Privacy Policy
Your trust means everything to us. Here's how we protect your data.
This policy describes how we collect, use, and protect your personal information.
Table of Contents
1. Contact Information
If you have privacy questions, you can contact us:
| info@whosringing.co.uk | |
| Website | https://whosringing.co.uk |
| Data Protection Contact | Privacy Team |
2. Data We Collect
Information submitted by users
| Type | Details | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Telephone numbers | Numbers users report/search | Community reporting |
| Report details | Reason for report, category (scam/spam/sales), comments | Scam awareness |
| IP address | Stored with reports to prevent abuse & fraud | Security / Abuse control |
| IP geolocation (approximate) | Region-level location from IP lookup | Display general scam activity area |
| Browser User Agent | For spam detection & fraud prevention | Security |
| Contact messages | Name, phone, email, reason for contact | Respond to enquiries |
Geolocation accuracy note
- We only show approximate regional location from IP addresses (e.g. city or region level)
- We do NOT track or display exact user locations
- Locations displayed on maps are approximate and anonymised
3. How We Use Your Data
| Purpose | Legal Basis |
|---|---|
| To publish public reports about suspicious phone numbers | Legitimate interests |
| To protect users against fraud and scams | Legitimate interests |
| To prevent spam and system abuse | Legitimate interests |
| To show general location trends (map markers per report) | Legitimate interests |
| To contact users who make removal/data requests | Legal obligation |
| To respond to enquiries | Legitimate interests |
| Analytics & performance tracking | Consent |
We do not profile users and do not sell, rent, or trade personal data.
4. IP Address & Geolocation Use
When a visitor submits a report:
5. Data Sharing
We may share limited data only with:
- Security & anti-spam services (e.g. Google reCAPTCHA)
- Hosting & analytics providers
- Law enforcement when legally required
- ICO during investigations or complaints
We do not share personal data with telemarketing firms or advertisers.
6. Data Retention
| Data Type | Retention |
|---|---|
| Phone number reports | Indefinitely (public interest & platform integrity) |
| IP addresses | 12 months |
| Geolocation data | Displayed only at region level; no precise data stored |
| Contact form submissions | 24 months |
| Removal requests & GDPR logs | 6 years (legal requirement) |
| Cookies | Up to 12 months |
7. Your Rights Under GDPR
You have the right to:
Contact: info@whosringing.co.uk
8. Removal Requests
If your number appears on our site and you want it removed:
- We follow ICO guidance on data accuracy & erasure
- Proof of number ownership is required
- Removal is completed within 30 days
- Requests without verification will be rejected (to prevent fraud)
10. Embedded Content
Pages on our site may include embedded YouTube videos, Google Maps, etc. These third parties may collect data according to their own privacy policies.
11. Data Security
We protect your data using:
HTTPS encryption
Firewall and malware protection
Limited access controls
Secure UK/EU-based hosting
Regular vulnerability scanning
12. International Data Transfers
Some services (e.g. Google) may store data outside the UK/EU. Where this happens, we use GDPR-approved safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs).
13. Complaints
If you're unhappy with how we handle your data, you can complain to the ICO:
14. Policy Updates
We may update this policy occasionally to reflect improvements or legal changes. Updates will be posted on this page.
Have Questions About Your Privacy?
Contact our privacy team anytime.