Skip to main content

https://civilservicelocal.blog.gov.uk/blog-comment-and-moderation-guidelines/

Privacy, Accessibility, and Moderation policies

Privacy

The GOV.UK blogging platform privacy notice can be found at
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/govuk-blogging-platform-privacy-notice/govuk-blogging-platform-privacy-notice
Blog.gov.uk uses the WordPress platform whose Privacy notice can be found at https://en-gb.wordpress.org/about/privacy/

The Civil Service Local Blog, Twitter and YouTubePrivacy Notice is included at the end of this page.

Please note that at many of our events photographs and video recordings will be made and those photos/videos may be used for promotional reasons online, in local press and in our internal business publications. If anyone who attends our events prefers for their images not to be used in this way please make yourself known to the event organiser. You may be asked to wear a sticker/lanyard to help those taking pictures to identify those they should avoid. Where a photograph or video is focused on a single individual then we would normally seek that person's explicit consent for its use (including where some of our talent development products are being made available on Public Domain sites).

If there are any images or data that you wish us to remove from our blog, Twitter, FaceBook, YouTube or published documents please email CS Local Corporate Team

Please note, whilst we will take steps to ask providers to remove information about individuals, it may not be possible to delete information that has been shared with public Social Media.

Accessibility

Please read the GDS Blog accessibility statement.

Comments and Moderation

Our Blog and Twitter accounts are overseen by the Civil Service Local Corporate Team but posts are made by various team members with localities throughout the country.

We do not use any automation (such as tools which generate tweets from RSS feeds) to post content on Twitter or the Blog.

If you follow or subscribe to one of our accounts, you can expect tweets or notifications covering the following:

relevant news stories and press releases
occasional live coverage of events
notifications of the latest blogs to be posted
updates on relevant Civil Service Local and cross-government programmes
links to relevant speeches and announcements by UK government departments
other information we think is relevant to you

Twitter specifics

Twitter and FOI

For Freedom of Information (FOI) requests we will usually ask you to provide email details to reply to and then process the request that way. Where we can reply in 280 characters we may do so on Twitter.

If you follow us we will not automatically follow you back. However, if we choose to follow you this does not imply endorsement of any kind.

We will normally only update and monitor our Twitter account during office hours, Monday to Friday. Twitter may occasionally be unavailable and we accept no responsibility for lack of service due to Twitter downtime.

@Replies and direct messages

We welcome feedback and ideas from all our followers and endeavour to join the conversation where possible. However, we are not able to reply individually to all the messages we receive via Twitter. We read all @replies and direct messages and ensure that any emerging themes or helpful suggestions are passed to the relevant people within the department.

If we ask you to email directly please use a “.gov.uk” email account when posting – this site is primarily directed towards serving Civil Servants. If comments are made by people outside the Civil Service then the comment may not be published or we may reply via email quoting the comment made.

We cannot engage on issues of party politics or answer questions which break the rules of our general comments policy.

Blog specifics

We welcome and encourage comments about our services and publications. When posting comments, please observe our site participation guidelines:

  • be respectful of others who use this site
  • stay on topic
  • keep comments concise
  • do not use language that is offensive, inflammatory or provocative (this includes, but is not limited to, swearing and obscene or vulgar comments)
  • do not break the law (this includes libel, condoning illegal activity and contempt of court)
  • do not use this site for party political purposes (this site is paid for with public money so it's inappropriate to engage in party-political activity)
  • please do not post personal information in comments such as addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses or other online contact details, which may relate to you or other individuals
  • do not impersonate or falsely claim to represent a person or an organisation
  • do not attempt to log on using another user’s account
  • do not make any commercial endorsement or promotion of any product, service or publication not relevant to the discussion
  • If you are aged 16 or under, please get the permission of your parent or guardian before participating. Users without this consent are not allowed to participate.

Moderation policy

Blog comments from new users are pre-moderated to check they comply with the CS Local participation guidelines above. If comments don’t comply they will not be published.

Here is a brief outline of how we evaluate comments.

Is this comment on topic, does it add value to the discussion and is it something we can answer publicly? If so we will post a timely response within 48 hours.

Is this person asking for information or detail relating to another Department or is it a GOV.UK content query? If so, we'll pass the query on and update the user on progress.

We will read but not always directly respond to every comment made. We anticipate that some responses will come from other readers. Some comments will not be made public and we may choose to respond via email.

Please use a “.gov.uk” email account when posting – this site is primarily directed towards serving civil servants. If comments are made by people outside the Civil Service then the comment may not be published or we may reply via email quoting the comment made. Comments made by readers without a gov.uk email address will be deleted.

So please comment and join the conversation.

Contact details:

Email: mailto://cslocal@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Civil Service Local
Civil Service Group
Cabinet Office
Area 4.17
1 Horse Guards Road
London SW1A 2HQ

Comments, complaints and suggestions can also be made directly to James Dumbill Head of Civil Service Local.

 


12 August 2021 Revised Privacy Notice for Civil Service Local: members, events and service user interaction

This notice sets out how we will use your personal data, and your rights. It is made under Articles 13 and/or 14 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Civil Service Local is hosted by the Civil Service Human Resources Expert Services and their Privacy Notice

(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-employee-policy-privacy-notice/civil-service-employee-policy-privacy-notice)

should be read in conjunction with this document.

YOUR DATA

Purpose

Civil Service Local’s purpose is to bring together departments and agencies within local areas throughout the United Kingdom (localities) to deliver actions and opportunities that will help build a skilled, innovative and responsive Civil Service and to encourage more of us to be active in making government work better. We connect people from different departments and help them to share expertise and develop skills and solutions that benefit the business and customers.

We process your personal information for:

  • To collect and hold data on civil servants and others who are part of Civil Service Local. We hold this data to run and manage Civil Service Local, to recruit members, and to share it with other public bodies who want to communicate with Civil Service Local members. We will not share your diversity data in identifiable form.
  • the purpose of managing and developing Civil Service Local events that we organise with members of the public, members of the Civil Service and the wider public service.
    • Event and service management includes maintaining contact lists for the purpose of tracking attendance, circulating promotional information and digital engagement during and post-event.
    • Event and service development includes collecting feedback, commentary and personal opinions about the events we have provided or may in the future provide.
  • the carrying out of research, which may include the use of photos or videos to provide a visual representation of findings in order to better inform, communicate and provide evidence of the impact of Civil Service Local projects.
  • The maintenance of social media accounts to facilitate awareness and public engagement.
  • The posting of internet blog articles to highlight the activity or particular teams or issues of interest.
  • the facilitation of live webinar or broadcast events and internet publication of our content. If you are an attendee at an on-line event you may choose to identify or display an image of yourself, or otherwise interact with the session organisers and delegates. If you choose to do so, this will be captured on the livestream/recording.
  • the formation of cross-departmental networks and to allow members to contact each other in order to share personal knowledge and expertise and to work on projects together.

We also collect diversity information for equality monitoring purposes, to ensure that our events are accessible to all, and to help design services and events specifically for disadvantaged or protected groups. This will help us ensure we are fulfilling our Public Sector Equality Duty and follow the Civil Service D&I policies.

Data

We will process the following personal data of members of the public and members of the Civil Service:

your name
your email addresses (personal and/or work)
your employer
your telephone number
your office location
your job title
your grade/pay band
your image and voice (photo and video)
your opinions - on our current or proposed services
your Civil Service Department or employer
social media handle and interactions

We may also process the following sensitive personal data

age, disability, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation
your socio-economic background
your status as a carer

Where you have not provided your data directly to us, your data has been provided by your employer.

Legal basis of processing

The legal basis for processing your personal data is:

In relation to voice recordings, photographs and video and

In relation to information passed to the Heads of Place Network:

Because you consent.

In relation to all other data:

That it is a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the data controller. In this case that is Civil Service Local’s role in managing events and providing services to members of the public and the Civil Service in order to deliver an improved Civil Service to all.

The legal basis for processing your sensitive personal data is:

It is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest for the exercise of a function of a government department. In this case that is Civil Service Local’s task in connecting people and helping them to share expertise and develop skills and solutions that benefit the business and customers.

It is necessary for historical research, statistical purposes, and service improvement and it is in the public interest.

It is necessary to demonstrate that we are fulfilling our public sector equality duty and that we can positively contribute to the advancement of equality and good relations.

Recipients

As your personal data will be stored on our IT infrastructure it will be shared with our data processors who provide email, and document management and storage services.

Data published on our blog will be shared on the internet.

Data (e.g. in newsletters) will be shared with all or some of the network members.

Your personal information may be shared with event venues for the purpose of tracking attendance and building entry. This will be restricted to what is necessary for the venue to know and shared in a secure manner with a notice to treat your personal information in accordance with GDPR.

We also use event management Cloud companies to organise events. Services include managing applications, the selection of delegates, registration and attendance and digital audience participation during the event.

Data from interactions on our social media pages will be shared with platform providers, and others in accordance with your privacy settings.

We may share contact data with other government departments, agencies and other public sector bodies to facilitate networks and individual coaching/mentoring sessions, and where they wish to contact the Civil Service Local network.

This sharing will be restricted to what is necessary for the venue or partner to know and shared in a secure manner with a notice to treat your personal information in accordance with GDPR.

Some of our opportunities stream material directly into on-line public services such as YouTube, Vimeo, FaceBook and LinkedIn.

Retention

Your personal data will be kept by the Cabinet Office and will be reviewed annually. Data from members who are not active or do not indicate their continued interest will be deleted. The data will be deleted within 6 months of the last meeting if a Network is discontinued.

Information held by third party IT suppliers will be held for the duration of the event and deleted as soon as possible after the event is completed. Personal information held by third-party IT suppliers will be reviewed annually.

We will request that all personal information shared with external venues will be deleted post-event.

Data you place on our social media pages will be retained for as long as you wish. You may delete any posts using the normal platform controls and privacy settings.

Data posted on our public blog will be deleted after 7 years unless it forms part of the historical record of the work of CS Local. Blog articles are regularly copied by the National Archive.

Diversity data will be kept in identifiable form for up to three months following the end of the relevant business year.

YOUR RIGHTS

You have the right to request information about how your personal data are processed, and to request a copy of that personal data.

You have the right to request that any inaccuracies in your personal data are rectified without delay.

You have the right to request that any incomplete personal data are completed, including by means of a supplementary statement.

You have the right to request that your personal data are erased if there is no longer a justification for them to be processed.

You have the right in certain circumstances (for example, where accuracy is contested) to request that the processing of your personal

data is restricted.

You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data where it is processed for direct marketing purposes.

You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data.

In relation to photographs and videos:

You have the right to withdraw consent to the processing of your personal data at any time.

INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS

As your personal data is stored on our IT infrastructure, and shared with our data processors, it may be transferred and stored securely outside the UK. Where that is the case it will be subject to equivalent legal protection through an adequacy decision or the use of Model Contract Clauses.

As your information will be shared with third-party IT suppliers providing services including data management and selection, registration and attendance and digital audience participation during the event, it may be transferred and stored securely outside the UK. Where that is the case it will be subject to equivalent legal protection through an adequacy decision, the use of Model Contract Clauses, or Binding Corporate Rules.

COMPLAINTS

If you consider that your personal data has been misused or mishandled, you may make a complaint to the Information Commissioner, who is an independent regulator.

The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, or 0303 123 1113, or casework@ico.org.uk.

Any complaint to the Information Commissioner is without prejudice to your right to seek redress through the courts.

CONTACT DETAILS

The data controller for your personal data is the Cabinet Office. The contact details for the data controller are Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2AS, or 0207 276 1234, or publiccorrespondence@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.

The contact details for the data controller’s Data Protection Officer are dpo@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.

The Data Protection Officer provides independent advice and monitoring of the Cabinet Office’s use of personal information.

The Civil Service Local Management Team can be contacted at cslocal@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Social Media Policy

Our social media accounts are run by a team of editors working within the regional teams supported by Hazel Hetherington and John Haskey. Our accounts are used to communicate Civil Service Local messages primarily for currently serving Civil Servants, but may be of general interest beyond.

Editors may highlight content from other accounts, for example by commenting, liking or retweeting (depending on the platform) but this does not constitute any kind of endorsement.

Editors may also decide to connect on networks or to follow other accounts. This also does not constitute an endorsement and requests will not influence actions.

We regret that we may not be able to respond to all requests/messages/comments we receive via social media. On occasion, we may respond generally to a number of questions at once rather than deal with each individually. Freedom of Information requests directly relating to Civil Service Local should be made via the Corporate Team.

How to make suggestions or complain about our services.