Website Privacy Policy
1. Introduction
We at the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (“GSOC”) respect your right to privacy and comply with our obligations under the Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003. The purpose of this Website Privacy Policy is to outline how we deal with any personal data you provide to us while visiting this website. Naturally, if you are not happy with this Website Privacy Policy you should not use this website.
By visiting this website, you are accepting the terms of this Website Privacy Policy. Any external links to other websites are clearly identifiable as such, and we are not responsible for the content or the privacy policies of these other websites.
2. Types of Information Collected
We retain two types of information:
“Personal Data”
This is data that identifies you or can be used to identify or contact you and may include your name, address, email address, user IP addresses in circumstances where they have not been deleted, clipped or anonymised, telephone number, birth date and any other such data which has been provided by you on this website’s Online Complaint Form. Such information is only collected from you if you voluntarily submit it to us.
“Non-Personal Data”
Like most websites, we gather statistical and other analytical information collected on an aggregate basis of all visitors to our website. This Non-Personal Data comprises information that cannot be used to identify or contact you, such as demographic information regarding, for example, user IP addresses where they have been clipped or anonymised, browser types and other anonymous statistical data involving the use of our website. This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics uses “cookies”, which are text files placed on your computer, to help the website analyze how users use the site. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity for website operators and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google's behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website. By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.
3. Purposes for which we hold your Information.
• Personal Data
We will process any Personal Data you provide to us for the purposes of pursuing our statutory functions under the Garda Síochána Act 2005.
• Non-Personal Data
We use the Non-Personal Data gathered from visitors to our website in an aggregate form to get a better understanding of where our visitors come from and to help us better design and organise our website.
4. Disclosure of Information to Third Parties
• Personal Data
We will not disclose your Personal Data to third parties except:
i) to the extent that we are required to do so by law
ii) in compliance with the Garda Síochána Act, 2005 or
iii) to the extent that you have consented to this disclosure.
The third parties to whom we may provide this information may include parties to the investigation, the Garda Commissioner, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Garda Inspectorate.
• Information Shared with the Garda Commissioner
We will share information with the Garda Commissioner in accordance section 81 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 and having regard to the Memorandum of Understanding, Protocols and Agreement on Operational Matters. In particular, your attention is drawn to Part 4 of that Memorandum (“Sharing of information, including evidence”) and the Information Sharing Protocol set out in Appendix 3 of that Memorandum.
• Non-Personal Data
We may provide Non-Personal Data to third parties, where such information is combined with similar information of other users of our website. For example, we might inform third parties regarding the number of unique users who visit our website, the demographic breakdown of community users of our website, or the activities that visitors to our website engage in while on our website.
5. Security
Your Personal Data is held on secure servers. The nature of the Internet is such that we cannot guarantee or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us via the Internet. No data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. However, we will take all reasonable steps (including appropriate technical and organisational measures) to protect your Personal Data.
6. Updating, Verifying and Deleting Personal Data
Under the Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003 you are entitled to apply to have your personal data updated and you may inform us at any time of any changes in your Personal Data. To request information on what Personal Data we hold on you or to request to have your Personal Data updated, amended or removed from our database, please write to us at Data Protection Officer, Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, 150 Abbey Street Upper, Dublin 1. Please see our policy concerning the making of a Data Access Request. <LINK TO DATA ACCESS REQUEST DOCUMENT>. Any such data subject requests may be subject to the prescribed fee.
7. Direct Marketing and Surveys
GSOC does not engage in any direct marketing activity. However, from time to time (including on our Complaint Form) we offer individuals the option of providing us with certain voluntary additional information so as to assist us in assessing statistically important information. However, where we seek this information we make it clear as to the purposes behind the request and its voluntary nature. Complainants who do not wish to provide this level of information need not do so and their decision will in no way have any effect on the way their complaint is treated.
8. Changes to this Privacy Policy
Any changes to this Website Privacy Policy will be posted on this website so you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it. If at any time we decide to use Personal Data in a manner significantly different from that stated in this Website Privacy Policy, or otherwise disclosed to you at the time it was collected, we will notify you, and you will have a choice as to whether or not we use your information in the new manner.
This policy is dated 3rd December, 2008.
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