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Terms of Service

Effective date: 25 February 2026

1. Agreement to Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the DataShield HQ platform, website and related services (collectively, the "Service") operated by DataShield HQ ("we", "us", "our"). By creating an account or using the Service you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

If you are using the Service on behalf of an organisation, you represent that you have the authority to bind that organisation to these Terms.

2. Description of Service

DataShield HQ provides a cloud-based GDPR compliance management platform that helps organisations track data subjects, manage subject access requests (DSARs), maintain Records of Processing Activities (ROPA), conduct Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), manage vendor relationships, log data breaches and generate compliance reports.

The Service is a compliance tool. It does not constitute legal advice. You remain responsible for your organisation's compliance with all applicable data protection laws.

3. Accounts & Registration

  • You must provide accurate and complete registration information and keep it up to date.
  • You are responsible for safeguarding your account credentials and for all activity under your account.
  • Two-factor authentication (2FA) is mandatory for all accounts. You must not disable or circumvent 2FA.
  • You must notify us immediately at support@datashieldhq.com if you suspect any unauthorised access.
  • Accounts are for use by the registered organisation only. You may not resell, share or transfer your account to a third party without our written consent.

4. Subscription Plans, Billing & Payment

4.1 Plans

The Service is offered in multiple subscription tiers (Free Trial, Starter, Professional, Business and Enterprise). Features and usage limits for each tier are described on our Pricing page and may be updated from time to time.

4.2 Free Trial

New accounts receive a 14-day free trial with access to all compliance modules. No credit card is required. At the end of the trial you must select a paid plan to continue using the Service. If no plan is selected, your account will be suspended (your data will be retained for 30 days).

4.3 Billing

Paid subscriptions are billed either monthly or annually in advance in US Dollars (USD). Annual plans offer a discounted rate as displayed on the Pricing page. All fees are exclusive of applicable taxes (VAT, GST, sales tax), which will be added where required by law.

4.4 Payment

Payments are processed securely through Stripe. By providing a payment method you authorise us to charge the applicable subscription fee on each billing cycle. If a payment fails, we will notify you and may suspend access until the balance is settled.

4.5 Refunds

Monthly plans: No refunds for partial months. You may cancel at any time and your access will continue until the end of the current billing period.

Annual plans: If you cancel within the first 14 days of an annual billing period, you may request a full refund. After 14 days, no refunds are provided, and your access continues until the end of the annual period.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

  • Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable law.
  • Upload malicious code, viruses or any material intended to disrupt the Service.
  • Attempt to gain unauthorised access to other accounts, systems or networks.
  • Reverse-engineer, decompile or disassemble any part of the Service.
  • Use the Service to store or process data that falls under special categories (Article 9 GDPR) unless your subscription tier and configuration explicitly support it.
  • Exceed the usage limits of your subscription tier by automated or fraudulent means.
  • Scrape, harvest or extract data from the Service other than through our published API.

6. Data Ownership & Intellectual Property

6.1 Your Data

You retain all rights to the data you upload to the Service ("Customer Data"). We do not claim ownership of Customer Data. We process it solely to provide and improve the Service in accordance with our Data Processing Agreement and Privacy Policy.

6.2 Our Service

All rights, title and interest in the Service, including software, design, logos, documentation and trademarks, remain the exclusive property of DataShield HQ. These Terms do not grant you any licence to use our branding except as needed to use the Service.

7. Service Availability & SLA

We aim to maintain high availability of the Service. Enterprise-tier subscribers receive a 99.9% uptime Service Level Agreement (SLA). For all other tiers, we will use commercially reasonable efforts to keep the Service available but do not guarantee specific uptime percentages.

We may perform scheduled maintenance with reasonable advance notice. Emergency maintenance may occur without prior notice when necessary to protect the integrity or security of the Service.

8. API Usage

Access to the DataShield HQ API is subject to the API key limits of your subscription tier. You must keep API keys confidential and must not embed them in client-side code. We reserve the right to throttle or suspend API access if usage is abusive, excessive or threatens service stability.

9. Cancellation & Termination

9.1 By You

You may cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. You may export your data in CSV format before cancellation.

9.2 By Us

We may suspend or terminate your account if you breach these Terms, fail to pay outstanding fees, or engage in activity that threatens the security or integrity of the Service. Where reasonably possible, we will provide 14 days' notice before termination.

9.3 Effect of Termination

Upon termination, your access to the Service will cease. We will retain your data for 30 days following termination to allow retrieval, after which it will be permanently deleted unless retention is required by law.

10. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law:

  • The Service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We make no warranties, express or implied, regarding merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement.
  • We shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or loss of profits, data or business opportunities, however caused.
  • Our total aggregate liability arising out of or in connection with these Terms shall not exceed the fees you have paid to us in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for fraud, death or personal injury caused by negligence, or any liability that cannot be excluded by law.

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold DataShield HQ harmless from any claims, losses or damages (including legal fees) arising from your breach of these Terms, your misuse of the Service, or your violation of any applicable law.

12. Changes to Terms

We may modify these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by email or through an in-app notification at least 30 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

13. Governing Law & Disputes

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes arising out of or in connection with these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

If you are a consumer in the European Union, nothing in these Terms affects your rights under mandatory consumer protection legislation in your country of residence.

14. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

15. Contact

For questions about these Terms, please contact us:

DataShield HQ
Email: legal@datashieldhq.com
Support: datashieldhq.freshdesk.com