20.1 The British Council applies the UK Data Protection Act 2018 to all of its global operations unless the local equivalent law is stronger.
20.2 The UK Data Protection Act works in two main ways. It gives individuals rights over how their personal information is used and sets out rules for organisations that handle personal information.
20.3 The British Council will:
(a) use the personal information that you provide to:
(i) organise and administer the British Council English Language Product you have selected including but not limited to facilitating the payment by you of the relevant English Language Product through a designated third party secure payment provider;
(ii) send you information regarding activities, courses, seminars and events organised by the British Council electronically or in any other form, provided that you have not opted out of this;
(iii) request your opinion of the British Council’s products and services, provided you have not opted out of this;
(iv) use the information gathered for research purposes provided you have not opted out of this;
(v) carry out teaching activities which may include:
- using personal data (student image and voice) during the real time broadcasting of online classes through the British Council learning hub
- using student photographs & audio or video recordings for the purposes of the course and to support academic training for British Council staff
- connecting with British Council students from other countries, sharing their work and class recordings to learn about other cultures
- use of the learning hub, including discussion forums and portfolios
(Personal data collected and shared through and for the purpose of the learning activities described above will only be retained as long as necessary, for the purposes it was collected and for the duration of your relationship with us.)
Our lawful basis for all course-related administrative and teaching activities is the performance of a contract for the provision of our services.
Consent can be withdrawn by contacting your local British Council Customer Service team.
(b) protect the personal information it is given and make sure that only those who need access to the personal information are able to access it;
(c) only share the information within the British Council, with organisations that process payments for English Language Products on behalf of the British Council, and with other organisations where such sharing is necessary for a fair and lawful purpose or where we have the individual’s consent.
20.4 You should be aware that only the data which is strictly necessary for the administration of your British Council English Language Product in which you or your child (under 18 years) is registered will be held by the British Council.
Accessing your personal information
20.5 Under the UK Data Protection Act any individual has the general right to ask for a copy of the personal information held about them. This means that you can ask for the information that the British Council holds about you. This is known as the right of ‘subject accesses. When making a request you will need to give us:
(a) a request in writing,
(b) proof of your identity and your address; and
(c) any information that the British Council reasonably needs to process the request (for example details of the British Council offices or staff that you have had contact with and when).
20.6 The British Council will not start looking for your information until it has received all of the above. In order to submit your request, or for help making a request, please contact the Data Protection Officer at Dataprotection@britishcouncil.org. Although you should submit a request in writing, if you would like to speak to someone in person, you can contact the British Council by telephone on +44(0)20 7389 3172.