ITV - Signed Stories

Privacy Policy

Privacy policy for ITV Signed Stories

Introduction

Your information is very important to us and we look after your information carefully in line with data protection and privacy laws. We’ve set out below more detail on what information we collect about you and how we use that information.

Please do read this policy and our cookie policy so you know what we are doing with your information.

By accessing and using our services, you are agreeing to the terms of this privacy policy and to our cookie policy.

We may update this privacy policy and our cookie policy from time to time and will post any changes on our website at www.signedstories.com so it's a good idea to come back and read through it again, from time to time. This privacy policy was last updated on 6th June 2018.

Who are we?

Any reference to "we", "us" and "our" is to ITV Broadcasting Limited, except where the relevant service is provided by another ITV group company, in which case references to we, us or our shall, in respect of those services, be references to that ITV group company.

What services does this policy cover?

This policy covers all of our services and any reference to “you” or “your”, means you as user of our services. Our services may include without limitation social media and/or interactive applications, audio visual content, text, photographs, forums, advertising and other services which we may offer at or via the website at www.signedstories.com and/or other websites or media platforms which, for example, may enable you to view our content over a mobile or wi-fi network or our ‘on-demand’ content on your television (the “Services”). This privacy policy applies to the collection and use of your information by us and parties that we authorise (such as our suppliers and sub-contractors).

What information do we collect?

What information we collect about you depends which of our Services you are using. The information that we may collect includes:

  • your name, address, postcode, email address, date of birth, telephone number, payment details and service details (if applicable);
  • information about your use of our Services including details of your domain name and internet protocol (IP) address, operating system, browser version, cookie details, the content you view, how long you stayed on a page, your navigation around the Services;
  • location data from your IP address or by accessing global positioning functionality (e.g. GPS). This is necessary for us to check so that we can “geo-block” or regionalise our Services to prevent you from accessing them from outside the United Kingdom or (where applicable) from within a region where our Services are not available.
  • other data from time to time to help us provide you with improved products and services – for example when we ask you to fill in a survey or questionnaire;
  • other data to ensure and check compliance with the Terms of Use and/or otherwise as required by law.

When do we collect information?

We (or our authorised third parties) may collect information about you:

  • when you register for Services including without limitation when buying or subscribing for content from us or when you otherwise update your details;
  • when you contact us with an enquiry or other feedback;
  • when you request to be sent communications such as updates or newsletters;
  • in monitoring your use of the Services including without limitation communications sent via and use of the Services;
  • when we are checking compliance with the Terms of Use and/or otherwise as required by law;
  • by accessing GPS functionality on your device (for example, when collecting location data);
  • through the use of "cookies" and/or other devices. For full details, see our cookie policy and the section entitled "Cookies" below;
  • when you disclose your personal information to us or otherwise through the Services at any other point.

We may also combine information that you provide on one Service with information collected from other Services and/or with information that is publicly available or that we receive from other reputable sources. All information will be stored and used in accordance with this privacy policy.

Cookies and similar devices

In addition, in common with many other online services, we and our authorised third parties may use "cookies" and/or other devices to store and sometimes track information about you. For more details about what cookies are, the cookies that we use and how to disable them, please see our cookie policy.

How will we use your information?

Your information may be used by us and our authorised third parties to:

  • monitor, develop and improve the Services and/or your experience;
  • assist in and administer the provision of Services to you;
  • process and deal with any complaints or enquiries made by or about you;
  • investigate any suspected breach of the Terms of Use or the breach of other terms and conditions otherwise relating to you;
  • to contact you with service messages. By way of example only, if any of the Services for which you have registered is no longer available, we may contact you to let you know that it has closed and inform you of any similar services offered by us and/or any company within our group of companies and/or a third party partner on our behalf;
  • to monitor compliance with the Terms of Use or other applicable terms and conditions including by way of (i) checking postings or submissions in connection with your use of the Services, (ii) retaining forum or chat room exchanges, and (iii) using keyword triggers to investigate usage that may be inappropriate.

We’ll only process your personal information where we have legal grounds to do so. Generally, we’ll only process it on the following grounds:

  • you have given consent to the processing. When we rely on consent to process your personal information, you always have the right to withdraw this consent;
  • the processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party (including the terms and conditions of the relevant Service)
  • the processing is necessary in order to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract
  • the processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation placed on ITV
  • the processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by ITV or by a third party.

How long do we keep your information?

We keep your personal information for only as long as necessary, which is longer in some cases than in others. The length of this retention depends on the purpose for which the data was obtained and its nature. For example:

  • we may need to keep some personal information about you so we can deal with any complaints you might make about the Services we provide to you
  • we may need to personal information so we can defend possible future legal claims. Unless there’s some other reason for keeping it, personal information will be deleted when such a claim could no longer arise (most claims can only be made within 6 years of the event that gave rise to the claim, except for personal injury claims, which must be made within 3 years)
  • we may have a legal or regulatory duty to retain particular personal information for a certain minimum period (for example under Ofcom rules, or under HMRC tax rules)

What about third parties?

We may pass information about you to other parties as follows:

  • to third parties authorised by us such as our employees, contractors, suppliers and/or agents including without limitation our customer care teams to administer the Services provided to you by us now or in the future;
  • where relevant, the user name and some profile information you voluntarily provide will be published on areas of the Services such as forums or pages where user submissions are displayed and this will be the identity by which you are known on those areas. Please always think carefully before disclosing information to other users or otherwise making your information publicly available;
  • as part of general statistical information about the Services user base, sales patterns, traffic volumes and related matters. These details will not include information personally identifying you;
  • to the police, regulatory bodies or legal advisers in connection with any alleged criminal offence, unlawful activity or suspected breach of the Terms of Use and or the breach of other terms and conditions or otherwise where required by law. We will co-operate with any law enforcement authorities or court order requesting or directing us to disclose the identity or location of or any information about anyone breaching any relevant terms and conditions or otherwise for the prevention or detection of crime or the apprehension or prosecution of offenders;
  • if there are changes to our business (see section below on “Changes to our business”).

Please note this policy does not cover companies, services or applications that we do not own or control, or to people that we do not employ or manage including without limitation third party websites or applications/widgets (eg from “social media” platforms such as Facebook or Twitter) which we link to or offer via our Services, nor does it cover advertisers. Also, it does not cover certain pages and services provided via our Services which are hosted, managed and operated by other parties. These services, applications and third parties may have their own privacy policies and/or terms and conditions of use, which we recommend you read before using any such services. These third parties and services are wholly independent of us and are solely responsible for all aspects of any transaction you may make using such services.

Service providers based outside Europe

We use certain third party companies to perform some functions of the Services on our behalf (for example sending e-mails to you or analysing data that is collected from the Services). These third parties are only allowed access to your information needed to perform these functions. They are not allowed to use it for any other purpose.

Some of these third party companies are either located and/or have servers which are located outside the European Economic Area. Where we share your information with such companies, we will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your information is treated securely and in accordance with this privacy policy, however please note that the data protection and other laws of such countries may not be as comprehensive as those in the European Economic Area. We’ll only transfer your personal information to a territory outside the European Economic Area under the following circumstances:

  • the European Commission has determined that an adequate level of protection for personal information is in place in the country to which we transfer your data;
  • standard data protection clauses as adopted by the European Commission are in place governing the transfer (you can view the standard clauses on the European Union’s legal website at eur-lex.europa.eu);
  • for transfers to the USA, the recipient organisation is a participant in the EU-US Privacy Shield programme; or
  • other appropriate safeguards have been put in place, as described in the privacy notice for the applicable Service.

What are your rights?

Any personal information you supply will be treated in accordance with applicable data protection laws including the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and any other applicable or superseding legislation. We are committed to delivering the rights that individuals are entitled to under data protection laws in the UK. These are:

  • the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you. To do this, please contact us at viewerservices@itv.com making clear that you are requesting a copy of your personal information and including full details of what you require. You may also be required to submit a proof of your identity.
  • The right to object to your personal information being used for direct marketing. Where required we will ensure we obtain your consent before undertaking marketing and you will have the ability to opt out.
  • The right to object to your personal information being processed where the legal basis for the processing is our own legitimate interests as a business (see “How will we use your information” section above). We will comply with such a request unless there is a lawful reason for not doing so, such as when we need to continue to process your information to defend a legal claim or if this information is necessary for the ongoing provision of our Services.
  • The right to rectification. You may request that we correct any inaccurate and/or complete any incomplete personal information.
  • The right to withdraw consent. Where we are processing your personal information on the basis that you have given us your consent to do so, you may withdraw your consent at any time.
  • The right of erasure. You may request that we erase your personal information and we will comply, unless there is a lawful reason for not doing so. For example, there may be an overriding legitimate ground for retaining your personal information, such as keeping your payment information for several years to comply with HMRC rules.
  • The right to data portability. In certain circumstances, you may request that we provide your personal data to you in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format and have it transferred to another provider of the same or similar services to us. Where this right is applicable, we will comply with such transfer as far as it is technically feasible.
  • The right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority. We suggest that you contact us about any questions or if you have a complaint in relation to how we process your personal information. However, you do have the right to contact the relevant supervisory authority directly. To contact the Information Commissioner’s Office in the United Kingdom, please visit the ICO website for instructions.

Changes to our business

If we decide to change or re-organise the structure of our business, we may need to pass your personal information to one of our group companies so that we can continue to effectively deliver the Services to you.

Also, if we become involved in a merger, acquisition or other transaction involving the sale of some or all of our or our group companies’ assets, user information (including the personal information collected from you through your use of the Services), may be included in the assets which are transferred to the new owner.

If there are changes to our business, your personal information will remain subject to this privacy policy.

What about security?

We endeavour to take all reasonable steps to protect your personal information. Where possible we use industry-standard technology to allow for the encryption of sensitive information.

Please always think carefully before disclosing information to other users or otherwise making your information publicly available. It is important that you are aware that any information you disclose to another user may then be disclosed by that user. We have no responsibility or control over the contents of communications made between users of our Services.

Amending your information

Where you register your details for certain Services (such as our weekly newsletter) and open a user account that you can then use to access and log on to use those Services, you may change or update your login and password or other details at any time via your account. If you are not registered for these Services but wish to amend your details then please contact us (see "Contact Us" section below). You must make sure that you update your details as soon as possible with any and all relevant changes.

Data controller

ITV Broadcasting Limited is a company registered in England and Wales (registered number 00955957) with registered office at 2 Waterhouse Square, 140 Holborn, London EC1N 2AE. Our VAT registration number is 197 0041 67.

We are registered on the Data Protection Public Register. Our Data Protection Registration Number is Z7219056. To find out more information about the Data Protection Register, visit the Information Commissioner's Office website.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) regulates our processing of your personal information. You have the right to lodge a complaint with the ICO. Details of how to contact the ICO can be found on their website at ico.org.uk.

Contact us

You can email us with any questions, queries or complaints at info@signedstories.com