Privacy Policy
Data Science Institute – Privacy Notice
Subject Access Request
At the Data Science Institute, we take the protection of your personal data seriously. If you have questions about how we manage your personal data, or if you would like to access the information we hold about you under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you can submit a Subject Access Request (SAR) to us directly.
Introduction
The Data Science Institute is committed to safeguarding your personal data and maintaining your privacy. This Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, share, and protect your personal information.
We encourage you to read this Privacy Notice carefully to understand how and why we use your personal data. The notice is presented in a clear structure to help you find relevant information:
Who we are
Data Protection Officer
What is personal data?
Data protection principles
How we use your personal data
What personal data we collect
Sharing your data
International transfers
Data security
Data retention
Your data rights
Updates to this notice
1. Who We Are
The Data Science Institute is the “data controller” of your personal data. This means we determine how and why your personal information is processed and are responsible for ensuring it is handled in compliance with data protection laws.
When we use terms like “Data Science Institute,” “we,” “us,” or “our,” we are referring to the legal entity responsible for delivering academic and professional education services.
2. Data Protection Officer
We have appointed a Data Protection Officer (DPO) to oversee our compliance with data protection law.
Contact Details:
Email: privacy@datascienceinstitute.net
Postal Address:
Data Protection Officer
Data Science Institute
Waterfront Square,
1 Horgan's Quay,
Cork, Ireland,
T23 PPT8
If you have any concerns or queries about your personal data, we encourage you to contact us in the first instance. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission at www.dataprotection.ie.
3. What Is Personal Data?
Personal data is any information that can identify an individual, either directly or indirectly. This includes your name, contact information, identification numbers, or online identifiers. It does not include anonymised data that cannot identify you.
4. Data Protection Principles
We follow six key principles when processing your personal data. Your data will be:
Processed lawfully, fairly, and transparently
Collected for specific, legitimate purposes
Relevant and limited to what is necessary
Accurate and kept up to date
Retained only as long as necessary
Protected by appropriate security measures
5. How We Use Your Personal Data
We will only use your personal data where the law allows us to. The main reasons we process your data are:
To perform a contract with you (e.g. enrolling you in a programme)
To comply with a legal obligation
To pursue our legitimate interests (e.g. improving our services), provided these are not overridden by your rights
To protect your vital interests or for reasons of public interest (in rare cases)
With your consent (primarily for marketing purposes)
You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us at the address above.
6. What Personal Data We Collect
Depending on your relationship with us, we may collect the following:
When you enquire or apply:
Name, contact details (email, phone, postal address)
Education and employment history
Programme interests
Nationality, date of birth, gender
When you enrol or study with us:
PPS number (where applicable)
Passport and visa details (if applicable)
Payment information
Emergency contact details (with your confirmation that you have consent from that person)
Health or disability information (to provide support or reasonable adjustments)
Academic records, attendance, assessments, and progression
Marketing and events:
With your consent, we may contact you with programme information or invitations to events relevant to your interests.
Website data:
We collect technical information (browser type, IP address, device data) through cookies and analytics tools. See our website's Cookie Policy for more.
If you choose not to provide certain data we require, we may not be able to provide specific services to you.
7. Sharing Your Data
We may share your personal data with trusted third parties when necessary for legal, academic, or operational purposes:
Service providers: including IT support, customer service, online learning platforms, and payment processors
Awarding bodies: such as Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) or other accrediting institutions
Your employer or sponsor, if they are supporting your studies
Educational agents, where you are applying through an authorised representative
Regulatory bodies: such as the Department of Justice, the Higher Education Authority (HEA), or health authorities (e.g. in cases of contact tracing)
Professional or industry bodies, for programme accreditation or compliance
Survey and research partners, such as StudentSurvey.ie or Graduate Outcomes, using anonymised data only
Other legal requirements, such as court orders, law enforcement, or during a potential business restructure or transfer
We require all recipients of your data to adhere to applicable data protection laws and maintain appropriate confidentiality and security.
8. International Transfers
As part of our services and communications, your data may be processed outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Where this occurs, we ensure your rights are protected through safeguards such as:
Standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission
Appropriate agreements with third-party providers
Please contact our DPO if you would like further information on data transfers.
9. Data Security
We use a combination of technical and organisational measures to keep your data secure, including:
Access control and encryption
Secure storage and backup systems
Internal training and data handling protocols
Procedures to detect, investigate, and report any security breaches
Only authorised personnel and partners have access to your personal data, and they are required to keep it confidential.
10. Data Retention
We retain your data only as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including legal, regulatory, and academic obligations.
We determine retention periods based on:
The nature and sensitivity of the data
Legal and compliance requirements
The purpose for which the data was collected
Whether the data can be anonymised or securely destroyed
Please inform us if your personal details change during your relationship with us.
11. Your Data Rights
You have the following rights under GDPR:
Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
Rectification: Correct inaccurate or incomplete information
Erasure: Ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances
Restriction: Ask us to suspend use of your data in specific cases
Objection: Object to our processing of your data (e.g. for marketing or legitimate interests)
Data portability: Request the transfer of your data to another provider
Withdraw consent: Withdraw your consent where applicable
To exercise any of these rights, please email us at privacy@datascienceinstitute.net. We may request verification of your identity before proceeding.
There is normally no charge for exercising your rights. However, we may charge a fee or refuse a request if it is clearly unfounded or excessive.
12. Updates to This Notice
We may revise this Privacy Notice occasionally to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. When we do, we will post the updated version on our website and notify you of any significant changes.
Would you like this converted into a downloadable PDF or Word version for publication?