Privacy Policy
This privacy policy is a draft for review. Please have it checked against your final setup and by a legal adviser before launch.
Who we are — and what this privacy policy covers
Digital Help Desk connects businesses in Scotland with vetted local digital specialists. For the purposes of data protection law, we are the data controller for the information described in this privacy policy. You can reach us at hello@digitalhelpdesk.co.uk.
What this privacy policy covers: the data we collect
We only collect what we need to help you:
- Enquiry details. When you use our Get help form, we collect your name, business name (if given), email address and phone number, a description of the problem you’d like solved, how urgently you need it resolved, and the budget you have in mind.
- Expert applications. If you apply to join our network, we collect your name, business name, email address and phone number, the services you offer, your rates and whether you take fixed-price work, the connection fee you’re happy with, links to your work, and anything else you choose to tell us.
- Attachments. If you attach a file to an enquiry — a screenshot of an error, for example — it is stored privately on our own website, where only the Digital Helpdesk team can open it. It is never published, never shared beyond what is needed to help you, and is deleted along with the enquiry.
- Technical information. Standard, anonymous information such as which pages are visited, used only with your consent to improve the site (see our Cookie Policy).
- Form statistics. We count how many people see each form, how many begin filling it in, how many send it, and which question people most often stop at. These are totals only — no cookies, no IP addresses, and nothing that identifies you or links one visit to another. We use them to make our forms less annoying.
Why we use your data: the purpose behind this privacy policy
To begin with, we use your enquiry details to respond to you and, where relevant, to match you with a suitable specialist. In addition, our legal basis is your consent and our legitimate interest in answering the enquiries you send us. We use analytics, where you allow it, to improve the site.
Who we share it with
To help you, we may pass your enquiry to a vetted specialist in our network so they can get in touch. Only what is relevant to your request is ever shared. Your data is never sold or used for advertising purposes. Reputable service providers — for example, to host this site and send email — process data on our behalf under appropriate agreements. If you wish to learn more about your rights in relation to data sharing, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) provides clear guidance for individuals.
How long we keep it
We keep enquiry details, and anything attached to them, for seven years after we last spoke — long enough to pick up where we left off if you come back to us, and to keep proper business records. After that they are deleted.
You can ask us to delete your details sooner at any time, and we will.
Your rights
Importantly, you have the right to access the personal data we hold about you, to have it corrected or deleted, to object to or restrict its use, and to withdraw consent at any time. To exercise any of these, email hello@digitalhelpdesk.co.uk. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Keeping it safe
In addition, we take reasonable measures to protect your information and to work only with specialists and providers who do the same.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the service develops. The current version will always be on this page.