GDPR Subject Access Request

GaryBC

born_again said:

GaryBC said:

born_again said:

Can you copy & paste the output into word or such & reformat it?

Any reason not to email it to them?

I got to the stage where to press the go button would have sent the email so it would appear no, I can't copy it out. 

Email doesn't give me confirmation that it's been delivered. A recorded delivery letter gets a signature. 

Recorded delivery does not either, no one signs for anything now. If there us a sig, then it is only the postie👍. Recorded delivery can be refused by co.

Better to use std post & proof of postage, as just like sending a email it is taken as being received.

I doubt know what the terminology is but tracked mail is signed for and is the one I'd use. 

GaryBC

Alderbank said:

GaryBC said:

born_again said:

Can you copy & paste the output into word or such & reformat it?

Any reason not to email it to them?

I got to the stage where to press the go button would have sent the email so it would appear no, I can't copy it out. 

Email doesn't give me confirmation that it's been delivered. A recorded delivery letter gets a signature. 

I don't think you are right about either of those.

Perhaps the email client you use doesn't automatically give receipts and read receipts, but they are very common in business, especially regulated businesses. A read receipt will tell you each person who opened the email and the exact time and day.
If you can't find it on your preferred client there are plenty of free extensions (such as Boomerang) available.

A recorded delivery letter doesn't get you a signature, it gets you a wiggly line drawn by somebody's finger on a touchpad.

Even if my home email supported read receipts it'd be irrelevant as it's not 'me' who's sending the email. 

That 'squiggly line', while clearly not a signature, is an accepted means of confirming receipt nonetheless. 

Undervalued

GaryBC said:

born_again said:

GaryBC said:

born_again said:

Can you copy & paste the output into word or such & reformat it?

Any reason not to email it to them?

I got to the stage where to press the go button would have sent the email so it would appear no, I can't copy it out. 

Email doesn't give me confirmation that it's been delivered. A recorded delivery letter gets a signature. 

Recorded delivery does not either, no one signs for anything now. If there us a sig, then it is only the postie👍. Recorded delivery can be refused by co.

Better to use std post & proof of postage, as just like sending a email it is taken as being received.

I doubt know what the terminology is but tracked mail is signed for and is the one I'd use. 

If you want to waste your money that is fine.

For civil proceedings in the UK there is a normal legal presumption that correctly addressed mail is delivered. So all you need is proof of posting (no charge beyond the normal 1st or 2nd class stamp).

GaryBC

Undervalued said:

GaryBC said:

born_again said:

GaryBC said:

born_again said:

Can you copy & paste the output into word or such & reformat it?

Any reason not to email it to them?

I got to the stage where to press the go button would have sent the email so it would appear no, I can't copy it out. 

Email doesn't give me confirmation that it's been delivered. A recorded delivery letter gets a signature. 

Recorded delivery does not either, no one signs for anything now. If there us a sig, then it is only the postie👍. Recorded delivery can be refused by co.

Better to use std post & proof of postage, as just like sending a email it is taken as being received.

I doubt know what the terminology is but tracked mail is signed for and is the one I'd use. 

If you want to waste your money that is fine.

For civil proceedings in the UK there is a normal legal presumption that correctly addressed mail is delivered. So all you need is proof of posting (no charge beyond the normal 1st or 2nd class stamp).

Sadly that's not true. "But I can prove I posted it" is invariably met with "so what?" 
No, I prefer to invest a few quid and get absolute proof that it arrived. 

400ixl

Alderbank said:

Perhaps the email client you use doesn't automatically give receipts and read receipts, but they are very common in business, especially regulated businesses. A read receipt will tell you each person who opened the email and the exact time and day.
If you can't find it on your preferred client there are plenty of free extensions (such as Boomerang) available.

And anyone half competent has respond to read receipts switched off or would say no when the pop up asks them to send one.

GaryBC

Sort of drifting off topic a bit peeps! 
It's still a letter template I'm after. One that includes references to "in accordance with Article blah" and "as stated in Clause yadda" etc. 

RefluentBeans

GaryBC said:

Sort of drifting off topic a bit peeps! 
It's still a letter template I'm after. One that includes references to "in accordance with Article blah" and "as stated in Clause yadda" etc. 

you really don’t need all that. There’s loads of templates online, and the only thing you need to reference is the actual law itself - i.e. the Data Protection Act. Instead it’s better to be more specific in the data you want (e.g. all email correspondence in the past 24 months, all photographic and videographic that is identifiable as myself that you store etc.) 

The more information you provide the better as it helps them identify any information on you rather than looking through a needle in a haystack (which they can plausibly miss). For example writing to Tesco asking for all video data of you in the shop would be met with them asking for more information like what store, what times and dates, as it is unreasonable to expect a company to search every store on all the dates they have video recordings to see if they see you. 

The ‘in accordance with clause X, Y, and Z of the Act’ is stuff that lawyers write but really not needed in stuff consumers are expected ti engage with. As long as you know the remit of why you’re asking for data it’s fine. If you really need the specifics then you will have to read the act yourself and choose appropriate paragraphs; or pay a solicitor to write the letter (but their first letter they write will always just be a ‘in accordance with the Data Protection Act…’ type letter as that suffices in 99.9% of times). 

user1977

GaryBC said:

Undervalued said:

GaryBC said:

born_again said:

GaryBC said:

born_again said:

Can you copy & paste the output into word or such & reformat it?

Any reason not to email it to them?

I got to the stage where to press the go button would have sent the email so it would appear no, I can't copy it out. 

Email doesn't give me confirmation that it's been delivered. A recorded delivery letter gets a signature. 

Recorded delivery does not either, no one signs for anything now. If there us a sig, then it is only the postie👍. Recorded delivery can be refused by co.

Better to use std post & proof of postage, as just like sending a email it is taken as being received.

I doubt know what the terminology is but tracked mail is signed for and is the one I'd use. 

If you want to waste your money that is fine.

For civil proceedings in the UK there is a normal legal presumption that correctly addressed mail is delivered. So all you need is proof of posting (no charge beyond the normal 1st or 2nd class stamp).

Sadly that's not true. "But I can prove I posted it" is invariably met with "so what?" 
No, I prefer to invest a few quid and get absolute proof that it arrived. 

This isn't a scenario where it's particularly important whether and when your initial request got there, and you may as well start with an email and see what the response is rather than escalate it immediately.

And if you're dealing with the sort of outfit who is going to be difficult about it, I suspect it doesn't make much difference how you word or transmit your request.

MacPingu1986

GaryBC said:

Sort of drifting off topic a bit peeps! 
It's still a letter template I'm after. One that includes references to "in accordance with Article blah" and "as stated in Clause yadda" etc. 

Gary - you don't need any of the Article/Clause references, the DPA/GDPR are so flexible that any vague reference to wanting copies of personal data is sufficient, even if there's no reference to the DPA/GDPR in the letter/email at all.

A simple heading of "this is a subject access request under UK data protection legislation is absolutely fine.

I know you have your heart set on a signed for letter but it also really isn't necessary, sending an email to the email address on their privacy policy is again, absolutely fine and you have the sent email in your sent items as your proof you sent it and it's *incredibly* unlikely that a fault will mean the email isn't received.

Plus on the actual practicalities of your SAR getting to the right team to respond to it, it's much likely to happen via email than by a letter that can easily get lost in transit within the company after delivery.

RefluentBeans

MacPingu1986 said:

GaryBC said:

Sort of drifting off topic a bit peeps! 
It's still a letter template I'm after. One that includes references to "in accordance with Article blah" and "as stated in Clause yadda" etc. 

Gary - you don't need any of the Article/Clause references, the DPA/GDPR are so flexible that any vague reference to wanting copies of personal data is sufficient, even if there's no reference to the DPA/GDPR in the letter/email at all.

A simple heading of "this is a subject access request under UK data protection legislation is absolutely fine.

I know you have your heart set on a signed for letter but it also really isn't necessary, sending an email to the email address on their privacy policy is again, absolutely fine and you have the sent email in your sent items as your proof you sent it and it's *incredibly* unlikely that a fault will mean the email isn't received.

Plus on the actual practicalities of your SAR getting to the right team to respond to it, it's much likely to happen via email than by a letter that can easily get lost in transit within the company after delivery.

To add - most companies will have a data protection officer who will receive all these emails/correspondence; and most companies have an email address of this person on the website (even if it’s a generic dpo@… email address). Saves customer service staff try to resolve any issues thinking it’s a customer service issue.