Privacy Policy

MyUniConnectUK ("we", "us", "our") operates the website at www.myuniconnectuk.com , a student-built platform connecting UK university students to peers, events, societies, and opportunities.

Registered company name: MYUNICONNECTUK LTD
Company number: 17182602
Registered address: 66 Paul Street, London, England, EC2A 4NA

For any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, contact us at:
Email: contact@myuniconnectuk.com
Post: 66 Paul Street, London, England, EC2A 4NA

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share your personal data when you use our website or register as a member. It applies to all users of www.myuniconnectuk.com.

We act as the data controller for the personal data we collect about you. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing your data, and we are responsible for it being handled lawfully.

This policy is governed by the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By using our platform, you confirm you have read and understood this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the platform.

When you register or use our platform, we may collect:

• Full name
• Email address
• University name and course of study
• Year of study
• Date of birth (to verify eligibility and comply with age-related obligations)
• Profile photo (optional)
• Posts, comments, and other content you submit on the platform
• Messages sent to other users
• Society and interest preferences
• Any other information you choose to add to your profile

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect:

• IP address and approximate location (country/region level)
• Browser type and version
• Device type and operating system
• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• Referring website (where you came from)
• Cookie identifiers and similar tracking data (see Section 8)

If you register or log in using a third-party service (e.g. Google, Facebook), we receive basic profile information from that service, typically your name and email address, in accordance with your privacy settings on that platform.

We collect data submitted through registration forms, interest forms, event sign-ups, and any other forms hosted on the platform. This may include additional personal details depending on the form.

When a student registers on the platform, we collect the following through our student sign-up form:

• Full name
• Email address (university or personal)
• University name
• Course and year of study
• Date of birth
• Areas of interest (e.g. societies, events, career opportunities)
• How you heard about us (optional)
• Agreement to our Terms of Service and this Privacy Policy

We use this data to create your student account, personalise your experience, and connect you with relevant content, communities, and opportunities on the platform. The legal basis for this processing is contract (to provide the service you have signed up for) and, where applicable, consent (for optional preferences and communications).

Organisations that wish to partner with MyUniConnectUK, including universities, employers, student-facing brands, and societies, are required to complete a partner registration form. Through this process, we collect:

• Organisation name and type
• Contact person's full name, job title, and work email address
• Organisation website and social media handles (optional)
• Type of partnership sought (e.g. event promotion, job listings, sponsorship)
• Brief description of what the organisation offers to students
• Agreement to our Partner Terms and this Privacy Policy

The legal basis for this processing is contract (to manage the partnership agreement) and legitimate interests (to vet partners and protect our student users).

We treat partner contact data with the same care as student data. We do not share partner contact details with third parties without consent, and we will only contact partner representatives in connection with the partnership.

We only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis under UK GDPR:

We use your personal data to:

• Create and manage your student or partner account
• Connect students with peers, societies, events, and opportunities on the platform
• Connect partner organisations with our student community in relevant, appropriate ways
• Display your profile to other registered members (students only, in accordance with your privacy settings)
• Send you service-related communications (e.g. account verification, security alerts, important policy updates)
• Allow students to post content, join communities, and interact with other members
• Assess and onboard partner organisations, and manage ongoing partnership relationships
• Personalise your experience on the platform
• Improve and develop the platform based on usage patterns
• Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and unauthorised access
• Respond to enquiries and support requests
• Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations
• Send you optional marketing communications and platform updates (only with your consent - you can opt out at any time)

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

We may share your data in the following circumstances:

• Other platform users: Your profile information (name, university, profile photo, and content you post publicly) is visible to other registered members. Partner organisation profiles (name, type, and offerings) are visible to students on the platform.
• Partners: Verified partner organisations may be able to view certain aggregated or anonymised student data (e.g. engagement statistics). We do not share individual student profiles or personally identifiable information with partners without explicit consent.
• Service providers (sub-processors): We use trusted third-party providers to help operate the platform. These providers process data on our behalf and are bound by data processing agreements. Details of our current sub-processors are available on request - contact us at contact@myuniconnectuk.com.
• Legal and regulatory authorities: We may disclose data to law enforcement, regulators, or courts where required by law, or where necessary to protect the safety, rights, or property of our users or the public.
• Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of the business, your data may be transferred to the relevant parties. We will notify you before this happens and, where required, seek your consent.

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this policy:

• Account data: retained for the duration of your membership and deleted within 30 days of account closure upon request.
• User-generated content (posts, comments) may be retained for a period after account closure for platform integrity purposes, unless you request deletion.
• Server and access logs: retained for up to 12 months.
• Analytics data: retained in aggregated, anonymised form for up to 24 months.
• Legal and compliance records: retained for as long as required by applicable law.

After the applicable retention period, data is securely deleted or anonymised.

We use cookies and similar technologies on our website. Cookies are small text files placed on your device that help us deliver and improve our services.

• Strictly necessary cookies: Essential for the website to function, for example, keeping you logged in. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors use the platform (e.g. pages visited, session length). These are only set with your consent.
• Functional cookies: Allow us to remember preferences you have set (e.g. language, display options).

When you first visit our website, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner. You can accept, reject, or customise non-essential cookies at that point.

You can also manage cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling cookies may affect how the platform functions.

For more information, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

We take the security of your personal data seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, loss, destruction, or alteration.

These measures include:

• Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS)
• Secure password storage using hashing
• Access controls limiting who within our team can access personal data
• Regular security reviews of our systems and processes

No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure. If you suspect a security incident affecting your data, please contact us immediately at contact@myuniconnectuk.com.

Our platform is operated from the United Kingdom. If we transfer personal data outside the UK, for example, where a service provider operates outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:

• UK adequacy regulations
• Standard contractual clauses approved by the UK ICO
• Other legally recognised transfer mechanisms

Our platform is intended for students in UK higher education. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under the age of 13.

If some users may be under 18 (for example, students in Scottish universities who enrolled at 17, or further education students), we take additional care in how we handle their data, in line with the ICO's Age Appropriate Design Code (Children's Code). This includes:

• Default-high privacy settings for users who may be minors
• No use of data for profiling or behavioural advertising for under-18s
• Restricting visibility of minors' profiles where identifiable

If you believe we have collected data from someone under 13 without appropriate consent, please contact us at contact@myuniconnectuk.com and we will delete it promptly.

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, please contact us in the first instance at contact@myuniconnectuk.com. We will do our best to resolve your concern.

If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection supervisory authority:

• Website: ico.org.uk
• Phone: 0303 123 1113
• Post: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or platform features. When we make material changes, we will notify you by email or via a prominent notice on the platform before the change takes effect.

The "last updated" date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent revision. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

For any questions, requests, or concerns about this Privacy Policy or your personal data:

MyUniConnectUK
Email: contact@myuniconnectuk.com
Website: www.myuniconnectuk.com
Address: 66 Paul Street, London, England, EC2A 4NA