PRIVACY POLICY

IMPORTANT UPDATES TO OUR PRIVACY POLICY

The aim of this page is to inform you about what “user data” we might collect, why we may do this, and how you can manage and control any of your data we may hold.

Long story short, our privacy policy is simple:
We don’t purposefully gather or use any data we don’t need, or you don’t want us to use.

We hope you will agree we have tried our best to explain these technical things in a simple and clear way. We welcome your questions and comments on this policy.

Anonymous Technical Data

Whenever you use a website, mobile application or other Internet service, certain technical information usually gets created and logged automatically. This technical information is anonymous and we do not sell or share this information with anyone.

Here are some of the types of technical data that may be available to us:

Log data
When you visit a website, depending on your device, browser and privacy settings, the website hosting servers may automatically record anonymous information (“log data”), including information that your browser sends whenever you visit a website, or that your mobile app automatically sends when you’re using it.

This log data typically includes your Internet Protocol address (IP address), a note of the website pages you view, browser and device type and settings, the date and time the site was viewed etc.

If you are interested, you can request more details about the types of information which may be recorded in our logs by using any of the contact options available on our website.

Cookie data
Many websites also use “cookies” (small text files sent by your computer each time you visit the website, unique to your user account or your browser) or similar technologies to capture log data.

If we use cookies or other similar technologies, we use session cookies (that last until you close your browser) or persistent cookies (that last until you or your browser deletes them). For example, we may use cookies to store your language preferences or other settings. Or “remember” you if we use something like a pop-up message, telling you all about the latest bureaucratic internet privacy legislation from the EU…  so you don‘t have to set them up every time you visit. Most website browsers offer various “privacy” settings, which you may choose to set according to your needs.

For more detailed information about how we use cookies, please review our Cookies Policy. For details about cookies and browser privacy options, please consult your browser help pages.

Device information
In addition to log data, anonymous technical information about the device you’re viewing our website on, including type of device, operating system, settings etc. may also be recorded.

Whether some or all of this data is logged depends on what type of device you’re using and the settings you have chosen. For example, different types of information are available depending on whether you’re using a Mac or a PC, or an iPhone or Android phone. To learn more about what information your device makes available to us, please check the policies of your device manufacturer or software provider.

 

What do we want with all this data?

Believe it or not, we generally have better things to do with our time than pouring over screens of anonymous technical data and visitor statistics…

However, we may keep an eye on things from time to time. It can be useful for us to know which of our pages or sections are popular (and which are not). It can also be handy to measure the effectiveness of any marketing activity if we see a corresponding jump in visitor numbers. Server Logs can also be valuable if the website has a technical problem, or in the unlikely event that our site suffers a security breach such as hacking.

 

Technical Data Analysis

We may use a trusted and secure 3rd party “analytics” service such as “Google Analytics” or Webmaster Search Console.

The only people with access to this data are the website owner / administrator and the data controller who has collected the data – eg. Google.com.  Services like these can help us to monitor and understand technical data and statistics with a view to improving our website, user experience and service to you. The type of data available ranges from our most popular website pages or sections, any external websites linking to our pages, any geographic regions where our visitors may be coming from. It can also flag up any technical problems, such as web pages which are failing to display properly etc.

You can find out more about how Google handles and stores user data, security and privacy here: https://privacy.google.com/businesses/compliance

Sign-up Services & Contact Forms

If our website offers a subscription news service, such as e-newsletters, the contact information you give us, such as your name and email address which is obviously required in order to deliver your service is stored remotely and securely in an encrypted database by a 3rd party email service provider such as Mailchimp.

Before you can sign up to a service such as a news letter or use a contact form, we require that you give us your explicit permission to use your contact details so we may provide the service you requested (deliver e-news letters or reply to your message).

We never SPAM or sell or share data

We endorse and follow the latest anti-spam / privacy legislation, and you will find a clear “Unsubscribe” option on every news / marketing email you receive from us if you ever decide to cancel the service.

 

Online Sales / Ecommerce
If our website features an ecommerce / online shop section,  we require that customers submit personal details such as the item(s) you have ordered, your name and contact details so we may complete your order. Our sales system uses an extra layer of data encryption (SSL Certificate) for added security and peace of mind. This can be verified by viewing the little green “padlock” icon at the start of your browser address bar.

We do not view, record or store any security-sensitive information such as credit card details, and all transactions are handled off-site using your chosen payment method by trusted and secure third party partners, such as Paypal, or your online banking / BACS systems.

Sales orders and customer details

 

Website Security Software such as “Wordfence”.
Our website may be equipped with 3rd party plugins such as “Wordfence” for additional security. This software is designed to log and monitor the activity of site visits by ip address, alert us and act to protect the website if something potentially unsafe or suspicious occurs. For example, if an ip address attempts to login to our website without the correct credentials, that ip address may be recorded and further attempts to access the site may be denied.

Only website administrators are able to view any data recorded for safety and security of the website and its visitors.

In the event of a serious security breach, we will attempt to notify any users whose data might be affected within 72 hours wherever possible.

Choices you have about your data:

You can cancel any subscription you may have asked us to sign up to at any time. For example, if you unsubscribe to a newsletter we will also remove your details from the subscribers database.

You also have data / privacy options available to you through the device or software you use to access our website. For example your browser or the device you use lets you control any cookies or other types of local data sharing and storage.

To learn more about your choices, please see the information provided by your device or software provider.

 

Your Data Privacy Options:

You have options in relation to the information that we have about you which are described below. To exercise any of these options, please contact us.

You can access any information we hold about you
Please contact us using any of contact options on our website, asking us for details of any data we hold about you. If we have any data which matches the details you give us, we’ll attempt to share this with you within 40 days of your request.  A fee of £10 may be charged at our discretion.

Get your information corrected or deleted
You can contact us using any of the contact methods available on our website to update or delete any personal information we may have on record. For example, if you subscribed to a newsletter and have a new email address.

Object to us processing your information
You can ask us to stop using your information, including when we use your information to send you marketing emails or push notifications. We only ever send you such material if you’ve agreed to it but, if you’d rather we didn’t, you can easily unsubscribe at any time.

Have the information you provided to us sent to another organisation
Where we hold this information with your consent or for the performance of a contract with you, where it’s technically feasible. Proof of ID will be required.

Right of Complaint
If you’re based in the EEA and think that we haven’t complied with data protection laws for some reason, please contact us directly in the first instance detailing your complaint and we will do our best to resolve your concerns. You also have a right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commissioner in Ireland or with your local supervisory authority.