Data protection Policy

Context and overview

Key details

Policy became operational on: 04.06.2018

Next review date: 04.06.2020

Introduction

LuckyWare Pro needs to gather and operate with the certain information about individuals while working on the customer's projects and its own business processes.

Mentioned information can include customers, suppliers, business contacts, employees and other people the organization has a relationship with or may have access.

This policy describes how this personal data must be collected, handled, transferred and stored to meet the company’s data protection standards — and to comply with the law.

It’s important to highlight that all personal data which is controlled by LuckyWare Pro and all personal data which is controlled by customers of LuckyWare Pro has the same, highest security priority.

Why this policy exists

This data protection policy ensures LuckyWare Pro:

  • Complies with data protection law and follow good practice
  • Protects the rights of staff, customers and partners
  • Is open about how it stores and processes individuals’ data
  • Protects itself from the risks of a data breach

Data protection law

The Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (EU) 2016/679 describes how organisations — including LuckyWare Pro— must collect, handle and store personal information.

These rules apply regardless of whether data is stored electronically, on paper or on other materials.

To comply with the law, personal information must be collected and used fairly, stored safely and not disclosed unlawfully.

The Data Protection Act is underpinned by eight important principles. These say that personal data must:

  1. Be processed fairly and lawfully
  2. Be obtained only for specific, lawful purposes
  3. Be adequate, relevant and not excessive
  4. Be accurate and kept up to date
  5. Not be held for any longer than necessary
  6. Processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects
  7. Be protected in appropriate ways
  8. Not be transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA), unless that country or territory also ensures an adequate level of protection

People, risks and responsibilities

Policy scope

This policy applies to:

  • The head office of LuckyWare Pro
  • All staff and volunteers of LuckyWare Pro
  • All contractors, suppliers and other people working on behalf of LuckyWare Pro

It applies to all data that the company holds relating to identifiable individuals, even if that information technically falls outside of the Data Protection Act 1998 or General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679. This can include:

  • Names of individuals
  • Postal addresses
  • Email addresses
  • Telephone numbers
  • …plus any other information relating to the individuals

Data protection risks

This policy helps to protect LuckyWare Pro from some very real data security risks, including:

  • Breaches of confidentiality. For instance, information being given out inappropriately.
  • Failing to offer choice. For instance, all individuals should be free to choose how the company uses data relating to them.
  • Reputational damage. For instance, the company could suffer if hackers successfully gained access to sensitive data.

Responsibilities

Everyone who works for or with LuckyWare Pro has responsibility for ensuring data they have direct access to is collected, stored and handled appropriately.

Each team that handles personal data must ensure that it is handled and processed in line with this policy and data protection principles.

General staff guidelines

  • The only people able to access data covered by this policy should be those who need it for their work.
  • Data should not be shared informally. When access to confidential information is required, employees can request it from their line managers.
  • LuckyWare Pro will provide training to all employees to help them understand their responsibilities when handling data.
  • Employees should keep all data secure, by taking sensible precautions and following the guidelines below.
  • In particular, strong passwords must be used and they should never be shared.
  • Personal data should not be disclosed to unauthorised people, either within the company or externally.
  • Data should be regularly reviewed and updated if it is found to be out of date. If no longer required, it should be deleted and disposed of.
  • While stored or transferred all data should be encrypted in any secure way.
  • Employees should request help from their line manager or the data protection officer if they are unsure about any aspect of data protection.

Data storage

These rules describe how and where data should be safely stored. Questions about storing data safely can be directed to the IT manager or data controller.

When data is stored on paper, it should be kept in a secure place where unauthorised people cannot see it.

These guidelines also apply to data that is usually stored electronically but has been printed out for some reason:

  • When not required, the paper or files should be kept in a locked drawer or filing cabinet.
  • Employees should make sure paper and printouts are not left where unauthorised people could see them, like on a printer.
  • Data printouts should be shredded and disposed of securely when no longer required.

When data is stored electronically, it must be protected from unauthorised access, accidental deletion and malicious hacking attempts:

  • Data should be protected (encrypted) by strong passwords (or keys) that are changed regularly and NEVER shared between employees.
  • If data is stored on removable media (like a CD, DVD or USB Flash), these should be kept locked away securely when not being used.
  • Data should only be stored on designated drives and servers, and should only be uploaded to an approved cloud computing services.
  • Servers containing personal data should be sited in a secure location, away from general office space.
  • Data should be backed up frequently. Those backups should be tested regularly, in line with the company’s standard backup procedures.
  • Data should never be saved directly to laptops or other mobile devices like tablets or smartphones.
  • All servers and computers containing data should be protected by approved security software and a firewall.

Data use

Personal data is of no value to LuckyWare Pro unless the business can make use of it. However, it is when personal data is accessed and used that it can be at the greatest risk of loss, corruption or theft:

  • When working with personal data, employees should ensure the screens of their computers are always locked when left unattended.
  • Personal data should not be shared informally. In particular, it should never be sent by email, as this form of communication is not secure.
  • Data must be encrypted before being transferred electronically. The IT manager can explain how to send data to authorised external contacts.
  • Personal data should never be transferred outside of the European Economic Area.
  • Employees should not save copies of personal data to their own computers. Always access and update the central copy of any data.

Subject access requests

All individuals who are the subject of personal data held by LuckyWare Pro are entitled to:

  • Ask what information the company holds about them and why.
  • Ask how to gain access to it.
  • Be informed how to keep it up to date.
  • Be informed how the company is meeting its data protection obligations.

The same, all customers of LuckyWare Pro are entitled to do the following acts, related to the personal data of own users:

  • Ask what information the company has access to and why.
  • Ask how to deny access to it.
  • Be informed how the access to the information is used and how often.
  • Be informed how the company is meeting its data protection obligations.

If an individual or the company (customer) contacts the company requesting this information, this is called a subject access request.

Subject access requests from individuals should be made by email, addressed to the data controller at contact@luckywarepro.com. The data controller can supply a standard request form, although individuals do not have to use this.

Subject access requests from customers should be made by email (unless another way is stipulated earlier), addressed to the data controller at contact@luckywarepro.com.

The data controller will always verify the identity of anyone making a subject access request before handing over any information.

Disclosing data for other reasons

In certain circumstances, the Data Protection Act allows personal data to be disclosed to law enforcement agencies without the consent of the data subject.

Under these circumstances, LuckyWare Pro will disclose requested data. However, the data controller will ensure the request is legitimate, seeking assistance from the board and from the company’s legal advisers where necessary.

Providing information

LuckyWare Pro aims to ensure that individuals are aware that their data is being processed, and that they understand:

  • How the data is being used
  • How to exercise their rights

To these ends, the company has a privacy statement, setting out how data relating to individuals is used or accessed by the company.