Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

5 STONE BUILDINGS SEMINARS LTD ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website and register for our free educational webinar series, "Cats and Mental Health: Purring as Natural Therapy."

We are the data controller responsible for your personal data as defined under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Our registered address is Medway House, East Grinstead, RH19 3BJ, United Kingdom. You can reach us at any time regarding data protection matters by sending an email to [email protected].

By accessing our website or submitting information through our registration or contact forms, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. We encourage you to read this document carefully so that you are fully aware of how and why we use your data. If you do not agree with the practices described herein, please refrain from using our website or submitting personal information through our forms.

2. What Data We Collect

We collect a limited range of personal data that is necessary to deliver our educational webinar services and maintain our website. The categories of data we may collect include:

• Identity Data: Your full name as provided in the webinar registration form or contact form.
• Contact Data: Your email address, submitted when you register for our webinar or contact us through the website.
• Communication Data: Any message content you provide through the contact form, including the subject and body of your inquiry.
• Technical Data: Your Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type and version, operating system, time zone setting, device type, and screen resolution. This data is collected automatically when you access our website.
• Usage Data: Information about how you use our website, including pages visited, time spent on pages, navigation paths, click patterns, and referring website addresses.
• Cookie Data: Data collected through cookies and similar tracking technologies, as described in Section 10 of this policy and in our separate Cookies Policy.

We do not collect any special categories of personal data (also known as sensitive personal data), which includes information relating to race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, political opinions, trade union membership, health data, genetic or biometric data, sexual life, or sexual orientation. We also do not collect financial data such as payment card numbers or bank account details, as our webinar series is entirely free of charge.

3. How We Collect Data

We collect personal data through the following methods:

• Registration Form: When you register for our webinar, you voluntarily provide your name and email address through the registration form on our homepage.
• Contact Form: When you send us a message through the contact page, you provide your name, email address, and the content of your message.
• Cookies and Tracking Technologies: We use essential and analytics cookies that automatically collect technical and usage data as you navigate our website. For full details, please refer to our Cookies Policy.
• Analytics Tools: We may use Google Analytics or similar analytics platforms to gather aggregated, anonymized data about website traffic patterns. These tools use cookies to collect information about your browsing behavior in a form that does not personally identify you.
• Server Logs: Our web hosting provider automatically records basic access logs, which may include your IP address, browser type, and the pages you request. These logs are maintained for security and technical purposes.

We do not purchase or obtain personal data from third-party data brokers, social media platforms, or any other external sources. All personal data we hold has been provided directly by you or collected through your interaction with our website.

4. Legal Basis for Processing (UK GDPR Article 6)

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a valid legal basis for processing your personal data. Depending on the specific processing activity, we rely on the following legal grounds:

• Consent (Article 6(1)(a)): When you submit the webinar registration form or the contact form, you voluntarily consent to the processing of your name and email address for the stated purposes. You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us at [email protected].
• Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(f)): We process technical and usage data to maintain website security, ensure optimal performance, analyze aggregate traffic patterns, and improve the user experience. We have assessed these processing activities and concluded that our legitimate interests do not override your fundamental rights and freedoms.
• Contract Performance (Article 6(1)(b)): When you register for our webinar, processing your name and email address is necessary to fulfill the registration, send you the webinar access link, and provide the educational service you have requested.

5. How We Use Your Data

We use the personal data we collect for the following specific purposes:

• Webinar Registration and Delivery: To process your registration, send you confirmation emails containing the webinar dates, times, and access link, and to follow up with the session recording after each event.
• Responding to Inquiries: To respond to messages you send through the contact form, addressing your questions or providing requested information about the webinar series.
• Website Analytics: To analyze how visitors use our website in aggregate, identify popular content, detect technical issues, and improve the overall browsing experience. This analysis is conducted using anonymized or pseudonymized data wherever possible.
• Security and Fraud Prevention: To monitor our website for suspicious activity, protect against unauthorized access, and maintain the integrity and availability of our online services.
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable legal obligations, respond to lawful requests from public authorities, and establish, exercise, or defend legal claims if necessary.

We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which we collected it. If we need to use your data for a new, unrelated purpose, we will notify you and explain the legal basis that allows us to do so before any such processing takes place.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law. The specific retention periods for different categories of data are:

• Webinar Registration Data (name, email): Retained for a maximum of 12 months following the completion of the webinar series. After this period, the data is securely deleted unless you have provided separate consent for further communication.
• Contact Form Data (name, email, message): Retained for a maximum of 24 months from the date of your inquiry. This allows us to maintain a record of correspondence for reference purposes.
• Analytics Data: Aggregated, anonymized analytics data may be retained indefinitely as it does not constitute personal data. Individual-level analytics data collected through cookies is retained for a maximum of 13 months.
• Cookie Data: The retention period for cookies varies depending on the type. Essential cookies expire at the end of your browsing session. Analytics cookies are retained for a maximum of 13 months. Full details are provided in our Cookies Policy.
• Server Logs: Access logs containing IP addresses and technical data are retained for a maximum of 90 days before automatic deletion.

When your personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymize it. We use appropriate technical measures to ensure that deleted data cannot be recovered or reconstructed.

7. Data Sharing and Third Parties

We do not sell, rent, lease, or trade your personal data to any third party for marketing or commercial purposes. Your data is not shared with third parties for their own independent use.

We may share limited personal data with the following categories of service providers who assist us in operating our website and delivering our webinar services. These providers act as data processors on our behalf and are bound by contractual obligations to process your data only in accordance with our instructions and in compliance with applicable data protection law:

• Web Hosting Provider: Our website is hosted on secure servers. The hosting provider may have access to server logs and technical data as part of providing infrastructure services.
• Analytics Provider: We may use Google Analytics or a comparable service to collect anonymized usage data. These providers process data in accordance with their own privacy policies and our data processing agreements.
• Email Service Provider: We use an email delivery service to send webinar registration confirmations and access links. This provider processes your name and email address solely for the purpose of delivering emails on our behalf.

In exceptional circumstances, we may be required to disclose personal data to law enforcement agencies, regulatory bodies, or other public authorities if mandated by law or in connection with legal proceedings. We will inform you of any such disclosure where legally permissible.

8. International Data Transfers

Our primary operations and website hosting are based in the United Kingdom. However, some of our service providers (such as analytics or email delivery platforms) may process data in locations outside of the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area (EEA).

Where personal data is transferred outside of the UK or EEA, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data. These safeguards include:

• Transfers to countries that the UK Secretary of State has determined provide an adequate level of data protection (adequacy decisions).
• Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), which contractually require the recipient to protect personal data to the same standard as required under UK law.

You may request further information about the specific safeguards applied to international transfers of your data by contacting us at [email protected].

9. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

Under the UK GDPR (Articles 15 through 22), you have the following rights in relation to your personal data. You may exercise any of these rights free of charge by contacting us at [email protected]:

• Right of Access (Article 15): You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you and to receive information about how that data is being processed.
• Right to Rectification (Article 16): You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Erasure (Article 17): You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data where there is no compelling reason for us to continue processing it. This is also known as the "right to be forgotten."
• Right to Restriction of Processing (Article 18): You have the right to request that we temporarily restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, for example, while we verify the accuracy of disputed data.
• Right to Data Portability (Article 20): You have the right to receive the personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format, and to request that we transmit that data directly to another organization where technically feasible.
• Right to Object (Article 21): You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as the legal basis, or where data is processed for direct marketing purposes.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where we process your data based on your consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out prior to the withdrawal.

We aim to respond to all legitimate requests within one calendar month. In certain circumstances, such as when a request is particularly complex, we may extend this period by up to two additional months, in which case we will inform you of the extension and the reasons for the delay.

If you are not satisfied with how we handle your data or respond to your request, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). You can contact the ICO through their website at ico.org.uk or by telephone at 0303 123 1113.

10. Cookies

Our website uses cookies, which are small text files placed on your device when you visit our website. We use the following types of cookies:

• Essential Cookies: These are strictly necessary for the website to function properly. They enable core functionality such as remembering your cookie consent preference. These cookies do not collect personal data and cannot be disabled without affecting the usability of the site. They expire at the end of your browsing session or within 12 months.
• Analytics Cookies: These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting information about pages visited, session duration, and navigation patterns. This data is aggregated and anonymized. Analytics cookies are retained for a maximum of 13 months.

We do not use advertising cookies, retargeting cookies, or any cookies that track your activity across other websites. When you first visit our website, a cookie consent banner will appear, allowing you to accept, configure, or decline non-essential cookies. You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clearing your browser cookies and revisiting the site, or by adjusting your browser settings.

For comprehensive information about the specific cookies we use, their purposes, and their durations, please visit our Cookies Policy.

11. Children's Privacy

Our website and webinar services are not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16 years of age. If you are a parent or guardian and you become aware that your child has provided us with personal data without your consent, please contact us immediately at [email protected]. Upon verification, we will promptly delete such data from our records.

If we discover that we have inadvertently collected personal data from a child under 16, we will take immediate steps to remove the information from our systems and will not use the data for any purpose.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our data processing practices, legal requirements, or operational procedures. When we make material changes to this policy, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify registered users by email.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your data. Continued use of our website after the publication of changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy. If you disagree with any modifications, please stop using the website and contact us to request deletion of your data.

13. Contact Details

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data processing practices, please contact us using the following details:

For data protection inquiries specifically, please include "Data Protection Request" in the subject line of your email so that we can direct your message to the appropriate team member. We aim to acknowledge all privacy-related inquiries within 48 hours and to provide a substantive response within one calendar month.

If you are not satisfied with our response or believe that we are processing your personal data in a manner inconsistent with applicable law, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the supervisory authority for data protection in the United Kingdom.