Privacy Policy
Effective Date: 8 June 2026
Last Updated: 2 August 2026
1. Introduction
Copper Hive is committed to respecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly, transparently and securely.
This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, why we collect it, who it may be shared with, how long we retain it, and the rights you have in relation to your personal information.
We aim to collect only the information we genuinely need to operate our website, respond to enquiries and provide professional consulting services.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your personal information is handled, please contact us using the details below.
2. Who we are
Copper Hive is operated by James Carter, trading as Copper Hive.
For the purposes of UK data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, James Carter is the Data Controller responsible for the personal information collected through this website and during the course of providing Copper Hive’s services.
Contact email
Postal correspondence
Postal contact details are available on request.
3. Scope of this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to:
- visitors to the Copper Hive website;
- individuals who contact Copper Hive by email or through the website contact form;
- prospective clients;
- current and former clients;
- suppliers and service providers;
- specialist collaborators and contractors;
- professional contacts.
This website is intended for business users, organisations and private individuals seeking professional consulting services. It is not directed towards children under the age of 18.
4. Personal information we collect
The information we collect depends on how you interact with Copper Hive.
Website enquiries
When you complete our contact form, we may collect:
- your name;
- email address;
- organisation (if provided);
- your role;
- the subject of your enquiry;
- information about your project stage;
- the information you choose to include in your message.
Please do not submit confidential technical information, commercially sensitive information, special category personal data (such as health information), or other sensitive material through the initial enquiry form.
Where appropriate, confidentiality arrangements can be agreed before more detailed information is exchanged.
Professional communications
If you contact Copper Hive by email, telephone or during meetings, we may collect information such as:
- contact details;
- organisation;
- job title;
- correspondence;
- meeting notes;
- project information;
- proposals;
- contracts;
- invoices;
- payment information where applicable.
During client engagements
Where Copper Hive provides consulting services, additional information may be collected where necessary, including:
- project documentation;
- technical information;
- workshop notes;
- project correspondence;
- photographs of equipment or prototypes where relevant to the engagement;
- agreed workshop recordings;
- contractual documentation;
- billing information.
Workshop recordings will only be made where appropriate and participants have been informed beforehand.
5. Information collected automatically
When you visit the website, certain technical information may be collected automatically.
This may include:
- browser type;
- operating system;
- device type;
- pages visited;
- approximate usage statistics;
- technical security information.
Copper Hive uses privacy-friendly website analytics that are designed to measure overall website usage without creating detailed visitor profiles.
For information about cookies, please see our Cookie Policy.
6. How we use your information
We use personal information to:
- respond to enquiries;
- communicate with prospective clients;
- prepare proposals and quotations;
- enter into contracts;
- deliver consulting services;
- manage client relationships;
- maintain project records;
- administer invoices and accounts;
- manage suppliers and collaborators;
- maintain website security;
- understand how our website is used;
- comply with legal and regulatory obligations where required.
Copper Hive does not currently operate mailing lists, newsletters or automated marketing campaigns.
7. Lawful basis for processing
UK data protection law requires us to identify the legal basis for processing personal information.
Depending on the circumstances, Copper Hive processes personal information because:
Legitimate Interests
We have a legitimate interest in:
- responding to enquiries;
- communicating with prospective clients;
- managing professional relationships;
- operating and securing our website;
- improving our services;
- preventing spam and abuse.
We carefully balance these interests against the rights and freedoms of individuals.
Contract
Where you engage Copper Hive to provide consulting services, we process personal information because it is necessary to perform our contractual obligations or to take steps requested before entering into a contract.
Legal obligations
Some information must be retained to comply with legal obligations, including accounting, taxation and regulatory requirements.
Consent
Where consent is required—for example, in relation to certain optional cookies—we will ask for your consent before processing that information.
Where consent is relied upon, it may be withdrawn at any time.
8. AI-assisted working
Copper Hive may use carefully selected artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist with:
- drafting;
- editing;
- summarisation;
- analysis;
- administrative activities.
AI tools are used to support professional judgement rather than replace it.
All substantive work remains subject to human review before being relied upon or provided to clients.
Copper Hive will take reasonable steps to avoid submitting confidential, commercially sensitive or personal information to AI services where doing so would be inappropriate or inconsistent with contractual, legal or confidentiality obligations.
AI tools are not used to make automated decisions about individuals.
9. Sharing personal information
Copper Hive does not sell personal information.
Personal information is shared only where necessary to operate the business or provide services.
Depending on the circumstances, information may be shared with carefully selected service providers, including providers of:
- website hosting;
- business email;
- website security;
- spam protection;
- website analytics;
- website functionality;
- backup and recovery services where applicable.
Professional advisers, insurers or public authorities may also receive information where legally required or necessary to protect legal rights.
All service providers are expected to handle information appropriately and only for legitimate purposes.
10. Service providers
Current service providers include organisations providing:
- website hosting and domain services (Hostinger);
- business email hosting (Hostinger);
- contact forms (WPForms Lite);
- spam protection (ActiveLayer);
- website security (Wordfence);
- cookie preference management (CookieYes);
- website analytics (Burst Statistics).
These providers may process personal information only where necessary for the services they perform.
11. International transfers
Some technology providers used by Copper Hive may process information outside the United Kingdom.
Where this occurs, Copper Hive will take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect personal information in accordance with applicable data protection law.
12. Data retention
Copper Hive retains personal information only for as long as necessary.
Typical retention periods include:
- spam or irrelevant enquiries: up to 30 days;
- unsuccessful enquiries: normally up to 6 months;
- prospective client correspondence: normally up to 12 months after the last meaningful contact;
- client records: normally up to 6 years after completion of the engagement;
- supplier records: normally up to 6 years;
- accounting records: as required by applicable law;
- ActiveLayer spam detection records: up to 30 days;
- workshop recordings and project photographs: only for as long as necessary for the relevant engagement.
Information may occasionally be retained for longer where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims or comply with legal obligations.
13. Security
Copper Hive takes appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information.
These measures include:
- secure website hosting;
- website security monitoring;
- anti-spam protection;
- encrypted communications where available;
- password protection;
- multi-factor authentication on relevant accounts;
- software updates;
- limited access to personal information.
Although reasonable steps are taken to protect information, no internet transmission or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
14. Your rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:
- access your personal information;
- request correction of inaccurate information;
- request deletion of information;
- restrict processing;
- object to processing;
- request transfer of certain information;
- withdraw consent where consent has been relied upon.
Requests should be sent to:
We will respond in accordance with applicable data protection law.
15. Complaints
If you are unhappy with how Copper Hive has handled your personal information, we would appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns first.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Information about making a complaint is available from the ICO.
16. Changes to this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services or the way we process personal information.
The latest version will always be published on this website, together with the date of the most recent revision.