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Privacy Policy

Effective date: June 16, 2025

View the prior version of our Privacy Policy here.

At Benchling, Inc., including our subsidiaries and affiliates (‘Benchling,’ ‘we,’ ‘our,’ or ‘us’), privacy is in our DNA.   One of our core values is “empower through information,” and we intend to exemplify this value in our Privacy Policy. As such, we will provide you with clear, detailed, and easy-to-understand information about Benchling’s data practices and how we process the information we collect – including information about you, that directly identifies you, or that makes you identifiable (“Personal Information”) – when you use Benchling’s Application Services as defined in the Terms of Service and online Main Services Agreement (the “Services”); when you: (i) use Benchling’s educational platform (“Benchling Learning Labs”), (ii) participate in Benchling’s community platform (the “Benchling Community”), (iii) use any other methods of interaction facilitated by Benchling allowing you to interact with Benchling or other Benching users, including Benchling User Groups or any other messaging groups (“Benchling Messaging Groups”), or (iv) visit any of our other websites, including but not limited to benchling.com and pipebio.com ((i) through (iv), collectively, the “Sites”); or when you are our business contact. This Privacy Policy applies to all entities in the Benchling group acting as data controllers unless stated otherwise in a separate notice.

Contents of this Privacy Policy:

What does this Privacy Policy Cover?

This Privacy Policy is applicable when you use our Services, or visit our Sites, or if you are a business contact.

What Personal Information does Benchling collect?

Some Personal Information you share with us directly, some information we collect automatically, and some information we collect from third parties. This section sets forth the categories of data we collect.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Benchling uses common information-gathering tools such as cookies, web beacons, pixels and other similar tracking technologies to automatically collect information as you navigate our Sites, use our Services, or interact with emails we send you.  You can manage these technologies easily using our Cookie Consent Manager on our Sites.

How we use your Personal Information

Benchling uses Personal Information for a variety of purposes and on the legal bases described in this section.

How long Benchling stores your Personal Information

Benchling will store the Personal Information we collect about you for no longer than necessary for the purposes in which it was collected, in accordance with our legal obligations and legitimate business interests.  Read this section to understand the criteria used to determine the period for which we store Personal Information.

How Benchling shares Personal Information

In order to better provide the Services or to operate our Sites, and for our other legitimate business purposes, Benchling may share your Personal Information with third parties. Read this section to understand when Benchling shares your Personal Information.

Your rights & choices about your data

Depending on the data protection laws applicable to you, you may have various rights with respect to how we process your Personal Information.  Read this section to understand what those rights are.

How to make choices about your Personal Information

No matter where you are in the world, Benchling provides you with various ways to make choices about your Personal Information, such as accessing it, correcting it, deleting it, or updating your choices about how it is used.

International data transfers

Benchling relies on the Data Privacy Framework (DPF)  as our primary data transfer mechanism.

California Privacy

California residents should read this section.

Benchling Security Information

Benchling is committed to maintaining reasonable and appropriate security measures to ensure that your Personal Information is protected both online and offline.  Read this section to learn more about our security measures and how you can better protect your account.

Contact us

This section includes our physical addresses, email address, and information about how to contact our designated EU & UK representative.

Updates

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.  We will inform you if we make any material changes.

What does this Privacy Policy cover?

This Privacy Policy applies where Benchling is the “data controller” and is generally responsible for and controls the processing of your Personal Information collected through our Sites and the Services, as well as where data about you is collected as a business contact. It is intended to meet the requirements of data protection laws globally, including the EU / UK GDPR, the CCPA/CPRA), and other applicable data protection laws in the jurisdictions where we operate.

This Privacy Policy does not apply in the following scenarios:

What Information does Benchling collect?

We collect information to operate, improve, and secure our Services and Sites. This includes information you provide directly, information we collect automatically when you interact with us, and information we receive from third parties. Below is a detailed breakdown:

1. Information you provide directly

When you interact with the Sites or Services or participate in related events and communities, you may provide information directly to us . This includes:

2. Information we collect automatically

When you use our Services or visit our Sites, we automatically collect certain data about your interactions and devices, which helps us understand usage trends and enhance functionality:

3. Information from Third Parties

We may also collect information from third-party sources including:

Benchling does not intentionally collect sensitive personal data (e.g. health, biometric, or special category data as defined under GDPR)

Cookies and tracking technologies

What are cookies?

A cookie is a piece of data contained in a very small text file that is stored in your browser or elsewhere on your hard drive. Cookies allow Benchling to identify your device as you use the Services and navigate our Sites. This makes navigating and interacting with our Services and Sites more efficient, easy and meaningful for you.

Benchling uses both session and persistent cookies. Session cookies are cookies that disappear from your device or browser when you turn off your computer. Persistent cookies stay on your device even after you’ve turned it off. Additionally, the cookies on our websites fall into four categories: (1) Essential Cookies, (2) Functional Cookies,  (3) Analytics Cookies, and (4) Advertising Cookies. Where required by applicable law, we rely on your consent to use cookies that are not strictly necessary for the functioning of our Sites. To learn more about each category of cookie, you can visit our cookie consent tool by clicking on the “Preferences” link on the bottom right of the Benchling website you are visiting.

How Benchling uses Cookie Data

We use Cookie Data to understand how you are using the Services and the Sites and which pages and features are most popular.  This information ensures our Sites and Services are able to operate and helps us understand how we can improve our Sites and Services, track performance of our advertisements, and better market to you.

We may also collect publicly available information about you that we have gathered through services like LinkedIn. We use this information to help understand our customer base better and to reach out to potential customers.

Web beacons

Benchling also uses web beacons to gather data about your use of our Services and Sites and how you interact with emails we have sent to you. Web beacons are clear electronic images that can recognize certain types of data on your computer, like when you view a particular website tied to the web beacon, and a description of a website tied to the web beacon. Additionally, we may put web beacons in marketing emails that notify us when you click on a link in the email that directs you to one of our Sites. We use web beacons to operate and improve our Sites, Services and email communications to you.

How to control and delete Benchling cookies

How we use your information

This section describes the purposes for which your information is processed by Benchling and, where required in certain regions (such as Europe), the legal bases for the processing of any Personal Information.

Legal grounds for using your data We only collect and use your information when we have a valid legal basis under applicable law. The relevant legal basis depends on the Services you use and how you use them. In particular, we process your data only when:

If you’ve given consent, you can withdraw it at any time. This won’t affect any processing we’ve already carried out. If we rely on a legitimate interest (ours or a third party’s, such as your employer), you have the right to object to that use as well. 

How long Benchling stores Personal Information

Benchling will store the Personal Information we collect about you for no longer than necessary for the purposes in which it was collected. The criteria used to determine the period for which we store Personal Information varies depending on the legal basis under which we process that Personal Information:

We may need to apply a “legal hold” that retains information beyond our typical retention period where we face threat of legal claim. In that case, we will retain the information until the hold is removed, which typically means the claim or threat of claim has been resolved.

In all cases, in addition to the purposes and legal bases, we consider the amount, nature and sensitivity of the Personal Information, as well as the potential risk of harm from unauthorized use or disclosure of your Personal Information.

How Benchling shares Personal Information

In order to provide our Services, deliver our Sites and conduct our activities described in this Privacy Policy, we may share your Personal Information with the following third parties:

Your rights and choices about your Personal Information

Depending on the data protection laws applicable to you, you may have the following rights in relation to your Personal Information that we process as a data controller: 

Benchling will honor your rights subject to limitations in certain situations, such as where Benchling can demonstrate that it has a legal requirement or legitimate interest to process your data or can legitimately apply an exemption to the exercise of a right under applicable law. Please click here to exercise some of these rights. 

How to make choices about your Personal Information

You have the following self-service options and other ways to reach out to us to make choices about how your Personal Information is processed:

International data transfers

Benchling primarily operates in the United States, so by accessing the Services or our Sites, your Personal Information may be transferred to, stored, or processed in the United States and maintained on computers or servers located outside of your state, province, country, or other jurisdiction where the privacy laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction.  

However, we take appropriate safeguards to ensure that your Personal Information remains protected in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws. You can learn more about Benchling’s technical and organizational safeguards here. 

Any data transfers made in relation to the use or access of our Services are made in compliance with relevant legislation and data protection laws. To implement such transfers Benchlings relies on: (a) its certification under the Data Privacy Framework (details below), (b) implementing the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses  or (c) ensuring that the country of transfer has been approved by the relevant authorities as providing adequate protection for Personal Information. 

Data Privacy Framework (DPF)  

Benchling relies upon: (i) the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (“EU-U.S. DPF”) as the valid transfer mechanism for transfers of Personal Information from the European Union to the United States, (i) the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF (“UK Extension”) as the valid transfer mechanism for transfers of Personal Information from the United Kingdom to the United States and (iii) the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (“Swiss-U.S. DPF”) as the valid transfer mechanism for transfers of Personal Information from Switzerland to the United States.  Benchling is subject to the investigatory and enforcement powers of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and we commit to fully aligning the creation and full implementation of our privacy policy to the EU-U.S. DPF, the UK Extension, and the Swiss-U.S. DPF as described below. 

Certifications and Adherence

Benchling complies with the EU-U.S. DPF and the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF and the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (Swiss-U.S. DPF) as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Benchling has certified (or will certify) to the  U.S. Department of Commerce that it adheres to the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework Principles (EU-U.S. DPF Principles) with regard to the processing of Personal Information received from the European Union and the United Kingdom in reliance on the EU-U.S. DPF and the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF.  Benchling has certified (or will certify) to the U.S. Department of Commerce that it adheres to the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework Principles (Swiss-U.S. DPF Principles) with regard to the processing of Personal Information received from Switzerland in reliance on the Swiss-U.S. DPF.  If there is any conflict between the terms in this privacy policy and the EU-U.S. DPF Principles and/or the Swiss-U.S. DPF Principles, the Principles shall govern.  To learn more about the Data Privacy Framework (DPF) program, and to view our certification, please visit https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/.

Dispute Resolution and Arbitration 

In compliance with the EU-U.S. DPF and the Swiss-U.S. DPF, Benchling commits to refer unresolved complaints concerning our handling of Personal Information received in reliance on the EU-U.S. DPF and the Swiss-U.S. DPF to JAMS, an alternative dispute resolution provider based in the United States.  If you do not receive timely acknowledgment of your DPF Principles-related complaint from us, or if we have not addressed your DPF Principles-related complaint to your satisfaction, please visit https://www.jamsadr.com/eu-us-data-privacy-framework for more information or to file a complaint.  The services of JAMS are provided at no cost to you.

Individuals should be aware of the potential to invoke binding arbitration under specific conditions. Benchling is obligated to arbitrate claims as detailed in Annex I of the DPF Principles. An individual can invoke this arbitration by delivering notice to Benchling and adhering to the procedures outlined in Annex I of the Principles (available here).

Onward Transfers and Liabilities 

Benchling follows the DPF Principles regarding the onward transfer of Personal Information to third parties. We remain accountable for any damage caused by these third parties under the DPF, unless we didn't instigate the damage-causing events.

User Empowerment and Choices 

Lastly, Benchling empowers all users of our Services, Benchling Community, Benchling Messaging Groups, Benchling Learning Labs, and Sites to control the use and disclosure of their Personal Information so that it is consistent with that individual’s expectations and choices. Accordingly, any individual can opt out of the use or disclosure of their Personal Information by clicking here. Details of other choices you have in regards to your Personal Information are described in Section 8 of this Privacy Policy. 

California Privacy

Collection and Use of Personal Information

We collect Personal Information from and about you for a variety of purposes, as described in the sections above “What Personal Information Does Benchling Collect”. In the last twelve months, we have collected the following categories of Personal Information: 

We collect this information directly from you, from your browser or device when you visit our Sites, or from third parties that you permit to share information with us.

Disclosure of Personal Information

We share Personal Information with third parties for business purposes. The categories of third parties to whom we disclose your Personal Information for a business purpose include: (i) other affiliates in our family of companies; (ii) our service providers and advisors; (iii) advertising and analytics providers; and (iv) social networks. 

Right to Opt-Out of Sale of Personal Information

Benchling does not make it a practice to sell your Personal Information, but like many providers of online services, Benchling relies on advertising cookies to support the operation and development of our Sites.  Please see the section titled “Cookies and tracking technologies” above to understand how to do this.

Your California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, you may be able to exercise the following rights (subject to certain limitations at law):

You also have the right to be free of discrimination for exercising these rights. However, please note that if the exercise of these rights limits our ability to process Personal Information (such as in the case of a deletion request), we may no longer be able to provide you with the Services or engage with you in the same manner.

How to Exercise your California Privacy Rights

You may submit a request to exercise your California Privacy Rights by clicking here. To fulfill your request, we will need to verify your identity and possibly ask for additional information and documents.

Only you, or someone legally authorized to act on your behalf, may make a request related to Personal Information collected about you. To designate an authorized agent, the authorized agent must provide sufficient information that allows us to reasonably verify that they have been authorized by you to act on their behalf.

Information from Children

We do not knowingly collect or solicit Personal Information from anyone under the age of 16. If you are under 16, please do not attempt to register for the Services or send any information about yourself to us. If we learn that we have collected Personal Information from a child under age 16, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. If you believe that a child under 16 may have provided us Personal Information, please contact us at privacy@benchling.com.

Benchling security information

Benchling employs technical, organizational and physical safeguards designed to protect the Personal Information we collect. However, security risk is inherent in all internet and information technologies and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your Personal Information.

You should take steps to protect against unauthorized access to your password, phone, and computer by, among other things, signing off after using a shared computer, choosing a complex password that nobody else knows or can easily guess, and keeping your login credentials private and secure.  

Please note that we may collect and use your Personal Information to detect, prevent, or investigate security incidents, fraud, or abuse and misuse of our Sites, the Services, Benchling Learning Labs, Benchling Messaging Groups, and/or the Benchling Community 

Contact us

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Benchling, Inc. 680 Folsom St., Floor 8 San Francisco, CA, 94107 privacy@benchling.com

Designated Representative & Contact Information:

Individuals and data protection supervisory authorities in the EEA, the UK, and Switzerland may contact our data protection representatives:

EU: Benchling Germany GmbH Theresienstraße 1 c/o Contra AG, 1 Floor 80333 Munich privacy@benchling.com

UK: 4/4a Bloomsbury Square London, Greater London WC1A2RP  United Kingdom privacy@benchling.com

Switzerland: Benchling Switzerland GmbH Uraniastrasse 31 8001 Zürich privacy@benchling.com

Updates

We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time, and if we do, the most current version will be available at https://benchling.com/privacy with the date indicating when it was last updated.  These changes might be minor, such as updating an address or fixing a typo, or they may be material, such as changes that affect your rights.  If we make material changes to this Privacy Policy that affect your rights, we will notify you by placing a notice on the Benchling website, by sending you an email, and/or by some other means as required by applicable law. 

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