Privacy Policy

Purpose of the Privacy Notice

This privacy notice explains how the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) collects, manages and uses your personal data you provide before, during and after you use the International Water Security Network website.

‘Personal data’ means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (the data subject). An ‘identifiable natural person’ is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, including by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier, or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.

This privacy notice adheres to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) principle of transparency. This means it gives information about:

  • How and why your data will be used;
  • What your rights are under GDPR; and
  • How to contact UWE Bristol and the project lead in relation to questions, concerns or exercising your rights regarding the use of your personal data.

Why are we processing your personal data?

UWE Bristol undertakes research under its public function to provide research for the benefit of society. As a data controller we are committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal data in accordance with the (EU) 2016/679 the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 (or any successor legislation) and any other legislation directly relating to privacy laws that apply (together “the Data Protection Legislation”). General information on Data Protection law is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office (https://ico.org.uk/).  

How do we use your personal data?

We will only process your personal data when the law allows us to. In addition, we will always comply with UWE Bristol’s policies and procedures in processing your personal data. Our lawful basis for using your personal data for research purposes is fulfilling tasks in the public interest, and for archiving purposes in the public interest, for scientific or historical research purposes. You can find out more information about lawful bases on the ICO website.

We will always tell you about the information we wish to collect from you and how we will use it. We will not use your personal data for automated decision making about you or for profiling purposes.

Our research is governed by robust policies and procedures and, where human participants are involved, is subject to ethical approval from either UWE Bristol’s Faculty or University Research Ethics Committees. The research team adhere to the the principles of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). For more information about UWE Bristol’s research ethics approval process please see our Research Ethics webpages.

What data do we collect?

UWE Bristol are committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.

UWE Bristol may change this policy by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from 1 July 2021.

We may collect the following information:

• name;

• contact information including email address and phone number;

• demographic information such as location, preferences and interests;

• other information relevant to research surveys.

How do we keep your data secure?

We take a robust approach to protecting your information with secure electronic and physical storage areas for research data with controlled access. Access to your personal data is strictly controlled on a need to know basis and data is stored and transmitted securely using methods such as encryption and access controls for physical records where appropriate.

Alongside these technical measures there are comprehensive and effective policies and processes in place to ensure that those who process your personal information (such as researchers, relevant University administrators and/or third-party processors) are aware of their obligations and responsibilities for the data they have access to.

By default, people are only granted access to the information they require to perform their duties. Mandatory data protection and information security training is provided to staff and expert advice available if needed.

How long do we keep your data for?

Your personal data will only be retained for as long as is necessary to fulfil the cited purpose of the research. The length of time we keep your personal data will depend on several factors including the significance of the data, funder requirements, and the nature of the study. Anonymised data that falls outside the scope of data protection legislation as it contains no identifying or identifiable information may be stored in UWE Bristol’s research data archive or another carefully selected appropriate data archive.

Your Rights and how to exercise them

Under the Data Protection legislation, you have the following qualified rights:

  1. The right to access your personal data held by or on behalf of the University;
  2. The right to rectification if the information is inaccurate or incomplete;
  3. The right to restrict processing and/or erasure of your personal data;
  4. The right to data portability;
  5. The right to object to processing;
  6. The right to object to automated decision making and profiling;
  7. The right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

We will always respond to concerns or queries you may have. If you wish to exercise your rights or have any other general data protection queries, please contact UWE Bristol’s Data Protection Officer (dataprotection@uwe.ac.uk).