Data Consent
Centre for Acceleration of Social Technology (CAST)
Worthwhile Chat Service
Effective Date: 7 January 2026
Last Updated: 7 January 2026
Version: 1.0
What You Need to Know Before Using Worthwhile Chat
Welcome to CAST’s Worthwhile Chat Service. We want to be completely transparent about how we handle your information when you use our AI assistant. This page explains everything in plain English, organized around what matters most to you.
The Quick Summary
When you use our Worthwhile Chat Service:
- We collect your messages and some technical information to make the service work
- We keep this information secure and only use it for legitimate purposes
- You have full control over your data and can ask us to delete it anytime
- We follow all UK data protection laws
- You can say no to any data collection that isn’t essential
Who We Are
CAST (Centre for Acceleration of Social Technology) is a UK-based organisation dedicated to using technology for social good. We’re located at [CAST Address], and you can reach us at [contact email]. We’re the “data controller” for this service, which means we’re responsible for protecting your information and following data protection laws.
Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted at dataprotection@wearecast.org.uk if you have any concerns about how we handle your data.
What Information We Collect and Why
Your Chat Messages
What we collect: Every message you send to our AI assistant and the responses it gives you.
Why we need it: This is essential for the AI to understand your questions and provide helpful responses. We also use these conversations to improve our service and ensure it’s working properly.
Legal basis: We process this information because it’s necessary to provide the service you’re requesting (called “performance of a contract” in legal terms). For service improvements, we rely on our legitimate business interests, balanced against your privacy rights.
Technical Information
What we collect:
- Your IP address (the unique number that identifies your internet connection) - Information about your web browser and device
- When you use the service and for how long
- Error messages if something goes wrong
Why we need it: This helps us keep the service secure, fix problems, and understand how people use our AI assistant so we can make it better.
Legal basis: This processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests in providing a secure and reliable service.
Optional Analytics
What we collect: Anonymous information about how you navigate our website and use different features.
Why we want it: This helps us understand which parts of our service are most useful and where we can make improvements.
Legal basis: We only collect this information with your explicit consent. You can say no without affecting your ability to use the Worthwhile Chat Service.
How We Keep Your Information Safe
We take data security seriously and use industry-standard measures to protect your information:
- All data is encrypted when stored and transmitted
- Access is restricted to authorised staff members only
- We regularly test our security systems
- We have procedures in place to detect and respond to data breaches
- Our systems are hosted with reputable cloud providers who meet high security standards
Who We Share Your Information With
AI Service Providers
To provide our Worthwhile Chat Service, we work with leading AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. When you send a message, it may be processed by their systems to generate a response. These companies have their own privacy policies and security measures.
What this means for you: Your messages may be processed outside the UK, but we only work with providers who offer adequate protection for your data through appropriate safeguards.
Technical Service Providers
We use trusted companies to help us run our service, including:
- Cloud hosting providers for our website and databases
- Analytics services (only if you consent)
- Security monitoring services
What this means for you: These companies can only access your data for the specific purposes we’ve agreed with them, and they’re contractually required to protect your information.
Legal Requirements
We may need to share information if required by law, such as responding to a court order or helping with a police investigation.
How Long We Keep Your Information
Chat messages: We keep your conversations for 3 months after your last interaction with our service. This allows us to provide continuity if you return and helps us improve our AI responses.
Technical information: We keep IP addresses and technical logs for 12 months for security purposes, then delete them.
Analytics data: If you consent to analytics, we keep anonymous usage statistics indefinitely to help us improve our service over time.
Account information: If you create an account with us, we keep your account details until you ask us to delete them or close your account.
You can ask us to delete your information sooner - see “Your Rights” below.
Your Rights Over Your Data
Under UK data protection law, you have several important rights:
Right to Access
You can ask us for a copy of all the personal information we hold about you. We’ll provide this free of charge within one month.
Right to Correction
If any of your information is wrong or incomplete, you can ask us to fix it.
Right to Deletion
You can ask us to delete your personal information. We’ll do this unless we have a legal reason to keep it.
Right to Restrict Processing
You can ask us to temporarily stop using your information while we resolve any concerns you have.
Right to Data Portability
You can ask us to provide your data in a format that makes it easy to transfer to another service.
Right to Object
You can object to us processing your information for certain purposes, particularly for marketing or analytics.
Right to Withdraw Consent
If we’re processing your information based on your consent (like for analytics), you can withdraw that consent at any time.
How to exercise your rights: Contact us at dataprotection@wearecast.org.uk or use the contact details at the bottom of this page. We’ll respond within one month and won’t charge you unless your request is clearly unreasonable.
Cookies and Tracking
Essential Cookies
We use a small number of cookies that are essential for our service to work:
- Session cookies to remember you’re logged in
- Security cookies to protect against attacks
- Preference cookies to remember your settings
These cookies are necessary for the service to function and don’t require your consent.
Optional Cookies
We’d like to use additional cookies to help us improve our service:
- Analytics cookies to understand how people use our website
- Performance cookies to monitor how fast our service loads
You can choose whether to accept these cookies. Your choice won’t affect your ability to use our Worthwhile Chat Service.
International Data Transfers
Some of our service providers are based outside the UK. When we transfer your data internationally, we ensure it’s protected by:
- Using providers in countries with adequate data protection laws
- Implementing Standard Contractual Clauses approved by UK authorities
- Conducting regular assessments of data protection standards
Children’s Privacy
Our Worthwhile Chat Service is designed for users aged 13 and over. We don’t knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you’re a parent and believe your child has used our service, please contact us and we’ll delete their information.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this privacy information from time to time to reflect changes in our service or legal requirements. When we make significant changes, we’ll notify users through our website and, where appropriate, by email.
The current version of this policy was last updated on [Date].
Making a Complaint
If you’re not satisfied with how we’ve handled your personal information, you have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). You can contact them at:
- Website: ico.org.uk
- Phone: 0303 123 1113
- Post: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this privacy information or how we handle your data:
- Email: hello@wearecast.org.uk
- Address: CAST, 2nd Floor, 145-157 St John Street, London, EC1V 4PY, United Kingdom
- Phone: +44 (0) 20 3897 7892
We aim to respond to all enquiries within 5 working days.
Document Control
- Document Owner: Data Protection Officer, CAST
- Review Frequency: Annual or as required by changes in cookie usage
- Next Review Date: January 2027
- Approval: Data Protection Officer and Legal Team
- Distribution: Public (website), Staff (internal systems)
This information was prepared to comply with UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations.