We manage your personal info with great care. So we want you to understand why we鈥檙e asking for each piece of information and how we鈥檒l use it to make the 大象传媒 better.
Email/Username
If you鈥檙e 13 or over we鈥檒l ask for your email address. If you鈥檙e under 13 we鈥檒l ask you to create a username, which is different from a display name. You can find out more about display names here.
We use this to check you鈥檙e a real person (not a robot) and for security, so only you can access your 大象传媒 account. No one else will be able to see your email or username.
Your email address also lets you reset your password if you forget it. And it means we can get in touch if we need to tell you about something new, like a change to our terms of use.
Password
Your password helps keep your account secure, so other people can鈥檛 get into it. Make sure it鈥檚 hard to guess and contains:
- Eight or more characters
- At least one letter
- At least one number or symbol
Date of birth
When you first register we ask for your date of birth. This is so you can use the parts of the 大象传媒 that are suitable for your age. For instance, we don鈥檛 let adults post on children鈥檚 message boards. This is also a way for the 大象传媒 to check that you鈥檙e over 18.
It also means we can see how people of different ages are using the 大象传媒. Along with information about people鈥檚 gender and location, it helps us check we鈥檙e making something for everyone.
Knowing your date of birth means we can also give you more relevant info across the 大象传媒 and in any 大象传媒 emails you sign up for.
Storing your date of birth
If you鈥檙e 18 or over, we鈥檒l only keep your year of birth, not the day and month. This is because we only keep data we need to make the 大象传媒 more personal to you. We don't need your day and month of birth to do that, so we don't keep them.
If you鈥檙e under 18 and your account was created before 19/09/2024, we鈥檒l keep your full date of birth so we know when you turn 18. And when that happens, we'll delete the day and month from our records.
If you鈥檙e under 18 and your account was created after 19/09/2024, we will not delete the day and month when you turn 18.
Outside the UK?
We use it for the reasons listed. And because outside the UK the 大象传媒 is commercially funded, 大象传媒 Global News Limited also use it to personalise your advertising experience. If you鈥檇 prefer we didn鈥檛 use your information in this way, you can change your cookie settings.
Gender
We ask everyone what gender they identify as. You can choose female, male or enter another term of your choosing. And there鈥檚 also an option if you鈥檇 prefer not to say.
This helps us see how people of different genders are using the 大象传媒. Along with information about people鈥檚 age and location, it helps us check we鈥檙e making something for everyone. We might use this, along with other info about you, to give you more relevant info across the 大象传媒 and in any 大象传媒 emails you sign up for.
Location
If you鈥檙e in the UK and 13 or over we鈥檒l ask for your home postcode. If you鈥檙e in the UK and under 13 we鈥檒l ask for your hometown. That鈥檚 the place where you live.
We use your location:
- to give you relevant local info online and in any email newsletters you sign up for.
- for analysis and research purposes so that we may improve the services offered by the 大象传媒. This can include using geo-demographic information from external sources, where this helps us ensure we are making something for everyone.
We also ask for your full postcode because it helps us understand how the 大象传媒 is used across the country. As a public service, we need to make sure we're making something for everyone and giving best value for the licence fee. Read more about why everything we do has to benefit you, our audience.
Outside the UK?
If you're outside the UK we'll ask for your country of residence instead.
We use it for the reasons listed. And because the 大象传媒 is commercially funded, 大象传媒 Global News Limited also use it to personalise advertising. If you have a UK account, you鈥檒l still see advertising but it won鈥檛 be personalised.
If you鈥檇 prefer we didn鈥檛 use your information in this way, you can change your cookie settings.
What we鈥檒l use your personal information for
The 大象传媒 is a public service. Everything we do has to benefit you, our audience. And that includes what we do with your personal information.
We use this information to benefit you in two ways:
1. A more personal 大象传媒 for you
It helps us make the 大象传媒 more personal for you. It means we can:
- Recommend things we think you鈥檒l like
- Show you content that鈥檚 relevant to where you live
- Make sure you can use things that are appropriate for your age.
2. Making something for everyone
As a public service, we need to make something for everyone.
As more of our content gets consumed online, we need to understand who's consuming it. Things like iPlayer give you more ways to enjoy 大象传媒 content. And while they let us see how many people are enjoying the things we make, they don鈥檛 tell us anything about them, which makes it hard to know if we鈥檙e making something for everyone.
That's why we ask you to sign in and provide a bit of information.
Keeping your information safe
We will never sell your personal details to anyone and we'll only use your data commercially if you're using a commercial 大象传媒 service. We will never give your personal details to anyone outside the 大象传媒 without your consent.
Find out more about your information and privacy.
We share some of your personal data with TV Licensing, to check if you are using 大象传媒 iPlayer and to keep their database up to date. Find out more about when you need a TV Licence.