This policy relates to the privacy and security of your personal information

The Use of Personal Info

Our web site is designed to help you obtain what you want as quickly and smoothly as possible. The more information you provide, the easier it is for you. We encourage you to register so that we can give you quicker and better access to your favourite services in the future - as well as point you in directions which may interest you.

You don't need to register but if you do , you only have to give us a login name and a password. Additional details such as telephone numbers, your email address and other personal details are optional, but may be needed if you want to use particular online services, or to customise your use of the website to suit your individual needs.

When you register, any details you provide will be stored for use on future visits, as we do not want you to give us any information more than once. The details you give us will tell us about your use of our website in order to help you to get more out of your visits and which will be useful to you personally.

If you register, we will treat you as having consented to our using your personal data in the manner described in this Policy. If you do not register, the personal data we collect from you will be limited to that which you give us in order to enter into any transactions online. We will use that data in order to facilitate that transaction and for no other purpose.

Email addresses
We respect the privacy of personal email accounts and we store your email addresses just as securely as other personal information on the website. We will not send you unwanted email messages or junk mail, and your details will not be passed to any other organisation without your explicit permission.

However, we will use email to send you messages about outstanding orders, faults and service issues. We may also use email to keep you up to date with news about your current services, as well as anything you show an interest in, either online, or through other contact with us. If you do not want to be kept informed in this way by email, please let us know. You can do this by ticking the relevant box where your email address is stored in the website personal profile.

Disclosure of information
Hivetech complies with and is registered under the data protection laws in the United Kingdom and takes all reasonable care to prevent any unauthorised access to your personal data.

Hivetech people and those working for agents or contractors of Hivetech have a responsibility to keep your information confidential and will only use it to offer products and services on behalf of Hivetech.

The personal details that we use to provide or promote our products and services (for example your name, telephone number, or details of the services you use), as well as any information taken from you while you are using this website, will not be passed to any other organisation to be used for marketing purposes. Your details may sometimes be shared with our contractors or agents in order to provide you with products and services you have requested, but we will make this clear to you in the relevant terms and conditions we give you when you order.

Right of access to your information
When you visit our website you have direct personal control over information in your personal profile. You can access and change this information at any time by using the 'update your profile' link.

If you want to know exactly what personal information we hold on you, you can obtain it. If it transpires that the information held is inaccurate, we will make the necessary amendments and confirm to you that these have been made. Please write to the following address, enclosing a cheque for the administration fee of £10 made payable to Hivetech Ltd under the terms of the Data Protection Act.

Data Security Manager, Hivetech Ltd., Crossfield House, Crossfield Road , Lichfield , Staffordshire , WS13 6RJ

Security
We are serious about guarding the security of your personal data and the details of any transactions you make. Please be sure to keep this information safe and do not share it with others. Access to information such as your business account and ordering services, may require extra proof of identity and authorisation may be needed.

Protection of your data

When you register details with us, make an order or access account details, we use a secure server. Any data you give us is encrypted using a 'Secure Socket Layer' (SSL) session. SSL is an industry standard and is one of the best ways to ensure Internet messages are not intercepted. You should be aware, however, that older browsers cannot use SSL. To be sure, you will need Netscape version 4.05 or Microsoft Internet Explorer browsers, version 4 or above.

Over and above what we do to safeguard your privacy and security, there are a number of things you can do to protect yourself from Internet fraud:

• Choose a password you can remember but others will not guess, change it regularly, and if you do write it down, keep it somewhere safe and secure.
• When you have finished your on-line session , make sure that you prevent your details being seen by anyone that you do not wish to see them. So, if you have registered and logged in, remember to log off. Clear any 'cache' so there is no record of any transactions left on screen - both Netscape and Internet Explorer let you do this. We also recommend you then close your browser so any history of the session is cleared. As an extra precaution your session on some areas of the website will terminate if you have not used the site for 20 minutes.

Use of Cookies
Our websites create a 'cookie' when you first register online. A 'cookie' is a piece of information, like a tag, which some websites create against your PC. Our 'cookie' stores some basic information which helps us to identify if you have visited the site before and if you have provide you with some personalised content such as welcoming you by name if you have supplied this in a previous visit. However, as it is based on your PC, we will not find the 'cookie' if you visit us from a different PC to the one you registered on.

Our use of 'cookies' includes the following assurances:

• No information regarding your telephone number, account or payment details is included in the cookie or can be accessed using it.
• They do not collect any personal information regarding the use of your PC or Internet browsing in any way.

If you do not want a cookie to be created on your PC, web browsers such as Netscape and Internet Explorer provide the option to disable them. Please bear in mind that some personalised services on our sites may not be available if you choose to disable cookies.

We also use third parties to track advertising across the web. The information these third parties collects does not include any personal information, but is merely for the purpose of identifying the general effectiveness of such online advertising.

Third party sites
Third party Internet sites that you can link to through our site are not covered by our Privacy and Security policy, so we urge you to be careful when you enter any personal information online. Hivetech accepts no responsibility or liability for these sites.

Managing your contact with Hivetech
If you would like to stop unsolicited telemarketing calls from any company, please contact the Telephone Preference Service on 0845 0700707 and register your telephone number(s). Direct marketing calls should stop after 28 days.

If you would like to stop unsolicited direct marketing mailers from any company, please contact the Mail Preference Service on 0345 034599 and ask for a registration pack. Direct marketing mailers should decrease after 3 months.(Remember to re-register if you change your address.)

If you would like us only not to call or mail you with details of products, services and special offers please contact us at Hivetech Crossfield House, Crossfield Road , Lichfield , Staffordshire , WS15 1QG :

If you would like to stop unsolicited marketing facsimiles (faxes), please contact the Fax Preference Service on 0845 0700702 and register your fax number(s). Direct marketing faxes should stop after 28 days. If you are an individual consumer or a sole trader, it is illegal to send you such faxes unless you have given explicit permission to the sender.

If you would like us not to email you with details of products, services and special offers please complete your email address in the website profile together with the contact option next to it. You may still receive emails in reply to those you send us and notices connected with bills and orders. This opt out applies to the email address you provide to Hivetech but please remember that if you change your email provider, you will also need to change the address used by Hivetech.