Privacy Policy and Cookies

IFA privacy notice

This notice provides you with information about what the Institute of Financial Accountants does with your personal information when we collect it. This applies to the following:

  • Visitors to the IFA website.
  • Members or people applying to become members of the IFA.
  • Students or people applying to become students of the IFA.
  • People who contact IFA in relation to a complaint.
  • Job applicants and our former and current employees.

Visitors to the IFA website

To improve IFA’s services, IFA sometimes collects de-identified information from web users. Although the information collected does not identify an individual, it does provide IFA with useful statistics that permits IFA to analyse and improve its web services.

When you visit the IFA website, a record of your visit is logged via analytics cookies and the following data is supplied by your browser:

  • your IP address and/or domain name;
  • your operating system (type of browser and platform);
  • the date, time and length of your visit; and
  • the resources you accessed or downloaded.

IFA uses this information to customise services for website visitors and to collect aggregated data for the purposes of analysis, quality control, administering and improving the website. It is not used for any other purpose.

Aggregated data may be shared with third parties.  This does not include personal details

Use of cookies

A “cookie” is a small text file that is downloaded onto “terminal equipment” (eg, a computer or smartphone) when the user accesses a website. This cookie allows the website to recognise that device and store some information about the preferences or past actions of that user’s devise.

The IFA would be able to use persistent cookies if the user registers for any of the IFA’s online services. These cookies would allow the IFA to make the logging-in process easier and more secure. They also pre-populate details of the user should they need to complete one of the IFA online forms, making the process easier and less time consuming.

Disabling cookies

You can easily disable the cookies the IFA attaches if your browser supports this. Further information on how to disable cookies can be found at www.aboutcookies.org.

Third-party cookies

The IFA uses third party cookies including web analytics which help us to collect, measure and analyse data on how our website is used so that we can then improve the effectiveness of our website.

Description of cookies used on IFA website:

Category Service Cookie name Expires
Access Browsing Experience resolution At end of session
Access Management uQuickStartAuthCookie 30 minutes
Third-party cookies
Category Service Cookie name Expires
Web Analytics Google Analytics _ga 2 years
_dc_gtm 1 minute
Website Assistance Live Chat LCMHistory 1 year
LCMRef 2 hours
LCMVisit At end of session
Content Sharing AddThis __atuvc 2 years
__atuvs 30 minutes

Live Chat service

IFA uses a third party Live Chat provider, Live Chat Monitoring, to supply and support our Live Chat service which we use to handle real time customer enquiries.

If you use the Live Chat service while visiting the IFA website, we will collect your name, email address, phone number, address (optional) and the contents of your Live Chat session. This information will be retained for one year and will not be shared with any other organisation.

Webinars

IFA uses a third-party webinar provider, StreamGo, to record and deliver our webinars. If you register for one of our webinars we will collect your first name, last name, email address, phone number, and company name. This information will be retained for one year and will not be shared with any other organisation.

Members or people applying to become members of the IFA

Any personal information provided by you will only be used for the following purposes:

  • to process your application for membership, practising certificate, AML monitoring;
  • to administer your membership record including monitoring compliance against regulations;
  • to update and enhance customer, contact and membership records to compile information relating to your use of the IFA’s products and services and defining areas of interest to you;
  • to handle orders, deliver products and services, process payments, communicate with you about orders, products and services and generally maintaining your account;
  • to advise you of other products and services which may be of interest where you have provided consent;
  • to invite you to participate in research studies and/or market research activities where you have provided consent; and
  • to ensure that IFA is meeting its legal and regulatory responsibilities as a supervisory and professional accountancy body.

IFA members will receive the IFA Financial Accountant magazine and information relating to IFA branch meetings, conferences, events and workshops; professional and regulatory updates; IFA education and CPD programmes on the basis of legitimate interest. These make a significant contributions to members’ legal and professional compliance and ongoing CPD requirements.

IFA members have access to the members’ dashboard  to manage their details and ensure that they are correct and current. Preferences may be reviewed and updated accordingly.

IFA member/firm data

Any personal information provided by you will only be used for the following purposes:

  • to review compliance with IFA bye-laws and regulations;
  • to ensure that the IFA member/firm record is correct and current;
  • to ensure that the IFA member/firm register is correct and current; and
  • to ensure that the IFA is meeting its legal and regulatory responsibilities as a supervisory and professional accountancy body.

The IFA may disclose such data to the relevant authorities in accordance with the law and to meet regulatory and supervisory obligations of the IFA.

The IFA has partnered with a third-party provider, Due Diligence Checking Ltd, to facilitate DBS checks as required under Money Laundering Regulations 2017. Personal details of all members who are certified by IFA will be shared with Due Diligence Checking Ltd in order for this to happen.

Students or people applying to become students of the IFA

Any personal information provided by you will only be used for the following purposes:

  • to process your application to become an IFA student;
  • to process your application for examination registration;
  • to administer your student record;
  • to process, record and store your academic achievements including notification of results;
  • to handle orders, deliver products and services, process payments, communicate with you about orders, products and services and generally maintain your account;
  • to advise you of other products and services which may be of interest where you have provided consent;
  • to invite you to participate in research studies and/or market research activities where you have provided consent; and
  • to ensure that IFA is meeting its legal, regulatory and awarding organisation responsibilities.

Where individuals have applied to access the IFA Admission to Membership Programme (AMP) which is delivered on behalf of IFA by CU Coventry, personal details will be shared with CU Coventry, in accordance with permissions on the application form. This will allow students to be registered on and access the programme and associated assessment(s).

Non-member details

Where a non-member accesses IFA events or services eg, attends a branch meeting, CPD event or conference, we will only make contact in respect of membership if permission has been granted.

IFA magazine

We use a third party to distribute our bimonthly magazine, Financial Accountant. Personal data (names and addresses) are processed strictly in accordance with Data Protection legislation.

Disclosure of information

The IFA will only disclose information in the following circumstances:

  • where your consent has been obtained;
  • where there is a legal obligation;
  • where there is a regulatory or public duty; or
  • in connection with the assignment or transfer of all or any of its rights and obligations to any of its group companies or to any other third party.

Transfer of data

The IFA may transfer your data outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) eg, IPA Group. These countries may not have similar data protection laws to the EEA. If the IFA does transfer your information we will take the necessary steps to ensure that your privacy rights are still protected.

People who contact IFA in relation to a complaint

When we receive a complaint from an individual we create a file containing the details of the complaint. This normally contains the identity of the complainant and any other individuals involved in the complaint.

We will only use the personal information we collect to process the complaint. The information provided is processed in accordance with the IFA investigation and disciplinary process. This means that the IFA shares evidence and information provided by both sides between the parties.

All information and case reports will also be shared with the IFA disciplinary team, the conduct committees and, where appropriate, with other regulators. Our notification of complaints form asks a complainant to give us positive consent to copy papers received in this way.

Current and former IFA employees and job applicants

When individuals apply to work at IFA, the information they supply will only be used to process their application and to monitor recruitment statistics. Where we want to disclose information to a third party, for example where we want to take up a reference or obtain a “disclosure” from the Criminal Records Bureau we will not do so without informing them beforehand unless the disclosure is required by law.

Personal information about unsuccessful candidates will be held for six months after the recruitment exercise has been completed, it will then be destroyed or deleted. We retain de-personalised statistical information about applicants to help inform our recruitment activities, but no individuals are identifiable from that data.

Once a person has taken up employment with the IFA, we will compile a file relating to their employment. The information contained in this will be kept secure and will only be used for purposes directly relevant to that person’s employment. Once their employment with IFA has ended, we will retain the file in accordance with the requirements of our retention schedule and then delete it.

March 2019