Privacy policy (archived)

Effective date: 1 January 2020

This Privacy Policy describes how Slack collects, uses and discloses information and what choices you have with respect to the information.

When we refer to “Slack”, we mean the Slack entity that acts as the controller or processor of your information, as explained in more detail in the “Identifying the Data Controller and Processor” section below.

Table of contents:

Applicability of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to Slack’s online workplace productivity tools and platform, including the associated Slack mobile and desktop applications (collectively the “Services”), Slack.com and other Slack websites (collectively the “Websites”) and other interactions (e.g. customer service enquiries, user conferences, etc.) you may have with Slack. If you do not agree with the terms, do not access or use the Services, Websites or any other aspect of Slack’s business.

This Privacy Policy does not apply to any third-party applications or software that integrate with the Services through the Slack platform (“Third-Party Services”), or any other third-party products, services or businesses. In addition, a separate agreement governs delivery, access and use of the Services (the “Customer Agreement”), including the processing of any messages, files or other content submitted through Services accounts (collectively, “Customer Data”). The organisation (e.g., your employer or another entity or person) that entered into the Customer Agreement (“Customer”) controls its instance of the Services (its “Workspace”) and any associated Customer Data. If you have any questions about specific Workspace settings and privacy practices, please contact the Customer whose Workspace you use. If you have an account, you can check http://slack.com/account/team for contact information of your Workspace owner(s) and administrator(s). If you have received an invitation to join a Workspace but have not yet created an account, you should request assistance from the Customer that sent the invitation.

Information we collect and receive

Slack may collect and receive Customer Data and other information and data (“Other Information”) in a variety of ways:

  • Customer Data. Customers or individuals granted access to a Workspace by a Customer (“Authorised Users”) routinely submit Customer Data to Slack when using the Services.
  • Other Information. Slack also collects, generates and/or receives Other Information:
    1. Workspace and account information. To create or update a Workspace account, you or your Customer (e.g. your employer) supply Slack with an email address, phone number, password, domain and/or similar account details. For details on Workspace creation, click here. In addition, Customers that purchase a paid version of the Services provide Slack (or its payment processors) with billing details such as credit card information, banking information and/or a billing address.
    2. Usage information.
      • Services metadata. When an Authorised User interacts with the Services, metadata is generated that provides additional context about the way Authorised Users work. For example, Slack logs the Workspaces, channels, people, features, content and links you view or interact with, the types of files shared and what Third-Party Services are used (if any).
      • Log data. As with most websites and technology services delivered over the Internet, our servers automatically collect information when you access or use our Websites or Services and record it in log files. This log data may include the Internet Protocol (IP) address, the address of the web page visited before using the Website or Services, browser type and settings, the date and time the Services were used, information about browser configuration and plugins, language preferences and cookie data.
      • Device information. Slack collects information about devices accessing the Services, including type of device, what operating system is used, device settings, application IDs, unique device identifiers and crash data. Whether we collect some or all of this Other Information often depends on the type of device used and its settings.
      • Location information. We receive information from you, your Customer and other third-parties that helps us approximate your location. We may, for example, use a business address submitted by your employer or an IP address received from your browser or device to determine approximate location. Slack may also collect location information from devices in accordance with the consent process provided by your device.
    3. Cookie information. Slack uses cookies and similar technologies in our Websites and Services to help us collect Other Information. The Websites and Services may also include cookies and similar tracking technologies of third parties, which may collect Other Information about you via the Websites and Services and across other websites and online services. For more details about how we use these technologies and your opt-out opportunities and other options, please see our Cookie policy.
    4. Third-Party services. A Customer can choose to permit or restrict Third-Party Services for its Workspace. Typically, Third-Party Services are software that integrate with our Services and a Customer can permit its Authorised Users to enable and disable these integrations for its Workspace. Slack may also develop and offer Slack applications that connect the Services with a Third-Party Service. Once enabled, the provider of a Third-Party Service may share certain information with Slack. For example, if a cloud storage application is enabled to permit files to be imported to a Workspace, we may receive the user name and email address of Authorised Users, along with additional information that the application has elected to make available to Slack to facilitate the integration. Authorised Users should check the privacy settings and notices in these Third-Party Services to understand what data may be disclosed to Slack. When a Third-Party Service is enabled, Slack is authorised to connect and access Other Information made available to Slack in accordance with our agreement with the Third-Party Provider and any permission(s) granted by a Customer (including, by its Authorised User(s)). We do not, however, receive or store passwords for any of these Third-Party Services when connecting them to the Services. For more information on Third-Party Services, click here.
    5. Contact information. In accordance with the consent process provided by your device, any contact information that an Authorised User chooses to import (such as an address book from a device) is collected when using the Services.
    6. Third-party data. Slack may receive data about organisations, industries, lists of companies that are customers, website visitors, marketing campaigns and other matters related to our business from parent corporation(s), affiliates and subsidiaries, our partners or others that we use to make our own information better or more useful. This data may be combined with Other Information that we collect and might include aggregate-level data, such as which IP addresses correspond to postcodes or countries. Or it might be more specific: for example, how well an online marketing or email campaign performed.
    7. Additional information provided to Slack. We also receive Other Information when submitted to our Websites or in other ways, such as if you participate in a focus group, contest, activity or event, apply for a job, enrol in a certification programme or other educational programme hosted by Slack or a vendor, request support, interact with our social media accounts or otherwise communicate with Slack.

Generally, no one is under a statutory or contractual obligation to provide any Customer Data or Other Information (collectively “Information”). However, certain Information is collected automatically and if some Information, such as Workspace setup details, is not provided, we may be unable to provide the Services.

How we use information

Customer Data will be used by Slack in accordance with the Customer’s instructions, including any applicable terms in the Customer Agreement and the Customer’s use of Services functionality, and as required by applicable law. Slack is a Processor of Customer Data and the Customer is the Controller. The Customer may, for example, use the Services to grant and remove access to a Workspace, assign roles and configure settings, access, modify, export, share and remove Customer Data and otherwise apply its policies to the Services.

Slack uses Other Information in furtherance of our legitimate interests in operating our Services, Websites and business. More specifically, Slack uses Other Information:

  • To provide, update, maintain and protect our Services, Websites and business. This includes use of Other Information to support delivery of the Services under a Customer Agreement, prevent or address service errors, security or technical issues, analyse and monitor usage, trends and other activities or at an Authorised User’s request.
  • As required by applicable law, legal process or regulation.
  • To communicate with you by responding to your requests, comments and questions. If you contact us, we may use your Other Information to respond.
  • To develop and provide search, learning and productivity tools and additional features. Slack tries to make the Services as useful as possible for specific Workspaces and Authorised Users. For example, we may improve search functionality by using Other Information to help determine and rank the relevance of content, channels or expertise to an Authorised User, make Services or Third-Party Service suggestions based on historical use and predictive models, identify organisational trends and insights, customise a Services experience or create new productivity features and products.
  • To send emails and other communications. We may send you service, technical and other administrative emails, messages and other types of communications. We may also contact you to inform you about changes in our Services, our Services offerings and important Services-related notices, such as security and fraud notices. These communications are considered part of the Services and you may not opt out of them. In addition, we sometimes send emails about new product features, promotional communications or other news about Slack. These are marketing messages so you can control whether you receive them. If you have additional questions about a message you have received from Slack please get in touch through the contact mechanisms described below.
  • For billing, account management and other administrative matters. Slack may need to contact you for invoicing, account management and similar reasons and we use account data to administer accounts and keep track of billing and payments.
  • To investigate and help prevent security issues and abuse.

If Information is aggregated or de-identified so that it is no longer reasonably associated with an identified or identifiable natural person, Slack may use it for any business purpose. To the extent Information is associated with an identified or identifiable natural person and is protected as personal data under applicable data protection law, it is referred to in this Privacy Policy as “Personal Data”.

Data retention

Slack will retain Customer Data in accordance with a Customer’s instructions, including any applicable terms in the Customer Agreement and the Customer’s use of Services functionality, and as required by applicable law. Depending on the Services subscription, the Customer may be able to customise their retention settings and apply those customised settings at the workspace level, channel level or other level. The Customer may also apply different settings to messages, files or other types of Customer Data. The deletion of Customer Data and other use of the Services by the Customer may result in the deletion and/or de-identification of certain associated Other Information. For more detail, please review the Help Centre or contact the Customer. Slack may retain Other Information pertaining to you for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. This may include keeping your Other Information after you have deactivated your account for the period of time needed for Slack to pursue legitimate business interests, conduct audits, comply with (and demonstrate compliance with) legal obligations, resolve disputes and enforce our agreements.

How we share and disclose information

This section describes how Slack may share and disclose Information. Customers determine their own policies and practices for the sharing and disclosure of Information. Slack does not control how they or any other third parties choose to share or disclose Information.

  • The Customer’s instructions. Slack will solely share and disclose Customer Data in accordance with a Customer’s instructions, including any applicable terms in the Customer Agreement and the Customer’s use of Services functionality and in compliance with applicable law and legal process.
  • Displaying the Services. When an Authorised User submits Other Information, it may be displayed to other Authorised Users in the same or connected Workspaces. For example, an Authorised User’s email address may be displayed with their Workspace profile. Please consult the Help Centre for more information on Services functionality.
  • Collaborating with others. The Services provide different ways for Authorised Users working in independent Workspaces to collaborate, such as shared channels or email interoperability. Other Information, such as an Authorised User’s profile Information, may be shared, subject to the policies and practices of the other Workspace(s).
  • Customer access. Owners, administrators, Authorised Users and other Customer representatives and personnel may be able to access, modify, or restrict access to Other Information. This may include, for example, your employer using Service features to export logs of Workspace activity, or accessing or modifying your profile details. For information about your Workspace settings, please see https://slack.com/account/settings.
  • Third-Party service providers and partners. We may engage Third-Party companies or individuals as service providers or business partners to process Other Information and support our business. These third parties may, for example, provide virtual computing and storage services or we may share business information to develop strategic partnerships with Third-Party Service providers to support our common customers. Additional information about the subprocessors we use to support delivery of our Services is set out at Slack subprocessors.
  • Third-Party Services. The Customer may enable or permit Authorised Users to enable Third-Party Services. We require each Third-Party Service to disclose all permissions for information access in the Services, but we do not guarantee that they do so. When enabled, Slack may share Other Information with Third-Party Services. Third-Party Services are not owned or controlled by Slack and third parties that have been granted access to Other Information may have their own policies and practices for its collection, use and sharing. Please check the permissions, privacy settings and notices for these Third-Party Services or contact the provider for any questions.
  • Corporate affiliates. Slack may share Other Information with its corporate affiliates, parents and/or subsidiaries.
  • During a change to Slack’s business. If Slack engages in a merger, acquisition, bankruptcy, dissolution, reorganisation, sale of some or all of Slack’s assets or stock, financing, public offering of securities, acquisition of all or a portion of our business, a similar transaction or proceeding or steps in contemplation of such activities, some or all Other Information may be shared or transferred, subject to standard confidentiality arrangements.
  • Aggregated or deidentified Data. We may disclose or use aggregated or deidentified Other Information for any purpose. For example, we may share aggregated or deidentified Other Information with prospects or partners for business or research purposes, such as telling a prospective Slack customer the average amount of time spent within a typical Workspace.
  • To comply with laws. If we receive a request for information, we may disclose Other Information if we reasonably believe disclosure is in accordance with or required by any applicable law, regulation or legal process. Please see the Data request policy to understand how Slack responds to requests to disclose data from government agencies and other sources.
  • To enforce our rights, prevent fraud and for safety. To protect and defend the rights, property or safety of Slack or third parties, including enforcing contracts or policies, or in connection with investigating and preventing fraud or security issues.
  • With consent. Slack may share Other Information with third parties when we have consent to do so.

Security

Slack takes security of data very seriously. Slack works hard to protect Other Information you provide from loss, misuse and unauthorised access or disclosure. These steps take into account the sensitivity of the Other Information we collect, process and store and the current state of technology. Slack has received internationally recognised security certifications. To learn more about current practices and policies regarding security and confidentiality of the Services, please see our Security practices. Given the nature of communications and information processing technology, Slack cannot guarantee that Information during transmission through the Internet or while stored on our systems or otherwise in our care will be absolutely safe from intrusion by others. When you click a link to a third-party site, you will be leaving our site and we don’t control or endorse what is on third-party sites.

Age limitations

To the extent prohibited by applicable law, Slack does not allow use of our Services and Websites by anyone younger than 16 years old. If you learn that anyone younger than 16 has unlawfully provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will take steps to delete such information.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

Slack may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. Laws, regulations and industry standards evolve, which may make those changes necessary, or we may make changes to our services or business. We will post the changes to this page and encourage you to review our Privacy Policy to stay informed. If we make changes that materially alter your privacy rights, Slack will provide additional notice, such as via email or through the Services. If you disagree with the changes to this Privacy Policy, you should deactivate your Services account. Contact the Customer if you wish to request the removal of Personal Data under their control.

International data transfers

Slack may transfer your Personal Data to countries other than the one in which you live. We deploy the following safeguards if Slack transfers Personal Data from jurisdictions with differing data protection laws:

  • EU-US Privacy Shield and Swiss-US Privacy Shield. To comply with European Union and Swiss data protection laws, Slack Technologies, Inc. (“Slack US”) self-certified under the E.U.-U.S. Privacy Shield and the Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield. These frameworks were developed to enable companies to comply with data protection requirements when transferring personal data from the European Union and Switzerland to the United States. For more information, including the types of Information covered, see Slack US’s Privacy Shield Notice. To learn more about the Privacy Shield Program, please see http://www.privacyshield.gov/welcome. Once the United Kingdom is no longer a Member State of the European Union, Slack US will comply with the E.U.- U.S. Privacy Shield in respect of the collection, use and retention of personal data transferred from the United Kingdom to the United States in reliance on the E.U. – U.S. Privacy Shield, or any successor framework between the U.S. and the U.K.
  • European Union Model Clauses. Slack offers European Union Model Clauses, also known as Standard Contractual Clauses, to meet the adequacy and security requirements for our Customers that operate in the European Union and the United Kingdom and other international transfers of Customer Data. A copy of our standard data processing addendum, incorporating Model Clauses, is available here.
  • Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Cross-Border Privacy Rules System and Privacy Recognition For Processors. Slack’s privacy practices, described in this Privacy Policy, comply with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (“APEC”) Cross Border Privacy Rules (“CBPR”) system and the Privacy Recognition for Processors (“PRP”). The APEC CBPR system provides a framework for organisations to ensure protection of personal information transferred among participating APEC economies and the PRP demonstrates an organisation’s ability to provide effective implementation of a personal information controller’s privacy obligations related to the processing of personal information. More information about the APEC framework can be found here.

    If you have an unresolved privacy or data use concern related to our APEC CBPR or PRP certifications that we have not addressed satisfactorily, you can contact our third-party dispute resolution provider.
    TRUSTeTRUSTe

Data Protection Officer

To communicate with our Data Protection Officer, please email dpo@slack.com.

Identifying the Data Controller and Processor

Data protection law in certain jurisdictions differentiates between the “Controller” and “Processor” of information. In general, the Customer is the Controller of Customer Data. In general, Slack is the Processor of Customer Data and the Controller of Other Information. Different Slack entities provide the Services in different parts of the world. Slack Technologies Limited, an Irish company based in Dublin, Ireland, is the Controller of Other Information and a Processor of Customer Data relating to Authorised Users who use Workspaces established for Customers outside of the US and Canada. Slack Technologies, Inc., a US company based in San Francisco, California is the Controller of Other Information and a Processor of Customer Data relating to Authorised Users who use Workspaces established for Customers in the US and Canada.

Your rights

Individuals located in certain countries, including the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom, have certain statutory rights in relation to their personal data. Subject to any exemptions provided by law, you may have the right to request access to Information, as well as to seek to update, delete or correct this Information. You can usually do this using the settings and tools provided in your Services account. If you cannot use the settings and tools, contact the Customer who controls your workspace for additional access and assistance. Please check https://slack.com/account/settings for Customer contact information.

To the extent that Slack’s processing of your Personal Data is subject to the General Data Protection Regulation (or applicable laws covering the processing of Personal Data in the United Kingdom), Slack relies on its legitimate interests, described above, to process your data. Slack may also process Other Information that constitutes your Personal Data for direct marketing purposes and you have a right to object to Slack’s use of your Personal Data for this purpose at any time.

Your California privacy rights

This section provides additional details about the personal information we collect about California consumers and the rights afforded to them under the California Consumer Privacy Act or “CCPA”.

For more details about the personal information we have collected over the last 12 months, including the categories of sources, please see the Information we collect and receive section above. We collect this information for the business and commercial purposes described in the How we use information section above. We share this information with the categories of third parties described in the How we share and disclose information section above. Slack does not sell (as the term is defined in the CCPA) the personal information we collect (and will not sell it without providing a right to opt out). Please note that we do use third-party cookies for our advertising purposes as further described in our Cookie policy.

Subject to certain limitations, the CCPA provides California consumers the right to request to know more details about the categories or specific pieces of personal information we collect (including how we use and disclose this information), to delete their personal information, to opt out of any “sales” that may be occurring and to not be discriminated against for exercising these rights.

California consumers may make a request pursuant to their rights under the CCPA by contacting us at privacy@slack.com. We will verify your request using the information associated with your account, including email address. Government identification may be required. Consumers can also designate an authorised agent to exercise these rights on their behalf.

Data Protection Authority

Subject to applicable law, you also have the right to (i) restrict Slack’s use of Other Information that constitutes your Personal Data and (ii) lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority or the Irish Data Protection Commissioner, which is Slack’s lead supervisory authority in the European Union. If you are a resident of the European Economic Area and believe we maintain your Personal Data within the scope of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you may direct questions or complaints to our lead supervisory authority:

Irish Data Protection Commissioner
Office of the Data Protection Commissioner
Canal House, Station Road, Portarlington, Co. Laois, R32 AP23, Ireland
Phone: +353 57 868 4757
Fax: +353 57 868 4757
Email: info@dataprotection.ie

Once the United Kingdom is no longer a Member State of the European Union, if you are a resident of the United Kingdom and believe we maintain your Personal Data within the scope of the applicable laws relating to personal data in the United Kingdom, you can direct questions or complaints to the UK supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Contacting Slack

Please also feel free to contact Slack if you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or Slack’s practices or if you are seeking to exercise any of your statutory rights. Slack will respond within a reasonable timeframe. You can contact us at privacy@slack.com or at our postal address below:

For Customers and Authorised Users who use Workspaces established for Customers in the US and Canada:

Slack Technologies, Inc.
500 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
United States

or

For Customers and Authorised Users who use Workspaces established for Customers outside the US and Canada:

Slack Technologies Limited
4th Floor, One Park Place
Hatch Street Upper
Dublin 2, Ireland