Privacy Policy

Contact form. When you submit our contact form, we collect: first name, last name, business name, email address, phone number, website URL, industry, estimated annual revenue range, estimated project budget range, number of employees, project timeline, areas of interest (such as automation, portals, accessibility, or AI tools), and your written description of your business challenge.

Chatbot conversations. Our Site features an AI-powered assistant. When you use the assistant, we collect and store the full text of your messages and the assistant's responses. You are communicating with an artificial intelligence system, not a human. By using the chat feature, you consent to your messages being transmitted to and processed by our AI service provider (see Section 4) and stored as described in this policy.

Feedback. If you rate a chatbot response (thumbs up or thumbs down), we store that rating and any optional comment you provide.

Visitor profile. Our chatbot uses AI to automatically extract structured information from your conversation, including: business name, industry, company size, project timeline, budget range, pain points, tools you mention, your role, and contact information you share. This extracted profile is used to provide more relevant responses and, if you choose to submit the contact form, to pre-populate fields for your convenience. You can review and edit any pre-filled information before submitting.

Conversation summary. We use AI to generate a brief summary of your chatbot conversation. If you navigate to the contact form, this summary may be included so our team has context about your inquiry. You can review, edit, or remove the summary before submitting the form.

This automated processing does not produce decisions with legal or similarly significant effects on you. It is used solely to improve the relevance of our responses and streamline the intake process.

Analytics events. We log basic page-level events (page views, button clicks, form submissions, chat opens) along with the page URL and timestamp. These events are stored in our own first-party database and are not transmitted to third-party analytics or advertising services.

Chat behavior events. We track events related to chatbot interactions, including when a conversation starts, when messages are sent and received, feedback actions, in-chat navigation clicks, and whether proactive chat prompts were shown, dismissed, or accepted.

UTM parameters. If you arrive at our Site through a marketing link, we capture the UTM parameters (source, medium, campaign) from the URL and associate them with any contact form submission you make during that visit.

Cookies and local storage. We use a small number of functional cookies and browser storage items as described in Section 2.

We do not collect biometric identifiers (fingerprints, facial geometry, voiceprints, retina scans). Our chatbot is text-only and does not process voice, video, or image input from users.

We do not use third-party advertising cookies, cross-site tracking pixels, or behavioral advertising technologies. We do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

We use a small number of cookies and browser storage items, all strictly functional. None are used for advertising, cross-site tracking, or profiling.

Because our cookies are strictly necessary for the functionality of the Site and we do not use any third-party tracking or advertising cookies, we do not display a cookie consent banner. You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings at any time, though this may affect the functionality of the chat feature.

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To respond to your inquiries and provide relevant assistance through the chatbot and contact form
• To pre-fill the contact form with information you have already shared in chat, saving you time
• To provide our team with context when you submit a contact form so we can prepare for your consultation
• To improve the quality, accuracy, and relevance of chatbot responses over time
• To understand how visitors use our Site so we can improve the experience
• To detect and prevent spam and fraudulent form submissions
• To comply with legal obligations

We collect and process only the information reasonably necessary to provide the services described above. We do not use your information for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you. We do not use your information for targeted advertising, behavioral profiling, or sale to third parties.

AI disclosure. The chatbot on our Site is powered by artificial intelligence. It is not a human. The chatbot is designed to answer questions about Merkra's services and help you determine whether we may be a good fit for your needs. It does not provide legal, financial, medical, or other professional advice.

How it works. When you send a message in the chatbot, your message and recent conversation history are transmitted to Anthropic PBC (“Anthropic”), which operates the Claude AI model, to generate a response. Anthropic processes this data as our service provider (data processor) under a commercial API agreement, solely to provide the AI response back to us. We also use the Claude API to generate conversation summaries and extract the visitor profile information described in Section 1.2.

Anthropic's data practices. Under Anthropic's commercial API terms, Anthropic does not use data submitted through the API to train its models. Anthropic acts as a data processor on our behalf, not as an independent controller of your data. For more information, see Anthropic's Privacy Policy.

Consent. By using the chatbot, you acknowledge that your messages will be transmitted to and processed by Anthropic as described above. If you prefer not to have your messages processed in this way, you may contact us directly by email or phone instead of using the chatbot.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not sell, rent, lease, or trade personal information to third parties for monetary or other valuable consideration. We do not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising or targeted advertising purposes.

We disclose personal information only in the following limited circumstances:

• AI service provider. Chat messages and conversation history are transmitted to Anthropic for AI processing as described in Section 4. Anthropic acts as our service provider and processes data solely on our behalf and at our direction.
• Legal requirements. We may disclose information if required to do so by law, regulation, subpoena, court order, or other enforceable governmental or legal request.
• Protection of rights. We may disclose information where we believe it is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Merkra, our users, or the public.
• Business transfer. If Merkra is involved in a merger, acquisition, reorganization, bankruptcy, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you before your information becomes subject to a materially different privacy policy.

We do not disclose personal information to any other third parties for their own independent use.

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy:

We may retain information for longer periods where required by law (for example, to comply with tax, legal, or regulatory obligations) or to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

Our Site is designed for business-to-business communications. We do not intentionally collect sensitive personal information, which may include (depending on applicable law): racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, mental or physical health information, sexual orientation, citizenship or immigration status, genetic or biometric data, precise geolocation, or financial account credentials.

Please do not share sensitive personal information in the chatbot or contact form. If you inadvertently disclose sensitive information during a chat conversation, you may request its deletion at any time by contacting us as described in Section 8.

If we become aware that sensitive personal information has been collected, we will either delete it promptly or, where required by applicable law, obtain your affirmative consent before any further processing.

Depending on where you reside, you may have some or all of the following rights under applicable state privacy laws. We extend these rights to all users of our Site regardless of state of residence.

Rights Available to All Users

• Right to know / access. You may request confirmation of whether we process your personal information and obtain a copy of the specific personal information we have collected about you.
• Right to delete. You may request deletion of personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain legal exceptions (for example, where retention is required by law or necessary to complete a transaction you initiated).
• Right to correct. You may request that we correct inaccurate personal information we maintain about you.
• Right to data portability. Where technically feasible, you may request your personal information in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
• Right to opt out of sale or sharing. We do not sell personal information or share it for targeted advertising. If this changes in the future, we will provide a clear opt-out mechanism and update this policy accordingly.
• Right to opt out of automated profiling. The visitor profile extraction described in Section 1.2 is used solely to improve your experience and pre-fill forms for your convenience. It does not produce decisions with legal or similarly significant effects. If you wish to opt out of this processing, you may decline to use the chatbot and contact us directly instead.
• Right to opt out of chat data collection. You are not required to use the chatbot. You may close it at any time, contact us by email or phone instead, or request deletion of your conversation data after the fact.
• Right to clear local data. You can clear your chat history from your browser at any time by using the refresh button in the chat widget, clearing your browser's localStorage, or clearing your cookies.

How to Exercise Your Rights

To submit a privacy request, contact us at [email protected] or call (219) 766-7745. Please include enough information for us to verify your identity and locate your data (for example, the email address or phone number you used on our Site).

We will acknowledge your request within 10 business days and respond substantively within 45 days. If we need additional time (up to an additional 45 days), we will notify you of the extension and the reason.

Authorized Agents

You may designate an authorized agent to submit a privacy request on your behalf. We may require the authorized agent to provide written proof of authorization (such as a signed letter or power of attorney) and may verify your identity directly before fulfilling the request.

Non-Discrimination

We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your privacy rights. We will not deny you services, charge you different prices, provide a different quality of service, or retaliate in any way because you exercised a right described in this section.

Universal Opt-Out Signals

We respect browser-based universal opt-out preference signals such as the Global Privacy Control (GPC). Because we do not sell personal information or share it for targeted advertising, a GPC signal will not change your experience on our Site. If we add any sale or sharing activities in the future, we will honor GPC signals as an opt-out of those activities as required by applicable law.

California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

In the preceding 12 months, we have collected the following categories of personal information: identifiers (name, email, phone number); commercial information (business name, industry, budget range, project needs); internet or electronic network activity (page views, chat interactions, analytics events); and inferences drawn from the above (visitor profile, conversation summary). We collect this information from the sources and for the purposes described in Sections 1 and 3. We have not sold or shared (as defined by the CCPA) personal information in the preceding 12 months. We disclose personal information to our AI service provider as described in Section 4. You have the rights described in Section 8, including the right to submit requests through an authorized agent.

California Bot Disclosure (SB 1001): The chatbot on this Site is an automated AI system. It is not a human. This disclosure is provided in compliance with California Business and Professions Code Sections 17940–17943.

Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and Other State Residents

Residents of Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Montana, Iowa, Delaware, Indiana, Tennessee, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nebraska, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, and Rhode Island have similar rights to access, delete, correct, and port their personal data, and to opt out of the sale of personal data, targeted advertising, and certain profiling activities. These rights are described in Section 8 and are available to all users of our Site. If you are a resident of one of these states and believe your rights have not been adequately addressed, you may appeal our decision by contacting us at [email protected] with the subject line “Privacy Rights Appeal.” We will respond to appeals within 60 days.

Maryland Residents (MODPA)

In compliance with the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act, we collect and process personal data only as reasonably necessary and proportionate to provide the services described on this Site. We do not collect personal data beyond what is needed for the specific purposes disclosed in Section 3. We do not engage in targeted advertising directed at residents of Maryland.

Wiretapping and Electronic Communications

Certain states, including California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Washington, require all-party consent for the interception or recording of communications. Our chatbot stores your conversation and transmits your messages to our AI service provider (Anthropic) for processing. By using the chatbot, you consent to this transmission and storage. If you do not consent, please do not use the chatbot. You may contact us directly by email at [email protected] or by phone at (219) 766-7745 instead.

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information, including:

• Encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) for all data in transit
• httpOnly and secure flags on cookies to prevent client-side script access
• Server-side input validation and sanitization
• Spam detection mechanisms (honeypot fields) on form submissions
• Access controls limiting who within our organization can view personal data

No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information using commercially reasonable means, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Our Site is designed for business professionals and is not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If we learn that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 16, we will delete that information promptly.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided personal information to us through this Site, please contact us at [email protected] and we will take steps to delete that information.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. When we make changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page.

If we make material changes to how we collect, use, or share your personal information, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you (for example, by posting a prominent notice on our Site or, where feasible, by contacting you directly). We encourage you to review this page periodically.