Privacy policy

We will make every effort to protect your privacy by maintaining a consistently high level of site security and following strict policies on how we store and use personal information.

 

The information we collect and how we use it
To access the site, you will need to sign up with us. To access restricted parts of the site  we will need to obtain other details from you.

When you use the site, we may track and keep a record of the pages you visit. This data will be used in anonymised, amalgamated form only to allow us to study how people are using our site and which topics are most popular. This will help us improve what we offer on the site.

Your email address will be used to contact you with regard to your account only (e.g. in setting up subscriptions, notifying you of locations for collecting certificates, etc.). If you sign up to the e-newsletter, you will receive information about new modules and features etc.

The information in your My CPD area, including the modules you have undertaken, progress on modules, and so on, is considered private. Our technicians have access to it in order to fix problems and maintain the site. However, we do not read this information unless necessary, and will not release it to other people or organisations, without your prior consent. Specifically, we do not make this information available to the College’s Postgraduate Education Department, which manages the CPD programme. To demonstrate that you have completed modules successfully for the purposes of your CPD requirements, you will need to print out and present a paper copy of the relevant certificate.

 

IP addresses
Each time you use the internet, your Internet service provider assigns your computer a number called an IP address. This number may be the same or different each time you go online. The website uses visitors' IP addresses to gather general data about site traffic. Each time your computer requests information from our site, we log your IP address on our server. We cannot identify you from your IP address.

 

Module feedback
You are able to give feedback about a learning module after completing it. This information may be made visible to other users of the site, including guest users, in which case it will be unattributed. We will also use it to improve our site.

 

To whom will we disclose information about you?
We will not disclose your personal data to any third party, other than those who provide IT and support services to us and only where bound by duties of confidentiality.

 

How personal information is stored and protected
Your personal data is stored in our databases, which are only available to the web administrators and authorised CPDO staff on a password-protected basis.

 

Authentication
You should not share your user name and password with other people.

 

Cookies
Once you have accessed the website, we will store a temporary "cookie" on your computer, indicating that you are authorised to use the site. Cookies are small text files that are saved by your web browser and enable you to move throughout the site without having to sign in each time you look at a different page. We cannot identify you from these cookies. They simply tell us whether pages have been requested by the same person or two different people.

The cookies we use are "session cookies," which means they disappear when you shut down your Web browser. Use of this website is conditional on a session cookie being in place, and if you do not agree to this you should not use this website.

When you log in, a "remember me" check box will appear. If you tick this then we will also store another cookie that lasts for one year. This allows us to recognise who you are the next time you visit our site so you don't have to type in your user name and password. However, it means that someone with access to the PC you use could find out your login details. So, we recommend that you do not make use of this feature if you access the sites from a shared computer or where you have any concerns about security.

More information about cookies, including how to block them and/or delete them, can be found at http://www.aboutcookies.org.

 

Your consent
By submitting your information, you consent to the use of that information as set out in this policy. You should review this policy regularly, to note any changes as to how we collect and use personal information.

© 2007 Royal College of Psychiatrists