BEA Chat’s Terms of Use and BEA Chat’s Privacy Policy

BEA Chat is a 24/7 chatbot service offered by the Bank of the Philippine Islands (hereinafter referred to as “BPI”, “we”, “us”, or “our”), that uses Conversational Artificial Intelligence technology to address a user’s query pertaining to BPI’s products and services in real time via chat. These BEA Chat Terms of Use (hereinafter, the “Terms”), as amended from time to time, are applicable to every person who wishes to use the BEA Chat feature (hereinafter referred to as “User”, “you”, or “your”), available on BPI’s website and Facebook Messenger (hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Platform”).

You are requested to read these Terms carefully before you start using BEA Chat. By using BEA Chat, you signify that: (i) you are legally allowed to give your consent to these Terms; (ii) you have read, understood, and accepted these Terms; and (iii) you have agreed to abide by the same without any limitation or qualification.

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. Such modifications shall be made available by publication on BPI’s website, and shall be effective on the date specified by BPI. Your continued use of BEA Chat subsequent to the modifications shall be construed as you having read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms, as modified, and shall constitute an agreement between you and BPI. These Terms shall always be read in conjunction with BPI’s Privacy Policy, as supplemented by the BEA Chat Data Privacy Policy, and the terms and use of our website available on November 15, 2023.

1. BEA Chat Service

a. BEA Chat can address general inquiries about BPI’s products and services, including their features and how to avail of them.  

b. BEA Chat is an automated service and information provided for general inquiries are for reference only. Any information provided does not constitute any offer for any products or services, and is not intended to provide legal, financial, tax, or investment advice.

c. BEA Chat has a limited capacity, and it is possible that its replies may not be fully responsive to your query. BPI shall not be liable if the information you received from BEA Chat is not accurate, complete, or updated in relation to your specific situation. Information received from BEA Chat shall not be used as the sole basis for making decisions, and any such sole reliance shall be at your own risk. 

d. BEA Chat was not intended to cater to account-specific inquiries. Should you require assistance regarding your BPI account, you may request BEA Chat to connect you to a Live Chat Agent. To be connected to a Live Chat Agent, you will need to enter your BPI online credentials for verification purposes. Once verified, the Live Chat Agent will assist you and create a ticket for your service requests. 

e. BEA Chat only recognizes the English language. It will respond only to questions in English and will reply in English.  

f. BEA Chat does not facilitate financial transactions.

g. BEA Chat should not be resorted to for emergencies and urgent concerns. For immediate concerns, such as lost or stolen BPI debit and credit cards, please call our 24-hour BPI Contact Center at (+632) 889-10000 for Metro Manila or 1-800-188-89100 for domestic toll-free calls.

h. The conversation content and instruction details between you and BEA Chat will be used and analyzed by BPI for BEA Chat’s accuracy and quality enhancement. By using the BEA Chat, you agree to the monitoring and recording of the chat, and confirm that you are aware that the same will be stored and collected by BPI to improve the quality of the BEA Chat service. Any personal information which you provide to BEA Chat shall be subject to BPI’s Privacy Policy, as supplemented by the BEA Chat Data Privacy Policy.  

2. The Platform

a. As BEA Chat is an electronic service, access cannot always be guaranteed due to external factors beyond BPI’s control. While BPI endeavors to ensure that BEA Chat is available without any interruptions, BPI does not guarantee that the access to or use of BEA Chat will be uninterrupted or error-free, or that the Platform will be free of viruses or other harmful, malicious, or disruptive components. BPI shall not be held liable or responsible for any loss or damage arising from downloading or using the Platform.  

b. The use of the internet is susceptible to a number of frauds, misuse, and other actions, which could affect the instructions given to us electronically through the Platform. While BPI aims to provide security to prevent the same, BPI does not provide any guarantee for such risks associated with the internet.

c. BPI shall not be liable for any damages or losses sustained by the User due to technical fault or error, any failure in telecommunication network, or any error in software or hardware systems.  

3. User Responsibilities

a. You shall neither ask nor provide BEA Chat sensitive or personal information, such  as your email address, home address, phone number, marital status, gender, etc. BEA Chat will not ask any such information from you. BEA Chat does not allow any conclusions to be drawn about your identity. 

b. You shall be fully responsible for safeguarding the confidentiality of your account, and you should not provide BEA Chat any login information, password, PIN, or any other personal banking information. You will only be asked to provide your BPI online credentials once you have requested BEA Chat to connect you to a Live Chat Agent. 

c. You shall be fully responsible for ensuring the security of your device, and not to perform any activity that could compromise the same.

d. You shall ensure that your device meets the minimum system requirements for using the BEA Chat.

e. You shall not use BEA Chat in a manner that violates any applicable law, regulation, intellectual property rights, or security of any device.

f. You shall not use any abusive, illegal, indecent, immoral, or obscene language and/or materials in the BEA Chat.

g. You shall not submit false or misleading information to BEA Chat.

h. You shall not upload viruses or any other harmful, malicious, or disruptive components that will affect the functionality of the BEA Chat service.  

i. You shall immediately report any suspicious activity, breach of security, or unauthorized transactions conducted using the BEA Chat that come to your knowledge.

j. Should you request to be connected to a Live Chat Agent via BEA Chat, you agree to provide the Live Chat Agent the necessary information for the investigation and resolution of your requests and complaints. 

k. You shall not use BEA Chat for purposes other than those stated in these Terms. 

4. Data Privacy Policy

BPI reserves the right to record the conversations with Users for quality control purposes.

The confidentiality and information security obligations of BPI shall be subject to BPI’s Privacy Policy published at November 15, 2023, and the BEA Chat Data Privacy Policy, both of which explain how BPI collects, protects, uses, shares, and stores your personal information and shall be deemed incorporated herein by reference. By agreeing to these Terms, you shall be deemed to have consented to the terms of the BPI Privacy Policy and the BEA Chat Data Privacy Policy. By using the BEA Chat, you agree to provide consent to BPI’s collection, use, and sharing of your personal information, per said policies. 

5. Intellectual Property Rights

All intellectual property rights, title, and interests (“IP Rights”) in the BEA Chat services shall at all times belong to and vest with BPI (or its relevant licensors). You agree not to do any act or thing inconsistent with BPI’s (or such licensors’) ownership of the IP Rights. In the event of any infringement or suspected infringement of BPI’s (or its licensors’) IP Rights, you agree to notify BPI thereof, and to take such reasonable action as BPI may direct in relation to such infringement. You shall indemnify BPI for all liabilities, losses, demands, damages, costs or expenses including attorney’s fees incurred by BPI as a result of your infringement of its IP Rights, without prejudice to such other remedies available to it under the applicable law

6. Disclaimer of Warranties

Your use of BEA Chat and the Platform shall be at your sole risk. The BEA Chat and the Platform are provided on an “as is” basis. BPI makes no express or implied warranty with respect to the services provided, including, without limitation, any warranties of merchantability, data accuracy and completeness, satisfactory quality and/or fitness for a particular purpose, uninterrupted or error-free performance of BEA Chat and the Platform, that any identified defects will be corrected, or that the BEA Chat and the Platform are free from viruses or other malicious, destructive or corrupting code. 

7. Indemnification and Limitation of Liability

a. You acknowledge that BPI will not be liable for any losses or damages that you may suffer as a result of your use of BEA Chat, including its unavailability or inability to answer your queries adequately.

b. Should you violate these Terms, you agree that BPI, at its sole discretion, may end the BEA Chat session or restrict your access to BEA Chat and the Platform. BPI will not be responsible for any damages or losses you may suffer as a result of such restriction.

c. You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Bank and its subsidiaries and affiliates, successors and assigns (the “BPI Group of Companies”), including any of their respective directors, officers, agents and representatives, from any and all liabilities, claims, damages, suits of whatever nature, arising out of or in connection with your use of the BEA Chat services and the Platform, unless the actual loss or damage you incur is solely and directly caused by the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Bank.

8. Termination

The BEA Chat and the Platform may be expanded, limited, or modified at any time to meet the needs of the Users, or for regulatory, technical, or other reasons, without providing any advance notice to you. BPI reserves the right to suspend, add, remove, or restrict your access to BEA Chat or the Platform, at its sole discretion, without prior notice. BPI may also, at its sole discretion, and at any time, discontinue, temporarily or permanently, any part or the entire BEA Chat service or the Platform, without notice. This could result in delays or failure in the processing of instructions or requests of the Users, and BPI disclaims any liability, whether direct or indirect, sustained by the User on account of such delay or failure. 

9. Governing Law and Venue

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of the Philippines. It shall be subject to periodic review to ensure compliance with BPI’s policies and procedures, as well as with BSP rules and regulations and other applicable laws.   

Any dispute arising hereunder shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the proper courts of Makati City, Philippines, to the exclusion of all other venues.

BPI is regulated by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. https://www.bsp.gov.ph

Maintaining your privacy is an important part of all the products and services that we provide. This BEA Chat Privacy Policy, hereafter referred to as “Policy”, explains how we collect, protect, use, and share information when you access and use BEA Chat on the BPI website or BPI Facebook page (hereinafter, “BEA Chat”).

When you access or use BEA Chat, you consent to the collection, use, processing, and disclosure of your information in accordance with this Policy.

1. Our Privacy Practices

The privacy practices described in this Policy are primarily intended for individuals in the Philippines and are designed to comply with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (R.A. 10173), its implementing rules, circulars and all other applicable regulatory and legal requirements. When accessing or using BEA Chat from outside the Philippines, you acknowledge and agree that your information may be transferred to and processed in the Philippines following legal and regulatory standards for data protection that may differ from your current or home jurisdictions.

In designing our products, services and the processes as well as activities that support the delivery of any or all of these, BPI proactively and appropriately identifies, assesses and addresses data privacy risks and seeks to follow the principle of “Privacy by Design” to ensure that the rights of our clients, stakeholders and the public are upheld.

2. How we use your information 

The personal data that you provide will be used when you request to be connected to a Live Chat Agent via the BEA Chat.

We use personal data collected through the BEA Chat to:

a. Identify and authorize your log-in to your online banking account, authentication of queries and processing of requests when you opt to be connected to a Live Chat Agent; 

b. Respond to queries, requests, and complaints, and improve how we interact with you;

c. Improve and further customize other online services; and

d. Send you notices necessary for continued use of our services.

BPI uses personal data collected only for the purposes for which it was collected, as permitted by law and such other purposes that you may have consented to.

3. How we may share your information 

We may share your personal data with our third-party partners and vendors, under an obligation of confidentiality, in order to:

a. Assist in providing you with requested services;

b. Facilitate or implement any transaction-related services;

c. Help analyze the use of our features and functionalities and how to improve them;

d. Protect our clients and business from fraudulent and illegal activities; and

e. Comply with legal requirements.

We wish to assure you that we do not, and will not, sell personal data to any third parties. All our engagements with third parties shall be fully compliant with our obligation of confidentiality imposed on us under the applicable agreements and/or terms and conditions or any applicable laws that govern our relationship with you.

4. How we protect your information 

The privacy and security of your personal data is important to us as it may include sensitive personal information such as your birthdate, account number, etc. Appropriately, we employ digital, operational, and physical safety measures and safeguards to maintain the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your personal data. We train our employees to manage personal data properly and carefully. We require our third-party partners and vendors to protect personal data aligned with our own security standards.

5. How long do we keep your information 

We may retain information for as long as the purpose for which it was collected, and such other purposes that you may have consented to from time to time, remains in effect and until such time as it is no longer required nor necessary to keep your information for any other legal, regulatory, or business purposes. Once the purpose for which it was collected shall have been completed, we will securely dispose of your personal information unless we are required to retain them for legal or regulatory purposes.

6. You have rights 

In respecting your rights to privacy, you may opt to tell us:

a. to inform you of what we do with your personal information;

b. to provide you with information that we currently have about you subject to restrictions applied to us as a bank and a company operating in the Philippines by certain laws and regulations, in an easy-to-access format and easy-to-understand language;

c. not to send you marketing materials via email or SMS, not to share your information with our subsidiaries and affiliates or with other companies that we have business with provided that such information is not critical nor required by applicable laws and regulations in maintaining, providing and completing the products or services that you have availed from us;

d. not to process your personal information upon withdrawing consent, unless processing is legally required;

e. to remove and dispose your personal information from our records, as allowed by applicable laws and regulations;

f. to update any personal information upon your advice;

g. to electronically move, copy, or transfer it securely through available means.

You may lodge a complaint regarding our use of your personal information and be assured that we will address your concerns promptly. Should we fail to do so, you may address any complaint to our regulators, particularly the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the National Privacy Commission, consistent with the rights granted to you under applicable laws and regulations.

7. How to contact us 

For any queries, clarifications or requests on any aspect of this Policy, the exercise of your rights pertaining to your personal information or to provide any feedback that you may have about our processing of personal information, please reach us through these channels:

Email: privacy@bpi.com.ph

We will respond to you soonest during business hours

Phone: (+632) 889-10000

This is the 24-hour BPI Contact Center

Address: 22F to 28F Ayala Triangle Gardens Tower 2, Paseo De Roxas Corner Makati Avenue Bel-Air, Makati City 1226 

8. Changes to our Privacy Policy

We may modify or amend this Privacy Policy from time to time to keep up with any changes in relevant laws and regulations applicable to us or how we collect, use, protect, store, share or dispose of your personal information.

Personal Information/ Data - refers to any information whether recorded in a material form or not, from which the identity of an individual is apparent or can be reasonably and directly ascertained by the entity holding the information, or when put together with other information would directly and certainly identify an individual.

Sensitive Personal Information / Data - refers to personal information:

a. About an individual’s race, ethnic origin, marital status, age, color, and religious, philosophical or political affiliations

b. About an individual's health, education, genetic or sexual life of a person, or to any proceeding for any offense committed or alleged to have been committed by such person, the disposal of such proceedings, or the sentence of any court in such proceedings;

c. Issued by government agencies peculiar to an individual which includes, but not limited to, social security numbers, previous or current health records, licenses or its denials, suspension or revocation, and tax returns; and

d. Specifically established by an executive order or an act of Congress to be kept classified.

Last updated: November 2023