Privacy and terms of use

This section contains information on:

privacy, cookies, data protection and freedom of information
terms on the use of all British Council websites, accessibility and information on how to make a complaint
details on the policies that the British Council abides by

This information is updated from time to time. This content was last updated on 22 December 2014.

Privacy and cookies

PRIVACY

We regard the lawful and correct treatment of personal information as important to our successful operations and to the maintenance of confidence of those with whom we deal. As such this statement will apply equally to all of our offices irrespective of where they are based.

You can read our full policy on privacy in English.

COOKIES

Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website without storing any personally identifiable information about you. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site.

You can read our full policy on the use of cookies in English.

DATA PROTECTION

Find out about how we protect your information and how you can request access to this information we hold about you.

You can read our full policy on data protection in English.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

The British Council prides itself on seeking new and open ways of engaging with the worldwide community. In order to build integrity and trust, it is important that we set an example by opening up more of our organisation to the world.

You can read our full policy on freedom of information in English.

Terms on the use of this site

The British Council has set out specific information on how you may use this site. Here you will find information on how this site has been designed to make it accessible to everyone. You will also find details on how to make a complaint.

TERMS OF USE

The British Council has terms and conditions on the use of this site and links to and from this site.

You can read our full terms and conditions in English.

MAKE A COMPLAINT

We value your opinion. We hope to make your experience of dealing with the British Council an excellent one and we welcome your comments, suggestions and details of your satisfaction or dissatisfaction regarding the service you have experienced when contacting us or using any of our products or services. We would also like to hear if a particular member of staff has provided you with exceptional service.

You can read our full policy on making a complaint in English.

REMARKETING

3rd party vendor remarketing tracking cookies (like the Google Adwords tracking cookie) are used by The British Council.

Remarketing through the use remarketing tracking cookies or pixels enables us to show ads across the internet to you after you have visited our website.

We do not collect any identifiable information through the use of Google, Facebook or any other 3rd party remarketing system.

The third-party vendors, such as Google and Facebook, whose services we use, will place cookies on web browsers in order to serve ads based on past visits to our website. This allows us to make special offers and continue to market our services to those who have shown interest in our services.

If you do not wish to receive this type of advertising from us in the future you can opt through the links below.

You may opt-out of Google’s use of cookies by visiting the Ads Preferences Manager. Also, you can opt-out of other third-party vendor’s use of cookies by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page.

The British Council also uses Google’s DoubleClick’s Remarketing Pixels. You may opt-out of DoubleClick’s remarketing pixels, your privacy policy can instead tell people to opt-out of DoubleClick’s use of cookies by visiting the DoubleClick opt-out page or the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page. The British Council also uses Google’s Dynamic Ad Serving. The Dynamic Ad Serving feature uses the Teracent cookie and you may opt-out of the Teracent cookie by visiting the this opt-out page.

The British Council may from time to time utilise Facebook Advertising, Facebook Pixel Re-Marketing, and communications. We do this to understand and deliver ads and make them more relevant to you. Cookies also enable us to learn whether someone who saw an ad on Facebook later visited our website. The ultimate control of the dissemination of information gathered through Facebook Advertising, Facebook Pixel Re-Marketing, and communications resides entirely with Facebook. You can opt-out of Facebook’s use of cookies and Facebook Pixel Re-Marketing through settings on your Facebook Account.

Walk in visitors or customers of the British Council who leave their contact details with our staff may be remarketed to (online and offline) with information from the British Council. We do not share this information with third parties. If you do not want to receive such information through remarketing please contact us to remove your remarketing database.

Policies

As a cultural relations organisation, the British Council has policies that it abides by:

CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

The British Council recognises that we have a fundamental duty of care towards all of the children we engage with including a duty to protect them from abuse. We achieve this through compliance with UK child protection laws and relevant laws in each of the countries we operate in, as well as by adherence to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 1989.

You can read our full policy on child protection in English.

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

The British Council is committed to meeting UK and international standards for managing our environmental impact. We recognise the impact of our business operations and activities on the environment. We also recognise the threat of climate change to prosperity, social justice and quality of life. We are therefore committed to managing and minimising our environmental impact.

You can read our full environmental policy in English.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide. Our work involves developing relationships with people from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. Working effectively with diversity and promoting equality of opportunity is therefore an essential part of our work.

You can read our full policy in English to find out how we build equality, diversity and inclusion into our programmes and projects and who you can contact for more information.