Data Deletion Instructions

1. Who this page is for

This page tells you how to request deletion of personal data Marks AI holds about you. It applies to data collected through:

• WhatsApp Business messages sent to or received from a Marks AI-operated number (including business numbers we operate on a client's behalf via the Meta WhatsApp Cloud API).
• Web chat widgets on marksai.co.uk and on Marks AI client websites where we operate the inbox.
• Email sent to or received from any @marksai.co.uk address.
• Marks AI-operated client portals (CMS, dashboards, internal tools).
• Marks AI client engagements where we act as a data processor for the client's customer data.

2. What "deletion" means here

If you ask us to delete your data, we will:

• Remove your messages, contact details, and conversation history from active inboxes within 30 days of the request.
• Purge associated records from working backups within 90 days (the maximum backup-retention window).
• Where the data sits with a third-party processor (for example WhatsApp Cloud API on Meta's infrastructure, Cloudflare logs, or a client's CMS), pass the deletion request through to that processor and confirm to you when it is complete.
• Keep the minimum information legally required for accounting, fraud prevention, or to defend a legal claim, typically a record that a deletion request was made and acted on, and any invoices we issued you, for the period required by UK accounting and tax law (six years).

3. How to request deletion

Option A, email

Send a short email to [email protected] with:

• The phrase "Data deletion request" in the subject line.
• The phone number, email address, or account identifier the data is associated with.
• The channel(s) you want covered (WhatsApp, web chat, email, all of the above).
• If you are requesting deletion as a client of Marks AI Ltd, tell us whether the request covers only your personal data or your business records as a whole.

We will reply within five working days to confirm we have received the request and again within 30 calendar days to confirm completion.

Option B, WhatsApp

If you are messaging a Marks AI-operated WhatsApp number, you can reply with the word DELETE at any time. The message will be flagged for the operator, your conversation will be closed within one working day, and your message history with that number will be removed within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity (for example by asking you to confirm an email address) before processing a full deletion.

Option C, postal address (formal requests)

For a formal data subject request under UK GDPR, you can also write to:

Privacy Officer
Marks AI Ltd
5 South Charlotte Street
Edinburgh, EH2 4AN
United Kingdom

4. Verification

To protect you from impersonation we may need to verify your identity before completing a deletion request, typically by sending a confirmation message to the WhatsApp number or email address the data is associated with. We will only ask for what is needed to confirm it is you.

5. What happens after deletion

Once deletion is complete:

• You will not receive further messages from the Marks AI-operated number or account in question.
• If you message us again afterwards, a new conversation begins and we will hold only the new data, unless you ask us not to retain it at all.
• Aggregated, fully anonymised statistics (for example "we received 14,000 WhatsApp messages last month") may continue to exist; these cannot be linked back to you.

6. Complaints

If you are not satisfied with how we have handled a deletion request, you can complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint. We would always prefer to resolve any concern directly first, a quick email to [email protected] is the fastest route.