Privacy Policy

This privacy policy explains how our website collects, uses, stores and protects personal information. The website is a UK-based academic project promoting, documenting and raising awareness of Sri Lanka Afro-Portuguese, an endangered language. We aim to handle personal information respectfully, transparently and in accordance with UK data protection law, including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. The UK Information Commissioner’s Office recommends that privacy notices explain what personal data is collected, why it is used, how long it is kept, who it is shared with, and what rights people have. (ICO)

This website is operated by:

Prof Ioanna Sitaridou

Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics
Raised Faculty Building
University of Cambridge
Sidgwick Avenue
Cambridge
CB3 9DA
United Kingdom

Email: slap@mmll.cam.ac.uk

For the purposes of data protection law, University of Cambridge is the data controller for personal information collected through this website.

We may collect and process the following types of information:

Information you provide directly

This may include:

• your name;
• your email address;
• your institutional affiliation, if you choose to provide it;
• comments, questions or feedback submitted through forms;
• messages sent to the project team;
• information you provide when signing up for updates, events or mailing lists;
• language-related contributions, such as words, phrases, translations, stories, recordings, photographs or contextual notes, where the site allows submissions.

Website usage information

When you visit the website, we may collect limited technical information, such as:

• IP address;
• browser type and version;
• device type;
• pages visited;
• date and time of visit;
• referring website;
• cookie or analytics information, where applicable.

We use this information to understand how the website is used, improve accessibility, maintain security and develop better resources. The ICO gives similar examples of website analytics data, including visitor numbers, sources of traffic and pages visited. (ICO)

Sensitive or special category information

Because this website concerns an endangered language and its community, some contributions may reveal information about ethnic origin, cultural identity, heritage, religion, location, family history or community membership.

Under the UK GDPR, personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin is treated as special category data and requires additional care. (ICO) We will only collect this type of information where it is necessary for the academic, cultural, educational or preservation aims of the project, and where an appropriate lawful basis and additional condition apply.

We may use personal information to:

• respond to enquiries;
• collect and review feedback about the website;
• improve the website’s content, design, accessibility and usability;
• manage mailing lists, event updates or project communications;
• support academic research, teaching, public engagement and language revitalisation activities;
• credit contributors, where consent has been given;
• preserve and present language materials responsibly;
• maintain the security and technical performance of the website;
• meet legal, ethical, institutional or funding requirements.

We will not sell your personal information.

Depending on the context, we may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

• Consent: for example, where you choose to submit feedback, join a mailing list, contribute recordings or agree to be named as a contributor.
• Legitimate interests: for example, to respond to enquiries, improve the website, understand usage and maintain security.
• Public task: where processing is necessary for academic, educational or research activities carried out by a public university or academic institution.
• Legal obligation: where we are required to keep records or respond to lawful requests.

Where we process special category data, we will also identify an appropriate additional condition under UK data protection law. The ICO explains that special category data requires both a lawful basis under Article 6 and a separate condition under Article 9 of the UK GDPR. (ICO)

If you submit language materials, recordings, translations, stories, photographs or cultural information, we will explain how those materials may be used before or at the point of collection.

Depending on the project, contributions may be used for:

• language learning resources;
• research and teaching;
• public engagement;
• online archives or exhibits;
• academic publications;
• conference presentations;
• community resources.

We will seek your permission before publicly naming you, publishing identifiable recordings, or using personal cultural materials in a way that could identify you or your community role.

You may request that your name is not displayed, or that a contribution is anonymised, where this is possible. Some academic, archival or published materials may be harder to remove once publicly released, and we will explain any limits clearly at the point of contribution.

If you complete a feedback form, we may use your responses to improve the website and evaluate the project. Feedback may be summarised in internal reports, funder reports, academic outputs or public project updates. Where possible, feedback will be reported anonymously or in aggregate form. We will not publish your name alongside feedback unless you have agreed to this.

This website may use cookies or analytics tools to understand how visitors use the site and to improve performance.

Cookies are small files stored on your device. They may be used to:

• remember your preferences;
• measure website traffic;
• identify which pages are most useful;
• improve accessibility and usability;
• protect the site from misuse.

Where required, we will ask for your consent before using non-essential cookies. You can usually manage or disable cookies through your browser settings.

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If you sign up for updates or events, we will use your contact details only for the purpose you signed up for, such as sending newsletters, project updates, event invitations or related academic and community information.

You can unsubscribe at any time by using the unsubscribe link in an email or contacting us at slap@mmll.cam.ac.uk.

We may share limited personal information with:

• project staff and academic collaborators;
• the host university or institution;
• website hosting and technical service providers;
• mailing list or event registration providers;
• funders, ethics committees or auditors, where required;
• repositories or archives, where you have agreed to deposit materials;
• legal or regulatory authorities, where required by law.

We will only share personal information where necessary and with appropriate safeguards.

Some service providers, collaborators, archives or digital platforms may be based outside the UK. Where personal information is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy arrangements, contractual protections or other mechanisms recognised under UK data protection law.

We will only keep personal information for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy. However, some research and language documentation materials may be retained permanently as part of the project’s scholarly, cultural heritage, and public legacy, where this is consistent with participant consent, ethics approval, archive agreements, and applicable data protection law.

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure.

These may include:

• password-protected systems;
• restricted access to project files;
• secure storage;
• institutional IT systems;
• anonymisation or pseudonymisation where appropriate;
• ethics review for research involving participants;
• careful review before publishing identifiable materials.

Under UK data protection law, you may have the right to:

• access the personal information we hold about you;
• ask us to correct inaccurate information;
• ask us to delete your information;
• restrict or object to certain uses of your information;
• withdraw consent where we rely on consent;
• request a copy of your information in a portable format, where applicable;
• complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Not all rights apply in every situation, particularly where information is processed for research, archiving or public interest purposes, but we will consider all requests carefully.

To exercise your rights, contact us at:

slap@mmll.cam.ac.uk

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Website: ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

This website is intended for a general educational audience. If we knowingly collect personal information from children or young people, for example through schools, workshops or community activities, we will use appropriate consent procedures and safeguards. Where required, we will seek consent from a parent, guardian, school or responsible adult

Because endangered language work may involve personal, family, cultural, historical or community knowledge, we aim to handle contributions with care and respect.

We will consider:

• whether materials are appropriate for public sharing;
• whether contributors and communities have consented to publication;
• whether names, images, recordings or stories could cause harm if made public;
• whether access restrictions are needed for sensitive materials;
• whether community preferences should guide how materials are described and displayed.

This website may include links to external websites, archives, videos, publications or partner organisations. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of external websites. You should read their privacy policies before providing personal information.

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The latest version will be posted on this page with the date of the most recent update.

For questions about this privacy policy or how your information is used, contact:

Prof Ioanna Sitaridou

Email: slap@mmll.cam.ac.uk