STOP PORTLAND WASTE INCINERATOR – COOKIE & PRIVACY POLICY
Introduction
The following policy sets out how Stop Portland Waste Incinerator (SPWI) uses cookies and processes the personal information collected from you or provided by you through our website: https://stopportlandwasteincinerator.co.uk, our email account: stoppwi@gmail.com and our hardcopy petition sheets.
Cookie Policy
What is a cookie?
A cookie is a small data file that consists of a string of information that a website stores on your computer (or other device) when you access it.
Basically, when you visit a website that uses cookies for the first time, a cookie is downloaded onto your computer. The next time you visit that website, your computer checks to see it has a cookie that is relevant (one that contains the name of the website your visiting). If there is a relevant cookie present then the website ’knows’ that you are a returning visitor and, in some cases, tailors the content you see accordingly.
Websites often use cookies to help personalise and improve your experience on their site. This might include cookies remembering your login details when you return, recording how long you spend on individuals web pages, keeping a track of your previous orders, what’s in your shopping cart or even remembering your preferences for page layouts and colour schemes.
Other technologies used by websites include pixel tags (also known as web beacons). Pixel tags are small blocks of code that often work alongside cookies (but not always). They are used across websites and emails for a wide range of different reasons, including reporting back when you have opened an email, remembering your IP address and browser details, recording the time and date you visited a website and tracking your journey through a website or series of websites.
Check out The Guardian’s An Introduction to Web Tracking for more information on how web cookies and pixel tags work.
How does SPWI use cookies and pixel tags?
SPWI uses cookies and other technologies like pixel tags to help us gather the information needed to improve our website and our user’s experience. For example, by enabling us to identify and track what content is most or least popular on our website.
SPWI also uses a range of third party cookies, including Facebook, Twitter and You Tube.
How can you manage cookies?
If you wish to reject or disable any cookies which are set by our website, you can do this through your browser settings. The ‘Help’ function within your browser should tell you how but for ease, here are links to show you how to change in cookie settings for various browsers:
Privacy Policy
SPWI only collect information about you if we have a reason to do so e.g. to provide our service, to communicate with you, or to evidence your support for our campaign.
What type of personal information do we collect from you?
SPWI collects two types of information from you via our website:
- 1. Information you supply to us – for example, when you submit an enquiry via our Contact Us page you provide us with your name and email address (you may also include your telephone number or home address, depending on the information you are seeking or sending). Similarly, when you comment on one of our Facebook posts, you provide us with your name and the information required to reply to you. On our Change.org petition page, you supply your name and email address (and an optional comment) and on our JustGiving crowdfunding page, you have the option to give your name and the amount you have donated. On our paper petition sheets, you supply your name and address (and, optionally, your email address).
- 2. Information our website automatically collects about you – for example, each time you visit SPWI’s website we automatically collect:
- Log and usage information – This may include your IP address, browser type, how you got to the site, the date and time of your visit, how long you were on the site, what pages you visited, what media you clicked on and any documents you downloaded.
- Location information – Established using the approximate location of your device from your IP address, this information helps us see the different geographical areas that people visit our website come from.
- Information from cookies and pixel tags – As described above.
Why does SPWI collect personal information?
The data we collect about you allows us to:
- Respond directly to your requests for advice, information, news and / or support.
- Monitor and analyse the way you (and others) use our website, so that we can better understand how to improve our content and the services we provide you with.
How does SPWI store personal information?
The data we collect about you is stored in three ways:
- Digitally in Google Contacts and in our campaign Gmail account, protected by a password.
- Digitally on our website, utilising WordPress’s secure content management system.
- On paper, on the paper petition sheets collected.
Are we doing enough to protect your information?
In addition to the measures SPWI takes (e.g. secure passwords, a security plug-in and two-factor authentication), our website has been built using WordPress’s content management system. As such, it automatically utilises many of WordPress’s pre-existing technologies and tools, including a range of security cookies and pixel tags.
SPWI also benefits from WordPress’s commitment to ensuring its content management system meets all relevant legal, regulatory, security (or other compliance) obligations, including those related to privacy, security and general GDPR.
WordPress is owned by American company Automattic. More detailed information regarding the exact technologies, tools, processes and procedures used by WordPress to collect, analyse, protect and store personal information can be found here:
- Automattic’s Cookie Policy: https://automattic.com/cookies
- Automattic’s Privacy Policy: https://automattic.com/privacy
Find out more about Automattic and its services at: https://automattic.com
Our paper petition sheets are collected and kept in a secure, locked box and within secure, locked premises.
Third party links
Our site may, on occasion, contain links to and from third party websites. If you follow a link to any of these websites, please note that these websites have their own privacy policies and that we do not accept any responsibility or liability for these policies. Please check these policies before you submit any personal data to these websites.
How long does SPWI store personal information for?
SPWI stores the information we collect about you for only as long as is necessary for the purpose(s) for which we originally collected it, or for other legitimate purposes, including to meet our legal, regulatory, or other compliance obligations.
Does SPWI share your personal information?
SPWI will not share information about you to third parties except to evidence your support for our campaign. For example, evidencing support to key decision makers, such as Dorset Council, Dorset Council Strategic Planning Committee and Dorset Council Waste Services. This may include, but not be limited to:
- SPWI’s online and hardcopy petition (name and email for digital petition / name, address and optional email for hardcopy petition)
- Comments and feedback that you provide directly to us (or other relevant parties) concerning Powerfuel Portland’s plans.
- Media contributions that you deliver to us, including photos, video and audio.
In addition, we may also share aggregated or anonymised information that does not directly identify you.
For all other purposes, we will seek your consent before sharing.
Changes to SPWI’s Cookie and Privacy Policies
SPWI keeps its policies under regular review and provides updates where necessary. Please check back for updates.
How can you access the information we hold about you?
For requests to access the data we hold about you (or remove the data we hold about you), or any questions about SPWI’s Privacy Policy, you can get in touch via the Contact Us page on this website or via:
Email: stoppwi@gmail.com
