; (b) naming project documentation, including briefs, deliverables, and consultation records, is retained for a minimum of three (3) years unless otherwise agreed; and (c) call or session recordings, where applicable, are retained for a minimum of twelve (12) months, unless extended retention is required for legal, operational, or compliance reasons.

9.4 Once the relevant retention period has expired, personal data is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise rendered permanently inaccessible, unless a lawful basis exists for further retention. Deletion processes are applied in a structured and irreversible manner using appropriate technical safeguards.

9.5 Anonymised data that no longer qualifies as personal data under applicable law may be retained indefinitely for the purposes of business analysis, service improvement, or trend identification. This data contains no identifiers and cannot be linked to an individual.

9.6 In exceptional cases, personal data may be retained beyond the standard periods where required to comply with legal obligations, respond to ongoing disputes, or preserve rights under active agreements. In such cases, retention will be limited to what is necessary and justified by documented legal or operational grounds.

10. Your rights

10.1 As an individual whose personal data is processed by ABNames, you have specific rights under the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”) and associated data protection legislation. These rights are subject to certain limitations and conditions and are summarised below for clarity.

10.2 Your rights include: (a) the right to access the personal data held about you, including confirmation of whether your data is being processed and, where applicable, a copy of the data itself; (b) the right to request the rectification of inaccurate or incomplete personal data without undue delay; (c) the right to request the erasure of your personal data, also known as the “right to be forgotten”, where there is no overriding legal basis for its continued retention; (d) the right to request the restriction of processing in certain circumstances, such as where the accuracy of the data is contested or the processing is unlawful; (e) the right to object to the processing of your personal data where processing is based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes; (f) the right to data portability, allowing you to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and to transmit that data to another controller where technically feasible; (g) the right to withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out prior to withdrawal; and (h) the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority, which in the United Kingdom is the Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”).

10.3 If you wish to exercise any of the rights listed above, you should submit your request in writing using the contact details provided in Section 12 of this Privacy Policy. Reasonable efforts will be made to respond to all legitimate requests within one month of receipt. Where requests are complex or numerous, this period may be extended by a further two months, and you will be informed accordingly.

10.4 To protect your personal data, ABNames may request additional information to verify your identity before acting on your request. This may include the provision of supporting documentation or confirmation of specific details relevant to your interaction with the business.

10.5 No fee will be charged for exercising your rights unless the request is manifestly unfounded, repetitive, or excessive. In such cases, a reasonable administrative fee may be charged, or the request may be lawfully refused.

10.6 Certain rights may be restricted where the processing of personal data is required by law, necessary for the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims, or otherwise permitted under applicable data protection legislation.

11. Policy updates

11.1 This Privacy Policy is subject to periodic review and may be updated at any time to reflect changes in legal obligations, operational practices, service offerings, or the broader regulatory environment.

11.2 Where material changes are made to the content of this Privacy Policy, an updated version will be published at abnames.com with the revised date clearly indicated at the top of the document. Where appropriate, supplementary notice may also be provided by email or within relevant service communications.

11.3 You are encouraged to review this Privacy Policy periodically to remain informed about how your personal data is processed and protected. Continued use of ABNames services following the publication of an updated policy will be interpreted as acceptance of the revised terms, unless otherwise stated.

12. How to contact us

12.1 If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your data protection rights, or require further information about how your personal data is handled, you may contact ABNames using the details below.

12.2 All privacy-related enquiries should be submitted in writing to:

Aaran Beattie
Trading as Aaran Beattie Names
Email: [email protected]

12.3 All reasonable efforts will be made to respond to genuine data protection enquiries within one month of receipt. If you are not satisfied with the response received, you have the right to raise the matter with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection matters.

Last updated: 4 August 2025