Privacy Policy

Statement of Intent

The purpose of this privacy statement is to provide ChamberOnline users with information about the data we will gather as they use the site.

In accordance with this policy, our services are designed to give you the information that you want to receive. ChamberOnline will act in accordance with current legislation and aims to meet current Internet best practice.

Information on Visitors

During the course of any visit to ChamberOnline our server downloads the pages which you see along with something called a Cookie to your computer (see paragraph 3 below for more on this). Most, if not all, web sites do this, and that is because Cookies allow the web site publisher to do useful things like find out that the computer (and probably its user) has visited the site before. This is done on a repeat visit by checking to see, and finding, the Cookie left there on the last visit.

Any information that is supplied by Cookies can help us to provide you with a more tailored service and assists us to analyse the profile of our visitors. For example: if on a previous visit you went to, say, the Export Zone, then the server might find this out from your Cookie and prioritise International Trade information on a second visit to the site.

What is a Cookie?

When you enter the site your computer will automatically be issued with a Cookie. Cookies are small text files which identify your computer to our server. Cookies in themselves do not identify the individual person, just the computer used. Many sites do this whenever a user visits their site, in order to track traffic flows.

Cookies themselves only record which areas of the site have been visited by the computer in question, and for how long. Users have the opportunity to set their computer to accept all Cookies, to notify when a Cookie is set, or not to receive cookies at any time, although this of course means that personalised services cannot then be provided to that user and your experience of ChamberOnline may not be as good.

Even assuming you have not set your computer to reject cookies, you can browse our site without giving us any personal data.

Submitting Personal Information

When you supply any personal information to ChamberOnline (for example as you register to receive the BCC Electronic Newsletter) we then have legal obligations towards you in the way we deal with that data. We have to collect the information fairly and, if you wish, let you know what information ChamberOnline hold about you, what that information is used for, and whether we will pass the information on to anyone else.

Use of Personal Information

As ChamberOnline services expand, there will be more opportunities to enhance the services provided to you and improve the way the site can help you do business better. From time to time we may provide you with details of other British Chambers of Commerce services and products which may be of interest to you and offer you the opportunity to subscribe to them. ChamberOnline will keep a record of information provided by you. Please note that any information you provide to ChamberOnline will only be used within the British Chambers of Commerce, and will never be supplied to third parties without first obtaining your consent. The only time we may do so is if we are obliged by law to disclose information.

What we Collect

When you make a booking for a training course, event or other related service, we collect your name, company name, email address, contact and billing information, transaction and credit card information where applicable.

What if you think we have incorrect information or you would like a copy of the information we hold about you?

Under the Data Protection Act 1998 you may request details of personal information which we hold about you. If you would like a copy of the information held on you please write to: chamberonline@britishchambers.org.uk

If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please e-mail us as soon as possible to the above address. Any incorrect information will be corrected promptly.

Security

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online. We use encryption when collecting or transferring sensitive data such as credit card information.

How to find and control your Cookies

If you're using Internet Explorer 5.0: Choose Tools, then

1. Choose Tools, then
2. Internet Options
3. Click the Advanced tab
4. Scroll down to the yellow exclamation icon under Security and choose one of the three options ("accept cookies", "disable cookies" or "prompt before accepting cookies") to regulate your use of cookies.

If you're using Internet Explorer 4.0:

1. Choose View, then
2. Internet Options
3. Click the Advanced tab
4. Scroll down to the yellow exclamation icon under Security and choose one of the three options to regulate your use of cookies.

In Internet Explorer 3.0:

1. Choose View, then
2. Internet Options
3. Click the Advanced tab
4. Click on the button that says Warn before Accepting Cookies.

If you're using Netscape Communicator 4.0:

1. On your Task Bar, click Edit
2. Preferences, then
3. Click on Advanced
4. Set your options in the box labeled "Cookies".

How do you know which sites you've visited use Cookies?

If you're using Internet Explorer 5.0:

1. Choose Tools, then
2. Internet Options
3. Click the General tab, click
4. Settings, then
5. View Files

If you're using Internet Explorer 4.0

1. On your task bar, click view
2. Internet Options
3. Under the tab General (the default tab) click
4. Settings, then
5. View Files

Internet Explorer 3.0

1. On your task bar, click view
2. Options, then
3. Advanced, then
4. View Files

Netscape Communicator 4.0:

Netscape bundles all cookies into one file on your hard drive. You'll need to find the file, which it calls Cookie.txt on Windows machines

How to see your Cookie Code

Just click on a Cookie to open it. You will see a short string of text and numbers. The numbers are your identification code that the server has given to your computer.