Privacy Policy

This privacy notice has been compiled to help you understand why we ask you for your personal information when you use one of our websites and how we will store and use this information.

Hybrid News Limited is the principle company and the Data Controller in the Hybrid group of brands.

We create and distribute more compelling media content across influential digital brands for our audiences. This is defined as our Legitimate Business Interest. We process your personal data to help you make informative decisions when selecting learning, software and travel providers. We do that by:

  • Providing extensive sector information
  • Recommending things we think you’ll like, such as hotels or learning providers
  • Dealing with any requests you make or content you submit
  • Getting in touch if we need to tell you about something, like a change to our policies or issues with our service
  • Monitoring usage and performance in order to improve the services we offer.

This privacy notice applies to all our website and app users whether registered or not, including people responding to surveys and writing reviews.

Keeping your information safe and private is very important to us. All our services are designed with privacy and security in mind.

Collecting and using your personal data

You can browse our websites without providing any personal information. However, to use some of our enhanced functionality will sometimes ask for additional information in order to process your request. For example:

  • Providing your name, email, and contact details to request a prospectus or make an enquiry to an education and technology provider.

The details we request for each piece of enhanced functionality will depend on what is required to perform the action. For example:

  • If we need to contact you by email, we will request your email address.
  • If you are making a payment to Hybrid News Limited, you will be asked for you card and billing details.

Details of why we collect each piece of information is displayed clearly next to the field used to enter the data.

A full list of the data collected by each website is available on the site-specific data collection notice.

We also collect some technical information while you use our websites. For example, information on the type of browser you use and your IP address. This information is used to maintain and monitor the performance of our websites.

Cookies

We use cookies on our websites to provide login and preferences functions, and to collect anonymised data on user interactions. For example, we use cookies to:

  • Understand and save your user preferences for future personalised experience and to allow us to deliver the type of content and products in which you are most interested.

 

  • Compile anonymised data about site traffic and site interactions in order to offer better site experiences and tools in the future. We use tools such as Google Analytics to do this.
  • To provide targeted content and advertising based on your preferences and previous interactions. We work with third-party companies to provide targeted advertising. Personal data is not shared with these companies. Further details of the companies we work with are available within our Cookie Policy.

Personal information is never held on any of our first-party cookies.

You can choose to have your computer block some or all cookies for you. You do this through your browser settings. Each browser is a little different, so look at your browser’s Help menu to learn the correct way to modify your cookies.

If you disable cookies, some advanced features will be disabled and some of our services may not function as intended.

You can read more about how we use cookies on our Cookie Policy.

Anonymised analytics and insights

Occasionally, we will ask for additional information to help us monitor the reach and effectiveness of our services. For example, when creating an account, we may ask for your country of residence or postcode. This data will only ever be used in an anonymised format to help us demonstrate the effectiveness and improve the products and services we offer.

We use Google Analytics to log review aggregated use data across all of our websites. No personal data is shared with Google Analytics.

Geographical data and geotargeting

As with all websites, your IP address is sent to us each time a webpage is viewed. For some functionality we use this, along with geo-location information provided by your browser to provide location-specific content within our websites and apps. Your IP address and location information is stored anonymously, and not associated with any other personal details. You can stop sharing this information by changing your browser settings.

Mobile app specific settings

We offer push notifications, location based services, and targeting advertising through our apps. When you first use one of our apps, you will be asked whether or not you want to turn-on these services. You can opt-out of these services at any time using the changing the permissions through your device settings.

Storing your data

The personal data you provide is stored in a secure hosting environment based in the UK. We employ a range of technology and procedures to ensure that this data is secure, including encryption, anti-virus and anti-malware software, intrusion detection, data usage policies, and mandatory security and privacy staff training.

 

How long will you keep my information for?

We will keep your data for as long as we are required to, either:

  • By law, for example to meet financial regulations relating to payments
  • For as long as we require the data to provide a service to you. For example, we will retain your email address for as long as you are subscribed to one of our newsletters.

Personal data is deleted in accordance with our internal retention policy. All identifiable personal data is deleted five years following your last interaction with this website.

Your rights

Reviewing and updating your data

You can update the information we store on your behalf by requesting a data update by contacting the Hybrid Privacy Manager.

In line with the GDPR regulations, you have the following rights:

The right to be informed

You have the right to be informed why and how we collect your personal data, how we will use this information, who we share it with, what are the security measures we take to protect this information and what are you are your individual rights. We will publish this information in this Privacy Notice.

The right of access

You have the right to access the information we hold for you by contacting the Hybrid Privacy Manager. If you need further information, you can make a Subject Access Request by contacting the Hybrid Privacy Manager.

The right to rectification

You have the right for inaccurate or incomplete data we hold to be updated. You can make a request to have your data updated through the Hybrid Privacy Manager.

The right to erasure

You have the right to be forgotten at any point by contacting the Privacy Manager or emailing dpo@Hybrid.co. At your request, we will remove all the data we have for you which we are not required legally to retain.

The right to restrict processing

You have the right to restrict processing when you have exercised one of the above right and it may take some time to process that request. For example: when you contact us to update your details you have the right to request restriction until your details are updated.

Right to withdraw consent

For the processing activities where we have asked you for consent, you have the right to withdraw this consent at any point by clicking on the unsubscribe link in any email we send you, or contacting the Privacy Manager.

The right to object

You can object to the processing of your personal data at any point by contacting the Privacy Manager. There may be instances where we may not be able to fulfil those requests, but we will provide you with explanation when replying back to you.

Right to not be subject to automated decisions and profiling

None of our processing activities are purely automated. There are instances where we process data to analyse or predict behaviour but we will ask you for explicit consent when this processing will involve your personal data.

Right to data portability

If you have provided us with your personal data with consent or under the contact obligations, you have the right to request the data you have provided to us in a machine-readable format should you decide to move to another data controller.

Sharing your data with partners

We work with a range of providers that advertise products on our platforms and have agreements and procedures in place to ensure your personal data is protected through the service you receive from us.

Your personal data will only be shared with the providers you have chosen to engage with via our websites. For example, when you make an enquiry or a request to a provider, your details relating to that enquiry will be provided to the provider so that they may answer your enquiry directly.

We also provide anonymised site usage data to providers to enable them to monitor conversions from users who use our websites.

We have data sharing agreements in place with these providers to make sure they apply security operational and technical measures when processing your personal information.

In the future, if Hybrid may be sold, acquired, or merged with another business. Under these circumstances, we may share the personal data we hold with the parties involved.

Links to other websites

On our website there are lots of links to providers websites. This privacy notice does not cover these links. We encourage you to read the privacy statements on the other websites you visit.

Changes to Hybrid Privacy Notice details

The date of the most recent version will appear on the top of the page. From time to time we may be updating this Privacy Notice, please review it each time you are to submit personal information. If we make any significant changes to this notice we will send you an email informing you of these amendments. If you do not agree with these changes please do not use our websites to provide personal information.

Further questions

If you have any question regarding your personal data, please contact the Privacy Manager at the address below:

Privacy Manager

Hybrid News Limited
46-48 Queen Charlotte Street
Bristol
BS1 4HX

dpo@hybrid.co

If you feel we have been intrusive to your privacy or misused your data you have the right to complain to the ICO https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/raising-concerns/