Privacy Notice

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Office Tether is currently conducting research into secure remote access and practical remote working arrangements experienced by sole traders and small businesses. This notice explains what information may be collected when you contact us or take part in that research, why it is used, and your rights.

Who is responsible for your information

Office Tether is operated by Antony Hewitt (sole trader), who is the data controller for the personal information covered by this notice. For privacy questions or to exercise your data-protection rights, contact hello@officetether.co.uk.

Information we may collect

We collect only information needed to understand your enquiry and participation in the research, such as:

  • Name and business name
  • Email address and preferred contact method
  • Broad business type or team size
  • General comments about remote-access arrangements, practical working challenges, frustrations or priorities
  • Notes from a research conversation (with your permission)
  • Whether you have opted in to be contacted if a future Office Tether service formally launches

Office Tether does not ask for or need:

  • Passwords
  • Recovery codes or MFA codes
  • Router, Wi-Fi, cloud-account or system credentials
  • Customer information or details of contacts
  • Confidential documents or sensitive files
  • Technical configuration information or system logs
  • Remote access to devices or systems
  • Special-category personal data (health, race, religion, etc.)

Why we use information

We use this information only to:

  • Respond to a research enquiry
  • Arrange and conduct a research conversation
  • Understand common themes and demand for a possible future practical remote-access setup service
  • Keep limited notes needed to analyse the pilot
  • Contact you about a future Office Tether launch only where you have actively chosen that option
  • Meet legal, security or record-keeping obligations where necessary

Office Tether does not use research information to provide live technical support, diagnose systems, assess a business's secure data management, or make personalised recommendations during the research process.

Lawful basis

For research enquiries and research conversations, Office Tether relies on legitimate interests: understanding whether there is demand for a future practical remote-access setup service for small businesses, while collecting only limited information and avoiding confidential or sensitive details.

For optional future-launch contact, Office Tether relies on your consent. This is optional and you can withdraw it at any time.

How long we keep data

Identifiable research enquiries and notes will normally be deleted within six months of the research pilot ending, and no later than 31 March 2027, unless:

  • You have separately opted in to hear about a future Office Tether launch
  • A longer period is necessary to deal with a legal claim, complaint or legal obligation
  • The information has been anonymised so it can no longer identify you or your business

If you opt in to hear about a future launch, we will keep your contact details until the earliest of: you withdraw consent, Office Tether decides not to launch, or 31 March 2028.

You can withdraw your future-launch consent at any time by emailing hello@officetether.co.uk.

Sharing and service providers

Office Tether does not sell or rent personal information.

We may use ordinary business service providers, such as email, website hosting, domain, or secure storage providers, where they process information on our behalf. We only use them where necessary for the research and expect them to handle information securely.

The survey is collected through SmartSurvey. SmartSurvey may process submitted information as a service provider to deliver and secure the form service.

Where a provider processes information outside the UK, we will use appropriate safeguards required by UK data-protection law.

Security

Office Tether uses reasonable technical and organisational measures appropriate to the limited information collected during this pilot. Access to research information is restricted to the person running Office Tether.

Your rights

Under UK data-protection law, you may have rights to:

  • Access your personal information
  • Correction of inaccurate information
  • Deletion in certain circumstances
  • Restriction or objection to processing in certain circumstances
  • Withdrawal of consent where consent is used
  • Data portability where applicable
  • Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the Office Tether email address: hello@officetether.co.uk.

You can also lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (opens in new window).

Cookies and similar technologies

This site is a simple informational website and does not use analytics, tracking pixels, advertising cookies or embedded third-party tracking.

Basic technical cookies or similar mechanisms may be used only where absolutely necessary for normal website operation (such as session management). No cookies are used for profiling or marketing purposes.

Changes to this notice

We may update this privacy notice if the research pilot changes or if Office Tether moves toward a formal service. The latest version will always be available on this page.

Contact

For privacy questions, to withdraw future-launch consent, or to exercise your data-protection rights, contact Office Tether at hello@officetether.co.uk.