NatureScot Biodiversity Audit Project and Farm Biodiversity Scotland App - Privacy Statement

Note: Information may also be shared with Scottish Government, with whom NatureScot are working on the biodiversity audit project.

NatureScot will retain your personal information and the data in the app for as long as the Biodiversity Audit project is operational.

NatureScot aims to protect your personal information through a system of organisational and technical security measures. Lumoscript will ensure that:

• all Land Parcel Identification, Farm, and Business data provided is transferred in a secure manner and only used for the purposes of the app.
• all personal individual contact data is only used for the purposes of the app
• the data supporting the platform is stored in a secure manner with the required safety tests carried out and is processed and stored in an accurate manner

Dedicated user accounts are created for each participant with their email. Additional access to a user account will be made if a request is made in writing/email by the original farmer/crofter, quoting their BRN. Farmers/crofters can only access their own farm/croft details and cannot view any others.

The database that houses the results of assessments, user data and user authentication is currently hosted in Google Firebase in the UK.

Please see Appendix for further information on Application data and information collected if you use the Farm Biodiversity Scotland app.

You have the right to know what information we hold about you and you have the right to ask us for copies of this information. You also have the right to ask us to rectify inaccurate data about you. You also have the right to ask us to stop processing your data until corrections are made or when you have concerns about our use of your data. You have the right to appeal to the UK Information Commissioner (https://ico.org.uk/) if you are not happy with our response following a request to access your information or for rectification of inaccuracies. For further details see your personal data rights.

NatureScot is a Scottish Public Authority and is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004. We are therefore obliged to consider the release of any information held by us in response to a request. In providing any response to a request, we will fully consider our obligations under data protection legislation.

Please contact NatureScot’s Data Protection Officer (DPO) if you want to discuss any data related issues. The DPO can be contacted at: [email protected] Battleby, Redgorton, Perth, PH1 3EW, 01738 444177.

For any other project related query, please either contact your Project Officer or email [email protected].

Application Data

If you use our application, we also may collect the following information if you choose to provide us with access or permission:

• Geolocation Information. We may request access or permission to track location-based information from your mobile device, either continuously or while you are using our mobile application(s), to provide certain location-based services. If you wish to change our access or permissions, you may do so in your device's settings.
   
• Mobile Device Access. We may request access or permission to certain features from your mobile device, including your mobile device's calendar, camera, reminders, and other features. If you wish to change our access or permissions, you may do so in your device's settings.
   
• Mobile Device Data. We automatically collect device information (such as your mobile device ID, model, and manufacturer), operating system, version information and system configuration information, device and application identification numbers, browser type and version, hardware model Internet service provider and/or mobile carrier, and Internet Protocol (IP) address (or proxy server). If you are using our application(s), we may also collect information about the phone network associated with your mobile device, your mobile device’s operating system or platform, the type of mobile device you use, your mobile device’s unique device ID, and information about the features of our application(s) you accessed.

• Push Notifications. We may request to send you push notifications regarding your account or certain features of the application(s). If you wish to opt out from receiving these types of communications, you may turn them off in your device's settings.

• This information is primarily needed to maintain the security and operation of our application(s), for troubleshooting, and for our internal analytics and reporting purposes.

Information automatically collected

In Short: Some information — such as your Internet Protocol (IP) address and/or browser and device characteristics — is collected automatically when you visit our Services.

We automatically collect certain information when you visit, use, or navigate the Services. This information does not reveal your specific identity (like your name or contact information) but may include device and usage information, such as your IP address, browser and device characteristics, operating system, language preferences, referring URLs, device name, country, location, information about how and when you use our Services, and other technical information. This information is primarily needed to maintain the security and operation of our Services, and for our internal analytics and reporting purposes.

Like many businesses, we also collect information through cookies and similar technologies.

The information we collect includes:

• Log and Usage Data. Log and usage data is service-related, diagnostic, usage, and performance information our servers automatically collect when you access or use our Services and which we record in log files. Depending on how you interact with us, this log data may include your IP address, device information, browser type, and settings and information about your activity in the Services (such as the date/time stamps associated with your usage, pages and files viewed, searches, and other actions you take such as which features you use), device event information (such as system activity, error reports (sometimes called "crash dumps"), and hardware settings).
   
• Device Data. We collect device data such as information about your computer, phone, tablet, or other device you use to access the Services. Depending on the device used, this device data may include information such as your IP address (or proxy server), device and application identification numbers, location, browser type, hardware model, Internet service provider and/or mobile carrier, operating system, and system configuration information.
   
• Location Data. We collect location data such as information about your device's location, which can be either precise or imprecise. How much information we collect depends on the type and settings of the device you use to access the Services. For example, we may use GPS and other technologies to collect geolocation data that tells us your current location (based on your IP address). You can opt out of allowing us to collect this information either by refusing access to the information or by disabling your Location setting on your device. However, if you choose to opt out, you may not be able to use certain aspects of the Services.