This privacy notice explains how the Charity will use your personal information, for example when you visit our website or make a donation. It also contains important information about your rights over your personal information.

Please click on the links below for further information about the different types of personal information we collect and how it is used.

If you have any questions please contact us using the contact details in section 1.

1. Who we are and how to contact us
2. What is personal information?
3. How we collect your personal information?
4. How we use your personal information
5. Our lawful basis
6. Sharing your personal information
7. How we keep your personal information safe (including when it is transferred overseas)
8. How long we keep your personal information for
9. Your rights
10. Changes to this notice

1. Who we are and how to contact us

1.1 We are Mail Force Charity CIO, a charity based in England with charity number 1189196.

1.2 Mail Force Charity is a member of the DMGT group. However, Mail Force Charity is an independent charity and will only use your personal information for the purposes set out in this notice.

1.3 If you have any questions about this notice, or how we use your personal information, please contact us at Mail Force Charity, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT.

2. What is personal information?

When we use the term ‘personal information’ we mean any information that could be used to identify you. At its simplest, this could just be your name and your email address, but it could also include our correspondence with you.

3. How we collect your personal information

3.1 We collect personal information about you:

(a) Directly from you
For example, when you make a donation through our website,  if you contact us with a query. Additionally, we will collect information about your identity and contact details if you make an application for devices on behalf of your Local Education Authority, Multi Academy Trust or Charity.  

(b) Indirectly from another source
For example, we may receive information about your identity, contact details and donation from the donation platforms we use, such as Virgin Money Giving – whose privacy notice can be found here. Your personal information will only be used for the purposes set out in this notice.

3.2 In general, we may combine your personal information from these different sources for the purposes set out in this notice.

4. How we use your personal information

4.1 We use your personal information to:

(a) Receive and process donations (using platforms such as Virgin Money Giving), including to claim Gift Aid;

(b) To answer your questions/ requests and communicate with you in general;

(c) To report on the impact and effectiveness of our work;

(d) To run/ administer our website, keep it safe and secure and ensure that content is presented in the most effective manner for you and for your device;

(e) To audit and/ or administer our accounts;

(f) To satisfy legal obligations which are binding on us, for example in relation to regulatory, government and/ or law enforcement bodies with whom we may work (for example requirements relating to the payment of tax or anti-money laundering);

(g) For the prevention of fraud or misuse of services; and

(h) For the establishment, defence and/ or enforcement of legal claims or to protect our legal rights.

(I) In relation to applications for devices from  to Local Education Authority, Multi Academy Trust or a Charity, to assess and process your application for devices, including sharing your personal information with Computacenter and partnered delivery companies to fulfil such applications.

5. Our lawful basis

5.1 We can only use your personal information if we have a valid reason. This is known as a ‘lawful basis’. Different lawful bases of processing will apply to the different ways in which we use your personal information. Below we explain the lawful bases which apply to our use of your personal information:

(a) Legitimate interests: This allows us to use your personal information, provided that:

(i) We have a good reason to do so. For example, to respond to your correspondence or to process a donation.

(ii) It’s reasonably necessary for us to use your personal information for this reason. In other words, if we can achieve the same purpose without using your personal information, we should do so.

(iii) Our use fits with your rights and doesn’t affect you unfairly.

In broad terms, our legitimate interests are the running of the Charity as a charitable organisation, including receiving donations, pursuing our aims and for the administration of the Charity.

(b) Consent: This is where we ask for your permission to use your personal information for a specific purpose. You always have the right to withdraw your consent, by contacting us using the details in section 1 above.

(c) Legal obligation: This is where we need to process your personal information to comply with a legal obligation. For example, we are under a legal obligation to report to the Charity Commission about our charitable activities.

6.Sharing your personal information

6.1 Please be aware that although Mail Force is an independent charity, it currently shares resources such as systems and personnel with other members of the DMGT Media group. Whilst these other systems and personnel may have access to your personal information (for example, to provide admin or IT support), it is not actively shared with other members of the group and other members of the group are not permitted to process your personal information for their own purposes.

6.2 Except where set out in this notice, we do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. We may disclose your personal information to third parties to achieve the purposes set out in this notice, including:

(a) Suppliers and sub-contractors – for example software developers, website hosts and cloud storage providers.

(b) Insurers and banks.

(c) Financial companies that process payments on our behalf.

(d) Professional service providers such as accountants and lawyers.

(e) Regulatory authorities such as the Charity Commission and HM Revenues and Customs.

(f) Partners that are involved with our work – for example Computacentre to process applications for devices and delivery companies to fulfil dispatch of devices.

6.3 In addition, we reserve the right to disclose your personal information to third parties:

(a) in the event that we sell or buy any business or assets, in which case we will disclose your personal information to the (prospective) seller or buyer of such business or assets;

(b) if substantially all of our assets are acquired by a third party, personal information held by us may be one of the transferred assets;

(c) if we are under any legal or regulatory duty to do so; and/or

(d) to protect the rights, property or safety of the Charity, its personnel or others.

7. How we keep your personal information safe (including when it is transferred overseas)

7.1 It’s our job to keep your personal information safe and secure. We have security measures in place to protect your personal information.

7.2 Generally we keep your personal information within the UK. However, we may use suppliers that operate around the world. This means that it is possible that personal information we collect from you may be transferred to and stored in a location outside of the UK or the European Economic Area (EEA).

7.3 Certain countries outside of the UK or the EEA have a lower standard of protection for personal information, including lower security protections. Where your personal information is transferred outside the UK or EEA to a country which does not offer a similar level of protection to the UK or EEA, we will take all reasonable steps necessary to ensure that the recipient appropriately protects your personal information by, for instance, entering into contracts that have been approved by the relevant UK or EU authorities. If you have any questions about data transfers, please do get in touch, using the contact details in section 1.

8. How long we keep your personal information for

8.1 We keep your personal information for as long as we reasonably need to use it for the reasons we set out in this notice. We will generally retain your information for not more than 6 years after your relationship with us ends (e.g. after the financial year in which you make a donation). However, we carefully consider what information we need and whether any of your personal information can be deleted before that time. For example, if you make an application for devices but your application is unsuccessful, we will delete your data within 1 year.

8.2 We may also retain personal information for longer periods where we are required to do so for legal or regulatory reasons, such as tax and accounting.

8.3 If you would like further information, please contact us using the details at section 1.

9. Your rights

9.1 You are in control of your personal information. When we use your personal information you have the right to:

(a) Ask for a copy of your personal information.
We may ask you for proof of your identity (for example, a copy of your passport). Please note that exemptions may apply (for example, if your personal information includes the personal information of others) which permit us to withhold disclosure of personal information to you.

(b) Ask that we erase the personal information we hold about you.
We may not be able to erase your personal information (for example, we may need to keep your personal information for a legal reason), but we will consider your request and let you know.

(c) Ask that we correct any personal information that we hold about you which you believe to be wrong.

(d) Ask that we restrict the use of your personal information if you believe that the information we hold is wrong, or that we don’t have a valid reason for using your personal information.

(e) Ask us to port (or transfer) your personal information to a third party (in certain circumstances).

(f) To change your mind and withdraw your consent (where we are using your information on the basis of consent).

(g) Ask us to stop using your personal information, if we are using it for legitimate interests or for performance of a task in the public interest.
We may not need to stop, but we will need to show a good reason to continue to use your personal information.

9.2 Please note that some of these rights only apply in limited circumstances and are subject to legal exemptions.

9.3 If you have any concerns about the way we are handling your personal information you can contact the data protection authority in the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/.

10. Changes to this notice

We may update this notice from time to time to reflect changes in the way we use personal information. If we change this notice in a way that significantly changes how we use your personal information, we will bring these changes to your attention where it is reasonably possible for us to do so.

Version 2
Last updated: 23 February 2021