Data Protection + Privacy Policy

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INTRODUCTION

​Verify Humanity respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy will inform you about how we look after your personal data, your privacy rights and how the law protects you.

 

 

​​1. IMPORTANT INFORMATION & WHO WE ARE

​Purpose of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy aims to give you information on how Verify Humanity collects and processes your personal data through your use of our website, social media, volunteer platform and any applications or online services and tools where this policy is referenced, (regardless of how you access or use them) and including any data you may provide us.

It is important that you read this privacy policy when we are collecting, or processing, personal data about you so that you are fully aware of how and why we are using your data.

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Controller

Verify Humanity is the controller with respect to the uses of your personal data (collectively referred to as Verify Humanity, "we", "us" or "our" in this Privacy Policy).

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Who and How to Contact

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, including any requests to exercise your legal rights, please email us at info@verifyhumanity.org with an email subject line entitled “Privacy Policy.”

If after contacting us you feel dissatisfied, you have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk). 

 

Changes to our privacy policy and your duty to inform us of changes to your personal data

We keep our privacy policy under regular review.  It is important that the personal data we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal data changes during your relationship with us.

 

Your access to and use of third-party websites, applications or services accessible through Verify Humanity.

Third-party websites, applications and services. Clicking on links to third-party websites, applications or services may allow those third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control those third-party websites or content and are not responsible for their privacy statements or the way in which they collect or use your data.

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We therefore encourage you to request details of and read the privacy policy of any third-party websites, applications and service providers.  We will never share your data with any third-party service provider whether online or offline without your express permission.

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2. THE DATA WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU

​Personal data or personal information means any information about an individual from which that person can be identified. It does not include data where the identity has been removed (anonymous data).

We may collect, use, store and transfer different kinds of personal data about you which we have grouped together as follows:

• ​Identity Data which includes first name, maiden name, last name, username or similar identifier, marital status, title, date of birth and gender.

• Contact Data which includes your home address, email address and telephone numbers.

• Value Data includes your values that align with Verify Humanity. This will include your dietary preference, your thoughts on conservation culling

• Transaction Data which includes details about payments you have made and other details of products and services you have accessed or used through Verify Humanity. We do not store card details on our server.

• Technical Data which includes your internet protocol (IP) address, your login data, browser type and version, hardware information, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and website, and other technology on the devices you use to access the Platform.

• Profile Data which includes your username, purchases or orders made by you, your interests, volunteer record, preferences, feedback and survey responses.

• Usage Data which includes information about how you use our Platform, products and services.

• Marketing and Communications Data which includes your preferences in receiving marketing from us and our third-party platforms (eg: WIX) and your communication preferences.

• Aggregated Data - We also collect and use Aggregated Data such as statistical or demographic data for any purpose. Aggregated Data could be derived from your personal data but is not considered personal data in law as this data will not directly or indirectly reveal your identity.

 

If you fail to provide personal data where we need to collect personal data by law, or under the terms of an agreement we have with you, and you fail to provide that data when requested, we may not be able to perform the agreement we have or are trying to enter into with you.  In this case, you may not be able to access the service you requested, but we will notify you if this is the case.

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​3. HOW IS YOUR PERSONAL DATA COLLECTED?

​We use different methods to collect data from and about you including through:

• Direct interactions. You may give us your identity, contact and other data by filling in forms or by corresponding with us by email. This includes personal data you provide when you: (a) create an account with us; (b) subscribe (or are subscribed) to our service; (c) request marketing to be sent to you; (d) enter a promotion or survey; or (e) give us feedback or contact us or volunteer with us.

• Facebook integration. When our Facebook advertisement goals are set to collecting leads we will be sent your name and email address.  These will never be shared with a third party.

• Automated technologies or interactions. As you interact with our Platform, we will automatically collect Technical Data about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns. This includes pages visited, time spent and referring URLs but it will all be anonymised.  We collect this personal data by using cookies, server logs and other similar technologies.

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We use cookies and similar technologies (e.g., pixel tags) on our website to improve user experience, analyse performance, and support marketing efforts.

Types of Cookies Used:

• Necessary Cookies: These cookies are essential for the website to function correctly.

• Performance Cookies: These collect information on how users interact with our site (e.g., Google Analytics).

• Google Analytics: We use Google Analytics to track and analyse site usage data. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information such as your IP address, browser type, referring/exit pages, and time spent on each page. This information is anonymised and cannot be traced back to you as an individual.

• You have the ability to control your cookie preferences via your browser settings, which allow you to block or delete cookies. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our website.​

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4. HOW WE USE YOUR PERSONAL DATA

​We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal data in the following circumstances:

• Where we need to perform the contract we are about to enter into or have entered into with you.

• Where it is necessary to pursue our legitimate interests (or those of a third party), we will do so provided that your fundamental rights take precedence over those interests.

• Where we need to comply with a legal obligation.

• We use cookies to enhance our website’s functionality, improve your browsing experience, and analyse our website traffic. These cookies help track the use of our website, and we may share this information with our service providers for purposes such as improving website performance. Google Analytics, for instance, helps us understand how visitors interact with our website. You can disable cookies through your browser settings, but this may affect the functionality of our website.​

• We also utilise tracking tools to measure performance metrics, including session durations, page views, and bounce rates. This data allows us to refine user experience and content offerings.

 

Surveys

When participating in surveys on our site, the information you provide, such as responses to questions, will be used solely for research purposes to help us improve our services. We may collect personal data such as your age, occupation, and location to gain better insights into our audience demographics. This information allows us to tailor our offerings and marketing strategies more effectively. Participation in surveys is voluntary, and all collected data will be anonymised unless stated otherwise.

 

Social Media Posts
Our website is integrated with a live social media feed, which displays content from our official accounts on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and Twitter (X). If you engage with our content on these platforms, your interactions may be visible on our website.  Additionally, if you participate in any competitions we run and are selected as a winner, your winning post, along with your name and prize details, may be shared on our website and social media channels.

We want to clarify that we only access the information you have publicly shared on these social media platforms or made visible through your interactions with our profile. If this information were not shared publicly, we would have no way of accessing or using your private data. This practice is standard for most organisations on social platforms; it allows us to better understand your preferences and interests, enabling us to create content and experiences that are more relevant and meaningful to you. Your privacy is important to us, and we use this data solely to improve our engagement and services in line with your expectations.

Please see below for examples from each platform.  However, this is subject to change depending on each social media platform’s individual privacy policy and your personal settings.

 

LinkedIn

Below are the types of data that we could collect and/or use to better understand and improve our engagement or recruitment from the LinkedIn community:

• Impressions: The number of times our content is shown on LinkedIn.

• Members Reached: The total number of unique LinkedIn members who see our content.

• Clicks: The number of clicks on our posts or page, including clicks on links, images, and videos.

• Reactions: Engagements such as likes, loves, and other reactions to our posts.

• Comments: Feedback and discussions initiated by our followers.

• Reposts: The number of times our content is shared by others.

• Engagement Rates: The level of interaction with our posts, calculated by dividing total engagements by impressions.

• Page Views: The total number of times our LinkedIn page is viewed.

• Unique Visitors: The number of individual visitors to our page.

• Custom Button Clicks: Interactions with custom buttons (e.g. "Learn More").

• Mobile/Desktop User: Information about whether visitors are using mobile or desktop devices.

• Job Function: The role of department visitors work in (e.g., research, education, marketing).

• Company Size: The size of the organisation’s visitors work for.

• Industry: The industry sector visitors are associated with.

• Location: Geographic location of visitors.

• Seniority: The professional level or rank of visitors.

• New Followers: Information on users who have recently followed our page.

• Name: If publicly available.

• Job History: Details of current and previous job roles.

• Education: Academic background.

• Licences and Certifications: Professional credentials.

• Volunteering: Volunteer experiences.

• Skills: Professional skills listed by users.

• Interests: Areas of interest indicated by users.

• Groups: LinkedIn groups joined by users.

• Newsletters: Subscriptions to newsletters.

• Schools: Educational institutions attended.

• Employment Availability: Information on job-seeking status.

• Pronouns: Preferred pronouns if shared.

• Posts: posts they have published and their engagement

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How We Use This Information:

• To understand and improve our audience engagement and the effectiveness of our content.

• Tailor our communications and interactions to serve our audience better.

• Enhance our services and outreach strategies by analysing visitor demographics and interests.

• Data Sharing:  we do not sell or share your personal information for commercial purposes. Aggregated, anonymised data may be used internally or shared with trusted partners to improve our initiatives. LinkedIn processes data under its own privacy policy, which users are encouraged to review.

• Data Security: we take appropriate measures to protect the data we collect. However, LinkedIn also plays a role in data security and management. Users are advised to review LinkedIn security policies for more details.

• We also used LinkedIn data when recruiting new volunteers from adverts that we post on LinkedIn Jobs.

• By engaging with our LinkedIn profile, you agree to the terms outlined in this Privacy Policy.

 

Facebook

We may collect the following data when you interact with our Facebook page:

• Reach: The number of people who see our content.

• Engagement: Total interactions, including likes, comments, and shares.

• Likes: Number of "likes" on our posts and page.

• New Followers: Individuals who start following our page.

• Reactions: Different types of reactions such as "Love," "Wow," "Sad," or "Angry."

• Comments: Feedback and discussions initiated by users on our posts.

• Shares: The number of times our content is shared by users.

• Photo Views: The number of times our photos are viewed.

• Link Clicks: The number of clicks on links within our posts.

• Hide All Posts: Instances where users choose to hide all posts from their feed.

• Unfollows: The number of users who unfollow our page.

• Watch Time: Total time users spend watching our videos.

• Retention: How long viewers continue watching our videos.

• Saves: The number of times users save our posts for later viewing.

• Gender: Distribution of our audience by gender.

• Age: Age groups of users interacting with our page.

• Location: Geographic data, including towns, cities, and countries.

• Education: Levels of education among our audience.

• Relationship Status: Aggregated data on relationship status.

• Friends: Data on mutual connections if shared by users.

• Date of Birth: Age-related data, if shared.

• Languages: Languages spoken by our audience.

• Contact Info: Publicly shared contact information.

• Family Members: Connections tagged as family, if available.

• Places Lived: Information on places users have lived.

• Full Names: Names provided by users, if publicly available.

• Employment: Job titles, companies, and employment history.

• Engagement with posts related to or about Verify Humanity.

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How We Use This Information

• Analyse audience demographics to better understand our supporters.

• Tailor our content and communications to meet the interests of our audience.

• Enhance user engagement and outreach effectiveness.

• Monitor content performance and improve our page's impact.

• Data Sharing:  we do not sell or share your personal information for commercial purposes. Aggregated, anonymised data may be used internally or shared with trusted partners to improve our initiatives. Facebook processes data under its own privacy policy, which users are encouraged to review.

• Data Security: we take appropriate measures to protect the data we collect. However, Facebook also plays a role in data security and management. Users are advised to review Facebook security policies for more details.

• Your Rights: you have the right to access, correct, or request the deletion of your personal data. Please contact us via Facebook direct message or email us.

• Changes to This Policy This Privacy Policy may be updated periodically. Please review it regularly to stay informed about any updates.

• By engaging with our Facebook profile, you agree to the terms outlined in this Privacy Policy.

 

Instagram

We may collect the following types of data when you engage with our Instagram profile:

• Reach: The number of unique users who see our content.

• Content Type They Saw: Details on the type of content viewed (e.g., posts, stories, reels).

• Engagement: Interactions including likes, comments, saves, and shares.

• Profile Visits: The number of visits to our Instagram profile.

• Most Active Time on Instagram: Data on when our audience is most active on Instagram.

• Plays: The number of initial plays and replays of our video content.

• Watch Time: Total time users spend watching our videos.

• Likes: Number of likes on our posts.

• Comments: Feedback and discussions initiated by users on our posts.

• Saves: Number of times users save our posts for later.

• Shares: Number of times users share our content.

• Follows: The number of new followers and unfollows.

• Who They Follow/Are Followed By: Publicly available information about user connections on Instagram.

• Posts: Engagement and interactions with posts related to or about Verify Humanity.

• Age: Age demographics of our audience.

• Pronouns: Preferred pronouns if shared by users.

• Education: Educational background if publicly available.

• Name: Full names as displayed on Instagram, if publicly available.

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How We Use This Information:

• To analyse the performance and reach of our content.

• Understand our audience's preferences and optimise our engagement strategies.

• Tailor our communications and content to better serve our community.

• Improve our services and enhance user experience on Instagram.

• Data Sharing:  we do not sell or share your personal information for commercial purposes. Aggregated, anonymised data may be used internally or shared with trusted partners to improve our initiatives. Instagram processes data under its own privacy policy, which users are encouraged to review.

• Data Security: we take appropriate measures to protect the data we collect. However, Instagram also plays a role in data security and management. Users are advised to review Instagram security policies for more details.

• By engaging with our Instagram profile, you agree to the terms outlined in this Privacy Policy.

 

TikTok

When you engage with our TikTok account, we may collect the following types of data:

• Post Views: The number of times our videos are viewed.

•  Profile Visits: The number of visits to our TikTok profile.

• Likes: The total number of likes on our videos.

• Comments: Feedback and discussions initiated on our posts.

• Shares: Number of times our content is shared by users.

• Traffic Source: Information on how users found our profile (e.g., TikTok search, direct profile visit).

• Search Queries: Terms users searched for on TikTok that led them to our profile.

• Gender: Gender demographics of users engaging with our content.

• Age: Age ranges of our audience.

• Location: Geographic data, including cities, regions, and countries.

• Times They Are Most Active: Insights on when our audience is most active on TikTok.

• Other Creators They Watched: Public data on other creators our audience engages with.

• Other Posts They Viewed: Engagement with other content on TikTok.

• Videos They've Posted: Publicly available videos posted by users who interact with us.

• View Count on Their Videos: The number of views on users' own content.

• Their Followers Count: Total number of followers users have.

• Their Following Count: Total number of accounts users follow.

• Total Likes on Their Videos: Aggregate likes on users' content.

• Comments on Their Videos: Public comments on users' videos.

• Bio: User biographies if publicly shared.

• Videos They Reposted: Instances where users reposted content.

• Profile Picture: Publicly visible profile photos.

• Username: Usernames as displayed on TikTok.

• Understand our audience and improve the relevance of our content.

• Measure the effectiveness of our posts and engagement strategies.

• Optimise our outreach and enhance user experience on TikTok.

• Analyse trends and audience behaviour to inform our content strategy.

• By engaging with our TikTok profile, you agree to the terms outlined in this Privacy Policy.

 

Email

When you provide your email address, either for subscribing to updates or participating in activities on our site, you will have the option to opt-out at any time. We will use your email solely for communication purposes and will not sell or share your email address with third parties. You can unsubscribe from our communications through the link provided in any email, or by contacting us directly.

 

Resource Library

Our Resource Library contains guides and documents curated to provide valuable information. Some of these resources may include links to third-party websites for further reading or tools. Please note that while we strive to ensure the quality of these resources, we cannot take responsibility for the content or actions of external websites. We recommend reviewing the privacy policies of any third-party sites linked in our guides to understand how they collect and use data. Additionally, if you provide personal information such as names and email addresses when downloading any of our resources, we won’t use this data for any other purpose unless you have agreed otherwise.

 

​​​Generally, we do not rely on consent as a legal basis for processing your personal data, although we will get your consent before sending any personal data to any third-party Platform service provider. Eg: our cookies notifications, Google Analytics or email automation for our newsletters.

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Purposes For Which We Will Use Your Personal Data

We have set out below, in a table format, a description of all the ways we plan to use your personal data, and which of the legal bases we rely on to do so. We have also identified what our legitimate interests are where appropriate.

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Note that we may process your personal data for more than one lawful basis depending on the specific purpose for which we are using your data. Please contact us if you need details about the specific legal ground we are relying on to process your personal data.

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5. DISCLOSURES OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA

​We may share your personal data with the parties set out below:

• Third parties to whom we may choose to sell, transfer or merge parts of our organisation or our assets. Alternatively, we may seek to acquire other organisations or merge with them. If a change happens to our organisation, then the new owners may use your personal data in the same way as set out in this privacy policy.

• When third parties help provide services to you, they may receive some of your personal data. Unless you have already given consent, we will let you know before any data is shared and what data is included. While your data is being transferred, we cannot take full responsibility for any issues that may arise during the process. However, we will still try to oversee how your data is handled and work to ensure it is used appropriately.

• Third parties to whom we may choose to transfer or merge parts of our organisation or its resources. Alternatively, we may seek to partner with or merge with other charitable organisations. If such changes occur, the new organisation may use your personal data in accordance with our privacy policy.

• If you log into our Volunteer Platform using your Facebook or Google credentials, Facebook or Google may have access to certain details necessary to authenticate your account. This may include your email address and profile information. Please note that any data shared with Facebook or Google will be governed by their privacy policy.

• Additionally, our website contains links to external websites that are not managed by us. We do not have control over these third-party sites, and we are not responsible for their privacy practices or content. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external websites you visit.

• We may share information gained from cookies with our service providers for purposes such as improving website performance. Google Analytics, for instance, helps us understand how visitors interact with our website. You can disable cookies through your browser settings, but this may affect the functionality of our website.

• To help constantly improve and tailor the service we provide to you through our Platform, we may use aggregated information so that we can administer and improve our services, analyse trends, gather broad demographic information and detect suspicious or fraudulent transactions and most importantly monitor and improve our operations on a day to day basis. In carrying out this activity, we may pass some information to third parties in aggregate and anonymised format.

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6. INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS

As part of our service provision, we may transfer your personal data outside the European Economic Area (EEA). For instance, we use services provided by Wix, a third-party platform with offices in both the United States and the European Union, your information might be transferred to these locations.

Please note that any data transfer by Wix is beyond Verify Humanity's control, and if you have any concerns regarding this, we advise you to read Wix’s Privacy Policy or to contact Wix directly.

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7. DATA SECURITY

​We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your personal data to those volunteers, agents, contractors and other third parties who need to know. They will only process your personal data on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.  We will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so.

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8. DATA RETENTION

How long will you use my personal data?

We will only retain your personal data for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or reporting requirements. We may retain your personal data for a longer period in the event of a complaint or if we reasonably believe there is a prospect of litigation in respect to our relationship with you. 

With your prior consent, we may process sensitive personal data. eg:​​ protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 and political opinions.  No sharing of sensitive personal data will be done without your express prior written consent.

In some circumstances you can ask us to delete your data: see your legal rights below for further information. In some circumstances, we will anonymise your personal data (so that it can no longer be associated with you) for research or statistical purposes, in which case we may use this information indefinitely without further notice to you.

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9. YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS

Under certain circumstances, you have rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data. You have the right to:

• Request access to your personal data (commonly known as a "data subject access request"). This enables you to receive a copy of the personal data we hold about you and to check that we are lawfully processing it.

• Request correction of the personal data that we hold about you. This enables you to have any incomplete or inaccurate data we hold about you corrected, though we may need to verify the accuracy of the new data you provide to us.

• Request the erasure of your personal data. This enables you to ask us to delete or remove personal data where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove your personal data where you have successfully exercised your right to object to processing (see below), where we may have processed your information unlawfully or where we are required to erase your personal data to comply with local law. Note, however, that we may not always be able to comply with your request of erasure for specific legal reasons which will be notified to you, if applicable, at the time of your request.

• Object to processing of your personal data where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground as you feel it impacts on your fundamental rights and freedoms. You also have the right to object where we are processing your personal data for direct marketing purposes. In some cases, we may demonstrate that we have compelling legitimate grounds to process your information which override your rights and freedoms.

• Request restriction of processing of your personal data. This enables you to ask us to suspend the processing of your personal data in the following scenarios:

  • If you want us to establish the data's accuracy.

  • Where our use of the data is unlawful but you do not want us to erase it.

  • Where you need us to hold the data even if we no longer require it as you need it to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

  • You have objected to our use of your data but we need to verify whether we have overriding legitimate grounds to use it.

• Request the transfer of your personal data to you or to a third party. We will provide to you, or a third party you have chosen, your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format. Note that this right only applies to automated information which you initially provided consent for us to use or where we used the information to perform a contract with you.

• Withdraw consent at any time where we are relying on consent to process your personal data. However, this will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdraw your consent. If you withdraw your consent, we may not be able to provide certain products or services to you. We will advise you if this is the case at the time you withdraw your consent.

If you wish to exercise any of the rights set out above, please contact us.

 

No Fee Usually Required

You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal data (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request is clearly unfounded, repetitive or excessive. Alternatively, we could refuse to comply with your request in these circumstances.

 

What we may need from you

We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal data (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is a security measure to ensure that personal data is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it. We may also contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request to speed up our response.

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Time limit to respond

We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. Occasionally it could take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests. In this case, we will notify you and keep you updated.

 

If you have queries or concerns regarding anything mentioned in this Privacy Policy, please contact us via info@verifyhumanity.org.

 

 

Changes to this Privacy Policy may be updated periodically. Please review it regularly to stay informed about any updates

 

Last Updated December 2024