Colchester United App — Privacy Notice
1. About this notice
This notice supplements the Colchester United Privacy Policy. It explains the additional personal data used by the Colchester United app, including personal data used for app sign-in, app functionality, push notifications, Match Alerts, article views, ticket access and links to other Colchester United services.
Your account, your identity, your marketing preferences, and how you exercise your data-protection rights are all governed by the main Privacy Policy. Please read that policy as well — it is the authoritative document for everything about your Colchester United account.
Colchester United FC is the Data Controller for the personal data described in this notice. HotLizard Limited provides and operates the app on behalf of Colchester United as part of the digital services platform.
2. Additional data we collect for the app
In addition to the account information described in the main Privacy Policy, the app collects and uses the following additional information where needed.
| Data | When collected | Why |
|---|---|---|
| App account and contact information, such as your name and email address | When you sign in to the app using your Colchester United account | To identify you, authenticate your login and allow you to access account-linked features |
| App identifiers, such as your Colchester United user ID | When you create, sign in to, or use your Colchester United account through the app | To link app use to your Colchester United account and provide app functionality |
| Per-install device identifier | When you install or use the app | To recognise the app installation, support app functionality and manage device-level settings. This is not a hardware ID and may reset if you reinstall the app |
| Device and app information, such as platform, app version, operating system version, device model and notification permission status | When you install, register or use the app | To support app functionality, compatibility, security, notification delivery and troubleshooting |
| Push notification token | When you enable or use push notifications | To deliver push notifications to your device through Apple, Google and our notification delivery platform |
| Match Alerts preference and device mute setting | When you use the notification settings in the app | To manage whether you receive Match Alerts and whether notifications are muted on a particular device |
| App usage data, including article views | When you use the app, including when you open news articles or use app features | To understand app usage, count article views, improve app content and provide app functionality. Article views are counted for all readers; they are linked to your account only when you are signed in |
| Ticket access information | When you access tickets through the app | To display your tickets and support ticket-related app functionality |
| Wallet pass information | When you add a digital ticket to Apple Wallet | To allow you to add and use your digital ticket in Apple Wallet |
| Linked service information | When you use links from the app to other services | To open the relevant Colchester United or third-party service, such as shop, programmes, YouTube or social media links |
The app does not collect location data, does not use advertising identifiers, and does not include third-party advertising, crash-reporting or analytics SDKs.
3. Legal basis for this additional processing
We rely on the following lawful bases for the additional app processing described in this notice:
- Contract — where processing is needed to provide app features you choose to use, such as sign-in, account-linked features, tickets, digital wallet passes, programmes, news and other app functionality.
- Legitimate Interests — to operate, administer, secure and improve the app, understand app usage, count article views, maintain appropriate records, protect the app and Colchester United digital services from misuse, and support app functionality.
- Consent — where required for push notifications, Match Alerts or optional communications that you choose to enable.
- Legal Obligation — where we need to keep records or disclose information to comply with the law.
4. How the app keeps in step with your Colchester United account
When you sign in to the app, it receives the account information it needs to identify you and provide the relevant app features, such as your name, email address, user ID and any relevant preferences or details needed for the feature you use.
Your core account details are managed through your Colchester United account and are kept consistent across participating Colchester United digital services. The app does not hold your password or multi-factor authentication secret.
5. Push notifications and Match Alerts
The app allows you to receive push notifications, including Match Alerts and other club or match updates that you choose to enable.
On Android, push notifications use Firebase Cloud Messaging registration tokens. On iOS, push notifications use Apple Push Notification service device tokens. The app registers the relevant token with our notification delivery platform so that notifications can be sent to your device.
When your device is registered for notifications, we may process a per-install device identifier, push notification token, platform, app version, operating system version, device model and notification permission status. This information is associated with your signed-in Colchester United account so that we can deliver and manage notifications.
Match Alerts are controlled by an account-level toggle in the app. If you enable Match Alerts, that preference applies to your Colchester United account and can apply across your devices. You can also mute notifications on a specific device.
You can manage push notifications through the app settings and your device settings. If you disable push notifications in your device settings, we may no longer be able to send notifications to that device.
6. Tickets, wallet passes and linked services
The app may allow you to access your Colchester United tickets and add digital tickets to Apple Wallet. Ticketing-specific processing is explained in the Colchester United Ticketing Privacy Notice.
The app may link to other Colchester United services, including the online shop, programmes and other websites. Some links open in your device’s system browser. When you open the shop from the app while signed in, the app may pass a secure sign-in token to the shop so you can access it without signing in again.
The app may also link to YouTube, social media or other third-party services. If you follow those links, the relevant service may process your personal data under its own privacy notice, cookie policy and terms. Please read those notices before using the linked service.
7. How long we keep app data
| Data | Retention |
|---|---|
| App account and sign-in information | Kept in line with the main Colchester United Privacy Policy and your Colchester United account settings |
| Push notification tokens, device identifiers and device/app information | Kept for as long as needed to deliver notifications, manage device settings, support app functionality and maintain security, then deleted or anonymised when no longer needed |
| Match Alerts preferences and notification settings | Kept for as long as your preference remains active or as needed to manage your communication choices |
| App usage data and article-view records | Kept for as long as needed to understand app usage, improve app content and maintain appropriate records, then deleted or anonymised when no longer needed |
| Ticket and wallet pass information | Kept in line with the Colchester United Ticketing Privacy Notice and applicable ticketing retention periods |
| Marketing suppression records | Retained indefinitely as proof of suppression and to make sure we do not contact you where you have asked us not to |
We may keep personal data for longer where required by law, needed to resolve disputes, prevent misuse, or establish, exercise or defend legal claims. Where we no longer need personal data, we delete it or anonymise it.
8. What happens when you ask us to delete your account
When you request deletion of your Colchester United account, the 14-day grace period described in the main Colchester United Privacy Policy applies.
If you do not cancel the deletion request during that period, we delete or anonymise personal data linked to your Colchester United account in the app, except where limited information must be retained for legal, operational, security, suppression or dispute-resolution purposes.
App usage data that is not linked to your Colchester United account, such as article-view counts recorded when you are not signed in, may be retained in aggregated or anonymised form.
We keep:
- records that must be retained for legal, regulatory, audit, operational or dispute-resolution reasons, with personal data removed or anonymised where possible;
- a record that the account has been anonymised, for audit purposes; and
- the marketing email suppression record.
9. Cookies, app technologies and similar technologies
The app itself does not set website cookies. It uses app technologies such as device identifiers and push notification tokens to provide app functionality, deliver notifications, keep the app secure and understand app usage.
If the app opens Colchester United websites or third-party services in your browser, the cookie policies for those websites or services will apply.
The app does not use advertising identifiers, third-party advertising SDKs, third-party analytics SDKs or crash-reporting SDKs.
10. Your rights and how to contact us
The main Privacy Policy explains in full the rights you have over your personal data and how to exercise them. You can exercise most rights directly from your Colchester United account at https://colchesterunited.solelysecured.com or by using the contact details in Section §1 of the main Privacy Policy.
For questions about the app, please contact us using the relevant contact route provided in the app or on the Colchester United Club Site. For data-protection queries, please use the contact details in Section §1 of the Colchester United Privacy Policy.
11. Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal information, please contact us using the details in Section §1 so we can try to resolve the issue.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office. Full contact details are set out in the main Colchester United Privacy Policy.
12. Changes to this notice
We may update this notice from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, our services or the law. If we make material changes we will notify you through the relevant Colchester United digital service, by email, app notification, or a notice in the app where appropriate. Minor changes are indicated only by an updated "Last updated" date at the top.
The notice in force at the time of each previous publication is retained and accessible at https://colchesterunited.solelysecured.com/privacy/versions.