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WhatGov Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 20 November 2024

Our Commitment to Your Privacy

WhatGov is committed to protecting your privacy and personal data. This policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you use our parliamentary information service.

1. Important Information

1.1 Who We Are

  • Registration: Company Number 15864302 (England and Wales)
  • Data Protection Contact: support@whatgov.co.uk

1.2 Changes to This Policy

We will notify you of any material changes to this policy through:

  • Email notifications
  • In-app notices
  • Service announcements

2. Data We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

  • Account Information

    • Name
    • Email address
    • Postcode (to identify your constituency)
    • Password (encrypted)
    • Gender (optional)
    • Age range (optional)

  • Profile Information

    • Topics of interest
    • Notification preferences

  • Subscription Data

    • Payment information (processed by our payment provider)
    • Subscription tier
    • Billing history

2.2 Information We Automatically Collect

  • Usage Data

    • Debates viewed
    • Search history
    • Feature usage
    • Time spent on content

  • Technical Data

    • IP address
    • Browser type
    • Device information
    • Cookie data

2.3 Special Category Data

  • We do not intentionally collect special category data
  • Your interaction with political content is not stored as political opinion
  • Topic preferences are stored for functionality only

3. How We Use Your Data

3.1 Essential Service Provision

  • Account management
  • Constituency identification
  • Service notifications
  • Technical support

3.2 Service Improvement

  • Feature usage analysis
  • Performance monitoring
  • User experience optimisation
  • Bug fixing

3.3 Personalisation

  • Content recommendations
  • Topic alerts
  • MP activity tracking
  • Saved preferences

3.4 Communications

  • Service updates
  • Feature announcements
  • Subscription information
  • Newsletter (with consent)

4. Legal Basis for Processing

4.1 Contract Performance

  • Account management
  • Subscription handling
  • Service delivery

4.2 Legitimate Interests

  • Service improvement
  • Security measures
  • Analytics
  • Feature development

4.3 Consent

  • Marketing communications
  • Optional features
  • Cookie usage (non-essential)
  • Newsletter subscription

4.4 Legal Obligations

  • Financial records
  • Security requirements
  • Law enforcement requests
  • Regulatory compliance

5. Data Sharing

5.1 Third-Party Service Providers

  • Payment processors
  • Cloud hosting services
  • Analytics tools
  • Email service providers

5.2 Data Protection Agreements

All service providers:

  • Are UK/EU based or have adequate safeguards
  • Have signed data processing agreements
  • Comply with UK GDPR requirements
  • Maintain appropriate security measures

5.3 Other Disclosures

We may share data:

  • When required by law
  • To protect our rights
  • During corporate transactions
  • With your explicit consent

6. Data Security

6.1 Security Measures

  • Encryption in transit and at rest
  • Regular security audits
  • Access controls
  • Intrusion detection
  • Regular backups

6.2 Data Retention

  • Account data: Duration of account plus 12 months
  • Usage data: 24 months
  • Payment records: 7 years (legal requirement)
  • Logged-out user data: 30 days

7. Your Rights

7.1 Data Subject Rights

You have the right to:

  • Access your data
  • Correct inaccurate data
  • Request deletion
  • Object to processing
  • Data portability
  • Withdraw consent
  • Lodge complaints

7.2 How to Exercise Your Rights

Email: support@whatgov.co.uk Response time: Within one month ID verification may be required

8. Cookies and Tracking

8.1 Essential Cookies

  • Authentication (supabase-auth-token)
  • Security features
  • Basic site functionality

We do not use any non-essential or tracking cookies.

9. Children's Privacy

  • Minimum age: 16 years
  • Educational institutions may facilitate access for students under 16 through institutional accounts
  • We do not knowingly collect data from users under 16 outside educational contexts
  • We will delete any identified underage user data

10. International Data Transfers

10.1 Data Location

  • Primary storage: UK
  • Backup storage: EU
  • Limited transfers to trusted partners

10.2 Transfer Safeguards

  • Standard contractual clauses
  • Adequacy decisions
  • Appropriate security measures
  • Regular compliance audits

11. AI Processing

11.1 AI Usage

We use artificial intelligence to:

  • Transform complex parliamentary language into clear summaries
  • Identify key topics and trends
  • Generate contextual insights
  • Enhance search functionality

11.2 AI Limitations

  • AI-generated content is for informational purposes only
  • Users should refer to official Hansard records for authoritative information
  • All AI processing includes human oversight
  • Regular accuracy audits are performed

12. Contact Us

For Privacy Matters

For Complaints

13. Additional Information

13.1 Data Protection Registration

  • ICO Registration Number: [Pending]

13.2 Policy Updates

  • Check our website for the latest version
  • Material changes will be notified
  • Continued use implies acceptance

This policy was last reviewed and updated on 20 November 2024.