Thursday, April 8th, 2010
swns.com Limited (“the Company”, “swns.com”, South West News Service) is committed to ensuring that Members’ and Users’ (“you”, “your”) privacy is protected. This privacy policy explains how we intend to and will use the data we collect about you on swns.com (“the Website”), how you can instruct us if you prefer to limit the use of that data and the procedures that we have in place to safeguard your privacy. South West News Service is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office in the United Kingdom. You should read this policy in its entirety.
1. Personal Information
1.1 Account Activity
When you initially visit the South West News Service Website, you are required to register as a member (“Member”) before you can upload content, flag articles or post comments. During this registration process, we collect personal data about you, including your name, postal address, e-mail address and telephone number (“Data”). By registering on our Website you are consenting to the use of your data by the Company in accordance with our Terms and Conditions, this Privacy Policy and our 4 simple rules.
We gather this Data to allow us to keep a record of individual Members responsible for uploading specific news articles and reports and to protect your account from unauthorised access. The Data you provide is also used by us to communicate with you with regards to the operation, maintenance, and functionality of this Website.
Data will be stored on our servers in a database for the duration of your registration, after which time they will be archived and kept for seven years.
1.2 Non Account Activity
Users of the Website who wish only to read news articles or reports do not need to register as a Member (“User”); however, such Users are not allowed to upload content to the Website, flag articles or post commentary.
2. Company Use and Disclosure
If you submit personal information to the Company, we may use the information and relevant statistical data to monitor the Website’s usage by Members and to help us develop the Website and our services from time to time. These statistics will not include information that can be used to identify you as an individual.
Your user name is displayed to other Users when you upload videos or send messages through this Website. Other Users can contact you through messages and comments. Any video(s) you submit to the Website is viewable by the general public and may be redistributed through the internet and other media channels. Moderators will monitor content on this Website on a random basis and may use your Data to contact you in relation to any news articles or reports that you upload to this Website.
From time to time, we may provide your Data to our customer service agencies for research and analysis purposes and to monitor and improve the services we provide. The Company or our appointed agents and sub-contractors may contact you by e-mail or telephone to ask you for your feedback and comments on our services.
The Company may also wish to provide you with information about special features of this Website or any other services or products we think might be of interest to you. If you would rather not receive this information, please send a blank e-mail message to contact@swns.com.com with the subject line “South West News Service Opt-out”.
The Company may also want to provide you with related information from carefully selected third parties we think might be of interest to you. If you would rather not receive this information, please send an e-mail to thirdparty@swns.com.com
3. Third Party Advertisements
South West News Service may allow other companies called “third-party ad servers” or “ad networks” to serve advertisements within this Website. These third-parties may use technology to send, directly to your browser, the advertisements and links that appear on this Website. They will automatically receive your IP address when this happens and they may employ other technologies such as cookies to measure the effectiveness and/or personalise the advertisements. Any Data received from a third party ad server in relation to your account will be handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
South West News Service will not provide your personal information to third party ad servers without your consent, except as a part of a Website feature which you as a Member will have the option to opt out of before such disclosure.
4. Use of cookies
The use of cookies is common in the computer industry. A cookie is data sent to your computer by a Web server that records your actions on a certain Web site. When you visit the site again after being sent the cookie, the site will load certain pages according to the information stored in the cookie. We use cookies in two ways:
4.1 Per-session cookies: These are used while Members are logged on to the Website and when Users visit the Website to help us monitor traffic through the Website and do not store any personal information; and
4.2 Auto logon cookies: These store some personal data in order to allow Members to log on automatically when you visit the Website.
With most web browsers it is possible to configure your Internet browser so that it can refuse new cookies, prompt you to accept a cookie or disable cookies altogether. How you do this will depend on the Internet browser you use (For example Internet Explorer 7, Netscape, Firefox). By refusing to accept South West News Service’ cookies our Website will not operate correctly. For further details on cookies we recommend that you visit www.allaboutcookies.org.
Cookies relating to this Website will be stored on your computer. Unless otherwise indicated, auto logon cookies will be stored on Members’ computers for a period of one month.
5. Sale or Merger of Business
If the Company is sold or integrated with another business, your Data may be disclosed to our advisers and any prospective purchasers, their advisers and new owners of the business. We will handle the transfer of your data securely in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
6. Protecting Your Information
Internet security is not absolute; therefore, security controls are built into the Website to offer you a greater degree of protection. We also keep your Data confidential subject to the purposes for which the details were collected. The internal procedures of the Data Controller cover the storage, access and disclosure of your data.
7. Updating Personal Information
You may update or correct your personal profile information by accessing your private user profile on www.swns.com.com for amending your settings, updating your profile and changing your password.
8. Your consent
By submitting your Data you consent to the use of your Data as set out in this Privacy Policy and as set out in the Website Terms and Conditions. If we change our Privacy Policy we will post the changes on this page, and may place notices on other pages of this Website, so that you may be kept informed of the Data we collect and how we use it at all times. Continued use of the service will signify that you agree to any such changes.
Owing to the global nature of the Internet infrastructure, the Data you provide may be transferred in transit to countries outside the European Economic Area that do not have similar protections in place regarding your Data and its use as set out in this Privacy Policy. By submitting your Data, you consent to these transfers and agree that South West News Service will not be held liable for any loss, damage, and inconvenience suffered as a result of such transfers of Data.
