Privacy policy

We use your data to provide, support, personalize and develop our Services.

We use the data that we have about your business account to provide and personalize our services, including with the help of automated systems and inferences we make, our services so that they can be more relevant and useful to your company.

2.1 Services

Our Services help you and your company optimize freight shipping and make global logistics easier with access to global service providers, freight quotes, shipment management, educational material and more.

2.2 Communications

Communication is what makes freight shipping work. Awele helps you and/or your company communicate with our support staff and with our service providers. This takes places through both in-app and offline channels.

We will contact you through email, phone, or messages on our websites, and other ways through our Services, including text messages and push notifications. To keep you in the loop, we’ll also use these channels to let you know about the availability of our Services, security, and other service-related issues. Like the rest of the internet, we also send messages about how to use Awele, reminders that hopefully help you save time and money on freight, and promotional messages from us and partners that we like. You may change your communication preferences at any time here. There are some notifications we can’t let you opt out of, like service messages from us, including security and legal notices.

We also enable communications between you and others through our Services, including our in-app messenger and emails.

2.3 Marketing

We promote our Services to you and others.

We use data and content about how customers use Awele to promote our digital freight platform. For example, we may use the logos or names of really cool companies that have shipped with us. We never share personal information, without running it by you first.

2.4 Research

We develop our Services and conduct research.

Service Development and Freight Research

Freight traditionally lacks transparency and Big Data. We’re incredibly proud of building a tool that empowers customers with data they need… but it involves conducting research on platform engagement, freight shipping patterns and more, to help disseminate freight knowledge back to our users.

We also use engagement patterns with our platform to help optimize product development. If a lot of users (or one very important one, just like you) seem to like a feature, we’re going to double down on that. The customer data that we have or collect informs us and helps us further develop our platform. In some cases, we work with trusted third parties to perform this research while taking measures to protect individual customer privacy.

2.5 Customer Support

We use data to help you fix problems.

We use the data (which can include your communications) to investigate, respond to and resolve complaints and Service issues (e.g., bugs). Hopefully, you’ll never need to figure that out.

2.6 Aggregate Insights

We use data to generate aggregate insights.

We use your data to produce and share aggregated insights that do not identify you.  For example, we may use your data to generate statistics about the businesses using Awele or for creating aggregate freight indices and other market insights. We always anonymize data for these insights.

2.7 Security and Investigations

We use data for security, fraud prevention and investigations.

We use your data (including your communications) if we think it’s necessary for security purposes or to investigate possible fraud or other violations of our Terms of Use or this Privacy Policy and/or attempts to harm our members or visitors.

3.1 Our Platform

Any shipment-related data is shared with the relevant internal Awele employees, as well as the service providers you’ve selected.

Shipment Communications

Information communicated within Awele is shared using our internal communication platforms, such as the in-app messenger, or through normal digital channels like email or phone.

Shipment Documentation

Shipment documents are stored on Awele, where they can be accessed by the relevant internal Awele employees or external service providers. When these documents need to be conveyed to external parties, we will typically use digital communication platforms like email or our application.

3.2 Communication Archival

Regulated users may need to store communications outside of our Service.

Some Awele users (or their associates) need, for legal or professional compliance, to archive their communications and social media activity, and will use services of others to provide these archival services.

3.3 Related Services

We share your data across our different Services and Awele entities.

Awele entities, like our subsidiaries offices around the world, may share your data internally to provide and develop our Services. We may combine information internally across the different Services covered by this Privacy Policy to be more relevant and useful to you and others.

3.4 Service Providers

We use others to help us with our Services.

We use others to help us provide our Services (e.g., maintenance, analysis, audit, payments, fraud detection, marketing and development). They will have access to your information as reasonably necessary to perform these tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for other purposes. If you’ve already read this far, it shows that you’re pretty diligent. So take our word for it that we’re also very diligent and ensure that our partners treat your data with the respect it deserves.

3.5 Legal Disclosures

We may need to share your data when we believe it’s required by law or to help protect the rights and safety of you, us or others.

It is possible that we will need to disclose information about you when required by law, subpoena, or other legal process or if we have a good faith belief that disclosure is reasonably necessary to (1) investigate, prevent, or take action regarding suspected or actual illegal activities or to assist government enforcement agencies; (2) enforce our agreements with you, (3) investigate and defend ourselves against any third-party claims or allegations, (4) protect the security or integrity of our Service (such as by sharing with companies facing similar threats); or (5) exercise or protect the rights and safety of Awele, our users, personnel, or others. We attempt to notify Members about legal demands for their personal data when appropriate in our judgment, unless prohibited by law or court order or when the request is an emergency. We may dispute such demands when we believe, in our discretion, that the requests are overbroad, vague or lack proper authority, but we do not promise to challenge every demand.

3.6 Change in Control or Sale

We may share your data if our business is sold to others, but it must continue to be used in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

We can also share your personal data as part of a sale, merger or change in control, or in preparation for any of these events. Any other entity which buys us or part of our business will have the right to continue to use your data, but only in the manner set out in this Privacy Policy unless you agree otherwise.

2.6 Aggregate Insights

We use data to generate aggregate insights.

We use your data to produce and share aggregated insights that do not identify you.  For example, we may use your data to generate statistics about the businesses using Awele or for creating aggregate freight indices and other market insights. We always anonymize data for these insights.

4.1 Data Retention

We keep most of your personal data for as long as your account is open.

We retain your personal data while your account is in existence or as needed to provide you Services. This includes data you or others provided to us and data generated or inferred from your use of our Services. Even if you only use our Services when searching for freight quotes every once in a while, we will retain your information and keep your profile open until you decide to close your account. In some cases we choose to retain certain information in a depersonalized or aggregated form.

4.2 Rights to Access and Control Your Personal Data

You can access or delete your personal data. You have many choices about how your data is collected, used and shared.

We provide many choices about the collection, use and sharing of your data, including opt-outs and communication controls. For personal data that we have about you:

• Delete Data: You can delete personal data from your profile page or ask us to erase or delete all or some of your personal data (e.g., if it is no longer necessary to provide Services to you) through this XXX.
• Change or Correct Data: You can edit some of your personal data through your account. You can also ask us to change, update or fix your data in certain cases, particularly if it’s inaccurate.
• Object to, or Limit or Restrict, Use of Data: You can ask us to stop using all or some of your personal data (e.g., if we have no legal right to keep using it) or to limit our use of it (e.g., if your personal data is inaccurate or unlawfully held).
• Right to Access and/or Take Your Data: You can ask us for a copy of your personal data and can ask for a copy of personal data you provided in machine readable form.

You may contact us using the contact information below, and we will consider your request in accordance with applicable laws.

4.3 Account Closure

We keep some of your data even after you close your account.

If you choose to close your Awele account, your personal data will generally stop being visible to others on our Services within 24 hours. We generally delete closed account information within 30 days of account closure, except as noted below.

We retain your data even after you have closed your account if reasonably necessary to comply with our legal obligations (including law enforcement requests), meet regulatory requirements (including financial regulations and FMC), resolve disputes, maintain security, prevent fraud and abuse, enforce our Terms of Use, or fulfill your request to “unsubscribe” from further messages from us. We will retain de-personalized information after your account has been closed.

Information you have shared with others will remain visible after you closed your account or deleted the information from your own profile or mailbox, and we do not control data that other Members copied out of our Services.

Note for example that in some cases your name, email, or phone may appear on freight quotes and contracts which we will keep indefinitely for regulatory reasons, or for the integrity of our financial records, even after you stop being a User.

5.1. Security

We monitor for and try to prevent security breaches. Please use the security features available through our Services.

We implement security safeguards designed to protect your data, such as enforcing the use of HTTPS. We regularly monitor our systems for possible vulnerabilities and attacks. However, we cannot warrant the security of any information that you send us. There is no guarantee that data may not be accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed by breach of any of our physical, technical, or managerial safeguards.

5.2. Cross-Border Data Transfers

We store and use your data outside your country.

Countries where we process data may have laws which are different, and potentially not as protective, as the laws of your own country. At this time most of our data is stored in the US.

5.3 Lawful Bases for Processing

We have lawful bases to collect, use and share data about you. You choose to use our Services and have choices about our use of your data.

At any time, you can withdraw whichever optional consent you have provided by requesting to withdraw.

We will only collect and process personal data about you where we have lawful bases. Lawful bases include consent (where you have given consent), contract (where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you (e.g. to deliver the Awele Services you have requested)) and legitimate interests. Legitimate interests will include processing your personal data for the purposes of Awele legitimate interests or for the legitimate interests of third parties (e.g., your employer or company), provided that such processing shall not outweigh your rights and freedoms. For example, we may process your personal data to:

1. Protect you, us, or others from threats (such as security threats or fraud)
2. Comply with laws that apply to us
3. Enable or administer our business, manage corporate transactions, such as mergers or acquisitions
4. Understand and improve our business or customer relationships generally

Where we rely on your consent to process personal data, you have the right to withdraw or decline your consent at any time and where we rely on legitimate interests, you have the right to object.

6.1 What are cookies and other technologies?

A cookie is a small text file that is placed on your computer, mobile phone, or other device when you visit a website. The cookie helps website providers recognise your device the next time you visit their website (so, for example, you don’t need to log-in every time you check out Facebook). There are other similar technologies such as pixel tags (transparent graphic images placed on a web page or in an email, which indicate that a page or email has been viewed), web bugs (similar to pixel tags), and web storage, which are used in desktop software or mobile devices.

There are also technologies such as mobile device identifiers and SDK integrations to help companies recognise your device when you return to an app or otherwise use Awele services.

This section describes use of cookies and other technologies.

6.2 How we use cookies and other technologies

We use both session cookies (which expire once you close your web browser) and persistent cookies (which stay on your device for a set period of time or until you delete them). We use the following types of cookies for the purposes explained in this chart:

We also use mobile device identifiers and the other technologies for the purposes articulated in this Privacy Policy, for example to recognise your device when you return to the Awele app or otherwise use the Awele Services.

6.3 Manage your cookie and other preferences

Many web browsers allow you to manage your preferences. You can set your browser to refuse cookies or delete certain cookies. You may be able to manage other technologies in the same way that you manage cookies using your browser’s preferences. In addition, when you visit the Awele homepage for the first time, you will be informed that these cookies are in place and that by continuing your web session, you consent to these cookies being used.

Please note that if you choose to block cookies with your browser or other tools, it may impair the Awele Service or prevent certain elements of it from functioning.

There is no accepted standard on how to respond to Do Not Track signals, and we do not respond to such signals.

An available tool is the Network Advertising Initiative’s (NAI) Opt-Out Tool at networkadvertising.org/choices. This allows you to opt out from the use of information about your online activities for online behavioral advertising by NAI member companies.

On your mobile device, you may also have a “Limit Ad Tracking” setting (on iOS devices) or a setting to “Opt out of Interest-Based Ads” (on Android) which allows you to limit the use of information about your use of apps for purposes of serving ads targeted to your interests.

One of the services we use to track activity related to the Service, e.g., by placing cookies, is Google Analytics by Google (Google, Inc. a company headquartered at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA). We may use vendors, including Google, who use first-party cookies (such as the Google Analytics cookie) and third-party cookies (such as the DoubleClick cookie) together to inform and optimise, our Services based on your past visits to our websites, including Google Analytics for Display Advertising. Google provides tools to manage the collection and use of certain information by Google Analytics at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout and by Google Analytics for Display Advertising or the Google Display Network by using Google’s Ads Settings at google.com/settings/ads.

You hereby consent to the use of the cookies and other technologies described above.