Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Ikrar Counsel ("we", "us", "our") is committed to handling personal data responsibly and in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (Malaysia) ("PDPA"). This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, store, and protect personal data obtained in connection with our notarial and commissioner for oaths services and through use of our website at ikrarcou.live.

For questions about this policy, please contact us at [email protected].

2. Data We Collect

We collect personal data in the following ways:

• Appointment enquiries and forms: name, email address, telephone number, document type, and any information you choose to provide in the message field.
• Engagement records: identity documents (MyKad, passport) inspected at attendance as required for attestation purposes; the name and content of documents attested; register entries required by law.
• Website usage: standard web server logs, including IP addresses, browser type, and pages visited, where analytics cookies are accepted.

We do not collect sensitive personal data such as financial account numbers, health information, or biometric data in the ordinary course of our practice.

3. How We Use Your Data

Personal data is used for the following purposes:

• To respond to appointment enquiries and schedule appointments.
• To conduct and record attestation engagements in compliance with applicable rules.
• To coordinate Ministry of Foreign Affairs attestation, consular legalisation, and apostille applications where the engagement requires it.
• To communicate with clients regarding their engagement, including sending preparatory notes and progress updates.
• To maintain register entries as required by the Commissioner for Oaths Rules 1993 and applicable notarial rules.
• To improve the usability of our website (where analytics cookies are accepted).

We do not use personal data for marketing communications without consent, and we do not sell or share personal data with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process personal data on the following bases under the PDPA:

• Consent: for website contact form submissions and non-essential cookie usage.
• Contractual necessity: to carry out the engagement you have requested, including document review, attestation, and coordination of legalisation steps.
• Legal obligation: to maintain register entries and conduct identity verification as required by the Commissioner for Oaths Rules 1993 and applicable notarial rules.
• Legitimate interests: to operate and improve our website and practice management systems.

5. Data Retention

Register entries required by law are retained for the period specified by the applicable rules or indefinitely where no specific period is prescribed, as these entries may be required to verify the authenticity of an attested document at a future date.

Correspondence and engagement records relating to a completed matter are retained for a period of seven (7) years from the date of completion, after which they are securely disposed of unless a longer retention period is required by applicable law.

Website analytics data, where collected, is retained for a maximum of 26 months.

6. Data Security

We implement reasonable organisational and technical measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or loss. These include:

• Access controls limiting engagement records to the relevant practitioners and support staff.
• Secure storage of physical register books and paper documents.
• TLS encryption for data transmitted via the website contact form.
• Regular review of data handling procedures.

In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and the relevant authority as required by applicable law.

7. Cookies

Our website uses essential cookies for basic functionality and optional analytics cookies to understand how visitors use the site. For detailed information on the cookies we use, please refer to our Cookie Policy.

8. Third-Party Services

We may share personal data with the following categories of third parties, strictly for the purpose of completing your engagement:

• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Malaysia) and consular officers, for attestation and legalisation purposes.
• The relevant authority for apostille certification under the Hague Convention.
• Courier or document delivery services, where a completed pack is to be dispatched.

We use Google Analytics for website usage analysis where analytics cookies are accepted. Google's privacy practices are described at policies.google.com/privacy.

9. Your Rights Under the PDPA

Under the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (Malaysia), you have the right to:

• Request access to personal data we hold about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate personal data.
• Withdraw consent to processing based on consent (noting that withdrawal does not affect processing carried out before withdrawal).
• Lodge a complaint with the Personal Data Protection Commissioner (Malaysia).

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within the timeframes prescribed by the PDPA.

Please note that register entries made pursuant to a legal obligation cannot be erased, as these form part of a legally required public record.

10. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal data.

11. Children

Our services are directed at individuals aged 18 and above. We do not knowingly collect personal data from persons under 18. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such data, please contact us and we will take appropriate steps.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Where changes are material, we will note the revised effective date at the top of this page. Continued use of our website or services after any update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

13. Contact

For privacy-related enquiries or to exercise your rights:

Ikrar Counsel
15B, Jalan Dato Onn, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
[email protected]
+60 3-4826 3175