Guidance

UK Business Data Survey 2026 Privacy Notice

Published 14 October 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/publications/uk-business-data-survey-2026-information-for-survey-participants/uk-business-data-survey-2026-privacy-notice

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

The UK business data survey is a telephone and online-based study of UK businesses. It is a cross-sectional study which has been running since 2021. It seeks to understand the role and importance of personal and non-personal data in UK businesses, domestic and international transfers of data, and the awareness of, and attitudes toward, data protection legislation and policy.

In order to conduct this study, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has commissioned a third party, Ipsos, an independent research company, to collect personal data on its behalf. Ipsos UK is a specialist research agency, commonly known as “Ipsos”. Ipsos is acting as a Data Processor.

Your Data

We will process the following personal data:

  • Personal identifiers such as your name and personal or business contact details if you choose to take part in the survey
  • Personal information relating to sole traders

We will not process any special category data.

Where personal data has not been obtained from the data subject

Your personal data were obtained by Ipsos, on our behalf, from a business sample provider, Market Location, or provided directly from you during a survey interview. Market Location, hold records of organisations based on public information and commercially available lists.

Purpose

The purpose(s) for which we are processing your personal data is:

  • for statistical research purposes and to inform future government policy
  • to potentially contact you again to request you participate in future waves of this or related studies

The legal basis for processing your personal data under Article 6 of the UK GDPR is:

1(e)Public task: 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. This processing is necessary for the exercise of the functions of a government department (DPA Schedule 9, paragraph 5(d)). This survey provides ministers and government officials with information about businesses in order to inform future policy development.

DSIT may ask if you wish to take part in a follow up to the survey and will only contact you where you have indicated you are happy to be contacted. Should you change your mind, you can opt out of this follow up exercise at any time by contacting:

Email: Berkeley Zych at ukbusinessdatasurvey@dsit.gov.uk

Post:

25-032155-01 DSIT UK Business Data Survey
DSIT Data Protection Officer
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
22-26 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2EG

Recipients

Your personal data will be shared by us with our survey supplier, Ipsos, for the purpose of conducting the survey. If our supplier changes for future waves of the survey we may share your details with the new supplier for the same purpose.

Anonymised, aggregate, statistical research findings may be published or shared with other government departments, partner organisations or researchers for statistical research purposes, and it will not be possible to identify you from the information shared.

As your personal data will be stored on our IT infrastructure it will also be shared with our data processors Microsoft and Amazon Web Services.

Retention

Your personal data will be kept by us and our survey supplier for up to three years.

Automated decision making

We will not normally use your data for any automated decision making.

International Transfers

Your personal data will be processed within the UK or in the European Economic Area (EEA).

Where your personal data is processed in the EEA, the following safeguards will be in place:

  • UK Adequacy Regulations

Privacy polices of data processors

For further information on how Ipsos process your personal data, please view their Privacy Notice here:

https://www.ipsos.uk/BusinessData

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.

To exercise your rights please contact the Data Protection Officer using the contact details below.

Contact Details

The data controller for your personal data is the Department for Science. Innovation and Technology (DSIT). You can contact the DSIT Data Protection Officer at:

DSIT Data Protection Officer
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
22-26 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2EG

Email: dataprotection@dsit.gov.uk

If you are unhappy with the way we have handled your personal data, please write to the department’s Data Protection Officer in the first instance using the contact details above.

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 UK independent regulator.  The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

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

Telephone: 0303 123 1113
https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

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

Updates to this notice

If this privacy notice changes in any way, we will place an updated version on this page. Regularly reviewing this page ensures you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances we will share it with other parties. The ‘last updated’ date at the bottom of this page will also change.

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

This notice was last updated on 8 October 2025.

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