Privacy policy.
Empathos (“we”, “our”, “us”) is a UK-registered charity aimed at advancing education with a particular focus on students from a widening participation background and the relief of poverty in the UK and internationally. We use your data to make sure you are updated with the latest updates. We promise to respect your personal data that you share with us or that we get from other organisations. We aim to be transparent with how we use your data. We may process and share aggregated data including but not limited to statistical and demographic insights which are drawn from personal data but are non-identifiable.
In line with this commitment, we will adhere to:
1. Data respect – Your personal data will be handled with privacy
2. Transparency – We will be transparent with the data we collect and how we use it
3. Data collection – the personal data that we collect may include but is not limited or restricted to:
Identity information such as your full name, date of birth, address
Contact details such as your phone number, email, and next of kin (emergency contact purposes)
Education details such as your educational journey, school names, university, degree, subjects studied, year group, qualifications
Employment details such as workplace, place of volunteering, current positions and past positions held
Personal specifics such as social mobility status, disabilities and bank details
Other shared information such as any additional data you choose to share with us included but not limited to information shared on social media, sign-up forms etc
Usage data including but not limited to our website, social media and other relevant digital interactions
We mainly use your data to (this includes but is not limited to):
1. Providing requested services and information
2. Keeping you updated about ongoing events and latest updates
3. Managing our interactions and responding to queries, enquiries and requests
4. Sustaining communication to keep in contact and maintain our relationship
5. Use your emergency details solely for emergency situations
6. Utilising feedback to improve our services
7. Sharing data with third parties with consent (e.g. a third party may collaborate for a giveaway and sharing contact details for prize delivery)
8. For hiring decisions, professional advice, safeguarding advice and legal and ethical obligations
9. Recognising and acknowledging your involvement when featuring you on our social media, website, etc
Sharing data
If we deem it necessary, we may share your personal data with regulatory bodies, courts, government, emergency services, legal advisors, law enforcement agencies etc. We may also share your data if we have a concern such as but not limited to safeguarding reasons.
Third Party policy
Our website and social media platforms may have links, or we may be sponsored by third parties. Websites and social media pages may include third-party websites and resources that may not be our own. When clicking on these and visiting these pages, you may be allowing third parties to collect and share data about you. We encourage you to read the privacy and GDPR policy of other websites you visit. As such, your interactions with these external websites are governed by their individual privacy policies and we are not responsible for anything linked to these websites.
In certain instances, we may also share your data with third parties with your consent. By entering a competition with a giveaway/sponsored by a third party, you may be consenting and providing permission to us to share your relevant details they need to provide you with that giveaway. We will always notify you of this if you have won the giveaway and will never share your information with third parties without you being notified.
Keeping your data safe and who has access
Your personal data which is collected and processed by us may be shared with trustees to be able to run the charity and initiatives. It may be shared with volunteers if deemed necessary for a particular event or initiative. We undertake regular reviews and have controls over who can access your data to ensure it is handled safely. We will never sell your personal information to other organisations.
Information security
We store your data on password-protected places to ensure security, that only trustees have access to. We may download your data from these places to allow us to run events and initiatives such as but not limited to registers for events, name lists for certificates etc. We will keep your data until your email asks us to opt you out and remove your data.
Your data rights from ICO
The new GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and relevant UK data protection legalisations have set out the rights you have to your data. More information can be found on the ICO website.
Your rights
1. Right to opt out: If you would like us to stop contacting you or remove you from our mailing list, please get in contact with us via our email and we would be happy to stop communication with you
2. Right to erase: If you would like us to delete your data, we may be able to delete it if we do not need it for the purpose, you initially supplied it for. If you would like us to delete your data, please get in touch via email and let us know which information you would like us to delete
3. Right to access: If you would like us to share a copy of your data with you, get in touch via email and request it alongside the reason you are requesting for.
4. Right to Rectification: If you would like us to update or correct your data, please get in contact with us via email.
For the above, we may ask for you to send us a copy of your ID to prove that it is you so that we can make sure we are sharing data with the correct individual.
We are dedicated to honouring your rights and ensuring that your personal data is handled with compliance with this policy and regulations.
Accidents
If we make a mistake storing your data, we will always try to rectify the mistake and do whatever we can to rectify it. If we deem the mistake significant enough to be a major breach of information and we are unable to rectify, delete or sort out the problem and we will contact you to let you know. We will assess the risk using the ICO self-assessment tool.
Complaints
If you have any complaints or concerns regarding your data, get in touch via email so that we can assist you and provide you with next steps.
Changes and updates to our privacy policy
We may change and update our privacy policy. To stay notified of these changes you can keep updated on our website.
Last Updated October 2023