Privacy Notice: Disability and Covid: The Hidden Impact

The BBC is carrying out a survey to understand how Covid-19 has affected disabled people. We are trying to reach as many people as possible to get the biggest, most detailed picture we can. We know that Covid-19 has had such a disproportionate effect on disabled people. The survey is completely anonymous but if you want to share your experiences please see below to understand how we process your data.

An easy read version is available here.

Your trust is very important to us. This means the BBC is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal data. It is important that you read this notice so that you are aware of how and why we are using such information. This privacy notice describes how we collect and use personal data about you during and after your relationship with us, in accordance with data protection law.

Why are we doing this?

The BBC is launching an online questionnaire to understand how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected and is continuing to impact disabled people across the UK. The questionnaire allows the BBC to record and count the experiences of the respondents anonymously. The respondents will also have the opportunity to contact the BBC via email to share their stories.

What will BBC collect and how will we use it?

When you submit your responses via the online questionnaire the BBC will not collect any personal data about you. Your responses will remain anonymous as the questionnaire does not ask for any information that can directly or indirectly identify you.

When you contact the BBC via email to share your story or that of your child or person with a disability who you provide care to or are acting on behalf of, the BBC will collect and process the personal data you provide to us about you and them. We will process your personal data to obtain more information about your/their story, and to fact check if we were to feature your story in a broadcast. Your story will only be used after we have spoken to you and we have explained how we will broadcast it, and what platforms it may go on.

If you complete the online questionnaire and contact the BBC to share your story or that of your child or person with a disability who you provide care to or are acting on behalf of, the BBC will not be able to link the responses you have provided via the questionnaire to the information or story you share via email.

If you contact the BBC to share your story you must be aged 18 or over, and be a British national or UK resident. If you are providing information about an adult or minor with a disability which limits them from acting on their own behalf then you must have their permision and/or the right to act on their behalf.

The BBC will collect and process the following personal data:

•Your name and surname or the name of the child or person you provide care to/acting on behalf of

•Email address and your phone number

•Country and area in which you or the person you are acting on behalf of live

The BBC may collect and process the following special categories of personal data:

•Information related to your disability and your health or that of your child or person you provide care to/acting on behalf of

•Information about a past or present diagnosis of Covid, and other information related to your health or that of your child or person you provide care to/acting on behalf of.

The BBC will review your story and contact you to fact check and obtain more information. If your story is chosen to be broadcasted the BBC will ask you to sign a contributor consent form before appearing on-air or online.

The BBC will read all the stories that are sent via email but may not be able to respond to every email. Even if the BBC contacts you to discuss your story the BBC might not end up broadcasting your story.

Who is the Data Controller?

The BBC is the "data controller" of the personal data and sensitive personal data you choose to share with us. This means that the BBC decides what the personal data is used for, and the ways in which it is processed. For the avoidance of doubt, the personal data you provide to us will be collected and processed solely for the purposes set out in this privacy notice. As the data controller, the BBC has the responsibility to comply, and to demonstrate compliance with, data protection law.

Lawful basis for processing your personal data

The legal basis on which the BBC processes the personal data described above is its Public Task. The BBC's role is to act in the public interest and to serve all audiences with content which informs, educates and entertains.

Retaining your information

If your story or that of your child or person you provide care to/acting on behalf of is broadcasted then your/their personal data and special categories of data contained in the broadcast will be kept indefinitely. Any other personal data provided via email or phone that has not been broadcast will be deleted post broadcast.

The personal data and special categories of data of individuals whose stories where not used will be deleted within six months.

Sharing data with third parties

Your personal data will not be shared with any other third parties unless required by the law.

Your rights and more information

You have rights under data protection law. You can request a copy of the data BBC stores about you, which includes your BBC Account data and the data described above.

You have the right to ask for your data we collect to be deleted however there are exceptions to your rights and they may be limited in some situations, for example we may refuse this request.

You can contact our Data Protection Officer if you have questions or you wish to find out more details about your rights, please visit the BBC's Privacy and Cookies Policy at http://www.bbc.co.uk/privacy.

If you have a concern about the way the BBC has handled your personal data, you can raise your concern with the supervisory authority in the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) https://ico.org.uk/.

Updating this privacy notice

We will revise the privacy notice if there are significant changes to how we use your personal data.