Privacy notice for subscribers to our email alerts

Information that we collect from you

When you sign up to receive out newsletters, we collect the following information directly from you:

• your name
• your email address
• the profession or area of interest you represent (if you choose to provide it)
• your organisation
• your subscription preferences
• information about how you interact with this service

When you engage with our emails (such as open them or click on links within them), we also collect your:

• Browser User Agent for example Safari, Firefox, Edge
• IP Address for estimated location
• date and time associated with each open and click for an email

We use the GovDelivery platform, provided by Granicus, to manage our mailing list and correspond with you, therefore your personal information will be collected and stored on this platform.

Emails sent from GovDelivery contain web beacons which capture data about your interactions with the email. For example, when you open an email and click a link, this information will be recorded for that specific email campaign.

To view more on how this information is collected and used by the third party, please see the Granicus Privacy Notice and Cookie Statement.

Why we process personal data

By subscribing to our email alerts you can receive notifications about our news, published decisions, and reports. We process this information with your consent. You can withdraw this consent easily at any time by updating your preferences and unsubscribing. When you do this we will stop sending you newsletters and alerts.

We use the information to:

• provide you with information tailored to your preferences, and profession or area of interest
• improve our service by monitoring how you use the emails we send you
• gather feedback on your content preferences
• respond to your feedback

As a subscriber, we may also contact you to ask for your feedback on how we can improve our services.

At any time, you have the right to update your information and your subscription preferences, or unsubscribe from the service. To do so, click to access your account.

Sharing your information

The personal information we collect from you will be shared with the mailing list platform provider, Granicus, as a Data Processor in order for them to provide a service to us.

We won’t share your personal information with other organisations for marketing, market research or commercial purposes.

We do not routinely share information about our mailing lists with external parties, however we are obliged to consider one off disclosure requests where exemptions in the Data Protection Act allow for this. These can include:

• requests from law enforcement agencies where the information is required to prevent and detect criminal activity or apprehend and prosecute offenders
• requests from Legal representatives where the information is required to facilitate legal claims or the obtaining of legal advice
• requests from individuals relating to their rights of access under the Data Protection Act
• requests from agencies involved in safeguarding where the information is required to protect children and vulnerable adults

In each case, disclosure will be considered on a case by case basis and a proportionate response provided.

How we protect your information

Granicus have staff based outside the European Economic Area, and stores your data in the U.S. Granicus is certified under the UK extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. When you sign up to our email alerts, you agree to your data being stored in this way.

We implement the necessary security and organisational measures to ensure your information is only accessed by employees on a need-to-know basis.

Data is stored for each email campaign directly on GovDelivery. Data access is restricted and is only accessible to the Communications Team within the Housing Ombudsman Service for a period of 12 months.

Granicus employees can also access the information for support purposes and store your information for a period of 6 years after you are removed from the platform.