We know that legal documents can be overwhelming. This guide explains in plain language how SAMAS looks after your personal data. 

1. Have questions or want to update your info? 

If you want to know what personal data we have about you, or if you want us to stop using it, please get in touch at info@samas.org.uk

2. What are your "Data Subjects Rights"? 

Under European law (the GDPR), you have several rights regarding your personal information: 

● The Right to Access and Rectify: You can ask for a copy of the info we have on you and ask us to correct anything that is wrong. 

● The Right to Erasure: In many cases, you can ask us to "forget" you and wipe your data. 

● The Right to Portability: You can ask for your data in a format you can take elsewhere. 

● The Right to Restrict Processing: You can ask us to “freeze” the use of your data.  

● The Right to Object: You can tell us to stop processing your data when the processing is based on legitimate interest. 

● The Right to Withdraw Consent: You can tell us that you have changed your mind.  

3. How do we use your data in different situations? 

When you browse our website: We use a tool called Google Analytics and a GDPR Cookie Consent plugin to see how many people visit us. It doesn’t tell us who you are; it just shows us patterns (like which pages are popular). We only do this if you click "Accept" on our cookie banner. You can change your mind at any time. See our cookie policy. This processing is based on your consent.  

When you sign up for news: We ask for your name and email through a form so we can send you the updates you asked for. We keep this info as long as you want to stay subscribed. You can unsubscribe at any time using our “unsubscribe” link. This processing is based on your consent. 

When you reach out to us directly or through our contact form: If you email or chat with us, we use your contact info (name and email address) to answer your questions. This processing is based on your consent. 

When we reach out to you: If you are a journalist or an expert, we might find your public professional info and contact you because we think our work is relevant to you. We do this to build professional relationships. This processing is based on our legitimate interests.  

4. How long do we keep your records? 

We don't keep data forever. Usually, we keep it as long as you are interacting with us. If you reach out to us to exercise your legal rights, we keep a record of that request for six months just in case you have a follow-up question. 

5. Who else sees your information? 

We don't sell your data to other companies for commercial purposes. We only share it with "Service Providers" (like the company that provides us with the form for you to subscribe to our newsletters). They are legally bound by a contract with us to: 

● Only do what we tell them to do. 

● Keep your data safe and confidential. 

● Delete it when we tell them to. 

6. What about other links? 

● Social Media Ads: We use social media to spread our message. Once you click on the social media icon and leave our site, we aren’t in charge of your privacy anymore. Check the social media privacy rules!  

● Other Websites: Our site has links to other websites. Once you click a link and leave our site, we aren't in charge of your privacy anymore. Check their privacy rules too! 

7. Not happy with how we handled things? 

We always want to do the right thing. But if you feel we haven't respected your privacy, you can reach out to us at: info@samas.co.uk.  You always have the right to complain to a Data Protection Authority of your choice.