Privacy policy
This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, and what you can do about it.
This website is run by Shoreditch Media Limited, trading as Red Squirrel Publishing, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 05944433) at Suite 235, 15 Ingestre Place, London W1F 0DU. For the purposes of UK data protection law we are the data controller for the information described here.
If you have any question about this policy, or want to exercise any of the rights set out below, email hello@lifeintheuk.net.
Effective from 23 August 2026. This policy replaces our previous policy of 1 March 2012.
What we collect, why, and our lawful basis
We only collect what we actually need. Under UK GDPR every use of personal data needs a lawful basis, so this table sets out ours.
| What | Why we need it | Lawful basis | How long we keep it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your email address, when you ask for our newsletter | To send you updates about the test and our books | Consent | Until you unsubscribe, then up to 30 days to action the removal |
| Name, email address and the details of the book you register | To verify your purchase and give you access to online practice tests | Performance of a contract | For as long as you hold an account, then 12 months |
| Your practice test answers and scores | To show you your progress and to choose which questions to ask you next | Performance of a contract | For as long as you hold an account, then 12 months |
| A test date you choose to record | To show you a countdown and remind you | Consent | Until you delete it or close your account |
| Payment details, if you buy a subscription | To take payment | Performance of a contract | We never see or store card details — see Stripe below |
| Anything you tell us in a support request or feedback form | To answer you, and to correct errors in our books | Legitimate interests — running a business and improving our products | 24 months |
| Records of purchases | To meet our accounting and tax obligations | Legal obligation | 6 years, as HMRC requires |
We do not collect the demographic information our old policy mentioned — age, occupation or nationality — and we no longer ask for a postcode.
We do not use your information to make any automated decision that has a legal or similarly significant effect on you, and we do not carry out profiling in that sense. Choosing which practice question to show you next, based on which questions you have answered correctly, is not a decision of that kind.
Cookies
This website sets no cookies and uses no third-party analytics, advertising or tracking scripts. There is nothing to consent to and nothing to opt out of.
Our practice test service at brittest.com does need a cookie to keep you signed in. That is a strictly necessary cookie: it exists only to run the service you asked for, it is not used to track you, and it is not shared with anyone.
Who else handles your information
We never sell, rent or trade your personal information. We do use a small number of suppliers to run the business, and they process data only on our written instructions.
| Supplier | What they do for us | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare | Hosts and serves this website | UK/EU edge, US company |
| Stripe | Takes subscription payments. Card details go to Stripe directly and never reach us | US, UK adequacy |
| MailerLite | Sends our newsletter | EU |
| Zendesk | Runs our help desk | US, UK adequacy |
| Typeform | Runs our feedback form | EU |
| Supabase | Stores practice test accounts and progress | EU |
Where a supplier is outside the UK, the transfer is covered either by UK adequacy regulations or by the International Data Transfer Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.
We will also disclose information if the law requires it, or to establish or defend legal claims.
Your rights
Under UK GDPR you have the right to:
- be told what we hold about you and get a copy of it
- have it corrected if it is wrong or incomplete
- have it deleted, where we have no continuing reason to keep it
- restrict how we use it, while a concern is being resolved
- object to us using it on the basis of legitimate interests
- take it with you in a portable format, for data you gave us
- withdraw consent at any time, where consent is our basis — this does not affect anything we did before you withdrew it
To exercise any of these, email hello@lifeintheuk.net. We will respond within one month. There is no charge.
Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please tell us first so we can put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK’s data protection regulator, at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113. You do not have to come to us first.
Children
Our books and this website are for people preparing for the Life in the UK Test, which is taken by adults — people under 18 are exempt from the test. This service is not directed at children and we do not knowingly collect information about them.
Security
We hold your information on servers protected by access controls and encryption in transit. No system is perfect, and we will tell you and the ICO promptly if a breach occurs that is likely to affect your rights.
Other websites
This site links to other websites, including gov.uk and booksellers. We are not responsible for their privacy practices, and this policy does not cover them.
Changes to this policy
We review this policy at least once a year. If we change it materially we will say so on this page and update the effective date above.