THE PEOPLE’S VOICES PRIVACY POLICY
Last updated: 7 September 2026
1. Our commitment to your privacy
The People’s Voices is committed to protecting the privacy and personal information of everyone who uses our community.
We believe people should be able to participate in open discussion without surrendering unnecessary personal information. We will therefore only collect and use personal information where it is reasonably required to operate, protect, administer and improve The People’s Voices, comply with our legal obligations, or protect our members and others.
We will handle personal information in accordance with applicable UK data protection law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.
2. Adults only
The People’s Voices is intended solely for people aged 18 or over.
You must be at least 18 years old to create or operate an account.
We may use reasonable and proportionate measures to establish or verify that a member meets our minimum age requirement. Where an age assurance or verification service is used, we will seek to minimise the personal information received or retained by us.
If we reasonably believe that an account is being operated by somebody under 18, we may restrict or suspend the account while the matter is investigated and may permanently close the account where appropriate.
3. Information we may collect
Depending upon how you use The People’s Voices, we may process information including:
- your name or chosen display name
- username
- email address
- account and registration information
- information necessary to establish that you are aged 18 or over
- profile information that you choose to provide
- posts, comments, photographs and other content you submit
- reports, complaints and communications you send to us
- information concerning moderation decisions or breaches of our Community Standards
- technical information such as IP addresses, device information, browser information and security logs
- information concerning login attempts and use of the service
- cookie and similar technology information where applicable
- other information that you voluntarily provide to us
We will not deliberately collect more personal information than we reasonably require.
4. Why we use your information
We may use personal information to:
- create and administer member accounts
- provide the functions of The People’s Voices
- authenticate users and protect accounts
- prevent fraud, abuse and unauthorised access
- investigate reports and suspected breaches of our Community Standards
- moderate content and administer sanctions
- investigate suspected criminal or unlawful activity
- protect our members and the public
- comply with legal and regulatory obligations
- respond appropriately to lawful requests from courts, regulators, law enforcement agencies and other competent authorities
- maintain records necessary for the operation and security of the service
- communicate with members concerning their accounts and the operation of the service
We will identify and document an appropriate lawful basis for each purpose for which personal information is processed.
5. Public information
The People’s Voices is a community platform. Information that you deliberately publish as a post, comment, profile entry or other public contribution may be visible to other members and, depending upon the area of the service concerned, may potentially be visible publicly.
Members should never publish information that they do not wish others to see.
You must not publish another person’s private or personal information without lawful justification.
6. Moderation and safety information
To maintain a safe community, we may process posts, comments, images, account information, reports and relevant technical information when investigating suspected breaches of our rules.
Where a complaint is made against a member, we may retain an appropriate record of the complaint, the evidence considered, the moderation decision and any action taken.
We may retain information concerning serious abuse, fraud, threats, unlawful activity or repeated breaches for longer where reasonably necessary to protect the community, establish a history of misuse, deal with legal claims or comply with the law.
7. Criminal and unlawful activity
The People’s Voices must not be used to facilitate, encourage, organise or commit criminal activity.
We will cooperate with lawful investigations and with competent UK authorities where required by law.
Where we become aware of material or activity that we are legally required to report, preserve or disclose, we will comply with those obligations.
Where there is an immediate threat to life or safety, or where circumstances otherwise justify urgent action, we may provide relevant information to the appropriate authorities where permitted or required by law.
We will not provide personal information to third parties merely because they request it. Any disclosure will require an appropriate lawful basis.
8. Sharing your information
We do not sell members’ personal information.
We may share personal information where reasonably necessary with organisations that provide services required to operate The People’s Voices, such as hosting, email, security, backup, age assurance or other technical services.
We may also disclose information where required or permitted by law, including to law enforcement agencies, courts, regulators or other competent authorities.
Where third parties process information on our behalf, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that the information is handled securely and lawfully.
9. How long we keep information
We will not retain personal information for longer than reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, subject to any legal, regulatory, security or legitimate record keeping requirements.
Different categories of information may therefore have different retention periods.
Information connected with serious abuse, security incidents, legal disputes or suspected criminal activity may need to be retained after an account has been closed where there is a lawful reason for doing so.
We will establish and maintain an appropriate retention schedule as the service develops.
10. Security
We will take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, loss or destruction.
No internet service can guarantee absolute security. Members are responsible for protecting their passwords and should notify us promptly if they believe their account has been compromised.
11. Cookies
The People’s Voices may use cookies and similar technologies necessary for functions including login, security, preferences and operation of the website.
Where cookies or similar technologies are not strictly necessary and UK law requires consent, they will not be used unless the appropriate consent has been obtained.
Further details will be provided in our Cookie Policy.
12. Your data protection rights
Depending upon the circumstances and the lawful basis on which information is processed, UK data protection law may give you rights concerning your personal information, including rights of access, correction, erasure, restriction, objection and data portability.
Where processing is based upon consent, you may also have the right to withdraw that consent.
These rights are not absolute and particular exemptions may apply.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your personal information has been handled unlawfully.
13. Account closure and deletion
Members may request closure of their accounts.
Closing an account does not necessarily require us to immediately erase every record associated with that account. We may retain information where necessary to comply with the law, protect other users, prevent fraud or abuse, resolve disputes, establish or defend legal claims, or maintain appropriate moderation and security records.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy where the service, technology or applicable law changes.
Where a change materially affects how members’ personal information is used, we will take reasonable steps to bring the change to members’ attention.
15. Contacting us
Questions concerning privacy or the use of personal information should be sent to the contact details published by The People’s Voices.
The identity and formal contact details of the organisation responsible for operating The People’s Voices will be stated here before the service is opened to the general public.