In short
Switchity is a comparison website. To show you the broadband deals available at your home, we ask for your postcode and let you pick your address. We send that to Stickee, the company that supplies our deal data, and, if you click through to a provider, to that provider so you are not asked for it twice. We use analytics cookies only if you accept them. We do not sell your data, we do not send marketing emails, and we never ask for payment details.
Who we are
Switchity Limited is the data controller for personal data collected through switchity.co.uk. We are registered in England and Wales, company number 14331601, at Pendleton Grove, Birmingham, West Midlands, B27 7LT. We are also registered with the Information Commissioner's Office, the UK's data protection regulator, under reference ZC253498. You can contact us about anything in this policy at hello@switchity.co.uk. We are a small company and are not required to appoint a Data Protection Officer, so privacy questions are handled directly by our directors.
What we collect and why
We collect very little, and only what the comparison needs. The table below lists every type of personal data we process, where it comes from, what we use it for, and our legal basis under UK GDPR.
| Data | Where it comes from | Why we use it | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postcode, address and Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) | You type your postcode and choose your address from a list | To check which deals are available at your property and show accurate prices and speeds for it | Providing the service you have asked for (our legitimate interest in running an accurate comparison) |
| IP address | Sent automatically by your browser | Security, stopping automated abuse of our deal lookups, and fixing errors | Legitimate interests (keeping the site secure and working) |
| Analytics data: pages viewed, buttons clicked, approximate location, device and browser type, and on our comparison pages how you scroll and click (with all text on the page masked) | Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity cookies, set only after you accept them | Understanding how the site is used so we can improve it | Consent |
| Calculator inputs, such as your provider, monthly cost and months left on your contract | You type them into one of our calculators | Showing your result on screen. Inputs are not stored on our servers. If you have accepted analytics cookies, the figures are recorded as anonymous events so we can see how the tools are used | Providing the tool you asked for; consent for analytics |
| Enquiries, complaints and offline comparison requests: your name, email address, phone number if you give it, and what you tell us | You email or call us | Replying to you, investigating complaints, running a comparison on your behalf, and keeping a record of how we handled it | Legitimate interests (responding to you and keeping fair records) |
Postcode and address are the only pieces of personal data the comparison itself needs. If you use the site without entering a postcode, we hold nothing about you beyond your IP address in short-lived security logs and, if you accept them, analytics cookies.
What we do not collect
- We have no user accounts, so we hold no usernames or passwords.
- We never take payment. You buy from the provider, on the provider's own website.
- We do not run a marketing list and do not send newsletters or promotional emails.
- We do not ask for your name, date of birth or bank details at any point in the comparison.
- We do not carry out credit checks.
Who we share your data with
Stickee, our comparison data partner
Our broadband, mobile and SIM only deals come from Stickee, a UK comparison technology company. When you enter a postcode, we send the postcode and your chosen address reference to Stickee so it can return the deals available at that property. Stickee also runs the address lookup you use to pick your home and the mobile and SIM only comparison tool embedded on our mobile pages. When you click a deal, you pass through a Stickee tracking link. Stickee records the click, the time and your IP address so that any resulting sale can be matched back to Switchity for commission. Stickee acts as our processor for the comparison and as its own controller for click tracking.
The provider you choose
When you click through to a provider, we add your postcode and address reference to the link so the provider can prefill its order journey. From that point you are on the provider's website and its privacy policy applies. We are later told that a sale was made, which deal it was and the date, so commission can be paid and a tree planted. We do not receive your payment details or a copy of your contract.
Google provides our hosting (Google Cloud and Firebase, in the London region), Google Analytics for usage statistics if you consent, Google Tag Manager on our comparison pages, and the embedded maps on our area pages. Google may process analytics data in the United States. Those transfers are covered by the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, or by the UK International Data Transfer Agreement where that does not apply.
Microsoft
Microsoft Clarity records how visitors use our comparison pages (scrolling, clicks and taps) so we can see where the page is hard to use. It runs only after you accept analytics cookies. All text on the page is masked before anything is recorded, so your postcode, your address and the deals you look at are not captured in a recording. Microsoft may process this data in the United States. Those transfers are covered by the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.
CookieYes
CookieYes runs our cookie consent banner and stores a record of the choice you made so we can prove it and respect it.
Other services you may choose to use
- Our speed test is provided by Ookla and runs inside a frame on our speed test page. Ookla's own privacy terms apply while you use it.
- Energy comparison is provided by The Energy Shop through a separate service. When you follow our energy links you are using their site and their privacy policy applies.
- Our tree planting is carried out by Ecologi. We tell Ecologi how many trees to plant. We do not share any information about you with them.
When the law requires it
We will disclose personal data if a court, regulator or law enforcement body lawfully requires us to, or where it is necessary to protect someone's safety or to establish or defend legal claims.
We never sell personal data and we never share it with anyone for their own marketing.
Where your data is stored
Our website and database run on Google Cloud in the London region. Stickee processes data in the UK. The only routine transfers outside the UK are analytics data processed by Google and Microsoft, described above.
How long we keep it
| Data | How long |
|---|---|
| Your postcode and address | Held in your own browser's session storage and cleared when you close the tab. Our servers cache the list of deals for a property for up to an hour so repeat lookups are fast. That cache holds deals, not who looked them up. |
| IP address in our security counters | A few minutes, then deleted automatically within 24 hours |
| Server logs, which may include IP addresses | Up to 30 days |
| Google Analytics data | No more than 14 months |
| Your cookie consent choice | 12 months |
| Emails, complaints and offline comparison requests | Up to 24 months after the matter is closed, so we can show how it was handled |
Earlier versions of this site offered email alert forms. Those forms have been removed, and any addresses submitted through them have been deleted.
Cookies
Our Cookie Policy lists every cookie we set, what it does, how long it lasts, and how to change your choice.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to:
- ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- have inaccurate data corrected
- have your data erased
- restrict or object to how we use it
- receive your data in a portable format
- withdraw consent at any time, for example by changing your cookie choice
To use any of these rights, email hello@switchity.co.uk. We will reply within one month. We may ask you to confirm your identity first so we do not hand your data to someone else. There is no charge.
In practice we hold very little that identifies you. Because we do not store your postcode or address on our servers, a request for your data will usually return only any emails you have sent us.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113. We would welcome the chance to put things right first.
Automated decisions and profiling
Our results are ranked automatically by the same rules for everyone. The ranking is based on the deals themselves, not on anything about you, and nobody at Switchity or any provider can change it. We do not build profiles of individual users and we make no automated decisions about you that have a legal or similarly significant effect. Our How We Compare page explains the ranking in full.
Children
Our service is for adults who can enter a contract with a provider. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has given us personal data, email us and we will delete it.
Security
The site is served over HTTPS. Our database cannot be read or written from a browser; every request goes through our own server code. Access to the systems that hold data is limited to our directors and protected by two-factor authentication. No website can promise perfect security, but we keep the amount of personal data we hold to a minimum so there is very little to lose.
Changes to this policy
The date at the top of this page shows when it was last updated. If we make a change that affects how we use your data, we will explain it here.
Contact
Switchity Limited, Pendleton Grove, Birmingham, West Midlands, B27 7LT. Email hello@switchity.co.uk.
