Privacy Policy

Formula Hardware (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and what rights you have under applicable data protection law (including the UK GDPR and EU GDPR).

1. Who we are

Formula Hardware operates formula-hardware.com — a job board and editorial platform for hardware and engineering professionals. For data protection enquiries, contact us at support@formula-hardware.com.

2. Data we collect

Automatically collected data

• Usage data: page views, job views, search queries, referrer URL, approximate country (derived from IP — the IP address itself is not stored), device type, and session identifier (anonymous UUID stored in a session cookie).
• Cookies: We use a session cookie to anonymously track engagement. No personally identifiable information is attached to this cookie. See our Cookie Policy for full details.

Data you provide voluntarily

We do not currently operate a user registration system for job seekers. If you contact us via the contact form or by email, we collect your name, email address, and the content of your message in order to respond.

3. How we use your data

• Analytics: To understand how our platform is used and improve our content and job listings. Analytics data is aggregated and not linked to individuals.
• Platform security: To detect and prevent abuse, automated scraping, and unauthorised access.
• Communications: To respond to enquiries you send us.
• Legal compliance: To comply with applicable laws and regulations.

4. Legal basis for processing

• Legitimate interests — for anonymised analytics and platform security.
• Consent — for non-essential cookies (marketing, preferences) where you have opted in via the cookie banner.
• Contract performance — to deliver services you have requested.
• Legal obligation — where required by law.

5. Data retention

Anonymised analytics data (page views, job views, search events) is retained for 365 days and then automatically purged. Contact enquiry data is deleted within 12 months of our last correspondence.

6. Data sharing

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for their marketing purposes. We may share data with:

• Service providers acting as data processors on our behalf (e.g. hosting infrastructure), bound by data processing agreements.
• Legal authorities when required by law or to protect our legal rights.

7. Cookies

We use strictly necessary cookies (session management) and, with your consent, optional analytics cookies. You can manage your preferences at any time via the cookie banner or our Cookie Policy.

8. Your rights

Under UK/EU GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request erasure of your data
• Object to or restrict processing
• Data portability (where applicable)
• Withdraw consent at any time (without affecting prior processing)
• Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (e.g. the UK ICO or your national DPA)

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@formula-hardware.com.

9. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), access controls, and regular security reviews. No transmission over the internet is 100% secure; we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. Material changes will be notified by updating the “Last updated” date above. Continued use of the platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

11. Contact

For privacy-related questions or to exercise your rights, contact us at support@formula-hardware.com or via our Contact page.