Privacy Policy

Last Updated: September 2026

Somerset Animal Information Services ("SAIS", "we", "us", or "our") operates the local community business directory and secure business portal. We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Information We Collect

When you register for a business portal account or submit directory details, we may collect and process the following data:

Account Credentials: Your registered email address and securely hashed (encrypted) passwords.
Business Details: Business name, category, town or area, telephone number, public email addresses, website links, social media profiles, and description details displayed publicly on the directory.
Technical Data: Basic browser interactions, local storage usage required for session management, and standard web application logs.

2. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process your personal and business data under the following legal bases:

Legitimate Interests: To maintain an accurate, reliable, and useful local animal welfare and community service directory for Somerset.
Contract: To provide registered business owners with secure access to manage, update, and maintain their directory profiles.

3. How We Store and Protect Your Data

Your data is stored securely using encrypted cloud infrastructure (Google Workspace and Google Sheets databases). We implement strict technical safeguards, including SHA-256 password hashing, manual admin approval workflows for new registrations, and automated session timeouts to prevent unauthorized access.

4. Sharing and Disclosure

Public business details (such as business names, public contact numbers, and descriptions) are displayed openly on our directory for community use. We never sell, rent, or trade your personal account information or private email addresses to third parties.

5. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

Under UK data protection laws, you have the right to:

Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Rectification: Update or correct inaccurate information via your portal dashboard or by contacting us.
Erasure: Request the complete deletion of your account and removal of your listing from our records.

6. Contact Us

If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data protection rights, please contact our administrative team at info@somersetanimalinformationservices.com.