The Stop Smoking Service Covers Central Bedfordshire, Bedford Borough and Milton Keynes– WEBSITE PRIVACY POLICY

The Stop Smoking Service of Priory House, Monks Walk, Chicksands, Shefford SG17 5TQ are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.  You may provide certain information when dealing with us through our website, namely www.thestopsmokingservice.co.uk (“Website”).  This Policy explains how we use and protect information given to us by users of the Website.  Our Website Terms and Conditions of Use apply to your use of the Website and contain all our legal and contact details.  You will know when we are collecting information from you intended to be kept for further use because the web page will contain a link to this Privacy Policy.  Please read the following information carefully to understand our views and practices regarding your data and how we will treat it.  If you have any questions, comments or requests regarding this Privacy Policy please either e-mail us at stopsmoking@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or write to us at Priory House, Monks Walk, Chicksands, Shefford SG17 5TQ or telephone us at (0044) 0800 013 0553.

 

Information we may collect from you

By submitting any information to us through the Website or participating in discussions or group activities on the Website you consent to the use of such information as set out in this Privacy Policy.
When you register, use the Website, or enter into a transaction with us:

  • You may be asked to provide certain information by filling in forms on the Website and to submit them to us.
  • You might send us information in emails and letters.
  • You might provide information relating to group activities or discussions.
  • We will retain details of your visits to the Website (including, but not limited to, traffic data, location data, weblogs and other communication data), and the resources that you access.

How we use the information provided to us

We use information held about you in the following ways:

  • to register you with the Website and to administer the Website services;
  • to provide you with information, products or services that you request from us or which we feel may interest you (where you have consented to be contacted for such purposes), or involve you willingly in certain user group activities;
  • to ensure that content from the Website is presented in the most effective and appropriate manner for you and for your computer;
  • to link you in, with your consent to relevant live discussion groups;
  • to enable us to improve our services and to pursue our aims to encourage and facilitate smoking cessation;
  • to help us collect information and statistics about smoking, smokers and techniques to stop smoking;
  • to notify you about changes to our services;
  • for assessment and analysis for our analytical and health improvement activities; and
  • for any other purpose which you have specifically consented to when providing the information.

If you have provided us with your contact details, we may contact you using any of the contact details provided. We are not involved in any direct marketing purposes and will not contact you to market to you.

Fraud Protection

To protect you, us and others from deception fraud and theft, we may pass on information that we obtain from you or our identity checks to certain organisations (including law enforcement services).

Disclosure of your information

We may disclose your information to third parties:

  • who may use it for the same purposes and with similar aims to our Website described above;
  • who process information and provide support services on our behalf:
  • who are our employees and agents so that they can administer your contract and involvement with us and the user discussion groups on the Website;
  • to whom we transfer our rights or duties under any agreements with you.

We may disclose your information to third parties if we are under a duty to disclose.  We may share your personal data in order to comply with any legal obligation upon us, or to protect our visitors, patients,  employees’ or agents’ rights, property or safety.

IP Addresses and Cookies

We may collect information about your computer, including where available your IP address, operating system and browser type, for system administration and to report aggregated information. This is statistical data about our users’ browsing actions and patterns, and does not identify any individual.

For the same reason, we may obtain information about your general internet usage by using a cookie file which is stored on the hard drive of your computer. Cookies are elements of data which contain information that is transferred to your computers’ hard drive browser and stored on your system. They help us to see which pages of the Website have been visited and so improve the Website to deliver a better and more personalised service.

They enable us:

  • to estimate a web page’s audience size and usage pattern;
  • to store information about your preferences, and so allow us to customise the Website according to your individual interests;
  • to speed up your searches; and
  • to recognise you when you return to the Website.

Cookies do not contain confidential data such as your name, credit card details etc.

You may refuse to accept cookies by activating the setting on your browser which allows you to refuse the setting of cookies.  However, if you select this setting you may be unable to access certain parts of the Website. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies when you log onto the Website.

Where we store your personal data

The data We collect from you may be transferred to, and stored at, reputable destinations outside the European Economic Area (“EEA”).  It may also be processed by persons operating outside the EEA who work for us.  By submitting your personal data, you agree to this transfer, storing or processing.  We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and afforded the same level of protection as that required of us under UK data protection legislation.

All information you provide is stored on our or our vetted and contracted agents’ secure servers. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of the Websites, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential and its use, in whatever circumstances. We ask you not to share your password with anyone.

Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure.  Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to the Website.  Therefore, you accept that any transmission is at your own risk and you will not hold us responsible for any breach of security unless this is due to our negligence or willful default.  Once We have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorised access. We will retain your information for a reasonable period or as long as the law requires.

Your rights

If you have previously consented to us keeping your data you may change your mind at any time. Once you have unsubscribed we will only use the data we have in connection with aggregating statistical and analytical information for the purposes of improving the Website and our “Stop Smoking Campaign”. We will not retain and use your data for marketing purposes. If you wish to unsubscribe, please email us at stopsmoking@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or write to us at Priory House, Monks Walk, Chicksands, Shefford SG17 5TQ.

Whilst we will generally not carry advertising, the Website may, from time to time, contain links to and from the websites of networks, advertisers and affiliates sharing our aims and goals. If you follow a link to any of these third party websites, please note that such other websites are completely separate and unrelated to us, have their own privacy policies and that accordingly we do not and cannot accept any responsibility or liability for your usage of such websites.  Please check these third party websites’ privacy policies before you submit any personal data to them.

Access to and updating of information

You have the right to access certain personal data we hold about you.  A written request for information is required and this may be subject to a fee to meet our costs. Such fee will be no greater than the then current maximum figure recommended by the Information Commissioner.

You have the option to provide us with an update of any information held by us about you where this information has changed. To do this, please contact us in writing at Protea House, New Bridge, Marine Parade, Dover, Kent CT17 9HQ.

Google Analytics
Our Websites use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (Google). Google Analytics uses cookies to help the Website analyze how users use it. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the Websites (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the particular Website, compiling reports on Website activity generally and providing other services relating to Website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser; however please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of the Websites. By using Our Website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.

Flash
The Website may use Flash technology to enhance your experience.  If so, and if your computer does not currently have Flash, the Websites are designed to automatically display non-Flash graphic alternatives. Flash is supported by Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox browsers. Flash has to be downloaded, but only once, and it is free.

Changes to our Privacy Policy
We shall be entitled to change the terms of this Privacy Policy at any time by posting revisions on this page of the Website.