Privacy policy

Sarah Barter, trading as Sarah Barter Proofreading, is a sole trader providing a proofreading and editing service to individuals and businesses (“I”, “me”, “my” in this Privacy Statement).

This privacy statement describes how your personal information is collected, used, and shared when you visit sarahbarterproofreading.com (the “Site”).

Sarah Barter is responsible for collecting, processing, storing and safe-keeping personal and other information as part of providing a service and carrying out regular business activities. Your personal information is managed in accordance with data protection legislation, including the Data Protection Act 2018.

Please contact support@sarahbarterproofreading.com if you have any questions regarding the processing of personal data on this Site.

 

PLEASE DO NOT ACCESS OR USE THE SITE IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH OR ACCEPT THIS PRIVACY STATEMENT

Data processing principles

I take protecting online privacy and data security seriously. Please read the whole of this statement carefully as it sets out my approach to processing personal data including what information I may collect from you, how I may use it, store it and protect it, and your rights as a data subject.

My Privacy Statement outlines my approach to any kind of data processing where I am acting as a data controller (including collection, use, transfer, storage and deletion) of personally identifiable information (any information that may be used to identify a physical person, and any other information associated therewith) about natural persons. This statement applies to my processing of data collected through any means, actively as well as passively, from persons located anywhere in the world.

I am guided by the following principles when processing data:

  1. I will only collect data for specific and specified purposes;

  2. I will not collect data beyond what is necessary to accomplish those purposes; I will minimise the amount of information we collect from you to what I need to deliver the services required;

  3. I will collect and use your personal information only if I have sensible business reasons for doing so, such as making available to you my services and products;

  4. I will not use your data for purposes other than those for which it was collected, accepted as stated within my policy, or with your prior consent;

  5. I will seek to verify and/or update your data periodically, and I will accept requests from you for amendment of the data held;

  6. I will apply high technical standards to make my processing of data secure;

  7. Except where otherwise stated, I will not store data in identifiable form longer than is necessary to accomplish its purpose or as required by law.

 

What information I collect

In accordance with Data Protection Legislation, I only collect and process information which I require to meet the specific purposes as stated above. The information I may collect about you could include, but is not limited to:

  1. Contact details;

  2. Personal details and identifiers;

  3. Bank details and financial information;

  4. Details about your occupation and business;

  5. Details about your lifestyle and social circumstances;

  6. Your aspirations and career ambitions;

  7. Personal development goals and targets;

  8. Details about how you use my website, including technical data such as IP address.

Occasionally I may ask for special category data if necessary for delivery of a particular service or product, such as medical information. Any such special category data will only be collected with your express consent and will be handled in line with ICO best practice guidelines for special category data. As per my Data Processing Principles, I will only ask for information that is necessary to deliver my services, and therefore I encourage you not to provide me with personal data or special category data, which I do not ask for.

 

How I collect, use and share personal data

Most personal information is provided directly and voluntarily by you when you engage with me in order to enquire about or purchase my services or products. I will collect information from you when:

  1. You book my proofreading or editing services;

  2. You contact me for information via my website or social media channels, by phone or email;

  3. You sign up to my newsletter or mailing list;

  4. You download an opt-in;

  5. You post on my social media channels, website or blog;

  6. You work with me in a commercial capacity.

I may also collect personal information about you from third-party sources, such as when you choose to connect your social media accounts with my site or log in through a social media platform such as Facebook or Instagram. However, I will only use this information where these third parties either have your consent or are otherwise legally permitted or required to share your personal information with me.

I collect this information in order to make available to you my services or products and to communicate with you in relation to my services or products. I may use the information collected to:

  1. Allow me to process a booking for a product or service which you purchase from me;

  2. Create a profile for you on my client database;

  3. Record your agreement to my terms and conditions of service;

  4. Contact you during an ongoing project;

  5. Issue invoices for booking fees and completed services;

  6. Send you my newsletters and/or provide you with information, products or services that you request from me or which I feel may interest you, where you have consented to be contacted for such purposes;

  7. Respond to enquiries you make about my services or products;

  8. Ask you to take part in surveys or quiz events;

  9. Ensure that content from my Site is presented to you in the most effective manner for you and your computer or device;

  10. Allow you to access and utilise the service or product you have purchased from me;

  11. Notify you about changes to my services or products;

  12. Provide personalised content and advertising that is targeted to your interests;

  13. Ensure that I am compliant with the legal requirements of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

  14. Get feedback from you regarding the quality of my services or products.

Your personal information is shared with the third parties Squarespace Inc. and Google Analytics to help me use them as described above.

  • The Site is hosted by Squarespace Inc. Information hosted by or through Squarespace is subject to their privacy policy. By using the Site, you are agreeing to be bound by Squarespace’s privacy policy: squarespace.com/privacy

  • Google Analytics is also used to understand how the Site is used. You can read more about how Google uses your personal information here: policies.google.com/privacy, and you can opt out of Google Analytics here: tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

Your personal information may also be shared to comply with applicable laws and regulations, to respond to a subpoena, search warrant or other lawful requests for information I receive, or to otherwise protect my rights. However, I will not sell or lend your personal data to third parties or share your personal data for marketing purposes without your express consent.

I will only share your personal data with third-party service providers where it is necessary for the delivery of my products or services and only where I am confident that such third-party service providers have appropriate data protection systems and measures in place that are compliant with UK Data Protection Legislation.

I will not give consent to third-party service providers or platforms to use your information, including audio and video recordings, for purposes other than those for which the information was collected and which are necessary for the delivery of my products and services.

I will not give consent for your information to be used by third-party service providers for the training and development of AI modelling software or similar purposes.

 

How I store and transfer your information

I have in place appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure the security, confidentiality, integrity and availability of personal data I control. Your information is securely stored in my password-protected email account (Gmail) and in Google Drive and OneDrive, my cloud-based management systems.

OneDrive, Google Drive and Gmail are accessed from my password-protected desktop computer used to run my business and are not publicly accessible or stored in any public domain. My computer is protected by McAfee® Total Protection.

If you subscribe to my mailing list, your information will be stored on my third-party email marketing platform, Kit. Kit’s privacy policy can be viewed on their website: kit.com/privacy

I may store or process your data on cloud-based platforms or service providers whose servers are based outside of the UK/EEA, which may constitute a transfer of data under GDPR. I only use such third-party service providers where I am confident that appropriate safeguards are in place to ensure that any personal data transferred outside of the UK/EEA is subject to an equivalent level of security and protection as required under UK Data Protection Legislation, such as the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework. To learn more about the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, visit the U.S. Department of Commerce’s website at dataprivacyframework.gov.

I also have in place appropriate procedures to handle any potential Personal Data Breaches in accordance with Data Protection Legislation. Any such breaches will be reported to the relevant supervisory authority and notified to the affected data subjects where we are legally required to do so.

I will only keep your personal data for as long as is necessary to meet the requirements for which it was collected. For example, HMRC requires me to keep records for six years after the 31 January submission deadline of the relevant tax year.

I maintain your personal information for my records unless and until you ask me to delete it. Providing I am compliant with HMRC's legal requirements, I will delete your information upon request. If you would like to exercise this right, please contact me using the contact information below.

 

Legal basis for processing your data

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provides that processing of your data shall only be lawful if and to the extent that at least one of the following applies:

  1. You have consented;

  2. For the performance of a contract;

  3. For compliance with a legal obligation that I must perform;

  4. To protect the vital interests of you or another person;

  5. It is in the public interest;

  6. It is in the legitimate interests pursued by me or a third party.

I collect data for the purposes set out above. All personal data is managed to ensure that it is either erased from my system when it is no longer required for the purpose for which it was collected, retained for legal reasons or minimised and retained.

Any special category data collected from you has special protection and is limited to that permissible by law. In all instances where special category data is collected, I will obtain your express consent.

 

Payment information

I do not store any personal payment information, such as bank details or credit/debit card details. Invoices can be paid either via BACS transfer or online via my third-party payment processor, Stripe, Inc. By using the third-party’s online payment facilities provided, you agree to be bound by their privacy policy.

Stripe, Inc.’s privacy policy can be found at stripe.com/gb/privacy

 

Your legal rights as a data subject

You have a number of legal rights in relation to the personal data that I hold about you, and you can exercise your rights by contacting me using the details at the end of this statement. These rights include:

  1. The right to obtain information regarding the processing of your personal data and access to the personal data which we hold about you. If you wish to access your personal data, please email me at the address provided in this statement;

  2. The right to withdraw your consent to my processing of your personal data at any time. Please note, however, that I may still be entitled to process your personal data if I have another legitimate reason (other than consent) to do so;

  3. In some circumstances, the right to receive some personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and/or request that I transmit those data to a third party where this is technically feasible. Please note that this right only applies to personal data that you have provided to me;

  4. The right to request that I correct your personal data if it is inaccurate or incomplete;

  5. The right to request that I erase your personal data in certain circumstances. Please note that there may be circumstances where you ask me to erase your personal data, but I must retain it;

  6. The right to request that I restrict my processing of your personal data in certain circumstances. Again, there may be circumstances where you ask me to restrict my processing of your personal data, but I must refuse that request;

  7. The right to lodge a complaint with the applicable data protection regulator. In the UK, this is the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

  8. When I am processing on the grounds of legitimate interest, you have the right to object to the processing, and I must stop unless I have an overriding reason which will be communicated to you.

Links from my website

The Site contains links to and from other websites which are operated by individuals and companies over which I have no direct control. If you follow a link to any of these websites, please note that these websites have their own privacy and terms of use policies. I do not accept any responsibility or liability for these policies. I advise you to check the policies for third-party sites before you submit any personal data to the website.

 

Marketing emails

I may send you marketing emails and communications when you have opted in or otherwise given consent for me to do so. I will make it as easy as I can for you to opt out of unwanted processing, providing it does not restrict my ability to provide you with the primary service you have requested.

Please note if you wish to unsubscribe from any marketing emails that you have signed up for, you can do so by emailing support@sarahbarterproofreading.com or clicking on the unsubscribe link on the marketing email that was sent to you. It may take 48 hours for this to become effective.

 

Cookies and website analytics

I use website analytics to provide the best user experience and service to you and to evaluate and improve my Site. I utilise third-party data analytics service providers to improve my visibility and to monitor website browser behaviour and navigation across my Site.

These third-party data analytics service providers collect this information using cookies on my behalf in accordance with my instructions and in line with their own privacy policies. Our service providers may collect the following data about the way you use my site, which will almost always be anonymised and aggregated before reporting back to me:

  1. Number of visitors to my Site;

  2. Pages visited whilst using the site and time spent per page;

  3. Page interaction information, such as scrolling, clicks and browsing methods;

  4. Source location and details about where users go when they leave the site;

  5. Page response times and any download errors;

  6. Technical information relating to end-user devices, such as IP address or browser plug-in

From time to time, I may use the information collected about you to present you with targeted advertisements using platforms such as Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Google and/or Instagram.

If you wish to limit or reject cookies associated with my Site, you can do this in your browser settings. Please be aware that by choosing to limit or reject cookies from my Site, you may not be able to use or benefit from certain features, particularly the features designed to personalise your experience.

 

Changes to my policy & future processing

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time in order to reflect, for example, changes to my practices or for other operational, legal or regulatory reasons.

I do not intend to process your personal information except for the reasons stated within this Privacy Policy. I reserve the right to update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Please refer to my website periodically so that you may access and view my updated Privacy Policy. This will ensure that you understand how I am using your personal data and your legal rights around my usage of such personal data.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding my data protection or privacy policies or requests for modification or removal of your data, please contact me at support@sarahbarterproofreading.com or write to me at Sarah Barter, 58 Clouds Hill Avenue, Bristol, BS5 7JE, United Kingdom. I will be happy to respond to any concerns.

Should you still have concerns about the way in which I manage your personal data, then you should contact the relevant supervisory authority, which in the UK is the Information Commissioner’s Office. Visit ico.org.uk/global/contact-us.

Last updated 31 October 2024

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