Privacy Policy
Last updated: June 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how Dr Lata Gautam ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, and protects personal data when you visit this website. It is written in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR).
1. Who we are
The data controller is Dr Lata Gautam, Associate Professor, School of Life
Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK.
Contact: spikingresearch@gmail.com
2. What data we collect and why
a) Contact form
When you submit the contact form we collect your name, email address, and message. We use this data solely to respond to your enquiry. The legal basis is legitimate interests (UK GDPR Article 6(1)(f)) - handling correspondence is a normal and expected part of operating a professional website. We do not add you to any mailing list without explicit consent.
b) Google Analytics (analytics cookies - consent required)
With your consent, we use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how visitors use the Site. GA4 may collect:
- Pages visited and time spent on each page
- Approximate geographic location (country / city level)
- Browser type, device type, and operating system
- Referring website (how you arrived at the Site)
This data is collected via cookies set by Google and is processed by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Google acts as a data processor on our behalf under a Data Processing Agreement that includes Standard Contractual Clauses for international transfers.
We have enabled IP anonymisation in GA4, so your full IP address is never stored. The legal basis for analytics is consent (UK GDPR Article 6(1)(a) and PECR Regulation 6). You can withdraw consent at any time - see Section 6 below.
For more information on how Google uses your data, see Google's Privacy Policy and Google Analytics data practices.
c) Embedded third-party content
Some pages embed content from YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. These services may set their own cookies and collect data when you interact with embedded players or posts, subject to their own privacy policies. We recommend reviewing those policies if you have concerns.
3. How long we keep your data
- Contact form messages: retained for up to 12 months, then securely deleted.
- Analytics data: retained for 14 months in Google Analytics (the default GA4 retention period), then automatically deleted.
4. Who we share your data with
We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with any third party for marketing purposes. Data may be shared only:
- With Google LLC (for analytics, as described above).
- Where required by law or a court order.
5. Your rights under UK GDPR
You have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you.
- Rectification - ask us to correct inaccurate data.
- Erasure ("right to be forgotten") - ask us to delete your data where there is no overriding legitimate reason to keep it.
- Restriction - ask us to limit processing in certain circumstances.
- Objection - object to processing based on legitimate interests.
- Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent (e.g. analytics cookies), without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.
- Lodge a complaint with the UK supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint · 0303 123 1113.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at spikingresearch@gmail.com.
6. Managing cookies and withdrawing consent
When you first visit the Site you will see a cookie consent banner. You can:
- Accept analytics - Google Analytics will be enabled.
- Decline - no analytics cookies will be set.
To change your choice later, clear your browser's local storage for this site
(in Chrome: DevTools → Application → Local Storage → delete the
cookie_consent key), then reload the page; the banner will
reappear. You can also opt out of Google Analytics across all websites using
the
Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
7. Security
The Site is served over HTTPS. Contact form submissions are transmitted securely. We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data against unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure.
8. Children
This Site is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children.
9. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will reflect any revisions. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
10. Contact
For any privacy-related questions, please use the Contact page or email spikingresearch@gmail.com.