The following statement explains our policy regarding the personal information we collect about you.

1. Statement of intent
2. Submitting personal information
3. Access to your personal information


1. Statement of intent
From time to time, you will be asked to submit personal information about yourself (e.g. name and email address etc) in order to receive or use services on our website. Such services include newsletters, competitions, job adverts, "Alert Email", live chats, message boards, forums and Means Of Escape membership.

By entering your details in the fields requested, you enable the Means of Escape and its partners to provide you with the services you select. Whenever you provide such personal information, we will treat that information in accordance with this policy. Our services are designed to give you the information that you want to receive. The Means of Escape will act in accordance with current legislation and aim to meet current Internet best practice.


2. Use and storage of your personal information
When you supply any personal information to Means of Escape we have legal obligations towards you in the way we deal with that data. We must collect the information fairly, that is, we must explain how we will use it (see the notices on particular web pages that let you know why we are requesting the information) and tell you if we want to pass the information on to anyone else. In general, any information you provide to the Means of Escape will only be used within the Means-of-Escape.com publication and by its service providers. It will never be supplied to any third party without first obtaining your consent, unless we are obliged or permitted by law to disclose it.

We will hold your personal information on our systems for as long as you use the service you have requested, and remove it in the event that the purpose has been met, or, in the case of Means of Escape membership you no longer wish to continue your registration as a Means of Escape member.

For safety reasons, however, the Means of Escape may store messaging transcript data (including message content, member names, times and dates) arising from the use of Means of Escape services, such as the forum, for a period of six months. Where personal information is held for people who are not yet registered but have taken part in other Means of Escape services (eg recruitment), that information will be held only as long as necessary to ensure that the service is run smoothly. We will ensure that all personal information supplied is held securely, in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

If you are notified on a Means of Escape site that your information may be used to allow the Means of Escape to contact you for "service administration purposes", this means that the Means of Escape may contact you for a number of purposes related to the service you have signed up for. For example, we may wish to provide you with password reminders or notify you that the particular service has been suspended for maintenance.


3. Access to your personal information
You have the right to request a copy of the personal information the Means of Escape holds about you and to have any inaccuracies corrected. (We charge £10 for information requests.) Please email dpaofficer@means-of-escape.com).

Means-of-Escape Publications Ltd © 2003
Wins House
Bentalls
Pipps Hill Industrial Estate
Basildon
Essex
SS14 3BS
Tel: +44 (0) 1268 242300
Fax: +44 (0) 1268 274148