1. Introduction
SPO Atelier is a practice of engineers and designers who build integrated technical systems, control consoles and interactive installations for studios, venues and public spaces. This Privacy Policy explains how SPO ATELIER LIMITED collects, uses, stores and protects personal information when you visit our website, contact the studio, commission our services or otherwise interact with the company. We believe that clear and honest handling of personal data is part of good engineering, and this document is written to be read by ordinary people rather than only by lawyers.
We have tried to keep the language plain and the structure logical. Where a term has a specific meaning, we explain it in the place it first appears. If anything here remains unclear after reading, please write to us at studio@spoatelier.lol and we will be glad to explain it in more detail. Your trust matters to the company, and we would rather answer a question than leave a doubt in your mind.
2. Who We Are
SPO ATELIER LIMITED is the data controller responsible for the personal information described in this Policy. The registered trading name is SPO Atelier, and the company operates from 80 Winterbourne Road, CHICHESTER - PO19 6RS, United Kingdom (GB). You can reach the studio by email at studio@spoatelier.lol or by telephone on +17164143135.
As the controller, the company decides why personal data is collected and how it is used. We take that responsibility seriously and have put internal practices in place so that every member of the team understands the rules that apply to the information they handle. Where we work with suppliers or partners who process data on our behalf, they act only on our written instructions and under a contract that protects your information.
3. Scope of This Policy
This Policy applies to personal information gathered through our website at www.spoatelier.lol, through email and telephone conversations with the studio, through enquiries and quotations, and through the delivery of our professional services. It also applies to information collected when you visit our premises, attend a site survey with our engineers or subscribe to any studio update we may offer.
This Policy does not apply to websites operated by other organisations, even where we link to them or work alongside them on a project. Those organisations have their own privacy notices, and we encourage you to read them. This Policy also does not cover information about companies rather than individuals, although we handle business contact data with the same care described here.
4. Information We Collect
The information we collect depends on how you interact with the company. In general it falls into several broad categories, and we only collect what is necessary for a stated purpose.
Contact and identity details
This includes your name, job title, employer, postal address, email address and telephone number. We collect these details when you enquire about a project, request a quotation, sign a contract or ask for support.
Project and technical information
When you commission our services, we may hold details about the site, the equipment involved, the drawings and specifications we produce, correspondence about the build and records of the work carried out. Some of this information may identify individuals such as site contacts or nominated operators.
Financial and contractual information
We keep invoices, purchase orders, payment records and related correspondence so that we can manage accounting, tax and contractual obligations. Payment card details are handled by regulated payment providers and are not stored on our own systems.
Website and technical information
When you visit our website, our hosting provider may record technical information such as the pages viewed, the time of the visit, the browser type and an approximate location derived from the network address. This information is used to keep the site secure and to understand how it is used.
Communications
We retain emails, messages and notes of telephone calls so that we can respond accurately, remember what was agreed and maintain a clear record of a project. This is important for both your protection and ours.
5. How We Collect Information
Most of the personal information we hold comes directly from you. You provide it when you fill in the contact form on our website, send us an email, telephone the studio, meet our engineers on site, sign a contract or ask us to provide a service. We do not buy personal data from marketing lists, and we do not obtain personal information from social media profiling.
A smaller amount of information is generated automatically when you use our website, as described in the section on website and technical information above. We may also receive information about you from a colleague, a contractor or a partner when that person is coordinating a shared project and you are a named contact. Where we receive information from someone else, we use it only for the purpose for which it was shared and we tell you about it when we first communicate with you.
6. Why We Use Personal Data
We use personal information for the following purposes, and each purpose is tied to a clear benefit for you or for the operation of the company.
- To respond to your enquiry and provide the information you request.
- To prepare quotations, proposals and engagement briefs.
- To deliver, manage and support the services you commission.
- To coordinate site surveys, installations and maintenance visits.
- To raise invoices, process payments and keep proper accounting records.
- To comply with legal, tax, health and safety and regulatory obligations.
- To protect the security and integrity of our website and systems.
- To improve our services, our documentation and the way we work.
- To send studio updates where you have asked to receive them.
- To establish, exercise or defend legal claims if a dispute arises.
We do not sell personal information, and we do not use it for purposes that are incompatible with the reason it was collected. If we ever wish to use your information for a new purpose, we will explain that to you first and, where required, ask for your consent.
7. Legal Bases for Processing
Where the law requires us to identify a lawful basis for handling personal data, we rely on the following grounds. Contract applies where processing is necessary to enter into or perform an agreement with you, for example to deliver a commissioned system. Legitimate interests applies where we have a genuine business reason that does not override your rights, such as responding to enquiries, securing our network or improving our services. Legal obligation applies where we must keep records or report information to authorities. Consent applies where you have actively agreed to something optional, such as receiving studio updates, and you may withdraw that consent at any time.
When we rely on legitimate interests, we carry out a balancing assessment so that your rights and expectations are properly considered. If you would like to know which basis applies to a particular activity, please contact the studio and we will explain it.
8. Cookies and Similar Technologies
Our website is designed to be simple and to collect as little as possible. We may use a small number of cookies or similar technologies where they are strictly necessary for the site to function, for example to remember a preference or to protect a form from misuse. Strictly necessary cookies do not require consent because the site cannot work properly without them.
If we introduce analytics or other optional cookies in the future, we will ask for your consent before they are set and we will explain what each one does. You can control cookies through your browser settings, including blocking or deleting them, although blocking strictly necessary cookies may affect how parts of the site behave. We do not use cookies to build advertising profiles, and we do not allow third parties to track you across other websites through our site.
9. How We Share Information
We share personal information only where it is necessary and lawful to do so. The categories of recipient are limited and each one is bound by confidentiality and data protection obligations.
- Service providers who host our website, manage our email or provide accounting and payment services.
- Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers and legal advisers who support the company.
- Contractors and project partners where sharing a site contact is essential to deliver your commission.
- Public authorities where we are required by law to provide information.
- A buyer or successor in the unlikely event that the business is sold or reorganised.
We never sell, rent or trade personal information. Where a supplier processes data on our behalf, we require them to protect it to a standard consistent with this Policy and to use it only for the purpose we have specified. We review our suppliers periodically and will change them if they cannot meet our expectations.
10. International Transfers
Most of the information we hold stays within the United Kingdom. Where a supplier or service is located outside the United Kingdom, we take steps to ensure that your information continues to receive an adequate level of protection. These steps may include transferring data only to countries recognised as providing adequate protection, or putting a contract in place that includes approved safeguards and gives you enforceable rights.
If you would like more detail about where your information is held or about the safeguards we rely on, please write to studio@spoatelier.lol and we will provide it. We keep an internal record of our main processors and the countries in which they operate so that this information is always available.
11. Data Retention
We keep personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purpose it was collected, plus any additional period required by law. As a guide, enquiries that do not lead to a commission are usually kept for up to two years so that we can pick up a conversation if you return. Project records, contracts and invoices are kept for the period required by accounting and tax rules, which in the United Kingdom is generally six years from the end of the relevant financial year.
Support records are kept for the life of the support contract and for a reasonable period afterward so that we can help with any later question. When information is no longer needed, we delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer be linked to you. If you ask us to delete information and we are not required to keep it, we will do so promptly.
12. How We Protect Your Data
We use a combination of technical and organisational measures to protect personal information. These include encryption of data in transit, access controls that limit who can see information, strong authentication, regular software updates, secure backups and a policy of collecting only what we need. Physical documents are stored in lockable furniture at our premises, and portable devices are protected with encryption and screen locks.
Our team receives guidance on data protection and understands that information must be handled carefully and only for the purpose it was provided. If a personal data breach occurs, we investigate promptly, take steps to reduce any harm, and notify the relevant authority and any affected individuals where the law requires it. No system can be perfectly secure, but we work continuously to reduce risk and to respond quickly if something goes wrong.
13. Your Rights
Subject to the conditions in the law, you have the following rights in relation to your personal information.
- The right to be informed about how your information is used.
- The right of access to the personal information we hold about you.
- The right to have inaccurate or incomplete information corrected.
- The right to have information erased where there is no good reason for us to keep it.
- The right to restrict how we use your information in certain circumstances.
- The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or used for marketing.
- The right to data portability, allowing you to receive information in a common format.
- The right to withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.
- The right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing that has a significant effect on you.
These rights are not absolute and may be limited where the law requires us to keep or process information, for example to comply with a legal obligation or to defend a legal claim. We will always explain any limitation clearly if it applies to your request.
14. Exercising Your Rights
You can exercise any of your rights by writing to the studio at studio@spoatelier.lol or by post to SPO ATELIER LIMITED, 80 Winterbourne Road, CHICHESTER - PO19 6RS, United Kingdom (GB). Please tell us what you would like us to do and provide enough information for us to identify you and understand the request. We may ask for proof of identity to make sure we do not disclose information to the wrong person.
We aim to respond within one month of receiving a valid request. If a request is complex or if we receive several requests, we may extend that period, but we will tell you promptly if this happens and explain why. There is normally no charge for exercising your rights, although a reasonable fee may apply for repetitive or excessive requests. If you are unhappy with how we have handled a request, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner Office in the United Kingdom, and we would encourage you to raise the matter with us first so that we can try to put it right.
15. Privacy for Children
Our website and services are aimed at businesses, public bodies and professional clients, and they are not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of sixteen. If you believe that a child has provided information to us, please contact the studio and we will take steps to delete it quickly. Where an installation we build is used by families or young visitors, any data collected in that setting is controlled by the venue operating the installation and not by the company unless we have agreed otherwise in writing.
16. Marketing Communications
We send studio updates only to people who have asked to receive them. If you sign up for updates, you can unsubscribe at any time using the link in the message or by writing to studio@spoatelier.lol. We will stop sending marketing messages promptly once you tell us to. Where we communicate with you as part of an existing project, for example to confirm a survey or share a report, that is service correspondence rather than marketing and may continue while the engagement is active and for a reasonable period afterward.
We do not share your contact details with other organisations for their own marketing purposes. If we ever ran a joint announcement with a partner, we would only contact you about it if you had agreed to hear from us, and we would name the partner clearly so that you know who is involved.
17. Third Party Links
Our website may contain links to other websites, for example a mapping service, a professional body or a supplier page. We provide these links to help you, but we do not control the sites they lead to and we are not responsible for their privacy practices. When you follow a link, we encourage you to read the privacy notice of the site you reach before providing any personal information. This Policy applies only to information collected by SPO ATELIER LIMITED.
18. Automated Decision Making
We do not make decisions about you using automated processing that produces legal or similarly significant effects. Our decisions about projects, quotations and support are made by people who understand the context, and any tools we use support that human judgement rather than replace it. If this ever changes, we will update this Policy and provide a clear explanation of the logic involved and the rights available to you.
19. Changes to This Policy
We review this Privacy Policy from time to time so that it stays accurate and reflects how the company actually works. When we make a material change, we will update the date at the top of the page and, where appropriate, tell you directly. We encourage you to check this page occasionally if you would like to stay informed. The current version always governs our handling of your personal information, and previous versions are available on request.
20. How to Contact Us
If you have any question, concern or request relating to this Privacy Policy or the way we handle personal information, please contact the studio using the details below. We take every enquiry seriously and will work with you to resolve it fairly and promptly.
SPO ATELIER LIMITED
80 Winterbourne Road, CHICHESTER - PO19 6RS, United Kingdom (GB)
Email: studio@spoatelier.lol
Telephone: +17164143135
If you remain dissatisfied after contacting us, you may raise the matter with the Information Commissioner Office, which is the supervisory authority for data protection in the United Kingdom.