Who is responsible for your information
Trace Technical Compliance Ltd is the data controller for the personal information described in this notice.
Registered office: 66 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NA.
Company number: 17325886, registered in England and Wales.
ICO registration: CSN1829822.
Email: hello@tracetechnical.co.uk.
This notice covers this website, enquiries and prospective or active client relationships. Test houses, certification bodies, regulators and other independent organisations have their own privacy responsibilities.
What personal information Trace collects
Depending on how you deal with Trace, this may include:
- your name, job title, organisation and business contact details;
- the information you include in an enquiry, email, call or meeting;
- the time, timezone and contact details you provide when arranging a call through Cal.com on the booking page;
- the email address and the consent wording you agree to if you sign up for Field Notes;
- records of proposals, instructions, decisions and correspondence;
- billing, payment and company-administration information; and
- limited technical data needed to deliver and protect the website, including a check that a form was submitted by a person rather than a bot, and standard hosting security logs.
Two forms on this site send the details you enter directly to Trace: the form on the booking page and the Field Notes sign-up in the footer of every page. An enquiry may be recorded in Trace’s customer relationship system and sent to Glen as a notification email, so it can be answered. The separate booking calendar on the booking page is provided by Cal.com and sends the details you enter there to Cal.com to arrange the call.
Trace normally receives information directly from you. Trace may also receive business contact information from your organisation, a referral, an existing client relationship or a public professional source.
Please do not send special-category personal information, confidential personal records or information about children through the website form unless it is necessary and has been agreed in advance.
Why Trace uses it, and the lawful basis
| Purpose | Typical information | Lawful basis |
|---|---|---|
| Respond to an enquiry, assess fit and prepare a proposal. | Contact details and enquiry content. | Steps at your request before a contract, or legitimate interests where you act for an organisation. |
| Arrange and manage a requested call. | Name, email, timezone, chosen time and booking details. | Steps at your request before a contract, or legitimate interests in arranging business discussions. |
| Send Field Notes to those who choose to receive them. | Email address and the consent wording shown at sign-up. | Consent, given by opting in, and withdrawable at any time. |
| Deliver agreed services and communicate about the work. | Client contacts, instructions, product and project records. | Contract, or legitimate interests in delivering services to an organisation. |
| Run the business, invoice, keep records and meet legal duties. | Contact, contractual, billing and transaction records. | Contract, legal obligation and legitimate interests in responsible business administration. |
| Protect the website, systems, rights and legal position. | Security logs, anti-spam checks, communications and relevant records. | Legitimate interests in security, fraud prevention and establishing or defending legal claims. |
Trace does not add general enquiries to a marketing list. Field Notes is opt-in only, through its own sign-up and its own recorded consent. Trace does not use personal information for solely automated decisions or profiling that produce legal or similarly significant effects.
Who Trace may share information with
Trace only shares information where it is needed and proportionate. Recipients may include:
- email, cloud, hosting and IT service providers acting for Trace, including Cloudflare, which hosts this website and runs its anti-spam check;
- Cal.com, when you use the embedded calendar on the booking page to arrange a call;
- professional advisers such as accountants, insurers and legal advisers;
- test houses, certification bodies and other technical providers where this forms part of an agreed client instruction; and
- regulators, courts, law-enforcement bodies or public authorities where disclosure is required or permitted by law.
Trace does not sell personal information.
International transfers
Some technology suppliers may process information outside the UK. Where that happens, Trace uses suppliers and safeguards recognised by UK data-protection law, such as adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections. You can ask for more information about the safeguards relevant to your data.
How long Trace keeps information
Trace keeps personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purpose it was collected for. The period depends on whether an enquiry becomes an engagement, the duration of the client relationship, legal and tax record-keeping duties, professional obligations and the time in which a claim could be made.
Enquiries that do not proceed are reviewed and deleted when there is no longer a reasonable need for follow-up or a record of the discussion. Client, contractual and financial records may need to be retained for longer to meet legal, accounting, insurance or claims requirements. Field Notes subscribers stay on the list until they unsubscribe, which every email allows.
Your data-protection rights
Depending on the circumstances and lawful basis, you may have rights to:
- ask for access to your personal information;
- correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
- ask for deletion or restriction;
- receive certain information in a portable format;
- withdraw consent where consent is the basis used; and
- object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Your right to object: you can object at any time to use of your personal information based on legitimate interests. Trace will stop unless there are compelling legitimate grounds to continue, or the information is needed for legal claims.
These rights are not absolute, and exemptions may apply. Trace may need to confirm your identity before acting on a request.
Contact, concerns and complaints
For a privacy question or request, email hello@tracetechnical.co.uk with the subject line “Privacy request”, or use the form on the booking page.
If you are unhappy with how Trace uses your information, contact Trace first so it can investigate. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office through the ICO complaints service.
Trace may update this notice when the website, services or legal requirements change. The latest version stays on this page.