Open consultation

Britain’s Story: The Next Chapter - public consultation: privacy notice

Published 16 December 2025

© Crown copyright 2025

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/britains-story-the-next-chapter-the-bbc-royal-charter-review-green-paper-and-public-consultation/britains-story-the-next-chapter-public-consultation-privacy-notice

Who is collecting my data

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) helps to drive growth, enrich lives and promote Britain abroad.

We protect and promote our cultural and artistic heritage and help businesses and communities to grow by investing in innovation and highlighting Britain as a fantastic place to visit. We help to give the UK a unique advantage on the global stage, striving for economic success.

The survey is built on the Qualtrics survey system, a third-party online survey system licensed by DCMS. Qualtrics will also hold data up to 90 days after DCMS delete the survey from the Qualtrics system. Read the Qualtrics privacy statement.

Your data, including any personal data, may also be shared with a third-party provider, or other government department or organisation, who may analyse and summarise responses for us and may use technology, such as artificial intelligence.  Artificial intelligence (AI) is an umbrella term for a range of technologies and approaches that often attempt to mimic human thought to solve complex tasks. Our use of AI is governed by policies and procedures that address data security, privacy, and responsible AI usage.  DCMS may use AI to understand the emerging themes and evidence from the survey results. There will be no automated decision making involved in the use of AI.

An anonymised version of your response may be published in a list of responses, in a summary of responses received, and in any subsequent review reports. We may also share your personal data where required by law, for example in relation to a request made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. We will remove information which could identify you, such as email addresses and telephone numbers from these responses, but apart from this we may publish responses in full. Please do not include personal information in your free-text responses. After completing this survey, you will be asked to confirm you have reviewed your free-text responses and have removed any personal information before submitting. 

Purpose of this privacy notice

This notice sets out how we’ll use your personal data. We have to provide this information as part of our legal obligations set out in Article 13 of UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) when data is received directly from you.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s personal information charter (opens in a new tab) explains: 

  • how we handle your information
  • how you can ask to view, change or remove your information from our records

What is personal data

Personal data is any information related to an identified or identifiable natural living person, otherwise known as a ‘data subject’.

A data subject is someone who can be recognised, directly or indirectly, by information such as their name, identification number, location data, online identifier, or about their physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural, or social identity. These types of identifying information are known as ‘personal data’.

You can find more in the Information Commissioner’s Office’s (ICO) guide to understanding personal information.

What personal data do we collect

The personal information we collect and process is provided to us directly by you. This includes:

  • for members of the public, those working in the media or creative industries, and researchers - demographic characteristics including age, sex, gender, region of residence, national identity, ethnic group, disability status and level of education
  • for those responding on behalf of an organisation - the name of the organisation
  • information about how you use this website including IP address

How will we use your data

Data protection law applies to the processing of personal data, including its collection, use and storage.

We use personal information for a wide range of purposes to carry out our functions as a government department. This includes:

  • processing the demographic data provided by respondents and information about which organisations respondents belong to, where this is provided
  • processing the information that you provide in relation to your views on topics covered within the consultation.
  • when the consultation ends, we will publish a summary of the findings on the Department’s website. This may include data tables showing a breakdown of responses across different demographic groups, and a list of organisations who responded where anonymity has been waived. All responses and personal data will be processed in compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

The lawful basis that we rely on to process your personal data will determine which of the following rights are available to you. 

Much of the processing we do in DCMS is necessary to meet our legal obligations or to perform a public task. If we hold personal data about you in different parts of DCMS for different purposes, then the legal basis we rely on may be different for each case.

Our legal reason for collecting or processing this data is that it is necessary to perform a public task (to carry out a public function or exercise powers set out in law, or to perform a specific task in the public interest that is set out in law). 

Special category data is information about you that is much more sensitive in nature. The Information Commissioner’s Office has information about what constitutes special category data. As the information is more sensitive, it therefore needs to have more safeguards in place before we can use it. Under Article 9 of the UK GDPR, the lawful basis we rely on for processing special category data about you is:

  • substantial public interest - processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, on the basis of Domestic Law (the requirement to consult the public set out in article 59(5)(a) of the Royal Charter for the BBC) which shall be proportionate to the aim pursued, respect the essence of the right to data protection and provide for suitable and specific measures to safeguard the fundamental rights and the interests of the data subject.

Specifically, special category data are being collected under the category of substantial public interest for statutory and government purposes and equality of opportunity or treatment.

What will happen if I do not provide this data

Providing this data is optional, but it will help us to understand your response to the consultation, and better analyse public views.

Who will your data be shared with

Your data, including any personal data, may also be shared with a third-party provider, or other government department or organisation, who may analyse and summarise responses for us. You should not provide any personal data in the free-text boxes of the survey. Once submitted, this information cannot be removed. Reasonable efforts have been made to ensure personal data is not accidentally collected. At the end of the survey you will be asked to review your response and remove any personal data you may have accidentally included. Before submitting, you will be asked to confirm your response does not include any personal data.

How long will my data be held for

We will only retain your personal data for 5 years in line with DCMS retention policy if: 

  • it is needed for the purposes set out in this document 
  • the law requires us to

Will my data be used for automated decision making or be processed by artificial intelligence (AI)

Your data, including any personal data, may also be shared with a third-party provider, or other government department or organisation, who may analyse and summarise responses for us and may use technology, such as artificial intelligence.  Artificial intelligence (AI) is an umbrella term for a range of technologies and approaches that often attempt to mimic human thought to solve complex tasks. Our use of AI is governed by policies and procedures that address data security, privacy, and responsible AI usage.  DCMS may use AI to understand the emerging themes and evidence from the survey results. There is no automated decision making involved in the use of this model.

Any outputs generated by AI are carefully reviewed by our researchers to ensure accuracy and eliminate any potential biases.

Will my data be transferred outside the UK and if it is how will it be protected

Your data may be transferred and stored securely outside the UK. In such cases, it will be protected by equivalent legal safeguards, either through an adequacy decision or the use of International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) and Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs).

This privacy notice does not cover how other organisations process personal information. Where we provide links to websites of other organisations, we encourage you to read the privacy notices for each of those sites.

What are my data protection rights

You have rights over your personal data under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018). 

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the supervisory authority for data protection legislation, and maintains a full explanation of these rights on their website. DCMS will ensure that we uphold your rights when processing your personal data.

Who controls this data

Data Controller’s title: DCMS

Data Controller’s address:

DCMS,
1st Floor,
100 Parliament Street,
London,
SW1A 2BQ

Data Controller’s email address: enquires@dcms.gov.uk

How do I complain

If you’re unhappy with the way we’ve handled your personal data and want to make a complaint, contact the department’s Data Protection Officer (DPO) at:

Data Protection Officer
The Department for Culture, Media & Sport 
100 Parliament Street
London
SW1A 2BQ

You can also email dpo@dcms.gov.uk.

How to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office

If you believe that your personal data has been misused or mishandled, you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), who is an independent regulator. You can also contact them for independent advice about data protection, privacy and data sharing. 

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

You can also call the ICO on 0303 123 1113.

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

Changes to our privacy notice

We may make changes to this privacy policy. In that case, the ‘last updated’ date at the bottom of this page will also change. Any changes to this privacy policy will apply to you and your data immediately.

If these changes affect how your personal data is processed, DCMS will take reasonable steps to let you know.

This notice was last updated on 16/12/2025.

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