This privacy notice covers this website (www.nrscotland.gov.uk) and the following websites which are managed by NRS:
Information collected by the NRS website
Information that is routinely collected by this website falls mainly into two categories: information submitted using our contact forms and website log files.
Contact forms
The website provides a contact form to allow users to send us a message. You can use it to:
- Give general feedback about the site
- Make an enquiry relating to the different functions of NRS
- Make a Freedom of Information request
- Make a data protection request
- Report technical problems with the site
- Request a business contact with NRS
The anniversary message request form can be used to make an application for the King to send a message of congratulations for wedding anniversaries. The information you provide is passed directly to the Anniversaries Office at Buckingham Palace.
The information collected using the contact forms will be stored and used by NRS chiefly for the purpose of fulfilling the stated service.
We will not share any personal information that we receive about individuals with other organisations for commercial purposes, or use it for any marketing purposes which individuals have not consented to.
We reserve, however, the right to use non-personal information for our business, research and marketing purposes. In these cases the use of the information will not identify or be associated in any way with the individual who provided it and will not contain any contact information relating to that individual or their company.
You do not need to include your name or contact details in order to provide us with general feedback or information about any technical problems you may encounter.
You will, however, need include an email address if you want us to reply to you. We will only use your email address to reply to you and not for any other purpose. For some enquiries contact details will be required. You will need to provide your name and contact information if you wish to make an enquiry about NRS functions, request a business contact with NRS or make a freedom of information or data protection request.
Information collected from the contact form is not stored on the website, and will only be accessible by authorised NRS staff. We use a relay service to scan emails for spam and malware before they reach the service desk system.
Website log files
All websites produce log files that record the activity on that site. Log files record which pages on the site have been accessed and how many times.
Log files typically record the IP address and/or hostname of all users accessing the website. This allows us to distinguish between different users and therefore estimate the number of unique visitors to our websites. IP addresses and hostnames are not linked to any individual's personally identifiable information.
Specific IP addresses and hostnames will not be made publicly available. They will only be used by website log file software to compile overall summary statistical reports on the performance of our websites.
Website log files are stored securely on the websites using good industry practice for safeguarding information and server functions.
Cookies and Google Analytics
To gather information about how people use this site (https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk) and the other websites covered by this privacy notice we use Google Analytics.
The information collected helps us investigate whether each website meets its users’ needs as well as to evaluate how each website can be improved.
Google Analytics stores information about what pages you visit, how long you are on the site, how you got here and what you clicked on.
We do not collect or store your personal information (e.g. your name or address). The information collected cannot be used to identify who you are.
We do not allow Google to use or share our analytics data. More information on the cookies used on this site can be found on our Cookies page.
Search engine
The NRS website uses a search engine which is part of our content management system.
No user-specific data is collected or used by our website search facility.
IP addresses and hostnames
An IP address is the numeric address of a computer. The IP address recorded on website log files is the address provided by your internet service provider's equipment and not your own personal computer's address.
Hostnames are similar in appearance to the domain names you see in URLs and email addresses. The hostnames recorded on website log files are those of the internet service provider's equipment that you are using to access the internet, and not your own computer's name or location.
Your internet service provider will keep records of which customer is using any IP address or hostname at any given time, and so it is theoretically possible to trace back activity shown on any website log file to a specific individual. In practice, this can only be done with the explicit involvement of the internet service provider, and such a trace would therefore only take place in the event of serious criminal misuse of the internet and would be carried out by the police.
NRS will not attempt to associate IP addresses and hostnames with individuals. In the event of serious criminal misuse of the website, the matter would be referred to the police for investigation.
Security and performance
NRS uses a third party service to help maintain the security, performance and availability of our websites. IP addresses of visitors to the NRS website are processed to deliver this service.
The IP addresses are not linked to any individual's personally identifiable information.
Social Media
Our blogging service
Our blog “Open Book” is run via a third party service which collects anonymous information about users' activity on the site, such as, for example, the number of users viewing pages on the site. In addition, the blog service requires visitors wishing to post a comment to provide a name and email address.
Our blogging service provider is run by Automattic Inc. For additional information about how our blogging service provider processes data, please see Automattic's privacy notice.
When you contact us via X/Twitter
NRS uses Hootsuite, a third party provider, to manage its social media interactions.
Hootsuite stores messages sent by you via social media for three months. These will not be shared with any other organisations.
