Effective 11 September 2026
Privacy notice
This notice explains how Word & Method Editing uses and protects the information supplied by prospective and current clients, including unpublished manuscripts.
Who is responsible for your information
Word & Method Editing is operated by Optomatic Digital Services in the Netherlands, registered with the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce under KVK number 90648013 (establishment number 000056364342), VAT ID NL004828773B26. Optomatic Digital Services is the controller of personal data used to provide the service. Privacy enquiries and requests can be sent to info@wordandmethod.com.
Information we collect
We collect the information you provide in an enquiry or during an assignment, including your name, email address, organisation, service requirements, manuscript details, correspondence, and billing information. We also process manuscripts and reference files that you choose to upload, finished files produced for you, assignment history, and limited technical or security information needed to operate and protect the service.
Why we use it
We use this information to respond to enquiries, assess manuscripts, prepare quotations, perform and deliver editing services, take payment, maintain business records, prevent misuse, and comply with legal obligations. The legal bases are steps requested before entering a contract, performance of a contract, compliance with legal obligations, and our legitimate interests in operating a secure and accountable editing service.
Manuscript confidentiality and artificial intelligence
Unpublished manuscripts are treated as confidential assignment material. They are accessible only where needed to operate or deliver the service. We do not use client manuscripts to train artificial-intelligence systems and do not place unpublished work into generative-AI editing systems.
Service providers and international processing
We use specialist providers for website hosting and storage, email, business administration, and payment processing. These currently include OpenAI Sites and its cloud infrastructure, Google Workspace, and the payment provider identified on your quotation or invoice. Providers act under their own terms and data-protection obligations. Where information is processed outside the European Economic Area, we rely on the safeguards required by applicable data-protection law.
How long we keep information
- Private manuscript download links expire after 30 days.
- Manuscripts, reference files, and edited deliverables are normally deleted within 90 days after delivery or cancellation, unless a different period is agreed or they must be retained to resolve a dispute.
- Enquiries that do not become assignments are normally retained for no more than 12 months.
- Assignment and correspondence records are normally retained for up to two years after the last substantive contact, except where they form part of records we must keep for longer.
- Invoices, payment records, and other records required for Dutch tax administration are retained for at least seven years.
Security
Uploads and downloads use private assignment-specific links, and administrative access is restricted. We use reasonable organisational and technical measures appropriate to the sensitivity of unpublished academic work. No internet service can promise absolute security, so please contact us before uploading material that requires a specially regulated or institution-approved transfer method.
Your rights
Subject to applicable law, you may ask to access, correct, erase, restrict, or receive your personal data, or object to particular processing. Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it. We may need to retain limited information where the law requires it or where it is necessary to establish or defend legal claims.
Send requests to info@wordandmethod.com. You may also complain to the Dutch Data Protection Authority.
Changes to this notice
We may update this notice when our services or legal obligations change. The current version and effective date will remain available on this page.