Privacy Policy

The SME Innovation Network (“we”, “our”, or “us”) is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, store, and disclose your personal information when you use our website: [https://smeinnovation.org] (the “Site”).

By using the Site, you consent to the practices described in this policy

1. Information We Collect

Comments
When visitors leave comments on the Site, we collect the data shown in the comments form, as well as the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to assist with spam detection.

An anonymised string (or hash) created from your email address may be provided to the Gravatar service to determine whether you use it. You can review Gravatar’s privacy policy at: https://automattic.com/privacy/. Upon comment approval, your profile picture may be publicly displayed alongside your comment.

Media Uploads
If you upload images to the Site, you should avoid uploading images that contain embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Other visitors to the Site may be able to download and extract location data from such images.

Cookies
We use cookies to enhance user experience. Cookies are small text files stored on your device.

We may use cookies for the following purposes:

  • If you leave a comment, you may opt to save your name, email address, and website in cookies for convenience. These persist for one year.
  • A temporary cookie is set on the login page to check browser compatibility. This contains no personal data and is deleted upon closing your browser.
  • When logging in, cookies are set to save your login credentials and screen preferences. Login cookies last for two days; screen options cookies last for one year. If “Remember Me” is selected, login persists for two weeks. Logging out removes these cookies.
  • When editing or publishing an article, an additional cookie may be stored containing the post ID. This expires after 24 hours and contains no personal data.

You may manage cookie preferences via your browser settings.

2. Embedded Content from Third Parties

Articles on the Site may contain embedded content (e.g. videos, images, social media feeds, articles) from other websites. Embedded content behaves in the same way as if you had visited the originating website directly.

These external websites may collect your data, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking tools, and monitor your interaction with the embedded content. This includes tracking your activity if you are logged into those third-party services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these websites.

3. Data Sharing

We do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties. However, we may disclose your information:

  • If required by law or regulation.
  • To comply with a legal process.
  • In the event of a security threat, investigation, or breach.
  • To trusted service providers who assist in operating our Site (e.g. spam detection services), subject to strict confidentiality obligations.

Password Reset Requests
If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email for security purposes.

4. Data Retention

We retain data for the following durations:

  • Comments and associated metadata are retained indefinitely to facilitate follow-up conversations and improve moderation.
  • Registered user information is stored in user profiles and retained for the duration of the user’s registration on the Site.

Users may view, edit, or delete their personal information at any time, except for usernames. Website administrators also have access to this information.

5. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

You have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

  • Right to access – You can request a copy of the data we hold about you.
  • Right to rectification – You can request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Right to erasure – You can request that we delete your data, subject to any legal or administrative obligations.
  • Right to object – You may object to how your data is used for certain purposes.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at: contact@smeinnovation.org

6. Data Transfers and Security

Visitor comments may be subject to automated spam detection services, which may involve processing outside the UK. We take appropriate steps to ensure your data remains secure and is handled in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

We implement suitable technical and organisational measures to safeguard your personal data, including encryption, secure hosting, access control, and regular audits.

7. Updates to This Policy

We reserve the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy at any time. Any changes will be posted on this page, and we encourage you to review it periodically. Continued use of the Site after any changes signifies your acceptance of those changes.

8. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we process your data, please email contact@smeinnovation.org