Privacy Policy

Introduction

• Distinctly Birmingham is committed to protecting and respecting the privacy of all those who use our website and our services.
• Distinctly Birmingham is a data controller in terms of the Data Protection Act. We collect process and store a wide range of information, including personal information to deliver our services efficiently.
• Our online services are delivered using https so you can rest assured that any personal information you submit is protected by a secure connection.
• In line with the UK and EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) it is important to us that tour visitors and customers understand that personal data we collect or hold from you and how it will be processed.
• We are responsible for managing the information that we hold, and we recognise that this information is important to you. We take our responsibilities seriously and use personal information fairly, correctly and safely in line with the UK’s data protection laws.
• Anyone who receives information from us is also under a legal obligation to do the same and will have a set of data protection clauses included in any contract with us.
• Where we need to share sensitive or confidential information, we will do so only with your consent, or where we are legally able to do so.

What information do we collect and use?

We may collect any of the following information, always provided by you, depending on how you interact with us as a service user:

• Your name and contact details (inc. job title, address, telephone and mobile number, email address).
• Company details (inc. name, address, registration number, VAT registration number, insurance, category (type) of company).
• Any company links on social media (inc. Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook).
• Any parent company details (inc. company name, address, telephone number, email address, contact name).
• Collaboration details of any companies involved within your project (inc. company name, address, telephone number, email address, contact name).
• Authority details who are involved within the project (organisation name, telephone number, email address, contact name).
• Finance details (inc. contact details, bank account details, VAT number).
• Due diligence information (inc. accounts, policy and process documents, investigation/convictions/notice details, enforcement/remedial orders).
• Details of any conflicts of interests.
• Details of previous project applications.
• Project details (inc. project name, summary, project plan).
• Project finances (inc. individuals involved, daily rates, no. days worked, sub-contractor charges, material costs and other expenses).
• Your IP address (inc. IP tracking within the London office building).
• Cookie preferences.

Cookies

• When you first visit our website, we will ask for your permission to use analytical tracking software to monitor your activity on our site. This helps us to better understand how our site is being accessed so that we can improve our visitor’s experience and our customer service.
• This software is provided by Google Analytics which uses cookies to track visitor usage.
• Cookies are small, harmless files saved to the your computer, smartphone, tablet or smart TV that track, collect and store information about the user’s interactions and usage of the website.
• There are two types of cookies. Essential and non-essential.
  • Essential cookies do not require consent as they are necessary to ensure the site’s working.
  • Non-essential cookies refer to marketing and analytical cookies. If you grant permission, the software will save a cookie in your computer’s hard drive to track and monitor your engagement and navigation of the website each time you visit.

Google Analytics

• Google Analytics uses your IP user address and tells us about the pages you have accessed and how long you stayed in those pages. It also remembers if you return to our website.
• When you first access our site, you will be asked about your preferences and will be able to decline the marketing/analytical cookies.
• If you do not grant permission, we do not receive this information.
• If you wish to block the use of cookies in your hard drive at a later date, you can select “cookie settings” under the privacy settings in your browser options and add our domain name to the list of websites you deny access.
• Google Analytics provides information to us in an anonymised format (general summary rather than individualised) and this information is stored on the respective platforms.
• Google takes your privacy very seriously. For further information, please visit https://policies.google.com/privacy
• Essential cookies cannot be disabled as they are crucial to the site working correctly and allowing you to browse.

Why do we hold your data?

• We only hold personal data that we need to:
  • To contact you and communicate with you.
  • This data is provided by you during the enquiry process.
• The data from Google Analytics helps us to develop and improve our customer experience. If you choose to, you will have also consented to us receiving this data with the cookie consent policy.
• If you enquire with us, we hold your data so that we can respond to you and send you email updates if they interest you.
• All data we hold is given with consent or in order for us to fulfil our contract with you.

What we will do with your information

When deciding what personal information to collect, use and hold, we are committed to making sure that we:

• Only collect, hold and use personal information where it is necessary and fair to do so;
• Keep your personal information secure and safe;
• Securely dispose of any personal information when it is no longer needed;
• Be open with you about how we use your information and who we share it with;
• Adopt and maintain high standards in handling any personal information.

We may disclose personal information to a third party, but only where it is required by law or where that third party needs that information to provide you with a service on our behalf. We will strive to make sure that the third party has sufficiently robust system and procedures in place to protect your personal information.

How long we will hold your information

By providing you with a service, we create records that contain information. We manage our records to help us provide a service to you. The retention periods we will hold records are determined based on the type of record, the nature of the activity, product or service. We will not retain records for any longer than necessary, or as required by law.

When we dispose of personal information, we will do so in a secure way.

Information Security

• We take a proactive approach to user privacy and ensure the necessary steps are taken to protect the privacy of our website users and the personal information that we hold. Our website complies with all UK national laws and requirements for user privacy as well as EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
• We have checked to the best of our knowledge that our website and hosting company have taken all steps possible to protect our site and data. The personal information you provide us with and we collect is stored on our shared hosting.
• To further protect the data and sensitive data we use virus software on our laptop, password protection, and we keep records and our laptop in a secure space.
• While we do take all applicable technical and organisational measures to safeguard your data, it is impossible for us to secure the whole internet entirely. As a user, it is your responsibility to acknowledge this and to understand that the personal details you give to us by your own choice across the internet are transferred at your own risk.

Social Media Platforms

• Our social media engagement is subject to the customs and privacy policies of each social media platform. Social media may have their own tracking cookies in place.
• While we take great care to ensure the security and safety of our follower’s personal information, when you contact us via our social media accounts, you should be aware that we cannot control the data you post there.
• Distinctly Birmingham will never ask for personal or sensitive information through social media platforms and encourage users wishing to discuss sensitive details to contact them through primary communication channels such as email.
• If we use social sharing buttons which help share web content directly from web pages to the social media platform in question, users do so at their own discretion. By default, some social media platforms shorten lengthy URLs (website addresses) so that they look like this; http;//bit.ly/wkDTpk18. These shortened URLs can be prone to spam and hacking. Distinctly Birmingham can not take any liability for damages/implications caused by visiting any shortened links.

The right to be forgotten

• We will always include a clear and straightforward opt-out method on all of our marketing email communication in the future with you, so that you have an easy-to-follow route if you decide you no longer with to be contacted by Distinctly Birmingham. Upon this request, your details will be removed from the database.

Your Data Protection Rights

• Your personal information is kept private and stored securely until a time it Is no longer required, is no longer relevant, or you ask us to remove your details.
• You may request a copy of the personal data we hold for you or ask us to ament or delete your details free of charge. If you would like to make a request, please email us using the email at the bottom of the page.
• We will respond to your request within 30 dates, providing you provide us with proof of identity if we deem it necessary.

Questions about this Privacy Policy

• It is important to us that our visitors and customers fully understand the privacy implications, and this policy aims to outline the obligations and requirements of the users, the website and the website owners as openly and transparently as possible. If there is an area you are unsure about, please do not hesitate to contact us so we can talk you through it.

Updates to this privacy policy

• We will update this policy regarding legal or technical developments. This policy was last updated on 26^th September 2024.
• If we change the way we use your information, and we believe you may not reasonably expect such a change we will notify you and will allow a period of time to raise any objections before the change is made.