Data protection and privacy statement
The General Data Protection Regulation 2018 (GDPR) sets rules that govern how businesses manage and protect the personal data they hold. This document sets out the arrangements I have made to comply with this legislation.
Contents
1 General business context: Sue Browning Editing & Proofreading
2 What personal data do I collect?
2.4 Other personal information
3. Your right to know what information I hold about you
5. When might I pass your data to a third party?
5.1 When I am required to for legal reasons
1 General business context: Sue Browning Editing & Proofreading
The following facts about my business are relevant:
- I am a sole trader with no employees.
- I do not outsource any part of my business to a third party (for example to a virtual assistant or accountant).
- I do not call or email existing, past, or prospective customers with marketing or other promotional messages or obtain email address lists from third parties.
- I do not have a mailing list or sign-up options on my website.
- I do not collect data from my website.
- My place of work is my home, where the internet network is behind a firewall and my PC is protected by a password. I use anti-malware and anti-virus software and other security arrangements appropriate to my business and its risks.
2 What personal data do I collect?
If you contact me to enquire about my services, then I will obviously have any contact and personal details you choose to share with me at that point (typically your email address or phone number). If we agree to do business together, then the conditions described in the rest of this document will apply.
If we decide not to work together, then you can ask me to delete your contact information and all our messages (see §4 Your right to be forgotten). I will in any case not use your information to send you marketing or promotional emails, and I will not pass it on to a third party unless you ask me to (see §5.2 When might I pass your data to a third party?).
2.1 Email address
If you contact me by email, I will use the address you supply to communicate with you about our business together. That address and any messages we exchange will be stored in my email system (Thunderbird), which is protected by a password. I will not use any email address you supply to send you marketing emails, and I will not pass it on to a third party without your express consent (see §5.2 When might I pass your data to a third party?).
2.2 Name and postal address
If we agree to do business together I will ask for your full name and postal address. I am required to do this by my tax authority (HMRC) as I have to include this information on my invoice. This falls under the 'lawful basis' of GDPR. The information will be stored in my business records (on my computer, on a separate backup disk that is kept in my home, and on password-secured cloud storage). HMRC requires me to keep such records for six years.
2.3 Phone number(s)
If you provide a phone number or numbers (in your email signature, for instance), that information will be stored in my email system. I do not routinely record this information in my business records unless you choose to conduct our communication by phone. I will not use it to call you with marketing messages, and I will not pass it on to a third party without your express consent (see §5.2 When might I pass your data to a third party?).
2.4 Other personal information
Within GDPR, there are different rules for 'sensitive personal data', which includes 'health data, information on individuals' racial or ethnic origin, political affiliations, religious beliefs, genetic and biometric data and sexual orientation'. I don't ask for, collect or store any such data, though obviously some information relating to these factors may arise in the course of our correspondence or in the manuscripts you ask me to edit. I will keep all such information strictly confidential.
Also in the course of our business we may from time to time exchange other personal information (such as about our family, pets, leisure activities or garden). I will never use this information outside of our friendly exchanges or pass it on to a third party.
3 Your right to know what information I hold about you
If you want to know what information I hold about you, please send a message to my usual email address: sue@suebrowning-editing.co.uk. I will reply with the information within 1 month, unless I’m on holiday or otherwise away from my email for an extended period, in which case you will get an automatic reply that will let you know when I expect to return and deal with your request.
You also have a right to correct any wrong information I hold about you. I will correct any such information within 1 month of you bringing it to my attention (the same caveat about my being away applies).
4 Your right to be forgotten
If you want me to delete all (or a subset of) the information I hold about you, please send a message to my usual email address: sue@suebrowning-editing.co.uk. Unless I am required to keep that information for tax purposes (see §2.2 Name and postal address), I will remove your data from all of my systems and backups and send you a message to confirm that I have done so within 1 month, unless I am on holiday or otherwise away from my email for an extended period, in which case you will get an automatic reply that will let you know when I expect to return and deal with your request.
5 When might I pass your data to a third party?
5.1 When I am required to for legal reasons
If I am investigated by HMRC I will have to pass the personal information mentioned in 2.1 and 2.2, as part of my legally required business records, to the tax authority and any party I may engage to help me with such an investigation.
If the police or other legally recognized authority request information about you in relation to possible criminal activity, including fraud, then I will have to comply with any lawful request they make.
5.2 If you ask me to
If I don't have the capacity to take on your project or feel that I am not the right person for the job, I may offer to help you by trying to find someone else. I will ask your explicit permission before doing this and will only pass on the information you tell me I may. If you prefer, I can pass to you the name and contact details of an alternative editor (having sought their permission first, of course) without disclosing your personal information to them.
6 Questions?
If at any time you have questions about the information I hold about you or about this policy, please email sue@suebrowning-editing.co.uk.
Sue Browning
Last updated: 1 January 2025
Print 