AboutCrowds | aboutcrowds.com  ·  Version 2.0  ·  Effective 1 April 2026

Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Crowd Risk Analysis Ltd ("CRA eLearning") collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal data when you enrol, access our courses, or interact on this site. It applies to the AboutCrowds platform at aboutcrowds.com and associated Moodle-based services.

1. Who We Are

Crowd Risk Analysis Ltd ('we', 'us', 'our') is the data controller for personal data collected via AboutCrowds. For all data protection enquiries contact us at:

• Email: support@gksed.com
• Post: Orchid House, 26 Morewood Drive, Burton-in-Kendal, Cumbria, UK, LA6 1NE

2. Data We Collect and Why

Account registration: Full name, email address, date of birth (where required for certification eligibility), and encrypted password.
Lawful basis: Contract — Article 6(1)(b) UK GDPR.

Course enrolment and activity: Course progress, completion status, assessment scores, certificate records, and Moodle access logs.
Lawful basis: Contract and Legitimate Interests — Article 6(1)(b) and (f) UK GDPR.

Payment information: Payments are processed via Stripe; we do not store card details. We retain transaction records (amount, date, course purchased) for accounting and legal compliance.
Lawful basis: Contract and Legal Obligation — Article 6(1)(b) and (c) UK GDPR.

Communications: Emails and contact form messages, and (where opted in) promotional emails about new courses or updates.
Lawful basis: Legitimate Interests or Consent — Article 6(1)(f) or (a) UK GDPR.

3. Cookies and Tracking

AboutCrowds uses only essential session cookies required for the Moodle platform to function. We do not use third-party analytics, advertising trackers, or social media pixels. Session cookies are temporary and deleted when you close your browser.

4. Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell your personal data. We may share it with:

• Stripe Inc. – payment processing (Stripe's privacy policy applies to payment data)
• Our hosting provider – secure storage of platform data
• Regulatory authorities – where required by law (e.g. HMRC, ICO)

We do not share your data with third parties for marketing purposes.

5. International Transfers

Where data is transferred outside the UK (for example, to Stripe or our hosting provider), we ensure adequate safeguards are in place, including Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the ICO or an adequacy decision.

6. How Long We Keep Your Data

• Account data: retained for the duration of your account plus 3 years after closure
• Course records and certificates: retained for a minimum of 7 years
• Payment records: retained for a minimum of 7 years (HMRC requirement)
• Marketing communications: until you withdraw consent

See our Data Retention Policy for full details.

7. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

• Right of access – request a copy of the data we hold about you
• Right to rectification – ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to erasure – request deletion of your data in certain circumstances
• Right to restrict processing – ask us to pause processing of your data
• Right to data portability – receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to object – object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Rights related to automated decision-making – we do not use solely automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects

To exercise any of these rights, email support@gksed.com with the subject line 'Privacy Request'. We will respond within one calendar month.

8. Data Breaches

In the event of a personal data breach posing a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the ICO within 72 hours and affected individuals without undue delay where the risk is high.

9. Complaints

You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office:
Website: ico.org.uk  ·  Phone: 0303 123 1113

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Where changes are material, we will notify you by email or via a notice on the platform.

Contact

Data protection enquiries: support@gksed.com
Post: Orchid House, 26 Morewood Drive, Burton-in-Kendal, Cumbria, UK, LA6 1NE

AboutCrowds | aboutcrowds.com  ·  Version 2.0  ·  Effective 1 April 2026

Terms & Conditions

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and Crowd Risk Analysis Ltd. By accessing or purchasing from AboutCrowds, you accept these Terms in full.

1. About Us

Crowd Risk Analysis Ltd ('we', 'us', 'CRA eLearning') operates the AboutCrowds platform at aboutcrowds.com. Registered office: Orchid House, 26 Morewood Drive, Burton-in-Kendal, Cumbria, UK, LA6 1NE. These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

2. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing this site, registering an account, or purchasing a course, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, you must not use the platform. We reserve the right to amend these Terms at any time; continued use following notification of changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

3. Account Registration

• You must provide accurate and complete information when registering.
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials.
• You must not share your account with any other person.
• You must be at least 18 years of age to register, or have the consent of a parent or guardian.
• We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts where these Terms are breached.

4. Courses and Access

Licence to access: Upon purchase, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to access course content for your own personal, non-commercial learning. This does not include the right to download, copy, share, or resell any content.

Access period: Access begins on the date of your first login. We recommend completing Level 5 courses within 3 months and Level 3 courses within 60 days. Accounts inactive for more than 90 days may require re-registration. Contact support@gksed.com to request reactivation.

System requirements: You are solely responsible for ensuring you have compatible hardware, software, and internet access. We are not liable for inability to access content due to your system not meeting requirements.

Service availability: We take all commercially reasonable steps to provide uninterrupted access. Downtime may occur due to maintenance, third-party outages, or force majeure events. We will restore access as promptly as reasonably possible.

5. Financial Terms

• All prices are quoted and invoiced in GBP (British pounds sterling).
• Currency conversion costs for international payments are the responsibility of the purchaser.
• Applicable sales taxes will be added in accordance with the relevant jurisdiction's regulations.
• Full payment or a valid purchase order is required before course access is granted.
• Purchase orders must be settled within 30 days of the invoice date.
• Preferred payment method is BACS or international bank transfer.
• Only one discount may be applied per booking; discounts are mutually exclusive.
• Late payment may result in the withdrawal of any applied discounts.

6. Intellectual Property

All content on the AboutCrowds platform — including course materials, assessments, videos, text, and design elements — is the property of Crowd Risk Analysis Ltd (© G. Keith Still) or its licensors, protected by copyright and intellectual property law. Each course licence is granted to one named individual only and cannot be transferred, resold, or shared. You may not copy, reproduce, modify, distribute, transmit, or commercially exploit any platform content without our prior written consent.

7. Acceptable Use

By using the platform, you agree not to:

• Plagiarise, copy, or reproduce another learner's work or assessments
• Pay or engage a third party to complete coursework or assessments on your behalf
• Use AI-generated content (including output from tools such as ChatGPT or similar) to complete written assignments or essays
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to the platform, other accounts, or associated systems
• Upload or transmit viruses, malware, or other harmful code
• Use the platform for any unlawful purpose or in any way that violates applicable law
• Harass, threaten, or harm other users

Breach of these requirements will result in immediate removal from affected courses with no refund and may result in permanent account suspension.

8. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

Course content is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. The platform is provided on an 'as is, as available' basis. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we exclude all implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. Our total liability shall not exceed the amount you paid for the relevant course. Nothing in these Terms excludes our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud, or fraudulent misrepresentation.

9. Third-Party Links

The platform may contain links to third-party websites. We do not endorse and are not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or availability of external sites. Accessing third-party links is at your own risk.

10. Fair Use and Copyright Notice

Some materials are included under fair use provisions for educational and research purposes, in accordance with Section 29 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107. Where you wish to use materials beyond fair use, you must obtain written permission from the copyright holder.

11. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

12. Notices and Severability

Formal legal notices should be sent by email (confirmed by post) to: support@gksed.com / Orchid House, 26 Morewood Drive, Burton-in-Kendal, Cumbria, UK, LA6 1NE. If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

AboutCrowds | aboutcrowds.com  ·  Version 1.0  ·  Effective 1 April 2026

Refund & Cancellation Policy

This policy is provided in compliance with the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 and the Consumer Rights Act 2015. It applies to all course purchases made through aboutcrowds.com.

1. Digital Content and Your Right to Cancel

Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, you have a 14-day cooling-off period from the date of purchase. However, where you have expressly requested immediate access to digital content and acknowledged that your right to cancel will be lost upon access, you waive this right once you have logged in and begun accessing course materials.

By completing your purchase and accessing the platform, you confirm that you have made this request and acknowledge the loss of your right to cancel.

2. Refunds Before Access

If you have purchased a course but have not yet accessed any materials, you may request a full refund within 14 days of purchase. Contact us at support@gksed.com with your name, order reference, and reason for cancellation. Refunds will be processed within 14 days of your request being approved, via the original payment method.

3. Refunds After Access

Once you have accessed course materials, no refund will be issued except in the following circumstances:

• We are unable to provide the course or a material portion of it
• The course contains a significant error that materially affects your ability to learn
• A technical fault on our platform prevents access for an unreasonable period

Refunds will not be given where:

• You have changed your mind after accessing the content
• You are unable to access the course due to your own system or technical limitations
• Your account has been suspended or terminated due to breach of our Terms & Conditions (including academic misconduct or prohibited AI use)

4. Cancellation Process

All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing to support@gksed.com. Please include:

• Your full name and registered email address
• Your order reference or invoice number
• The course(s) you wish to cancel
• Your reason for cancellation

We will acknowledge your request within 2 business days and confirm the outcome within 7 business days.

5. Membership and Access Periods

Your access begins on the date you first log in to the course materials. We will make one attempt to notify you when your access period is approaching its end. After this, continued access cannot be guaranteed and certification may no longer be possible.

6. B2B and Purchase Order Customers

For organisations purchasing via purchase order, cancellations must be received in writing before the access start date. Invoices are payable within 30 days of the invoice date regardless of whether learners have begun the course.

Contact

Email: support@gksed.com
Post: Orchid House, 26 Morewood Drive, Burton-in-Kendal, Cumbria, UK, LA6 1NE

AboutCrowds | aboutcrowds.com  ·  Version 1.0  ·  Effective 1 April 2026

Data Retention Policy

This policy supports compliance with UK GDPR Article 5(1)(e) - the storage limitation principle. It applies to all personal data held by Crowd Risk Analysis Ltd in connection with the AboutCrowds platform.

1. Purpose

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law. This policy sets out our retention periods for each category of data and the process for secure deletion.

2. Retention Schedule

Account data:

• User account records (name, email, date of birth): retained for the duration of active account plus 3 years after closure or last activity
• Login and access logs: retained for 12 months, then deleted

Course and assessment records:

• Course progress and completion records: 7 years from date of completion
• Assessment scores and results: 7 years
• Certificates issued: 7 years to support verification requests

Financial records:

• Payment transaction records: 7 years in line with HMRC requirements
• Invoice and purchase order records: 7 years

Communications:

• Support and enquiry emails: 3 years after the last communication
• Marketing opt-in records: until consent is withdrawn, plus 1 year for compliance purposes

Technical logs:

• Moodle platform activity logs: 12 months
• System error logs: 6 months

3. Deletion and Anonymisation

At the end of the relevant retention period, personal data will be securely deleted or anonymised. Anonymised data (which cannot be re-linked to an individual) may be retained indefinitely for statistical purposes. Deletion is carried out by Crowd Risk Analysis Ltd on an annual basis or as part of account closure requests.

4. Right to Erasure

Individuals may request early deletion of their data under the right to erasure (Article 17 UK GDPR). We will action such requests within one calendar month, unless retention is required by law — for example, financial records required under HMRC rules cannot be deleted early on request.

5. Data Held by Third Parties

Where data is processed by third parties on our behalf (e.g. Stripe, our hosting provider), those parties have their own retention policies. We ensure by contract that they do not retain data beyond what is necessary and that they comply with UK GDPR standards.

6. Review

• Last reviewed: April 2026
• Next review due: April 2027
• Policy owner: Crowd Risk Analysis Ltd