Last updated: 25 August 2026
1. Introduction
FLaT Society ("we", "us", or "our") operates the https://financelawandtech.netlify.app website. This page explains, plainly, what data the site actually collects and where it goes. It's written to match how the site is built, not as a generic template.
2. What Data We Collect
We collect data only when you choose to provide it, through the committee application form or the "get updates" sign-up forms on the homepage and events page:
- Name — required for committee applications
- Email address — required, so we can respond to your application or send you updates
- Optional contact info — a Telegram or LinkedIn handle, if you choose to give one
- Message — optional free text you add to a committee application
We do not use any analytics or tracking tools. No page-view, click, or visitor-behaviour data is collected about you as an individual.
3. Where This Data Is Stored
When you submit a form, the data is sent to a Netlify Function which:
- Stores it in a Netlify Database (a hosted Postgres database tied to this site), and
- Forwards a copy to a Google Sheet that our committee uses to track and follow up on applications.
Both copies exist so the committee can review applications even if one system is temporarily unavailable. If you'd like your data removed from either, contact us using the details in section 8 and we'll delete both copies.
4. Rate-Limit Logging
To stop the application form being spammed, our server briefly records how many submissions have come from a given IP address, and from a given IP address and email combination, in a Netlify Blobs store. This is a rolling hourly count and timestamp, not a log of your browsing activity, and it is not linked to your name or the content of any application. Entries are overwritten as the hourly window resets and are not kept as a historical record.
5. Cookies & the Cookie Banner
The site shows a cookie banner on your first visit, offering "Accept All" or "Decline Analytics". Your choice is saved in a cookie and in your browser's local storage for 365 days so we don't ask again. At present this choice doesn't change what the site does, because no analytics are running either way — the banner and the underlying consent code are in place ahead of adding analytics in future, not because analytics are active today.
The committee application form also uses your browser's local storage to remember which roles you've already applied for, so you don't get shown the application form twice by mistake for the same role.
6. Analytics
We do not currently run Google Analytics or any other analytics or tracking service. Nothing about your visit — pages viewed, time on site, device, location — is collected or sent to a third party for analytics purposes.
7. Security Headers & Form Protection
The site sets standard security headers (a Content Security Policy, X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, Strict-Transport-Security) to reduce the risk of common web attacks, and the application form includes a hidden honeypot field and basic rate limiting to cut down on automated spam submissions. If your genuine submission is ever blocked by this, email us directly using the details below.
8. Third-Party Services
We use the following third-party services, each governed by its own privacy policy:
- Google Fonts — loads the typefaces used on this site from Google's servers
- Google Sheets / Apps Script — receives a copy of committee applications, and (separately) serves the list of published reports shown on the Reports page
- Netlify — hosts the site, the application form's backend, the database, and the rate-limit store
9. Your Rights
Under UK data protection law, you have the right to access the data we hold about you, ask us to correct or delete it, and withdraw consent at any time. To exercise any of these, email our co-presidents at flatsociety.greenwich@gmail.com and we'll action it in both the database and the Google Sheet.
10. Children's Privacy
This site is aimed at university students and isn't intended for children under 13. We don't knowingly collect data from anyone under that age.
11. Policy Changes
If what the site actually collects or does with data changes, we'll update this page and the "Last updated" date above to match.
12. Contact Us
Questions about this policy or how your data is handled: flatsociety.greenwich@gmail.com, or via the University of Greenwich Students' Union.
This privacy policy applies to the FLaT Society website. If you have concerns about how the University of Greenwich handles your data, contact their Data Protection Officer.