This privacy policy sets out how St Helena Government (SHG) uses and protects any information that you give SHG when you use this website – www.sainthelena.gov.sh (referred to in this policy as ‘this website’).
SHG is committed to ensuring that the privacy of all visitors to www.sainthelena.gov.sh is preserved.
SHG may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should frequently check this page to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from September 2025.
By providing any information to us via this website, you consent to the collection, use and transfer of your information under the terms of this Policy.
What Data We Collect
SHG encourages visitors to its website to contact us with questions and comments. Email addresses and other information given by persons doing so may be collected in order to facilitate our responses to those enquiries.
Where communication is made with us via the form on our Contacts Page or Report it Sort pages, we may collect the following information:
-name
-contact information including email address
-demographic information such as postcode
Each time you email us or provide us with your details in other ways (i.e. by email, over the telephone, by fax, by mail etc.), the information collected from you may include but is not limited to:
· your name, address, landline or mobile telephone numbers and e-mail address
· the type of information you are particularly interested in receiving from us
· Details of the ways in which you are happy to receive information from us.
You will find that it is not compulsory to provide us with any additional information we request which is not necessary or reasonable in order to provide you with the services you have requested. Please note that our policy is not to ask for sensitive personal data – that is, data relating to: race or ethnic origin, political opinion, religious or other similar beliefs, trade union membership, physical or mental health, sexual orientation, criminal records. We recommend that you do not provide such information to us. If you choose to do so for any reason, this will mean that you have given (and we accept) your explicit consent for us to use that information for the reasons described in this Policy, or as explained at the time you provide the information.
Cookies
Cookies are small text files placed on your computer or device when you visit a website. They are simple text files; they cannot run software, install malware, or harm your device.
We use cookies to remember your preferences and settings so it is easier for you to use our site.
No personal information that directly identifies you is stored, and cookie data is not permanently retained on our servers.
You can manage or remove cookies at any time through your browser settings or our on-site cookie preferences panel. For more information about the cookies used on this site, please consult our Cookies Policy.
Purpose of Data Collection We collect your personal data to:
· Answer your enquiries
· Understand your needs
· Provide you with a better service
· To help improve the services offered by SHG.
The information collected through Google Analytics enables us to understand how you use this website and how well the website performs on your device.
We do this to help: · Ensure www.sainthelena.gov.sh is meeting the needs of its users · make improvements, for example improving site search
· make performance improvements, for example improving page load time and data usage
Any IP address information that we collect is not used to personally identify you. It is aggregated to measure the number of visits, average time spent on the website, pages viewed, etc. We use this information to measure the use of our website and to improve its content.
Our Legal Basis for Processing Your Data
The legal basis for processing personal data in relation to site security is our legitimate interests and the legitimate interests of our users.
The legal basis for processing data collected through Google Analytics is your consent, which can be managed via the cookie notice accessible on site launch, and from the bottom left of the web browser.
Contact Forms and Data Use
When you complete and submit a form on this website (such as the Contact Us form or Report It Sort form), you provide us with your personal information so that we can respond to your enquiry or request.
The personal data you provide will be processed on the basis that it is:
· Necessary for us to perform a task in the public interest or in the exercise of our official functions as a government department; and/or
· Necessary for our legitimate interests, namely to manage and respond to enquiries we receive.
By clicking “Submit”, you acknowledge that the information you provide will be collected and stored for the purpose of handling your enquiry and any related follow-up. Your data will be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy and the requirements of the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
If you choose not to provide the personal data requested, we may be unable to respond fully to your enquiry.
What We Do With Your Data
The data we collect may be shared with:
· Other SHG departments
· Third parties including our business partners (such as our host provider)
· Law enforcement agencies, where we are required to do so by law, such as a by court order, or to prevent fraud or other crime
· Suppliers we engage to process data on our behalf, who act for us for the purposes set out in this Policy or for other purposes approved by you.
The data we collect through Google Analytics cookies is transferred to and stored by Google, where it is processed using Google Analytics. We configure Google Analytics so that your data is not used by Google for its own purposes and is only processed on our behalf. Some of this data may be transferred outside the UK; where this occurs, appropriate safeguards are applied in line with the UK GDPR. SHG will not sell or rent personal information about you to unaffiliated third parties.
How Long We Keep Your Data
We will only retain your personal data for as long as it is needed for the purposes set out in this policy or for as long as the law requires us to.
We will:
· keep your email data until you unsubscribe
· keep your feedback data for 2 years
· delete access log data which contain your IP address after 120 days
Children’s Privacy Protection
Our services are not intended for, or intentionally targeted at, children 13 years of age or younger. We do not intentionally collect or maintain data about anyone under the age of 13.
Where Your Data Is Processed and Stored
The website is designed, built and operated in a manner that works towards ensuring your data is as safe as possible, both whilst it is being processed and when it is stored.
All personal data is stored in the United Kingdom but may be transferred outside of the UK for processing.
Although the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR does not yet apply on St Helena Island, as an organisation we abide by the spirit of the principles. If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to us via our Contact page.
Some analytics data may be transferred outside the UK, including to the United States where Google’s servers are located. Where this occurs, we rely on appropriate safeguards under the UK GDPR, such as the UK-US Data Bridge or the use of Standard Contractual Clauses, to ensure your information remains protected.
How We Protect Your Data and Keep It Secure
We understand the importance of keeping your data safe and use systems and processes that prevent unauthorized access or disclosure of your data – for example varying levels of encryption
We also make sure that any third parties that we deal with keep all personal data they process on our behalf secure.
Your Rights
Under the UK GDPR you have the following rights:
· To access the personal data we hold about you;
· To rectify inaccurate or incomplete data;
· To erase your data in certain circumstances;
· To restrict or object to the processing of your data;
· To data portability, allowing you to obtain and reuse your data for your own purposes across different services; and
· To lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how your data has been handled.
If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us via the Contact page on this website. Your request will be considered in accordance with the requirements of the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Links to Other Websites
WWW.SAINTHELENA.GOV.SH contains links to other websites.
Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. If you arrive at www.sainthelena.gov.sh via another website, we may receive personal information from the other website. You should read the privacy policy of the website you came from to find out more about this.
Contact Us or Make a Complaint Contact the Communications Office via email communications@sainthelena.gov.sh if you have any questions about this privacy notice or think that your personal data on this website has been misused or mishandled.
Last Updated: 31st October 2025