This Privacy Policy explains how British Expat Guide (“we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, and protects personal information when you visit britishexpatguide.co.uk (the “Site”).
We are committed to protecting your privacy and complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).
1. Who we are
British Expat Guide is operated by What’s On Digital Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 09989363).
Registered address: Unit 13, Lytchett House, Poole, Dorset, BH16 6FA, United Kingdom
Contact email: contact@britishexpatguide.co.uk
What’s On Digital Ltd is the “data controller” for the personal information described in this policy. If you have any questions about how we handle your data, contact us at the email above.
2. What information we collect
2.1 Information you provide
- Newsletter sign-up. When you subscribe to our newsletter (“The Departure Lounge”), we collect your email address.
- Contact form / direct emails. If you contact us by email or via a form on the Site, we collect your name, email address, and the contents of your message.
2.2 Information we collect automatically
- Server logs. Our hosting provider, Vercel, records standard server-log information including IP address, browser type, referring URL, and pages visited. These logs help diagnose issues and maintain security.
- Analytics. We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) with IP anonymisation enabled to understand which pages are popular, how readers reach the Site, and how the Site performs. This data is collected in aggregate and is not used to identify you personally.
- Affiliate-link tracking. When you click an affiliate link on the Site, the destination retailer (e.g. Amazon, NordVPN, Wise, Cigna Global) may set tracking cookies that allow them to attribute the eventual purchase to us. This tracking is governed by the destination site’s own privacy policy, not ours.
2.3 Information we do not collect
We do not collect, and never ask for:
- Payment or financial information (we do not process payments)
- Sensitive personal data as defined under UK GDPR Article 9
- Data from children under 16
- Biometric, location, or device-fingerprinting data beyond what is described in section 2.2
3. Why we collect it (legal basis)
We process your personal information under the following lawful bases:
- Consent. When you subscribe to our newsletter or accept analytics cookies, we rely on your consent. You can withdraw consent at any time.
- Legitimate interests. We use server logs and aggregate analytics to operate, secure, and improve the Site. We consider these activities to be in our legitimate interests, balanced against your rights.
- Legal obligation. Where required by law or to respond to lawful requests from public authorities.
4. Cookies and similar technologies
We use a small number of cookies and similar technologies. Where required, we ask for your consent before setting non-essential cookies.
- Essential cookies. Required for the Site to function correctly. These do not track you across other sites.
- Analytics cookies. If enabled, set by our analytics provider to count visits and understand usage patterns. You can decline these via the cookie banner where shown, or via your browser’s privacy settings.
- Third-party cookies. Set by external services we embed (e.g. YouTube video embeds) or by retailers when you click affiliate links. These are governed by the third party’s own policies.
5. Third-party services we use
We rely on a small number of carefully chosen service providers to operate the Site. Each is bound by their own privacy policy and, where applicable, a data-processing agreement with us.
- Vercel - hosting and edge networking
- Sanity - content management system
- Beehiiv - newsletter delivery
- Google Analytics 4 - aggregated usage analytics with IP anonymisation
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party. We only share data with these service providers to the extent necessary to deliver the Site to you.
6. International transfers
Some of our service providers (notably Vercel, Sanity, Google, and Beehiiv) operate servers and data centres outside the United Kingdom, including in the United States and the European Union. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the UK’s adequacy regulations, the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, or Standard Contractual Clauses with additional safeguards.
7. How long we keep your data
- Newsletter subscribers - until you unsubscribe. Unsubscribe is a one-click action via the link in every email.
- Contact-form / email correspondence - for as long as needed to respond to your enquiry, plus a reasonable period for our records (typically up to 24 months).
- Analytics data - typically retained for 14 months in aggregated form, after which it is automatically deleted.
- Server logs - retained per our hosting provider’s standard retention schedule (typically 30 days).
8. Your rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:
- Request access to the personal data we hold about you
- Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
- Request erasure of your data (the “right to be forgotten”)
- Restrict or object to certain types of processing
- Request portability of your data in a machine-readable format
- Withdraw consent at any time, where consent is the basis
- Lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk
To exercise any of these rights, email contact@britishexpatguide.co.uk. We will respond within 30 days.
9. Children
The Site is not directed at children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has submitted personal data to us, please contact us and we will delete it.
10. Security
We use HTTPS encryption across the Site, and our service providers employ industry-standard security practices. However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security of any data.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top of the page indicates when the most recent change was made. Material changes will be highlighted via a notice on the Site or, where appropriate, by email.
12. Contact
For questions, requests, or complaints relating to this Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal data:
What’s On Digital Ltd
Unit 13, Lytchett House, Poole, Dorset, BH16 6FA, United Kingdom
contact@britishexpatguide.co.uk