Privacy Policy

We do everything possible to protect the privacy and confidentiality of everyone that uses our website.We understand that all users of our site are quite rightly concerned to know that their data will not be used for any purpose unintended by them, and will not fall into the hands of a third party. Our policy is both specific and strict. If you think our policy falls short of your expectations or that we are failing to abide by our policy, do please tell us.

We are constantly vigilant for credit card or other fraud.

Except as set out below, we do not share, or sell, or disclose to a third party, any personally identifiable information collected at this site. If this policy should change in the future, then we shall provide notification in advance, and the opportunity for all users to indicate whether or not they would prefer that we do not provide the information to third parties as proposed.

Here is a list of the information we collect, and why it is necessary to collect it:

1. Basic identification and contact information, such as your name and contact details. This information is used:

1.1 to provide you with the services, which you request;

1.2 to maintain our accounts;

1.3 for billing;

1.4 to enable us to answer your enquiries;

1.5 for verifying your identity for security purposes

1.6 for marketing our services and products;

1.7 to help make our web site as useful to you as possible;

1.8 information which does not identify any individual may be used in a general way by us or third parties, to provide class information, for example relating to demographics or usage of a particular page or service.

2. Cookies – our web site uses “cookies.” A cookie is a small amount of data that is sent to your Internet browser from a web server and stored on your computer’s hard drive. Generally, we use cookies to remind us of who you are, tailor our products and services to suit your personal interests, estimate our audience size, track visits to and sales at our store, and process your order, track your status in our promotions, contests and sweepstakes, and/or analyzing your visiting patterns. You can generally set your browser to not accept cookies or to notify you when you are sent a cookie, giving you the chance to decide whether or not to accept it.

3. Your IP address 
is recognised by our servers and the pages that you visit are recorded. This information is used:

3.1 in a collective way not referable to any particular individual, for the purpose of quality control and improvement of our site;

4 Financial information, including credit card details. This information is used to obtain payment for goods and services you have ordered from us. This information is never actually received by us. The page where this information is given by you is controlled by our contract merchant service provider, Sage Pay.  Such information is automatically encrypted, and later decrypted for use. It never touches our system.

5 Information volunteered by you for a particular purpose will be used exclusively for the purpose for which you have provided it. Information is disclosed to third parties only where the third party concerned qualifies in whatever way the web site page requires.  We will make absolutely clear on the face of the page, any intention to publicize the name of a winner.

6 Disclosure to Government and their agencies. We are subject to the law like everyone else. We may be required to give information to legal authorities if they so request or if they have the proper authorization such as a search warrant or court order.

7  Information request At any time you may review or update the personally identifiable information that we hold about you, by contacting us at info@cottonandgems.com. To better safeguard your information, we will also take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections to your information.

This confidentiality policy has been compiled so as to comply with current UK, US and EU legislation, so far as we are aware. If you have any questions regarding the confidentiality policy, please contact us at: info@cottonandgems.com

Data protection policy

Introduction

Cotton & Gems 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 Cotton & Gems:

  • 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 1998 describes how organisations — including Cotton & Gems — 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 Cotton & Gems

  • All branches of Cotton & Gems

  • All staff and volunteers of Cotton & Gems

  • All contractors, suppliers and other people working on behalf of Cotton & Gems

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. This can include:

  • Names of individuals

  • Postal addresses

  • Email addresses

  • Telephone numbers

  • …plus any other information relating to individuals

Data protection risks

This policy helps to protect Cotton & Gems 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 Cotton & Gems 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 board of directors is ultimately responsible for ensuring that Cotton & Gems meets its legal obligations.

The data protection officer is responsible for:

  • Keeping the board 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 Cotton & Gems 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 developer 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.

  • Cotton & Gems 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.

  • 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 by strong passwords that are changed regularly and never shared between employees.

  • If data is stored on removable media (like a CD or DVD), 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 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 Cotton & Gems 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.

Data accuracy

The law requires Cotton & Gems 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 Cotton & Gems 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.

  • Cotton & Gems will make it easy for data subjects to update the information Cotton & Gems holds about them. For instance, via the company website.

  • 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 every six months.

Subject access requests

All individuals who are the subject of personal data held by Cotton & Gems 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 at info@cottonandgems.com. The data controller can supply a standard request form, although individuals do not have to use this.

Individuals will be charged £10 per subject access request. The data controller will aim to provide the relevant data within 14 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 Data Protection Act allows personal data to be disclosed to law enforcement agencies without the consent of the data subject.

Under these circumstances, Cotton & Gems 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

Cotton & Gems 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.