Last Updated: 28/01/2026
Privacy Policy — UK Buddy
Last Updated: 15/09/2025
Website: https://ukbuddy.co.uk
Contact Email: he***@********co.uk
Welcome to UK Buddy’s Privacy Policy. This policy explains how UK Buddy (“we”, “us”, or “our”) collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal data when you use our website, https://ukbuddy.co.uk (the “Site”), in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
By using our Site, you consent to the practices described in this policy.
1. Data Controller
The data controller responsible for your personal data is:
UKBuddy
📧 Email: he***@********co.uk
2. Information We Collect
We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:
A. Personal Data You Provide
This includes information you provide when:
Contacting us (name, email, phone number)
Creating an account or registering
Subscribing to newsletters
Posting on forums or community features
Examples: Contact Us, Registration, Newsletter Sign‑up.
B. Student Profile & Community Data
If you create a profile, you may choose to share:
Name or nickname
University or institution
Country
City or village (optional)
Profile photo (optional)
You control what information is displayed publicly.
C. Automatically Collected Technical Data
When you visit our Site, we may automatically collect:
IP address
Browser type and version
Time zone and location data
Operating system and device type
Pages visited, clickstream data, response times, and usage analytics
D. Cookies & Tracking Technologies
We use cookies to improve user experience and analyze Site performance. For full details, please refer to our Cookie Policy.
3. How We Use Your Information (Legal Basis)
We process your personal data under the following lawful bases:
Consent — for marketing or optional features (withdrawable at any time)
Contractual Necessity — to provide services you request
Legitimate Interests — to improve Site security, performance, and usability
Legal Obligation — to comply with applicable laws and regulations
4. Purpose & Lawful Basis Table
| Purpose / Activity | Type of Data | Lawful Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Respond to enquiries | Identity, Contact | Legitimate Interests |
| Register new users | Identity, Contact | Performance of a Contract |
| Manage user relationships | Identity, Profile, Marketing | Contract, Legal Obligation |
| Protect platform & prevent fraud | Identity, Technical | Legitimate Interests |
| Improve website performance | Technical, Usage | Legitimate Interests |
| Deliver relevant content | Identity, Usage | Legitimate Interests |
| Marketing communications | Identity, Contact | Consent |
5. How We Share Your Information
We never sell your personal data.
We may share data only with:
A. Service Providers
Trusted third parties who assist with:
Website hosting
Email delivery
Analytics
Security monitoring
Payment processing (if applicable)
All providers are contractually required to keep your data secure and confidential.
B. Legal & Regulatory Requirements
We may disclose data if legally required to protect rights, safety, or comply with law enforcement.
6. International Data Transfers
We primarily store data within the UK and EEA. If data is transferred outside these regions, we ensure safeguards such as:
UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA)
Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs)
7. Student Privacy & Public Profile Visibility
If you choose to display educational or location details:
Some information may be publicly visible
You provide this information voluntarily
You may edit or remove it at any time
We recommend not sharing highly precise or sensitive location details.
8. Children’s Privacy (Users Under 18)
To protect minors:
We restrict public display of precise location data
We may remove unsafe content or accounts
Parental consent may be required where legally applicable
If we discover improperly collected minor data, it will be deleted promptly.
9. Data Security
We use appropriate technical and organizational security measures, including:
Secure servers
Access controls
Encryption where applicable
Regular security reviews
However, no system can guarantee 100% security.
10. Data Retention
We retain personal data only as long as necessary:
Contact form submissions: 24 months
Newsletter data: Until you unsubscribe
Account data: Until account deletion is requested
We delete or anonymize data when it is no longer required.
11. Your UK GDPR Rights
You have the right to:
Access your personal data
Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
Request deletion (Right to Erasure)
Restrict processing
Request data portability
Object to processing based on legitimate interests
Withdraw consent at any time
To exercise your rights, contact: he***@********co.uk
We respond within one month.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
https://www.ico.org.uk/
12. Cookies & Tracking
We use cookies to:
Maintain login sessions
Analyze traffic and usage
Improve Site functionality
You may control cookies through browser settings.
13. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this policy periodically. Any changes will be posted on this page, and the Last Updated date will be revised accordingly.
14. Contact Us
If you have questions or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, contact:
Optional Consent Checkbox
“I consent to UKBuddy collecting and displaying my profile information in accordance with the Privacy Policy. I understand I can edit or remove my information at any time.”
