Privacy & data use

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Privacy Policy for tameside.online

Last updated: 5 June 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and share your personal data when you use tameside.online (the "Platform"), and the rights you have under UK data protection law. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Please read this policy carefully. By using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read and understood it.

1. Who we are

tameside.online is a local community platform for Tameside, Greater Manchester, providing a business directory, a marketplace, a jobs board, a property section and a business-for-sale section.

The Platform is operated by Tameside Online, whose registered address is (registered address available on request, email hello@tameside.online). For the purposes of the UK GDPR, Tameside Online is the "data controller" responsible for your personal data.

We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator, under our parent company's registration.

If you have any questions about this policy or about how we handle your personal data, you can contact us at hello@tameside.online.

2. The personal data we collect

We collect personal data that you provide to us, data that is generated as you use the Platform, and a limited amount of technical data. We do not collect any data we do not need.

2.1 Personal accounts

When you register for a personal account, we collect:

• Your name
• Your email address
• Your phone number
• Your date of birth

We use your date of birth only to confirm that you are at least 18 years old. We do not collect a home address for personal accounts.

2.2 Business accounts

If you register a business account, in addition to the personal account information above we collect:

• Your business name
• Your business address
• Your company number (where applicable)
• Your business contact details
• Verification documents and supporting evidence that you provide so we can confirm your business is genuine

2.3 Listings and messages

When you create a listing (for example in the marketplace, jobs board, property section or business-for-sale section), you choose whether to display your own contact details publicly alongside that listing. Anything you choose to make public will be visible to other users and visitors.

If another user contacts you about a listing (or you contact them) using the Platform's messaging feature, we share the sender's email address with the recipient so that they can reply directly. Please only include information in messages that you are comfortable sharing with the other party.

2.4 Account security data

Your password is stored in a "hashed" (cryptographically scrambled) form. We never store your password in plain text and we cannot see your actual password.

2.5 Technical and usage data

We use privacy-friendly, first-party analytics. As you use the Platform we log events such as page views, searches and clicks so we can understand how the Platform is used and improve it. When we do this:

• We do not store your IP address.
• Your browser's user-agent string is reduced to a daily hash, so it cannot be used to identify or track you over time.
• We do not use any third-party advertising or tracking technologies.

In addition, like virtually all websites, our web servers automatically generate standard access logs as part of their normal operation and for security and troubleshooting.

2.6 Where we collect data from

In almost all cases we collect personal data directly from you — when you register, complete your profile, create a listing, send a message, upload documents or images, or otherwise interact with the Platform. Some technical data is generated automatically by your device and browser as described above.

3. How we use your data and our lawful bases

Under the UK GDPR we must have a valid "lawful basis" for each way we use your personal data. The lawful bases we rely on are: consent, performance of a contract, legitimate interests, and compliance with a legal obligation. The table below explains how and why we use your data.

Where we rely on consent (for example for optional marketing), you can withdraw that consent at any time — see section 9. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have balanced our interests against your rights and freedoms; you have the right to object (see section 9).

4. How long we keep your data (retention)

We keep your personal data only for as long as we need it for the purposes set out in this policy, and to meet our legal obligations.

• Account data is retained for as long as your account is active.
• Listings and messages are retained while they are live and for a reasonable period afterwards so the relevant features work properly (for example, so both parties keep a record of a conversation).
• Business verification documents are kept only for as long as needed to verify and maintain your business account.
• Standard web-server access logs are kept for a short period for security and troubleshooting and are then deleted or overwritten.
• Analytics data is privacy-friendly and does not identify you; aggregated statistics may be kept on an ongoing basis.

When you close your account (see below), or when we no longer have a lawful reason to keep your personal data, we will delete it or irreversibly anonymise it. We may retain limited information for longer where we are required to do so by law, or where we need it to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

Account and data deletion

You can ask us to delete your account at any time, either through your account settings (where available) or by contacting us at hello@tameside.online. When you delete your account we will remove or anonymise your personal data, subject to the limited exceptions described above. Please note that content you previously chose to make public, or messages you sent to other users, may continue to exist with those recipients or in their own records.

5. Who we share your data with

We do not sell your personal data, and we never will.

We share personal data only in the following limited circumstances:

• Information you choose to make public. Any contact details or other information you choose to display on a listing or profile will be visible to other users and visitors. This is entirely your choice and within your control.
• Other users you communicate with. When you use the messaging feature, the sender's email address is shared with the recipient so they can reply.
• Service providers (processors) acting on our behalf. We use trusted third parties to help us run the Platform. These include providers of website hosting, email delivery, and a third-party image-moderation service that may process images you upload in order to detect prohibited content. These providers act only on our instructions, under contracts that require them to protect your data and use it solely to provide their service to us.
• Legal and regulatory disclosures. We may disclose personal data where we are required to do so by law, by a court order, or by a regulator, or where necessary to protect the rights, safety or property of our users, the public or us, including to prevent or detect fraud or other unlawful activity.
• Business transfers. If our business is reorganised, sold or transferred, personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to the protections in this policy.

6. Cookies and similar technologies

We aim to keep our use of cookies and similar technologies to a minimum.

• Essential session cookies. We use strictly necessary cookies to keep you logged in and to make the Platform work securely. These are required for the service to function and cannot be switched off.
• Privacy-friendly analytics. Our analytics are first-party and designed to respect your privacy, as described in section 2.5. We do not store your IP address, your user-agent string is reduced to a daily hash, and we do not use third-party advertising or tracking cookies.
• Server logs. Our web servers keep standard access logs as part of their normal operation, as described in section 2.5.

Because we only use strictly necessary cookies and privacy-friendly analytics that do not track you across sites, we do not display intrusive advertising cookie banners. You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings, though disabling essential cookies may stop parts of the Platform from working.

7. International transfers

We are based in the UK and aim to keep personal data within the UK or the European Economic Area (EEA) wherever possible.

Some of our service providers — in particular our image-moderation provider — may process data outside the UK. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure it remains protected by relying only on compliant transfer mechanisms recognised under UK data protection law. This means transfers are made to countries the UK considers to provide adequate protection, or under appropriate safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) or the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses. You can ask us for more information about these safeguards using the contact details in section 11.

8. How we keep your data secure

We take the security of your personal data seriously and use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, loss, misuse or alteration. These measures include storing passwords in hashed form, restricting access to personal data to those who need it, and choosing service providers who maintain appropriate security standards.

No method of transmission or storage over the internet is completely secure, so while we work hard to protect your personal data we cannot guarantee absolute security. Please help keep your account safe by choosing a strong, unique password and keeping your login details confidential.

9. Children

The Platform is intended for adults only and is not for use by anyone under 18. We ask for your date of birth at registration solely to confirm that you are 18 or over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If you believe a person under 18 has provided us with their personal data, please contact us at hello@tameside.online and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

10. Your rights

Under the UK GDPR you have a number of rights over your personal data. These are free to exercise, and they include:

• The right to be informed — to know how we use your personal data, which this policy explains.
• The right of access — to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• The right to rectification — to have inaccurate or incomplete personal data corrected.
• The right to erasure — to ask us to delete your personal data, including by asking us to "delete my account" (subject to the limited exceptions in section 4).
• The right to restrict processing — to ask us to limit how we use your personal data in certain circumstances.
• The right to data portability — to receive certain personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format, and to have it transferred to another controller where technically feasible.
• The right to object — to object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests, and to object to any direct marketing at any time.
• The right to withdraw consent — where we rely on your consent, to withdraw it at any time. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before you withdrew it.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at hello@tameside.online. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within one month, although we may extend this by up to two further months for complex or numerous requests, in which case we will let you know.

11. How to contact us and how to complain

If you have any questions, concerns or requests about this policy or your personal data, please contact us at hello@tameside.online or write to us at Tameside Online, (registered address available on request, email hello@tameside.online).

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, we would like the chance to put things right, so please contact us first. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator:

• Website: ico.org.uk
• Helpline: 0303 123 1113
• Post: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to the Platform, to our practices, or to legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy and, where appropriate, notify you through the Platform. Please review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.