You are here: Information > Data Protection Policy
1. Introduction
Outer Hebrides Tourism is strongly committed to safeguarding your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains our policy for the collection and use of information about you and your transactions with us.
We reserve the right to make changes to this Policy at any time. Your continued use of our products, applications, services and websites that are subject to this Policy will signify your acceptance of any and all changes to this Policy made by us from time to time.
Outer Hebrides Tourism is the data controller in connection with any personal information collected or received by us arising from your use of any of our products, services, applications, websites and customer support communications.
2. How we use your personal data
In this section we have set out:
We will process your personal data in accordance with the [United Kingdom's Data Protection Legislation]. We maintain strict security standards and procedures with a view to preventing unauthorised access to your data by anyone, including our staff. We use leading technologies such as (but not limited to) data encryption, fire walls and server authentication to protect the security of your data. For all Outer Hebrides Tourism companies, all of our staff and whenever we hire third parties to provide support services, we will require them to observe our privacy standards and to allow us to audit them for compliance.
2.1 Marketing
We may process information that you provide to us for the purpose of visitor registration, brochure requests, e-newsletters subscriptions and competition entry. This data may be processed for the purposes of sending you the relevant notifications and media.
The legal basis for this processing is consent/legitimate interest.
2.4 User Generated Content
2.4.1 Social Media
If you use any of our social network pages or applications or you use one of our products or services that allow interaction with social networks, we may receive information relating to your social network accounts. For instance:
For more information and for details about how you can control access to your social network profile, you should view the privacy policy and other guidance available on your social network’s website.
2.4.2 Reviews, comments and content
Where you have uploaded product reviews, comments or content to our websites or services and made them publicly visible, we may link to, publish or publicise these materials elsewhere including in our own advertisements.
2.4.3 Forums
Each time you create or reply to a post or thread on a website forum from us, in addition to providing this forum service, we may also record the forum name and the time and date of your post or thread with your account details. We do this to better understand the ‘typical users’ of our forums and to select or tailor our marketing communications to reflect your forum activity. We do not use the actual content of your forum posts or threads for purposes of sending marketing communications.
The legal basis for processing in 2.4.1, 2.4.2 and 2.4.3 is legitimate interest.
2.5 Legal Obligation
In addition to the specific purposes for which we may process your personal data set out in this section, we may also process any of your personal data where such processing is necessary for compliance with regulatory and legal obligation to which we are subject, or in order to protect your vital interests or the vital interests of another natural person.
2.6 OHT Membership Account
We collect your business address and contact details to create an OHT membership account. When you login, we will track this and your behaviour. We may use this data and other data we hold about you to tailor your experience in the account and any communications we send. We may also use it improve our service to you and others.
If you ask us to cancel your account, we will cancel the account. We will however delete the data within 18 months as we need to keep your data for accounting purposes.
3. Providing your personal data to others
We may use other third party service providers to provide certain data processing services for us (acting as our authorised data processors). Examples of authorised data processors could include billing and fulfilment partners, IT solution providers, data analytics providers who process information on our behalf for the purposes outlined above. For example, we may use the services of third parties to personalise content, fulfil orders, deliver packages, send postal mail and emails, send text messages (SMS), provide marketing assistance, process credit card payments, provide fraud checking services and provide customer services.
When acting as our authorised data processors, our service providers are required to only process data in accordance with our instructions, in line with this Policy, and are subject to appropriate confidentiality and security obligations.
In addition to the specific disclosures of personal data set out in this section, we may also disclose your personal data where such disclosure is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject, or in order to protect your vital interests or the vital interests of another natural person.
4. International transfers of your personal data
We store your data on our secure servers in the United Kingdom and retain it for a reasonable period or as long as the law requires. However, your data may be transferred to, stored at, and processed at a destination inside or outside the European Economic Area by our partners or service providers. By submitting your personal data, you agree to this transfer, storing or processing. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Notice.
5. Retaining and deleting personal data
This Section sets out our data retention policies and procedure, which are designed to help ensure that we comply with our legal obligations in relation to the retention and deletion of personal data.
6. Links to third party sites
Some of our websites may contain links to other third party websites that are not operated by us. While we try to link only to sites that share our high standards and respect for privacy, we are not responsible for the content, security or privacy practices of those third party websites. We strongly encourage you to view the privacy and cookie policies displayed on those third party websites to find out how your personal information may be used.
7. Amendments
8. Your Rights
In this Section we have summarised the rights that you have under data protection law. Some of the rights are complex, and not all of the details have been included in our summaries. Accordingly, you should read the relevant laws and guidance from the regulatory authorities for a full explanation of these rights.
Your principal rights under data protection law are:
(a) the right to access;
(b) the right to rectification;
(c) the right to erasure;
(d) the right to restrict processing;
(e) the right to object to processing;
(f) the right to data portability;
(g) the right to complain to a supervisory authority; and
(h) the right to withdraw consent.
You may instruct us to provide you with any personal information we hold about you; provision of such information will be subject to the supply of appropriate evidence of your identity. For this purpose, we will usually accept a photocopy of your passport certified by a solicitor or bank plus an original copy of a utility bill showing your current address.
In practice, you will usually either expressly agree (opt in) in advance to our use of your personal information for marketing purposes, or we will provide you with an opportunity to opt out of the use of your personal information for marketing purposes.
To the extent that the legal basis for our processing of your personal information is consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of processing before the withdrawal.
9. Cookies
By using our website and agreeing to this policy, you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with the terms of this policy.
9.1 About Cookies
A cookie is a simple text file that is stored on a user’s computer (or mobile device) that is created when a user visits a website using a program called a browser (Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari).
A cookie isn't a program itself and doesn't actively do anything on a user's computer. A cookie cannot be used to identify a user personally but they do contribute to improving a user's experience of a website.
A cookie simply allows the website to read the contents of the cookie text file. The text file itself simply contains a unique identifier code; the site name and some digits and numbers.
9.2 Why are Cookies used?
Most websites will use cookies in order to improve the user experience by enabling the website to ‘remember’ the user, either for the duration of the visit or for repeat visits.
Cookies do lots of different jobs, such as:
9.3 What Cookies are used by this site?
Cookies are set by this website (first party cookies) but may also be set by other websites (e.g. You Tube) that run content on the website’s pages (third party cookies).
Cookies can be set to remember a visitor for the duration of their visit (session cookies) or to remember a visitor for repeat visits (persistent cookies).
10. About Us
The website is owned and operated by Outer Hebrides Tourism (Trading) Community Interest Company.
We operate two companies Outer Hebrides Tourism (Trading) Community Interest Company, registration no: SC501113 and Outer Hebrides Tourism Community Interest Company, registration no: SC471775
Our registered office for both companies is at:
3 Linshader,
Isle of Lewis,
Western Isles,
HS2 9DR
Our principle place of business is in the Outer Hebrides.
Contact us: at the above address or Email: enquiries@outerhebridestourism.org
Data Protection Officer – Ian Fordham, Chairman, Outer Hebrides Tourism
© Outer Hebrides Tourism (Trading) 2024. Registered in Scotland SC 201113. All Rights Reserved