The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that your personal data is handled responsibly and securely.
This policy explains how we collect, use and protect your personal information when you use our website.
We may update this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page occasionally to ensure that you are happy with any changes.
Data Controller
The data controller responsible for this website is:
Citizens Commission on Human Rights UK
42–44 Copthorne Road
Felbridge
East Grinstead
West Sussex
RH19 2NS
Email: info@cchr.org.uk
What Information We Collect
We may collect the following personal information:
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Name and contact information, including email address
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Demographic information such as postcode, preferences and interests
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IP address (through cookies – see below)
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Location data
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Donation or payment details
Payment details are processed by our payment processor **Stripe and are not stored on our servers.
In some circumstances we may also receive:
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Health or other sensitive information if it is voluntarily provided as part of a psychiatric abuse report.
How We Use Your Information
We collect this information in order to understand your needs and provide our services. This may include:
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Processing donations, purchases or event registrations
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Managing newsletter subscriptions
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Responding to enquiries and abuse reports
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Investigating reports of psychiatric abuse where permission has been granted
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Internal record keeping
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Improving our services and website
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Sending periodic emails about information we believe may be of interest
Where information is submitted regarding psychiatric abuse, we will request a separate release form before sharing the report with any relevant governing body.
If you do not provide certain personal information, we may be unable to process donations, respond to abuse reports, or provide certain services.
Legal Basis for Processing
We process personal data under the following lawful bases:
Consent
When you sign up for newsletters or voluntarily submit information.
Contract
When processing donations, purchases, or event registrations.
Legitimate interests
To operate, improve and maintain our website and services.
Legal obligation
Where we must process data to comply with applicable law.
Special Category Data
In the course of receiving reports about psychiatric treatment or abuse, we may process health-related information. This is classified as special category personal data under the UK GDPR.
We process this data under:
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Article 6(1)(a) – your consent
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Article 9(2)(a) – explicit consent for health data you voluntarily provide
This information is used solely for reviewing reports, supporting individuals, and pursuing the organisation’s advocacy activities.
Access to such information is restricted to authorised staff and protected through appropriate technical and organisational safeguards.
In some cases, information provided in abuse reports may be used for research, advocacy, or reporting purposes. Where possible, identifying information will be removed so that individuals cannot be identified.
Third-party data in reports
When submitting reports, please ensure that any personal data you provide about others is shared only where necessary and lawful.
We will process personal data about third parties only where we have a lawful basis, and we will take all reasonable steps to anonymise or pseudonymise such information before use, disclosure, or publication.
Sharing Your Information
We may share personal data with trusted third-party service providers who help operate our website and services. These may include:
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Payment processors
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Website hosting providers
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Email communication platforms
We do not sell, distribute or lease personal information to third parties unless required by law.
International Data Transfers
We store data primarily within the United Kingdom.
Where third-party service providers process data outside the UK, appropriate safeguards are used to protect personal information, such as approved contractual clauses.
Data Retention
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy.
Typical retention periods include:
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Newsletter data: until you unsubscribe
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Donation records: up to 7 years for accounting and legal purposes
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Abuse reports: only as long as necessary to review and process the report
Security
We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure.
We have implemented appropriate physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online and prevent unauthorised access or disclosure.
Cookies
A cookie is a small file placed on your computer’s hard drive that helps analyse web traffic or recognise when you visit a particular site.
We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse website traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to visitor needs.
Cookies are used only with your consent, which you can manage through your browser settings or through cookie preferences on this website.
You can choose to accept or decline cookies through your browser settings. Declining cookies may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.
Links to Other Websites
Our website may contain links to other websites of interest.
Once you leave our website, we do not have control over the protection and privacy of any information you provide on other sites. Those sites are not governed by this privacy policy, and you should review their own privacy policies.
Your Rights
Under the UK GDPR, you have the following rights:
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The right to access the personal data we hold about you
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The right to request correction of inaccurate information
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The right to request deletion of your personal data
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The right to restrict processing of your data
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The right to data portability
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The right to object to processing
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The right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us at:
Complaints
If you believe your data has been handled improperly, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office.