Use of private information policy (GDPR)

Last updated: December 2021


Summary:

I respect the EU’s General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and this policy explains how I collect and treat any information you give me. You won’t find any complicated legal terms or long passages of unreadable text. I have no desire to trick you into agreeing to something you might later regret.


Why I value your privacy

I value your privacy as much as I do my own. I have committed to only collecting the bare minimum data, and keeping this information safe. I will never use your personal information for any reason other than why you gave it, and I’ll never give anyone access to it unless I’m forced to by law.


How I collect information

I do not collect any personal information through my website.

When you decide to ‘Say hello!‘, I will use the name and email address you provide to reply to your enquiry.

My website does not use scripts or native social media ‘like’ or ‘sharing’ buttons, which build profiles of your Internet activity. But my website does use cookies for analytics so that I can track the performance of my website and optimise it for SEO.


What information I hold

  • If you do business with me:
    • I collect your name, email address, phone number, and address.
    • I retain copies of the contract(s) signed, and any non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).
    • I keep records of the invoices I send you and the payments you make. All invoices are sent and recorded through my accounting software, and I never have access to your credit card information.
  • I retain copies of any work I create on your behalf. But any briefing information you provide is deleted upon the project’s completion.

Where I store your information

When you contact me by email I store your information in Microsoft Office365.

If you do business with me, I also store your personal information in my accounting software, FreeAgent. Information related to your project(s) is stored in my task management software, Trello.


What I use your information for

Your information is only used so we can work together, or to send you invoices or reminders.


Who’s responsible for your information at our company

As a company of one, the buck stops with me – Alice Hollis, Chief of Everything. You can contact me by email at hello@alicehollis.co.uk or by phone on 07853 351 280 if you have any concerns about the information I store.


Who has access to information about you

When I store information in my own systems, only the people who need it have access.


The steps I take to keep your information private

Where I store your information in third-party services, such as FreeAgent, I restrict access only to people who need it – in this case, my appointed accountant, Gold Stag Accounts.

I store all passwords in Sticky Password, an encrypted password manager, use a different, randomly generated password for each service, and never use the same password twice.

The computers I use are protected by a passcode or fingerprint access. These computers ask for authentication whenever they’re started or after 5 minutes of inactivity. My mobile devices is also protected by a passcode and/or fingerprint.

To protect any paper-based information you give me, I have a physical safe. I am the only person with access to this safe. And once the information is no longer required, it is destroyed.


How to complain

If you’ve any reason to complain about the ways I handle your privacy, please contact me by email at hello@alicehollis.co.uk or by phone on 07853 351 280. Or if you’re the letter writing type, send your envelope to Suite 1, The Courtyard, The Old Monastery, Windhill, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM23 2ND.


Changes to the policy

If I change the contents of this policy, those changes will become effective the moment I publish them on the website.