About us
Privacy policy
- Who provides the insurance
- Definitions
- Introduction
- Area restriction
- When do we collect personal information?
- How do we process your personal information?
- Can I see the personal information you hold about me?
- How do we use your personal information?
- Our use of cookies
- Collection and processing of sensitive information
- Transfer of data outside the UK
- Do we share your personal information with anyone else?
- Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud and Theft Register ("Register")
- Use of your personal information for marketing purposes
- Amendments to Privacy Policy
- Governing law and jurisdiction
Who provides the insurance
Equity Insurance Brokers Limited is a subsidiary of Equity Insurance Group Limited Registered No 2950905, whose registered office is at Library House, New Road, Brentwood, Essex, CM14 4GD, which is a member of the Equity Group of companies that operate in the United Kingdom.
Definitions
In this Privacy Policy, unless the context otherwise requires, words and expressions defined in the Website Terms of Use shall have the same meaning when used in this Privacy Policy.
In addition to those defined words and expressions, references to:
"personal information" means any information that we have obtained from you or third parties in connection with a service or product provided to you that is held now or at any time in the future by us; and
"Act" means the Data Protection Act 1998, as amended from time to time.
Introduction
The pages on this website are only directed at United Kingdom residents and comply with appropriate UK legislation and regulation. We are committed to protecting your privacy during your visits to our website and recognise our responsibility to keep the personal information you provide to us confidential at all times. We have provided this Privacy Policy to help you understand how we collect, use and protect your information when you call us or visit our web sites and when you generally use our products and services. We wish to help you make informed decisions so please take a few moments to read the sections below and learn how we may use your personal information. You should also show this notice to anyone else who may be insured under your policy.
Area restriction
We offer online quotations, online cover, policy administration and claims handling services, on a range of insurances solely for permanent residents of the United Kingdom accessing and using the website from within the United Kingdom. Accordingly, this Privacy Statement is directed only at such persons and should be read in conjunction with our Website Terms of Use. Please click on the 'Website Terms of Use' link provided at the bottom of every page of the website.
When do we collect personal information?
We collect personal information directly from you when you register for any online service with us or deal with us over the telephone, such as a request for a quote, the purchase of an insurance policy through us or the provision of policy administration or claims handling services. We limit the collection of personal information to what we need to know to maintain the accuracy of our records, to verify the identity and assess the financial standing of customers, to assist us in providing a high standard of service and to fulfil any legal and regulatory requirements. We will do our best to ensure that your details are accurate and kept up-to-date and we would ask you to assist us in doing so by notifying us in writing of any changes to your personal information.
How do we process your personal information?
Equity Insurance Brokers Limited is the registered data controller in relation to personal information held about you for the purposes of the Act.
All personal information provided by you is held securely and in confidence by us in our computerised and other records. When we process your personal information we do so in compliance with the terms of the Act. We maintain strict security standards and procedures with a view to preventing unauthorised access to your data. We use leading technologies, such as data encryption, firewalls and server authentication to protect the security of your data. All Equity Group companies, all our staff and all third parties we may hire from time to time to provide support services are required to observe our privacy standards.
Monitoring or recording of your calls, emails, text messages and other communications may take place in accordance with UK law and in particular for business purposes, such as for quality control and training, processing necessary for the entering into or the performance of a contract, to prevent unauthorised use of our telecommunication systems and web sites, to ensure effective systems operation, to meet any legal obligation, in your vital interests, in order to prevent or detect crime, and for the purposes of the legitimate interests of the data controller. The following web sites provide further information:
Can I see the personal information you hold about me?
You have the right to receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you at any time, on written request and payment of a £10 administration fee.
Should you wish to receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you, please write to the Company Secretary at our registered office address (shown above) enclosing the £10 administration fee made payable to the company who you believe holds your personal information, and we will deal with your request within the regulatory 40 day period.
If you would like us to remove any personal information from our records, then please write to our Company Secretary at our registered office. Please be ready to quote your full name, address and if applicable your policy number when contacting us. We will make all reasonable efforts to delete your information from our files if it is deemed appropriate.
How do we use your personal information?
We may use and analyse your personal information for the following purposes:
- in relation to our online quotation service, to provide you with an online quotation.
- in relation to our online cover service, to consider your application for, and facilitate your purchase of, an insurance policy through us.
- to provide you with other services, including managing and administering the insurance policies you take out through us, and providing assistance with your claims and enquiries.
- for the purposes of insurance administration by us, by other companies within the Equity Insurance Group Limited group of companies or our agents, by our re-insurers and your intermediary (if you have one) and may be disclosed to regulatory bodies for the purposes of monitoring and / or enforcing our compliance with any regulatory requirements.
- to offer you the opportunity to renew a policy or purchase a replacement policy.
- to update our records about you.
- to check your identity to prevent money laundering (unless you provide us with satisfactory proof of identity).
- for the investigation of or prevention of crime.
- to undertake credit searches and fraud searches (see further below).
- to enable us to conduct research and statistical analysis and facilitate our internal customer service monitoring.
- to improve the quality of our service and the efficiency of our website and systems; and
- if prior consent has been received, we may market you with other products which we believe may be of interest to you.
Our use of cookies
When you browse the website and do not make use of any of our online services we do not collect or process any personal information of yours. However we use cookies to record certain non-personalised data (such as the number of visitors to certain areas of the website), which we compile for statistical purposes to help us develop and enhance the website and our online services. You cannot be individually identified from this cookie-derived data.
For further information on our use of cookies and to find out how you can decline cookies, should you so wish, please click on the 'Cookies Statement' link provided at the bottom of every page of the website.
Collection and processing of sensitive information
In order for us to respond to your request for certain of our online services, such as quotes, cover and claims handling and to enable us to deal with you in respect of those services over the telephone, it may be necessary for us to ask you to provide us with sensitive information (such as details of medical conditions and criminal convictions) about you and/or others who may be party to one or more services provided by and/or insurance policy purchased through us. We will process any sensitive information you provide to us in accordance with this Privacy Policy and we will not use any sensitive personal information about you and/or others except for the specific purposes for which you provide it and to provide the services described in your insurance policy. We will process any sensitive information you provide to us about a third party on the basis that you have provided us with this information with the explicit consent of that third party, so please ensure that you only provide us with sensitive information about others having obtained their prior agreement to this.
By requesting that we provide you with online services, or contacting us over the telephone to request the provision of services in relation to a quotation or insurance policy, we will consider you to give consent to our collecting and processing (as outlined above) of any sensitive information about you and/or relevant others which you may be required to provide.
Transfer of data outside the UK
We may transfer your data outside the UK to India, where we have a contractual agreement with a company called World Network Services PVT Limited (WNS), to undertake data inputting, claims notification and general processing of data. If your data is transferred to World Network Services PVT for any of the above reasons we maintain strict security standards and procedures and ensure that WNS adhere to our standards at all times.
Do we share your personal information with anyone else?
The nature of our online services means that from time to time we may have to share your personal information with third parties, both within and outside the Equity Group. Please note that the other companies within the Equity Group have in place the same privacy and security standards as we do and will collect and process your personal information (including any sensitive information) in accordance with this Privacy Policy. In respect of those third parties outside the Equity Group with whom we may have to share your personal information, we will take all reasonable endeavours to obtain their agreement to collect and process your personal information (including any sensitive information) on terms equivalent to those of this Privacy Policy, to keep such information strictly confidential and to use it solely for the purpose(s) for which we provide it to them.
Third parties with whom we may have to share your personal information as outlined above may include:
- insurers who provide and administer the insurance policies you purchase through us and any third party insurance administrators who may provide services to you under the terms of such policies.
- independent contractors or other third parties we may engage from time to time to provide services to us.
- our professional advisers.
- any regulatory or governmental body, or other supervisory body with rules and/or codes of practice to which we are subject, which requests or requires access to it; and
- credit reference agencies, where it is necessary for us to carry out a credit check search on you before we provide you with any services. (You should be aware that the results of those searches will be recorded by the credit reference agencies and that we and other organisations may use those records in order to help make credit decisions about you, people financially linked to you and others in your household).
In addition, in order to prevent and detect fraud we may at any time:
- share personal information about you with other companies in the Equity Group and with other insurers or financial institutions.
- pass on your personal information to the operator of any database or register used to check new information provided against existing information held to prevent fraudulent claims, including the Claims and Underwriting Exchange Register and the Insurance Hunter Database (a central insurance and claims checking system), which may result in your details being shared with other insurers.
- check your personal information with fraud prevention agencies (please note that where you have provided us with false or inaccurate information and we suspect fraud, we will record this and pass this information on to fraud prevention agencies).
- in respect of motor insurance, pass your personal information on to the Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud and Theft Register (please see below for further information on this register).
Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud and Theft Register ("Register")
The Register is run by the Association of British Insurers. When we deal with your request for an online quote or a policy, and/or when you report a claim to us, relating to motor insurance, we may search the register. When you tell us about an incident, we will pass on information in respect of that to the register.
Your policy details will be added to the Motor Insurance Database ("MID") which has been established by the Motor Insurers' Information Centre ("MICC") to help identify uninsured drivers and may be searched by the police to confirm the identities of those insured to drive a vehicle and/or for preventing and detecting crime. MID data may be used by the DVLA and DVLNI for the purposes of Electronic Vehicle Licensing. It may be used by the MICC, insurers and the Motorists Insurers' Bureau to help identify relevant policy information in the event of an accident.
Use of your personal information for marketing purposes
From time to time, we may wish to contact you with offers relating to products and services of ours and of carefully selected third parties who provide similar products and services (including other companies within the Equity Group) which we think may interest you. However, we will only use your personal information for marketing purposes where you have given prior consent for us to do so.
When you make use of our services and provide us with personal information and we would like to use that personal information for our own marketing purposes and/or pass it on to carefully selected third parties (including other companies in the Equity Group) we will make a clear request on each occasion on which we wish to do so. You have the right not to give consent in respect of each and every such request, and we will always provide you with the clear option of doing so. Should you choose not to give consent to your personal information being used for our, and/or third parties marketing purposes, we will respect your wishes.
Amendments to Privacy Policy
Please note that we keep the content of this Privacy Policy under review and that, from time to time, we may amend or update the content without informing you in advance. The website will always display the current version of the Privacy Policy. By using, or continuing to use, the website, or otherwise requesting that we provide you with services, you acknowledge that you accept any such amendments or updates and so we recommend that you review this Privacy Policy regularly.
No amendments or updates to this Privacy Policy will affect your right to choose not to give consent to your personal information being used for our, and/or third parties' marketing.
Governing law and jurisdiction
This Privacy Policy is governed by the law of England and Wales and subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
Cookie policy
- What are cookies?
- How do we use cookies on the website?
- What kind of cookies do we use on the website?
- What is the nature of the cookie-derived information we collect?
- Use of Web Beacons
- Can I decline to accept cookies?
- How do I modify my browser to turn off ("disable") the cookie acceptance feature?
- Where can I find further information on cookies?
What are cookies?
A cookie is a small data file that can be transferred by a web server onto your computer's hard drive when you visit a website. The information stored in a cookie can be read by the web server and is used to allow a website to recognise your computer when you revisit a website or browse from page to page of a website. Only the web server that sent the cookie can read and therefore use, that particular cookie.
Cookies can help a website to arrange content to match users' preferred interests more effectively and/or avoid the need for users to re-enter data when they revisit a website. Cookies are commonly used on the internet and do not harm your computer or computer files.
How do we use cookies on the website?
We use cookies on the website for our own internal purposes to track how users navigate through the website in order to enable us to evaluate and improve the website and our online services. We use cookie-derived information to:
- compile statistical data on the use of the website which can be used to manage and plan enhancements to our services;
- to facilitate users' ability to navigate through the website;
- ascertain whether the website is operating at an optimal level; and
- personalise and improve the service we offer to you by understanding your preferences and establishing which areas of the website are of most relevance to you.
We also use cookie technology to ensure that, where you have registered for any of our online services, we maintain your confidentiality and security as you move through secure or password protected areas of the website.
In addition, to evaluate the effectiveness of our advertisements and promotions on selected third party websites, we may (together with the third party agents who help manage our online advertising) use cookies to measure response rates to our advertisements and promotions.
We do not use cookies to track your use of the Internet after leaving the website, nor will we pass on any cookie-derived information to third parties other than as set out in this Cookies Statement. We may collate the statistical data compiled in respect of use of the website with statistical data similarly compiled in respect of other websites operated by other companies in the Equity Group in order to facilitate group-wide evaluation and improvements.
What kind of cookies do we use on the website?
We use two types of cookies on the website:
Session cookies - temporary cookies which remain in the cookie file of your browser until you leave the website; and
Persistent cookies - which remain in the cookie file of your browser for a longer period of time (the duration of this period will depend on the 'lifetime' of the specific cookie).
What is the nature of the cookie-derived information we collect?
When you visit the website, our server will record your IP address, the date, time and duration of your visit and which areas of the website you visit. Your IP address is an assigned number allocated to your browser when you log on to the internet which acts as the 'address' of your computer whilst you are online and enables web servers to locate and deliver content to you. It is usually allocated on a temporary basis, i.e. for the duration of your session online.
Cookie-derived information is anonymous and represents a computer rather than a person. You cannot be personally identified from it and we use it solely on an anonymous, aggregated basis.
Use of Web Beacons
Some of our Web pages may contain electronic images known as Web Beacons (sometimes known as clear gif's) that allow us to count users who have visited these pages. Web Beacons collect only limited information, which includes a cookie number, time and date of a page viewed and a description of the page on which the Web Beacon resides. We may also carry Web Beacons placed by third party advertisers. These Beacons do not carry any personally identifiable information and are only used to track the effectiveness of a particular campaign.
Can I decline to accept cookies?
You are not obliged to accept a cookie that we (or any other web server) send to you. Most browsers accept cookies automatically but you can modify the settings in your browser to turn off this feature. However, cookies are integral to some areas of the website and to certain of our online services, so if you do choose not to accept cookies from us, you may not be able to utilise some areas of the website and we may not be able to provide certain online services to you.
How do I modify my browser to turn off ("disable") the cookie acceptance feature?
Internet Explorer 5.0
To disable cookies:
- Select 'Tools' from your main toolbar at the top of the browser.
- Select 'Internet Options'.
- Select 'Security' tab at the top of the dialogue box that opens and the select 'Custom Level'.
- Scroll down to the 'Cookies' section and under 'Cookies' disable both 'stored' and 'per session'.
- Click on 'OK';.
Internet Explorer 6.0
To disable cookies:
- Select 'Tools' from your main toolbar at the top of the browser.
- Select 'Internet Options'.
- Select 'Privacy' tab at the top of the dialogue box that opens and click 'Advanced Options' under the 'Settings' heading.
- Tick the 'Override automatic cookie handling' tickbox.
- Disable the 'First Party' cookies by choosing 'Reject'.
- Disable the 'Third Party' cookies by choosing 'Reject'.
- Disable 'Always allow session cookies'.
- Click on 'OK'.
Firefox 1.5
To disable cookies:
- Select 'Tools' from your main toolbar at the top of the browser.
- Select 'Options'.
- Select 'Privacy' at the top of the dialogue box that opens and click the 'cookies' tab.
- Remove the tick from the 'Allow sites to set cookies' tickbox.
- Please note that this will block all sites from saving cookies on your machine.
If you wish, you may subsequently reconfigure your computer to accept cookies again by:
Internet Explorer 5.0 and 6.0: following the above instructions, selecting 'Enable' and then clicking on 'OK'.
Where can I find further information on cookies?
For further information on cookies, please visit www.allaboutcookies.org
