Data Regulation

 

Introduction

Newson Gale Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Newson Gale”) needs to gather and use certain information about individuals.

These can include customers, suppliers, business contacts, employees and other people the organisation has a relationship with or may need to contact.

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

Why this policy exists

This data protection policy ensures Newson Gale:

  • Complies with data protection law and follows 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

GDPR explains how organisations — including Newson Gale— 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.

GDPR is underpinned by eight important principles. These say that personal data must:

  • Be processed fairly and lawfully
  • Be obtained only for specific, lawful purposes
  • Be adequate, relevant and not excessive
  • Be accurate and kept up to date
  • Not be held for any longer than necessary
  • Processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects
  • Be protected in appropriate ways
  • 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 main office of Newson Gale
  • All staff and volunteers of Newson Gale
  • All contractors, suppliers and other people working on behalf of Newson Gale

It applies to all data that the company holds relating to identifiable individuals, even if that information technically falls outside of GDPR.

This can include:

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

It applies in addition to the HOERBIGER Corporate Data Protection Policy and any further policy or procedure set up at corporate level for the protection of personal data within the HOERBIGER Group.

Data protection risks

This policy helps to protect Newson Gale 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 Newson Gale has some responsibility for ensuring data 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

However, these people have key areas of responsibility:

  • The Managing Director (MD) is ultimately responsible for ensuring that Newson Gale meets its legal obligations, in particular:

The Data Protection Officer, is responsible for:

  • Keeping the MD updated about data protection responsibilities, risks and issues
  • Reviewing all data protection procedures and related policies, in line with an agreed schedule
  • Arranging data protection training and advice for the people covered by this policy
  • Handling data protection questions from staff and anyone else covered by this policy
  • Dealing with requests from individuals to see the data Newson Gale holds about them (also called ‘subject access requests’)
  • Checking and approving any contracts or agreements with third parties that may handle the company’s sensitive data

The IT Department/ HOERBIGER, is responsible for:

  • Ensuring all systems, services and equipment used for storing data meet acceptable security standards
  • Performing regular checks and scans to ensure security hardware and software is functioning properly
  • Evaluating any third-party services the company is considering using to store or process data, for instance, Cloud computing services

The Marketing Manager, is responsible for:

  • Approving any data protection statements attached to communications such as emails and letters
  • Addressing any data protection queries from journalists or media outlets like newspapers
  • Where necessary, working with other staff to ensure marketing initiatives abide by 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
  • Newson Gale 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 unauthorized 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
  • 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 Department or data controller.

When data is stored on paper, it should be kept in a secure place where unauthorized 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 unauthorized 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 unauthorized access, accidental deletion and malicious hacking attempts:
    • Data should be protected by strong passwords that are changed regularly and never shared between employees
    • If data is stored on removable media (like a CD, DVD or memory stick), 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 service
    • Servers containing personal data should be sited in a secure location, away from general office space
    • Data should be backed up frequently
    • Data should never be saved directly to laptops or other mobile devices like tablets or smart phones
    • 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 Newson Gale 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
  • 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

Data accuracy

The law requires Newson Gale to take reasonable steps to ensure data is kept accurate and up to date.

The more important it is that the personal data is accurate, the greater the effort Newson Gale should put into ensuring its accuracy.

It is the responsibility of all employees who work with data to take reasonable steps to ensure it is kept as accurate and up to date as possible.

  • Data will be held in as few places as necessary. Staff should not create any unnecessary additional data sets
  • Staff should take every opportunity to ensure data is updated. For instance, by confirming a customer’s details when they call
  • Newson Gale will make it easy for data subjects to update the information Newson Gale holds about them
  • Data should be updated as inaccuracies are discovered. For instance, if a customer can no longer be reached on their stored telephone number, it should be removed from the database
  • It is the Marketing Manager’s responsibility to ensure marketing databases are checked against industry suppression files on a regular basis

Subject access requests

All individuals who are the subject of personal data held by Newson Gale 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.

If an individual 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.

The data controller will aim to provide the relevant data within 30 days.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 GDPR allows personal data to be disclosed to law enforcement agencies without the consent of the data subject.

Under these circumstances, Newson Gale 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

Newson Gale 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 by the company.

This document should be read in conjunction with our Privacy Policy

To speak to someone about data protection, please email us.