Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

IXN Foundation is a charitable trust registered in England and Wales. For the purposes of UK data protection law, we are the data controller for personal data processed through this website.

IXN Foundation
Department of Computer Science, University College London
Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT
Data Protection contact: privacy@ixnfoundation.org

2. What Personal Data We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal data:

• Contact information: name, email address, telephone number, postal address.
• Professional information: job title, organisation, academic institution.
• Enquiry content: the content of messages and project briefs submitted through our website forms.
• Technical data: IP address, browser type, operating system, pages visited and time spent on pages (collected via our web analytics provider).
• Communication preferences: newsletter subscription status.

We do not collect any special category data (such as health data, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, or financial data) through this website.

3. How We Collect Personal Data

We collect personal data when you:

• Submit a contact or enquiry form on this website;
• Submit a membership application or project brief;
• Subscribe to our newsletter;
• Correspond with us by email;
• Visit our website (technical data collected automatically).

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data on the following legal bases:

• Consent: Where you have provided explicit consent, for example when subscribing to our newsletter or agreeing to our contact form terms.
• Legitimate interests: To respond to enquiries, improve our website and services, and pursue our charitable objects.
• Legal obligation: Where we are required by law to process your data, for example for accounting or regulatory purposes.
• Contract performance: Where processing is necessary to fulfil a membership agreement or service delivery.

5. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your personal data to:

• Respond to your enquiries and provide information you have requested;
• Process membership applications and manage membership records;
• Coordinate IXN project partnerships and match organisations with student teams;
• Send our newsletter and event updates to subscribers;
• Improve our website and services through analytics;
• Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations as a registered charity;
• Protect against fraud and misuse of our services.

6. How We Share Your Data

We do not sell, rent or trade your personal data to third parties.

We may share your data with:

• Service providers: Third-party providers who process data on our behalf under data processing agreements (e.g. email delivery, analytics, document management);
• Partner organisations: Where you have requested or consented to us sharing information to facilitate a project or partnership enquiry;
• Regulatory bodies: The Charity Commission and other regulators where required by law.

7. Cookies and Analytics

This website uses only essential cookies required for basic functionality. We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking cookies.

We may use a privacy-respecting web analytics tool to understand aggregate usage patterns. No individually identifying data is shared with analytics providers without your consent.

You can control cookies through your browser settings at any time.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected:

• Enquiry form submissions: 2 years after the last communication;
• Membership records: 7 years after membership ends (for charity accounting compliance);
• Newsletter subscriptions: until you unsubscribe;
• Technical/analytics data: 14 months (anonymised thereafter).

9. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the following rights:

• Right of access: Request a copy of your personal data we hold;
• Right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data;
• Right to erasure: Request deletion of your data in certain circumstances;
• Right to restriction: Request that we restrict processing of your data;
• Right to data portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format;
• Right to object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing;
• Rights related to automated decision-making: We do not make automated decisions that significantly affect you.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@ixnfoundation.org. We will respond within one calendar month.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

10. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration or destruction. Our website is served over HTTPS and form submissions are transmitted securely.

No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. If you have concerns about sensitive information, please contact us directly by telephone or post.

11. International Transfers

We store and process data primarily within the UK and European Economic Area. Where data is transferred outside the UK/EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with UK GDPR requirements (e.g. Standard Contractual Clauses or adequacy decisions).

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated date at the top. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

13. Contact Us

For any privacy-related queries, to exercise your rights, or to make a complaint, contact our Data Protection lead:

Data Protection
IXN Foundation
Department of Computer Science
Email: privacy@ixnfoundation.org