Privacy and Cookies Notice | Science Museum Group
Source: https://www.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/privacy-policy
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:28
Privacy and Cookies Notice | Science Museum Group
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Who we are
We are the Science Museum Group and this Privacy and Cookies Notice gives detailed information about when and why we collect personal information from you, how we keep it secure and how we use it.
The ‘Science Museum Group’ is the trading name of the Board of Trustees of the Science Museum. The museums within our group are the Science Museum in London, the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, the National Railway Museum in York, Locomotion in Shildon and the Science and Innovation Park in Wiltshire. We also operate the Science and Society Picture Library (‘
SSPL’
) and produce the Manchester Science Festival. This notice covers use of both personal information by the Board of Trustees of the Science Museum and our wholly owned trading company (called SCMG Enterprises Limited). We refer to ourselves within this notice as ‘
we
’, ‘
us
’ OR ‘
SMG
’.
In this context, SMG is the data controller.
Related Content
Contact the Data Protection team
Contact the Data Protection team
In this page
1. How we collect your personal information
2. What personal information we collect
3. Why we collect your personal information and how we use it
4. How long we keep your information for
5. How we share your personal information with third parties
6. Your data protection rights
7. Security of your personal data
8. Cookies
9. Our data protection registrations
10. Changes to this notice
11. Contact us about your personal data
1. How we collect your personal information
We collect information when you interact with us including (but not limited to) when you visit our websites, sign up for our email newsletters, make a donation or buy tickets in any of our museums or book a visit (whether online or over the phone).
We may also collect some limited personal data about you if you interact with us in a business context for example if you or your organisation arranges to use one of our event spaces or if you place an order with SSPL.
We also use certain publicly available information to help us reach out to potential supporters and we will collect and use certain information where you visit our websites or use our free Wi-Fi.
1
We collect your personal information in a number of ways which are described below:
When you contact us to book tickets over the telephone or by email
When you book tickets either online, on the telephone or in person at one of our museums or sites
When you contact us to arrange a research visit
When you enter into a competition operated by us or one of our partners
When you log on to use the free Wi-Fi at our museums
When you visit our websites, including if you sign up to one of our email newsletters, complete forms, shop online at our online shops, apply for a job or volunteer with us, create an online account with us, or post a comment on a blog
If you have cookies enabled on your web browser, in such circumstances, we may use cookies to collect information about your visit as you move through our websites. For more information about this please see
section 8
below on Cookies
When you do business with us via SSPL, supply us with goods or services or hire one of our spaces
When you participate in an event at one of our museums or sites which is recorded or photographed
When we record information about you in respect of an incident on one of our sites
When you take part in a research project or focus group
When you make a donation or adopt an object
When you respond to a survey we provide to you
When you interact with us on social media (for example by ‘liking’ our pages on Facebook) depending on your privacy settings on such platforms
When you complete online forms, such as for general contact; educational bookings or group visits. These details are emailed to relevant staff within SMG to provide appropriate services and may be added to our customer relationship management system where we have said this will happen
We also may collect information about you from third parties (as detailed further below in
section 3
)
If you otherwise contact us by telephone, email or post. Telephone calls to the contact centre are recorded for training purposes
2. What personal information we collect
We collect information that is necessary to perform the services you have requested, to keep you informed with what’s on at our museums and that is otherwise necessary for us to operate our museums as well as improve the experience of our visitors.
There are circumstances where you may limit the information you provide us with, but this may affect the service you receive or the information we provide to you.
2
We may collect and process the following information from you:
Information obtained directly from you (for example, in person, over the phone, by post, or when you interact with us online. We may collect:
Name
Email address
Postal address
Contact telephone number
Where relevant we may also collect:
Payment Card details (we will not hold such information for any longer than necessary to process your transaction)
Delivery address(es) and/or Billing address(es)
Email subscription preferences
Details of goods and services purchased by you
Information as to whether or not you are a tax payer to enable us to claim Gift Aid on your donation
Your image where you have participated in a recorded event at one of our museums or sites
Where you have left us a legacy, any information you have provided us with to administer this, such as details of your next of kin, executor or solicitor
Information that you provide when you enter a competition or a promotion by us or one of our partners
Information provided in correspondence when you contact us
Information that you provide when you complete surveys that we use for research purposes
Direct Debit details for ongoing payment arrangements
Your MAC address to provide a seamless Wi-Fi service whilst in our museums
Any particular access or dietary requirements you may have to help us improve your visit
Year Group of visitors for school trips or other events and activities, for the purpose of reporting
We may collect additional information where we believe you may be interested in supporting our museums (this is described in
section 3
below under the heading “When we wish to better understand you and your potential interest in supporting our museums”)
When you visit any of our websites (including games and apps we provide – as we host them on web servers) we may use cookies and other similar technologies (including Google Analytics) as well as collect other information from you which is described in
section 8
below.
We may also obtain information available from other external sources about you and combine it with information we hold about you. This will only be done if this information is publicly available (for example on Companies House or HM Land Registry) or if you have given permission to a third party to share this information. This is described in
section 3
below under the heading “When we wish to better understand you and your potential interest in supporting our museums”.
Children’s personal data
We do not intentionally collect children's personal data (anyone under 13 years old) without ensuring we have explicit consent from their parent or guardian. Personal data about children and young people is only accessible by our staff on a strictly need-to-know basis.
Where we provide online services likely to be accessed by a minor, the best interests of the child are our primary consideration. We won't use the personal data of children or young people for marketing purposes.
Special category personal data
Special category data is defined in Article 9 UK GDPR as personal data revealing:
racial or ethnic origin
political opinions
religious or philosophical beliefs
trade union membership
genetic data
biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person
data concerning health, or
data concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation.
As a matter of course, we do not process special category data, but on very rare occasions it may be necessary to ensure that we can effectively provide a service to you, or so you can best enjoy what the museum has to offer. For example, we may need information regarding accessibility requirements so that you are able to access and enjoy our facilities and activities or when we record your personal experiences related to our Collection. We may also need to process special category information, such as medical information, when recording and managing incidents.
Criminal conviction data
Article 10 UK GDPR covers processing in relation to criminal convictions and offences or related security measures. In addition, section 11(2) of the DPA 2018 specifically confirms that this includes personal data relating to the alleged commission of offences or proceedings for an offence committed or alleged to have been committed, including sentencing. This is collectively referred to as ‘criminal offence data’.
When we carry out due diligence research in order to accept support and donations, or when you apply to work with us as a colleague or volunteer, we may access special category information or information relating to criminal offences or convictions.
3. Why we collect your personal information and how we use it
We use the information we hold about you for a number of purposes including to provide information you have asked for, to provide a service (or goods) you have requested from us, to request additional information from you, to develop and improve our services and to raise money for and otherwise operate our museums. Below we describe how and why we use this information and how long we retain it.
3
We may use your information in the following ways:
To fulfil our obligations under a contract with you and to otherwise carry out our business
This includes:
fulfilling purchases you have made of our goods and services (including our exhibitions and other commercial experiences)
securely processing your payments (although please be aware we will not hold your payment details for any longer than necessary to process your transaction)
administering your tickets being visible in your digital wallet such as Apple Wallet or Google Wallet
administering your donation(s) to us, including processing Gift Aid and corresponding with you about your one-off or regular donation(s)
contacting you with any important information in relation to your purchase of goods or services including confirmation of your orders, reminders, details of any changes, delays or other information relevant to your booking, thank you letters for donations. This may be via email, telephone, post or SMS
contacting you in relation to the renewal of any regular monthly or annual agreement you have with us (for example, annual passes to our Wonderlab galleries, Power Up experiences or a membership). This may be via email, telephone or post
for the internal administration of any of your purchases from us
contacting you to respond to your queries (for example, if you email us with a question)
improving our websites and online services
anonymously fulfilling reporting obligations to our funders
making an enquiry regarding booking a museum venue for an event
entering into a brand licensing agreement with us, for example via SSPL
circumstances where you are named as a signatory on a commercial contract that we have entered into, or we are seeking to enter into
When we have your consent
If we have asked your permission to do so in advance we shall use your information to:
send you emails about events, fundraising and activities at our museums or events held within our museums produced by third parties in accordance with your specified preferences. We may also occasionally include selected information about events at other organisations at the foot of emails. We will endeavour to ensure that these events are of interest to the email subscribers
email you in relation to specific events or updates about our museums.
contact you to ask you to respond to surveys or take part in focus groups and photoshoots
use your image to promote our museums and activities where you have participated in a photoshoot or recorded event at one of our museums or sites
share your details with other specific third party partners who will contact you to let you know how they are using your information where this is within your reasonable expectations (such as a conference happening at the museum)
continue to contact you in relation to opportunities to support our museums financially (this is described further below in this section under the heading “When we wish to better understand you and your potential interest in supporting our museums”)
communicate with you and record your participation in a research project or focus group
When we have a legal obligation to do so
In appropriate circumstances we shall use your information to fulfil our legal obligations which may include:
the use of CCTV and other audio-video recording equipment including body-worn cameras on our premises for monitoring and security purposes
detecting and reducing the risk of fraudulent transactions in person or online
undertaking due diligence to detect fraud, money laundering and credit risk and protect the reputation of our museums
keeping our databases up to date
using it for financial records, including for Gift Aid purposes
such other obligations as are imposed on us from time to time
deleting or updating the information we hold about you if we learn such information is inaccurate.
complying with your data rights (as further described below in
section 5
)
complying with legal requirements relating to health and safety, for example reporting incidents
complying with any legal requirements
When it is in our legitimate interest to do so
We shall use your information where it is in our legitimate interest to do so, to:
learn about you, your interests and preferences so that we can provide you information which is relevant and interesting to you as well as targeting our marketing and fundraising so that it’s more relevant to you
classify our visitors and audience into groups or segments by attitudes and behaviours, using the information you provide us with (through your interactions with us and our museums including when you respond to our surveys). These segments help us to:
understand our audience better and ensure we’re sending relevant information to each group; and
tailor and target our cultural programme and services to help us manage and improve them
share your data with third party service providers as described below
use pseudonymised details to guide advertising to you on social media platforms (such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) or through other third-party advertising that may appear on other websites you use. The information shared with these platforms is pseudonymised to protect your personal information deliver advertising to you and prospective visitors on social media sites. If you are a social media user we may ask the third-party providers of those platforms to find other registered users of their services who share similar interests and characteristics to you, which will be based on information that the third party holds about you and other registered users of its platform. This is known as advertising to a ‘lookalike’ audience advertising because we are seeking to advertise to other people who ‘look like’ you. This advertising method is based on data that you as a user of social media have provided to the platform independently and can edit at any time via your social media account settings.
measure and understand how our audiences respond to a variety of marketing activity so we can ensure our activity is well targeted, relevant and effective
send you marketing emails that do not require your consent, such as business to business communications or those which fall under the soft-opt in rules in the Privacy and E-Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003
contacting you in relation to any competition you may have entered with us
run the test version of our website and customer relationship management system that we use internally to pilot new features and ensure the smooth running of our web services
identify and contact individuals who are in a position to support our museums financially (as further described below)
occasionally obtain business-to-business (B2B) contact data from reputable third-party providers who are responsible for ensuring the lawful collection and sharing of this data. This data may include information such as names, job titles, business email addresses, telephone numbers, and business/organisation details. We process this data for legitimate business purposes, including direct marketing communications relating to our products and services. We ensure that all such data is reviewed for relevance, accuracy, and is securely stored, processed and deleted in line with data protection laws
retain your personal information on our secure customer relationship management system for the above purposes
collect anonymous images and recordings in our museums
include an account of your experiences or other information you have provided to us about your visit
When we are required to process personal data in performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of our official authority
Under the National Heritage Act 1983, SMG’s public task can be defined as a responsibility to care for and add to the objects in the SMG Collection, make them available for study and research, to exhibit objects including by lending and borrowing objects, and in limited circumstances to remove objects from the Collection. Therefore, we will process your data under this legal basis if:
you are offering, donating or selling an object to the Museum or requesting or receiving a transfer of an object, personal data will be used to contact you and in any agreement for the transfer of title
you are requesting, receiving or providing a loan, we will use the personal information you provide to contact you about the loan and help manage that loan
your personal information forms part of an object's history, history of ownership or an oral history recording
you wish to access Collection, Library and Public Records items in one of our Reading Rooms
you are captured in CCTV footage in and around SMG premises in order to ensure safety and security of the collections and the public.
When we wish to better understand you and your potential interest in supporting our museums
For a small number of individuals, we want to better understand their engagement with the Science Museum Group and their potential interest in supporting us further. Before contacting these individuals about supporting our museums, we may seek publicly available information to help us understand the background of people who may choose to support us and to ensure we make timely requests for support to those who may be able and willing to give.
In such circumstances we may collect the following information (in addition to that detailed in
section 2
above): the individual’s previous interactions with our museums, job title(s), details of offices held, place of business, business networks, publicly available information in relation to the individual’s career, educational history, hobbies and interests, residence locations, languages spoken, donations to other organisations, wealth and assets, family (excluding information about children under 18 unless provided by that individual). We may use trusted third party providers to automate some of this work. We may also use publicly sourced images to help colleagues recognise individuals who have been invited to attend our events.
We use a variety of sources to obtain such information including newspaper websites, the official websites of other companies and charities, housing market websites, and the organisations in the list below:
Charity Commission:
Register of Charities in England and Wales—
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission
Companies House:
Register of Companies UK Registrar of Companies—
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/companies-house
Creditsafe
: Database of company information -
https://www.creditsafe.com/gb/en.html
Factiva:
Aggregated content including news and business data from both licensed and free sources—
https://global.factiva.com
LinkedIn:
Business and employment-focused social network —
https://www.linkedin.com/
Scottish Charity Regulator:
Register of Charities in Scotland—
https://www.oscr.org.uk
Who’s Who:
Autobiographical entries of noteworthy and influential people who impact British life—
http://www.ukwhoswho.com/
Factary New Trusts Update
: information on newly registered charitable trusts and foundations and their trustees—
https://factary.com/what-we-do/new-trust-update/
Pearlfinders
: online platform for info on companies' CSR work and relevant contacts—
https://home.pearlfinders.com/
We consider that it is in our legitimate interest to collect and use this information and, if we deem it appropriate, to contact such individuals. After contacting such individuals, we shall ask for their consent to continue to contact them in relation to opportunities to support our museums and related activities and opportunities.
If we elect not to contact such individuals or if they tell us they do not wish to be contacted at any time, we shall delete the information we have collected in accordance with our retention policies, only retaining such key identifying information as will allow us to ensure they are not contacted or considered for contact again.
4. How long we keep your information for
We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which it was obtained, for example, to fulfil our contractual obligations to you, comply with legal requirements, tax, and accounting rules, or when we consider that we need to use it for another reason which is compatible with the original purpose.
The information that we hold about you will only be kept for as long as it is needed to perform the required purpose.
5. How we share your personal information with third parties
The Science Museum Group will not share, sell or otherwise make available your personal information to third parties without your express prior permission
except as described below
.
We shall share your data with third parties who are performing services on our behalf (for example, where we use third party ticketing organisations), in order to comply with our legal obligations (for example fraud protection) or in order to enforce our rights, property or the safety of the Science Museum Group for visitors or others.
5
We may share your personal information with the following organisations:
service providers working on our behalf. For example this may include payment processing, database services, website hosting services, providers or online and/or cloud services, printing and mailing organisations, wealth screening service providers, marketing agencies and email delivery services
third party data services and analytics platforms who assist us with segmenting and understanding our audiences (as described above in
section 3
above)
insurers when pursuing an insurance claim
Any such organisations are acting as our data processors under UK GDPR and the contracts we enter into with them require them to comply with UK data protection laws. This means that they can only process your data for the purposes specified by us and that we ensure they have appropriate controls in place to protect the security of your information.
If we have your permission, or it is otherwise made expressly clear in advance, we may share your personal information with:
named third parties if you ticked an opt in to allow us to provide your details to such third parties when you purchased goods and services from us
other organisations such as competition organisers, sponsors and exhibition collaborators where it is made clear that such organisations shall be provided with and permitted to use your personal information, subject to such third parties’ terms (and privacy notice). We recommend that you check the data protection notices provided by such third parties and contact their Data Protection Officer (or equivalent) if you have any queries
partner venues where you have bought tickets hosted at such venues
HMRC where we have your permission to claim Gift Aid on a donation you have made
If we are required to do so by law (for example under money laundering or charity law legislation, or under a court order) we may share your personal information with the police, other law enforcement or regulatory bodies or a government authority investigating unlawful activities.
CCTV FOOTAGE
CCTV footage may in the event of a security incident be shared with the police and/or local or other investigating authorities where it is lawful and appropriate to do so in accordance with our legitimate interests.
6. Your data protection rights
You have certain rights under data protection laws in relation to the personal information we hold and are using about you. To exercise your rights, please use the contact details provided under the ‘Contact Us about your personal information’ section below.
Your rights include asking for a copy of the information we hold about you, having any inaccurate information we hold about you corrected, or to request that we stop using your personal information in a particular way (for example, you may request that we stop emailing you). Your data protection rights are summarised under the tab immediately below.
6
You have the following rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data, these rights include:
To be informed about how we use your personal data (the purpose of this notice)
To have accurate information held about you, and to have your details updated when they are inaccurate. If you have an online account you may amend your personal details and email contact preferences at any time. If you prefer, you can contact us by email, telephone, by mail, or in person to update your details with us
To ask us to delete your data (often called the “right to be forgotten”). We might not always be able to delete it, under the law there are some circumstances in which we will need to, or are entitled to, hold on to it
To get a copy of your personal data. A subset of your data (limited to data that you have provided to us) is available in a machine-readable format if required
To object to how we use your data, and request that we stop using it for certain purposes. There may be circumstances where you ask us to restrict such uses of your information, but we are entitled to refuse that request. However, we shall always stop using your data for email marketing purposes at your request. Each marketing email we send to you will include details on how to change your communications preferences or unsubscribe from future communications
To withdraw your consent, where we are using your personal information with your consent (as described above in the ‘Why We Collect Your Personal Data and How we use it” section)
To ask us to transfer your data to another organisation, where your data is held in a machine-readable, commonly used way, and can be safely transferred.
If we make a decision about you using automated means, you have right to request that the decision be reviewed by a human
The right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner (
www.ico.org.uk
) if you think that any of your rights have been infringed by us
To exercise your rights, please use our contact details below.
We may request additional information so that we can verify your identity (and to ensure your personal information is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it). This may include:
A colour copy of your driving licence, birth certificate or utility bill
If your request relates to a specific transaction with the Science Museum Group, evidence of that transaction (i.e. a receipt or confirmation)
We may contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request to help us enact your rights in accordance with the law.
We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. However, occasionally it may take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complicated or you have made a number of requests. In such circumstances, we will notify you.
7. Security of your personal data
The Science Museum Group is committed to keeping your data secure. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your personal information from unauthorised access and use.
7
Transfer of data abroad
The data that we collect from you may be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside the European Economic Area (‘EEA’). It may also be processed by staff operating outside the EEA who work for us or for one of our suppliers. Such staff may be engaged in, among other things, the fulfilment of your order, the processing of your payment details and the provision of support services. By submitting your personal data, you agree to this transfer, storing or processing. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this notice.
In all such cases we shall ensure that any transfer of your information is compliant with data protection law.
However, please note that the transmission of data via the Internet is not completely secure. Your communications may be routed through a number of countries before being delivered. We cannot guarantee the security of any data transmitted to our websites, however, once we have received your data, we will use adequate security procedures to prevent unauthorised access
8. Cookies
This section describes how we use cookies and similar technologies when you visit our websites, use our online games and apps or use our onsite Wi-Fi services.
8
What are cookies and how do we use them?
Cookies are pieces of data that a website can transfer to a user’s web browser. Some cookies collect, use and store personal data, such as IP address, device information, browsing behaviour and cookies consent preferences.
The cookies may remain on your computer after you leave the website, but you can manually delete them on most browsers. Most web browsers are pre-set to accept cookies. Some cookies store data just for the time you are on the website, such as any preferences, language selection or what is in your shopping basket. These are called session cookies and are not stored on your computer after you have left the website.
Some cookies are referred to as 'first party' and means they are used by the website you are visiting, for example the Science Museum Group website. 'Third party' cookies are used by other organisations on our website but with our permission, such as advertisers or social media platforms.
A pixel tag (also known as a web beacon or clear GIF) is an invisible 1×1 pixel that is placed on web pages. When you access these web pages, pixel tags generate a generic notice of the visit and allow us to set or read our cookies. We use pixel tags in combination with cookies to track activity on our websites, particularly to track visits, times and dates of visits, pages viewed, country and city locations, devices used, purchases, sources visited before coming to our websites, demographics and email sign ups. We use these for reporting and for marketing purposes to retarget advertising and for lookalike modelling. This information is used to make our websites and advertising more relevant to your interests.
For more information on cookies and their uses, visit the cookies page on the
Information Commissioner’s Office website
.
When you visit our websites
The Science Museum Group operates several websites including (but not limited to) the following:
Science Museum Group
Science Museum
Science Museum Shop
Hire the Science Museum
National Railway Museum
Hire the Railway Museum
Locomotion
Locomotion Models
National Science and Media Museum
Science and Industry Museum
Hire the Science and Industry Museum
Science and Innovation Park
Hire the Science and Innovation Park
Science Museum Group Journal
Wonderlab+
SMG Collections Online
Science and Society Picture Library
If you agree to our websites placing cookies on your web browser, the websites will collect information about your visit as you move through them. We use cookies that enable you to navigate the sites, enhance your experience and analyse how you are using our website to improve our functionality and marketing.
We use this data to report on high-level website visits and to inform the development of our services (for example, if we know which web browsers most of our visitors are using, we can allocate website development resources accordingly).
You can browse the Science Museum Group’s websites without telling us who you are or revealing any personal information about yourself.
Follow the links below for a full list of the cookies used on our websites and the option to change your cookie settings.
Science Museum Group
Science Museum
Hire the Science Museum
National Railway Museum
Hire the Railway Museum
Locomotion
Locomotion Models
National Science and Media Museum
Science and Industry Museum
Hire the Science and Industry Museum
Science and Innovation Park
Hire the Science and Innovation Park
Science Museum Group Journal
How to manage cookies?
You are in control of cookies on your device, and you can opt In and out of the cookies on our websites.
If you prefer not to receive cookies, you can select to reject them in the websites’ cookie consent banner or by visiting the Cookie Settings for each website listed in the previous section
If you want to restrict or block web browser cookies on your device, you can do this through your browser settings. Here is some guidance for the most common browsers:
Chrome
Internet Explorer
Safari
Microsoft Edge
Firefox
Third party cookies and similar technologies
There are some third parties who might also collect cookie data on our behalf. You can find out more about their respective cookie policies here:
Shopify
, eCommerce platform
Facebook and Instagram,
Meta
X
Google and YouTube
9. Our data protection registrations
The Science Museum Group has registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office. These registrations are in the name of the Board of Trustees of the Science Museum Group (registration number Z3140818) and SCMG Enterprises Limited (registration number Z7613339).
10. Changes to this notice
We keep this Privacy and Cookies Notice under review and will make changes from time to time. We may let you know about such changes by email, text, or another suitable method of communication. The latest version of this notice will always appear on this page.
11. Contact us about your personal data
If you would like more information or would like to raise any queries, exercise your rights or make a complaint in relation to our use of your personal information, you may contact our Data Protection Officer using the following details:
Emma Brooks
Data Protection Officer
National Science and Media Museum
Science Museum Group
Little Horton Lane
Bradford
BD1 1NQ
[email protected]
Or complete the form on
Data Protection and Freedom of Information
page.
This Privacy Notice was last updated in January 2026.
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View more details on collections site
Who we are
We are the Science Museum Group and this Privacy and Cookies Notice gives detailed information about when and why we collect personal information from you, how we keep it secure and how we use it.
The ‘Science Museum Group’ is the trading name of the Board of Trustees of the Science Museum. The museums within our group are the Science Museum in London, the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, the National Railway Museum in York, Locomotion in Shildon and the Science and Innovation Park in Wiltshire. We also operate the Science and Society Picture Library (‘
SSPL’
) and produce the Manchester Science Festival. This notice covers use of both personal information by the Board of Trustees of the Science Museum and our wholly owned trading company (called SCMG Enterprises Limited). We refer to ourselves within this notice as ‘
we
’, ‘
us
’ OR ‘
SMG
’.
In this context, SMG is the data controller.
Related Content
Contact the Data Protection team
Contact the Data Protection team
In this page
1. How we collect your personal information
2. What personal information we collect
3. Why we collect your personal information and how we use it
4. How long we keep your information for
5. How we share your personal information with third parties
6. Your data protection rights
7. Security of your personal data
8. Cookies
9. Our data protection registrations
10. Changes to this notice
11. Contact us about your personal data
1. How we collect your personal information
We collect information when you interact with us including (but not limited to) when you visit our websites, sign up for our email newsletters, make a donation or buy tickets in any of our museums or book a visit (whether online or over the phone).
We may also collect some limited personal data about you if you interact with us in a business context for example if you or your organisation arranges to use one of our event spaces or if you place an order with SSPL.
We also use certain publicly available information to help us reach out to potential supporters and we will collect and use certain information where you visit our websites or use our free Wi-Fi.
1
We collect your personal information in a number of ways which are described below:
When you contact us to book tickets over the telephone or by email
When you book tickets either online, on the telephone or in person at one of our museums or sites
When you contact us to arrange a research visit
When you enter into a competition operated by us or one of our partners
When you log on to use the free Wi-Fi at our museums
When you visit our websites, including if you sign up to one of our email newsletters, complete forms, shop online at our online shops, apply for a job or volunteer with us, create an online account with us, or post a comment on a blog
If you have cookies enabled on your web browser, in such circumstances, we may use cookies to collect information about your visit as you move through our websites. For more information about this please see
section 8
below on Cookies
When you do business with us via SSPL, supply us with goods or services or hire one of our spaces
When you participate in an event at one of our museums or sites which is recorded or photographed
When we record information about you in respect of an incident on one of our sites
When you take part in a research project or focus group
When you make a donation or adopt an object
When you respond to a survey we provide to you
When you interact with us on social media (for example by ‘liking’ our pages on Facebook) depending on your privacy settings on such platforms
When you complete online forms, such as for general contact; educational bookings or group visits. These details are emailed to relevant staff within SMG to provide appropriate services and may be added to our customer relationship management system where we have said this will happen
We also may collect information about you from third parties (as detailed further below in
section 3
)
If you otherwise contact us by telephone, email or post. Telephone calls to the contact centre are recorded for training purposes
2. What personal information we collect
We collect information that is necessary to perform the services you have requested, to keep you informed with what’s on at our museums and that is otherwise necessary for us to operate our museums as well as improve the experience of our visitors.
There are circumstances where you may limit the information you provide us with, but this may affect the service you receive or the information we provide to you.
2
We may collect and process the following information from you:
Information obtained directly from you (for example, in person, over the phone, by post, or when you interact with us online. We may collect:
Name
Email address
Postal address
Contact telephone number
Where relevant we may also collect:
Payment Card details (we will not hold such information for any longer than necessary to process your transaction)
Delivery address(es) and/or Billing address(es)
Email subscription preferences
Details of goods and services purchased by you
Information as to whether or not you are a tax payer to enable us to claim Gift Aid on your donation
Your image where you have participated in a recorded event at one of our museums or sites
Where you have left us a legacy, any information you have provided us with to administer this, such as details of your next of kin, executor or solicitor
Information that you provide when you enter a competition or a promotion by us or one of our partners
Information provided in correspondence when you contact us
Information that you provide when you complete surveys that we use for research purposes
Direct Debit details for ongoing payment arrangements
Your MAC address to provide a seamless Wi-Fi service whilst in our museums
Any particular access or dietary requirements you may have to help us improve your visit
Year Group of visitors for school trips or other events and activities, for the purpose of reporting
We may collect additional information where we believe you may be interested in supporting our museums (this is described in
section 3
below under the heading “When we wish to better understand you and your potential interest in supporting our museums”)
When you visit any of our websites (including games and apps we provide – as we host them on web servers) we may use cookies and other similar technologies (including Google Analytics) as well as collect other information from you which is described in
section 8
below.
We may also obtain information available from other external sources about you and combine it with information we hold about you. This will only be done if this information is publicly available (for example on Companies House or HM Land Registry) or if you have given permission to a third party to share this information. This is described in
section 3
below under the heading “When we wish to better understand you and your potential interest in supporting our museums”.
Children’s personal data
We do not intentionally collect children's personal data (anyone under 13 years old) without ensuring we have explicit consent from their parent or guardian. Personal data about children and young people is only accessible by our staff on a strictly need-to-know basis.
Where we provide online services likely to be accessed by a minor, the best interests of the child are our primary consideration. We won't use the personal data of children or young people for marketing purposes.
Special category personal data
Special category data is defined in Article 9 UK GDPR as personal data revealing:
racial or ethnic origin
political opinions
religious or philosophical beliefs
trade union membership
genetic data
biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person
data concerning health, or
data concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation.
As a matter of course, we do not process special category data, but on very rare occasions it may be necessary to ensure that we can effectively provide a service to you, or so you can best enjoy what the museum has to offer. For example, we may need information regarding accessibility requirements so that you are able to access and enjoy our facilities and activities or when we record your personal experiences related to our Collection. We may also need to process special category information, such as medical information, when recording and managing incidents.
Criminal conviction data
Article 10 UK GDPR covers processing in relation to criminal convictions and offences or related security measures. In addition, section 11(2) of the DPA 2018 specifically confirms that this includes personal data relating to the alleged commission of offences or proceedings for an offence committed or alleged to have been committed, including sentencing. This is collectively referred to as ‘criminal offence data’.
When we carry out due diligence research in order to accept support and donations, or when you apply to work with us as a colleague or volunteer, we may access special category information or information relating to criminal offences or convictions.
3. Why we collect your personal information and how we use it
We use the information we hold about you for a number of purposes including to provide information you have asked for, to provide a service (or goods) you have requested from us, to request additional information from you, to develop and improve our services and to raise money for and otherwise operate our museums. Below we describe how and why we use this information and how long we retain it.
3
We may use your information in the following ways:
To fulfil our obligations under a contract with you and to otherwise carry out our business
This includes:
fulfilling purchases you have made of our goods and services (including our exhibitions and other commercial experiences)
securely processing your payments (although please be aware we will not hold your payment details for any longer than necessary to process your transaction)
administering your tickets being visible in your digital wallet such as Apple Wallet or Google Wallet
administering your donation(s) to us, including processing Gift Aid and corresponding with you about your one-off or regular donation(s)
contacting you with any important information in relation to your purchase of goods or services including confirmation of your orders, reminders, details of any changes, delays or other information relevant to your booking, thank you letters for donations. This may be via email, telephone, post or SMS
contacting you in relation to the renewal of any regular monthly or annual agreement you have with us (for example, annual passes to our Wonderlab galleries, Power Up experiences or a membership). This may be via email, telephone or post
for the internal administration of any of your purchases from us
contacting you to respond to your queries (for example, if you email us with a question)
improving our websites and online services
anonymously fulfilling reporting obligations to our funders
making an enquiry regarding booking a museum venue for an event
entering into a brand licensing agreement with us, for example via SSPL
circumstances where you are named as a signatory on a commercial contract that we have entered into, or we are seeking to enter into
When we have your consent
If we have asked your permission to do so in advance we shall use your information to:
send you emails about events, fundraising and activities at our museums or events held within our museums produced by third parties in accordance with your specified preferences. We may also occasionally include selected information about events at other organisations at the foot of emails. We will endeavour to ensure that these events are of interest to the email subscribers
email you in relation to specific events or updates about our museums.
contact you to ask you to respond to surveys or take part in focus groups and photoshoots
use your image to promote our museums and activities where you have participated in a photoshoot or recorded event at one of our museums or sites
share your details with other specific third party partners who will contact you to let you know how they are using your information where this is within your reasonable expectations (such as a conference happening at the museum)
continue to contact you in relation to opportunities to support our museums financially (this is described further below in this section under the heading “When we wish to better understand you and your potential interest in supporting our museums”)
communicate with you and record your participation in a research project or focus group
When we have a legal obligation to do so
In appropriate circumstances we shall use your information to fulfil our legal obligations which may include:
the use of CCTV and other audio-video recording equipment including body-worn cameras on our premises for monitoring and security purposes
detecting and reducing the risk of fraudulent transactions in person or online
undertaking due diligence to detect fraud, money laundering and credit risk and protect the reputation of our museums
keeping our databases up to date
using it for financial records, including for Gift Aid purposes
such other obligations as are imposed on us from time to time
deleting or updating the information we hold about you if we learn such information is inaccurate.
complying with your data rights (as further described below in
section 5
)
complying with legal requirements relating to health and safety, for example reporting incidents
complying with any legal requirements
When it is in our legitimate interest to do so
We shall use your information where it is in our legitimate interest to do so, to:
learn about you, your interests and preferences so that we can provide you information which is relevant and interesting to you as well as targeting our marketing and fundraising so that it’s more relevant to you
classify our visitors and audience into groups or segments by attitudes and behaviours, using the information you provide us with (through your interactions with us and our museums including when you respond to our surveys). These segments help us to:
understand our audience better and ensure we’re sending relevant information to each group; and
tailor and target our cultural programme and services to help us manage and improve them
share your data with third party service providers as described below
use pseudonymised details to guide advertising to you on social media platforms (such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) or through other third-party advertising that may appear on other websites you use. The information shared with these platforms is pseudonymised to protect your personal information deliver advertising to you and prospective visitors on social media sites. If you are a social media user we may ask the third-party providers of those platforms to find other registered users of their services who share similar interests and characteristics to you, which will be based on information that the third party holds about you and other registered users of its platform. This is known as advertising to a ‘lookalike’ audience advertising because we are seeking to advertise to other people who ‘look like’ you. This advertising method is based on data that you as a user of social media have provided to the platform independently and can edit at any time via your social media account settings.
measure and understand how our audiences respond to a variety of marketing activity so we can ensure our activity is well targeted, relevant and effective
send you marketing emails that do not require your consent, such as business to business communications or those which fall under the soft-opt in rules in the Privacy and E-Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003
contacting you in relation to any competition you may have entered with us
run the test version of our website and customer relationship management system that we use internally to pilot new features and ensure the smooth running of our web services
identify and contact individuals who are in a position to support our museums financially (as further described below)
occasionally obtain business-to-business (B2B) contact data from reputable third-party providers who are responsible for ensuring the lawful collection and sharing of this data. This data may include information such as names, job titles, business email addresses, telephone numbers, and business/organisation details. We process this data for legitimate business purposes, including direct marketing communications relating to our products and services. We ensure that all such data is reviewed for relevance, accuracy, and is securely stored, processed and deleted in line with data protection laws
retain your personal information on our secure customer relationship management system for the above purposes
collect anonymous images and recordings in our museums
include an account of your experiences or other information you have provided to us about your visit
When we are required to process personal data in performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of our official authority
Under the National Heritage Act 1983, SMG’s public task can be defined as a responsibility to care for and add to the objects in the SMG Collection, make them available for study and research, to exhibit objects including by lending and borrowing objects, and in limited circumstances to remove objects from the Collection. Therefore, we will process your data under this legal basis if:
you are offering, donating or selling an object to the Museum or requesting or receiving a transfer of an object, personal data will be used to contact you and in any agreement for the transfer of title
you are requesting, receiving or providing a loan, we will use the personal information you provide to contact you about the loan and help manage that loan
your personal information forms part of an object's history, history of ownership or an oral history recording
you wish to access Collection, Library and Public Records items in one of our Reading Rooms
you are captured in CCTV footage in and around SMG premises in order to ensure safety and security of the collections and the public.
When we wish to better understand you and your potential interest in supporting our museums
For a small number of individuals, we want to better understand their engagement with the Science Museum Group and their potential interest in supporting us further. Before contacting these individuals about supporting our museums, we may seek publicly available information to help us understand the background of people who may choose to support us and to ensure we make timely requests for support to those who may be able and willing to give.
In such circumstances we may collect the following information (in addition to that detailed in
section 2
above): the individual’s previous interactions with our museums, job title(s), details of offices held, place of business, business networks, publicly available information in relation to the individual’s career, educational history, hobbies and interests, residence locations, languages spoken, donations to other organisations, wealth and assets, family (excluding information about children under 18 unless provided by that individual). We may use trusted third party providers to automate some of this work. We may also use publicly sourced images to help colleagues recognise individuals who have been invited to attend our events.
We use a variety of sources to obtain such information including newspaper websites, the official websites of other companies and charities, housing market websites, and the organisations in the list below:
Charity Commission:
Register of Charities in England and Wales—
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission
Companies House:
Register of Companies UK Registrar of Companies—
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/companies-house
Creditsafe
: Database of company information -
https://www.creditsafe.com/gb/en.html
Factiva:
Aggregated content including news and business data from both licensed and free sources—
https://global.factiva.com
LinkedIn:
Business and employment-focused social network —
https://www.linkedin.com/
Scottish Charity Regulator:
Register of Charities in Scotland—
https://www.oscr.org.uk
Who’s Who:
Autobiographical entries of noteworthy and influential people who impact British life—
http://www.ukwhoswho.com/
Factary New Trusts Update
: information on newly registered charitable trusts and foundations and their trustees—
https://factary.com/what-we-do/new-trust-update/
Pearlfinders
: online platform for info on companies' CSR work and relevant contacts—
https://home.pearlfinders.com/
We consider that it is in our legitimate interest to collect and use this information and, if we deem it appropriate, to contact such individuals. After contacting such individuals, we shall ask for their consent to continue to contact them in relation to opportunities to support our museums and related activities and opportunities.
If we elect not to contact such individuals or if they tell us they do not wish to be contacted at any time, we shall delete the information we have collected in accordance with our retention policies, only retaining such key identifying information as will allow us to ensure they are not contacted or considered for contact again.
4. How long we keep your information for
We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which it was obtained, for example, to fulfil our contractual obligations to you, comply with legal requirements, tax, and accounting rules, or when we consider that we need to use it for another reason which is compatible with the original purpose.
The information that we hold about you will only be kept for as long as it is needed to perform the required purpose.
5. How we share your personal information with third parties
The Science Museum Group will not share, sell or otherwise make available your personal information to third parties without your express prior permission
except as described below
.
We shall share your data with third parties who are performing services on our behalf (for example, where we use third party ticketing organisations), in order to comply with our legal obligations (for example fraud protection) or in order to enforce our rights, property or the safety of the Science Museum Group for visitors or others.
5
We may share your personal information with the following organisations:
service providers working on our behalf. For example this may include payment processing, database services, website hosting services, providers or online and/or cloud services, printing and mailing organisations, wealth screening service providers, marketing agencies and email delivery services
third party data services and analytics platforms who assist us with segmenting and understanding our audiences (as described above in
section 3
above)
insurers when pursuing an insurance claim
Any such organisations are acting as our data processors under UK GDPR and the contracts we enter into with them require them to comply with UK data protection laws. This means that they can only process your data for the purposes specified by us and that we ensure they have appropriate controls in place to protect the security of your information.
If we have your permission, or it is otherwise made expressly clear in advance, we may share your personal information with:
named third parties if you ticked an opt in to allow us to provide your details to such third parties when you purchased goods and services from us
other organisations such as competition organisers, sponsors and exhibition collaborators where it is made clear that such organisations shall be provided with and permitted to use your personal information, subject to such third parties’ terms (and privacy notice). We recommend that you check the data protection notices provided by such third parties and contact their Data Protection Officer (or equivalent) if you have any queries
partner venues where you have bought tickets hosted at such venues
HMRC where we have your permission to claim Gift Aid on a donation you have made
If we are required to do so by law (for example under money laundering or charity law legislation, or under a court order) we may share your personal information with the police, other law enforcement or regulatory bodies or a government authority investigating unlawful activities.
CCTV FOOTAGE
CCTV footage may in the event of a security incident be shared with the police and/or local or other investigating authorities where it is lawful and appropriate to do so in accordance with our legitimate interests.
6. Your data protection rights
You have certain rights under data protection laws in relation to the personal information we hold and are using about you. To exercise your rights, please use the contact details provided under the ‘Contact Us about your personal information’ section below.
Your rights include asking for a copy of the information we hold about you, having any inaccurate information we hold about you corrected, or to request that we stop using your personal information in a particular way (for example, you may request that we stop emailing you). Your data protection rights are summarised under the tab immediately below.
6
You have the following rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data, these rights include:
To be informed about how we use your personal data (the purpose of this notice)
To have accurate information held about you, and to have your details updated when they are inaccurate. If you have an online account you may amend your personal details and email contact preferences at any time. If you prefer, you can contact us by email, telephone, by mail, or in person to update your details with us
To ask us to delete your data (often called the “right to be forgotten”). We might not always be able to delete it, under the law there are some circumstances in which we will need to, or are entitled to, hold on to it
To get a copy of your personal data. A subset of your data (limited to data that you have provided to us) is available in a machine-readable format if required
To object to how we use your data, and request that we stop using it for certain purposes. There may be circumstances where you ask us to restrict such uses of your information, but we are entitled to refuse that request. However, we shall always stop using your data for email marketing purposes at your request. Each marketing email we send to you will include details on how to change your communications preferences or unsubscribe from future communications
To withdraw your consent, where we are using your personal information with your consent (as described above in the ‘Why We Collect Your Personal Data and How we use it” section)
To ask us to transfer your data to another organisation, where your data is held in a machine-readable, commonly used way, and can be safely transferred.
If we make a decision about you using automated means, you have right to request that the decision be reviewed by a human
The right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner (
www.ico.org.uk
) if you think that any of your rights have been infringed by us
To exercise your rights, please use our contact details below.
We may request additional information so that we can verify your identity (and to ensure your personal information is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it). This may include:
A colour copy of your driving licence, birth certificate or utility bill
If your request relates to a specific transaction with the Science Museum Group, evidence of that transaction (i.e. a receipt or confirmation)
We may contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request to help us enact your rights in accordance with the law.
We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. However, occasionally it may take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complicated or you have made a number of requests. In such circumstances, we will notify you.
7. Security of your personal data
The Science Museum Group is committed to keeping your data secure. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your personal information from unauthorised access and use.
7
Transfer of data abroad
The data that we collect from you may be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside the European Economic Area (‘EEA’). It may also be processed by staff operating outside the EEA who work for us or for one of our suppliers. Such staff may be engaged in, among other things, the fulfilment of your order, the processing of your payment details and the provision of support services. By submitting your personal data, you agree to this transfer, storing or processing. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this notice.
In all such cases we shall ensure that any transfer of your information is compliant with data protection law.
However, please note that the transmission of data via the Internet is not completely secure. Your communications may be routed through a number of countries before being delivered. We cannot guarantee the security of any data transmitted to our websites, however, once we have received your data, we will use adequate security procedures to prevent unauthorised access
8. Cookies
This section describes how we use cookies and similar technologies when you visit our websites, use our online games and apps or use our onsite Wi-Fi services.
8
What are cookies and how do we use them?
Cookies are pieces of data that a website can transfer to a user’s web browser. Some cookies collect, use and store personal data, such as IP address, device information, browsing behaviour and cookies consent preferences.
The cookies may remain on your computer after you leave the website, but you can manually delete them on most browsers. Most web browsers are pre-set to accept cookies. Some cookies store data just for the time you are on the website, such as any preferences, language selection or what is in your shopping basket. These are called session cookies and are not stored on your computer after you have left the website.
Some cookies are referred to as 'first party' and means they are used by the website you are visiting, for example the Science Museum Group website. 'Third party' cookies are used by other organisations on our website but with our permission, such as advertisers or social media platforms.
A pixel tag (also known as a web beacon or clear GIF) is an invisible 1×1 pixel that is placed on web pages. When you access these web pages, pixel tags generate a generic notice of the visit and allow us to set or read our cookies. We use pixel tags in combination with cookies to track activity on our websites, particularly to track visits, times and dates of visits, pages viewed, country and city locations, devices used, purchases, sources visited before coming to our websites, demographics and email sign ups. We use these for reporting and for marketing purposes to retarget advertising and for lookalike modelling. This information is used to make our websites and advertising more relevant to your interests.
For more information on cookies and their uses, visit the cookies page on the
Information Commissioner’s Office website
.
When you visit our websites
The Science Museum Group operates several websites including (but not limited to) the following:
Science Museum Group
Science Museum
Science Museum Shop
Hire the Science Museum
National Railway Museum
Hire the Railway Museum
Locomotion
Locomotion Models
National Science and Media Museum
Science and Industry Museum
Hire the Science and Industry Museum
Science and Innovation Park
Hire the Science and Innovation Park
Science Museum Group Journal
Wonderlab+
SMG Collections Online
Science and Society Picture Library
If you agree to our websites placing cookies on your web browser, the websites will collect information about your visit as you move through them. We use cookies that enable you to navigate the sites, enhance your experience and analyse how you are using our website to improve our functionality and marketing.
We use this data to report on high-level website visits and to inform the development of our services (for example, if we know which web browsers most of our visitors are using, we can allocate website development resources accordingly).
You can browse the Science Museum Group’s websites without telling us who you are or revealing any personal information about yourself.
Follow the links below for a full list of the cookies used on our websites and the option to change your cookie settings.
Science Museum Group
Science Museum
Hire the Science Museum
National Railway Museum
Hire the Railway Museum
Locomotion
Locomotion Models
National Science and Media Museum
Science and Industry Museum
Hire the Science and Industry Museum
Science and Innovation Park
Hire the Science and Innovation Park
Science Museum Group Journal
How to manage cookies?
You are in control of cookies on your device, and you can opt In and out of the cookies on our websites.
If you prefer not to receive cookies, you can select to reject them in the websites’ cookie consent banner or by visiting the Cookie Settings for each website listed in the previous section
If you want to restrict or block web browser cookies on your device, you can do this through your browser settings. Here is some guidance for the most common browsers:
Chrome
Internet Explorer
Safari
Microsoft Edge
Firefox
Third party cookies and similar technologies
There are some third parties who might also collect cookie data on our behalf. You can find out more about their respective cookie policies here:
Shopify
, eCommerce platform
Facebook and Instagram,
Meta
X
Google and YouTube
9. Our data protection registrations
The Science Museum Group has registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office. These registrations are in the name of the Board of Trustees of the Science Museum Group (registration number Z3140818) and SCMG Enterprises Limited (registration number Z7613339).
10. Changes to this notice
We keep this Privacy and Cookies Notice under review and will make changes from time to time. We may let you know about such changes by email, text, or another suitable method of communication. The latest version of this notice will always appear on this page.
11. Contact us about your personal data
If you would like more information or would like to raise any queries, exercise your rights or make a complaint in relation to our use of your personal information, you may contact our Data Protection Officer using the following details:
Emma Brooks
Data Protection Officer
National Science and Media Museum
Science Museum Group
Little Horton Lane
Bradford
BD1 1NQ
[email protected]
Or complete the form on
Data Protection and Freedom of Information
page.
This Privacy Notice was last updated in January 2026.