1. Overview

New Commons is committed to protecting your privacy and handling personal data responsibly and transparently.

We collect only what is necessary to operate the platform and improve democratic participation.

2. Data We Collect

Information you provide:

• Account details (e.g. email address, login credentials).
• Constituency information (where required for aggregation).
• Votes, proposals, comments, and interactions.

Information collected automatically:

• Basic usage data (pages visited, actions taken).
• Device and browser information.
• IP address (used for security and abuse prevention).

3. How We Use Your Data

We use data to:

• Operate and maintain the platform.
• Aggregate constituency-level results.
• Prevent abuse, fraud, and manipulation.
• Improve usability and features.
• Communicate essential platform information.

We do not sell personal data.

4. Votes and Anonymity

Individual votes are not displayed publicly with your identity.

Public reporting uses aggregated or anonymised data.

Internal access to identifiable data is strictly limited.

5. Legal Basis for Processing

We process data under:

• User consent.
• Legitimate interests in operating a civic participation platform.
• Legal obligations where applicable.

6. Data Sharing

We do not share personal data with third parties except:

• Where required by law.
• With service providers necessary for platform operation (e.g. hosting, authentication), under strict confidentiality obligations.

7. Data Retention

We retain data only for as long as necessary to fulfil platform purposes or legal obligations.

You may request deletion of your account and associated personal data.

8. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access your personal data.
• Correct inaccurate information.
• Request deletion.
• Object to certain processing.
• Withdraw consent where applicable.

Requests can be made via t.leadbetter@newcommons.uk.

9. Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect data.

No system is completely secure, but we take data protection seriously.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy as the platform evolves.

Significant changes will be communicated clearly.

11. Contact

For privacy or data protection enquiries:

Email: t.leadbetter@newcommons.uk