1. Purpose
This Privacy Policy explains how Tide Breaker and its partners collect, use, store, and protect your personal data in compliance with the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, and any successor regulations. The Privacy Policy applies to personal data collected via the Site and related Tide Breaker programme interactions.
2. Who We Are
Tide Breaker is a collaboration between:
- Elementz Ltd (Data Infrastructure Lead)
- Compass (Operator Advisory Board)
- The Data Lab (Governance & Mentoring)
- ONE Digital Tech (Regional Innovation Support)
For data collected through this website, Tide Breaker acts as the Data Controller, determining the purposes and means of processing personal information.
Certain partners may act as Data Processors or Joint Controllers when delivering specific programme functions (for example, applicant evaluation or platform management).
3. Information We Collect
- Identification data (name, email, organisation, role)
- Application details (start-up or operator information, submissions)
- Technical data (IP address, browser, analytics)
- Marketing preferences (opt-in status for updates and events)
We do not intentionally collect special category data. Please do not submit sensitive data (e.g., health, ethnicity) unless explicitly requested and consented.
4. How We Use Your Data
We process data to:
- manage registrations and programme applications
- communicate programme updates, events, and results
- coordinate mentoring, challenge definitions, and evaluations
- to maintain Site security, prevent fraud, and administer the platform
- to produce anonymised or aggregated insights for programme evaluation
- comply with reporting requirements to our public-sector supporters
5. Lawful Bases
Processing is based on:
- Consent (when you submit a form or opt-in to updates)
- Contractual necessity (to operate programme participation)
- Legitimate interest (to manage Tide Breaker operations and network engagement)
6. Data Sharing
Personal data may be shared securely among Tide Breaker partners listed above for the purposes in section 4.
We will never sell or trade your data. All partners are bound by data-sharing agreements and UK GDPR-compliant safeguards.
7. Retention
Website enquiry data – up to 24 months after last contact.
Programme application data – retained for 3 years post-programme cycle for audit and impact reporting, then securely deleted.
8. Security
Data is held on UK-based secure servers with encryption, restricted access, and multi-factor authentication.
In limited cases, where international cloud storage is used, standard contractual clauses (SCCs 2021) apply.
9. Your Rights
You can:
- access, correct, or erase your data;
- withdraw consent at any time;
- request portability or restriction of processing.
To exercise your rights, contact contact@tidebreaker.digital. You have the right to complain to the ICO (www.ico.org.uk) if you are unhappy with how we process your personal data. Requests are handled within one month, free of charge unless manifestly excessive.
10. Cookies
The Site uses strictly necessary and performance cookies only. Non-essential cookies are only set with your consent. A consent banner allows you to manage cookies. Full details appear in the Cookie Notice (updated October 2025).
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect legal or operational developments. The current version is dated October 2025 and supersedes all earlier versions.