Privacy policy

Our Privacy Notice explains what types of personal information will be processed by UWE Bristol (the data controller) when you visit our website(s) or use our digital services (including the UWE Bristol app and social media), and how this information will be used.

What information do we collect?

Information you supply

As you use this website or other digital services, you may be asked to provide personal information by entering it on a web page and submitting it to the University by clicking a button or link (this includes discussion boards and feedback forms).

Information we gather

When you access our website or app, certain information you provide will automatically be recorded by the University through the use of cookies. Please refer to our cookies policy for further information regarding our use of cookies.

Information collected through cookies and session recordings is stored and used for aggregated and statistical reporting with the purpose of improving our services.

Information collected will include your IP address, browser type, and information relating to the page(s) you visited such as mouse events, key presses and text typed on web forms.

Information collected from third parties

In some instances we will receive similar information from third parties whose web services you have used (including UCAS, WhatUni, The Student Room).

How we use your information

We will only process your personal data in accordance with this Privacy Notice and applicable data protection legislation:

  • Where you have freely given your informed consent for your information to be processed for specified purposes.
  • Where it is necessary to enter into and perform a contract with you, including the operation and delivery of any services you have requested.
  • When it is necessary to carry out tasks in the public interest (for example the provision of teaching and research).
  • In pursuance of our legitimate interests where those interests do not override your individual rights and freedoms (for example maintaining the security of our digital services).

Web metrics

To maintain and improve the quality of our website and app we use the web metrics services listed below:

  • Google Analytics is a web analytics service provided by Google LLC. ("Google") which records how visitors use the website using cookies.
  • If you visit our website by following a Google Adwords link, Google will set a cookie to confirm that you have used their service. The UWE Bristol website will support confirmation that the Adword has been used.
  • Hotjar is an analysis tool that records the behaviour of website visitors. Please see the Hotjar privacy policy for more information about how this service collects information.

Digital marketing and remarketing

You may receive targeted marketing using information gathered through your online activity on our website, app or on third party websites based on a range of criteria including demographic information, location, interests and past browsing behaviour.

We use a remarketing service to advertise to previous visitors of this website on third party websites. Information gathered could include browsing behaviour, demographics or interests. This is shared with Google and in some instances social media channels such as Facebook, X and Snapchat. Remarketing activity could be in the form of an advertisement on a search results page, or on a third-party website that is part of the Google Display Network (or other network). See our cookie policy for details about managing your cookie preferences.

Social media

UWE Bristol maintains a presence on a number of social media. When entering your personal information on these channels you understand and acknowledge that your data will also be subject to the privacy policies of the third party providers as well as this Privacy Policy.

Children

We may need the consent of your parent or guardian if you are under 16 years of age and wish to access our services by entering your personal information into this website or any of our digital services. Parents or guardians should first email dataprotection@uwe.ac.uk for further guidance.

How long do we keep your data for?

We will not store your personal information for longer than is necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected. UWE Bristol will ensure that third parties with whom we share your personal information in accordance with this privacy policy will delete your personal information when they no longer require it to fulfil the service they provide.

Who we share your information with

Service providers

We will share personal information with third party organisations (such as software providers), who provide services such as event booking. Where this is the case, we will always ensure appropriate security and contractual data processing agreements are in place.

Marketing and advertising partners

We may share information with third parties for marketing and advertising purposes. This may include Google Analytics Advertising Features, and creating customer audiences via Facebook, X, Snapchat and Google.

We use the following Google Analytics features:

  • Create Remarketing Audiences - based on specific behaviour, demographic and interest data
  • Create Segments - based on demographic and interest data

We also use the following social media channel features:

  • Facebook Custom Audiences
  • X Tailored Audiences

You can opt-out of Google Analytics Advertising Features using their opt-out tool or the Network Initiatives consumer opt-out. You can set your ad preferences in Facebook and X by accessing your privacy settings.

Law enforcement purposes

We may disclose your personal information if required by law for example to comply with a court order.

International transfers

Your personal information may be transferred by us or our third party data processors out of the European Economic Area (EEA). We will always ensure that such transfers will be safeguarded by appropriate transfer mechanisms including the terms of standard data protection clauses adopted by the European Commission. Any queries regarding specific transfers should be addressed to dataprotection@uwe.ac.uk.

Blackboard

Blackboard is a web-based learning environment used by staff and students at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol). It requires users to "log in" by entering a user ID and password when they wish to access its resources. The following special provisions of our Privacy Policy apply to its use.

User tracking in Blackboard

If you are enrolled in a module which uses Blackboard your use of that site may be logged. Your module leader and system administrators are able to access such information as the number of times you logged onto the site, the pages you visited, and the dates and times that you visited them. Where your tutor intends to use the tracking information created by Blackboard for the purposes of assessment he/she must advise you in advance. You may wish to seek the advice of your tutor if in doubt.

Please note that for the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation as applied, enacted and amended in UK law by logging on to Blackboard you acknowledge and understand that the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) holds and processes information relating to your use of that system. This processing takes effect subject to this Privacy Policy. This statement should be read in conjunction with the University's IT Monitoring Statement

Blackboard and email

Participation in a Blackboard course or organisation may require you to send and receive email. Your tutor may correspond with you through email and may in addition require you to communicate with fellow students through email. Your email address will also be published if you post to a discussion board within Blackboard. By participating in a Blackboard course or organisation, you acknowledge and understand that we publish your email address within the Blackboard system. UWE Bristol students must not publish another student's email address without their express informed consent.

You should not use the email facility within Blackboard to email en masse to your fellow students, unless this has been expressly authorised by the tutor.

UWE Bristol email privacy

The following relates to emails that link to this page at their base. Using the information that you provided on registration, UWE Bristol may from time to time contact you by email. UWE Bristol uses Dotdigital to send such emails. Dotdigital uses unique identifiers in those emails to perform tracking functions. We use the tracking data they collect to ensure our emails are both relevant to your interests and to ensure we do not email you needlessly. Information on how to disable this can be found online or in your email program instructions. You may choose to opt out of emails sent by UWE Bristol using the link provided on the email.

UWE Bristol does not send unsolicited email. If you appear to have received unsolicited emails from us, please use the unsubscribe link on the email or contact us and we will remove you from our lists.

Your rights and choices

In respect of your personal data held by us, you have the following qualified rights to:

  • access it
  • rectify it if it is not accurate or complete
  • erasure
  • data portability
  • restrict its processing
  • withdraw any consent provided or otherwise object to its processing
  • prevent automated decision making, including profiling
  • complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

To find out more or to exercise any of these rights please contact the Data Protection Officer (dataprotection@uwe.ac.uk)

For overall guidance, see UWE Bristol's Data Protection Policy (PDF) and Data Protection: Processing Special Category Data and Criminal Convictions Data Policy (PDF).

Contact details for the Data Protection Officer are:

For overall guidance on current data protection legislation, see UWE Bristol's GDPR summary.

If you are a UWE Bristol student, applicant, staff or alumni see UWE Bristol's privacy notices for further guidance.

If you are registering for events via our website, your personal data will also be processed in line with our Enquirer Privacy Policy.

For further details on data subject rights, see UWE Bristol's data subject rights statement (PDF).