Privacy Policy

Summary

This Privacy Policy explains how UK Record Shop Directory (“we”, “our”, “us”) collects, uses, and discloses personal data when you use our website to discover record shops. We do not require user registration or login, but we collect names and email addresses when users leave comments on blog posts or reviews on shop listings. Additionally, we serve Google ads, which use cookies and tracking technologies. We are committed to processing your personal data in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Introduction

We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy applies to all users of our website operating in the United Kingdom. Our website allows you to discover record shops near you by using your browser’s location services or by searching for shop name, town, city, or browsing by region. We do not require you to register or create a user account to access the directory. However, if you choose to leave a comment on a blog post or review a shop listing, we will ask for your name and email address to associate with your contribution. We also display Google ads on our site, which involve third-party collection of data via cookies and other tracking technologies.

You can contact us at any time regarding questions about this policy or your personal data.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Technical and Location Data

  1. Browser Location
    • When you use the “Discover record shops near you” feature, we request access to your browser’s geolocation service to determine nearby shops.
    • We use this location data only to display relevant shop listings and do not store it beyond the current browsing session.
  2. Device and Log Data
    • We automatically collect technical data such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers, and pages visited to help us maintain and improve our services.
    • This technical data is used to monitor site performance, diagnose technical issues, and derive aggregate usage statistics.

2.2 User-Provided Data

  1. Comments and Reviews
    • If you choose to leave a comment on a blog post or write a review for a shop listing, we require your name and a valid email address to identify you as the author.
    • We store your name and email address alongside your comment or review content in our database.
  2. Optional Newsletter Sign-Up
    • If we offer an optional newsletter (via third-party providers), you may voluntarily submit your email address to receive updates.
    • We do not share your email with third parties except for the newsletter service provider, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

3. How We Use Your Information

  1. Provide and Improve Services
    • We use your browser location to deliver a personalised directory of nearby record shops.
    • Technical and log data help us diagnose errors, analyse trends, and improve website functionality.
  2. Facilitate User Interaction
    • We use your name and email address to attribute comments and reviews to you, enabling community interaction and discussion.
    • We may send you administrative messages (e.g., comment moderation notifications) related to your activity on the site.
  3. Marketing and Analytics
    • We (and our third-party partners such as Google) use cookies and tracking technologies to collect information about your browsing activities and interactions with ads, which helps us deliver relevant ads and measure ad performance.
    • You can opt-out of personalised advertising by visiting Google’s Ads Settings or third-party vendor opt-out pages.

4. Cookies and Advertising

4.1 Cookies

  1. Essential Cookies
    • We use strictly necessary cookies to maintain session state and ensure core site functionalities such as comment form submissions.
    • These cookies do not require user consent under UK cookie regulations.
  2. Non-Essential Cookies
    • Third-party cookies (e.g., Google Ads, Google Analytics) are used for advertising, analytics, and tracking purposes.
    • These cookies collect data on user behavior across sites to serve personalised ads and generate analytics reports.
    • We inform you of the use of non-essential cookies via a cookie banner or notice when you first visit the site, and you may consent to or refuse their use.

4.2 Google Ads

  1. Advertising Cookies
    • Google and its partners use cookies to serve ads based on your previous visits to our site or other websites.
    • Cookies allow Google to collect device identifiers and browsing information, which are used for interest-based advertising.
  2. User Opt-Out Rights
    • You can opt out of personalized advertising by managing your ad settings at Google Ads Settings or via www.aboutads.info.
    • Even if you opt out of personalized ads, you may still see non-personalized ads.

5. Third-Party Services

  1. Google Services
    • We use Google Analytics for website performance analytics and Google AdSense for advertising.
    • For details on how Google collects, uses, and protects data, see Google’s Privacy Policy.
  2. Map and Search Services
    • We may embed third-party map services (e.g., Google Maps) to provide location-based shop listings.
    • These services may collect data about your IP address and location. We do not control their privacy practices.
  3. Social Sharing Widgets
    • If we include social media sharing buttons, these may set cookies or use tracking pixels to allow you to share content on your social accounts.
    • The social media platforms’ privacy policies govern such data collection.

6. Data Security

  1. Security Measures
    • We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.
    • Our site uses SSL/TLS encryption to secure data transmitted between your device and our servers.
  2. Data Breach Notification
    • In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and affected data subjects without undue delay, where required by law.

7. Data Retention

  1. Comments and Reviews
    • We retain your name, email address, and comment/review content for as long as the comment/review is visible on the site or until you request deletion.
    • If you request deletion of your data, we will erase your personal data within a reasonable timeframe unless retention is required by law.
  2. Technical and Log Data
    • We retain technical and log data in aggregated form for as long as necessary to maintain and improve our services.
    • Individual log records may be purged or anonymized after a reasonable period (e.g., 12 months) to protect your privacy.

8. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

Under the UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  1. Right of Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  2. Right to Rectification: You can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
  3. Right to Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”): You can request deletion of your personal data when it is no longer needed or if you withdraw consent.
  4. Right to Restrict Processing: You can ask us to restrict processing of your personal data under certain circumstances.
  5. Right to Data Portability: You can request a machine-readable copy of your personal data.
  6. Right to Object: You can object to processing for direct marketing purposes or if processing is based on legitimate interests.
  7. Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent (e.g., newsletter sign-up, cookies), you can withdraw consent at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us. We will respond within one month of receiving your request. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe we have not complied with data protection laws.

9. Children’s Privacy

  1. Age Restriction
    • Our website is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13.
    • If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal data from a child under 13, we will delete that data as soon as possible.
  2. Parental Consent
    • If a child under 13 submits a comment or review, we require the parent or guardian’s consent before processing the data.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

  1. Updates
    • We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements.
    • The “Last Updated” date at the top of this policy indicates when changes were made.
  2. Notification of Changes
    • When we make significant changes to this policy, we will post a prominent notice on our website for at least 30 days and send notifications to users who have provided their email addresses.

11. Contact Information

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us.