Personal information charter
Source: gov.uk (2025-07-03)

This sets out the standards you can expect from the Government Digital Service (GDS) when we collect, hold or use your personal information.

We will follow all applicable UK data protection laws in how we treat your personal information.

Your rights

When GDS collects, holds, uses or processes your personal information, you have a right to be told:
- what the data is being used for
- why we’re legally able to process your data (also called the ‘lawful basis for processing’)
- how long we will keep your data
- who we will share it with
- whether it will be transferred or accessed outside the UK, and what legal protection it will have
- who our Data Protection Officer is
- about any rights you have, including the right to access your information or to object to its being used
- about your right to complain to the Information Commissioner if you feel that your personal information has been mishandled
You are also entitled to have your personal information:
- protected and kept secure
- kept accurate and up to date
- not used for purposes which are incompatible with those for which it was collected
- kept only for as long as it is needed for the purpose for which it was collected (unless it must be kept as part of the historic record)
Privacy notices

These privacy notices explain how specific public-facing GDS platforms and services handle your information:
- Digital Marketplace (https://www.applytosupply.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/privacy-notice)
- GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/help/privacy-policy)
- GOV.UK One Login (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/govuk-one-login-privacy-notice)
- GOV.UK blogging platform (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/govuk-blogging-platform-privacy-notice)
- GOV.UK licensing (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/govuk-licensing-privacy-policy)
- GOV.UK Pay (https://www.payments.service.gov.uk/privacy/)
- GDS recruitment (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-digital-service-recruitment-privacy-notice)
- Data Science Accelerator (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-science-accelerator-privacy-notice)
- GovWifi (https://www.wifi.service.gov.uk/privacy-notice/)
You can also see privacy notices for:
- GDS staff tools and the cross-government networks and communities administered by GDS (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-digital-service-privacy-notices)
- GDS user research (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-digital-service-user-research-privacy-notice)
- GDS user support (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-digital-service-user-support-privacy-notice)
- Digital Data and Technology (DDaT) Emerging Talent (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ddat-emerging-talent-privacy-notice)
- cross-government domain management (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gds-cross-government-domain-management-privacy-notice)
- the DDaT functional workforce plan (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/digital-data-and-technology-ddat-functional-workforce-plan-privacy-notice)
How to contact us

The data controller is the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), as the parent organisation for GDS. A data controller determines how and why personal data is processed. Read DSIT’s registration details with the Information Commissioner’s Office (https://ico.org.uk/ESDWebPages/Entry/ZB546218) for more information.

Contact the GDS Data Protection Team if you:
- have any questions about anything in this document
- think that your personal data has been misused or mishandled
- want to make a subject access request (https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/make-a-subject-access-request/) (SARS)
Government Digital ServiceThe White Chapel Building10 Whitechapel High StreetLondonE1 8QS

Email: xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)

How to contact the Data Protection Officer

Email the Data Protection Officer.

Email: xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)

The Data Protection Officer provides independent advice and monitoring of DSIT’s and GDS’s use of personal information.

Independent advice on data protection and privacy

Contact the Information Commissioner for independent advice about data protection, privacy and data-sharing issues.

Information Commissioner's Office

Email xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)

Telephone xx-xxxx-xxxx

Textphone xx-xxxx-xxxx