Privacy Policy

  1. Statement of Intent
    1. The Reading Agency and groupthing.org (referred to here as “we”) take your personal privacy seriously and have put in place this Privacy Policy to protect you.
    1. In order to use our website or receive our website services (for example, competitions, newsletters, and so on), you will be asked to submit personal data, such as your name and e-mail address, postal address, date of birth, etc. Whenever you provide such personal information, we will treat that information in accordance with this policy. We will act in accordance with the law and we aim to meet current internet best practice.
    1. By using our website, you acknowledge that you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use. You also acknowledge that you agree to our collecting information from you and using it as described here.
  1. Data protection
    1. Under the Data Protection Act 1998 The Reading Agency is known as a “Data Controller”. In simple terms this means that we are holding personal information about and may use it only in accordance with that Act.
    1. Any personal information you provide to the site is stored securely and will only be used by us or our appointed agents for the purposes described or readily apparent from the website.
    1. We will collect the information fairly. We will do this by informing you on particular web pages why we are requesting the information and how we will use it. We will hold your personal information on our systems for no longer than is necessary.
    1. If you want to find out more about data protection law or what your data protection rights are, please go to www.ico.gov.uk
  1. Your right to access personal data
    1. You have the right to request a copy of the personal information which we hold about you.
    1. You also have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate information that we hold about you.
    1. If you would like to find out more about our data protection measures or to make a request to us, please write to the Data Protection Officer at The Reading Agency, PO Box 96, St Albans, Hertfordshire AL1 3WP or by e-mail to privacy@groupthing.org
  1. Security of personal data
    1. Once we receive your personal information we strive to hold it securely on our systems. However, no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, although we aim to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us, and you do so at your own risk.
    1. If you would like to find out more about our security measures, please write to the Data Protection Officer at The Reading Agency, PO Box 96, St Albans, Hertfordshire AL1 3WP or by e-mail to privacy@groupthing.org
  1. Cookies
    1. The groupthing.org website uses cookies. A 'cookie' is a piece of electronic information that groupthing.org sends to your browser, which then stores this information on your system and sends it back to us each time you access the website.
    1. This enables our website to remember your IP address, your preferences and how you navigate the website. The cookie will remain until you exit your current browser window (if the cookie is temporary) or until you disable or delete the cookie.
    1. We use information from cookies for purposes which may include:
      1. identifying returning users, registrants and subscribers and to allow subscribers to be presented with a personalised version of the site;
      2. enabling you to move more easily around our site;
      3. tracking your use of the groupthing.org site to better develop it in accordance with your requirements; and
      4. building up a profile of all our users.
    1. You should be aware that cookies contain no more information than you volunteer. They are not able to 'invade' your hard drive or provide us with personal information from your computer.
    1. You can use groupthing.org without cookies since these can be deleted from your hard drive at any time. However, if you use our website without cookies, you will lose your stored username and password (these will have to be reset and you will not be able to log in) and this may reduce functionality of the site. It may also prevent access to subscriber-only areas of the site and mean that certain features or content will not be available to you.
    1. If you want to delete any cookies that are already on your computer, please refer to the instructions for your file management software to locate the file or directory that stores cookies.
    1. If you want to find out more about cookies or how to delete or control them, you might like to refer to "about cookies".
  1. Becoming a member of groupthing
    1. Registration to groupthing.org requires you to provide certain basic information, including a valid e-mail address. We may need it to enable us to administer the site and, if necessary, to contact you. However, we will not pass on this information to any unauthorised party.
    1. The groupthing.org website will use cookies (see above) whenever you access the log-in or sign-up function, forums, blogs, creative hub and group pages. We do this to provide you with a better experience by recognising you and informing you of what postings are new since your previous visit.
    1. As a condition of registering as a member of groupthing, you will be asked to agree to and comply with the groupthing Terms of Use and this Privacy Policy.
    1. You will have the opportunity to sign up for the groupthing.org e-letter.
  1. Polls
    1. When you vote in an online poll, we do not collect personal information as such. However, we do use cookies (see above). This enables us to recognise you when you return and to know if you have already voted. The only information stored is your IP address.
  1. Competitions
    1. The groupthing.org website may run competitions in which we ask users to supply us with contact details in case they are chosen as a winner.
    1. As a condition of entering any competition, you will be asked to agree to and comply with the competition rules and this Privacy Policy.
  1. Professional users on groupthing
    1. Professional users of groupthing.org can opt to sign up for the groupthing professional e-letter and to share their e-mail address with other professional users of the site.
  1. Google Analytics
    1. groupthing.org uses the Google Analytics service provided by Google, Inc. This is a site statistics package which gathers non-personal information on our visitors and site use. We use this information to monitor how our visitors are using groupthing.org and so that we can improve your experience of the site.
    1. Google Analytics uses cookies to evaluate your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity for us 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.
    1. 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 this website. By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.

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