Data Protection, Privacy, Cookies

Data Protection Policy

Key details:

  • This policy has been prepared by Gillian Crawford.
  • This policy became operational on 22 Sep 2020.
  • Next review date: 22 Sep 2021.

Introduction

BAWE Scotland (the “business”) needs to gather and use certain information about individuals. These can include customers, suppliers, business contacts, and other people the organisation has a relationship with or may need to contact. This policy describes how this personal data must be collected, handled and stored to meet the company’s data protection standards — and to comply with the law.

Why this policy exists

This data protection policy ensures that the business:

  • Complies with data protection law and follow good practice
  • Protects the rights of customers and partners
  • Is open about how it stores and processes individuals’ data
  • Protects itself from the risks of a data breach

Data protection law

The GDPR describes how organisations — including the business — must collect, handle and store personal information. These rules apply regardless of whether data is stored electronically, on paper or on other materials. To comply with the law, personal information must be collected and used fairly, stored safely and not disclosed unlawfully. The GDPR is underpinned by eight important principles. These say that personal data must:

  • Be processed fairly and lawfully
  • Be obtained only for specific, lawful purposes
  • Be adequate, relevant and not excessive
  • Be accurate and kept up to date
  • Not be held for any longer than necessary
  • Processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects
  • Be protected in appropriate ways
  • Not be transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA), unless that country or territory also ensures an adequate level of protection

People, risks and responsibilities

Policy Scope

This policy applies to:

  • The head office of the business
  • All branches of the business
  • All staff and volunteers of the business
  • All contractors, suppliers and other people working on behalf of the business

It applies to all data that the company holds relating to identifiable individuals, even if that information technically falls outside of the GDPR. This can include:

  • Names of individuals
  • Postal addresses
  • Email addresses
  • Telephone numbers
  • …plus any other information relating to individuals

Data protection risks

This policy helps to protect the business from some very real data security risks, including:

  • Breaches of confidentiality. For instance, information being given out inappropriately.
  • Failing to offer choice. For instance, all individuals should be free to choose how the company uses data relating to them.
  • Reputational damage. For instance, the business could suffer if hackers successfully gained access to sensitive data.

Responsibilities

Everyone who works for or with the business has some responsibility for ensuring data is collected, stored and handled appropriately. Whomever at the business handles personal data must ensure that it is handled and processed in line with this policy and data protection principles. However, these people have key areas of responsibility: Gillian Crawford is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the business meets its legal obligations. Gillian Crawford is responsible for:

  • Keeping updated about data protection responsibilities, risks and issues.
  • Reviewing all data protection procedures and related policies, in line with an agreed schedule.
  • Arranging data protection training and advice for the people covered by this policy.
  • Handling data protection questions from staff and anyone else covered by this policy.
  • Dealing with requests from individuals to see the data the business holds about them (also called ‘subject access requests’).
  • Checking and approving any contracts or agreements with third parties that may handle the company’s sensitive data.

Gillian Crawford is responsible for IT used at the business, including computers, laptops, mobile phones and other devices that can store personal data. Gillian Crawford will ensure

  • that all systems, services and equipment used for storing data meet acceptable security standards.
  • Performing regular checks and scans to ensure security hardware and software is functioning properly.
  • Evaluating any third-party services the company is considering using to store or process data. For instance, cloud computing services.

Gillian Crawford is responsible for any marketing related activities at the business. She is responsible for:

  • Approving any data protection statements attached to communications such as emails and letters.
  • Addressing any data protection queries from journalists or media outlets like newspapers.
  • Where necessary, working with other staff to ensure marketing initiatives abide by data protection principles.

General guidelines for data usage

  • The only people able to access data covered by this policy should be those who need it for their work.
  • Data should not be shared informally. When access to confidential information is required, it can be request from Gillian Crawford.
  • The business will request that suppliers understand their responsibilities when handling data.
  • In particular, strong passwords must be used and they should never be shared.
  • Personal data should not be disclosed to unauthorised people, either within the company or externally.
  • Data should be regularly reviewed and updated if it is found to be out of date. If no longer required, it should be deleted and disposed of.

Data storage

These rules describe how and where data should be safely stored. Questions about storing data safely can be directed to the IT manager or data controller. When data is stored on paper, it should be kept in a secure place where unauthorised people cannot see or access it. These guidelines also apply to data that is usually stored electronically but has been printed out for some reason: When not required, the paper or files should be kept in a locked drawer or filing cabinet. Gillian Crawford will make sure paper and printouts are not left where unauthorised people could see them, like on a printer. Data printouts should be shredded and disposed of securely when no longer required. When data is stored electronically, it must be protected from unauthorised access, accidental deletion and malicious hacking attempts:

  • Data should be protected by strong passwords that are changed regularly and never shared between employees. If data is stored on removable media (like a USB or external disk), these should be kept locked away securely when not being used.
  • Data should only be stored on designated drives and servers, and should only be uploaded to an approved cloud computing services.
  • Servers containing personal data should be sited in a secure location, away from general office space.
  • Data should be backed up frequently. Those backups should be tested regularly, in line with the company’s standard backup procedures.
  • Data should never be saved directly to laptops or other mobile devices like tablets or smart phones. All servers and computers containing data should be protected by approved security software and a firewall.

Data use

Personal data is of no value to the business unless the business can make use of it. However, it is when personal data is accessed and used that it can be at the greatest risk of loss, corruption or theft:

  • When working with personal data, Gillian Crawford will ensure the screens of their computers are always locked when left unattended.
  • Personal data should not be shared informally. In particular, it should never be sent by email, as this form of communication is not secure.
  • Data must be encrypted before being transferred electronically.
  • Personal data should never be transferred outside of the European Economic Area.
  • Only central copies of any data will accessed and updates. There must not be multiple copies of personal data.

Data accuracy

The law requires the business to take reasonable steps to ensure data is kept accurate and up to date. The more important it is that the personal data is accurate, the greater the effort the business should put into ensuring its accuracy. Gillian Crawford is take reasonable steps to ensure it is kept as accurate and up to date as possible. Data will be held in as few places as necessary. Gillian Crawford should not create any unnecessary additional data sets. Gillian Crawford should take every opportunity to ensure data is updated. For instance, by confirming a customer’s details when they call. The business will make it easy for data subjects to update the information the business holds about them. For instance, via the business website. Data should be updated as inaccuracies are discovered. For instance, if a customer can no longer be reached on their stored telephone number, it should be removed from the database. It is the Gillian Crawford’s responsibility to ensure marketing databases are checked against industry suppression files every six months.

Subject access requests

All individuals who are the subject of personal data held by the business are entitled to:

  • Ask what information the company holds about them and why.
  • Ask how to gain access to it.
  • Be informed how to keep it up to date.
  • Be informed how the company is meeting its data protection obligations.

If an individual contacts the company requesting this information, this is called a subject access request. Subject access requests from individuals should be made by email, using the below contact form. Enquiries sent through this form are sent directly to Gillian Crawford. Individuals will not charged. Gillian Crawford will aim to provide the relevant data within 30 days. Gillian Crawford will always verify the identity of anyone making a subject access request before handing over any information.

Disclosing data for other reasons

In certain circumstances, the GDPR allows personal data to be disclosed to law enforcement agencies without the consent of the data subject. Under these circumstances, the business will disclose requested data. However, the data controller will ensure the request is legitimate, seeking assistance from the board and from the company’s legal advisers where necessary.

Providing information

The business aims to ensure that individuals are aware that their data is being processed, and that they understand:

  • How the data is being used
  • How to exercise their rights

To these ends, the company has a privacy statement, setting out how data relating to individuals is used by the business.

Privacy Policy

Who is behind this website?

At BAWE Scotland (the business), I am committed to maintaining the trust and confidence of the visitors to my web site. In particular, I want you to know that Gillian Crawford is not in the business of selling, renting or trading email lists with other companies and businesses for marketing purposes. I just don’t do that sort of thing. But just in case you don’t believe me, in this Privacy Policy, I have provided lots of detailed information on when and why I collect your personal information, how I use it, the limited conditions under which I may disclose it to others and how I keep it secure. Grab a cuppa and read on.

Website Cookies

What are cookies?

Most websites use cookies to collect information. Cookies are very small data files which are placed on your computer or Mac or iPad or other devices (for example tablet or phones) when you look at a website. They leave a little bit of information behind, some kind of cryptic information that allows your device to remember you when you re-visit the same website again in the future. If you browse a lot of websites only once, there will be a lot of cookie crumbs in your browser, but if you go to the same website again in the future, the little crumb “remembers” what cookie it came from and can help us with a smoother shopping experience, such as remembering our login details or username and so on. If you want to buy anything from a shop online, you will need cookies enabled in your browser, as otherwise you won’t be able to shop. Sometimes cookies remember what you were looking at and at that point they can help provide the website with information about what kind of product you last looked at and it will offer you similar or related things.

So what information does a cookie collect?

Cookies in general collect details about the pages you are looking at when you access a website via the same computer or device. This includes information about the pages you viewed, and the trail of pages you have looked at within one website. I do not collect or record information on your name, address or other contact details unless you send me your information through one of the contact forms. My cookies are only here to monitor your browsing behaviour so that I can see if my website is working, if I deliver the correct information to my existing and potential clients.

Where do the cookies come from?

The cookies that are stored on your computer or other device when you access my websites are designed by:

  • the company I have my website hosted with (20i.com)
  • third parties who I have linked in with, such as Google Analytics.
  • The Facebook Pixel is not implemented on my website.

What I do with Google Analytics

I use Google Analytics software on my website to collect information about how you use my website. I do this to help make sure that my website site is meeting the needs of my existing and potentially new clients and it also helps me to make continuous improvements to my website. Google Analytics stores information about:

  • the pages you visit on www.bawe-scotland.org
  • how long you spend on each www.bawe-scotland.org page
  • how you got to the site (i.e. have you found my website on a search engine, or have you clicked on a link on another website, such as a blog for example)
  • what you click on while you’re visiting my website

I do not collect or store your personal information (for example your first or last name or address). So none of this information can be used to identify who you are when you visit my website.

What are cookies used for?

The main purposes for which cookies are used mainly are:

  • technical reasons that allow me to run my website, particularly in relation to website site navigation.
  • in order to gather information about my visitor numbers, their browsing patterns, length of time you have been on my website and so on.

Can I disable cookies?

If you want to disable cookies on your computer or device, you need to change your website browser settings to no longer allow cookies to be placed. Because there are many different browsers out there, they all work differently. So please check your own browser, and then you can search online for something like “How to disable cookies in Internet Explorer” (and then replace the words “Internet Explorer” with the browser you are using, such as Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera etc.).

Does anything happen when you disable cookies?

This depends on which cookies you disable. Generally, this might prevent many websites from operating normally and you might see error messages or jumbled up pages when the cookies are not enabled. There is also an option to switch off Third Party Cookies only which for most websites will not have any effect on them working correctly. If you disable all cookies, you might be unable to see some pages on my website.

Google Analytics

When someone visits www.bawe-scotland.org, I use a third party service, Google Analytics, to collect standard internet log information and details of my website visitors’ behaviour patterns. I do this to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of my website. This information is only processed in a way which does not identify anyone. I do not make, and do not allow Google to make, any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting our website.

Access to your personal information

If you are a client, or have enquired about my services, I will keep some personal data on file. You are entitled to view, amend, or request the personal information that we hold to be deleted. Email your request to Gillian Crawford, using the form above.

Privacy Statement

Your privacy is important to me and we have taken measures to make sure that we protect it and let you know how we will use it. Below, you will find how your information is used.

Submitting a form on my website

I will use the information that you provide to me on my website to provide you with information you request, or to provide the services that you have requested. This may involve e-mailing you to confirm the service and for other administrative matters or to inform you about changes to the service or to notify you of new services.

Changes to my privacy policy

This privacy policy will be amended regularly to comply with current GDPR guidelines. The policy has been amended on 22 Sep 2020.

Use of this website

This Website is controlled and operated by the BAWE Scotland (the business). The business makes no representation that materials in the website are appropriate or available for use in other locations. Anyone who elects to access this website from any other location does so on their own initiative and is responsible for compliance with applicable local laws.

Use of website

The terms and conditions apply to your use of the business’ website at www.bawe-scotland.org (the “Website”). The terms and conditions apply regardless of how you access the website, including any devices by which you can access the website at home, or on the move. You must read these Terms and Conditions carefully, and we recommend that you print and keep a copy for your future reference. By accessing, browsing, using the Website or sending me information through the website, you confirm that you have read, understood and agree to these terms and conditions in their entirety. If you do not agree to these terms and conditions in their entirety, please do not use this website.

Use restrictions

The copyright in all material provided on this Site is held by the business. Except as advised herein, none of the material on this site may be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including, but not limited to, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the business. Any use of these materials on any other site or networked computer environment for any purpose is prohibited. Permission is granted to display and download the materials for your personal, non-commercial use only, provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright claims, marks and other proprietary notices contained within the materials. You can share the link to this website’s homepage or individual pages or blog post on social media. You may pin photographs on Pinterest.

Ownership rights / copyright

All rights, including copyright and other intellectual property rights, in and to this website are owned by or licensed to the business.

Links to external websites

Links to third party websites on this site are provided solely as a convenience to you. If you use these links, you will leave the business’ website. The business does not actively review all of these third party sites, nor do they possess any control and are not responsible for any of these sites or their content. Thus, the business does not endorse or make any representations about any other linked site, or any information, software or other products or materials found there, or any results that may be obtained from using them. If you decide to access any of the third party sites linked from this Site, you do this entirely at your own risk.