This policy explains how the information we collect about you is used and your rights in relation to that information.
Personal information you provide or that is taken from you is required by law for us to enforce various pieces of legislation that we enforce on behalf of the public, that aim to maintain fair and safe trading.
You may make complaints about a trader or an unfair or unsafe trade practice, or you may have information from your dealings with a particular business or individual, buying goods or services for instance. You may be legally obliged under legislation we enforce, to provide certain information.
Personal information may also be collected from you if you make an application to this office, for a licence or in order to gain some other authorisation, or membership of a trader approval scheme such as Buy With Confidence, so you can legally use that approved logo.
The information you provide will be held and processed by staff in Trading Standards in Dorset. It may be shared with other regulators and law enforcers to enable them to carry out their legal responsibilities.
The council is a data controller for this information and can be contacted via the data protection officer.
Details of any individual or company licenced by this service will be provided on request to anyone asking for that information.
We will only share information where there is a lawful basis to do so for the following reasons:
- to help prevent and detect criminal offences enforced by other agencies
- statistical or research purposes
- administrative purposes by official bodies
You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you, to be informed about the collection and use of your personal information, for incorrect information to be corrected (where the law permits) and to request us to restrict the processing of your personal information. In certain circumstances you have the right to object to the processing of your personal information. Your information will not be subjected to automated decision-making.
Trading Standards data is retained as required by law and in accordance with our data retention policy (usually six years).
How to complain
We hope that our Data Protection Officer can resolve any query or concern you raise about our use of your information.
The General Data Protection Regulation also gives you right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. The supervisory authority in the UK is the Information Commissionertelephone: 0303 123 1113.
If you have any questions or concerns about the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information please write to the Service Manager for Trading Standards