Privacy & cookie policy.

1. Introduction
DOT SOCIAL MARKETING LTD (“we”, “our”, “us”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy informs you about how we look after your personal data when you visit our website, use our services, or interact with digital marketing campaigns we manage, and tells you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.

This privacy policy complies with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a data controller.

2. Important Information
2.1 Purpose of This Privacy Policy
This privacy policy aims to give you information about how DOT SOCIAL MARKETING LTD collects and processes your personal data through your use of our website, services, and interaction with our marketing campaigns. For the purpose of applicable data protection laws, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018, the data controller is DOT SOCIAL MARKETING LTD.

2.2 Controller
DOT SOCIAL MARKETING LTD is the controller and responsible for your personal data. We have appointed a data protection officer (DPO) who is responsible for overseeing questions in relation to this privacy policy. If you have any questions, including any requests to exercise your legal rights, please contact the DPO using the details set out below.

2.3 Contact Details
– Full name of legal entity: DOT SOCIAL MARKETING LTD
– Email address: admin@dot.social
– Postal address: 362B Dukesway, Team Valley, Gateshead NE11 0PZ

2.4 Changes to the Privacy Policy
We keep our privacy policy under regular review. This version was last updated on 20th October 2024. Historic versions can be obtained by contacting us.

3. The Data We Collect About You
3.1 Types of Personal Data
We may collect, use, store and transfer different kinds of personal data about you which we have grouped together as follows:

Identity Data

• First name and last name
• Username or similar identifier
• Title
• Job title and employer
• Professional credentials

Contact Data

• Business address
• Email address
• Social media handles

Technical Data

• Internet protocol (IP) address
• Browser type and version
• Time zone setting and location
• Browser plug-in types and versions
• Operating system and platform
• Other technology on the devices you use to access our website

Usage Data

• Information about how you use our website and services
• Time spent on pages
• Page interaction information
• Campaign interaction data

Marketing and Communications Data

• Your preferences in receiving marketing from us
• Your communication preferences
• Campaign response data

3.2 Special Categories of Personal Data
We do not knowingly collect any Special Categories of Personal Data about you (this includes details about your race or ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs, sex life, sexual orientation, political opinions, trade union membership, information about your health, and genetic and biometric data).

3.3 Aggregated Data
We also collect, use and share Aggregated Data such as statistical or demographic data for any purpose. Aggregated Data may be derived from your personal data but is not considered personal data in law as this data does not directly or indirectly reveal your identity.

4. How We Collect Your Personal Data
4.1 Direct Interactions
You may give us your Identity and Contact Data by:
– Filling in forms on our website
– Corresponding with us by post, email or otherwise
– Requesting marketing to be sent to you
– Providing feedback
– Interacting with our digital marketing campaigns

4.2 Automated Technologies or Interactions
As you interact with our website or marketing campaigns, we may automatically collect Technical Data about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns. We collect this personal data by using:

• Cookies
• Server logs
• Web beacons
• Pixels
• Other similar tracking technologies

4.3 Third Parties
We may receive personal data about you from various third parties including:

• Analytics providers (such as Google)
• Advertising networks (such as Meta)
• Search information providers
• Our clients (when we manage campaigns on their behalf)

5. How We Use Your Personal Data

5.1 Lawful Basis
We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal data in the following circumstances:

• Where we need to perform the contract we are about to enter into or have entered into with you
• Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests
• Where we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation
• Where you have provided consent

5.2 Purposes for Which We Will Use Your Personal Data
Service Provision

• To register you as a new customer
• To deliver our digital marketing services
• To manage our relationship with you
• To provide customer support

Marketing Operations

• To deliver relevant website content and advertisements
• To measure or understand the effectiveness of advertising
• To make suggestions and recommendations about services
• To optimise our marketing campaigns
• To create custom audiences for digital advertising

Business Operations

• To administer and protect our business and website
• To use data analytics to improve our website, services, marketing, customer relationships and experiences
• To prevent fraud and other prohibited or illegal activities

5.3 Marketing
We strive to provide you with choices regarding certain personal data uses, particularly around marketing and advertising.

Promotional Offers
We may use your Identity, Contact, Technical, Usage and Profile Data to form a view on what we think you may want or need, or what may be of interest to you.

Third-Party Marketing
We will get your express opt-in consent before we share your personal data with any company outside DOT SOCIAL MARKETING LTD for marketing purposes.

Opting Out
You can ask us or third parties to stop sending you marketing messages at any time by following the opt-out links on any marketing message sent to you or by contacting us at any time.

6. Data Security
6.1 Security Measures
We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed.

6.2 Data Breach Procedures
We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) of a breach where we are legally required to do so.

7. Data Retention
We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

8. Your Legal Rights
8.1 Your Rights
Under UK data protection laws, you have rights in relation to your personal data that include the right to:

• Request access to your personal data
• Request correction of your personal data
• Request erasure of your personal data
• Object to processing of your personal data
• Request restriction of processing your personal data
• Request transfer of your personal data
• Right to withdraw consent
• Right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office

8.2 No Fee Usually Required
You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal data (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request is clearly unfounded, repetitive or excessive.

8.3 Response Time
We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. Occasionally it may take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests. In this case, we will notify you and keep you updated.

9. International Transfers
9.1 Data Transfers Outside the UK
We may share your personal data within our organisation or with vendors, which may involve transferring your data outside the UK. We ensure your personal data is protected by requiring all parties to follow the same rules when processing your personal data. These rules are called “binding corporate rules” or standard contractual clauses approved by the UK government.

9.2 Specific Safeguards
Whenever we transfer your personal data out of the UK, we ensure a similar degree of protection is afforded to it by implementing at least one of the following safeguards:

• We will only transfer your personal data to countries that have been deemed to provide an adequate level of protection for personal data by the UK government
• Where we use certain service providers, we may use specific contracts approved by the UK government which give personal data the same protection it has in the UK
• Where we use providers based in the US, we may transfer data to them if they are part of arrangements which give similar protection to personal data shared between the UK and the US

Please contact us if you want further information on the specific mechanism used by us when transferring your personal data out of the UK.

10. Client Campaign Data Processing
When managing digital marketing campaigns for our clients, we act as a data processor and process personal data on behalf of our clients according to their instructions. We maintain appropriate data processing agreements with our clients that govern how we process personal data in the context of our marketing services.

Last updated: 20th October 2024