BCU website privacy notice

University websites

Birmingham City University (hereafter referred to as ‘the University’) is committed to safeguarding and preserving your privacy when visiting our family of sites or communicating electronically with us. This University Privacy Notice applies to all University websites and provides an explanation as to what happens to any personal data that you provide to us, or that we collect from you.

BCU is a ‘data controller’. This means that we are responsible for deciding how we hold and use personal information about you. We are required under data protection legislation to notify you of the information contained in this privacy notice.

1. How we collect your information

For each visitor to the University website, our web server automatically logs the visitor's activity. These log files include the details of the visitor's IP address, browser type, page last visited and other such information. Log files are used to analyse usage of the University website, and may be kept in an aggregated and anonymised form for historical records. We use the analysis to improve the content of our website. The University does not share this information with any other organisation for commercial purposes.

At some sites, the University collects personal information, such as your email address, name, and information volunteered by the user, such as survey information and site registrations.

2. How we use your personal data

Any information supplied by you will be used by the University for the purpose related to your enquiry, and to operate the University websites and deliver the services that you have requested. The information will not be made available to any parties outside the University unless you have consented to this or if we are required to do so by law.

3. Who will have access to the data?

The University does not share the information collected through the website with any third parties, except research agencies or service providers, to assist with or carry out research and provide statistical information by means of, for example, conducting telephone surveys or delivering email, on the University's behalf.

The University will disclose your personal information, without notice, only if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to protect and defend the rights or property of the University and its group of websites and to protect the personal safety of users of the University, its websites, or the public.

4. Use of cookies

A cookie is a small piece of information sent by an organisation to your computer and stored on your hard drive to allow that organisation to recognise the user when you next visit.

The University's websites may use cookies to help you personalise your online experience. One of the purposes of a cookie is to save you time and to tell the web server that you have returned to a specific page.

Cookies are uniquely assigned to you and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.

You may choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the features of the University websites you visit.

Further information about cookies may be found here.

5. Data protection

The University ensures that all personal data is held in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation. Should you have any queries regarding Data Protection Act issues, please contact the Information Management Team:

By email: informationmanagement@bcu.ac.uk

By post: Data Protection Officer
Information Management Team
Birmingham City University
Floor 1, Joseph Priestley Building
6 Cardigan Street
Birmingham B4 7RJ

6. Consent

By using the University websites, you consent to the data practices described in this Privacy Statement. The University will take all reasonable steps to make sure that your data is treated securely and in agreement with this Privacy Statement.

7. Changes to this Privacy Notice

The University reserves the right to amend this Privacy Notice. Any changes made to the Privacy Notice are posted on this page. The University encourages you to review this Privacy Notice periodically, to be informed of how the University manages the information collected when visiting our family of sites or communicating electronically with us.

8. Contact information

If you have any questions, comments or concerns about how we use or handle your personal data, please contact the Data Protection Officer using the contact details in section 5 above.

If you are not content with how we handle your information, we would ask you to contact our Data Protection Officer to help you in the first instance. However, you do also have the right to complain directly to the Information Commissioner at: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF. Information about the Information Commissioner is available on their website.