Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 2026

1. Who we are

Community Smart Hub is a UK-based non-profit Community Interest Company (CIC), currently applying for Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) status. We are dedicated to protecting communities from AI-enabled harm and creating pathways into technology careers through education, digital resilience, and employment programmes.

Our website address is: https://communitysmarthub.org.uk. For data protection enquiries, you can contact us at hello@communitysmarthub.org.uk.

2. What personal information we collect

We may collect personal information when you contact us, sign up for our newsletter, register interest in a programme, make a referral, book or attend a session, make a donation or donation enquiry, complete a form, or otherwise interact with our website or services.

This information may include your name, email address, phone number, organisation, role, address or location, programme interests, referral details, attendance information, donation information, accessibility or support needs you choose to share, and any other information you provide to us.

3. How we use your personal information

We use personal information to respond to enquiries, provide information about our work, manage programme registrations and referrals, deliver training and community sessions, administer newsletters, process donations or donation enquiries, maintain records, improve our services, evaluate programme impact, meet safeguarding responsibilities, and comply with legal, regulatory, funding, and reporting requirements.

4. Our lawful basis for processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal information. Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on consent, legitimate interests, contract, legal obligation, or vital interests.

We rely on consent where you choose to subscribe to marketing communications, newsletters, or other optional updates. We rely on legitimate interests where we respond to enquiries, manage relationships with partners and supporters, improve our services, understand website use, and communicate about relevant activities, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. We rely on contract where processing is necessary to provide a service you have requested. We rely on legal obligation where we must keep records, meet regulatory requirements, or respond to lawful requests. We may rely on vital interests where processing is necessary to protect someone’s life or safety, including urgent safeguarding situations.

5. Contact forms and enquiries

When you submit a form or contact us by email, phone, or through our website, we use the information you provide to respond to your enquiry, process your request, administer programmes, and keep appropriate records. Information submitted through forms may be retained for administrative, safeguarding, reporting, and legal purposes.

6. Newsletter subscriptions

If you subscribe to our newsletter, we will use your email address to send updates, resources, programme information, and our AI Threat Digest. You can unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link included in our emails or by contacting us directly.

7. Donations and fundraising

Donations may be processed through trusted third-party providers such as JustGiving, Stripe, Donorbox, or similar platforms. When you make a donation, your information may also be processed in line with the privacy policies of those providers. We may use donation information to process donations, maintain financial records, thank supporters, and meet legal or accounting obligations.

8. Cookies and website analytics

Our website may use cookies to improve your experience, remember preferences, understand how visitors use the website, and help us improve our services. Some cookies may be placed by third-party services used on the website.

You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Where required, we will ask for your consent before using non-essential cookies. For more information, please see our Cookie Policy.

9. Embedded content from other websites

Pages on this website may include embedded content such as videos, maps, social media feeds, donation forms, or other external content. Embedded content behaves in the same way as if you visited the external website directly and may collect data about you, use cookies, and monitor your interaction with that content.

10. Who we share your information with

We do not sell personal information. We may share information with trusted service providers who help us operate our website, manage communications, deliver programmes, process donations, analyse website usage, provide IT and hosting services, support safeguarding, or meet legal and regulatory duties.

We may also share information with funders, delivery partners, referral partners, professional advisers, regulators, public authorities, or safeguarding agencies where this is necessary, lawful, and proportionate.

11. International transfers

Some of the service providers we use may process personal information outside the UK. Where this happens, we will take steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as UK adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections.

12. How long we keep your information

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected, including to provide services, maintain records, comply with legal and regulatory obligations, fulfil safeguarding responsibilities, support funding and reporting requirements, and evaluate programme impact.

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason it is held. When information is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it where appropriate.

13. Safeguarding information

Where safeguarding concerns arise, Community Smart Hub may process and share information where necessary to protect children, young people, vulnerable adults, or individuals at risk. This may include sharing relevant information with safeguarding partners, local authorities, emergency services, or other appropriate organisations where required by law or where necessary to protect someone from harm.

14. Your data protection rights

Under UK GDPR, you have rights over your personal information. These may include the right to request access to the information we hold about you, ask us to correct inaccurate information, request deletion of information where appropriate, restrict or object to certain processing, request data portability where applicable, and withdraw consent where we rely on consent.

To exercise your rights, please contact us at hello@communitysmarthub.org.uk. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request.

15. Your right to complain

If you have concerns about how we use your personal information, please contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection.

You can contact the ICO through its website at https://ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

16. Data security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Access to personal information is limited to people who need it for legitimate purposes.

17. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any updates will be published on this page, and the “Last updated” date will be amended where appropriate.