1. Introduction

We are The Open Party, a UK registered political party whose objective is to improve governance of the UK through participation and improvement of the democratic process.

We are committed to placing the rights of individuals at the centre of how we collect, hold, and use personal data.

In our privacy notice, you will find on our website we refer to ourselves as The Open Party, we, us, our, or the Party, so when you see these, you know it is The Open Party that we are referring to.

The Open Party is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for data protection purposes (registration number ZC012785). For all uses of personal data you read about in our privacy notice, we are the data controller.

Please read the privacy notice, as it provides important information about how we handle your personal data and your rights. If you have any questions about any aspect of any privacy notice, you can contact us by emailing us at [email protected]

For more information, visit our website at openparty.uk

2. Categories of Person

This notice is divided into the relevant category of persons we engage with. Please review the section(s) that apply to you.

1. All users of our website
2. Donors (additional specific information)
3. Supporters and Fellows (additional specific information)

2.1. All users of our website

What is personal data?

Personal data refers to any information that can identify or relate to an individual. This may include details like your name, contact information, email address, or unique technical data, as well as other information that, when combined, could identify you.

Under UK data protection laws, certain types of personal data are classified as special category data, which require enhanced safeguards. These include racial or ethnic origins, sexual orientation, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, political beliefs, genetic or biometric data, health, and criminal records.

As a political organisation, The Open Party handles data related to individuals’ political beliefs. The UK Data Protection Act 2018 (Section 8) acknowledges a substantial public interest in political parties processing political belief data to support democratic engagement activities.

As an organisation intended to support democratic participation across a range of political viewpoints, engagement with The Open Party does not necessarily indicate support for any particular political ideology or policy position.

What personal data do we collect?

Below is a list of personal data we collect:

• First name, middle name (where applicable) last name
• Home address and postcode
• Email address,
• Telephone number(s)
• Communication preferences
• Copies of documents that identify you to us (e.g, driving license, utility bills, etc)
• Any political expressions of view that are shared with us intentionally for wider publication, such as questions, articles or videos.

 
Below is a list of data that you may suspect we collect, that we do not:

• Any political expressions of view (beyond those identified above).  
• Readily identifiable records of voting (These records are only maintained with restricted user access for the purpose of investigating any suspected voter fraud)

Where do we get your personal data?

We may collect personal data in a variety of ways and at a variety of times throughout our interactions with you. We refer to “direct data collection” when data is collected directly from you and we refer to “indirect data collection” when the data is not collected directly from you. Here is the list of ways we may collect your personal data from you:

• From yourself when you register an account
• From yourself via email, telephone or face to face communications we have with you (direct data collection);
• From Open Party members, fellows or members of staff who are updating your personal data in our IT systems used to manage our supporters (indirect data collection);
• If required, from an organisation we contract to conduct any due diligence checks (indirect data collection); and
• In unusual circumstances; if applicable, from Police, Law Enforcement Agencies, Healthcare Services including the NHS, Adult Services, Children Services, Local Authority Designated Officers (LADO), charities, charitable organisations or agencies or any other safeguarding related institutions or organisation(s) (indirect data collection).

What do we use your personal data for?

We may use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To verify your identity
• To establish your entitlement to take part in our primary votes
• To secure your identity on our voting platform
• To enable you to use the functional aspects of our website: rating questions, contacting us, submitting questions, voting

 

2.2. Donors (in addition to that shown in Section 2.1)

What additional personal data do we collect?

Depending on the size and nature of your donation:

• Home address and postcode (required for donations over £500)
• Payment information (processed by third‑party providers; we do not store full card details)
• Donation amounts and history
• Eligibility information required by electoral law
• Identity documents where required
• Correspondence relating to your donation

What are possible additional sources of data?

• Payment processors
• Due diligence or anti‑fraud service providers
• Publicly available registers (e.g., Electoral Register)

What additional purposes do we have for your data?

Processing of donation data is carried out primarily to comply with legal obligations under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) and related electoral law. 

• Processing and recording donations
• Complying with legal obligations under PPERA
• Conducting due‑diligence checks
• Communicating with you about your donation

Publication of donations

Where required by law, donations above statutory thresholds will be reported to the Electoral Commission and published on their public register.

2.3. Supporters and Fellows (in addition to that shown in Section 2a above)

In addition to general users, additional personal data do we collect includes:

• Information provided during events, consultations, or activities
• Records of engagement (e.g., attendance, volunteering)
• Optional demographic information
• Political views intentionally shared for engagement or publication

What additional purposes do we have for your data?

• Managing your supporter or fellow relationship
• Sending updates, newsletters, and invitations
• Facilitating participation in Open Party activities
• Understanding engagement and improving outreach

 

3. How we treat personal information

The following general information applies to all users of our website.

3.1 What is our lawful basis for using your data?

The Open Party processes personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Depending on the nature of our relationship with you and the activity involved, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases under Article 6 UK GDPR:

• Consent (Article 6(1)(a)) – where you have given us clear permission to process your personal data for a specific purpose, including receiving email updates, newsletters, event invitations, or other communications from us. You may withdraw your consent at any time.
• Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(f)) – where processing is necessary for the legitimate interests of The Open Party as a democratic political organisation.. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we ensure that these interests are balanced against your rights and freedoms, and we will not process your personal data where those interests are overridden.  This includes activities such as administering supporter relationships, organising events and participation activities, improving engagement, protecting the integrity of our systems and processes, and developing our democratic and organisational activities.
• Legal Obligation (Article 6(1)(c)) – where processing is necessary for compliance with legal obligations, including obligations under electoral law, anti-fraud requirements, financial reporting obligations, and regulatory requirements applicable to political parties.
• Performance of a Contract (Article 6(1)(b)) – where processing is necessary to provide services or functions you have requested from us, including enabling participation in Party activities, online voting systems, or other website functions

3.2 Special category data and political opinions

Engagement with a political party may reveal information about an individual’s political opinions. Under UK GDPR, information revealing political opinions is classified as special category personal data and is subject to additional protections.

The Open Party processes such data only where permitted by law and where appropriate safeguards are in place.  Where we process special category personal data relating to political opinions, we rely primarily on the following legal bases:

• Article 9(2)(g) UK GDPR — processing necessary for reasons of substantial public interest; together with
• Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018, including processing by political parties for the purposes of democratic engagement, campaigning activities, and political activities.

In some circumstances, we may also rely on:

• Explicit consent (Article 9(2)(a)), where you have clearly agreed to specific processing activities involving special category personal data.  Section 2a above includes an example of this.

We apply additional organisational and technical safeguards to protect special category personal data and limit access to authorised individuals only.

3.3 Will we share your data outside of the UK?

It is highly unlikely that The Open Party will ever share your personal data outside the United Kingdom or the European Union. Should it become necessary, we will only share your data with organizations in countries that meet one of the following criteria:

• The UK or European Commission has deemed the country adequate, meaning it has data protection laws comparable to those in the UK. The UK and EU are considered adequate for each other.
• The transfer is governed by an International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) or European Commission Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) with a UK-specific addendum. These are legal contracts that obligate the receiving organization to protect your personal data to UK standards.
• The transfer involves a supplier sharing data with their own offices outside the UK and EU, provided they have implemented Binding Corporate Rules. These rules, approved by data protection authorities, ensure data is only shared within the supplier’s verified network of offices and contracted partners.

All suppliers processing personal data on our behalf are required to sign a Data Processing Agreement with The Open Party, regardless of where the data is transferred.

3.4 Will we sell your personal information, or otherwise disclose your data to a third party?

We will never sell your personal data to any third party.  We will only ever disclose your personal data to a third party as is necessary for the purposes of our normal activities as a political party as disclosed in this document and on our other publications and website.  This may include but not be limited to:

• Government agencies (e.g. Electoral Commission for the purposes of compliance with electoral law, Police for fraud investigations)
• Third parties we use to execute our activities (e.g. ID verification companies, financial processors)

3.5 How does Open Party retain and protect your personal data?

The Open Party retains data for all users only for as long as necessary for political engagement, organisational administration, legal compliance, electoral activities, and related democratic participation purposes.  We regularly review the personal data we hold and apply retention periods appropriate to the type of data and purpose of processing.  Where applicable, we securely delete or anonymise data that is no longer required.

The Open Party employs robust technical, organizational, and contractual safeguards to protect the personal data we hold about you and may include access controls, encryption, staff training, audit logging, and secure storage systems.  These measures are designed to prevent unauthorized access, use, alteration, or destruction of your data. We continuously review these safeguards to ensure they remain effective and appropriate.

3.6 What are your individual rights regarding your personal data?

Under UK data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights are not absolute and may be subject to certain legal conditions or exemptions, particularly where we are required to retain or process data for legal, regulatory, or democratic engagement purposes.  Your individual rights are as follows:

1. The right to be informed – you have the right to be informed about how your personal data is collected and used. This Privacy Notice is intended to provide that information in a clear and transparent way.
2. The right of access – you have the right to request confirmation of whether we process your personal data, and to obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you, along with certain supporting information.  This is commonly known as a “subject access request”.
3. The right to rectification – you have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
4. The right to erasure – you have the right to request the deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances. This is also known as the “right to be forgotten”.  This right does not apply where we are required to retain data to comply with legal obligations, or where processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, including democratic engagement and political activities under UK data protection law.
5. The right to restrict processing – you have the right to request that we limit the way we use your personal data in certain circumstances, for example while accuracy is being verified or where you have objected to processing.
6. The right to object – you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as our lawful basis.  You also have the right to object at any time to the use of your personal data for direct marketing purposes, including email newsletters and campaign communications. Where you exercise this right, we will stop using your data for such purposes.
7. The right to withdraw consent – where we rely on your consent to process personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.
8. The right to data portability – where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means, you may request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, or transfer it to another organisation where technically feasible.

If you would like to exercise any of your individual rights, as outlined above, please contact our Data Protection Officer via [email protected].

3.7 How can you contact the Open Party regarding your personal data?

If you believe that your personal data, or that of another individual, has been unlawfully disclosed or shared, potentially constituting a data incident, please report this to our Data Protection Officer via [email protected]

We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request. We will respond within one month of receiving your request, unless it is particularly complex or you have made multiple requests, in which case we may extend this period in accordance with UK GDPR.

3.8 How do we deal with data breaches?

Only the Data Protection Officer or a senior member of The Open Party can determine whether a data incident qualifies as a personal data breach. In such cases, The Open Party will take immediate and necessary actions to mitigate any impact on you or others whose data may have been affected.

When a data incident is reported, particularly if it is classified as a personal data breach, we are legally required to process your personal data for purposes such as investigation, analysis, documentation, monitoring, reporting, and implementing remedial measures.

The lawful bases for this processing are UK GDPR Article 6.1(c) and Article 9.2(g), in compliance with obligations under the Data Protection Act 2018 to address data incidents and breaches appropriately. When special category personal data is involved, its use is justified for reasons of substantial public interest, including preventing or detecting unlawful acts, protecting the public, and meeting regulatory and legal obligations.

3.9 What is your right to complain?

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Website: https://ico.org.uk

You also have the right to seek a judicial remedy.  We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns first, so please contact us if you have any issues.