Privacy Policy

Last updated: February 2026

1. Introduction

Welcome to Parla Chat. We are committed to protecting your personal data and being transparent about how we collect, use, and share information.

Parla Chat (“Parla,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the website parlachat.net and provides a real-time chat plugin for WordPress websites. This Privacy Policy explains our data practices across three distinct contexts:

  • Site Owners: Businesses and individuals who install the Parla Chat plugin on their WordPress sites (our customers).
  • End Users: Visitors who interact with the Parla Chat widget on a customer’s website.
  • Website Visitors: People who visit parlachat.net directly.

Our role under data protection law varies by context. For data collected through parlachat.net (our own website), Parla Chat acts as a Data Controller. When our plugin processes personal data on behalf of site owners on their websites, Parla Chat acts as a Data Processor, and the site owner is the Data Controller responsible for that processing.

If you are an end user (a visitor to a customer’s website), you should also review that website’s own privacy policy for information about how that site owner handles your data.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 From Site Owners (Our Customers)

When you create an account or install the Parla Chat plugin, we collect:

  • Email address: Collected during plugin activation via your WordPress admin dashboard.
  • Website URL: The domain where the plugin is installed.
  • Billing and subscription data: Managed by Stripe, our payment processor. We receive confirmation of payment status and subscription tier but do not store your full card details.
  • Account preferences: Settings you configure within the plugin or your Parla Chat account dashboard.

2.2 From End Users (Visitors to Customer Websites)

When a visitor uses the Parla Chat widget on a customer’s website, we may process:

  • Chat messages: The content of conversations initiated through the chat widget.
  • Email address: If the site owner has enabled the inline email capture feature and the visitor provides their email voluntarily.
  • Visitor ID: A unique identifier generated for each visitor and stored in the browser’s localStorage to maintain session continuity.
  • Browser and device information: Basic technical data (such as browser type and operating system) used to ensure the widget functions correctly.
  • IP address: Collected for security purposes, including fraud detection and abuse prevention.

As a Data Processor in this context, we handle end user data strictly according to the instructions of the site owner (the Data Controller). If you are an end user and have questions or requests regarding your personal data, please contact the operator of the website you visited.

2.3 From parlachat.net Visitors

When you visit our website at parlachat.net, we may collect:

  • Analytics data: Pages visited, referral sources, time on page, and similar standard web analytics metrics.
  • Account registration data: Information you provide when signing up for a Parla Chat account.
  • Payment information: Processed securely through Stripe. We do not store full card numbers or sensitive payment credentials on our servers.

3. How We Use Your Information

3.1 Site Owner Data

  • To create and manage your Parla Chat account.
  • To activate and maintain the plugin on your WordPress site.
  • To process subscription payments and send billing-related communications.
  • To provide customer support and respond to your inquiries.
  • To send important service notifications, such as updates to this policy or changes to your subscription.
  • To improve our product based on aggregated usage patterns.

3.2 End User Data

  • To deliver real-time chat functionality on the site owner’s website.
  • To maintain chat session continuity using the visitor ID stored in localStorage.
  • To enable the site owner to respond to visitor messages.
  • To detect and prevent spam, abuse, or fraudulent activity.

3.3 Website Visitor Data

  • To understand how our website is used and improve user experience.
  • To respond to contact form submissions and support requests.
  • To process account registrations and payments.

4. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, we process your personal data under the following legal bases as defined in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

  • Contract performance (Article 6(1)(b)): Processing necessary to provide our services to site owners, including account management, plugin functionality, and billing.
  • Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)): Processing for purposes such as security, abuse prevention, fraud detection, product improvement, and sending service-related communications where these interests are not overridden by your rights.
  • Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c)): Processing required to comply with applicable laws, including financial record-keeping and responding to lawful requests from authorities.
  • Consent (Article 6(1)(a)): Where we rely on consent, such as for optional marketing communications, you may withdraw your consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

For processing carried out as a Data Processor on behalf of site owners (end user chat data), the legal basis is determined by the site owner as the Data Controller.

5. Data Sharing and Third Parties

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only with trusted third parties who help us deliver our services, and only to the extent necessary for that purpose.

5.1 Sub-Processors

The following sub-processors may access or process personal data on our behalf:

  • Render.com: Our cloud hosting and database provider. All application data, including chat messages and account information, is stored on Render.com infrastructure.
  • Stripe: Our payment processing partner. Stripe handles all payment card data and billing operations. Stripe’s use of your data is governed by Stripe’s Privacy Policy.
  • Email notification service: Used to deliver transactional emails, including account confirmations, billing receipts, and service notifications.

5.2 Legal Disclosures

We may disclose personal data if required to do so by law or in response to valid legal process (such as a court order or government request), or when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Parla Chat, our customers, or the public.

5.3 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify affected users via email or a prominent notice on our website before any such transfer takes place.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law.

  • Site owner account data: Retained for the duration of your active account and for a reasonable period afterward to comply with legal and financial obligations.
  • Chat data (end user messages and related data): Retained while the site owner’s account remains active. Upon account termination, chat data is deleted within 30 days.
  • Billing records: Retained as required by applicable tax and financial regulations, typically seven years.
  • Analytics data: Retained in aggregated or anonymized form without a fixed expiration.

Site owners may request earlier deletion of end user data by contacting us at support@parlachat.net. Requests will be honored in accordance with our Data Processing Agreement and applicable law.

7. Your Privacy Rights

7.1 Rights Under GDPR (EEA, UK, and Switzerland)

If you are located in the EEA, United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Right of access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to rectification: You may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
  • Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”): You may request that we delete your personal data, subject to certain legal exceptions.
  • Right to data portability: You may request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format so you can transfer it to another service.
  • Right to restriction of processing: You may request that we limit how we use your personal data in certain circumstances.
  • Right to object: You may object to processing based on our legitimate interests. We will cease processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your rights.
  • Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@parlachat.net. We will respond within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe our processing violates applicable law.

Note for end users: If you used the Parla Chat widget on a third-party website (a site operated by one of our customers), your rights requests should be directed to that site operator, as they are the Data Controller for that data. We will cooperate with site owners to fulfill verified end user requests.

7.2 Rights Under CCPA (California Residents)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) provide you with the following rights:

  • Right to know: You have the right to request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the sources of that information, the business or commercial purposes for collecting it, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it.
  • Right to delete: You have the right to request deletion of personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions.
  • Right to opt out of sale or sharing: We do not sell personal information and do not share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. No opt-out action is required.
  • Right to correct: You have the right to request correction of inaccurate personal information we hold about you.
  • Right to non-discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your privacy rights.

To submit a CCPA request, contact us at support@parlachat.net. We will verify your identity before processing your request and respond within 45 days.

8. Cookies and Local Storage

We use cookies and browser storage technologies to make our services function correctly.

8.1 parlachat.net

Our website may use standard cookies for session management, authentication, and analytics. You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings.

8.2 The Parla Chat Plugin (On Customer Websites)

The Parla Chat widget uses localStorage (not cookies) for the following purposes on the websites of our customers:

  • Visitor ID: A unique identifier is generated and stored in localStorage to maintain chat session continuity across page loads without requiring a login.
  • Email capture state: If a site owner has enabled the inline email capture feature, localStorage is used to remember whether a visitor has already provided their email address, to avoid prompting them repeatedly.

localStorage data is stored locally in the visitor’s browser and is not a cookie. It persists until cleared by the user through their browser settings. No cross-site tracking is performed using these identifiers.

9. Children’s Privacy

Parla Chat is not directed at, and does not knowingly collect personal data from, children under the age of 13. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal data from a child under 13 without verifiable parental consent, we will take prompt steps to delete that information.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us at support@parlachat.net.

10. International Data Transfers

Parla Chat operates globally. Your personal data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside your country of residence, including countries that may not provide the same level of data protection as your home country.

When we transfer personal data originating from the EEA, United Kingdom, or Switzerland to countries not recognized as providing adequate protection, we rely on appropriate safeguards, including Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission.

11. Security

We take the security of your personal data seriously and implement technical and organizational measures appropriate to the risk, including:

  • Encryption of data in transit using TLS (Transport Layer Security).
  • Encryption of data at rest where supported by our hosting infrastructure.
  • Access controls limiting data access to authorized personnel only.
  • Regular review of our security practices and infrastructure.

No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. While we strive to protect your personal data using commercially reasonable means, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will:

  • Post the updated policy on this page with a revised “Last updated” date.
  • Notify site owners by email at least 30 days before the changes take effect.

Your continued use of Parla Chat after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acknowledgment of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

We aim to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 30 days.