Privacy Policy
Akar Counsel Sdn. Bhd. ("Akar Counsel", "we", "us") is committed to protecting the personal data of individuals who engage with our services or visit our website. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect personal information, in accordance with Malaysia's Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA 2010).
1. Data We Collect
When you contact us through our website or engage our services, we may collect the following personal data:
- Full name and contact details (email address, phone number)
- Organisation name and your role within it
- Correspondence and enquiry content submitted through contact forms
- Information shared during the course of an advisory engagement
- Website usage data collected via cookies and analytics tools
2. How We Collect Data
We collect personal data through the following means:
- Contact and enquiry forms submitted via our website
- Direct email and telephone communication
- Information provided during advisory engagement meetings and conversations
- Cookies and similar technologies used on our website (see Section 5)
Legal basis: We process personal data on the basis of your consent (where given), the performance of a contract or pre-contractual steps, and our legitimate interest in providing professional advisory services.
Retention: Engagement-related data is retained for a period of seven years following the close of an engagement, in line with standard professional practice. Website enquiry data not resulting in an engagement is retained for up to twelve months.
3. How We Use Your Data
- To respond to enquiries and provide advisory services
- To conduct and document advisory engagements
- To communicate regarding ongoing or prospective engagements
- To improve our website and services using aggregated analytics data
- To comply with applicable Malaysian legal and regulatory obligations
We do not use client data for marketing purposes without your explicit consent. We do not sell personal data to third parties under any circumstances.
4. Data Protection
We take reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include:
- Encrypted storage and transmission of digital data
- Access controls limiting data access to practitioners directly involved in an engagement
- Confidentiality agreements with all staff and contractors
- Secure disposal of physical documents and digital records at end of retention period
In the event of a data breach that may affect your rights, we will notify affected individuals and the relevant authority as required under PDPA 2010.
5. Cookies
Our website uses cookies to understand how the site is used and to improve the visitor experience. Cookies do not identify you personally. You may manage your cookie preferences at any time. For full details, please refer to our Cookie Policy.
6. Third-Party Services
We may use third-party service providers for website analytics and operational purposes. These providers process data only as instructed by us and are subject to their own data protection obligations. We do not share personal client data with third parties except where required by law.
Where our website contains links to external sites, we are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites.
7. Your Rights Under PDPA 2010
As a data subject under Malaysia's Personal Data Protection Act 2010, you have the right to:
- Access personal data we hold about you
- Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data
- Withdraw consent to the processing of your personal data (where consent is the basis)
- Request information about how your data is being used
- Lodge a complaint with the Personal Data Protection Department of Malaysia
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law.
8. Children's Privacy
Our services are directed at businesses and individuals aged 18 and above. We do not knowingly collect personal data from persons under 18 years of age.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. The date at the top of this document indicates when it was last revised. Continued use of our website following a policy update constitutes your acknowledgment of the revised terms.
10. Contact
For any questions or concerns relating to this Privacy Policy or our data handling practices: