Data Privacy Addendum

(Updated: January 1, 2024)

This DPA amends the Agreement between WP Engine and Customer and addresses the rights and obligations of the parties with respect to data privacy under Applicable Law, including when GDPR or UK GDPR applies to WP Engine’s provision of the Services for Customer’s use. WP Engine and Customer agree that Customer is the Controller of Personal Data (as defined below). Updates to this DPA will be made in accordance with the Terms of Service located at https://wpengine.com/legal/terms-of-service/.

Definitions. Capitalized terms which are not defined herein shall have the meaning provided in the Agreement. In addition, the following defined terms apply solely with respect to this DPA.
1. “Adequacy Decision” means a formal decision adopted by the European Union or United Kingdom which recognizes that another country, territory, sector or organization provides an equivalent level of protection for Personal Data.
2. “Applicable Law” means any statute, regulation, executive order, and other rule or rules issued by a government office or agency that have binding legal force and are applicable to Personal Data and the provisioning of the Services, including GDPR, UK GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018, California Privacy Laws, and the state and federal laws of the United States.
3. “Controller” means the definition given to it in Applicable Law or, if not defined therein, the GDPR.
4. “California Privacy Laws” means the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 and California Privacy Rights Act of 2023.
5. “Data Protection Supervisory Authority” means any regulatory authority responsible for the enforcement, regulation or governance of any Applicable Law and any replacement or successor body or person for any such authority from time to time.
6. “Data Subject” means an identified or identifiable natural person whose rights are protected by GDPR or a “Consumer” as defined under California Privacy Laws.
7. “GDPR” means Regulation 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016.) 2021/914 of 4 June 2021, together with Annexes I, II, and III, collectively attached hereto as Annex A.
8. “Personal Data” means any information about a natural person that is identified or identifiable to the natural person, either alone or in combination with other information, that WP Engine will Process or have access to as part of providing the Services, including any such information that is created by means of the Services. Personal Data includes “personal data” as that term is defined under GDPR and “personal information” as defined under California Privacy Laws.
9. “Process,” when used with respect to Personal Data, means: (i) to record, store, organize, structure, analyze, query, modify, combine, encrypt, display, disclose, transmit, receive, render unusable, or destroy, by automated means or otherwise; (ii) to provide cloud or other remote technology hosting services for applications or services that do any of the foregoing; and (iii) any other use or activity that is defined or understood to be processing under Applicable Law.
10. “Processor” means the definition given to it in Applicable Law or, if not defined therein, the GDPR.
11. “Restricted Transfer” means a transfer of Personal Data which is undergoing Processing or which is intended to be Processed after transfer, to a country or territory to which such transfer is prohibited or subject to a requirement to take additional steps to adequately protect the Personal Data for the transfer to be lawful under Applicable Law.
12. “Security Event” means a breach of WP Engine’s security leading to any of the following: (i) unauthorized Processing or other use or disclosure of Personal Data; (ii) unauthorized access to or acquisition of Personal Data or the systems on which Personal Data is Processed; (ii) any significant corruption or loss of Personal Data that WP Engine is unable to repair within a minimal period of time; and (iii) any event that has or is reasonably likely to significantly disrupt the Processing of the Personal Data as part of the Services, but not including any routine, unsuccessful events such as pings, port scans, blocked malware, failed log in attempts, or denial of service attacks.
13. “SCCs” means: (i) for Personal Data of residents in the European Economic Area, the standard contractual clauses for the transfer of Personal Data from controllers to processors established in third countries outside of the European Union, pursuant to the European Commission’s EU Standard Contractual Clauses (Module 2 Controller to Processor) annexed to the European Commission’s Decision (EU 2021/914 of 4 June 2021 , together with Annexes I, II, and III, collectively attached hereto as Annex A.
14. “Sub-Processor” means any Processor engaged by us to assist in fulfilling our obligations with respect to provisioning the Services under the Agreement.
15. “UK Addendum” means for Personal Data of residents in the United Kingdom, the International Data Transfer Addendum to the SCCs as may be amended, superseded or replaced from time to time.
16. “UK GDPR” means General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 as it forms part of the law of England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland by virtue of section 3 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended by the Data Protection, Privacy and Electronic Communications (Amendments etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019).
Confidential Information. The Personal Data that WP Engine Processes as part of the Services is your Confidential Information and is subject to our confidentiality commitments in the Agreement. Any individual authorized to Process Personal Data on your behalf is subject to confidentiality obligations or is under an appropriate statutory obligation of confidentiality.
Use and Disclosure. We will not use, disclose, or Process the Personal Data except as permitted by the Agreement or your other written instructions, or strictly necessary for our internal administrative purposes related to the provision of our Services, or as required by Applicable Law. We will make available to you a list of any Sub-Processors we use in compliance with Applicable Law and you authorize us to engage the Sub-Processors listed in Annex III and on our website which may be updated from time to time. We will inform you of any intended changes concerning the addition or replacement of Sub-Processors, thereby giving you the opportunity to object to such changes in writing promptly and within thirty (30) business days. We will require any Sub-Processors to contractually agree to terms at least as protective of your Personal Data as those stated in this DPA and the Agreement and we will remain liable to you for performance of the Sub-Processor’s obligations.
Compliance with Applicable Law. Each party will comply with Applicable Law as it relates to such party’s performance under the Agreement.
Notice of Request from Data Subject. When we receive a request from a Data Subject to disclose, provide a copy, modify, block, or take any other action with respect to Personal Data pertaining to the Data Subject, and where you are identified as the Controller of such Data Subject’s data, unless notice is prohibited by Applicable Law; and, except to the extent required by Applicable Law, we will not independently take any action in response to a request from a Data Subject without your prior written instruction. We will cooperate with your reasonable requests for access to Personal Data and other information and assistance as necessary to respond to a request or complaint by a Data Subject.
In the Event of an Actual Security Event. In the event of a discovered Security Event, WP Engine shall provide notice without undue delay to Customer’s technical and account contacts using those means established for routine account-related communications (or other such method of notice as agreed between us). Our notice shall include the following information to the extent it is reasonably available to WP Engine at the time of the notice, and WP Engine shall update its notice as additional information becomes reasonably available: (i) the dates and times of the Security Event; (ii) the facts that underlie the discovery of the Security Event, or the decision to begin an investigation into a Security Event, as applicable; (iii) a description of the Personal Data involved in the Security Event, either specifically, or by reference to the data set(s), and (iv) the measures planned or underway to remedy or mitigate the vulnerability giving rise to the Security Event. We will take those measures available, including measures reasonably requested by you, to address a vulnerability giving rise to a successful Security Event, both to mitigate the harm resulting from the Security Event and to prevent similar occurrences in the future. We will cooperate with your reasonable requests in connection with the investigation and analysis of the Security Event, including a request to use a third-party investigation and forensics service. WP Engine shall retain information that it identifies as possibly constituting evidence in a legal action arising from the Security Event and shall provide the information to you upon your request. Except to the extent required by law in the written and reasonable opinion of WP Engine’s legal counsel, or as reasonably required by our investigation of the Security Event or our other contractual obligations, we will not disclose to any third party the existence of a Security Event or any related investigation without Customer’s prior written consent.
Your Representations with Regard to Personal Data You Disclose to Us. With regard to the Personal Data of others that you may provide to us, you hereby represent and warrant: (i) the Personal Data has been collected and transferred to us in accordance with Applicable Law; (ii) the transfer to us for the purpose of providing the Services is authorized under Applicable Law; (iii) you will comply with Applicable Law as to requests from Data Subjects in connection with the Personal Data; (iv) you shall disclose to us only that Personal Data that is necessary for our provision of the Services; and (v) you shall not ask us to take any action with respect to the Personal Data that you are not permitted to take directly. We will inform you if, in our reasonable opinion, any instruction you provide infringes Applicable Law. If we consider that any instructions from you relating to Processing of Personal Data may put us in breach of Applicable Law, we will be entitled not to carry out that Processing and will not be in breach of this Agreement or otherwise liable to the you as a result of our failure to carry out that Processing.
US Privacy Law & California Privacy Laws. For the purposes California Privacy Laws and other applicable US privacy laws: (i) we are a “Service Provider”; (ii) you are disclosing Personal Data to us solely for a valid business purpose in providing the Services to you; (iii) we may not sell Personal Data or retain, use, or disclose Personal Data except as required to provide the Services in accordance with the Agreement or as otherwise permitted by California Privacy Law and other applicable US privacy law; and (iv) we will not combine your Personal Data with personal information that we collect or receive from another source (other than information we receive from another source in connection with our obligations to you under the Agreement). We certify that we understand and will comply with these obligations and that we will treat Personal Data with the same level of privacy protection as required by California Privacy Law and applicable US privacy law. You may take reasonable and appropriate steps to help ensure that we use Personal Data in a manner consistent with California Privacy Law and applicable US privacy law obligations. Upon notice, you may take reasonable and appropriate steps to stop and remediate unauthorized use of your Personal Data. Further, we will notify you if we determine that we can no longer meet our obligations under this DPA.
Audit; Records. To the extent Customer’s audit requirements under the SCCs or UK Addendum cannot be satisfied through audit reports, documentation or other compliance information provided by WP Engine upon reasonable request, we will comply with any audit request to the extent required by Applicable Law or due legal process, provided that you give us at least thirty (30) days’ prior written notice of each such audit and that each audit is carried out at your cost, during business hours, so as to cause the minimum disruption to our business and without you or your auditor having any access to any data belonging to a person other than you. Any materials disclosed during such audits and the results of and/or outputs from such audits will be deemed to be our Confidential Information and the provisions of Section 7 of the Agreement will apply to them. We will keep reasonable records to evidence our compliance with our obligations under this DPA. WP Engine shall make such records available to any Data Protection Supervisory Authority as required.
Deletion or Return of Personal Data. We will delete or return all Personal Data, including Personal Data Processed pursuant to this DPA, after termination of the Agreement and in accordance with our Data Records and Retention Policy. This term will apply except where we are required by Applicable Law to retain some or all of the Personal Data, or where we have archived Personal Data on back-up systems, which data we will continue to protect as your Confidential Information.
Restricted Transfers of Personal Data Subject to GDPR or Adopting Countries’ Data Protection Laws. The parties agree that the SCCs at Annex A will apply to: (i) any Restricted Transfer to Processor located in a country outside the European Economic Area (“EEA”); and/or (ii) any transfer of Personal Data that is subject to the data protection laws of a country outside the EEA in which the competent authority has approved the use of the SCCs, including but not limited to Switzerland (each, an “Adopting Country”), to Processor located outside the Adopting Country. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the SCCs will not apply to the extent the transfer is covered by an Adequacy Decision or if an alternative recognized compliance standard has been adopted by the European Union which legitimizes such transfers.
Restricted Transfers Subject to the Data Protection Laws of the United Kingdom. This Section applies with respect to any transfer of Personal Data that is subject to the data protection laws of the United Kingdom (including the UK GDPR) as defined in the UK Addendum (the current version of which is available here) or any onward transfer of such Personal Data to Processor located in a country outside the United Kingdom for which there is no Adequacy Decision. In such cases, the parties agree that: (a) the attached Module 2 of the SCCs, together with the UK Addendum, including Part 2 “Mandatory Clauses,” shall apply in full; (b) Table 1 of the UK Addendum, the names of the parties, their roles, and their details shall be considered populated by the information set out in Annex I.A; (c) Tables 2 and 3 of the UK Addendum shall be considered populated by the applicable version of the SCCs appended to this DPA, including the information set out in the Annexes of the SCCs; (d) For the purposes of Table 4 of the UK Addendum, neither party may end the UK Addendum as a result of approved amendments to the UK Addendum by the Data Protection Supervisory Authority. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the UK Addendum will not apply to the extent the transfer is covered by an Adequacy Decision or if an alternative recognized compliance standard has been adopted by the United Kingdom which legitimizes such transfers.
Privacy Impact Assessments, Transfer Impact Assessments. Taking into account the limited knowledge of Personal Data, knowledge of the information available and the nature of the Processing, WP Engine will assist Customer in complying with its obligations to undertake privacy impact assessments and/or transfer impact assessments upon reasonable request.
Onward Transfers. Except to the extent reasonably required to provide the Services to you or as otherwise set out in SCCs or the UK Addendum (as applicable), we will not transfer the Personal Data we Process on your behalf outside of the jurisdiction in which it was first received by us.

ANNEX A

STANDARD CONTRACTUAL CLAUSES (EU)

SECTION I

Clause 1

Purpose and scope

The purpose of these standard contractual clauses is to ensure compliance with the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (General Data Protection Regulation) for the transfer of personal data to a third country.
The Parties:
1. the natural or legal person(s), public authority/ies, agency/ies or other body/ies (hereinafter “entity/ies”) transferring the personal data, as listed in Annex I.A. (hereinafter each “data exporter”), and
2. the entity/ies in a third country receiving the personal data from the data exporter, directly or indirectly via another entity also Party to these Clauses, as listed in Annex I.A. (hereinafter each “data importer”) have agreed to these standard contractual clauses (hereinafter: “Clauses”).
These Clauses apply with respect to the transfer of personal data as specified in Annex I.B.
The Appendix to these Clauses containing the Annexes referred to therein forms an integral part of these Clauses.

Clause 2

Effect and invariability of the Clauses

These Clauses set out appropriate safeguards, including enforceable data subject rights and effective legal remedies, pursuant to Article 46(1) and Article 46 (2)(c) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and, with respect to data transfers from controllers to processors and/or processors to processors, standard contractual clauses pursuant to Article 28(7) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679, provided they are not modified, except to select the appropriate Module(s) or to add or update information in the Appendix. This does not prevent the Parties from including the standard contractual clauses laid down in these Clauses in a wider contract and/or to add other clauses or additional safeguards, provided that they do not contradict, directly or indirectly, these Clauses or prejudice the fundamental rights or freedoms of data subjects.
These Clauses are without prejudice to obligations to which the data exporter is subject by virtue of Regulation (EU) 2016/679.

Clause 3

Third-party beneficiaries

Data subjects may invoke and enforce these Clauses, as third-party beneficiaries, against the data exporter and/or data importer, with the following exceptions:
1. Clause 1, Clause 2, Clause 3, Clause 6, Clause 7;
2. Clause 8 – Module One: Clause 8.5 (e) and Clause 8.9(b); Module Two: Clause 8.1(b), 8.9(a), (c), (d) and (e); Module Three: Clause 8.1(a), (c) and (d) and Clause 8.9(a), (c), (d), (e), (f) and (g); Module Four: Clause 8.1 (b) and Clause 8.3(b);
3. Clause 9 – Module Two: Clause 9(a), (c), (d) and (e); Module Three: Clause 9(a), (c), (d) and (e);
4. Clause 12 – Module One: Clause 12(a) and (d); Modules Two and Three: Clause 12(a), (d) and (f);
5. Clause 13;
6. Clause 15.1(c), (d) and (e);
7. Clause 16(e);
8. Clause 18 – Modules One, Two and Three: Clause 18(a) and (b); Module Four: Clause 18.
Paragraph (a) is without prejudice to rights of data subjects under Regulation (EU) 2016/679.

Clause 4

Interpretation

Where these Clauses use terms that are defined in Regulation (EU) 2016/679, those terms shall have the same meaning as in that Regulation.
These Clauses shall be read and interpreted in the light of the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2016/679.
These Clauses shall not be interpreted in a way that conflicts with rights and obligations provided for in Regulation (EU) 2016/679.

Clause 5

Hierarchy

In the event of a contradiction between these Clauses and the provisions of related agreements between the Parties, existing at the time these Clauses are agreed or entered into thereafter, these Clauses shall prevail.

Clause 6

Description of the transfer(s)

The details of the transfer(s), and in particular the categories of personal data that are transferred and the purpose(s) for which they are transferred, are specified in Annex I.B.

Clause 7

Docking clause

An entity that is not a Party to these Clauses may, with the agreement of the Parties, accede to these Clauses at any time, either as a data exporter or as a data importer, by completing the Appendix and signing Annex I.A.
Once it has completed the Appendix and signed Annex I.A, the acceding entity shall become a Party to these Clauses and have the rights and obligations of a data exporter or data importer in accordance with its designation in Annex I.A.
The acceding entity shall have no rights or obligations arising under these Clauses from the period prior to becoming a Party.

SECTION II – OBLIGATIONS OF THE PARTIES

Clause 8

Data protection safeguards

The data exporter warrants that it has used reasonable efforts to determine that the data importer is able, through the implementation of appropriate technical and organisational measures, to satisfy its obligations under these Clauses.

8.1 Instructions

The data importer shall process the personal data only on documented instructions from the data exporter. The data exporter may give such instructions throughout the duration of the contract.
The data importer shall immediately inform the data exporter if it is unable to follow those instructions.

8.2 Purpose limitation

The data importer shall process the personal data only for the specific purpose(s) of the transfer, as set out in Annex I.B, unless on further instructions from the data exporter.

8.3 Transparency

On request, the data exporter shall make a copy of these Clauses, including the Appendix as completed by the Parties, available to the data subject free of charge. To the extent necessary to protect business secrets or other confidential information, including the measures described in Annex II and personal data, the data exporter may redact part of the text of the Appendix to these Clauses prior to sharing a copy, but shall provide a meaningful summary where the data subject would otherwise not be able to understand the its content or exercise his/her rights. On request, the Parties shall provide the data subject with the reasons for the redactions, to the extent possible without revealing the redacted information. This Clause is without prejudice to the obligations of the data exporter under Articles 13 and 14 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679.

8.4 Accuracy

If the data importer becomes aware that the personal data it has received is inaccurate, or has become outdated, it shall inform the data exporter without undue delay. In this case, the data importer shall cooperate with the data exporter to erase or rectify the data.

8.5 Duration of processing and erasure or return of data

Processing by the data importer shall only take place for the duration specified in Annex I.B. After the end of the provision of the processing services, the data importer shall, at the choice of the data exporter, delete all personal data processed on behalf of the data exporter and certify to the data exporter that it has done so, or return to the data exporter all personal data processed on its behalf and delete existing copies. Until the data is deleted or returned, the data importer shall continue to ensure compliance with these Clauses. In case of local laws applicable to the data importer that prohibit return or deletion of the personal data, the data importer warrants that it will continue to ensure compliance with these Clauses and will only process it to the extent and for as long as required under that local law. This is without prejudice to Clause 14, in particular the requirement for the data importer under Clause 14(e) to notify the data exporter throughout the duration of the contract if it has reason to believe that it is or has become subject to laws or practices not in line with the requirements under Clause 14(a).

8.6 Security of processing

The data importer and, during transmission, also the data exporter shall implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure the security of the data, including protection against a breach of security leading to accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access to that data (hereinafter “personal data breach”). In assessing the appropriate level of security, the Parties shall take due account of the state of the art, the costs of implementation, the nature, scope, context and purpose(s) of processing and the risks involved in the processing for the data subjects. The Parties shall in particular consider having recourse to encryption or pseudonymisation, including during transmission, where the purpose of processing can be fulfilled in that manner. In case of pseudonymisation, the additional information for attributing the personal data to a specific data subject shall, where possible, remain under the exclusive control of the data exporter. In complying with its obligations under this paragraph, the data importer shall at least implement the technical and organisational measures specified in Annex II. The data importer shall carry out regular checks to ensure that these measures continue to provide an appropriate level of security.
The data importer shall grant access to the personal data to members of its personnel only to the extent strictly necessary for the implementation, management and monitoring of the contract. It shall ensure that persons authorised to process the personal data have committed themselves to confidentiality or are under an appropriate statutory obligation of confidentiality.
In the event of a personal data breach concerning personal data processed by the data importer under these Clauses, the data importer shall take appropriate measures to address the breach, including measures to mitigate its adverse effects. The data importer shall also notify the data exporter without undue delay after having become aware of the breach. Such notification shall contain the details of a contact point where more information can be obtained, a description of the nature of the breach (including, where possible, categories and approximate number of data subjects and personal data records concerned), its likely consequences and the measures taken or proposed to address the breach including, where appropriate, measures to mitigate its possible adverse effects. Where, and in so far as, it is not possible to provide all information at the same time, the initial notification shall contain the information then available and further information shall, as it becomes available, subsequently be provided without undue delay.
The data importer shall cooperate with and assist the data exporter to enable the data exporter to comply with its obligations under Regulation (EU) 2016/679, in particular to notify the competent supervisory authority and the affected data subjects, taking into account the nature of processing and the information available to the data importer.

8.7 Sensitive data

Where the transfer involves personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, genetic data, or biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person, data concerning health or a person’s sex life or sexual orientation, or data relating to criminal convictions and offences (hereinafter “sensitive data”), the data importer shall apply the specific restrictions and/or additional safeguards described in Annex I.B.

8.8 Onward transfers

The data importer shall only disclose the personal data to a third party on documented instructions from the data exporter. In addition, the data may only be disclosed to a third party located outside the European Union2 (in the same country as the data importer or in another third country, hereinafter “onward transfer”) if the third party is or agrees to be bound by these Clauses, under the appropriate Module, or if:

the onward transfer is to a country benefitting from an adequacy decision pursuant to Article 45 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 that covers the onward transfer;
the third party otherwise ensures appropriate safeguards pursuant to Articles 46 or 47 Regulation of (EU) 2016/679 with respect to the processing in question;
the onward transfer is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims in the context of specific administrative, regulatory or judicial proceedings; or
the onward transfer is necessary in order to protect the vital interests of the data subject or of another natural person.

Any onward transfer is subject to compliance by the data importer with all the other safeguards under these Clauses, in particular purpose limitation.

8.9 Documentation and compliance

The data importer shall promptly and adequately deal with enquiries from the data exporter that relate to the processing under these Clauses.
The Parties shall be able to demonstrate compliance with these Clauses. In particular, the data importer shall keep appropriate documentation on the processing activities carried out on behalf of the data exporter.
The data importer shall make available to the data exporter all information necessary to demonstrate compliance with the obligations set out in these Clauses and at the data exporter’s request, allow for and contribute to audits of the processing activities covered by these Clauses, at reasonable intervals or if there are indications of non-compliance. In deciding on a review or audit, the data exporter may take into account relevant certifications held by the data importer.
The data exporter may choose to conduct the audit by itself or mandate an independent auditor. Audits may include inspections at the premises or physical facilities of the data importer and shall, where appropriate, be carried out with reasonable notice.
The Parties shall make the information referred to in paragraphs (b) and (c), including the results of any audits, available to the competent supervisory authority on request.

Clause 9

Use of sub-processors

The data importer has the data exporter’s general authorisation for the engagement of sub-processor(s) from an agreed list. The data importer shall specifically inform the data exporter in writing of any intended changes to that list through the addition or replacement of sub-processors at least thirty (30) days in advance, thereby giving the data exporter sufficient time to be able to object to such changes prior to the engagement of the sub-processor(s). The data importer shall provide the data exporter with the information necessary to enable the data exporter to exercise its right to object.
Where the data importer engages a sub-processor to carry out specific processing activities (on behalf of the data exporter), it shall do so by way of a written contract that provides for, in substance, the same data protection obligations as those binding the data importer under these Clauses, including in terms of third-party beneficiary rights for data subjects.3 The Parties agree that, by complying with this Clause, the data importer fulfils its obligations under Clause 8.8. The data importer shall ensure that the sub-processor complies with the obligations to which the data importer is subject pursuant to these Clauses.
The data importer shall provide, at the data exporter’s request, a copy of such a sub-processor agreement and any subsequent amendments to the data exporter. To the extent necessary to protect business secrets or other confidential information, including personal data, the data importer may redact the text of the agreement prior to sharing a copy.
The data importer shall remain fully responsible to the data exporter for the performance of the sub-processor’s obligations under its contract with the data importer. The data importer shall notify the data exporter of any failure by the sub-processor to fulfil its obligations under that contract.
The data importer shall agree a third-party beneficiary clause with the sub-processor whereby – in the event the data importer has factually disappeared, ceased to exist in law or has become insolvent – the data exporter shall have the right to terminate the sub-processor contract and to instruct the sub-processor to erase or return the personal data.

Clause 10

Data subject rights

The data importer shall promptly notify the data exporter of any request it has received from a data subject. It shall not respond to that request itself unless it has been authorised to do so by the data exporter.
The data importer shall assist the data exporter in fulfilling its obligations to respond to data subjects’ requests for the exercise of their rights under Regulation (EU) 2016/679. In this regard, the Parties shall set out in Annex II the appropriate technical and organisational measures, taking into account the nature of the processing, by which the assistance shall be provided, as well as the scope and the extent of the assistance required.
In fulfilling its obligations under paragraphs (a) and (b), the data importer shall comply with the instructions from the data exporter.

Clause 11

Redress

The data importer shall inform data subjects in a transparent and easily accessible format, through individual notice or on its website, of a contact point authorised to handle complaints. It shall deal promptly with any complaints it receives from a data subject.
In case of a dispute between a data subject and one of the Parties as regards compliance with these Clauses, that Party shall use its best efforts to resolve the issue amicably in a timely fashion. The Parties shall keep each other informed about such disputes and, where appropriate, cooperate in resolving them.
Where the data subject invokes a third-party beneficiary right pursuant to Clause 3, the data importer shall accept the decision of the data subject to:
1. lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority in the Member State of his/her habitual residence or place of work, or the competent supervisory authority pursuant to Clause 13;
2. refer the dispute to the competent courts within the meaning of Clause 18.
The Parties accept that the data subject may be represented by a not-for-profit body, organisation or association under the conditions set out in Article 80(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679.
The data importer shall abide by a decision that is binding under the applicable EU or Member State law.
The data importer agrees that the choice made by the data subject will not prejudice his/her substantive and procedural rights to seek remedies in accordance with applicable laws.

Clause 12

Liability

Each Party shall be liable to the other Party/ies for any damages it causes the other Party/ies by any breach of these Clauses.
The data importer shall be liable to the data subject, and the data subject shall be entitled to receive compensation, for any material or non-material damages the data importer or its sub-processor causes the data subject by breaching the third-party beneficiary rights under these Clauses.
Notwithstanding paragraph (b), the data exporter shall be liable to the data subject, and the data subject shall be entitled to receive compensation, for any material or non-material damages the data exporter or the data importer (or its sub-processor) causes the data subject by breaching the third-party beneficiary rights under these Clauses. This is without prejudice to the liability of the data exporter and, where the data exporter is a processor acting on behalf of a controller, to the liability of the controller under Regulation (EU) 2016/679 or Regulation (EU) 2018/1725, as applicable.
The Parties agree that if the data exporter is held liable under paragraph (c) for damages caused by the data importer (or its sub-processor), it shall be entitled to claim back from the data importer that part of the compensation corresponding to the data importer’s responsibility for the damage.
Where more than one Party is responsible for any damage caused to the data subject as a result of a breach of these Clauses, all responsible Parties shall be jointly and severally liable and the data subject is entitled to bring an action in court against any of these Parties.
The Parties agree that if one Party is held liable under paragraph (e), it shall be entitled to claim back from the other Party/ies that part of the compensation corresponding to its / their responsibility for the damage.
The data importer may not invoke the conduct of a sub-processor to avoid its own liability.

Clause 13

Supervision

The supervisory authority with responsibility for ensuring compliance by the data exporter with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 as regards the data transfer, as indicated in Annex I.C, shall act as competent supervisory authority.
The data importer agrees to submit itself to the jurisdiction of and cooperate with the competent supervisory authority in any procedures aimed at ensuring compliance with these Clauses. In particular, the data importer agrees to respond to enquiries, submit to audits and comply with the measures adopted by the supervisory authority, including remedial and compensatory measures. It shall provide the supervisory authority with written confirmation that the necessary actions have been taken.

SECTION III – LOCAL LAWS AND OBLIGATIONS IN CASE OF ACCESS BY PUBLIC AUTHORITIES

Clause 14

Local laws and practices affecting compliance with the Clauses

The Parties warrant that they have no reason to believe that the laws and practices in the third country of destination applicable to the processing of the personal data by the data importer, including any requirements to disclose personal data or measures authorising access by public authorities, prevent the data importer from fulfilling its obligations under these Clauses. This is based on the understanding that laws and practices that respect the essence of the fundamental rights and freedoms and do not exceed what is necessary and proportionate in a democratic society to safeguard one of the objectives listed in Article 23(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679, are not in contradiction with these Clauses.
The Parties declare that in providing the warranty in paragraph (a), they have taken due account in particular of the following elements:
1. the specific circumstances of the transfer, including the length of the processing chain, the number of actors involved and the transmission channels used; intended onward transfers; the type of recipient; the purpose of processing; the categories and format of the transferred personal data; the economic sector in which the transfer occurs; the storage location of the data transferred;
2. the laws and practices of the third country of destination– including those requiring the disclosure of data to public authorities or authorising access by such authorities – relevant in light of the specific circumstances of the transfer, and the applicable limitations and safeguards4;
3. any relevant contractual, technical or organisational safeguards put in place to supplement the safeguards under these Clauses, including measures applied during transmission and to the processing of the personal data in the country of destination.
The data importer warrants that, in carrying out the assessment under paragraph (b), it has made its best efforts to provide the data exporter with relevant information and agrees that it will continue to cooperate with the data exporter in ensuring compliance with these Clauses.
The Parties agree to document the assessment under paragraph (b) and make it available to the competent supervisory authority on request.
The data importer agrees to notify the data exporter promptly if, after having agreed to these Clauses and for the duration of the contract, it has reason to believe that it is or has become subject to laws or practices not in line with the requirements under paragraph (a), including following a change in the laws of the third country or a measure (such as a disclosure request) indicating an application of such laws in practice that is not in line with the requirements in paragraph (a).
Following a notification pursuant to paragraph (e), or if the data exporter otherwise has reason to believe that the data importer can no longer fulfil its obligations under these Clauses, the data exporter shall promptly identify appropriate measures (e.g. technical or organisational measures to ensure security and confidentiality) to be adopted by the data exporter and/or data importer to address the situation. The data exporter shall suspend the data transfer if it considers that no appropriate safeguards for such transfer can be ensured, or if instructed by the competent supervisory authority to do so. In this case, the data exporter shall be entitled to terminate the contract, insofar as it concerns the processing of personal data under these Clauses. If the contract involves more than two Parties, the data exporter may exercise this right to termination only with respect to the relevant Party, unless the Parties have agreed otherwise. Where the contract is terminated pursuant to this Clause, Clause 16(d) and (e) shall apply.

Clause 15

Obligations of the data importer in case of access by public authorities

15.1 Notification

The data importer agrees to notify the data exporter and, where possible, the data subject promptly (if necessary with the help of the data exporter) if it:
1. receives a legally binding request from a public authority, including judicial authorities, under the laws of the country of destination for the disclosure of personal data transferred pursuant to these Clauses; such notification shall include information about the personal data requested, the requesting authority, the legal basis for the request and the response provided; or
2. becomes aware of any direct access by public authorities to personal data transferred pursuant to these Clauses in accordance with the laws of the country of destination; such notification shall include all information available to the importer.
If the data importer is prohibited from notifying the data exporter and/or the data subject under the laws of the country of destination, the data importer agrees to use its best efforts to obtain a waiver of the prohibition, with a view to communicating as much information as possible, as soon as possible. The data importer agrees to document its best efforts in order to be able to demonstrate them on request of the data exporter.
Where permissible under the laws of the country of destination, the data importer agrees to provide the data exporter, at regular intervals for the duration of the contract, with as much relevant information as possible on the requests received (in particular, number of requests, type of data requested, requesting authority/ies, whether requests have been challenged and the outcome of such challenges, etc.).
The data importer agrees to preserve the information pursuant to paragraphs (a) to (c) for the duration of the contract and make it available to the competent supervisory authority on request.
Paragraphs (a) to (c) are without prejudice to the obligation of the data importer pursuant to Clause 14(e) and Clause 16 to inform the data exporter promptly where it is unable to comply with these Clauses.

15.2 Review of legality and data minimisation

The data importer agrees to review the legality of the request for disclosure, in particular whether it remains within the powers granted to the requesting public authority, and to challenge the request if, after careful assessment, it concludes that there are reasonable grounds to consider that the request is unlawful under the laws of the country of destination, applicable obligations under international law and principles of international comity. The data importer shall, under the same conditions, pursue possibilities of appeal. When challenging a request, the data importer shall seek interim measures with a view to suspending the effects of the request until the competent judicial authority has decided on its merits. It shall not disclose the personal data requested until required to do so under the applicable procedural rules. These requirements are without prejudice to the obligations of the data importer under Clause 14(e).
The data importer agrees to document its legal assessment and any challenge to the request for disclosure and, to the extent permissible under the laws of the country of destination, make the documentation available to the data exporter. It shall also make it available to the competent supervisory authority on request.
The data importer agrees to provide the minimum amount of information permissible when responding to a request for disclosure, based on a reasonable interpretation of the request.

SECTION IV – FINAL PROVISIONS

Clause 16

Non-compliance with the Clauses and termination

The data importer shall promptly inform the data exporter if it is unable to comply with these Clauses, for whatever reason.
In the event that the data importer is in breach of these Clauses or unable to comply with these Clauses, the data exporter shall suspend the transfer of personal data to the data importer until compliance is again ensured or the contract is terminated. This is without prejudice to Clause 14(f).
The data exporter shall be entitled to terminate the contract, insofar as it concerns the processing of personal data under these Clauses, where:
1. the data exporter has suspended the transfer of personal data to the data importer pursuant to paragraph (b) and compliance with these Clauses is not restored within a reasonable time and in any event within one month of suspension;
2. the data importer is in substantial or persistent breach of these Clauses; or
3. the data importer fails to comply with a binding decision of a competent court or supervisory authority regarding its obligations under these Clauses.
In these cases, it shall inform the competent supervisory authority of such non-compliance. Where the contract involves more than two Parties, the data exporter may exercise this right to termination only with respect to the relevant Party, unless the Parties have agreed otherwise.
Personal data that has been transferred prior to the termination of the contract pursuant to paragraph (c) shall at the choice of the data exporter immediately be returned to the data exporter or deleted in its entirety. The same shall apply to any copies of the data. The data importer shall certify the deletion of the data to the data exporter. Until the data is deleted or returned, the data importer shall continue to ensure compliance with these Clauses. In case of local laws applicable to the data importer that prohibit the return or deletion of the transferred personal data, the data importer warrants that it will continue to ensure compliance with these Clauses and will only process the data to the extent and for as long as required under that local law.
Either Party may revoke its agreement to be bound by these Clauses where (i) the European Commission adopts a decision pursuant to Article 45(3) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 that covers the transfer of personal data to which these Clauses apply; or (ii) Regulation (EU) 2016/679 becomes part of the legal framework of the country to which the personal data is transferred. This is without prejudice to other obligations applying to the processing in question under Regulation (EU) 2016/679.

Clause 17

Governing law

These Clauses shall be governed by the law of the EU Member State in which the data exporter is established. Where such law does not allow for third-party beneficiary rights, they shall be governed by the law of another EU Member State that does allow for third-party beneficiary rights. The Parties agree that this shall be the law of Ireland.

Clause 18

Choice of forum and jurisdiction

Any dispute arising from these Clauses shall be resolved by the courts of an EU Member State.
The Parties agree that those shall be the courts of Ireland.
A data subject may also bring legal proceedings against the data exporter and/or data importer before the courts of the Member State in which he/she has his/her habitual residence.
The Parties agree to submit themselves to the jurisdiction of such courts.

Where the data exporter is a processor subject to Regulation (EU) 2016/679 acting on behalf of a Union institution or body as controller, reliance on these Clauses when engaging another processor (sub-processing) not subject to Regulation (EU) 2016/679 also ensures compliance with Article 29(4) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC (OJ L 295 of 21.11.2018, p. 39), to the extent these Clauses and the data protection obligations as set out in the contract or other legal act between the controller and the processor pursuant to Article 29(3) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 are aligned. This will in particular be the case where the controller and processor rely on the standard contractual clauses included in Decision 2021/915.
The Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA Agreement) provides for the extension of the European Union’s internal market to the three EEA States Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The Union data protection legislation, including Regulation (EU) 2016/679, is covered by the EEA Agreement and has been incorporated into Annex XI thereto. Therefore, any disclosure by the data importer to a third party located in the EEA does not qualify as an onward transfer for the purpose of these Clauses.
This requirement may be satisfied by the sub-processor acceding to these Clauses under the appropriate Module, in accordance with Clause 7.
As regards the impact of such laws and practices on compliance with these Clauses, different elements may be considered as part of an overall assessment. Such elements may include relevant and documented practical experience with prior instances of requests for disclosure from public authorities, or the absence of such requests, covering a sufficiently representative time-frame. This refers in particular to internal records or other documentation, drawn up on a continuous basis in accordance with due diligence and certified at senior management level, provided that this information can be lawfully shared with third parties. Where this practical experience is relied upon to conclude that the data importer will not be prevented from complying with these Clauses, it needs to be supported by other relevant, objective elements, and it is for the Parties to consider carefully whether these elements together carry sufficient weight, in terms of their reliability and representativeness, to support this conclusion. In particular, the Parties have to take into account whether their practical experience is corroborated and not contradicted by publicly available or otherwise accessible, reliable information on the existence or absence of requests within the same sector and/or the application of the law in practice, such as case law and reports by independent oversight bodies.

ANNEX I

A. LIST OF PARTIES

Data exporter(s)

Name: The entity identified as “Customer” in the Agreement.

Address: The address for Customer recorded in the User Portal or as otherwise specified in the Agreement.

Contact person’s name, position and contact details: The contact details associated with Customer’s account, or as otherwise specified in the Agreement.

Activities relevant to the data transferred under these Clauses: Data Importer will Process the Personal Data in order to provide the Services pursuant to the Agreement.

Role (controller/processor): controller

Data importer(s)

Name: WPEngine, Inc.

Address: 504 Lavaca St #1000, Austin, TX 78701

Contact person’s name, position and contact details: Chad Costello, General Counsel, legal@wpengine.com

Activities relevant to the data transferred under these Clauses: Data Importer will Process the Personal Data in order to provide the Services pursuant to the Agreement.

Role (controller/processor): processor

B. DESCRIPTION OF TRANSFER

Categories of data subjects whose personal data is transferred

Customer’s website users and administrators of the IT solution.

Categories of personal data transferred

IP addresses, user’s information (names, e-mail, address, passwords), and institution information (name, zip code, and department name), e-commerce information.

Sensitive data transferred (if applicable) and applied restrictions or safeguards that fully take into consideration the nature of the data and the risks involved, such as for instance strict purpose limitation, access restrictions (including access only for staff having followed specialised training), keeping a record of access to the data, restrictions for onward transfers or additional security measures.

None anticipated.

The frequency of the transfer (e.g. whether the data is transferred on a one-off or continuous basis).

The Personal Data shall be transferred continuously for as long as Data Importer provides the Services pursuant to the Agreement.

Nature of the processing

The nature of the processing consists of collecting, storing and transferring Personal Data to facilitate Data Importer’s provision of the Services as further described in the Agreement.

Purpose(s) of the data transfer and further processing

The purposes of the data transfer is so that the Data Importer can provide the Services as further described in the Agreement. There is no processing other than as set forth above or in the Agreement.

The period for which the personal data will be retained, or, if that is not possible, the criteria used to determine that period

The Personal Data shall be retained as directed by the Data Importer as needed to provide the Services pursuant to the Agreement.

For transfers to (sub-) processors, also specify subject matter, nature and duration of the processing

The subject matter and nature of sub-processors’ processing is described in Annex III. Data Importer’s sub-processors will process Personal Data for as long as needed for Data Importer to provide the Services pursuant to the Agreement.

C. COMPETENT SUPERVISORY AUTHORITY

Identify the competent supervisory authority/ies in accordance with Clause 13

The Data Exporter’s competent supervisory authority will be determined in accordance with the GDPR.

ANNEX II – TECHNICAL AND ORGANISATIONAL MEASURES INCLUDING TECHNICAL AND ORGANISATIONAL MEASURES TO ENSURE THE SECURITY OF THE DATA

Description of the technical and organizational security measures implemented by the Data Importer:

Security patches are administered as soon as patches are tested and verified.
Customer and account related information can be accessed by support and a select few technical team members in the event of a customer initiated request.
All data centers are protected via physical security and use access control for authorized personnel who are cleared via background check.
Complete offsite backups are performed as an automated daily process and are encrypted via SSL in transit and also encrypted at rest.
Databases are accessible to WP Engine staff on a need to know basis.
Strong password enforcement is built into all WordPress installs.
Incoming attacks are mitigated via a proprietary system based on WP Engine’s knowledge of threat detection and attack vectors.

ANNEX III – LIST OF SUB-PROCESSORS

Per the terms of service governing Data Exporter/Customer’s relationship with Data Importer/WP Engine and the requirements of the data privacy laws of the European Union and its member states, Data Importer/WP Engine is providing this list of sub-processors Data Importer/WP Engine may use as part of its provision of Services to Data Exporter/Customer. Note that not all sub-processors are applicable for every customer; whether a particular sub-processor applies to Data Exporter/Customer depends on the services and features that Data Exporter/Customer elects to use on WP Engine’s platform and the means by which Data Exporter/Customer chooses to communicate with Data Importer/WP Engine. Data Importer/WP Engine may update this list from time to time, in accordance with the Agreement.

The controller has authorised the use of the sub-processors located at:

Sub-Processor List