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Children's Privacy Notice

Published: Fri 13 Aug 2021

Information about how we manage your personal data as well as your rights.

Who are we?

We are the IET, this is short for the Institution of Engineering and Technology. We are a charity inspiring the global engineering community to engineer a better world, and we have been doing this since 1871.

We do other things too, like provide a big range of resources and activities for teachers, parents, guardians and carers, teaching STEM to young people, like you, aged 4-19 years. We also run lots of events and competitions.

When you use our site, we may end up with some information about you. We want to let you know that your information is safe with us. The government tells us we can collect data as long as we look after it under the law and keep it safe. This law is called the General Data Protection Regulation, sometimes called the GDPR.

What is personal data?

Personal data means any information that could be used to identify you. This could be your name and home address, or it could include a telephone number, email address, or a picture of you.

This is personal information which tells us something about you.

Sometimes people you don’t know can use your personal data to trick you or put you in uncomfortable situations. That is why it is so important to always keep your personal data safe, and never give it to anyone you don’t know. If you are unsure, always ask a parent, guardian, or carer for help.

Remember, your personal data is your private property, and should only be shared with people you know and trust!

What information do we collect about you?

We only collect the information you, or your parent, guardian, or carer tell us.

We may collect information about you if you take part in our events or competitions, this information may be:

  • Your first name and last name
  • Your location (for example, what city or country you are from)
  • Your age range (for example, if you are between 7 and 11 years old)
  • Your parent, guardian, or carer’s phone number
  • Your parent, guardian, or carer’s email address
  • Your school name.

Other information we may collect:

  • Your social media handle/username (if you follow us, message us, or comment on our posts on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter etc)
  • Information about your visit to our site, like which pages you visited, any searches you made on the site and other sites that you go to from our site. Some of this information is provided by cookies (see below for an explanation on cookies).

What about photos and videos?

We may take photos and videos at our events to showcase your involvement and what you have achieved.

We always ask a trusted parent, guardian, or carer for their permission before taking your photo, but if you decide that not want to have your photo or video taken, you can speak to a trusted adult, parent, guardian, or carer. It is your choice whether you want to have your photo taken or be in our videos.

We share photos or videos in our magazines, websites, blogs, or social media (like Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook).

Why do we collect this information?

We ask for this information because:

  • we need a way to contact your parent, guardian, or carer if you’ve signed up to one of our events or competitions
  • we need to understand who is taking part in our programmes so that we can check whether they’re having an impact.

Giving us your information means that you can:

  • enter our competitions
  • sign up to our events.

What are cookies and why do we use them?

A cookie, (not to be mistaken for a biscuit) is a small file that asks permission to be placed on your computer. Cookies help us know who you are when you visit our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you visit our website and allows us to improve our website.

We use cookies to collect this information:

  • The pages you visit on this site
  • How long you spend on each page on this site
  • How you got to the site
  • What you click on while you’re visiting the site.

Our cookies don’t collect or store your personal data (for example, your name or email address), so they cannot be used to identify you.

Do we share your information with anyone?

No. We don’t give your information to anyone else. The only time we would is if you, your parent, guardian, or carer tell us we can.

How long do we keep your data?

We keep it only as long as we need it, or as long as the law says we must keep it. When we don’t need it, we get rid of it.

What if you don’t want us to keep your information?

You have the same rights as grown-ups. These include knowing what data we have about you, the right to correct anything that’s wrong and more.

You have the right to:

  • find out what information we hold about you
  • ask for copies of the information we hold about you
  • ask us to make changes to your information
  • ask us to correct, delete, limit, or stop using any of your personal data
  • change your mind about us holding your information
  • complain about us to the person who protects your privacy rights. In the UK, this is the Information Commissioners Office.

Can I speak to someone about this?

If you want to know more about the personal information we have of yours, or if you have a question about your information, you can ask your parent, guardian, or carer to contact us.

You can email us at privacyoffice@theiet.org

Or write to us:

Data Protection
The Institution of Engineering and Technology
Futures Place
Kings Way
Stevenage
Hertfordshire
SG1 2UA

Switch to our regular Privacy Statement.