The Scottish Business Pledge is currently undergoing a review and not accepting new members at this time

Scottish Business Pledge – Privacy Notice

This privacy notice tells you what to expect us to do with personal information held in relation to a Scottish Business Pledge. Below is information about the way in which we use and share your data, the legal basis on which we process your data and information about the increased rights you have in relation to the data we hold on you.

Data Controller

The controller of your data is the Scottish Government. Their address is:

Scottish Government
Economic Development Directorate
3rd Floor
5 Atlantic Quay
150 Broomielaw
Glasgow
G2 8LU

If you want to request information, you can write to us at the above address or email us at ScottishBusinessPledge@gov.scot.

Collection and Use of Information

We collect two kinds of information from visitors to this site: Personal and business details in connection with your sign up to to the pledge, and receive newsletters and site usage information from session cookies and log files.

Why do we need it?

We need to know in order to:

Be able to send you further information in the form of news and updates about the Scottish Business Pledge.
Monitor, measure, improve and protect the content on our website and services to provide enhanced and personal user experience for you;

Legal bases for processing

In order to process and use your personal information lawfully, we rely on the following legal bases:

  • Consent – This applies where you have provided your personal data in the form of name and business contact details so that we can send you relevant information about the Scottish Business Pledge.
  • Consent – This applies if you complete form and submit it with your name, business contact details and your message.
  • Consent – This applies when we store analytical cookies on your device to measure your interaction with the site so we can make improvements on your device.
  • Registration – A user does not have to register to use the Scottish Business Pledge website, but a user must register if they wish to receive further information by email about the Scottish Business Pledge.

This information is stored securely on our database until such time as a user chooses to unsubscribe from receiving further information. Users who no longer wish to receive our newsletters and other updates may opt-out of receiving these communications by clicking on the unsubscribe option on any email communication received or by contacting us by email at any time at ScottishBusinessPledge@gov.scot.

What We Do With Your Personal Data

Your data will be used is in the production of statistical analysis or for the provision of business support. It will be managed in a secure manner and only Scottish Government employees or partner agencies working with Scottish Government with a need to see the information have access to it.

Email marketing

If you choose to give consent to receiving information about the Scottish Business Pledge, the email address you provide will be forwarded to our third-party email marketing service provider, Campaign Monitor. While your email address remains within the third-party marketing service database, you will receive periodic newsletter-style emails from us. Your email address will remain within the third-party email marketing service for as long as we continue to use this service for email marketing or until you specifically request removal from the list. You can do this by unsubscribing using the unsubscribe links contained in any emails that we send to you or by requesting removal via email using ScottishBusinessPledge@gov.scot. If you opt to unsubscribe from emails your email address will remain in a suppression file within their database so that we know not to send you further emails.

Cookies and website traffic analysis

When users enter the scottishbusinesspledge.scot website their computers will automatically be issued with ‘cookies’. Cookies are text files which identify users’ computers to the Scottish Government’s server. The website then creates “session” cookies to store some of the preferences of users moving around the website, e.g. retaining a text-only preference. Cookies in themselves do not identify individual users but identify only the computer used and they are deleted on departure from the website.

The scottishbusinesspledge.scot website uses cookies to measure use of the website including number of visitors, how frequently pages are viewed, and the city and country of origin of users. This helps to determine what is popular and can influence future content and development.

The information collected will include pages visited, browser type and operating system. The data will not be used to identify any user personally. Users have the opportunity to choose to accept all cookies, to notify them when a cookie is issued, or not to receive cookies at any time. The last of these means that certain personalised services cannot then be provided to that user.

What Are Your Rights?

  • Access to Personal Data – You can request to see the personal data held about you.
  • Rectification of Personal Data – If you believe the personal data that Scottish Government hold in relation to the Scottish Business Pledge is incorrect or incomplete, then you are entitled to request to have that data corrected.
  • Erasure of Personal Data or the Restriction of its Processing – You have the right to ask for your personal data to be erased or to restrict processing of that data.

Subject Access Request

You have the right to see a copy of the personal information held, subject to exemptions. This right is commonly referred to as a Subject Access Request (SAR). Subject Access Requests should not be confused with freedom of information requests.

Who can make a Subject Access Request?

An individual can request to see a copy of the personal information held about them. A request for personal data from people acting on behalf of someone else must be accompanied by their consent or authority to act on their behalf.

Making a Subject Access Request

Subject access requests must be made in writing and can be submitted to the Data Controller at the above address or by email to ScottishBusinessPledge@gov.scot.

In situations where a person making a request has some form of disability and finds it impossible or unreasonably difficult to make a subject access request in writing, Scottish Government will consider a verbal request which will be subject to a verification process.

How long will it take?

Your request will be processed in line with the timescales set out in the Act and following receipt of your completed request, proof of identity and such information as we may reasonably require:

  • To satisfy ourselves as to your identity and;
  • To locate the information sought.

Complaint to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO)

If you wish to make a complaint about how the Scottish Government has or is processing your personal data you can do so by contacting:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF