This page explains the legal bases Cancer Research UK relies on to use personal information, as required under UK data protection law.
Data protection laws state that each use of your personal information must have a relevant ‘lawful basis’. The relevant lawful bases are set out in the UK General Data Protection Regulation.
Consent means we ask if it's okay to use your information in a certain way, like sending you emails or texts. If you say yes, you can change your mind later and tell us to stop using your information for that reason.
Sometimes we have to use your personal information to follow the law or our regulatory obligations. For example, we might need to share it with official groups like the Charity Commission, Gambling Commission or the Information Commissioner or to use information about you for due diligence or ethical screening purposes.
We can use your personal information when we’re making an agreement with you or doing something we promised in that agreement. For example, if you buy something from us, sign up to work or volunteer, or get money from us to do research.
We have a basis to use your personal information where it is necessary for us to protect life or health. For instance if there were to be an emergency affecting individuals at one of our events, or a safeguarding issue which required us to contact people unexpectedly or share their information with emergency services.
We have a basis to use your personal information if it is reasonably necessary for us (or others) to do so and in our/their “legitimate interests” (provided that what the information is used for is fair and does not have a negative impact on your rights). This includes things like:
Learning more about our supporters
Updating your address if you move
Checking how people use our website or apps
Keeping records of people we work with, like volunteers and researchers
Sharing information within Cancer Research UK and with trusted partners
Sharing your details with event organisers if you join a charity event we’re part of
We only do this when we consider it to be fair and respectful of your privacy rights. If we need to use special category information (like health details), we rely on another lawful basis as required by data protection laws. We’ll either ask for your clear permission or use it in special cases allowed by law. Some examples are; if you’ve made the information public or if it’s needed for employment, social security or social protection law purposes, your vital interests, or, in some cases, if it is in the public interest for us to do so.
