Privacy Policy

Last revision: 26/03/2024


Introduction

Welcome to Echo, the primary concern of our Privacy Policy is to safeguard the personal information of our users ('you'). This document delineates the various kinds of personal data we collect, the reasons for its collection, and how we ensure its protection.

This Policy complements our Terms and Conditions and collectively outlines the usage of our Website and associated services.


1) Definitions

Website (or "echo.ac", "Echo Site", "the Site") - refers to https://echo.ac/, its pages, content, and the various services it offers to users. This encompasses the public-facing site, user account management areas, purchasing portals, customer support interfaces, and other related services directly accessible through our web domain.

Echo Account - An account created by a user to access certain parts of the Website and use the Echo Tool.

Echo Tool (or "Scan Tool") - A proprietary software tool provided by Echo, specifically designed for the detection of cheating in online gaming environments. The Echo Tool scans a device's hardware and software information to identify potential use of unauthorised cheat software.

API Key - A unique identifier used to authenticate a developer's or user's access to the API provided by Echo, allowing for streamlined integration with our services.

Hardware ID (or "HWID") - A unique hash value that is generated based on the physical components of a user's device(s), used as a non-personally identifiable way to recognise different systems.

IP Address (or "IP") - The numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.

User-Agent (or "UA") - A string sent by your web browser that identifies the browser type, version, and operating system. This information can be utilised for analytics purposes and to optimise the Website’s functionality across various platforms and devices.

Google Analytics - A web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Echo uses Google Analytics to gather data regarding visitor behaviour and site usage to improve the user experience.

Google AdSense - An online advertising platform.


2) Types of Information we Collect



2.1) Information Collected from Our Website

  1. Registered User Information: When you create an account with us ('Echo Account'), you provide us with your email address and a chosen username. This information is essential to manage your account, communicate updates, and assist with customer service inquiries.
  2. Login Information: Each time you log into your Echo Account, we record your IP Address and User-Agent. This data helps us to maintain account security and prevents unauthorised access.
  3. API Usage Information: If you generate an API Key, we log the IP Address and User-Agent associated with each authenticated request made using your API key. This helps us to monitor API usage and to prevent misuse.
  4. Payment Information: We collect information necessary to complete and manage transactions made on our Website. However, it is important to clarify that while we facilitate the provision of this information, the actual processing and storage of Payment Information may be conducted by third-party payment processors with whom we partner. These processors are responsible for securely handling your financial data in accordance with their own Privacy Policies and Security Standards. For further details on how we handle Payment Information and the roles of our payment processors, please refer to the comprehensive information provided in Section 2.4 of our Privacy Policy.

2.2) Information Collected from Echo Tool

  1. Hardware ID: Hash representing the hardware characteristics of devices (including CPU, GPU, Motherboard models, etc.) are collected for identification and anti-cheat purposes.
  2. Device's IP Address: To determine if a device is using any VPN/Proxy service, we record the IP Address at the time of the scan.
  3. Gaming Profiles: Online gaming profiles such as Minecraft UUIDv4, SteamID64, etc.
  4. Suspected Cheat Data: We collect file name, paths and hashes linked to confirmed or suspected cheating software, plus details like the start times of specific operating system processes and names of resource packs. Any file path containing your operating system's user account name is sanitised and redacted to protect your privacy (e.g., C:/Users/****/Desktop/cheat.exe). This data is crucial for identifying and preventing the use of unauthorised modifications or cheats.

2.3) Information Collected from Google Analytics

We employ Google Analytics to accumulate metrics related to user interactions on our site. This assists us in understanding site usage patterns to improve user experience. The 'anonymize_ip' function is enabled to ensure that the collected metrics do not include any personally identifiable information.

2.4) Information Collected from Payment Processors

For financial transactions carried out on our Website, we work in conjunction with several esteemed payment processing partners. The three major payment processors we utilise are:

  1. Stripe
  2. PayPal
  3. CoinPayments

Our collaboration with these payment processors means that they are mainly responsible for the secure processing and storage of your Payment Information. They operate in adherence to their respective Privacy Policies and Security Standards. As such, we do not have direct access to your full payment details. For specific details on how these companies manage your data, we refer you to their individual privacy policy documentation.

Stripe collects identifying information about the devices that connect to its services. Stripe uses this information to operate and improve the services it provides to us, including for fraud detection. You can learn more about Stripe and read its privacy policy at https://stripe.com/privacy.

2.5) Information Collected from Google AdSense

For the purpose of displaying advertisements through Google AdSense on our Free Download and Free Scan View pages, certain data, such as cookies, IP Address, and User-Agent information, may be collected to personalise and improve the efficacy of the ads displayed to you. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visit to our sites and/or other sites on the internet. You may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting your Google Account Settings.


3) How we Use Collected Information

We utilise the data collected to deliver and enhance the experience on our Website, fulfill your requests, enforce agreements between us, improve our services, and, specifically with regard to the scan tool data, to bolster our cheat detection system.

Information is not disclosed to third parties except as required by law or necessary service providers, such as payment gateways. Echo is committed to protecting your data and ensuring its confidentiality.

We commit to never selling or sharing your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes. We may, however, share non-personally identifiable information for legitimate business purposes such as during a potential merger or acquisition. If this occurs, we will notify you in advance and provide you with the opportunity to opt-out.


4) How we Store Collected Information

Information is collected, stored, and processed on secure servers situated in the United Kingdom. We adhere to industry standards and employ robust security measures to protect your data from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction.

Certain countries have regulations that govern the transfer and storage of personal data outside of their national borders or designated geographical regions. If you reside in a country where such regulations apply and the United Kingdom is not recognised as an exempted location that doesn't require additional user consent for data storage, please be aware of the following implications:

  1. By utilizing our Website and Echo Tool, you consent explicitly and affirmatively to the transference of your personal data outside of your country of residence to our servers in the United Kingdom. Granting this consent is a prerequisite to using our services and indicates your agreement to this cross-border data transfer and storage.
  2. If you do not consent to this transfer and storage of your data in the United Kingdom, or if doing so would violate any law or regulation applicable to you, then you must refrain from using our Website and Echo Tool. Users are responsible for verifying that their use of Echo's services aligns with the data protection and privacy laws pertinent to their jurisdiction. Continued use of Echo’s services serves as your ongoing agreement to this policy and our data handling practices.
  3. Should the conditions stated herein regarding international data transfer and storage not be acceptable to you, we ask that you discontinue any use of our Website and Echo Tool immediately. Echo prioritises compliance with global data protection standards and aims to respect the privacy requirements of all users.

As indicated in Section 2.4, our operations involve the use of payment processors, which may involve the off-shoring of your information beyond the UK. For details on their data handling and storage practices, please refer to their respective privacy policies.


5) Lawful Basis for Processing

Echo takes its legal obligations seriously, particularly when it comes to processing personal data. We ensure that our data collection and processing activities have a clear and lawful basis in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

5.1) For Our Website

The lawful basis for collecting and processing information from users who visit our Website and use services offered by Echo is Consent.

When you create an Echo Account or access various services on the Website, you provide us with your clear and unambiguous consent to process your personal data. This consent is given through affirmative actions, such as ticking a checkbox to agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, and through providing personal information required for the operation of an Echo Account.

5.2) For the Echo Tool

For users of the Echo Tool, we operate on a dual basis of Consent and Legitimate Interests.

When the Echo Tool is activated and run by a user, we interpret this as the user providing clear consent for us to collect the specific types of information as detailed in Section 2.2 of our Privacy Policy. Consent is demonstrated through the user's affirmative action to download and run the Echo Tool, along with agreeing to any relevant prompts or agreements that outline the data collection involved.

Simultaneously, Echo has a fundamental Legitimate Interest in the collection and processing of such information. This pertains to our role in detecting and preventing cheating within the online gaming community. The information we collect through the Echo Tool is essential for fostering a fair and competitive gaming environment, which benefits all users and stakeholders involved in the digital gaming space.

5.3) Change from Consent to Legitimate Interests for our Website

The primary lawful basis for processing information collected from users on our Website rests on Consent, granted when a user creates an Echo Account or engages with our services. However, this basis may shift to Legitimate Interests in scenarios where an account is suspended or terminated due to violations of our Terms of Service. In such instances, our interest is in safeguarding our Website, business, and the wider user community by enforcing our rules and protecting against misuse.

In all instances of data collection and processing, Echo is dedicated to upholding user privacy and managing personal data responsibly. We adhere strictly to applicable data protection laws and regulations, and we ensure transparent communication with our users about any significant updates or changes to our data handling practices, including the legal grounds for processing their personal information.


6) Children's Privacy

Echo does not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 16. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately so that we can take the necessary steps to remove such information and terminate the child's account.

6.1) Compliance with COPPA

While Inspect Element Ltd is based in the United Kingdom, we are committed to complying with the requirements of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) to protect the privacy of children online, regardless of their location.

Inspect Element Ltd prohibits the creation of an Echo Account by individuals under the age of 16. Furthermore, we require that persons under the age of 18 obtain parental consent before registering an account with us. This measure is part of our dedication to safeguarding the privacy and well-being of younger internet users.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately so that we can take the necessary steps to remove such information and terminate the child's account.


7) Your Rights Under UK GDPR

As a data subject under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), you have certain rights regarding your personal information. Echo acknowledges and supports these rights, and we are committed to assisting you in exercising them as follows:

  1. Your right of access – You have the right to request copies of your personal information that we hold. This allows you to be aware of and verify the lawfulness of the processing.
  2. Your right to rectification – If you believe that the personal information we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you have the right to request that we correct or complete it.
  3. Your right to erasure – Also known as 'the right to be forgotten', you can request the deletion or removal of your personal data where there is no compelling reason for its continued processing.
  4. Your right to restriction of processing – You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data under certain circumstances, such as if you contest the accuracy of the data or if you have objected to the processing.
  5. Your right to object to processing – You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data based on a situation relating to your particular circumstances. This right applies to processing based on legitimate interests, direct marketing (including profiling), and processing for purposes of scientific/historical research and statistics.
  6. Your right to data portability - You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.

Please note that these rights are not absolute and may be subject to conditions and exemptions under the UK GDPR or other applicable laws.

Echo does not charge a fee for you to exercise any of your rights regarding your personal information. Upon receiving a request from you, we have one month to respond. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the following details:

Inspect Element Ltd
Attn: Data Protection Officer
82A James Carter Road
Mildenhall
Bury St. Edmunds
England
IP28 7DE
Email: [email protected]

We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal data (or to exercise any of your other rights).

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues. For reference Inspect Element Ltd is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) under registration reference #ZA829631

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
TEL: (+44) 303 123 1113
EMAIL: https://www.ico.org.uk