Vetpol Privacy

Whilst we may occasionally have to pick a time to knock politely on your door and ask you a question, sometimes everyone needs a little privacy and we respect that. We also avoid the terms "Webmaster" and "Controller": As Users are professional people we want to avoid "control-freakery" and put you in control of your own personal data. At the same time we also want you to feel safe whilst you are under our roof. So for your information the person on the site described as "Your Host" is also acting as the Data Controller in data protection terms. The rest of this section is about how we use your data.

Please also see our Terms and Conditions.

Vetpol Ltd and its Directors believe that unsolicited direct marketing communications are unethical especially where the recipient cannot reasonably be expected to have any interest in what’s being sent or has difficulty in opting out.

1.As this site exists for the purpose of opinion polling, market research and facilitating discussion amongst veterinary professionals, whilst you have the right not to participate, from time to time it will be necessary for Vetpol Ltd to contact you in order to consult with you. For the same purposes it will occasionally be necessary to process your data to run the site efficiently and to publish objective information to inform the public debate in matters concerning the veterinary community; in agreeing to these terms you are agreeing to have your data held and processed for this purpose in the United Kingdom.

2. We do not believe in unsolicited direct marketing communications: At present we have no plans to provide your personal data to any other party. If the Site develops in a way that prompts Users to request us to provide such a service then you will be specifically asked to opt in before being included.

3. As our market research and opinion polling capability develops we may ask you for some personal details beyond your name and e-mail address; the reason for asking you for these details is firstly so that we can verify who you are should we need to in order to protect other Users, and secondly in order that we can provide more meaningful information from market research and opinion polling. The Company reserves the right to ask you for sufficient information to verify your status as a veterinary professional, and to exclude you from the Site if you fail to provide sufficient information. You accept that it is your personal responsibility to keep your own data up to date although we are happy to assist you.

4. Feedback: In undertaking these activities Vetpol Ltd agrees to publish any results of opinion polling anonymously, unless you have specifically stated that your opinions may be made public, or have used the Site to make them public. Whilst it is the intention of Vetpol Ltd and its Directors to behave ethically and within the law, if for any reason at any time you do not feel happy you take responsibility for contacting us and giving us feedback. Whilst we are here to help you we also wish to avoid behaving as “big brother”: We will be adopting a “hands-off” approach where possible, consequently if we cannot see your feedback we may be unaware of any problems you may be experiencing, or ways in which we can improve the Site for you.

5. In the event that you do not decide to stay registered with Vetpol the Company does not wish to keep your personal data but may be obliged to retain some of your data if relevant laws make this obligatory e.g. if you use the site to buy and sell goods; the Company will retain only those data that it is obliged to retain and only for the period of time that is necessary.

6. Whilst Vetpol intends to continue to discount membership of the Site to zero for as long as is possible recovering its costs through sponsorship and market research, where a Third Party uses a list for the benefit of its members it may reasonably wish to ensure that users of its list have paid their membership subscriptions, in order that this organisation may continue to carry out the activities that its members value. Vetpol Ltd reserves the right to assist these organisations in ensuring that only those eligible to join are able to remain on these lists; you agree that in order to do so the minimum data required in order to verify your current eligibility may be shared between Vetpol Ltd and the organisation concerned. This could be for example as little as your membership number for this organisation provided that the organisation maintains a robust and accurate register of its members; if an organisation asks Vetpol Ltd to maintain its membership list on its behalf you are agreeing that Vetpol Ltd shares only those personal details that you have specifically indicated the Third Party may hold.

Users who have any concerns or questions about privacy are welcome to contact us at enquiries@pmark.co.uk.