How Achology Protects Your Online Privacy
This Privacy Notice explains how Achology collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and, where applicable, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR).
Achology is the trading name of a group of companies operating together, including Achology Transactions Ltd. Throughout this Privacy Notice, references to “Achology”, “we”, “us”, or “our” refer to the relevant Achology entity responsible for processing your personal data.
We process personal data relating to members of our learning community, event attendees, customers, suppliers, employees, and other individuals who interact with Achology. We are committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently, and to collecting only the information that is necessary for legitimate and clearly defined purposes.
Where personal data is provided through surveys or similar activities, this will generally be limited to basic contact details unless otherwise stated. Individuals are responsible for ensuring that the information they provide is accurate and up to date.
In some circumstances, personal data may be transferred or accessed outside your country of residence. Where this occurs, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in line with applicable data protection laws.
Some Achology events may be recorded for educational or access purposes. Where recording takes place, this will be done in a proportionate manner and in accordance with this Privacy Notice.
This Privacy Notice sets out our lawful bases for processing personal data, how your data is protected, and the rights available to you. A copy of this Privacy Notice is available on this website and can also be provided on request.
The Academy of Modern Applied Psychology Ltd and Achology Transactions Ltd operate together as a group of companies under the trading name Achology. When providing our courses, certifications, communications, and community platforms, we collect and process personal data. For the purposes of data protection law, Achology acts as a Data Controller in relation to that personal data.
We are responsible for ensuring that personal data is processed lawfully, fairly, and transparently, and in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and any other applicable data protection legislation.
This Privacy Notice explains what personal data we collect, how and why it is used, how it is protected, and the rights available to individuals whose personal data we process.
Achology Transactions Ltd
Office 10, Dunnock House
63 Dunnock Road
Dunfermline, Fife
KY11 8QE
United Kingdom
Email: support@achology.com
If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice, or about how your personal data is collected, used, or protected, you can contact us using the details above.
Depending on how you interact with Achology, we may collect and process the following categories of personal data:
Contact information
Such as your name, postal address, email address, and telephone number.
Account and registration details
Including login credentials, user profile information, and account activity associated with your use of our platforms.
Transaction and service information
Details of products and services provided to you, including courses purchased, events attended, certifications awarded, credits earned, and related learning activity.
Communications
Records of correspondence between you and Achology, including emails, support enquiries, and other communications.
Images and recordings
Photographs, video, or audio recordings captured during events or learning activities where recording is taking place and participants have been informed.
Technical and usage data
Information collected through cookies and similar technologies, including device information, browser data, and interaction with our website or platforms. Further details are set out in our Cookie Policy.
Marketing and communication preferences
Your preferences regarding the receipt of marketing communications and updates from Achology.
Financial information
Payment-related details required to process transactions. Payment data is handled securely and, where applicable, processed by third-party payment providers rather than stored directly by us.
Recruitment-related information
Where you apply for a role with Achology, we may process employment history, education history, and other information relevant to the recruitment process.
Business or professional information
Information relating to your business activities, professional interests, or areas of study, where relevant to the services provided.
Achology does not intentionally collect, process, or store special categories of personal data (as defined under UK GDPR), such as data relating to health, racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, political opinions, trade union membership, genetic data, biometric data, or sexual orientation.
If such information is disclosed to us inadvertently or voluntarily outside of any request by Achology (for example, within open text fields or community discussions), it will not be used for any specific purpose and will be handled in accordance with this Privacy Notice and applicable data protection law.
In most cases, we collect personal data directly from you when you interact with Achology. This includes situations where you:
complete an online contact or enquiry form;
register an account on achology.com or subscribe to our mailing list;
generate course certificates or credits using our systems;
register for, attend, or participate in events;
join or participate in our community platforms;
post, upload, or submit content (including articles or blog posts) within the community;
communicate with us by email, post, or during meetings or discussions about our services or a contract with you;
sign up for newsletters or service-related communications.
Employment and recruitment
When you apply for employment or engagement with Achology, we may collect personal data when you:
submit a CV or application materials; or
provide information relevant to an employment or contractual relationship.
Information collected from third parties
In some circumstances, we may receive personal data indirectly from third-party sources, including:
third-party marketplaces or platforms through which you have purchased Achology courses or events;
social media platforms (such as LinkedIn), where you interact with Achology in a professional context;
publicly available sources, including limited demographic or market research data; or
organisations that nominate you as an event attendee or point of contact.
Information about other individuals
Where you provide personal data relating to another individual (for example, by nominating a contact or event attendee), you are responsible for ensuring that you have the appropriate authority to do so and that the individual has been made aware of this Privacy Notice.
Data minimisation and account responsibility
We do not seek to collect personal data beyond what is necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Notice. Where you choose to add, update, or modify information within your account, you are responsible for reviewing and managing your privacy settings accordingly.
Where Achology collects and processes personal data, we do so for specific, legitimate purposes and only where there is a lawful basis under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).
Depending on the circumstances, the lawful bases we rely on include:
Contractual necessity – where processing is required to provide services you have requested, to deliver courses, subscriptions, certifications, or to manage your account.
Legal obligation – where processing is required to meet legal, regulatory, or reporting requirements.
Legitimate interests – where processing is necessary for the operation, security, improvement, and administration of our educational services, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.
Consent – where required by law, such as for certain marketing communications or non-essential cookies.
Vital interests or public interest – only in rare and exceptional circumstances where required by law.
We avoid relying on consent when another lawful basis is more suitable, and we only process personal data when there is a justified purpose.
The purposes for which we process personal data include enabling us to:
Our Purpose for Processing | Our Lawful Basis for Doing So |
To understand your requirements prior to entering into a contract with you to complete or attend a course or event | The processing is necessary for the performance of an anticipated Contract |
To fulfil our contract with you and provide you with the agreed course and content therein | The processing is necessary for the performance of our Contract with you |
To manage our business operations and comply with any internal policies and procedures | It is in our legitimate interests to use your personal information to ensure that we continually improve and adapt our services |
To notify you about updates and changes to our service | It is in our Legitimate Interests to use your personal information to keep you informed about any changes that may affect you |
For Email Marketing of similar events and courses to existing or previous customers | It is in our legitimate interests to use your personal information for marketing purposes where the services being marketed are relevant to you. |
For newsletters and promotions to individuals who sign up to our mailing list | When you agree to join our mailing list by selecting this option when visiting our website, forums or courses, we rely on your Consent. |
For electronic Marketing of services to new customers via personal business email addresses | It is in our Legitimate Interests to use personal business email addresses for marketing purposes where we can support individual rights |
For electronic Marketing of services to new individuals | We rely on Consent for direct marketing to previously unknown individuals, including those who sign up to receive our newsletter. |
To comply with our legal obligations, law enforcement, court and regulatory bodies requirements | To comply with our Legal Obligations |
To identify and prevent fraud | It is in our Legitimate Interests to act as a responsible business |
To decide whether to enter into a contract of employment or supplier services with you | The processing is necessary when considering a Contract |
To carry out background and reference checks in relation to recruitment | The processing is necessary when considering an Employment Contract |
To communicate with you about a potential or existing contract (for service or employment) | The processing is necessary for the performance and compliance with any Contract of employment |
To manage payroll and employment services for existing employees | The processing is necessary for the performance and compliance with any Contract of employment |
Where we rely on your consent, you have the right to withdraw this consent at any time by contacting us using the contact information at the beginning of this notice.
Legitimate Interests – Where personal data is processed based on our Legitimate Interests, it is to improve our service and security and prevent fraud or illegal activity in favour of the wellbeing of our customers, employees and shareholders.
We may send you information about services, courses, or events that are similar to those you have previously enquired about or purchased from us. We may also send marketing communications where you have chosen to subscribe to our mailing list.
We send such communications on the basis of legitimate interests or consent, as appropriate under applicable data protection law.
You can opt out of receiving marketing communications at any time by:
clicking the unsubscribe link included in our emails; or
contacting us using the details set out in this Privacy Notice.
Opting out of marketing communications will not affect your access to purchased products or services.
We do not sell personal data and we do not share personal data with third parties for their own marketing purposes.
We may share personal data with third parties only where necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Notice, and only where appropriate safeguards are in place.
Depending on the nature of your interaction with Achology, this may include sharing personal data with:
Group and joint controllers
Including Kain Ramsay Limited, where relevant to providing access to courses, events, or related educational services.
Payment and financial service providers
Including accountants and payment service providers, for the purposes of processing payments, managing accounts, and complying with financial and tax obligations.
Service providers and contractors
Including associates, contractors, and suppliers who provide services on our behalf, such as marketing support, IT services, business administration, and technical support. These parties process personal data only under our instructions and are subject to appropriate confidentiality and data protection obligations.
Professional advisers
Including lawyers, accountants, auditors, and other professional advisers where necessary for legal, regulatory, or business purposes.
Technology and cloud service providers
Including software providers and cloud-based hosting or storage services used to operate and secure our platforms and systems.
Fraud prevention and security services
Including fraud detection agencies and security providers, where necessary to prevent misuse, fraud, or unauthorised access.
Public authorities and regulators
Including law enforcement agencies, courts, and regulatory bodies (such as HMRC), where disclosure is required or reasonably necessary to comply with legal obligations or to prevent or detect crime.
Business transfers
Selected third parties in connection with a proposed or actual sale, transfer, merger, or restructuring of part or all of our business, where personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction and subject to appropriate safeguards.
When you register as a member of the Achology community, certain profile information will be visible to other members. You control how much information you choose to include in your profile and are responsible for managing your privacy settings in line with your preferences.
Some Achology courses and events are recorded to enable future access or viewing. Where you attend a virtual event, your name, image, or audio may be visible to other participants and, where recordings are made, to those who view the recording later. Where platform settings allow, you may be able to adjust how your name appears or anonymise your participation.
If you choose to collect or process personal data relating to other attendees or community members—for example through chat functions, direct messages, or contact exchanges—you do so independently and are responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable data protection and electronic communications laws, including UK GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). Achology does not control or assume responsibility for such processing.
Please be aware that community forums, articles, blog posts, comments, and other content you upload may be visible to other community members. You are responsible for the personal data you choose to share within these spaces.
Achology is based in the United Kingdom and primarily processes personal data within the UK. However, some of the third-party service providers we use—such as cloud hosting, software, and technical support providers—may be located outside the UK or may process personal data in other jurisdictions.
Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with UK GDPR. These safeguards may include:
transfers to countries that have been recognised by the UK as providing an adequate level of data protection; or
the use of approved contractual safeguards, such as International Data Transfer Agreements (IDTAs) or standard contractual clauses, together with appropriate additional measures where required.
We do not transfer personal data internationally unless it is necessary for the operation of our services and appropriate protections are in place.
Achology does not use personal data for automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal effects or similarly significant impacts on individuals, as defined under UK GDPR.
Any decisions relating to access, participation, or services are made with appropriate human involvement.
Achology is based in the United Kingdom and primarily processes personal data within the UK. However, some of the third-party service providers we use—such as cloud hosting, software, and technical support providers—may be located outside the UK or may process personal data in other jurisdictions.
Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with UK GDPR. These safeguards may include:
transfers to countries that have been recognised by the UK as providing an adequate level of data protection; or
the use of approved contractual safeguards, such as International Data Transfer Agreements (IDTAs) or standard contractual clauses, together with appropriate additional measures where required.
We do not transfer personal data internationally unless it is necessary for the operation of our services and appropriate protections are in place.
We retain personal data only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected and processed, and in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
Achology maintains an internal data retention and deletion policy that sets out retention periods for different categories of personal data. Retention periods vary depending on the nature of the data, the purpose for which it is processed, and any legal, contractual, or regulatory obligations that apply.
Personal data is not retained indefinitely. Where data is no longer required for the purposes set out in this Privacy Notice, it will be securely deleted or anonymised in line with our retention and deletion procedures, unless continued retention is required by law.
When determining how long personal data should be retained, Achology considers the following factors:
Contractual requirements
Whether the personal data is required to perform or manage a contract with you, including providing access to courses, subscriptions, certifications, events, or support services.
Legal and regulatory obligations
Whether retention is necessary to comply with legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, audit, or reporting requirements.
Legitimate business needs
Whether retention is reasonably necessary for the operation, security, administration, or improvement of our services, including internal record-keeping and audit purposes.
Nature and sensitivity of the data
The type of personal data involved and the level of risk associated with its continued storage.
User relationship and activity
Whether you remain an active customer, community member, or subscriber, and the relevance of the data to that ongoing relationship.
Dispute resolution and legal claims
Whether the data may be required to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims, or in connection with anticipated or ongoing disputes.
Our General Data Retention Framework
Where personal data is required to continue the provision of our services, we will retain it for the duration of our contractual relationship with you and, in most cases, for up to 5 years after the end of that relationship. This allows us to maintain appropriate business records, ensure system security, meet legal and regulatory obligations, and support service improvement.
Where longer retention periods are required by statute, regulation, contractual obligation, or in connection with legal proceedings, personal data will be retained for as long as required to meet those obligations.
Once none of the above criteria apply, personal data will be securely deleted or anonymised in accordance with our data retention and deletion procedures.
Under UK data protection law, you have certain rights in relation to your personal data. These rights apply in specific circumstances and may be subject to legal limitations or exemptions. Your rights include:
Right of access
You have the right to request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and, where we do, to request access to that data and related information. We do not usually charge for responding to access requests.
Right to rectification
You have the right to request that inaccurate personal data is corrected, or that incomplete personal data is completed.
Right to erasure
You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances, for example where the data is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or where processing is unlawful.
Right to restrict processing
You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, such as where the accuracy of the data is contested or processing is unlawful.
Right to object
You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests or where data is processed for direct marketing purposes.
Right to data portability
You have the right to request that personal data you have provided to us is transferred to another organisation, or to you, where technically feasible and where processing is based on consent or contract.
Right to withdraw consent
Where we rely on consent as the lawful basis for processing, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before it was withdrawn.
To exercise any of the rights set out above, or if you have a concern about how your personal data is handled, please contact us using the contact details provided at the beginning of this Privacy Notice.
Your Right to Complain
You also have the right to raise a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority if you believe that your data protection rights have been infringed. In the United Kingdom, the supervisory authority is the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). You can contact the ICO using the details below:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Queen Elizabeth House
Sibbald Walk
Edinburgh
EH8 8FT
United Kingdom
Telephone: 0303 123 1115
Email: Scotland@ico.org.uk
In some circumstances, the provision of personal data is required by law, such as to meet tax, employment, accounting, or other regulatory obligations. In other cases, the provision of personal data is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, including to deliver courses, subscriptions, certifications, or related services.
Where personal data is required for these purposes and is not provided, or where certain data protection rights are exercised (such as the right to erasure or the right to object), it may not be possible for us to enter into or continue a contractual relationship with you.
In such circumstances, this may result in:
our inability to provide access to services or products; or
the suspension or cancellation of a contract, where continued processing of the relevant personal data is necessary to meet legal or contractual requirements.
Any such consequences will apply only where the processing of the personal data is essential and cannot be reasonably avoided.
When you visit our websites, we use cookies and similar technologies to ensure the site functions correctly, to improve performance and security, and to understand how our services are used. Cookies are small text files placed on your device by your browser when you visit a website.
We use cookies only where there is a lawful basis to do so, and non-essential cookies are used only where you have provided consent. Full details of the cookies we use, their purposes, and how you can manage your preferences are set out in our Cookie Policy.
You can also manage cookie settings through your browser. General information about managing cookies is available at allaboutcookies.org.
Third-party websites and platforms
Our websites may contain links to third-party websites or you may access Achology via social media or external platforms. When you follow these links or are redirected to another website, you are subject to that third party’s privacy and cookie practices.
Achology does not control the cookies, tracking technologies, or privacy settings used by third-party websites or platforms. You should review and manage your preferences directly with those providers in accordance with their own privacy and cookie policies.
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful loss, destruction, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, or alteration.
Personal data is stored using secure, cloud-based systems and data centres with controlled and restricted access. We maintain internal policies and procedures covering areas such as physical security, access controls, authentication and password management, and monitoring of our systems. These measures are reviewed and updated as necessary to maintain an appropriate level of security.
While we take reasonable steps to protect personal data, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Individuals are also responsible for keeping their account credentials confidential and for securing access to their own devices.
We review and update this Privacy Notice from time to time to ensure it remains accurate, relevant, and compliant with applicable data protection laws. Any changes will be published on this page.
Last updated: 13 January 2026
Our Terms & Conditions, Refunds Policy, Privacy Notice, Disclaimers, Cookie Policy and Trust Statement work together to explain how Achology operates, how data is handled, and the responsibilities that apply when using our services. They should be read together as a single framework.
