POLICY

Cookies & Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

At Dynamo North East C.I.C. (“Dynamo”), safeguarding your privacy rights is our top priority, and we are dedicated to ensuring the confidentiality and security of your personal data. This privacy policy outlines how we handle and utilise the personal data we collect from you through your interaction with our website and services. If you have any queries regarding this policy or our practices, please do not hesitate to contact us via email at: info@dynamonortheast.co.uk.

2. About Dynamo North East C.I.C. 

Dynamo North East C.I.C. is a not-for-profit membership organisation committed to fostering the growth of the technology sector in the North East of England. Registered as a Community Interest Company (C.I.C.) with Companies House under registration number: 09197080, Dynamo North East C.I.C. operates in accordance with its legal obligations and ethical standards. For further details about our legal entity, please visit the Companies House website directly:

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/09197080/officers

3. Purpose of Data Collection 

We collect your personal data to gain insights into the needs of our members and website users, enabling us to deliver tailored services and relevant communications. This information allows us to send important updates, newsletters, and marketing communications related to Dynamo North East C.I.C. While we may occasionally contact you on behalf of external business partners, please note that we never sell your personal information to third parties.

4. Data We Collect

4.1) Membership Information: When you join Dynamo North East C.I.C. as a member, we collect personal details such as your name, email address, postal address, and phone number, alongside other pertinent information necessary for effective membership management. 

4.2) Payment Information: We do not store payment details. If you make a payment for your membership subscription via Direct Debit, credit/debit card, or PayPal, your payment information is securely transmitted to our third-party payment processors: Xero, GoCardless, Stripe, or PayPal. 

4.3) Browsing Information: We collect browsing data including your IP address, accessed pages, and timestamps for statistical purposes through the use of cookies. 

4.4) Newsletter Subscriptions and Event Registrations: Your name and email address are collected when you subscribe to our newsletter or register for events to manage subscriptions and event communications

5. Use of Data

We utilise the collected data for various purposes, including but not limited to: 

5.1) Facilitating membership subscriptions and managing member accounts. 
5.2) Providing timely notifications regarding service modifications. 
5.3) Disseminating promotional and informative content relevant to Dynamo North East C.I.C. 
5.4) Generating anonymised statistical reports for external entities while ensuring individual user confidentiality. 
5.5) Dispatching information about changes to our policies or legal agreements. 
5.6) Distributing newsletters, event invitations, and sponsorship opportunities. 
5.7) Analysing website usage patterns and user navigation. 
5.8) Conducting surveys to understand member perspectives. 
5.9) Creating targeted social media advertising based on user demographics.

6. Retention of Data

We regularly review the retention periods for personal information, adhering to legal obligations and contractual requirements. Your data will be retained for the duration necessary for the relevant activities or as stipulated in contractual agreements with Dynamo North East C.I.C.

7. Third-Party Involvement

We do not sell or rent your information to third parties for marketing purposes. However, we may engage third-party service providers, subcontractors, and associated organisations to perform tasks and deliver services on our behalf. These entities are contractually obligated to maintain the security and confidentiality of your information. 
Third-Party Services: Our website utilises various third-party services, each with its own privacy statement. These services include but are not limited to Mailchimp, Eventbrite, Monday.com CRM, Slack, Microsoft Office 365 Applications, Zoom, WordPress, Google Analytics, Trello, Xero, Stripe, PayPal, and GreenGeeks. For detailed information regarding the privacy practices of each service, please refer to their respective privacy statements.

8. Your Rights

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and The Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA), you have the following rights concerning your personal data: 


  • Right to be informed
  • Right of access
  • Right to rectification
  • Right to erasure
  • Right to restrict processing
  • Right to object
  • Right to data portability 


For any concerns regarding data processing or to exercise your rights, please contact our Data Protection Officer via: info@dynamonortheast.co.uk. If you remain dissatisfied with our handling of your information, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

9. About Cookies 

9.1) A cookie is a file containing an identifier (a string of letters and numbers) that is sent by a web server to a web browser and is stored by the browser. The identifier is then sent back to the server each time the browser requests a page from the server.
9.2) Cookies may be either “persistent” cookies or “session” cookies: a persistent cookie will be stored by a web browser and will remain valid until its set expiry date, unless deleted by the user before the expiry date; a session cookie, on the other hand, will expire at the end of the user session, when the web browser is closed.
9.3) Cookies do not typically contain any information that personally identifies a user, but personal information that we store about you may be linked to the information stored in and obtained from cookies.

10. Cookies that we Use 

10.1) We use cookies for the following purposes:
(a) Authentication – we use cookies to identify you when you visit our website and as you navigate our website.
(b) Status – we use cookies to help us to determine if you are logged into our website. 
(c) Security – we use cookies as an element of the security measures used to protect user accounts, including preventing fraudulent use of login credentials, and to protect our website and services generally. 
(d) Analysis – we use cookies to help us to analyse the use and performance of our website and services. 
(e) Cookie Consent – we use cookies to store your preferences in relation to the use of cookies more generally.

11. Cookies Used by Our Service Providers

11.1) Our service providers use cookies and those cookies may be stored on your computer when you visit our website. 
11.2) We use Google Analytics to analyse the use of our website. Google Analytics gathers information about website use by means of cookies. The information gathered relating to our website is used to create reports about the use of our website. Google’s privacy policy is available at: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/.

12. Managing Cookies 

12.1) Most browsers allow you to refuse to accept cookies and to delete cookies. The methods for doing so vary from browser to browser, and from version to version. You can however obtain up-to-date information about blocking and deleting cookies via these links:

(a) https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647?hl=en (Chrome); 
(b) https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/enable-and-disable-cookies-website-preferences (Firefox);
(c) http://www.opera.com/help/tutorials/security/cookies/ (Opera); 
(d) https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/17442/windows-internet-explorer-delete-manage-cookies (Internet Explorer); 
(e) https://support.apple.com/kb/PH21411 (Safari); 
and (f) https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10-microsoft-edge-and-privacy (Edge). 

12.2) Blocking all cookies will have a negative impact upon the usability of many websites. 12.3 If you block cookies, you will not be able to use all the features on our website.

13. Review of this Policy

We maintain this privacy policy under regular review to ensure compliance with legal requirements and best practices. This policy was last updated in March 2024.