Legal
Privacy Policy
Last updated: 20 May 2026
I know privacy policies are usually dry and full of jargon. I've tried to write this one in plain English, because you deserve to know clearly what happens with your information — without having to read it three times to understand it.
Who I am
I'm Anna Niedbalska, trading as Zircon Accounts, based in Glasgow, Scotland. I provide accounting services to self-employed individuals and small businesses across the UK.
You can reach me at: office@zaccounts.co.uk
What information I collect
When you use this website, I may collect the following:
- Your name — so I know who I'm talking to
- Your email address — so I can reply to you
- Your message — the question or enquiry you send through the contact form
- Your feedback — if you choose to share a review through the feedback form
- Your phone number — only if you choose to include it in your message
This website does not use tracking cookies, analytics tools, or any other automated data collection. The only cookies that may be set are strictly necessary technical cookies required for the website to function. No consent is required for these.
Why I collect it and the legal basis for doing so
I only collect information to be able to help you. Under UK GDPR, I rely on the following legal bases:
- Responding to your enquiry — legitimate interests (to communicate with prospective clients)
- Providing accounting services — performance of a contract
- Sending the newsletter — consent (you can withdraw this at any time by unsubscribing)
- Publishing your feedback — consent (you can withdraw this at any time by contacting me)
I will never sell your data, share it with third parties for marketing purposes, or use it for anything you haven't agreed to.
How long I keep your data
- Enquiries — kept for up to 2 years, or as long as our working relationship continues
- Client records — kept for 6 years, as required by HMRC
- Feedback — kept indefinitely if published, or deleted on request if not published
- Newsletter subscribers — kept until you unsubscribe, after which your data is permanently deleted within 30 days
- Contact form submissions — kept for up to 2 years
Who else might see your data
I use a small number of trusted services to run this website:
- Formspree — handles form submissions and sends them to my email. Their privacy policy is at formspree.io/legal/privacy-policy
- Hostinger — website hosting. Your data passes through their servers. Their privacy policy is at hostinger.com/privacy-policy
These services are GDPR-compliant.
AI Virtual Assistant (Marta)
This website uses an AI-powered virtual assistant called Marta, provided by ElevenLabs. If you choose to interact with Marta — whether by voice call or text chat — please be aware of the following:
- Your conversation may be recorded — ElevenLabs records and stores voice and text interactions to provide the service
- Your data is processed by third parties — conversations are processed by ElevenLabs and their AI model providers (including OpenAI), which may be located outside the UK/EEA. Where data is transferred to countries not recognised as providing adequate data protection, this is done on the basis of Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or equivalent safeguards
- What is collected — your voice or text input, and any personal details you choose to share (such as your name and phone number)
- Why it is collected — to answer your questions and pass your message to Anna if needed
- How long it is kept — according to ElevenLabs' own retention policy (see elevenlabs.io/privacy)
By clicking "Agree" before starting a conversation with Marta, you consent to this processing. If you do not wish your conversation to be recorded, please contact Anna directly — your message will be processed only by Anna Niedbalska at Zircon Accounts, and will not be shared with any AI service or third-party provider:
- Contact form — available on this website
- Email — office@zaccounts.co.uk
- WhatsApp — message Anna directly
The information you share through the contact form on this website is processed only by Anna Niedbalska and is not passed to the AI assistant or any AI service provider.
Your rights under UK GDPR
You have the right to:
- Access — ask me what data I hold about you
- Correction — ask me to correct inaccurate information
- Deletion — ask me to delete your data ("right to be forgotten")
- Objection — object to how I use your data
- Portability — ask for a copy of your data in a readable format
- Withdrawal of consent — where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing
To exercise any of these rights, just email me at office@zaccounts.co.uk. I'll respond within 30 days.
Registration with the ICO
As a data controller, I am registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). (Registration number to be added.)
Complaints
If you're unhappy with how I've handled your data, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) — the UK's data protection authority. You can reach them at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
That said, I'd much rather hear from you directly first so I can put things right.
Changes to this policy
If I make any significant changes to this policy, I'll update the date at the top of this page. I won't send you a notification for minor wording changes — only for things that actually affect how your data is used.
Questions?
If anything here is unclear or you'd like to know more, just get in touch. I'm happy to explain anything in plain English — that's kind of my thing.