Skip to main content

Privacy Policy

Introduction

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is an opportunity to build a stronger data protection foundation for the benefit of all. Digital Scientists Ltd takes its obligations around data processing and security very seriously. We have a dedicated data protection core team, comprised of senior members from our Legal, Data, and Marketing teams, ensuring that Digital Scientists is GDPR-compliant. For every new product development and enhancement to our service, we proactively apply Data Protection by Design principles.


This is the privacy policy for the Digital Scientists Platform (as defined in our Terms and Conditions) that we make available from time to time. The Digital Scientists Platform is owned and operated by Digital Scientists Ltd ("we", "us", or "our"). For the purposes of EU data protection laws, we are the data controller.


We have appointed a Data Protection Officer (DPO) responsible for overseeing questions in relation to this privacy policy. If you have any questions about this privacy policy, including any requests to exercise your legal rights, such as requests to delete your data, please contact the DPO at .


Our postal contact details are:

Digital Scientists Ltd
29 Copnor Road
Portsmouth
England
PO3 5AB

You have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk). We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO, so please contact us in the first instance.


We are committed to protecting your privacy online. We understand that you do not want your information to be distributed indiscriminately. Here, we explain how we collect information, what we do with it, and what controls you have over it.


By using the Digital Scientists Platform, you consent to the collection and use of your personal information in accordance with this privacy policy. If you do not agree with the use of your personal information as set out in this privacy policy, or the Terms and Conditions, please do not use the Digital Scientists Platform.


We reserve the right to change this privacy policy from time to time. If we make material changes to this privacy policy, we will notify you by means of a prominent notice before the changes become effective.


Information We May Collect from You

We may collect and process the following information about you:

Information such as your name, email address, gender, date of birth, photographs, postal address, and telephone number that you provide to us, including if you register as a user of the Digital Scientists Platform, book an appointment for any service, upload or submit any material via the Digital Scientists Platform, contact any service provider via the Digital Scientists Platform, or enter into any competition or promotion we may sponsor;


In connection with an account sign-in facility, your login and password details;


If you decide to register through or otherwise grant access to us via a third-party social networking site such as Facebook Connect or Google, we may also collect personal information that is already associated with such a site;


The content of any communications you send to us, for example, to report a problem or to submit queries, concerns, or comments regarding the Digital Scientists Platform or its content;


Any search terms you looked up and the results that you selected;


Friend or contact lists that you may provide to us by connecting your Digital Scientists account with your computer, mobile device, or third-party social network accounts;


Information from surveys that we may, from time to time, run on the Digital Scientists Platform, if you choose to participate in them;


Geographical location so that we can provide you with information about the services provided by businesses near your location; and

Other information from your use of the Digital Scientists Platform including the type of internet browser or mobile device you use, any website from which you have come to the Site, your IP address (the unique address that identifies your computer or mobile device on the Internet), and your operating system, which are automatically recognised by our web server.


    We may record and monitor telephone calls for training and quality control purposes as well as to verify the details of any contract we may agree with you over the phone.


    Your name, as well as any photo you submit for your profile, any services or any businesses that you book appointments with, and any recommendations you make, can be publicly displayed as part of your profile. Appointments booked will also be publicly displayed on the applicable service provider's profile. You can make changes to some of your account information through Settings.


    You are under no obligation to provide any such information. However, if you choose to withhold requested information, we may not be able to provide you with certain services.


    Uses Made of Your Information

    We have set out below, in a table format, a description of all the ways we plan to use your data, and which of the legal bases we rely on to do so. We have also identified what our legitimate interests are where appropriate.


    Note that we may process your personal data for more than one lawful ground depending on the specific purpose for which we are using your data. Please contact us if you need details about the specific legal ground we are relying on to process your personal data where more than one ground has been set out in the table below.


    Purpose/ActivityType of dataLawful basis for processing including basis of legitimate interest
    To register you as a new customer(a) Identity (b) ContactPerformance of a contract with you
    To process and deliver your order including: (a) Manage payments, fees, and charges; (b) Collect and recover money owed to us(a) Identity (b) Contact (c) Financial (d) Marketing and Communications(a) Performance of a contract with you (b) Necessary for our legitimate interests (to recover debts due to us)
    To manage our relationship with you, which will include: (a) Publishing information about your business on Digital Scientists (b) Notifying you about changes to our terms or privacy policy (c) Asking you to leave a review or take a survey(a) Identity (b) Contact (c) Profile (d) Marketing and Communications(a) Performance of a contract with you (b) Necessary to comply with a legal obligation (c) Necessary for our legitimate interests (to keep our records updated and to study how customers use our products/services)
    To enable you to partake in a prize draw, competition or complete a survey(a) Identity (b) Contact (c) Profile (d) Usage (e) Marketing and Communications(a) Performance of a contract with you (b) Necessary for our legitimate interests (to study how customers use our products/services, to develop them and grow our business)
    To administer and protect our business (including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, system maintenance, support, reporting, and hosting of data)(a) Identity (b) Contact (c) Technical(a) Necessary for our legitimate interests (for running our business, provision of administration and IT services, network security, to prevent fraud, and in the context of a business reorganisation or group restructuring exercise) (b) Necessary to comply with a legal obligation
    To use data analytics to improve our website, products/services, marketing, customer relationships, and experiences(a) Technical (b) UsageNecessary for our legitimate interests (to define types of customers for our products and services, to keep our website updated and relevant, to develop our business, and to inform our marketing strategy)
    To make suggestions and recommendations to you about goods or services that may be of interest to you(a) Identity (b) Contact (c) Technical (d) Usage (e) ProfileNecessary for our legitimate interests (to develop our products/services and grow our business)


    Legitimate Interest means the interest of our business in conducting and managing our business to enable us to give you the best service/product and the best and most secure experience. We make sure we consider and balance any potential impact on you (both positive and negative) and your rights before we process your personal data for our legitimate interests. We do not use your personal data for activities where our interests are overridden by the impact on you (unless we have your consent or are otherwise required or permitted to by law). You can obtain further information about how we assess our legitimate interests against any potential impact on you in respect of specific activities by contacting us at.


    Performance of Contract means processing your data where it is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party or to take steps at your request before entering into such a contract.


    Comply with a legal or regulatory obligation means processing your personal data where it is necessary for compliance with a legal or regulatory obligation that we are subject to.


    Generally, we do not rely on consent as a legal basis for processing your personal data other than in relation to sending third-party direct marketing communications to you via email or text message.


    Subject to receiving your consent, we may also use your personal information to notify you of new products or services and special offers we think you may be interested in, and share your personal information with carefully selected third parties so they can send you information directly which you may find useful regarding their products and services. Such third parties may have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for how those third parties use your personal information. However, you will only receive these communications where you consented to receive such communications either at the point of registration or at any point thereafter. You can unsubscribe from such communications at any time by changing your communication preferences in Settings, via the unsubscribe link that you will find at the bottom of every marketing email we send, or by contacting us by email at . However, if you do unsubscribe, you may not be able to benefit from the full service and functionality of Digital Scientists and potential promotions.


    Digital Scientists' use and transfer to any other app of information received from Google APIs will adhere to Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.


    Refer a Friend Schemes

    We may, from time to time, run referral programmes or similar initiatives, such as a "Refer a Friend" programme, that invite you to provide us with the contact details of someone who is known to you who may find our products or services of interest. We will only use those contact details for the purpose of the relevant initiative (and not for general marketing purposes). By providing us with their details, you confirm that you have their permission to do so and must not provide us with the details of anyone from whom you do not have such permission. We reserve the right to identify you as the person who has made the referral in the message that is sent to them. We will not use your friend's information for any other purpose unless they consent to us doing so.


    Information Sharing

    We may disclose aggregate statistics about visitors to the Digital Scientists Platform, customers, and sales in order to describe our services to prospective partners, advertisers, sponsors, and other reputable third parties and for other lawful purposes, but these statistics will include no personally identifiable information.


    We may disclose your personal information to any of our affiliates, service providers, or to our agents or sub-contractors who assist us in providing the services we offer through the Digital Scientists Platform, processing transactions, booking appointments for the services, fulfilling requests for information, receiving and sending communications, updating marketing lists, analysing data, providing support services, or in other tasks from time to time. Our agents and contractors will only use your personal information to the extent necessary to perform their functions and will be required by us to implement measures to protect your personal information.


    In the event that we undergo a reorganisation or are sold to a third party, you agree that any personal information we hold about you may be transferred to that reorganised entity or third party.


    We may disclose your personal information if required to do so by law or if we believe that such action is necessary to prevent fraud or cybercrime or to protect the Digital Scientists Platform or the rights, property, or personal safety of any person.


    Your Digital Scientists Services may include a Small Business Tax Consultation from our Service Provider, 1800Accountant. We will provide User Data to our Service Provider to deliver the Small Business Tax Consultation to enable the Service Provider to offer the Small Business Tax Consultation to you and to market its own services to you. Digital Scientists does not provide tax advice. Any documentation or information you provide to the Service Provider is governed by the policies at 1800accountant.com. You authorise Digital Scientists and 1800Accountant, LLC to share and exchange data related to your entity to provide you with the Small Business Tax Consultation.


    Cookies

    When you interact with the Digital Scientists Platform, we try to make that experience simple and meaningful. When you visit the Digital Scientists Platform, our Web server sends a cookie to your computer or mobile device. Cookies are small pieces of information that are issued to your computer or mobile device when you visit a website or access or use a mobile application and which store and sometimes track information about your use of the Digital Scientists Platform. A number of cookies we use last only for the duration of your session and expire when you close your browser or exit the Digital Scientists Platform. Other cookies are used to remember you when you return to the Digital Scientists Platform and will last for longer. We use cookies to:

    • Remember that you have visited us before;
    • Customise elements of the promotional layout and/or content of the pages of the Digital Scientists Platform;
    • Collect anonymous statistical information about how you use the Digital Scientists Platform, including how long you spend on the Digital Scientists Platform and where you have come to the Digital Scientists Platform from, so that we can improve the Digital Scientists Platform and learn which parts of the Digital Scientists Platform are most popular with users; and
    • Gather information about the pages on the Digital Scientists Platform you use, and also other information about other websites that you visit, to place you in a "market segment". This information is then used to place interest-based advertisements on the Digital Scientists Platform, which it is believed will be relevant to your market segment. For more information about this type of interest-based advertising, and about how to turn this feature off, please visit youronlinechoices.com/uk/.

    Some of the cookies used by the Digital Scientists Platform are set by us, and some are set by third parties who are delivering services on our behalf.


    Most web and mobile device browsers automatically accept cookies, but if you prefer, you can change your browser settings to prevent that or to notify you each time a cookie is set. You can also learn more about cookies by visiting allaboutcookies.org, which includes additional useful information on cookies and how to block cookies using different types of browsers or mobile devices. Please note, however, that by blocking or deleting cookies used on the Digital Scientists Platform, you may not be able to take full advantage of the Digital Scientists Platform.


    In addition to cookies, tracking GIFs may be set by us or third parties in respect of your use of the Digital Scientists Platform. Tracking GIFs are small image files within the content of the Digital Scientists Platform or the body of our newsletters so we or third parties can understand which parts of the Digital Scientists Platform are used and whether particular content is of interest.


    Public Forums

    The information you contribute through the Digital Scientists Platform is public, including your reviews, photos, comments, which Service Providers you add as favourites, and your friend lists. Any information that is disclosed in these areas becomes public information, and you should exercise caution when using these and consider carefully before disclosing your personal information.


    Security and Storage of Your Personal Information

    We place great importance on the security of our users' personal information. We have security measures in place to help us protect against the loss, misuse, and alteration of personal information under our control. For example, our security and privacy policies are periodically reviewed and enhanced as necessary, and only authorised personnel have access to personal information. Whilst we cannot ensure or guarantee that loss, misuse, or alteration of information will never occur, we use all reasonable efforts to prevent it.

    We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so.


    You should bear in mind that submission of information over the Internet is never entirely secure. We cannot guarantee the security of information you submit via the Digital Scientists Platform whilst it is in transit over the Internet, and any such submission is at your own risk.

    It is advisable to close your browser when you have finished your user session to help ensure others do not access your personal information if you use a shared computer or a computer in a public place.


    We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.


    To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data, and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.


    Details of retention periods for different aspects of your personal data are available by contacting us at .

    Transfers Out of the EEA


    We may need to transfer your personal information to data processors who may be located outside the European Economic Area (EEA), including to countries that do not offer the same level of protection with respect to personal information as required in the EEA. Where we transfer your personal information to data processors outside of the EEA, we ensure that written agreements are in place incorporating clauses approved by the European Commission, which give personal data the same protection it has in Europe. We will take all reasonable steps to ensure that your privacy rights continue to be protected by ensuring that by submitting personal information via the Digital Scientists Platform, you acknowledge and consent to the transfer of your personal information outside of the EEA.


    Your Rights

    You have a right under EU data protection laws to access your personal information. On request, we will provide you with a copy of this information. You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal data (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request is clearly unfounded, repetitive, or excessive. Alternatively, we may refuse to comply with your request in these circumstances. You also have a right to correct any errors or inaccuracies in that personal information and a right to object to the processing of your personal information.

    If you wish to exercise any of these rights, you should send an email to .


    Contacting Us

    Please submit any questions, concerns, or comments you have about this privacy policy or any requests concerning your personal data by email to or .

    Last updated: 12 August 2024