Last amended - May 2024
Overview
- The use of Broadband Genie is strictly subject to this privacy policy.
- We may collect some personal information from you when you use the Broadband Genie website. The section entitled ‘The information we collect and how we collect it’ contains full details.
- The section entitled ‘How we use your information’ details the manner in which we use this information.
- We will share your information with other companies when required to by law.
- You can ask us any questions about your personal information at any time by emailing [email protected]
About us
Broadband Genie is owned and operated by Genie Ventures Ltd.
Our company registration number: 05085554
Our registered address is:
Nine Hills Road
Cambridge
CB2 1GE
The information we collect and how we collect it
When you use the Broadband Genie website, we may collect personal information about you. This information is as follows:
- Your postcode: if you perform a check for available broadband services in your area, or if you use our speed test
- Your email address: if you choose to have a copy of your comparison results sent to your inbox, or if you apply for a reward or a special offer
- Your email address or Twitter handle: if you are entering an on-site competition or survey. We may also collect your age, gender, postcode and location if relevant to a particular survey
- The details of your visit are tracked through the use of cookies: Please see our cookie policy for more information
- Your name: if you leave a broadband review
The following sections explain why we collect this information, how we use it, and who we share it with.
Why do we collect this information?
All companies are required to have a valid lawful basis in order to use (or process) personal data.
The lawful basis under which we collect and use your personal information is as follows: it is necessary for the performance of a contract, or pre-contractual steps if this information is collected in either of the following ways:
- You apply for a reward or a special offer that Broadband Genie is providing as part of your broadband order with your chosen supplier.
- You are entering an on-site competition or survey.
A further lawful basis under which we collect and use your personal information is as follows: it is within the legitimate interests of both parties in the following circumstances:
- We may use your email address to send a relevant switching reminder email address 18-24 months after your original sale date, if you have used our services before to purchase broadband.
In any other circumstance, the legal basis under which we collect and use your personal information is that it is necessary for our legitimate business interests. 'Legitimate interests' refers to the interests of our company in conducting and managing our business, in order to supply the best service and the most relevant user experience.
With any personal information that is collected for our legitimate interests, we have to consider and balance any potential impact on you (both positive and negative), and your rights under data protection laws. Our legitimate business interests cannot override your interests - we will not use your personal information for activities where our interests are overridden by any potential impact to you.
You have a right to object to the reasons we collect any of the information detailed within this privacy document. The section ‘Contact us or make a complaint’ at the end of this document explains how you can do this.
How we use your information
When you click through a product link on Broadband Genie to a third party website, we will use cookies to track the progress of your visit through to your chosen broadband supplier’s site. This is to ensure we receive a commission once the supplier completes your order on its website. For more information on how Broadband Genie is funded, please follow this link.
Other ways we may use your personal information:
To provide accurate postcode and speed test results
When you perform an availability or speed check on our website, we will use your postcode to complete this check; this is essential to display the most accurate picture of which suppliers are available where you live.
Broadband Genie partners with thinkbroadband (and SamKnows prior to May 2020) to perform this postcode check, and broadbandspeedtest.org.uk to provide speed test results. For more information on how we work with these companies, please refer to the ‘Who we share your information with’ section below.
To fulfil a competition prize, reward, or special offer
We will collect your email address if you apply for a reward or a special offer that Broadband Genie is providing as part of your broadband order with your chosen supplier.
We need this information in order to send you your reward or special offer once your transaction has been completed through your chosen broadband supplier and your broadband has been installed.
We may collect your email address when you click out on a product that contains a reward or special offer or if you use our voucher tracker service.
We will keep this information for a maximum of 24 months; unless you explicitly opt-in to receiving marketing emails from Broadband Genie, in which case your information will be kept until you unsubscribe from receiving further emails from us.
We may also collect your email address or Twitter / X username if you enter a competition on Broadband Genie. We need this information in order to send you your prize once the competition has closed. We keep this information for a maximum of 24 months.
To email you comparison results or Black Friday deals
If you ask us to email you broadband comparison results or Black Friday deals, we will use your email address to send these to you.
For comparison results, we will not keep your email address unless you explicitly opt-in to receiving marketing emails from Broadband Genie, in which case your information will be kept until you unsubscribe from receiving further emails from us.
For Black Friday deals, we will keep your email address for the period between email collection and a maximum of one month following Black Friday.
To provide a broadband comparison service over the phone
We provide customer support telephone numbers across the Broadband Genie website to provide an additional method for users to complete their broadband purchase.
We partner with Comparison Tech (UK Web Media Limited) to provide this service. Broadband Genie does not collect any personal information via these phone numbers, but our partners may do.
For more information on how we work with these companies, please refer to the ‘Who we share your information with’ section below.
To improve our user experience
We use information about your visits to Broadband Genie in order to develop and improve our website experience for users.
For further details on the information we collect for the purpose of improving user experience and how to opt-out, please see our cookie policy.
To remind you about an expiring broadband contract
We may use your email address to email 18-24 months after you bought broadband through Broadband Genie (i.e. around the end of that contract).
We will send messages to, store these contact details within, Mailchimp (see their data usage policies).
Who we share your information with
Dixons Carphone (previously Simplify Digital)
We partner with Dixons Carphone to provide an additional method for users to complete their broadband purchase by ordering over the phone. Broadband Genie does not collect any personal information via these phone numbers.
Dixons Carphone may collect personal information including but not limited to name, email address, phone number, broadband supplier and product purchased. This information is used for internal sales reporting only and is kept for a maximum of three years. For more information, please see Dixon Carphone's privacy policy.
UK Web Media Limited
We partner with UK Web Media Limited (which is part of the Comparison Technologies group of companies) to provide a broadband comparison service over the phone. Broadband Genie does not collect any personal information via these phone numbers.
UK Web Media Limited may collect personal information including but not limited to name, email address, phone number, broadband supplier and product purchased. This information is used for internal sales reporting only and is kept for a maximum of seven years. For more information, please see UK Web Media Limited's privacy policy.
Mailchimp
We use a company called Mailchimp in order to send out 'switch reminder' emails as mentioned above. Your email address will be stored securely on Mailchimp's server. We will only use this information to send a single reminder and no further. We do not share this information with anyone else.
Microsoft Clarity
We partner with Microsoft Clarity and Microsoft Advertising to capture how you use and interact with our website through behavioral metrics, heatmaps, and session replay to improve and market our products/services. Website usage data is captured using first and third-party cookies and other tracking technologies to determine the popularity of products/services and online activity. Additionally, we use this information for site optimization, fraud/security purposes, and advertising. For more information about how Microsoft collects and uses your data, visit the Microsoft Privacy Statement.
SurveyGizmo
SurveyGizmo is a data collection platform. We use SurveyGizmo to gather research for editorial content and visitor feedback to improve our site.
The data collected is encrypted and stored in SurveyGizmo's EU data centre. SurveyGizmo does not sell or share data collected by surveys and does not have access to survey data, except when specifically requested by us to provide technical or customer support.
This data is kept for a maximum of 12 months.
For further information, see SurveyGizmo’s privacy policy.
Giftcloud
Giftcloud is our chosen voucher supplier for all incentive offers provided by Broadband Genie. We use Giftcloud because it allows us to offer a wide variety of rewards to our customers.
We send Giftcloud the email addresses for all approved sales when running rewards or special offers. Giftcloud then sends the reward to the customer. It does not use this data for anything else or share it with any third party.
Giftcloud holds your email address for 12 months to ensure we can answer any queries from our customers.
For further information, see Giftcloud’s privacy policy.
Trustpilot
Trustpilot is a review platform. We use Trustpilot to gather customer feedback to maintain and improve our service.
If you take out a broadband deal through Broadband Genie which includes a reward or special offer, we will include a link to Trustpilot in your e-gift email.
Completing a Trustpilot review is optional. Broadband Genie does not collect or share any personal data with Trustpilot. Please see Trustpilot's Privacy Policy for more information regarding any personal data they may collect.
Broadbandspeedtest.org.uk
Our broadband speed test is powered by Broadbandspeedtest.org.uk. When you check your speed on Broadband Genie, we will share your computer’s IP address with Broadbandspeedtest.org.uk to display your current broadband speed.
This IP address is anonymised and does not personally identify a user. Broadbandspeedtest.org.uk may share IP data, along with speed tests and network measurements, with third parties to compile aggregate information about network statistics and usage in particular areas. Broadband Genie does not store this information anywhere.
For more information, please see Broadbandspeedtest.org.uk’s privacy policy.
thinkbroadband
Broadband Genie partners with thinkbroadband (and, before May 2020, SamKnows) to perform postcode checks on our website to show users accurate broadband supplier and deal information at a specified location.
In order to display these results, Broadband Genie sends a user’s postcode to thinkbroadband, which then passes back its data to populate our comparison tables accurately.
Broadband Genie does not store this information anywhere.
Please refer to the thinkbroadband privacy policy for further information regarding its use of data.
Freshworks
We use third-party service providers, like Freshworks Inc ("Freshworks") to enable interaction with you on our website and/or our product.
As a data processor acting on our behalf, Freshworks automatically receives and records certain information, including device model, IP address, web browser, and usage patterns through cookies and browser settings. Freshworks performs analytics on such data on our behalf, which helps us improve our service.
You can read about the cookies Freshworks' sets in their cookie policy here.
HubSpot
We use third-party service providers, such as HubSpot to enable users to leave their email address and broadband contract-end date. We do so in order to contact you when your broadband contract is due for renewal and provide you with the best deals, potentially saving you money.
As a data processor acting on our behalf, Hubspot receives and records certain information of yours such as email address and broadband contract end date; this is stored within their database, to which we have access via a user portal on the HubSpot website. We may then email you once, 30 days before your contract end date, to let you know what alternative deals are available, as specified on the form we use. We may then email you once more, seven days before your contract is due to end, with the same purpose.
You can read about HubSpot's commitment to GDPR in their privacy policy here.
How we keep your information safe
The security of our users’ data is of primary importance at Broadband Genie. We have in place several procedures to keep your information safe, which include but are not limited to:
- HTTPS protocols: We use HTTPS on Broadband Genie to encrypt user data between your device and our website.
- Password protection: Our content-management systems are secured via passwords. We use secure, encrypted tools to safeguard our passwords within the company.
- Google authentication: Our reporting, email, Google Drive, content-management systems, Analytics and AdWords are all secured via Google Authentication, which is backed up by two-step verification logins.
- User passwords: Where users have access to Broadband Genie, we would implore them to consider choosing a secure password, and to take reasonable steps to protect it.
- Data deletion: We delete all non-essential data after a short, relevant period (outlined above); this includes an overwhelming majority of the personal data.
- Access: Within our own company, access to personal data is limited to a small number of relevant individuals.
- Firewalls and antivirus: We ensure staff are using devices with up-to-date security software.
Changes to our privacy policy
Broadband Genie’s privacy policy may be subject to occasional change. Any changes to our privacy policy in the future will be posted to the website. We may also, where appropriate, notify you via email.
Contact us or make a complaint
If you would like to find out what information we hold on you, change, correct, remove or request we stop using this information, or make a complaint, please email [email protected] or send a letter to:
Broadband Genie
Nine Hills Road
Cambridge
CB2 1GE
If you do wish to make a complaint or are concerned about the way in which we are handling your data, you can raise this concern with a relevant regulatory authority within your country of residence. In the UK, this is the Information Commissioner’s Office.