How you can contact us

<!doctype html>    <html lang="en">  <head prefix="og: http://ogp.me/ns#"> <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge"> <meta name="viewport" content="initial-scale=1.0, width=device-width"> <title>How you can contact us | ICO</title>   <meta name="DC.Subject" content="" /> <meta name="DC.Date" content="Thursday, October 17, 2024" /> <meta name="DC.Creator" content="" /> <meta name="DC.Publisher" content="ICO" /> <meta name="DC.Title" content="How you can contact us" /> <meta name="DC.PageID" content="32945" />  <meta name="robots" content="index" />   <meta property="og:title" content="How you can contact us" /> <meta property="og:type" content="website" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://ico.org.uk/global/privacy-notice/how-you-can-contact-us/" /> <meta property="og:description" content="" /> <meta property="og:image" content=""/> <meta name="twitter:title" content="How you can contact us" /> <meta name="twitter:description" content="" />  <link rel="shortcut icon" type="image/x-icon" href="/favicon.ico" /> <link href="/cassette.axd/stylesheet/84c7d16c3755e24397d10a8f144f328c1ebc2032/css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"/>   <script type="text/javascript"> !function(T,l,y){var S=T.location,k="script",D="instrumentationKey",C="ingestionendpoint",I="disableExceptionTracking",E="ai.device.",b="toLowerCase",w="crossOrigin",N="POST",e="appInsightsSDK",t=y.name||"appInsights";(y.name||T[e])&&(T[e]=t);var n=T[t]||function(d){var g=!1,f=!1,m={initialize:!0,queue:[],sv:"5",version:2,config:d};function v(e,t){var n={},a="Browser";return n[E+"id"]=a[b](),n[E+"type"]=a,n["ai.operation.name"]=S&&S.pathname||"_unknown_",n["ai.internal.sdkVersion"]="javascript:snippet_"+(m.sv||m.version),{time:function(){var e=new Date;function t(e){var t=""+e;return 1===t.length&&(t="0"+t),t}return e.getUTCFullYear()+"-"+t(1+e.getUTCMonth())+"-"+t(e.getUTCDate())+"T"+t(e.getUTCHours())+":"+t(e.getUTCMinutes())+":"+t(e.getUTCSeconds())+"."+((e.getUTCMilliseconds()/1e3).toFixed(3)+"").slice(2,5)+"Z"}(),iKey:e,name:"Microsoft.ApplicationInsights."+e.replace(/-/g,"")+"."+t,sampleRate:100,tags:n,data:{baseData:{ver:2}}}}var h=d.url||y.src;if(h){function a(e){var t,n,a,i,r,o,s,c,u,p,l;g=!0,m.queue=[],f||(f=!0,t=h,s=function(){var e={},t=d.connectionString;if(t)for(var n=t.split(";"),a=0;a<n.length;a++){var i=n[a].split("=");2===i.length&&(e[i[0][b]()]=i[1])}if(!e[C]){var r=e.endpointsuffix,o=r?e.location:null;e[C]="https://"+(o?o+".":"")+"dc."+(r||"services.visualstudio.com")}return e}(),c=s[D]||d[D]||"",u=s[C],p=u?u+"/v2/track":d.endpointUrl,(l=[]).push((n="SDK LOAD Failure: Failed to load Application Insights SDK script (See stack for details)",a=t,i=p,(o=(r=v(c,"Exception")).data).baseType="ExceptionData",o.baseData.exceptions=[{typeName:"SDKLoadFailed",message:n.replace(/\./g,"-"),hasFullStack:!1,stack:n+"\nSnippet failed to load ["+a+"] -- Telemetry is disabled\nHelp Link: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2128109\nHost: "+(S&&S.pathname||"_unknown_")+"\nEndpoint: "+i,parsedStack:[]}],r)),l.push(function(e,t,n,a){var i=v(c,"Message"),r=i.data;r.baseType="MessageData";var o=r.baseData;return o.message='AI (Internal): 99 message:"'+("SDK LOAD Failure: Failed to load Application Insights SDK script (See stack for details) ("+n+")").replace(/\"/g,"")+'"',o.properties={endpoint:a},i}(0,0,t,p)),function(e,t){if(JSON){var n=T.fetch;if(n&&!y.useXhr)n(t,{method:N,body:JSON.stringify(e),mode:"cors"});else if(XMLHttpRequest){var a=new XMLHttpRequest;a.open(N,t),a.setRequestHeader("Content-type","application/json"),a.send(JSON.stringify(e))}}}(l,p))}function i(e,t){f||setTimeout(function(){!t&&m.core||a()},500)}var e=function(){var n=l.createElement(k);n.src=h;var e=y[w];return!e&&""!==e||"undefined"==n[w]||(n[w]=e),n.onload=i,n.onerror=a,n.onreadystatechange=function(e,t){"loaded"!==n.readyState&&"complete"!==n.readyState||i(0,t)},n}();y.ld<0?l.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(e):setTimeout(function(){l.getElementsByTagName(k)[0].parentNode.appendChild(e)},y.ld||0)}try{m.cookie=l.cookie}catch(p){}function t(e){for(;e.length;)!function(t){m[t]=function(){var e=arguments;g||m.queue.push(function(){m[t].apply(m,e)})}}(e.pop())}var n="track",r="TrackPage",o="TrackEvent";t([n+"Event",n+"PageView",n+"Exception",n+"Trace",n+"DependencyData",n+"Metric",n+"PageViewPerformance","start"+r,"stop"+r,"start"+o,"stop"+o,"addTelemetryInitializer","setAuthenticatedUserContext","clearAuthenticatedUserContext","flush"]),m.SeverityLevel={Verbose:0,Information:1,Warning:2,Error:3,Critical:4};var s=(d.extensionConfig||{}).ApplicationInsightsAnalytics||{};if(!0!==d[I]&&!0!==s[I]){var c="onerror";t(["_"+c]);var u=T[c];T[c]=function(e,t,n,a,i){var r=u&&u(e,t,n,a,i);return!0!==r&&m["_"+c]({message:e,url:t,lineNumber:n,columnNumber:a,error:i}),r},d.autoExceptionInstrumented=!0}return m}(y.cfg);function a(){y.onInit&&y.onInit(n)}(T[t]=n).queue&&0===n.queue.length?(n.queue.push(a),n.trackPageView({})):a()}(window,document,{ src: "https://js.monitor.azure.com/scripts/b/ai.2.min.js", crossOrigin: "anonymous", cfg: { instrumentationKey: "1d8b12b7-5ec8-4f8a-ad58-d9c6836b2133", disableCookiesUsage: true }}); </script> <script src="/cassette.axd/script/5ee23aacdf970dd872941ccf4f703a43bccb2949/scripts/responsive-nav.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="/cassette.axd/script/e959342b74f6ed9b82c2aa42af0bcf7fd59f2d10/scripts/lib" type="text/javascript"></script>    </head> <body id="top" class=""> <a class="link-skiptocontent invisible" href="#startcontent">Skip to main content <span class="icon-arrow-down"></span></a> <header class="header-banner"> <div class="container-header"> <div class="container row"> <div class="column column-3 siteheader-logo"> <a href="/"><span class="invisible">ICO: Information Commissioner's Office</span></a> </div> <div class="column column-6 siteheader-strapline h4"> <div class="siteheader-strapline-inner"> <p>The ICO exists to empower you through information.</p> </div> </div> <a href="" class="button-icon" id="toggle-siteheader-search"><span class="icon-search"></span><span class="invisible">Search</span><span class="icon-close"></span></a> <form action="https://icosearch.ico.org.uk/s/search.html" method="GET" class="column column-3" id="siteheader-search"> <fieldset> <legend class="invisible">Search</legend> <div class="siteheader-search-form"> <label for="search" class="invisible">Search</label> <input type="search" id="search" name="query"> <input type="hidden" name="collection" value="ico-meta" /> <input type="hidden" name="profile" value="_default" /> <span class="button-icon icon-search"></span> <input type="submit" value="Search"> </div> </fieldset> </form> </div> </div> <div class="container-navigation"> <div class="container row"> <nav class="column column-12" aria-label="Main menu"> <ul> <li class="h3 theme-home"> <a href="/">Home<span class="icon-arrow-right"></span></a> </li> <li class="h3 theme-public"> <a href="/for-the-public/">For the public<span class="icon-arrow-right"></span></a> </li> <li class="h3 theme-organisations"> <a href="/for-organisations/">For organisations<span class="icon-arrow-right"></span></a> </li> <li class="h3 theme-report"> <a href="/make-a-complaint/">Make a complaint<span class="icon-arrow-right"></span></a> </li> <li class="h3 theme-action"> <a href="/action-weve-taken/">Action we've taken<span class="icon-arrow-right"></span></a> </li> <li class="h3 theme-about"> <a href="/about-the-ico/">About the ICO<span class="icon-arrow-right"></span></a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> </div> </header> <main class="theme-home" id="startcontent"> <article class="container"> <header class="pageheader"> <div class="downloadandShare"> <div class="row"> <div class="column column-8"> <nav aria-label="breadcrumb" class="pageheader-breadcrumb text-small clearfix"> <ol> <li> <a href="/global/">Global</a><span>/</span> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/">Privacy notice</a><span>/</span> </li> <li> <span class="current" aria-current="page" aria-label="Current page"> How you can contact us </span> </li> </ol> </nav> <h1 id="multipage-heading">How you can contact us</h1> <div id="multipage-snippet"> </div> </div> <div class="pageheader-download column column-4 column-indent-1"> <a href="#" id="toggle-hiddenpanel-headershare"><span class="h4">Share<span class="invisible">(Opens Share panel)</span></span><span class="button-circle"><span class="icon-share"></span></span></a> <a href="#" id="toggle-hiddenpanel-download"><span class="h4">Download options<span class="invisible">(Opens download panel)</span></span><span class="button-circle"><span class="icon-download"></span></span></a> </div> </div> <div class="hiddenpanel clearfix toggle-right" id="hiddenpanel-headershare" aria-label="panel share" style="display: none;"> <h2 class="h4">Share this page</h2> <ul class="clearfix"> <li> <a href="http://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https:%2f%2fico.org.uk%2fglobal%2fprivacy-notice%2fhow-you-can-contact-us%2f" target="_blank" class="button-circle"> <span class="icon-reddit"></span> <span class="invisible">Share via Reddit</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&title=How+you+can+contact+us&url=https:%2f%2fico.org.uk%2fglobal%2fprivacy-notice%2fhow-you-can-contact-us%2f&source=Ico.org.uk" target="_blank" class="button-circle"> <span class="icon-linkedin"></span> <span class="invisible">Share via LinkedIn</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#407f222f24397d28343430337a65722665722629232f6e2f32276e352b657226272c2f22212c657226303229362123396d2e2f34292325657226282f376d392f356d23212e6d232f2e342123346d3533657226" target="_blank" class="button-circle"> <span class="icon-envelope"></span> <span class="invisible">Share via email</span> </a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="hiddenpanel hiddenpanel-options clearfix" id="hiddenpanel-download"> <form method="post" action="/global/privacy-notice/how-you-can-contact-us/" target="_blank"> <fieldset> <legend class="invisible">Download options</legend> <div class="hiddenpanel-options-row"> <h2 class="h4">Pages</h2> <ul class="form-checkbox-list form-checkbox-list-buttons clearfix"> <li><input type="radio" name="pages" id="pages-all" value="all" checked><label for="pages-all"><span class="icon-files"></span> All pages</label></li> <li><input type="radio" name="pages" id="pages-this" value="this" ><label for="pages-this"><span class="icon-file"></span> This page</label></li> </ul> </div> <div class="hiddenpanel-options-row"> <h2 class="h4">Format</h2> <ul class="form-checkbox-list form-checkbox-list-buttons clearfix"> <li> <input type="radio" name="format" id="format-pdf" value="pdf" checked="checked"> <label for="format-pdf"><span class="icon-file-pdf"></span> PDF</label> </li> </ul> </div> <button class="button">Download <span class="icon-download"></span></button> </fieldset> </form> </div> </div> </header> <div class="row"> <aside class="toc toc-multipage column column-3" aria-label="Search for documents filter"> <nav aria-label="Filtered Documents"> <form method="GET" class="toc-search"> <p> <label for="toc-search" class="invisible">Search article</label> <input type="search" id="toc-search" name="q" placeholder="Search this document"> <span class="button-icon icon-search" id="toc-search-button-icon"></span> <span class="button-icon icon-search icon-spinner animate-spin" id="toc-search-progress-icon" style="display: none;"> </span> <input type="submit" id="toc-search-button" value="Search"/> <span class="invisible" role="status" id="toc-search-status"></span> </p> </form> <ul> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/" class=""> 1. General information </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/cha-nges-to-this-privacy-notice/" class=""> Changes to this privacy notice </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/controller-s-contact-details/" class=""> Controller’s contact details </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/data-protection-officers-contact-details/" class=""> Data Protection Officer's contact details </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/how-do-we-get-information/" class=""> How do we get information? </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/your-data-protection-rights/" class=""> Your data protection rights </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/request-a-service-adjustment/" class=""> Request a service adjustment </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/sharing-your-information/" class=""> Sharing your information </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/links-to-other-websites/" class=""> Links to other websites </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/your-right-to-complain/" class=""> Your right to complain </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/children-s-information/" class=""> Children’s information </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/managing-customer-contact/" class=""> Managing customer contact </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/how-you-can-contact-us/" class="current"> How you can contact us </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/visitors-to-our-website/" class=""> Visitors to our website </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/visitors-to-the-office/" class=""> Visitors to the office </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/2-reason-for-contacting-us/" class=""> 2. Reason for contacting us </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/responding-to-our-project-explain-consultation/" class=""> Responding to our project ExplAIn consultation </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/report-a-nuisance-call-or-message/" class=""> Report a nuisance call or message </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/making-a-complaint/" class=""> Making a complaint </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/report-bad-practices-as-a-whistleblower/" class=""> Report bad practices as a whistleblower </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/make-an-enquiry/" class=""> Make an enquiry </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/investigations-for-law-enforcement-purposes/" class=""> Investigations for law enforcement purposes </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/using-our-subject-access-request-service/" class=""> Using our subject access request service </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/apply-for-a-job-or-secondment/" class=""> Apply for a job or secondment </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/contact-the-press-office/" class=""> Contact the Press Office </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/attend-an-event-seminar-or-workshop/" class=""> Attend an event, seminar or workshop </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/responding-to-our-consultation-requests-and-surveys/" class=""> Responding to our consultation requests and surveys </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/register-for-a-webinar-or-live-broadcast-event/" class=""> Register for a webinar or live broadcast event </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/subscribing-to-our-e-newsletter/" class=""> Subscribing to our e-newsletter </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/request-our-publications/" class=""> Request our publications </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/make-an-information-request/" class=""> Make an information request </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/using-our-privacy-notice-generator-tool/" class=""> Using our privacy notice generator tool </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/3-communicate-with-us-as-a-business/" class=""> 3. Communicate with us as a business </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/pay-a-data-protection-fee/" class=""> Pay a data protection fee </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/apply-for-an-ico-grant/" class=""> Apply for an ICO grant </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/report-a-breach-service-providers/" class=""> Report a breach (service providers) </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/report-a-breach-all-controllers/" class=""> Report a breach (all controllers) </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/when-we-audit-an-organisation/" class=""> When we audit an organisation </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/submit-a-dpia-for-consultation/" class=""> Submit a DPIA for consultation </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/submit-a-bcr-application-for-approval/" class=""> Submit a BCR application for approval </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/signing-the-your-data-matters-pledge/" class=""> Signing the Your Data Matters pledge </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/joining-our-sme-feedback-group/" class=""> Joining our SME feedback group </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/nominations-for-data-protection-officer-of-the-year-award/" class=""> Nominations for Data Protection Officer of the Year award </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/providing-details-for-case-studies/" class=""> Providing details for case studies </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/we-re-carrying-out-an-advisory-check-up-on-your-organisation/" class=""> We’re carrying out an advisory check-up on your organisation </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/submit-a-question-to-our-innovation-advice-service-in-the-beta-phase/" class=""> Submit a question to our Innovation Advice Service in the BETA phase </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/register-as-a-trust-service-provider/" class=""> Register as a trust service provider </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/submit-a-code-of-conduct-or-certification-scheme-for-approval/" class=""> Submit a Code of Conduct or Certification Scheme for approval. </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/apply-for-accreditation-as-a-code-monitoring-body/" class=""> Apply for accreditation as a code monitoring body </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/upstream-feedback-group/" class=""> Upstream feedback group </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/volunteer-to-particate-in-ico-website-user-research/" class=""> Volunteer to particate in ICO website user research </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/data-protection-practitioners-conference-2024/" class=""> Data Protection Practitioners' Conference 2024 </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </aside> <div class="maincolumn column column-8 column-indent-1"> <div class="article-content"> <ul> <li><a href="#helpline">Calling our helpline</a></li> <li><a href="#submitting" data-anchor="#submitting">Submitting a form through our website</a></li> <li><a href="#social">Social media</a></li> <li><a href="#chat">Live chat</a></li> <li><a href="#chatbot" data-anchor="#chatbot">Chatbot</a></li> <li><a href="#email">Emailing us</a></li> <li><a href="#writing" data-anchor="#writing">Writing to us</a></li> <li><a href="#purpose">Purpose and lawful basis for processing</a></li> </ul> <h2>Calling our helpline<a id="helpline"></a></h2> <p>When you call our main helpline (0303 123 1113), we collect Calling Line Identification (CLI) information. This is the phone number you are calling from (if it’s not withheld). We hold a log of the phone number, date, time and duration of the call, but do not audio record the call itself. We hold this information for 100 days.</p> <p>We use this information to understand the demand for our services and to improve how we operate. We may also use the number to call you back if you have asked us to do so, if your call drops, or if there is a problem with the line. We may also use it to check how many calls we have received from it.</p> <p>We don’t audio record any calls, but we might make notes to help us answer your query. Other ICO staff may also listen in during your call for training or quality assurance purposes.</p> <p>We sometimes conduct surveys on our helpline to help us identify trends in the enquiries we receive and improve how we operate. If you are a controller we may ask if you have paid your data protection fee and enquire about your use of our website and guidance resources. If you require a follow up call we will also ask you to provide us with your contact details.</p> <p>We use an online tool hosted by Snap Surveys to record your survey responses. <a href="https://www.snapsurveys.com/survey-software/privacy-policy-uk/">You can read their privacy policy here</a>. Data collected by Snap Surveys for the ICO is stored on UK servers.</p> <p>We may also invite you to participate in a customer satisfaction survey. If you would like to be included, we will pass your name and email address onto a third party, the Institute of Customer Service (ICS), who run our customer satisfaction surveys.</p> <p>We use a translation service provided by Language Line Limited for customers when English is not their first language. We don’t retain call scripts and neither do Language Line. It is processed live for the purposes of translating the call.</p> <p>We welcome calls in Welsh on 0330 414 6421. Rydym yn croesawu galwadau yn Gymraeg ar 0330 414 6421.</p> <p>If you need to contact us via the phone and you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment, you can use the free BT service Relay UK.</p> <p>Install the free app, which you can access on your device's app store, on your smartphone, tablet, or computer. Then, call our advice line on 0303 123 1113, from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. The Relay UK service itself is free. You'll only pay your normal charges for the calls.</p> <p>If you want to use your textphone to contact us, dial 18001 followed by 0303 123 1113. We do not keep any call information or messages left on the phone.</p> <p>Alternatively, you can also contact us using our live chat.</p> <p>We also hold statistical information about the calls we receive for a number of years, but this does not contain any personal data.</p> <h2><a id="submitting"></a>Submitting a form through our website</h2> <p>Our website allows you to submit forms to us, for example, when making a complaint or paying the data protection fee. We use Twilio Sendgrid to support our email infrastructure and the operation of these services. Any personal information you share with us may be shared with Twilio and this can include the transfer of data to the USA. We have in place Standard Contractual Clauses to safeguard this transfer and data is retained by Twilio for no more than 61 days.</p> <h2>Social media<a id="social"></a></h2> <p>We use a third-party solution, Brandwatch, to manage our social-media interactions, including private or direct messages sent to us via social media.</p> <p>We see all this information and decide how we manage it. For example, if you send a message via social media that needs a response from us, we may process it in our case management system as an <a href="https://ico.org.uk/global/privacy-notice/make-an-enquiry/">enquiry </a>or a <a href="https://ico.org.uk/global/privacy-notice/making-a-complaint/">complaint</a> or a <a data-udi="umb://document/162dcc1697f548b991d44f800ca4209c" href="/global/privacy-notice/make-an-information-request/" title="Make an information request">request for information</a>. When contacting the ICO through a social media platform, we suggest you also familiarise yourself with the privacy information of that platform. The social media platforms we currently use are:</p> <ul> <li><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy" target="_blank" title="LinkedIn" class="link-external">LinkedIn<span class="invisible"></span></a></li> <li><a rel="noopener" href="https://twitter.com/en/privacy" target="_blank" title="X privacy policy" class="link-external">X<span class="invisible"></span></a></li> <li><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/" target="_blank" title="Facebook privacy policy" class="link-external">Facebook<span class="invisible"></span></a></li> <li><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.tiktok.com/legal/privacy-policy-row" target="_blank" title="TikTok privacy policy" class="link-external">TikTok<span class="invisible"></span></a></li> </ul> <h2>Live chat<a id="chat"></a></h2> <p>We use a third-party provider, Nasstar, to supply and support our live chat service.</p> <p>If you use our live chat service we’ll collect the contents of your live chat session and if you choose to provide it your name, email address and telephone number. Nasstar retains this data for us for 100 days.</p> <h2><a id="chatbot"></a>Chatbot</h2> <p>Our Chatbot service allows site visitors to ask, and get answers to, questions from a ‘bot’ (or automated service).</p> <p>If you use the chatbot, the chatbot will share the contents of your chat with Microsoft Azure cognitive services, Google natural language processing services, Bing search and Bing spellchecker services, which are used to allow the bot to interpret and answer questions. The third party services only process your data during your chat session. It isn’t necessary for you to share your personal data with us when using this service, but if you chose to do so then your information would be shared with those services.</p> <p>The ICO retains the contents of chats for 12 months, for training and analysis. We also hold statistical information about the Chatbot service, but this does not contain any personal data.</p> <p>The ICO uses a third party, ICS.AI, to provide technical support for the chatbot.</p> <h2>Emailing us<a id="email"></a></h2> <p>We use Transport Layer Security (TLS) to encrypt and protect email traffic in line with government guidance on email security. Most webmail such as Gmail and Hotmail use TLS by default.</p> <p>We use machine learning tools to review the content of emails sent to us. We use this information to train our systems, gain insight into demand for our services and to improve how we operate. You may receive an automatic reply, your original email request will remain unaltered and will be processed by ICO staff.</p> <p>We’ll also monitor any emails sent to us, including file attachments, for viruses or malicious software. You must ensure that any email you send is within the bounds of the law.</p> <h2><a id="writing"></a>Writing to us</h2> <p>We use Exela Technologies who provide a digital mailroom service for opening and scanning our post. If you write to us your mail will be opened and scanned by Exela staff who then provide us with a digitised copy for ICO staff to review and action.</p> <h2><a id="purpose"></a>Purpose and lawful basis for processing</h2> <p>The lawful basis we rely on to process personal data for the above purposes is article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR which allows us to process personal data when this is necessary to perform our public task as a regulator.</p> </div> <nav class="article-navigation" aria-label="article"> <a href="#top" class="button-circle" title="Back to top" id="button-top"><span class="icon-arrow-up"></span><span class="invisible">Back to top</span></a> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/managing-customer-contact/" class="button button-icon-left button-previous"><span class="icon-arrow-left"></span> Previous</a> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/visitors-to-our-website/" class="button button-next button-right">Next <span class="icon-arrow-right"></span></a> </nav> </div> </div> </article> </main> <footer> <div class="footer-sociallinks container row"> <div class="footer-sociallinks-links footer-sociallinks-links--left column column-2"> <ul class=""> <li> <a href="#" class="button-circle" id="toggle-hiddenpanel-share"> <span class="icon-share"></span> <span class="invisible">Share this page</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="javascript:window.print()" class="button-circle" data-item="Print"> <span class="icon-print"></span> <span class="invisible">Print this page</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="/global/rss-feeds/" class="button-circle" data-item="RSS"> <span class="icon-feed"></span> <span class="invisible">RSS feeds</span> </a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="footer-sociallinks-language column column-2 language-dropdown-container"> <div class="language-dropdown-tab-controls dropdown"> <a href="#" class="visible-xs mobile-tabcontrol" title="Language Selector" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false" data-target="[langSelector__nav]"> <ul class="globe-list"> <li class="button-circle globe" title="Language"> <span class="icon-globe"></span></li> </ul> <span class="dropdown-label">English</span> <span class="chevron down"></span> </a> <ul class="nav nav-tabs" data-name="langSelector__nav"> <li class="tab active"> <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ico.org.uk" name="English" class="content language-item">English</a> </li> <li class="tab"> <a rel="nofollow" href="https://cy.ico.org.uk" name="Welsh" class="content language-item">Cymraeg</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="footer-sociallinks-links footer-sociallinks-links--right column column-4"> <ul class="clearfix"> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/iconews" target="_blank" class="button-circle" data-item="Follow us on Twitter"> <span class="icon-twitter"></span> <span class="invisible">Follow us on Twitter</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="http://facebook.com/ICOnews" target="_blank" class="button-circle" data-item="Like us on Facebook"> <span class="icon-facebook"></span> <span class="invisible">Like us on Facebook</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="http://linkedin.com/company/information-commissioner's-office" target="_blank" class="button-circle" data-item="Connect with us on Linkedin"> <span class="icon-linkedin"></span> <span class="invisible">Connect with us on Linkedin</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/icocomms" target="_blank" class="button-circle" data-item="Watch us on YouTube"> <span class="icon-youtube"></span> <span class="invisible">Watch us on YouTube</span> </a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="hiddenpanel clearfix" id="hiddenpanel-share"> <h2 class="h4">Share this page</h2> <ul class="clearfix"> <li> <a href="http://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https:%2f%2fico.org.uk%2f" target="_blank" class="button-circle"> <span class="icon-reddit"></span> <span class="invisible">Share via Reddit</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&title=Information+Commissioner's+Office+(ICO)&url=https:%2f%2fico.org.uk%2f&source=Ico.org.uk" target="_blank" class="button-circle"> <span class="icon-linkedin"></span> <span class="invisible">Share via LinkedIn</span> </a> </li> <li> <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c0ffa2afa4b9fda8b4b4b0b3fae5f2a6e5f2a6a9a3afeeafb2a7eeb5abe5f2a6" target="_blank" class="button-circle"> <span class="icon-envelope"></span> <span class="invisible">Share via email</span> </a> </li> </ul> </div> <a href="/about-the-ico/media-centre/e-newsletter/" class="footer-sociallinks-newsletter"> <span class="h4">Subscribe to our e-newsletter</span> <span class="button-circle"> <span class="icon-envelope"></span> </span> </a> <div class="footer-sociallinks-language--mobile language-dropdown-container"> <div class="language-dropdown-tab-controls dropdown"> <a href="#" class="visible-xs mobile-tabcontrol" title="Language Selector" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false" data-target="[langSelector__nav--mobile]"> <ul class="globe-list"> <li class="button-circle globe" title="Language"><span class="icon-globe"></span></li> </ul> <span class="dropdown-label">English</span> <span class="chevron down"></span> </a> <ul class="nav nav-tabs" data-name="langSelector__nav--mobile"> <li class="tab active"> <a rel="nofollow" href="https://ico.org.uk" name="English" class="content language-item">English</a> </li> <li class="tab"> <a rel="nofollow" href="https://cy.ico.org.uk" name="Welsh" class="content language-item">Cymraeg</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="container-sitemap"> <div class="container row"> <div class="column column-2"> <a href="/" class="footer-sitemap-logo"><span class="invisible">ICO: Information Commissioner's Office</span></a> </div> <div class="column column-2"> <h2 class="h4"><a href="/for-the-public/">Your data matters</a></h2> <ul class="text-small"> <li><a href="/for-the-public/official-information/">Official information</a></li> <li><a href="/for-the-public/nuisance-calls/">Nuisance calls</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="column column-2"> <h2 class="h4"><a href="/for-organisations/">For organisations</a></h2> <ul class="text-small"> <li><a href="/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/">UK GDPR guidance and resources</a></li> <li><a href="/for-organisations/foi/">Freedom of information</a></li> <li><a href="/for-organisations/eir-and-access-to-information/">EIR and access to information</a></li> <li><a href="/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/">Direct marketing</a></li> <li><a href="/for-organisations/advice-and-services/">Advice and services</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="column column-2"> <h2 class="h4"><a href="/action-weve-taken/">Action we've taken</a></h2> <ul class="text-small"> <li><a href="/action-weve-taken/enforcement/">Enforcement action</a></li> <li><a href="https://icosearch.ico.org.uk/s/search.html?collection=ico-meta&profile=decisions&query">Decision notices</a></li> <li><a href="/action-weve-taken/audits-and-overview-reports/">Audits</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="column column-2"> <h2 class="h4"><a href="/about-the-ico/">About the ICO</a></h2> <ul class="text-small"> <li><a href="/about-the-ico/who-we-are/">Who we are</a></li> <li><a href="/about-the-ico/what-we-do/">What we do</a></li> <li><a href="/about-the-ico/media-centre/">Media centre</a></li> <li><a href="/about-the-ico/jobs/">Careers</a></li> <li><a href="/about-the-ico/modern-slavery-statement/">Modern Slavery Statement</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div class="container-strapline"> <div class="container row"> <div class="column column-12 h4"> <p>The ICO exists to empower you through information.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="container-footerlinks"> <div class="container row"> <div class="column column-12"> <nav aria-label="footer" class="clearfix"> <a href="/global/contact-us/">Contact us</a> <a href="/global/privacy-notice/">Privacy notice</a> <a href="/global/cookies/">Cookies</a> <a href="/global/accessibility/">Accessibility</a> <a href="https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/who-we-are/wales-office">Cymraeg</a> <a href="/global/request-publications/">Publications</a> <a href="/global/disclaimer/">Disclaimer</a> <a href="/global/copyright-and-re-use-of-materials/">© Copyright</a> </nav> <div class="footerlinks-phone h2"><span class="icon-phone"></span><span class="invisible">Phone:</span> 0303 123 1113</div> <div class="footer-ogl"><span class="invisible">Open Government Licence</span></div> <div class="text-small footer-ogl-info"> All text content is available under the <a href="http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/">Open Government Licence v3.0</a>, except where otherwise stated. </div> </div> </div> </div> </footer> <script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script><script type="application/json" id="CookieControlConfig"> {"apiKey":"dbf86e044f3ab8c4df852af5c7c6ceb2dd7678dd","product":"PRO","theme":"dark","position":"left","rejectButton":true,"closeStyle":"button","consentCookieExpiry":90,"initialState":"open","statement":{"description":"For more detailed information, see our","name":"Cookies page.","url":"/global/cookies/","updated":"23/05/2024"},"text":{"notifyTitle":"Cookies on the ICO website","notifyDescription":"We use some essential cookies to make this site work. We'd like to set analytics cookies to understand how you use this site. We may use services from Vimeo and YouTube that may also use cookies.","accept":"Accept non-essential cookies","reject":"Reject non-essential cookies","settings":"Settings","necessaryTitle":"Essential cookies","necessaryDescription":"These cookies are necessary for core functionality, such as security and network management. They always need to be on.","title":"Cookies on the ICO website","intro":"We use some essential cookies to make this site work. We'd like to set analytics cookies to understand how you use this site. We may use services from Vimeo and YouTube that may also use cookies.","acceptRecommended":"Accept non-essential cookies","rejectSettings":"Reject non-essential cookies","closeLabel":"Save and close"},"branding":{"fontFamily":"Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif","fontColor":"#FFF","fontSizeTitle":"25px","fontSizeIntro":"15px","fontSizeHeaders":"21px","fontSize":"15px","acceptBackground":"#FFF","backgroundColor":"#0276A5","toggleText":"#FFF","toggleColor":"#0276A5","toggleBackground":"#2F2F5F","removeAbout":true},"necessaryCookies":["rwe*","language","UMB_*","UMB-*","XSRF-*","__RequestVerificationToken"],"optionalCookies":[{"name":"analytics","label":"Analytics cookies","description":"We use Silktide to measure how you use the ICO website. \n\nThese cookies collect information about how you got to the site, the pages you visit and how long you spend on each page, and what you click on.","cookies":[],"lawfulBasis":"Consent","recommendedState":true,"onAccept":"ICO.Silktide.enable(\"12d0c703744ea255b679f823daf1645f\");","onRevoke":"ICO.Silktide.disable();"},{"name":"video","label":"Video player cookies","description":"We use services from Vimeo and YouTube to show you embedded videos on the ICO website.\n\nVimeo and Google may use cookies to receive information about the videos you watch for analytics and advertising purposes.","cookies":[],"lawfulBasis":"Consent","recommendedState":true,"onAccept":"activateEmbeddedVideos();","onRevoke":"deactivateEmbeddedVideos();"}]} </script> <script src="/cassette.axd/script/9d04de21d8a78bf0c13d1fc48c6564b1496c7b6e/scripts" type="text/javascript"></script>  </body> </html>

CINXE.COM

How you can contact us | ICO