Last updated: 26 October 2026
This notice explains how we handle visitors’, readers’, writers’, subscribers’ and customers’ personal data under the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 as amended, and applicable electronic communications rules.
1. Controller and contact
Awareness for Research and Development is operated by THE AWARENESS FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT LTD, a private company limited by guarantee without share capital, registered in England and Wales under company number 11350827. Registered office and postal correspondence address: 92 Goetre Fawr, Radyr, Cardiff, Wales, CF15 8EU.
For customer support, cancellations and privacy requests: [email protected], or our contact form. Companies House record.
The company above is the controller for personal data processed to operate this website. Use the subject “Privacy request” for requests or complaints. An account is not required.
2. Data and sources
- Information you provide: name, email, account details, securely hashed password, optional phone number, correspondence and newsletter subscription details.
- Writers: profile, photograph, biography, links, submissions, attachments and editorial correspondence. Information selected for public profiles and published contributions becomes public.
- Purchases and donations where used: amount, currency, transaction reference and status, and necessary billing details. Payment processors provide relevant payment, refund and fraud-prevention confirmations. Do not email full card numbers or security codes.
- Operational information: IP address, browser and device data, security and login logs. If you accept analytics: visitor and session identifiers, pages, referrals, clicks, scrolling, video interactions and search terms. The audience tool masks part of IP addresses; this does not make all data anonymous.
- Other sources: correspondents or people submitting material concerning you, and public sources used in research or writer contributions. Where we obtain personal data indirectly, we provide source and purpose information within applicable statutory timescales, subject to lawful exceptions.
Do not include sensitive information in support requests unnecessarily. Research, search terms or messages may reveal political or religious views or health information; we do not use them to infer sensitive profiles. Any necessary special-category processing requires an appropriate Article 9 condition as well as an Article 6 basis, with relevant information provided for the circumstances.
3. Purposes and lawful bases
- Contract or pre-contract steps: requested accounts, orders, delivery, training, cancellations and refunds.
- Legal obligation: required accounting and tax records, lawful authority requests and data protection rights.
- Consent: newsletter marketing, optional analytics and non-essential storage where consent is required. Newsletter subscription uses email confirmation, with unsubscribe links in each message. Consent is not a condition of purchase.
- Legitimate interests: proportionate security, abuse and fraud prevention, correspondence, editorial review and publication, and legal claims. We balance necessity and individual rights; this basis does not override a consent requirement.
Without information necessary for an account or order, we may be unable to provide it. Analytics and marketing are optional and do not affect browsing or purchases.
4. Cookies, storage and external video
Necessary technologies support sessions, security, login and shopping baskets where used. “Accept analytics” and “Reject analytics” provide a choice for optional audience analytics. Change your choice at any time through “Privacy settings” in the footer. Rejection stops audience analytics collection and clears its identifiers in this browser. Scrolling or continued browsing is not consent.
The necessary preference cookie aw_privacy_choice lasts 180 days. On acceptance, yat_consent lasts the same period, yat_visitor_id is stored locally and yat_session_id in session storage. Our identifiers are cleared on rejection or on your next visit after the choice expires. Browser settings can also clear storage. Preferences are separate from previously collected usage records.
Content may include YouTube, Vimeo or Dailymotion video. A blocked player requires an explicit play action before loading. Playing it connects your browser to the provider and may disclose IP, device and page information, subject to that provider’s policy. Analytics consent is not blanket consent to video providers. See Google and YouTube, Vimeo and Dailymotion.
5. Recipients
Authorised staff and reviewers have need-based access. We use hosting and technical operators (currently Bluehost), email and newsletter services, payment processors (Stripe where enabled and selected), and any course provider identified in its offer. We limit disclosures to what is necessary and require appropriate protection from our processors. Professional advisers and public authorities may receive information on a lawful basis. We do not sell personal data or add buyers or donors to marketing lists merely because they transact.
Our contact mailbox is hosted by Google. See Bluehost’s privacy policy and Stripe’s privacy policy. Some providers act as independent controllers for their own purposes. Do not share your account password with us.
6. Processing outside the UK
Bluehost and Google hosting and email, and payment or video services, may process data in the United States or other countries outside the UK. Restricted transfers we make must rely on a valid UK adequacy decision applicable to the recipient, appropriate safeguards such as the UK IDTA or UK Addendum to standard contractual clauses with the required protection assessment, or an applicable legal exception. Naming a provider does not imply that every service it offers is covered by an adequacy decision. Contact us for the countries, recipients, mechanism used and copies of relevant safeguards, with legally protected information redacted only where necessary.
7. Retention
The audience tool retains raw records for up to 90 days, aggregated records for up to 365 days and alerts for up to 180 days, subject to its cleanup cycle. Account information, favourites and notifications remain while the account is in use and as needed to process closure or related disputes. Published contributions follow the archive purpose, publishing rights and lawful basis; account deletion does not automatically remove a legitimate research record.
Support and transaction retention is based on resolution needs, legal and accounting obligations and limitation periods. Minimum consent evidence and suppression information may be retained to avoid contacting unsubscribed people. Data is deleted or de-identified when no longer needed. Restricted backup copies may remain until operational rotation, and lawful evidence preservation may apply. Ask us for the retention criteria applied to your information.
8. Your rights
Depending on the basis and circumstances, you may request access and a copy, correction, erasure, restriction and portability, and withdraw consent without affecting earlier lawful processing. You may object to legitimate-interests processing. Your right to object to direct marketing is absolute.
Send requests to our privacy mailbox. Proportionate identity checks may be necessary; we do not request excessive documents. We respond without undue delay, normally within one month, and explain any lawful extension and its reasons within the initial period. Requests are normally free. Any lawful refusal or exception is explained with your complaint rights.
9. Complaints and security
Complain by email or post using the details above. We acknowledge data protection complaints within 30 days, investigate and communicate the outcome without undue delay. You may also complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) without waiving other rights.
We use proportionate technical and organisational safeguards and incident-response measures. We do not make solely automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects on you. Our services are not directed at targeting children; contact us about inappropriate collection involving a child. Material changes to this notice are communicated and its date updated.