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Empathy Privacy Policy

1. Introduction
Empathy is committed to protecting your personal information when you are using Empathy services. This Privacy Policy relates to our use of any personal information you provide to us through Empathy websites.

In order to provide you with the full range of Empathy services, we are sometimes required to collect information about you. This privacy policy explains the following:
  • what information Empathy may collect about you;
  • how Empathy will use information collected about you;
  • when Empathy may use your details to contact you;
  • whether Empathy will disclose your details to anyone else;

Empathy is committed to safeguarding your personal information. Whenever you provide such information, we are legally obliged to use your information in line with all laws concerning the protection of personal information, including the Data Protection Act 1998 (these laws are referred to collectively in this Privacy Policy as the "data protection laws").

The websites contains hyperlinks to websites owned and operated by third parties. These third party websites have their own privacy policies, including cookies, and we urge you to review them. They will govern the use of personal information you submit or are collected by cookies whilst visiting these websites. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the privacy practices of such third party websites and your use of such websites is at your own risk.

2. What information will Empathy collect about me?
When you sign up to participate in or receive a service from any Empathy website, such as blogs, video and podcast channels, newsletters, competitions, live chats, message boards or register with the online registration system, we may ask for personal information about you. This can consist of information such as your name, e mail address, postal address, telephone or mobile number or date of birth. Different web pages may ask for different personal information.

By entering your details in the fields requested, you enable Empathy and its service providers to provide you with the services you select.

Empathy also uses cookies and collects IP addresses (an IP address is a number that can uniquely identify a specific computer or other network device on the internet). We use analysis software to look at IP addresses and cookies to enhance your user experience. This information is not used to develop a personal profile of you and the log files are regularly purged.

We also use your IP address to determine whether you are accessing the services from the UK or not.

3. How will Empathy use information collected about me?
Empathy will use your personal information for a number of purposes including the following:
  • for service administration purposes, which means that Empathy may contact you for reasons related to the service you have signed up for, as set out in Paragraph 4 (e.g. to provide you with password reminders or to notify you that a particular service has been suspended for maintenance);
  • to contact you about a submission you have made to the websites, including any content you provide;
  • to personalise the way Empathy content is presented to you;
  • to identify the location of users, the number of visits from different countries and also to block disruptive use; and
  • to analyse and improve the services offered on our website. e.g. to provide you with the most user-friendly navigation experience.

Where Empathy proposes using your personal information for any other uses we will ensure that we notify you first. You will also be given the opportunity to withhold or withdraw your consent for your use other than as listed above.

4. When will Empathy contact me?
Empathy may contact you:
  • in relation to the functioning of any service you have signed up for in order to ensure that Empathy can deliver the services to you;
  • where you have opted to receive further correspondence;
  • in relation to any contribution you have made;
  • to invite you to participate in surveys about Empathy services (participation is always voluntary); and
  • for marketing purposes where you have specifically agreed to this see Paragraph 6.

5. Will I be contacted for marketing purposes?
Empathy won't contact you for marketing purposes, or promote new services to you unless you specifically agree to be contacted for these purposes.

6. Will Empathy share my personal information with anyone else?
We will keep your information confidential except where disclosure is required or permitted by law (for example to government bodies and law enforcement agencies) or as described in Paragraph 7. Generally, we will only use your information within Empathy. However, sometimes Empathy uses third parties to process your information. Empathy will require these third parties to comply strictly with its instructions and Empathy will require that they do not use your personal information for their own business purposes.

7. Offensive or inappropriate content on Empathy website
If you post or send offensive, inappropriate or objectionable content anywhere on our website or to Empathy, or otherwise engage in any disruptive behaviour on our website, Empathy may use your personal information to stop such behaviour. Where Empathy reasonably believes that you are or may be in breach of any of the laws of England or Wales (e.g. because content you have posted may be defamatory), Empathy may use your personal information to inform relevant third parties such as your employer, school e-mail/Internet provider or law enforcement agencies about the content and your behaviour.

8. What if I am a user aged 16 or under?
If you are aged 16 or under, please get your parent/guardian's permission before you provide personal information to Empathy's website. Users without this consent are not allowed to provide us with personal information.

9. How long will Empathy keep my personal information?
We will hold your personal information on our systems for as long as is necessary for the relevant service, or as long as is set out in any relevant contract you hold with Empathy. In the case that you wish to cancel your registration for Empathy services, your information is deleted automatically.

Where you contribute to our website, blogs, Tweets, etc Empathy will generally only keep your content for as long as is reasonably required for the purpose(s) for which it was submitted. For example, Empathy will only keep copies of entries to a competition for the duration of the competition.

10. Can I find out what personal information Empathy holds about me?
Under the Data Protection Act you have the right to request a copy of the personal information Empathy holds about you and to have any inaccuracies corrected. (We charge £10 for information requests and will require you to prove your identity with 2 pieces of approved photographic identification.) We will use reasonable efforts to supply, correct or delete personal information about you on our files.

Please address requests and questions about this or any other question about this Privacy Policy to Empathy, P.O. Box 145, Brighton BN1 6YU.

11. Changes to Empathy's Privacy Policy
This privacy policy may be updated from time to time so you may wish to check it each time you submit personal information. The date of the most recent revision will appear on this page.

12. Contacting Empathy about this Privacy Policy
If you have any questions or comments about this Privacy Policy please contact; Empathy, P O Box 145, Brighton BN1 6YU