This website is operated by the VCSE Data and Insights National Observatory at Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University (NTU).
The data controller for personal data processed through this website is:
NTU’s wider privacy notices are published at ntu.ac.uk/privacy. This page explains how the Observatory website itself uses personal data.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share personal data when you:
Separate participant information sheets or consent materials may apply to specific research studies (for example a Barometer survey hosted on a third-party platform). Where those materials differ, they take precedence for that study.
Depending on how you use the site, we may process:
We do not intentionally collect special category data (such as health, ethnicity, or political opinions) through the public website. Guest preview answers in the IIR tool are held only in the server-side session and are discarded when the session ends — they are not written to our database.
We do not buy marketing lists or scrape personal data from third parties for this website.
Under UK GDPR we must have a lawful basis for each use of personal data. We rely on the following:
NTU is a public authority. Where we process data to deliver the Observatory’s research and knowledge-exchange role, we may also rely on public task (Art. 6(1)(e)). Analytics and optional mailing lists always require consent, which you can withdraw at any time.
We use cookies in line with the UK GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR). A fuller standalone version of this section is on our Cookie Policy.
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They are not programs and cannot read other files on your device.
These are required for the site to work. They cannot be switched off. We rely on legitimate interests and the PECR technical-necessity exemption, so consent is not required.
These help us understand which pages are visited and how people move around the site. They are set only if you click Accept all.
Google’s privacy policy: policies.google.com/privacy.
Your cookie choice is stored in the browser under in localStorage. It is not sent to our servers and lasts until you clear site data or reset the preference below.
You can change your mind at any time. Resetting the preference below clears localStorage and shows the banner again on your next visit. You can also block cookies in your browser (this will break login and session features if you block essential cookies).
Withdrawing analytics consent does not delete data already collected. To ask us to delete previously collected analytics data, email VCSEObservatory@ntu.ac.uk.
We do not sell personal data. We share it only where needed to run the Observatory or where the law requires it:
Processors are bound by written contracts requiring them to process data only on our instructions and to keep it secure.
Most Observatory data is stored and processed in the United Kingdom. Some third-party services (notably Google Analytics and Google Fonts) may process data outside the UK or EEA.
Where a transfer outside the UK occurs, we rely on an adequacy regulation or appropriate safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Addendum / Standard Contractual Clauses. Google’s documentation describes its use of these safeguards. For more detail, contact NTU’s Data Protection Officer.
When data is no longer needed we delete it or irreversibly anonymise it.
You have the following rights in relation to personal data we hold about you. Some rights are qualified (for example where we must keep data for a legal obligation).
Ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you (a subject access request).
Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
Ask us to delete your data where there is no longer a good reason to keep it (“right to be forgotten”).
Ask us to limit how we use your data while a complaint or accuracy issue is resolved.
Receive data you provided to us in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format, where processing is based on consent or contract and is automated.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or public task. You can always object to direct marketing.
Where we rely on consent (analytics, optional mailing lists), you can withdraw it at any time without affecting earlier lawful processing.
You have rights if a solely automated decision produces legal or similarly significant effects. We do not do this on this site (see Section 13).
To exercise any of these rights, email VCSEObservatory@ntu.ac.uk or NTU’s Data Protection Officer at DPO@ntu.ac.uk. We will respond within one month, or explain if we need more time.
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data, including:
No website can be guaranteed 100% secure. If you think your data may have been compromised, contact us immediately.
This website is aimed at adults working in or with the VCSE sector, policymakers, and researchers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided data to us, please contact us and we will delete it.
We do not use your personal data for solely automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects.
We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes to the site, our research activity, third-party services, or the law. The “Last updated” date at the top will always show the latest revision.
If we make a significant change (for example a new category of cookie or a new use of personal data), we will highlight it on the site and, where consent is required, ask for fresh consent.
Questions about this policy, cookies, or how the Observatory uses personal data:
NTU’s Data Protection Officer:
You also have the right to complain to the UK regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office:
We would appreciate the chance to address your concern first.
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