This is a new service - your feedback will help us to improve it.

  1. Home
  2. Privacy policy

Privacy policy

This privacy policy relates to the information we store about you as a Find and Use an API user. It does not relate to the privacy of the end users of any application you develop; under our terms of use you are responsible for the information stored by your application.

We hold information about you as a software developer on the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) lawful basis of 'public task' so that we can run Find and Use an API as a service to you.

We do not knowingly hold personal information on children under the age of 16. Find and Use an API is not for use by children under this age.

We will email you if we update our privacy policy.

Your information

When you use the Find and Use an API service, we collect:

  • your personal details including name, email address and sometimes the name of your organisation
  • information about your applications and the email addresses of your colleagues who access them
  • your IP address, and details of which version of web browser you use
  • information on how you use our site, based on cookies and page tagging techniques
  • any questions, queries or feedback you leave, including your email address, if you contact our support team

How we use your data

We use your personal information:

  • to create your account on the Find and Use an API service
  • to make sure your account works properly
  • to send you service updates and notices
  • in a customer relationship management tool to help us manage our obligations to you

We do not share your information with anyone else.

When you apply for an account, we check:

  • Companies House - to make sure the status of the business is 'active'
  • LinkedIn - to check the business's digital footprint
  • Twitter - to check the business's digital footprint
  • Company website - to check the business’s digital footprint and to make sure we’re dealing with a valid developer
  • Sandbox testing - to make sure you've sufficiently tested the API before we give access to the live environment

How we protect your data

We comply with the GDPR to protect your personal information.

We will:

  • tell you why we need the information
  • only ask for what we need
  • make sure no one has access to it who should not
  • only keep the information for as long as we need it
  • not make it available for commercial use

Our staff are trained in handling information and understand how important it is to protect personal and other sensitive information.

When you close your account, we’ll:

  • delete your personal information
  • keep audit records of your user account activity for up to 6 years

If you want us to delete all the information we hold about you, email our support team.

Asking to see your information

If you want to see the personal information we hold about you:

  • email our support team to find out which DfE office to contact
  • address your GDPR request to the data protection officer

There is no charge for this.

Sometimes we can withhold information, for example to protect national security.

Third party integration

We use third party software to help us improve your experience on the Find and Use an API service, including Azure App Insights, Optimizely and SurveyMonkey.

We may collect your:

  • device's IP address
  • device screen resolution
  • device type (unique device identifiers), operating system, and browser type
  • geographic location (city and country only)
  • preferred page display language
  • referring domain
  • pages visited
  • preferred language used to display the webpage
  • date and time when website pages were accessed
  • mouse events (movements, location and clicks)
  • key presses

We will store this information in a way that it cannot be used to identify you.