This policy explains how Lochside Digital collects, uses and protects your personal data when you visit our website or get in touch with us. We are committed to handling your information lawfully and transparently, in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
1. Who we are
Lochside Digital is the "data controller" for the personal data described in this policy. We are a web design business based in Glasgow, United Kingdom, operated by Kameron Smith and Graham Fleming. For any privacy matter, contact us at [email protected].
2. What information we collect
We only collect what we need. Depending on how you interact with us, this may include:
- Contact details you give us through our enquiry form or by email — your name, email address, phone number (if provided) and the contents of your message.
- Project information you share with us so we can prepare a quote or carry out work.
- Technical data collected automatically, such as your IP address and basic device or browser information, where analytics are in use.
- Publicly available business contact details — such as an email address listed on a business's own website or social media page — which we may collect in order to contact you about our services. See "Information about prospective clients" below.
3. Information about prospective clients
In addition to information you give us directly, we sometimes identify potential clients by looking at publicly available sources — such as a business's own website or social media pages — to find a contact email address. We use this to send a small number of relevant marketing emails introducing our services. We rely on our legitimate interests in growing our business through relevant, low-volume outreach to organisations that may want our services.
Every marketing email of this kind clearly identifies us and includes a straightforward way to opt out of further contact. If you ask us not to contact you again, we will stop and will not use your details for further marketing. We do not keep publicly-sourced contact details for longer than reasonably necessary for this purpose.
4. How and why we use it
| What we do | Why (legal basis) |
|---|---|
| Respond to your enquiry and provide a quote | To take steps at your request before entering a contract |
| Deliver and manage the services you've engaged us for | Performance of our contract with you |
| Send you invoices and keep accounting records | Compliance with our legal obligations |
| Improve and secure our website | Our legitimate interests in running our business |
| Identify and contact potential clients using publicly available business information | Our legitimate interests in growing our business through relevant outreach |
We do not sell your data. We only send marketing emails to prospective clients identified as described in "Information about prospective clients" above, or to existing contacts who have asked to hear from us.
5. Who we share it with
We may share your data with trusted service providers who help us operate — for example hosting, email and analytics providers — and only so far as needed to provide their service to us. We may also disclose information where required by law. Any provider acting on our behalf is required to keep your data secure and use it only as instructed.
6. How long we keep it
We keep enquiry information for up to 24 months after our last contact, and records relating to a project (including invoices) for at least 6 years to meet our legal and tax obligations. Publicly-sourced prospect contact details are kept only for a reasonable period, as described in "Information about prospective clients" above. After these periods, we securely delete or anonymise the data.
7. How we protect your data
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures — including secure connections (SSL), access controls and reputable providers — to protect your information against loss, misuse or unauthorised access.
8. Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to:
- access a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
- ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data;
- ask us to delete your data where there is no good reason for us to keep it;
- object to, or ask us to restrict, certain processing; and
- request that we transfer your data to another provider.
To exercise any of these rights, email us at [email protected]. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk, though we'd appreciate the chance to put things right first.
9. Cookie Policy
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. Our site uses a minimal number of cookies, which fall into the following categories:
- Essential cookies — necessary for the website to function correctly. These do not require your consent.
- Analytics cookies — where enabled, these help us understand how visitors use the site (for example, which pages are most popular) so we can improve it. These are only set with your consent.
You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings, and set most browsers to prevent them from being placed. Blocking essential cookies may affect how parts of the site work. For more about cookies and how to manage them, see the ICO's guidance on cookies.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with a revised "last updated" date.
11. Contact us
If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, please contact us at [email protected]