// Legal

Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 2026

This privacy policy explains how DAT Recorders (dat-recorders.co.uk) collects, uses, and protects your personal data when you use this website or purchase a manual download. We are committed to handling your data responsibly and in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who we are

DAT Recorders is an independent specialist reference and e-commerce website. For data protection purposes, the site owner is the data controller. You can contact us at sales@dat-recorders.co.uk with any questions about your data.

2. What data we collect and why

2.1 When you purchase a manual

When you buy a PDF manual download, we receive and store the following information from PayPal:

  • Email address — so we can send you your download link and respond to any support requests
  • Amount paid and currency — for our transaction records
  • PayPal transaction ID — to verify your payment and re-issue download links if needed
  • Purchase timestamp — for our records
  • Which manual was purchased — to provide the correct download
  • Country — the country associated with your PayPal account, used to understand our audience and for VAT compliance purposes
  • Device type — whether you accessed the site on a mobile, tablet, or desktop device (not your specific device model or browser), used to improve the site experience

We do not receive or store your name, postal address, or any payment card details — these are handled entirely by PayPal and never passed to us.

Lawful basis: contract and legitimate interests — processing your data is necessary to fulfil your purchase and deliver your download. Country and device type are collected on the basis of our legitimate interest in understanding how the site is used and ensuring VAT compliance.

2.2 Download activity

We record how many times a download link has been used (up to a maximum of 3 times per purchase) and when the link expires (72 hours after purchase). This is necessary to enforce the download limits that protect our digital products.

2.3 Website usage

We do not use cookies, tracking scripts, or analytics services that collect personal data. We do not use Google Analytics or any similar service. Standard web server logs (IP address, pages visited, browser type) may be retained by our hosting provider (Krystal Hosting) for a short period for security and technical purposes — please see Krystal's privacy policy for details.

2.4 Security measures

Our server logs IP addresses that trigger rate limits or honeypot links as a security measure. These are retained for a short period and used solely to protect the site from automated scraping.

3. How we use your data

We use your data only for the following purposes:

  • Delivering your purchased manual download
  • Sending your purchase confirmation email containing your download link
  • Responding to support requests (e.g. re-issuing an expired download link)
  • Maintaining our transaction records for accounting purposes

We do not use your email address for marketing, share it with third parties, or sell it to anyone.

4. PayPal

All payments are processed by PayPal. When you make a purchase, you are subject to PayPal's privacy policy in addition to this one. We receive only the data described in section 2.1 above — we do not have access to your full PayPal account details or payment card information.

5. How long we keep your data

We retain order records for 2 years from the date of purchase for accounting and support purposes. After 2 years, your email address, country, and device type are removed from the order record, though the transaction record itself (amount, transaction ID, manual purchased) is retained for our accounting obligations.

You can request earlier deletion — see section 7 below.

6. Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Right of access — you can ask what data we hold about you
  • Right to rectification — you can ask us to correct inaccurate data
  • Right to erasure — you can ask us to delete your data (subject to our legal obligations to retain transaction records)
  • Right to restrict processing — you can ask us to limit how we use your data
  • Right to data portability — you can ask for a copy of your data in a portable format
  • Right to object — you can object to processing based on legitimate interests

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at sales@dat-recorders.co.uk. We will respond within 30 days.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

7. Data deletion requests

To request deletion of your personal data, email sales@dat-recorders.co.uk with the subject line "Data deletion request" and include the email address you used when making your purchase. We will delete your email address, country, and device type from our records within 30 days. Note that we are required to retain the transaction record itself (without your personal details) for accounting purposes.

8. Security

We take reasonable technical measures to protect your data:

  • The site is served over HTTPS (encrypted connection)
  • PDF manuals are stored in a protected location not directly accessible via the web
  • Download links are secured with unique tokens that expire after 72 hours
  • Access to our database and server is restricted to authorised personnel only

9. Third parties

We use the following third-party services:

We do not use any advertising networks, social media tracking pixels, or analytics services.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page will always reflect when it was last updated. Continued use of the site after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact

For any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your data, please contact us at sales@dat-recorders.co.uk.