Privacy Statement
Last updated December 23, 2022
Quantum Accounting Inc. (“Quantum Accounting”) is dedicated to protecting the confidentiality and privacy of information entrusted to it. As part of this fundamental obligation, Quantum Accounting is committed to the appropriate protection and use of personal information (sometimes referred to as "personally identifiable information" or "PII") that has been collected by or provided to us through any of our websites, web-based and mobile applications, meetings and events (in-person and virtual), marketing materials and content and services that link to, post or otherwise refer to this Privacy Statement (collectively, “Activities”).
Please review this Privacy Statement to learn more about how we collect, use, share and protect the personal information that we have obtained. By engaging in Activities (e.g., using online services or visiting a Quantum Accounting office), you consent to the collection and processing of your personal information as set forth in this Privacy Statement.
1. Collection and Use of Personal Information
We collect the personal information that you provide when you engage in any Activities. For example, when you register for a service or attend an event, we may collect basic information about you such as your name, username, password, email address, mailing address, phone number, date of birth, and other personal and business demographic or contact information. You may also provide us with certain employment information in connection with an application for employment with Quantum Accounting. In some cases, you may have previously provided your personal information to Quantum Accounting (e.g., if you are a Quantum Accounting employee).
We use the personal information we collect (including through the automatic collection of personal information, as described in Section 1.1) to: enable you to engage in Activities; provide you with web-based and mobile applications; communicate with you; provide you with information about Quantum Accounting’s products and services; comply with applicable laws, regulations and/or professional standards, including for auditor independence, anti-money laundering and know-your-client checks; operate, maintain and enhance any of our Activities; and fulfill your specific requests. For example, if you send us an email message requesting information about Quantum Accounting, we will use your email address and other personal information you supply to respond to your request. If you send us a resume or curriculum vitae to apply online for a position with Quantum Accounting, we will use the personal information that you provide to match you with available Quantum Accounting job opportunities. Your personal information is used only for the purposes described in this Privacy Statement, unless we (i) obtain your express permission, (ii) provide an additional privacy notice, or (iii) as otherwise required or permitted by law or professional standards.
In some cases where you have registered for certain activities we may store your personal information temporarily until we receive confirmation of the information you provided via an email (i.e., where we send an email message to the email address provided as part of your registration to confirm a subscription request). Please note that your rights for any particular request, product or service will be determined by the notice provided with such request, product or service, and in the event of a conflict between this notice and that notice, the specific notice provided with the request, product or service shall control.
Quantum Accounting only collects sensitive personal information when (i) you voluntarily provide us with this information, (ii) you expressly permit us to use this information, or (iii) such information is required or permitted to be collected by law or professional standards. Sensitive personal information includes personal information regarding a person's race, ethnicity, political beliefs, trade union membership, religious or similar beliefs, physical or mental health, sexual orientation or criminal record. Please use your discretion when providing sensitive personal information to Quantum Accounting or permitting Quantum Accounting to use such sensitive personal information. Do not provide sensitive personal information to Quantum Accounting or permit Quantum Accounting to use such sensitive personal information, unless you consent to (i) Quantum Accounting's use of that sensitive personal information for its business purposes, and (ii) the transfer and storage of that sensitive personal information to and in Quantum Accounting systems.
1.1 Automatic collection of personal information
In some instances, we and our third-party providers use cookies, web beacons, wayfinding technology, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Global Positioning System (“GPS”) technology and other technologies (including other location-based technologies) to automatically collect certain types of personal information when you engage in our Activities (e.g., our web-based or mobile applications), as well as through email messages that we may exchange or through collaboration platforms. The collection of this personal information allows us to: customize your online experience; improve the performance, usability and effectiveness of Quantum Accounting's Activities; advertise and market our Activities; measure the effectiveness of our Activities; and generate and analyze statistics about your use of or engagement in our Activities.
1.1.1 IP addresses
An Internet Protocol (“IP”) address is a number assigned to your Internet-enabled device (including computers and mobile devices) whenever you access the Internet. It allows computers and servers to recognize and communicate with one another. IP addresses from which visitors appear to originate may be recorded for Quantum Accounting’s IT security and system diagnostic purposes. This information may also be used to maintain and improve our Activities and to generate and analyze statistics about the Activities and your engagement in them.
1.1.2 Cookies
Cookies may be placed on your Internet-enabled device whenever you engage in our online Activities. This allows our websites, applications or collaboration platforms to remember your device and serves several purposes.
For some of our online Activities, a notification banner will appear requiring your consent to collect cookies. If you do not provide consent, your device will not be tracked for marketing-related activities. A secondary type of cookie referred to as "user-input" cookies may still be required for necessary functionality. Such cookies will not be blocked using this notification banner. Your selection will be saved in a cookie and is valid for a period of 90 days. If you wish to revoke your selection, you may do so by clearing your web browser's cookies.
Although most web browsers automatically accept cookies, you may be able to choose whether to accept cookies via your web browser's settings. You may also be able to delete cookies from your device. However, please be aware that if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to fully experience some of the features of our online Activities.
Below is a list of the types of cookies used as part of our online Activities:
PurposeDescriptionType & Expiry
Performance (i.e., User's Browser)Our online Activities are built using common Internet platforms. These have built-in cookies which help compatibility issues (e.g., to identify your browser type) and improve performance (e.g., quicker loading of content).SessionDeleted upon closing the browser
Security (e.g. Asp .NET) CookiesIf you register for access to a restricted area, our cookies ensure that your device is logged for the duration of your visit. You will need your username and password to access the restricted areas.SessionDeleted upon closing the browser
Site PreferencesOur cookies may also remember your site preferences (e.g., language) or seek to enhance your experience (e.g., by personalizing a greeting or content). This will apply to areas where you have registered specifically for access or create an account.Persistent, but will delete automatically after one (1) year if you no longer engage in our online Activities.
AnalyticalWe use several third-party analytics tools to help us understand how site visitors use our web site. This allows us to improve the quality and content on japanbusinessconcierge.com for our visitors. The aggregated statistical data cover items such as total visits or page views, and referrers to our web sites. Further details on our use of Google Analytics are described in Section 1.1.4.Persistent, but will delete automatically after two (2) years if you no longer engage in our online Activities.
Site visitor feedbackWe use a third-party survey tool to invite a percentage of visitors to provide their feedback. Cookies are used to prevent visitors from being invited multiple times. The first cookie (1) is set if the visitor is not invited to participate in the survey, and is used to ensure visitors are not invited after their first page view. The second cookie (2) is set if the visitor is invited to participate in the survey, and is used to ensure the visitor is not invited again to participate for a period of 90 days.1. SessionDeleted upon closing the browser2. PersistentDeleted automatically after 90 days or presenting survey invite.
Social sharingWe use third party social media widgets or buttons to provide you with additional functionality to share content from our online Activities to social media platforms and email. Use of these widgets or buttons may place a cookie on your device to make their service easier to use, ensure your interaction is displayed webpages (e.g. the social share count cache is updated) and log information about your activities across the Internet and on our online Activities. We encourage you to review each provider's privacy information before using any such service. Further details on our use of social media widgets and applications are described in Section 1.2.Persistent, but will be deleted automatically after two years if you no longer engage in our online Activities
Other third-party tools and widgets may be used on our individual websites or portions of certain online Activities to provide additional functionality. Depending on how you set your preferences in your browser and/or the cookie banner, use of these tools or widgets may place a cookie on your device to make their service easier to use and ensure your interaction is displayed properly.
Cookies by themselves do not tell us your personal information or otherwise identify you personally.
BY ACCESSING, USING, OR ENGAGING IN OUR ONLINE ACTIVITIES, OR ENTERING YOUR LOGIN DETAILS TO ACCESS AREAS RESERVED FOR REGISTERED USERS, YOU AGREE THAT WE, OR A THIRD PARTY ACTING ON OUR BEHALF, CAN PLACE THESE COOKIES ON YOUR INTERNET-ENABLED DEVICE.
1.1.3 Do Not Track
Our online Activities may not recognize web browser based “Do Not Track” signals. However, as discussed in Section 1.1.2, you may be able to modify your Internet-enabled device’s web browser settings to block all cookies, or to block “third-party” cookies. Cookies that we set on our online Activities are considered “first-party” cookies. Details on your ability to restrict or change the personal information that we may collect about you are listed below under the following sections of this Privacy Statement: Choice (Section 3), and Access (Section 4).
1.1.4 Usage Analytics
Quantum Accounting uses third-party usage analytics tools as part of our online Activities, including Google Analytics, which may be subject to separate privacy policies. More information about how Google Analytics is used by Quantum Accounting can be found here: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.
To provide website visitors with more choice on how their data is collected by Google Analytics, Google has developed the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. The add-on communicates with the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js) to indicate that information about the website visit should not be sent to Google Analytics. The Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on does not prevent information from being sent to us or to other web analytics services.
1.1.5 Web beacons
A web beacon is a small image file on a web page that can be used to collect certain information from your Internet-enabled device, such as an IP address, the time the content was viewed, a web browser type, and the existence of cookies previously set by the same server. Quantum Accounting only uses web beacons in accordance with applicable laws.
Quantum Accounting or its third-party providers may use web beacons to track the effectiveness of third-party websites that provide us with recruiting or marketing services or to gather aggregate visitor statistics and manage cookies.
You have the option to render some web beacons unusable by rejecting their associated cookies. The web beacon may still record an anonymous visit from your IP address, but cookie information will not be recorded.
In some of our online Activities (e.g., newsletters and other communications), we and third-party providers operating on our behalf, may monitor recipient actions such as email open rates through embedded links within the messages. We collect this information to gauge user interest and to maintain and improve our online Activities and such third-parties’ services.
Please be aware that if you opt to render some web beacons unusable, you may not be able to fully experience some of the features of our online Activities.
1.1.6 Location-based tools
Quantum Accounting and its service providers may collect and use the geographical location of your Internet-enabled device (e.g., via tracking beacons, Bluetooth or GPS) in connection with certain Activities, but only with your express permission. With respect to the collection of precise information about the location of your device, once you have consented to the collection you may adjust or withdraw this permission at any time by managing your “Location Services” preferences through your device’s settings. This location data is collected for the purpose of providing you with information regarding our Activities, products and services which we believe may be of interest to you based on your geographic location, and to improve our location-based Activities, responses to requests, products and services.
Please be aware that if you opt to exercise your right to alter, or altogether turn off, location-based services on your device, you may not be able to fully experience some of the features of our Activities.
1.2 Social media widgets and applications
Our online Activities may include functionality to enable sharing via third party social media platforms (e.g., Twitter and LinkedIn), or allow you to use your social media platform credentials to log into and access our online Activities. These social media platforms may collect and use personal information regarding your use of our online Activities (see details on “Social Sharing” cookies discussed in Section 1.1.2). Please be aware that certain personal information that you provide via such social media platforms may be collected and used by the social media platform provider and such interactions are governed by the privacy policies of those providers. We do not have control over, or responsibility for, those companies, or their use of your personal information. If you do not agree to such social media platform terms or privacy policy, do not use such social media platforms.
In addition, our online Activities may feature blogs, forums, crowd-sourcing and other applications or services (collectively, “Social Media Features”). The purpose of Social Media Features is to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and content. Any personal information that you provide on any Quantum Accounting Social Media Feature may be shared with other users of that Social Media Feature (unless otherwise stated at the point of collection), over whom we may have limited or no control.
1.3 Children
Quantum Accounting understands the importance of protecting children's privacy, especially in an online environment. Our Activities are not intentionally designed for or directed at children under the age of 13. It is our policy never to knowingly collect or maintain personal information about anyone under the age of 13, except as part of an engagement to provide professional services.
2. Sharing and transfer of Personal Information
We do not share personal information with unaffiliated third parties, except as stated in this Privacy Statement, including as necessary for our legitimate professional and business needs, to carry out your requests, to allow you to engage in our Activities, and to market our products or services, including in coordination with other service providers for joint-marketing purposes, as required or permitted by law or professional standards, or otherwise with your permission.
In some instances, Quantum Accounting may share personal information about you with various third-party providers working on our behalf. Quantum Accounting requires these entities to safeguard personal information in the same manner as Quantum Accounting.
Quantum Accounting may also disclose personal information in order to respond to lawful requests of government or law enforcement agencies, including to meet national security or law enforcement requirements or where disclosure is required by applicable laws, court orders, government regulations, or professional rules. In the event, that the ownership of Quantum Accounting or an affiliate or their assets changes as the result of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, information owned or controlled by Quantum Accounting may be transferred to another company. Information may also be shared in connection with the consideration, negotiation or completion of a corporate transaction in which we are acquired by or merged with another company or we sell, liquidate, assign or transfer all or a portion of our assets. These disclosures may also be needed for data privacy or security audits and/or to investigate or respond to a complaint or security threat.
Quantum Accounting does not sell personal information to third parties. Quantum Accounting and our third-party providers may use personal information in an anonymized form for research and development. This data does not identify you individually, but rather helps to identify trends in user preferences and behaviors. In addition, we may share de-identified reports on user demographics and traffic patterns, as well as de-identified information, with third parties.
Cross-Border Collection and Transfer. We may directly collect personal information from or about you if you are in a jurisdiction other than Japan. to provide you with services associated with the Activities. Similarly, if you are in Japan., we may transfer outside of Japan. the information we collect from or about you outside of Japan. Regardless of where you are, we may transfer certain personal information across geographical borders to various third party providers working on our behalf, or we may receive personal information in Japan or an unaffiliated third party. Quantum Accounting may also store personal information in a jurisdiction other than where you are based, and such jurisdiction may not provide the same level of protection for your personal information as your home country. By providing your personal information to Quantum Accounting you understand that your personal information may be collected, transferred and/or stored in a jurisdiction other than your home country. Your personal information will only be transferred if appropriate or suitable safeguards are in place.
3. Choices
We may require you to provide certain personal information in order to receive additional information about our Activities. Quantum Accounting may also ask for your permission for certain uses of your personal information, and you can agree to or decline those uses. If you opt-in for particular Activities (e.g., an online newsletter), you will be able to unsubscribe at any time by following the instructions included in each communication. If you decide to unsubscribe from an Activity, we will try to remove your personal information promptly, although we may require additional information or confirmation before we can process your request.
As described in Section 1.1.2, if you wish to prevent cookies from tracking you as you engage in our online Activities, you may be able to do so by changing your web browser settings on your Internet-enabled device. Note, however, that some portions of our online Activities may not work properly if you elect to refuse cookies.
4. Data Privacy Requests
If you have submitted your personal information to Quantum Accounting, you may have the right to request, under applicable law, that Quantum Accounting provide you with reasonable access to your personal information, update or correct any inaccuracies in your personal information, or delete your personal information, and, in any such event, Quantum Accounting will make all reasonable and practical efforts to comply with your request, so long as our doing so would be consistent with applicable law, Quantum Accounting’s contractual requirements, and/or the professional standards applicable to Quantum Accounting.
To make a Data Privacy Request, please contact us by:
-
Submitting a request through our webform; or
-
Calling at +81-3-6432-4700.
5. Data security and integrity
Quantum Accounting has and requires its service providers to have security policies and procedures in place to help protect personal information from unauthorized loss, misuse, alteration or destruction. Despite Quantum Accounting’s efforts, however, security cannot be guaranteed against all threats. We seek to limit access to your personal information to those who have a need to know and require those individuals to maintain the confidentiality of such information. We also make efforts to retain personal information only for so long as the information is needed for our professional, marketing or analytic purposes or to comply with legal requirements, professional standards or an individual’s request, or until that person asks that the information be deleted.
6. Additional Non-Japan Data Subject Notices
Quantum Accounting provides our Activities in Japan and does not direct such activities to data subjects that are located outside of Japan. However, in certain circumstances, we do interact with or collect personal information about data subjects outside of Japan. In such circumstances, we typically collect personal information from data subjects outside of Japan. through a direct collection of that information via our Activities. However, in some circumstances, personal information may be transferred to us from a Quantum Accounting member or an unaffiliated third party outside of Japan. Where this applies, we typically receive your personal information because it is necessary to perform a contract or pre-contractual measures with you or because of our legitimate interests. If we receive personal information transferred by a Quantum Accounting member or an unaffiliated third party, it would typically be pursuant to the appropriate foreign regulator-approved standard contractual clauses or based on another lawful basis.
7. Links to Other Sites
Please be aware that our Activities may contain links or refer you to other websites, applications, social media platforms, collaboration platforms, products and services maintained by Quantum Accounting or by unaffiliated third parties (collectively, “Other Sites”). Other Sites are not governed by this Privacy Statement, but by other privacy statements that may differ. Quantum Accounting is not responsible for the content or practices of these Other Sites. We encourage users to review the applicable privacy policies of these Other Sites visited before disclosing any personal information.
8. Changes to This Privacy Statement
Quantum Accounting may modify this Privacy Statement from time to time to reflect our current privacy practices. When we make changes to this statement, we will revise the "updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to periodically review this Privacy Statement to be informed about how Quantum Accounting is protecting your personal information. Your continued use after each such update is your consent to such updated terms.
9. Questions and Comments
Quantum Accounting is committed to protecting the privacy of your personal information. If you have questions or comments about our administration of your personal information, please contact us by email at CONTACT US. You may also contact us to communicate any concerns you may have regarding compliance with this Privacy Statement.