This Statement generally relates to the personal information we collect about users in connection with the Services, where we make decisions about how that personal information is handled (Thomson Reuters as a controller). However, you can click on “Learn More” below for more information about how we process personal information that our customers input into our Services and for which Thomson Reuters does not make decisions about (Thomson Reuters as a processor).
Where we need to give you additional information about how your personal information is used in relation to specific Services we will provide separate or additional privacy notices.
Your professional service provider (e.g., your financial, tax, legal or accounting adviser) and other third parties may enter your personal information into Services we make available to, and host for them on their behalf. They may provide their own privacy notices to you. You should contact them for these notices, and you may also be able to find their privacy notices on their websites.
Use of Publicly Available Data within Our Services
Many professionals and third parties rely on the use of publicly available information in order to carry out research (e.g., on case law) or to satisfy their compliance obligations (e.g., to carry out anti-money-laundering checks).
To assist them, we make available information obtained from publicly available sources like public websites, open government databases or other data in the public domain (some of which is behind a paywall and some not).
We take privacy seriously and put in place measures designed to ensure that we process personal information in a proportionate way and in compliance with data protection laws.
Where we process non-sensitive personal information within those Services, it is normally processed because it is in our or a third parties’ legitimate interests to do so. In the limited circumstances where we process sensitive personal information, we normally do so where:
- necessary in relation to obligations under employment, social security and social protection law
- personal information has been manifestly made public by the person to whom it relates
- necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims or whenever courts are acting in their judicial capacity
- processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, on the basis of applicable law
We put in place appropriate measures to protect your information where it is transferred internationally, to secure it and to ensure it is retained only for a reasonable period.
If you would like to make further enquiries about how personal information is used within a specific Service, please contact our Privacy Team.
To provide you with additional context on other products and services we offer, we have provided below more information regarding certain data protection practices in our Financial & Risk, Legal and Tax & Accounting businesses.
Financial & Risk Products and Services
Our global Financial & Risk business provides Services to financial industry, compliance and risk professionals, helping them with efficiency tools and data to assess and improve risk and compliance management, analyze and access financial transactions, generate better returns and create efficient, reliable business infrastructure. Such Services will process personal information entered by our customers as well as provide publicly available information about individuals to assist customers with governance, risk and compliance activities.
For example, Financial & Risk provides a Service called World-Check, which helps financial institutions, corporates, professional services firms, governments, law enforcement agencies, regulators and other World-Check customers to perform due diligence and other screening activities in accordance with their legal or regulatory obligations and risk management procedures carried out in the public interest. For this Service, Thomson Reuters may store personal data entered by a customer and also will make information about individuals available to such customer for use limited to compliance and other public interest purposes. World-Check has its own privacy statement, which is available here: https://risk.thomsonreuters.com/en/terms-of-business/world-check-privacy-statement.html.
For more information about how your bank, counterparty or finance or risk professional handles your personal information, please contact them directly.
Legal Products and Services
Our global Legal business provides research and business management and efficiency tools to the legal profession, often processing personal information that our users input into the Services. For example, if a law firm uses our firm management Services, they may record personal information when using those Services and they may ask us to hold or access it on their behalf (e.g., to provide software/Service support).
Thomson Records Legal public records products include the CLEAR suite of products and public records data on Westlaw, including PeopleMap and Company Investigator. These products are made up of consumer and company data aggregated from government agencies and reputable third party private data providers. These products are available only to authorized businesses and government organizations for their legitimate internal business uses and subject to applicable law. In addition to this Statement, these products are also subject to the Public Records Privacy Statement, available here: https://legalsolutions.thomsonreuters.com/law-products/about/legal-notices/privacy/records?CID=TRSite.
For more information about how your legal professionals handle your personal information, please contact them directly.
Thomson Reuters recognizes and respects that many of its customers and users of our Legal business Services (such as Westlaw and Practical Law) may be subject to ethical obligations to protect confidences with their clients. Where we act as a service provider in regard to the personal or confidential information that our customers or users input into our Legal Services, we do so in accordance with permissible law and we do not use any such information other than to provide, administer and improve our Services, provide user support or to meet our legal obligations.
Tax & Accounting Products and Services
Our global Tax & Accounting business provides tools that support tax and accounting professionals. These Services typically process personal information on behalf of our customers when they use our Services. This may include sensitive personal information such as information that could determine a person’s race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and/or health status. For example, if an accountant uses our tax and accounting software, they may use it to process information about individuals and they may ask us to hold or access that information on their behalf (e.g., when providing software/Service support).
If you would like to find out more about the personal information held by your accountant or tax professional, please contact them directly.