Privacy and Terms

These policies govern your use of pillarsofethicalai.com and any services provided by Pillars of Ethical AI.

Pillars of Ethical AI is a Canada-based advisory firm helping organisations identify, assess, and govern ethical risk in AI systems. Our registered place of business is in Canada, and we are subject to Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial privacy legislation.

If you are visiting from the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we handle your personal data in a manner consistent with the GDPR and UK GDPR respectively. If you are visiting from California, we comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) where applicable.

We collect personal information only when there is a clear reason to do so. Here is what we may collect, and why:

1. Contact form submissions: When you fill out a contact or consultation request form, we collect your name, email address, organisation name, and any information you choose to include in your message. We use this solely to respond to your enquiry and, where relevant, to arrange a consultation.

2. Analytics data: We use website analytics tools to understand how visitors use our site — including pages visited, time spent, and general geographic region. This data is aggregated and does not identify you personally. Where analytics tools set cookies on your device, we will ask for your consent before doing so.

3. Newsletter and email list: If you subscribe to our newsletter or communications, we collect your name and email address. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email we send, or by contacting us directly. We do not sell, rent, or share your contact details with third parties for marketing purposes.

4. Client accounts and portals: If you engage us as a client and access our client portal, we collect information necessary to deliver our services — which may include your name, contact details, organisation details, billing information, and any documents or data you share with us in the course of the engagement. This information is used exclusively for the delivery and administration of your services.

How we use your information

We use personal information for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and arrange consultations
To deliver assessment services and advisory engagements
To send communications you have requested, including newsletters
To administer client accounts and portals
To improve our website and understand how visitors engage with our content
To comply with legal obligations

We share personal information only where necessary:
Service providers: We may use third-party tools to deliver services — such as email platforms, analytics providers, or secure document sharing. Where we do, we ensure those providers handle your data appropriately and only for the purposes we specify. We will update this policy as our tools are confirmed.
Legal compliance: We may disclose information if required to do so by law, court order, or regulatory authority.

Business transfers: In the unlikely event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of our business, personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you before any such transfer takes effect.

We do not share your data with advertisers, data brokers, or AI training platforms.

Cookies: Our website may use cookies for analytics and functionality. We will ask for your consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device. You can manage or withdraw consent at any time through your browser settings or our cookie preferences tool.

We do not use cookies to track you across other websites or to build advertising profiles.

Data retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. Specifically:

Enquiry and contact data: up to 2 years from last contact, unless an engagement follows
Client engagement data: up to 7 years following the close of an engagement, in line with standard Canadian business record requirements
Newsletter subscriber data: until you unsubscribe or request deletion
Analytics data: in aggregated, non-identifiable form, indefinitely

Data security

We take the security of your personal information seriously. We use appropriate technical and organisational measures — including encryption in transit, access controls, and secure storage — to protect your data against unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure.

No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure. If you have concerns about the security of information you are sharing with us, please contact us before doing so.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the date at the top of this page. If changes are material, we will notify active clients and newsletter subscribers directly. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

For privacy enquiries, contact us at: shine@pillarsofethicalai.com

Terms of Use

Acceptance of terms: By accessing or using pillarsofethicalai.com, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree, please do not use the site. These terms apply to all visitors, users, and clients.
Who we are: Pillars of Ethical AI is an advisory firm in Canada, providing AI ethics assessment, governance, and oversight services to organisations. Nothing on this website constitutes legal advice. For legal advice, consult a qualified lawyer.

Use of this website: You may use this website for lawful purposes only. You agree not to: Use this site in any way that violates applicable Canadian federal or provincial law, or the laws of your jurisdiction. Reproduce, distribute, or republish any content from this site without our written permission. Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the site or its underlying systems. Use automated tools to scrape, crawl, or harvest content or data from this site. Transmit any material that is unlawful, defamatory, harassing, or otherwise objectionable.

Intellectual property: All content on this website – including text, frameworks, case studies, graphics, and the Pillars of Ethical AI name and mark – is the property of Pillars of Ethical AI. Some content on this site is developed with the assistance of AI tools. All AI-assisted content is reviewed, edited, and approved by our team before publication. We retain full intellectual property rights over the final output. We do not use AI tools that claim ownership over generated content, and we do not publish AI-generated content without human oversight – consistent with the standards we hold our clients to.

No professional or legal advice: The content on this website is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute professional, legal, or regulatory advice, and should not be relied upon as such. Engagement of Pillars of Ethical AI’s advisory services is governed by a separate written agreement. Information on this site does not create a client relationship.

Third-party links: This website may contain links to third-party websites, reports, and resources. These are provided for reference only. We do not control third-party content and are not responsible for the accuracy, currency, or practices of any linked site. Inclusion of a link does not imply endorsement.

Disclaimer of warranties: This website and its content are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Pillars of Ethical AI makes no warranties (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of the information on this site. The AI regulatory and legislative landscape changes rapidly. While we work to keep our content current, we cannot guarantee that every reference, link, or regulatory summary reflects the most recent developments. Always verify regulatory requirements with a qualified professional.

Limitation of liability: To the fullest extent permitted by Canadian law, Pillars of Ethical AI shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of (or inability to use) this website or its content, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Governing law: These Terms of Use are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Canada. Any disputes arising from these terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of that province.

Changes to these terms: We may update these Terms of Use at any time. Changes take effect when posted to this page, with the updated date reflected at the top. Continued use of the site after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

For terms of use enquiries, contact us at: shine@pillarsofethicalai.com