Privacy Notice
Cancer Focus Northern Ireland is committed to maintaining high standards of privacy and data protection for our service users and those we work with. This Privacy Notice lets you know what happens to any personal data that you give to us, or any that we may collect from or about you.
1. Important information and who we are
Cancer Focus NI is a local cancer charity working since 1969 to reduce the impact of cancer on people’s lives. We provide care and support services for cancer patients and their families; offer a range of cancer prevention programmes to help people reduce their risk of getting cancer; fund scientific research into the causes and treatment of the disease and campaign for better health policy to protect our community and its future. Without your support we would not be able to provide our services and help the patients and families who we care for.
2. Controller
Cancer Focus NI is the controller and is responsible for your personal data.
We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (Z9427646). Our Charity Number is NIC 101307 and our Company Registration Number is NI 49781.
We are committed to upholding your rights. We have appointed a data protection officer (DPO) who is responsible for overseeing questions in relation to this privacy policy. You can contact us for further clarification or any concerns you have regarding your personal data that we hold by contacting the Data Protection Officer by telephone on 028 9066 3281 or email to gdpr@cancerfocusni.org.
You have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK regulator for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk). We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO so please contact us in the first instance.
3. Changes to the privacy policy and your duty to inform us of changes
We keep our privacy policy under regular review. This version was last updated on 12 September 2023.
It is important that the personal data we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal data changes during your relationship with us.
4. Personal Data We Collect
Personal data, or personal information, means any information about an individual from which that person can be identified. It does not include data where the identity has been removed (anonymous data).
In order to provide our services, we need to collect and process certain personal information, such as information needed to make a donation. Your data also allows us to develop a better understanding of our supporters, allowing us to fundraise more efficiently and effectively in order to be there for people living with cancer and their families.
We may collect, use, store and transfer different kinds of personal data about you which we have grouped together as follows:
• Identity Data includes first name, maiden name, last name, username or similar identifier, marital status, title, date of birth and gender.
• Contact Data includes billing address, delivery address, email address and telephone numbers.
• Financial Data includes bank account and payment card details.
• Transaction Data includes details about payments to and from you and other details of services you have received from us.
• Technical Data includes internet protocol (IP) address, your login data, browser type and version, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform, and other technology on the devices you use to access this website.
• Profile Data includes your username and password, purchases or orders made by you, your interests, preferences, feedback and survey responses.
• Usage Data includes information about how you use our website, products and services.
• Marketing and Communications Data includes your preferences in receiving marketing from us and our third parties and your communication preferences.
We also collect, use and share Aggregated Data such as statistical or demographic data for any purpose. Aggregated Data could be derived from your personal data but is not considered personal data in law as this data will not directly or indirectly reveal your identity. For example, we may aggregate your Usage Data to calculate the percentage of users accessing a specific website feature. However, if we combine or connect Aggregated Data with your personal data so that it can directly or indirectly identify you, we treat the combined data as personal data which will be used in accordance with this privacy policy.
We may also collect Special Categories of Personal Data about you (this includes details about your race or ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs, sex life, sexual orientation, political opinions, information about your health, and genetic and biometric data). We do not collect any information about criminal convictions and offences.
If we collect personal data from you, we will only do so with your consent or explicit consent (where appropriate). Cancer Focus NI respects any personal information you share with us and we promise to keep it safe. We will never sell your data and we will safeguard your personal information in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
5. If you fail to provide personal data
Where we need to collect personal data by law, or under the terms of any services we provide to you, and you fail to provide that data when requested, we may not be able to perform the services. In this case, we may have to cancel any product or service you have with us but we will notify you if this is the case at the time.
6. Your Rights Under Data Protection Laws
Under certain circumstances, you have rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data.
• The right to be informed about the processing of your personal information
• The right to have your personal information corrected if it is inaccurate and to have incomplete personal information completed
• The right to object to processing of your personal information
• The right to restrict processing of your personal information
• The right to have your personal information erased (the “right to be forgotten”)
• The right to request access to your personal information and to obtain information about how we process it
• Right to withdraw consent
• The right to move, copy or transfer your personal information (“data portability”)
• Rights in relation to automated decision-making which has a legal effect or otherwise significantly affects you
If you wish to exercise any of the rights set out above, please contact us gdpr@cancerfocusni.org.
7. No fee usually required
You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal data (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request is clearly unfounded, repetitive or excessive. Alternatively, we could refuse to comply with your request in these circumstances.
8. What we may need from you
We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal data (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is a security measure to ensure that personal data is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it. We may also contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request to speed up our response.
9. Time limit to respond
We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. Occasionally it could take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests. In this case, we will notify you and keep you update.
10. Information We Collect from You
Personal information is information that can be used to identify you, tell us about you and help us understand your relationship with us. For example, if you make a donation, volunteer with us, register to fundraise, sign up for an event or make use of our Cancer Prevention programmes, Cancer Focus NI may, with your full knowledge and consent, collect the following information:
• Your full name;
• Your contact details – including full postal address and email address;
• Your professional activities and employment details;
• Gift Aid status;
• Information about your wealth;
• Media articles about you;
• Your preferences and interests relevant to activities;
• Other information relevant to the services you are availing of;
• We may also request your bank or credit card details to process your registration fee or donation where applicable;
• Any other information provided by yourself at the request of Cancer Focus Northern Ireland.
Where it is appropriate, we may also ask for:
• Information relating to your health (for example, if you are taking part in an event which requires us to know any issues that may affect your ability to take part)
• Why you have decided to donate to us, where you heard about our events and if you’d like to hear more about our services or events. We will never make this question mandatory and only want to know the answer if you are comfortable telling us
• Any other information that we are requested to collect by law
11. Legal Basis for processing personal data
Under the GDPR we must have a legal reason to collect, keep and use your data. We rely on the following legal basis for processing your data:
• Consent provided to us by you (or in some circumstances, from a guardian/parent on your behalf);
• Legitimate interests;
• Legal obligation: this is where the law requires that we must collect or process your personal data.
In carrying out our activities, we collect and process personal data for our legitimate interests.
When we process your personal information for our legitimate interests, we make sure to consider and balance any potential impact on you and your rights under data protection laws. We will always ensure that your personal data will not be used where our interests are overridden by the impact on you.
12. Support Services
If your family, a relative or a friend is supported by Cancer Focus NI, the personal information provided to us will be used only for the purposes of providing services, training or monitoring the quality of our services. Cancer Focus NI will not disclose personal information to any third party without consent, except in the following circumstances:
• To healthcare professionals and organisations involved in the provision of care
• Exceptionally, to the relevant authorities or otherwise as legally required
We will not use your information for other purposes without your permission. If you tell us about your own experience with cancer or the experience of someone else, we will explain how we will use that information. If you don’t want us to use such information for other purposes or change your mind at any time, it will not affect any services we provide.
13. How We Collect Your Personal Data
The information we collect is gathered in the following ways:
When you give it to us directly by:
• Enquiring about our activities and events
• Registering to participate in our Smoking Cessation Scheme
• Making a donation to us
• Registering for an event
• Engaging with or contacting us via our social media platforms
• Telling us your story
When you give it to us indirectly:
Your information may be shared with us by third parties, for example:
• if a friend or family member signs you up for one of our events
• professional fundraising agencies
• independent event organisers, for example the Belfast City Marathon or fundraising sites like JustGiving.
• Our website – we may also collect and observe data about supporters when they use our website via ‘cookies’, such as which pages are most visited and which events and activities are of most interest. This information can help us improve our website and services and ensure we provide you with the best experience. This information may also be used to target digital ads via our social media platforms. Wherever possible, the information we use for this purpose will be aggregated or anonymised i.e. it will not identify you as an individual visitor to our website. There is more information on our website below.
• Our social media platforms – we also use information from social media. Communication, engagement and actions taken through external social media platforms that we employ are subject to the terms and conditions as well as the privacy policies held with each social media platform respectively.
Depending on your settings or the privacy policies for social media and messaging services like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp or Twitter, you might give us permission to access information from those services, for example when you publicly tag us in a post.
• You should check any privacy policy provided to you where you give your data to a third party.
14. How We Use Your Personal Data
Every donation we receive matters to us. Your information is really important as it allows us to fulfil a number of actions which ensure your support helps all of our services. Here are some of the ways we use your information to support our work:
15. Donations
When you make a donation we will use your information to:
• Process your donation
• Claim Gift Aid on your donation (if applicable)
• Send you a thank you letter and/or receipt for your donation
16. Fundraising Events
If you register to take part in an event (by phone, registration form or online) or choose to hold your own event to raise money for us, we will use your information to:
• Process the event fee if applicable
• Send you a fundraising pack or supporting materials as needed
• Add you to our database in order to confirm you as a participant for that
event/raising money for us
• Process Gift Aid
• Contact you to offer support and provide fundraising materials as appropriate
If you have consented to hear more about our events, services and/or volunteering opportunities
(via a hard copy form, telephone or online registration/enquiry), we will use your contact information provided to provide you with the relevant communication.
17. Payments
If you use your credit or debit card to donate to us, pay online or over the phone, or to register for one of our events, we will need to collect information to process this payment. We will ensure that this is done securely and in accordance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.
We do not retain your credit or debit card details for longer than necessary. Following the completion of your transaction, all card details and validation codes are securely destroyed once the payment donation has been processed. We also request that you never email your credit or debit card details to us to ensure your information is not compromised in any way.
18. Payments via Facebook Fundraising
If you make a donation using our Facebook donate button or by creating a Facebook Fundraiser, Facebook will send us information including your first name, surname, donation amount and email address (if it was shared). If you opt to Gift Aid your donation we will also receive your home address so we can claim the Gift Aid.
If your family, friends and supporters make a donation through your Facebook Fundraising page, the only information we will receive from Facebook is their first name and surname, unless they choose to Gift Aid their donation in which case we will receive their home address so we can claim Gift Aid.
19. Sharing Your Personal Data
We are committed to protecting your data and therefore it will never be disclosed or sold to external organisations other than those acting as agents and data processors carrying out work on our behalf. Where we enter into a relationship with an external party, any such arrangements will be subject to a formal agreement between Cancer Focus Northern Ireland and that organisation to protect the security of your data. They only act under our instructions and we maintain full responsibility for your data.
External Parties may include:
• Suppliers who send out communications on our behalf, such as fundraising appeals or event and campaign updates.
• Wealth screening and insight companies (see ‘Information we collect from you’ for more information)
20. Change of Purposes
We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If you wish to get an explanation as to how the processing for the new purpose is compatible with the original purpose, please contact us.
If we need to use your personal data for an unrelated purpose, we will notify you and we will explain the legal basis which allows us to do so.
Please note that we may process your personal data without your knowledge or consent, in compliance with the above rules, where this is required or permitted by law.
21. Accuracy of Information
To help us ensure that any communication you wish to receive from us reaches you, it’s important that all the information we hold about you is accurate and kept up to date. If any of the information we hold about you is inaccurate and either you advise us or we become otherwise aware, we will ensure it is amended and updated as soon as possible.
22. Under 16s
If you are aged 16 or under and would like to participate in an event, make a donation or get involved with us, please make sure that you have your parent’s/guardian’s permission before giving us your personal information. Some of our events have age restrictions and we recommend that if you are under 16, you ask a parent or guardian to contact us initially.
When we collect information about a child or young person, we will make it clear to the parent/guardian why we are collecting this information and how it will be used.
23. Data Security and Retention
We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your personal data to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal data on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.
We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so.
Any personal data we hold about you is stored and processed under our Data Protection Policy in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 and any other relevant legislation.
We use a Customer Relationship Management system (CRM) to hold the information you provide us, so we are able to see the history and relevant details of your relationship with us. This ensures that we provide appropriate and accurate communications. We take information security very seriously. Our information is only accessed in order to provide a service to you or for one of the other purposes discussed in this policy.
We will retain your information for as long as required to enable us to operate our services, but we will not keep your information for any longer than is necessary. We will take into consideration our legal obligations and tax and accounting rules when determining how long we should retain your information.
By law we have to keep basic information about you (including Contact, Identity, Financial and Transaction Data) for six years after you cease any involvement with us for tax purposes.
When we no longer need to retain your information we will ensure it is securely destroyed.
24. Our Website
Our website is an important tool for Cancer Focus NI as it allows you to find out more about what we do, how your support makes a difference, how you can support us through fundraising and more. Any information you send us through the website is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL). We enforce strict procedures and security features to protect your information and prevent unauthorised access.
To make full use of our website you need to accept cookies. Like most websites we use cookies to help monitor the usage of our website. The information we collect through cookies is anonymous and does not personally identify you. It does not contain your name, address, telephone number or email address.
We use Google Analytics to track and monitor website usage. This allows us to monitor what parts of our website are working well and what parts of our website our supporters are most interested in. This information then allows us to tailor the content of our website, ensuring our supporters and service users see more of the content they are interested in. The information we use via Google Analytics is anonymous and does not personally identify you. It does not contain your name, address, telephone number or email address. If you would rather that your visits to the website are not recorded, please consider looking at Google Analytics opt-outs. To do this, please visit https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Our website contains links to other websites belonging to third parties and we participate in social networking sites including, but not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linked In and YouTube. We may also include content from these sites on our website. However, we would advise that we do not have control over the privacy practices of these other sites. You should make sure when you leave our site to visit another site, that you have read and understood their Privacy Policy in addition to our own.