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Public Protection Information for Business privacy notice

This notice explains what personal data (information) we hold about you, how we collect, how we use and may share information about you. We are required to give you this information under data protection law.

Who we are

We keep this privacy notice under regular review and was last updated on 14 November 2022.

Kent County Council respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy notice will inform you as to how we look after your personal data and tell you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.

Who we are

Kent County Council (KCC) collects, uses and is responsible for certain personal information about you. When we do so we are regulated under the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (‘UK GDPR’) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We are responsible as ‘controller’ of that personal information. This information is used in order for us to provide you with business alerts about scams, cybercrime and issues that could impact your business, as well as information about training opportunities, changes in legislation, events, funding opportunities, advice and support. Our Data Protection Officer is Benjamin Watts.

Personal information we collect and use

Information collected by us

In order for us to provide you with business alerts about scams, cybercrime and issues that could impact your business, as well as information about training opportunities, changes in legislation, events, funding opportunities, advice and support - we may collect the following personal and business information when you provide it to us:

  • Contact email address
  • Business type/sector
  • Business name
  • Business location
  • Business phone number.

How we use your personal information

We use your personal information to provide you with business alerts, news, information, training and event details.

Reasons we can collect and use your personal information

We rely on Article 6(1)(e) as the lawful basis on which we collect and use your personal data ie ‘processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest’. Secondary to this, your consent is given when you request to be included in the distribution of these messages, so the lawful basis on which we collect and use your personal data is also Article 6(1)(a) that ‘the data subject has given consent to the processing of their personal data.’

How long your personal data will be kept

We will hold your personal information until you unsubscribe to our alerts. There is a link in the bottom of all our email messages that allows you to unsubscribe at any time.

Who we share your personal information with

We routinely share details of your contact email with MailChimp, the service which delivers the newsletters and alerts to you.

We share personal information with law enforcement or other authorities if required by applicable law or in connection with legal proceedings.

Your rights

Under GDPR you have rights which you can exercise free of charge which allow you to:

  • know what we are doing with your information and why we are doing it
  • ask to see what information we hold about you
  • ask us to correct any mistakes in the information we hold about you
  • object to direct marketing
  • make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office

Depending on our reason for using your information you may also be entitled to:

  • ask us to delete information we hold about you
  • have your information transferred electronically to yourself or to another organisation
  • object to decisions being made that significantly affect you
  • object to how we are using your information
  • stop us using your information in certain ways

We will always seek to comply with your request however we may be required to hold or use your information to comply with legal duties. Please note, your request may delay or prevent us delivering a service to you.

For further information about your rights, including the circumstances in which they apply, see the guidance from the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) on individuals’ rights under GDPR.

If you would like to exercise a right, please contact the Information Resilience and Transparency Team at data.protection@kent.gov.uk

Your Right to Withdraw your Consent

Where we rely on your consent to process your personal information, you can withdraw your consent to our use of your data at any time.

You can do this by clicking the ‘unsubscribe’ link that is featured in every email we send.

Keeping your personal information secure

We have appropriate security measures in place to prevent personal information from being accidentally lost, or used or accessed in an unauthorised way. We limit access to your personal information to those who have a genuine business need to know it. Those processing your information will do so only in an authorised manner and are subject to a duty of confidentiality.

We also have procedures in place to deal with any suspected data security breach. We will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected data security breach where we are legally required to do so.

Who to contact

Please contact the Information Resilience and Transparency Team at data.protection@kent.gov.uk to exercise any of your rights, or if you have a complaint about why your information has been collected, how it has been used or how long we have kept it for.

You can contact our Data Protection Officer, Benjamin Watts, at dpo@kent.gov.uk, or write to: Data Protection Officer, Sessions House, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1XQ.

GDPR also gives you right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. The supervisory authority in the UK is the Information Commissioner who may be contacted on 03031 231113.

Read our corporate privacy statement.