Privacy & Cookie Policy

What is this Privacy Policy for?

This privacy policy (the Policy) is for this website [https://hertscomputerservices.com] served by [Herts Computer Services] and governs the privacy of its users.

The Policy sets out some areas where user privacy is significant and outlines the obligations & requirements of the users, the website and website owners. The way that this website processes, stores and protects user data and information is also contained within the Policy.

The Website

This website and its owners take a proactive approach to user privacy to ensure that the necessary steps are taken to protect the privacy of its users throughout their visiting experience. This website complies with UK national laws and requirements for user privacy.

Use of Cookies

Cookies are small files saved to the hard drive of the user’s computer that track, save and store information about the user’s interactions and usage of the website. This allows the website, through its server to provide the users with a tailored visiting experience. Where applicable this website uses a cookie control system allowing the user on their first visit to the website to allow or disallow the use of cookies on their computer / device. This complies with legislation requiring that websites obtain the explicit consent of users before storing or reading files (including cookies) on a user’s computer / device.

The tracking software used to monitor visits and usage is provided by Google Analytics. The software will save a cookie to your computer’s hard drive in order to track and monitor your engagement and usage of the website, but will not store, save or collect personal information. You can read Google’s privacy policy here for further information [http://www.google.com/privacy.html ].

Other cookies may be stored to your computer’s hard drive by external vendors when this website uses referral programs, sponsored links or adverts. Such cookies are used for conversion and referral tracking and typically expire after 30 days, though some may take longer. No personal information is stored, saved or collected.

Users are advised that if they wish, to block all cookies from this website and its external serving vendors they can do this within the security settings of their browser software albeit that this might reduce the functionality of the website.

Contact & Communication

Users connecting to this website and/or contacting its owners do so at their own discretion and provide personal details at their own risk. Wherever possible the handling of personal data complies with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998. Only relevant and necessary personal data is collected. Every effort has been made to ensure a safe and secure form to email submission process. Personal information is kept private and stored securely and deleted periodically when it is no longer required for operational reasons.

This website and its owners may use information provided by you to provide further information about the products / services they offer or to assist you in answering any questions or queries you may have submitted. This includes using your details to subscribe you to any email newsletter program that the website operates but only if this was made clear to you and your express permission was obtained. Email marketing material might also be sent to users who have previously

purchased from, or enquired about, purchasing from the company a product or service that the email newsletter relates to. This is by no means an entire list of your user rights in regard with regard to email marketing material.

Email Newsletter

This website incorporates an email newsletter program, used to inform subscribers about products and services supplied via this website. Information collected is used to refine future email campaigns and supply the user with more relevant content based around their activity.

Users can subscribe at their own discretion through an online automated process should they wish to do so. Some subscriptions may be manually processed based upon prior written agreement with the user.

The processing of subscriptions complies with UK Spam Laws and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003. All personal details relating to subscriptions are held securely and in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. No personal details are passed on to third parties or shared with companies / people outside of the company that operates this website.

In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 you may request a copy of personal information held about you by this website’s email newsletter program. A small fee will be payable. If you would like a copy of the information held on you please write to the business address at the bottom of this policy.

Email marketing campaigns published by this website or its owners may contain activity tracking facilities. Tracked activity might include, for example, the opening of emails, forwarding of emails, clicking of links within the email content, times, dates and frequency of activity. In compliance with UK Spam Laws and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 subscribers are given the opportunity to unsubscribe at any time through an automated system. This process is detailed at the footer of each email campaign. Alternatively, where an automated system is unavailable the website provides clear instructions on how to un-subscribe.

External Links

These are clickable text / banner / image links to other websites, The intention is that this website only includes quality, safe and relevant external links. Nevertheless, users are advised to exercise caution before clicking on any external web links within this website.

The owners of this website cannot guarantee or verify the contents of any externally linked website despite their best efforts. Users should therefore note that they click on external links at their own risk and this website and its owners cannot be held liable for any damages resulting from visits by users to any external links.

Adverts and Sponsored Links

This website might also contain sponsored links and adverts. These will typically be served through our advertising partners, who may have detailed privacy policies relating directly to the adverts they serve.

Clicking on any advertisements will send you to the advertiser’s website via a referral program which may use cookies to track the number of referrals from this website. This process might result in additional cookies being saved on your computer’s hard drive. As in the case of external links above, users click on adverts and sponsored links at their own discretion and risk.

Social Media Platforms

Communication, engagement and actions by users via external social media platforms accessed via this website and its owners are subject to the terms and conditions as well as the privacy policies applied by each social media platform.

Users are advised to exercise care and caution when making contact and communicating particularly with regard to their own privacy and personal details. Neither this website nor its owners will ever request personal or sensitive information through social media platforms and users wishing to discuss sensitive details are encouraged to communicate through primary channels such as by telephone or email.

This website might enable users to use sharing buttons to help share content from web pages to social media platforms. Users are advised that, before using such sharing buttons, they should be aware that social media platforms may track and save requests to share web pages. Users therefore use sharing buttons at their own discretion and risk.

Shortened Links in Social Media

This website and its owners through their social media platform accounts may share web links to relevant web pages. By default some social media platforms shorten lengthy URLs [web addresses] (this is an example: http://bit.ly/zyVUBo).

Users are advised to exercise caution and good judgement before clicking any shortened URLs published on social media platforms including any shared by this website and its owners. Despite the best efforts to ensure that only genuine URLs are published many social media platforms are vulnerable to spam and hacking and therefore this website and its owners cannot be held liable for any damages or implications resulting from visiting any shortened links.

Resources & Further Information

Data Protection Act 1998 Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003

Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 – The Guide · Twitter Privacy Policy · Facebook Privacy Policy · Google Privacy Policy · LinkedIn Privacy Policy · Mailchimp Privacy Policy · Fillable PDF Forms Creation · Website Privacy Policy Template

V.2.0 April 2013 Edited & customised by: Herts Computer Services, 5 Baldock Street, Ware, SG12 9DH