Privacy Policy

Last updated: 9 May 2026

Template note: This is a generic UK privacy policy draft for a tactical-voting information website. Replace all bracketed placeholders before publishing and obtain legal review before launch, especially if the site collects political preference data, runs paid advertising, shares data with campaign partners, or undertakes regulated non-party campaigning.

1. Who we are

This website is operated by [Legal entity name], trading as PollSignal.

Controller: [Legal entity name]
Company / organisation number: [Company number, if applicable]
Registered address: [Postal address]
Email: info@pollsignal.uk ICO registration number: [ICO registration number, if applicable]

For the purposes of UK data protection law, [Legal entity name] is the controller of the personal data described in this policy.

PollSignal is a political information service that helps users find constituency-level tactical-voting information for UK Westminster elections. We are not an official polling-station service, an electoral registration service, or a government body.

2. Laws this policy is designed to address

This policy is intended to help explain our approach under:

• the UK General Data Protection Regulation, known as the UK GDPR;
• the Data Protection Act 2018;
• the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003, known as PECR; and
• applicable UK electoral transparency rules, including digital imprint requirements where relevant.

3. Summary

We aim to collect the minimum personal data needed to run the service.

In practice:

• you can browse most of the website without giving us your name or email address;
• if you enter a postcode, we use it to identify your Westminster constituency;
• if you sign up for alerts, we collect your email address and constituency or postcode so we can send relevant updates;
• if you submit a correction report, we collect the information you provide so we can review and respond to it;
• we do not sell personal data;
• we do not share subscriber lists with political parties, candidates, campaigns, advertisers, or data brokers unless we clearly tell you and have a lawful basis to do so;
• you can unsubscribe from emails at any time.

4. Personal data we collect

4.1 Website visitors

When you visit the website, we may collect:

• IP address;
• browser type and version;
• device type;
• approximate location derived from IP address;
• pages visited;
• date and time of visit;
• referring website or campaign link;
• technical logs used for security, debugging and performance.

4.2 Postcode lookup users

If you enter a postcode, we may process:

• the postcode you enter;
• the Westminster constituency identified from that postcode;
• region or nation;
• lookup timestamp;
• technical request data needed to provide the lookup and prevent abuse.

We should not need to store your full postcode for ordinary lookup use. Where possible, we store only the derived constituency and aggregate statistics.

4.3 Email alert subscribers

If you sign up for email updates, we may collect:

• email address;
• postcode or constituency;
• derived region or nation;
• optional first name, if collected;
• consent wording shown at the time of signup;
• signup date, time, source page and technical consent record;
• email delivery, open, click, unsubscribe and suppression records;
• preferences, such as whether you want constituency updates, national updates, or both.

If optional fields ask for political preference, party preference, voting intention or similar information, that information may reveal political opinions and is treated as special category data. We will only collect this type of information where it is necessary, clearly explained, and supported by an appropriate lawful basis and Article 9 condition, such as explicit consent.

4.4 Correction reports and contact forms

If you submit a correction report or contact us, we may collect:

• constituency or postcode mentioned in the report;
• issue type;
• description of the issue;
• links, sources or evidence you provide;
• optional email address;
• date and time submitted;
• internal review notes and status.

Please do not include more personal data than necessary in correction reports.

4.5 Admin, editor and contributor users

If you are given access to the admin system or contribute to the project, we may collect:

• name;
• email address;
• role or permissions;
• login and access records;
• audit logs showing edits, approvals, imports, reviews and publishing actions.

5. How we use personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we balance our interests against your rights and freedoms. You can object to processing based on legitimate interests by contacting us.

6. Political opinions and special category data

The UK GDPR treats personal data revealing political opinions as special category data.

We do not intend to infer your political opinions from ordinary website browsing or postcode lookups. However, because this is a political information website, some information may indicate political interests, especially if you sign up for updates or voluntarily provide political preference information.

We apply extra caution to this data. In particular:

• we minimise what we collect;
• we do not require political preference information for ordinary email alerts;
• we avoid unnecessary profiling;
• we do not sell or trade subscriber data;
• where we collect explicit political preference data, we ask for clear consent and explain the purpose;
• you can withdraw consent at any time.

7. Email updates and direct marketing

If you sign up for email updates, we will use your email address to send the types of updates you selected or reasonably expect from the signup wording, such as:

• recommendation changes for your constituency;
• candidate or data updates for your constituency;
• national tactical-voting updates;
• election alerts;
• analysis from PollSignal.

Every marketing email will include an unsubscribe link or other clear opt-out method.

We will not send you campaign emails by SMS, WhatsApp, direct message, automated call or similar channels unless we have clearly collected the necessary consent for that specific channel.

8. Cookies, analytics and similar technologies

We may use cookies or similar technologies for:

• essential site functions;
• security and abuse prevention;
• remembering cookie choices;
• analytics and performance measurement;
• email signup or form-protection tools;
• embedded content, if used.

Strictly necessary cookies may be used without consent where they are required to provide the service requested by the user.

For non-essential cookies or similar technologies, including many analytics, advertising or tracking technologies, we will provide clear information and seek consent where required.

A separate cookie notice or cookie settings page should list the cookies and similar technologies actually used on the website.

9. Third-party services and processors

We may use trusted service providers to operate the website. These may include:

• hosting and edge infrastructure providers, such as [Cloudflare or equivalent];
• database, storage and security services;
• postcode or constituency lookup providers;
• email marketing platforms, such as [Mailchimp / MailerLite / Brevo / ConvertKit / other];
• analytics providers, such as [Plausible / Fathom / GA4 / other];
• anti-spam or form-protection tools, such as [Cloudflare Turnstile or equivalent];
• professional advisers, such as lawyers, accountants or compliance advisers.

These providers may process personal data on our behalf. We require processors to process personal data only under our instructions and with appropriate safeguards.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, regulation, court order, law enforcement request, or electoral/regulatory investigation.

10. Postcode lookup providers

To identify your constituency, we may send the postcode you enter to a postcode lookup provider or use a locally stored postcode dataset.

If we use an external provider, that provider may receive:

• the postcode submitted;
• technical request information needed to respond to the lookup.

We use the lookup result to identify your constituency. We do not use the postcode lookup process to determine your voting eligibility, electoral registration status, polling station, or legal right to vote.

11. Sharing with political parties, candidates or campaigns

We do not share personal data from email subscribers, correction reports or lookup users with political parties, candidates, campaigns, advertisers, or data brokers unless:

• we clearly explain the sharing at the point of collection; and
• we have a lawful basis to do so; and
• where required, we have your specific consent.

Aggregated, anonymous statistics may be published or shared, such as the number of lookups by constituency or the number of recommendations changed. We will not intentionally publish information that identifies individual users.

12. International transfers

Some service providers may process personal data outside the UK.

Where personal data is transferred internationally, we will use appropriate safeguards where required, such as:

• UK adequacy regulations;
• the UK International Data Transfer Agreement;
• the UK Addendum to EU Standard Contractual Clauses; or
• another legally recognised transfer mechanism.

13. How long we keep data

We keep personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy.

Indicative retention periods are below. These should be confirmed before launch.

14. Security

We use technical and organisational measures to protect personal data, such as:

• HTTPS encryption in transit;
• access controls;
• role-based admin permissions;
• audit logs for sensitive admin actions;
• security monitoring;
• data minimisation;
• processor due diligence;
• backups and recovery controls where appropriate.

No website or online service can guarantee absolute security. If we identify a personal data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will take appropriate action, including notifying the ICO and affected individuals where required.

15. Your rights

Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, you have rights under UK data protection law. These may include:

• the right to be informed;
• the right of access;
• the right to rectification;
• the right to erasure;
• the right to restrict processing;
• the right to data portability;
• the right to object;
• rights relating to automated decision-making and profiling;
• the right to withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.

To exercise your rights, contact us at info@pollsignal.uk.

We may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to respond within one month, unless the request is complex or numerous, in which case the law may allow more time.

16. Automated decision-making and profiling

We do not use your personal data to make solely automated decisions that produce legal effects or similarly significant effects for you.

We may use constituency or region tags to send more relevant email updates. For example, if you sign up for alerts for Chipping Barnet, we may send you updates about Chipping Barnet or nearby/national election issues. You can unsubscribe or update preferences at any time.

The tactical-voting recommendations on the website are about constituencies and candidates, not individual users. They are not used to determine any individual’s legal rights, voting eligibility, access to services or entitlements.

17. Children

This website is intended for adults and politically interested users in the UK.

We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16. If you believe a child has provided personal data to us, contact us and we will take appropriate steps.

18. Complaints

You can contact us first at:

info@pollsignal.uk

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK supervisory authority for data protection.

ICO website: https://ico.org.uk/
ICO helpline: 0303 123 1113

19. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will be posted on this page with a new “last updated” date.

If we make material changes to how we use personal data, we will take appropriate steps to notify affected users or seek fresh consent where required.

20. Digital imprint placeholder

This privacy policy is separate from the site’s political imprint. The website should also include a clear digital imprint where required or appropriate.

Promoted by: [Promoter name]
On behalf of: [Organisation / campaign name, if applicable]
Address: [Full postal address]