Privacy policy
We keep this policy plain and short where we can. It covers this website and the services we provide. To confirm: legal to review before publishing
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Who we are
The controller is The Unite Group Ltd (company number 07035799), 126 Great Lime Road, Killingworth, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE12 6RU. To confirm: client to confirm the company number against Companies House
You can contact us about privacy at [email protected]. To confirm: client to confirm the privacy contact, info@ or a dedicated address
We are a data controller for our own purposes, such as running this website and managing our customer accounts. When we process data for a customer, for example while managing their IT systems, we act as a data processor under that customer's instructions and our contract with them.
We have not appointed a Data Protection Officer. To confirm: client to confirm that no DPO is required
The laws that apply
We follow the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). Because some of our clients have offices in the EU, we also take account of the EU General Data Protection Regulation where it applies.
This policy applies only to The Unite Group. If you use one of our services through your employer or another organisation, their policies may also apply, and an account owner or administrator may be able to see content in your account.
What we collect and why
The table below shows the main categories of personal data we handle, what we use them for and our lawful basis.
| Data | What we use it for | Lawful basis |
|---|---|---|
| Contact form: name, company, email, phone (optional), company size, topic and message | To reply to your enquiry and talk about our services | Legitimate interests (answering you), or steps at your request before a contract |
| Anti-spam check (Cloudflare Turnstile) when you use the form | To tell people from bots and protect the form from abuse | Legitimate interests (keeping our website secure) |
| Basic website usage statistics (Cloudflare Web Analytics, no cookies) | To see which pages are used and fix problems | Legitimate interests (improving our website) |
| Account information for customers: names and contact details | Accounting and giving emergency services accurate access details | Contract and legal obligation |
| Call detail records, payment records, broadband session logs and communications with us | Itemised billing, support, fraud prevention and resolving problems | Contract, legal obligation and legitimate interests |
| Call recordings (off by default and opt-in only) | Only for the purpose you choose when you switch it on | Consent or contract, as agreed with the customer |
Special category data: we do not expect to collect any through this website. Providing your name, email address, topic and message is needed so we can reply.
Our contact form
When you send a message through the form, we email it to [email protected] using an email delivery provider (see "Who we share data with"). The email is then held by the email service that hosts our sales inbox. We don't keep your submission in a database on the website. However, our email delivery provider, Resend, keeps a delivery log of the message for the retention period set on our account, and the website uses a short-lived hash of the submission for 24 hours to avoid sending duplicates. Enquiries that do not lead to a contract are kept for 12 months after our last contact, then deleted.
The privacy notice beside the form says we use your details only to reply to you. If you become a customer, your details move into our customer records.
Who we share data with
We use a small number of providers to run this website. They act on our instructions, or as independent controllers where noted.
- Cloudflare
- Hosts this website, provides DNS and security, runs Cloudflare Web Analytics (cookieless) and Cloudflare Turnstile, the check that protects our form from spam. Cloudflare processes technical data such as your IP address in order to deliver the site and protect it from attacks. Cloudflare acts as an independent controller for its own network, security and performance logs (such as edge logs and Network Error Logging reports). Cloudflare, Inc. is based in the United States. Cloudflare privacy information
- Resend, Inc.
- Delivers the contact form to our inbox. Resend, Inc. is based in the United States.
- The email service that hosts our sales inbox
- Holds the enquiry emails we receive. To confirm: name and location of the email service that hosts our sales inbox
- Trustpilot
- We link to our reviews on Trustpilot. If you follow the link, Trustpilot's own privacy terms apply. Trustpilot privacy information
- Telecoms and network partners
- To provide telephony and broadband we share data where needed with network operators and installers, such as Openreach and BT group companies, for number porting, line installation and fault repair. We ask permission before sharing a contact name and number for an engineer visit. Direct Debit data is processed through the Bacs payment system. Card payments are handled by payment providers under PCI-DSS, and we don't store card data. Some countries require official identity documents to rent international numbers.
- Social+ (website design)
- Our in-house digital marketing team, Social+, designed this website. To confirm: confirm whether Social+ has access to any personal data and in what capacity
We may also share data with your consent, to comply with the law or a court order, or to protect our customers, ourselves or the public, for example against fraud or security threats. Where the law allows, we tell you first if someone asks us for your data.
Where your data is stored
Customer data held for our services is stored in secure UK data centres in London and Manchester, is encrypted at rest and is not stored or processed outside the United Kingdom. To confirm: client to confirm this still holds
Some of the providers above are based in the United States, so technical data and enquiry emails may be processed outside the UK. The table shows the safeguard for each.
| Provider | What it does | Transfer mechanism |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare, Inc. (US) | Hosting, security, cookieless analytics, Turnstile | To confirm: to be verified (DPF/UK Extension or IDTA/UK Addendum) |
| Resend, Inc. (US) | Email delivery of contact form enquiries | To confirm: to be verified (DPF/UK Extension or IDTA/UK Addendum) |
| The email service that hosts our sales inbox | Holds enquiry emails | To confirm: to be verified once the service is named (DPF/UK Extension or IDTA/UK Addendum) |
How long we keep data
- Contact form enquiries
- We keep enquiries that do not lead to a contract for 12 months after our last contact, then delete them. To confirm: client to confirm
- Call recordings
- 30 calendar days, unless you ask for a longer period. Only applies if recording is switched on.
- Call detail records
- 12 calendar months, then deleted.
- Broadband (Radius) session data
- 6 calendar months, then deleted.
- Account data
- To confirm: recommended 6 years after the account closes; client and a professional adviser to confirm
- Communications records (emails, call recordings, call records, web chats, fax and post)
- To confirm: recommended 6 years after the account closes; client and a professional adviser to confirm
- Payment data
- We don't keep card data. We keep active Direct Debit details while you are a customer.
- Hosted address directory (LDAP) data
- Customers control this and can remove it permanently through the web portal.
How we protect your data
We take reasonable steps to protect personal data against loss, misuse and unauthorised access, bearing in mind how sensitive it is and current technology. Sign-in details and other sensitive data are encrypted in transit, and all data is encrypted at rest. All our staff are trained in data protection and take part in refresher training.
Your rights
Under UK GDPR you have the right to:
- be informed about how we use your data
- access the data we hold about you
- have inaccurate data corrected
- ask us to erase your data
- restrict how we use your data
- data portability
- object to our use of your data, including for direct marketing
- not be subject to decisions made only by automated means, including profiling
- withdraw consent at any time (for example for call recordings or marketing)
To use any of these rights, email [email protected] To confirm: privacy contact, pending confirmation. We'll reply within one month. If you are unhappy, contact us first at [email protected] To confirm: privacy contact; you can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
Marketing and service emails
We send service and administrative emails, such as service changes, policy changes and security or fraud notices, as part of providing a service. You can't opt out of these. We only send marketing emails where you've asked for them or the law allows, and every one tells you how to opt out. We don't run a newsletter on this website at the moment.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy, and we'll post the new version on this page with a new date. If a change is significant, we'll make it more prominent or ask for your consent where the law requires it. Other websites we link to are not covered by this policy and we aren't responsible for them.
Questions or complaints: [email protected], 0191 466 1050, or write to us at the address above.