Guidance

Privacy Notice for Covid Taskforce Social Media Analysis

Published 15 June 2021

1. Your data

1.1 Purpose

The purposes for which we are processing your personal data are to collect public data from the internet, deep web and dark web to:

• Better understand concerns from aggregated data on Covid, vaccines and restriction-related discussions;
• Use aggregated geo-tagged data to assess patterns of movement between international borders and;
• Use aggregated geo-tagged data to review how effective government policy and restrictions are amongst our international comparators.

We have no intention whatsoever to collect data on specific individuals or to profile individuals. We are only interested in aggregate data. The social media analytical tools we use will process personal data as a result of searches in order to present us with non-personal aggregate information.

1.2 The data

Whilst our focus is on non-personal, aggregated data, we may process the following personal data: social media user names, social media geo-location data (only where publicly provided), opinion data posted on social media, and potentially any other data that is in the public domain or the deep and dark web.

1.3 Legal basis of processing

The legal basis for processing your personal data is that processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the data controller (Article 6(1)(e) UK GDPR). In this case that is National Security related to Covid-19.

Sensitive personal data is personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, and the processing of genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person, data concerning health or data concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation. While we have no intention of collecting sensitive personal data or criminal convictions data, such data may be published by individuals in the social media data that we process in order to produce aggregates.

Our legal basis for processing any sensitive or criminal convictions personal data is that the processing relates to personal data which are manifestly made public by the data subject.

1.4 Recipients

Your personal data will be shared by us with our IT supplier who provides social media analytical services.

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

1.5 Retention

Your personal data will not be retained by us in identifiable form. We will only retain aggregate data.

1.6 Where personal data have not been obtained from you

Your personal data were obtained by us from public internet sources such as social media and websites.

2. 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.

3. 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 reliance on Standard Contractual Clauses.

4. 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.

5. 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

Public Enquiries: Online Contact Form

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

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