Guidance

Privacy Notice for Government Communications Service (GCS) Assist

Published 8 July 2024

© Crown copyright 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-communication-service-assist-privacy-notice/privacy-notice-for-government-communications-service-gcs-assist

This notice sets out how we will use your personal data, and your rights. It is made under Articles 13 and/or 14 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). 

Government Communication Service Assist is an AI tool that uses a Large Language Model to help communications professionals to produce first drafts of communications products. Your data may be processed by GCS Assist if we use it to produce a communications product that relates to you, or if we use it to respond to you. 

Your data

Purpose

The purposes for which we are processing your personal data are: 

  • to equip Assist with the information it requires to deliver high value outputs and deliverables. 
  • to enable GCS members to receive guidance, advice and first-drafts of government communications work. 

The data

We will process the following personal data: 

The personal data we will process includes but is not limited to:

  • Name
  • Email
  • Gender
  • Age
  • Location

The legal basis for processing your personal data in GCS Assist is that processing is necessary for the legitimate interests of the Cabinet Office. In this case those interests are improving the efficiency and effectiveness of government communications. 

There is a legitimate interest in maximising the positive impact of government communications for citizens in addition to making public sector work as efficient as it can be for the tax payer.

Sensitive personal data is personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, and the processing of 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. The legal basis for processing your sensitive personal data, or criminal convictions personal data, is that processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest for the exercise of a function of the Crown, a Minister of the Crown, or a government department (para 6, schedule 1, DPA 2018). This function focuses on the development of effective government communications for citizens. Special category or criminal convictions data may be processed or generated if it is included in a relevant communications product. This data would only be processed by GCS Assist to ensure communication efforts are as optimised for the audience. 

Recipients

Your personal data will be shared by us with our technology partners to aid in the effective processing of the data. These partners are Amazon Web Services and Anthropic. Your personal data will never be used by these organisations for their own objectives, and it cannot be used to train their language models.  

As your personal data will be stored on our IT infrastructure it will also be shared with our data processors who provide email, and document management and storage services. 

Retention 

Your personal data will be retained in GCS Assist for twelve months before it is deleted.  

Automated decision making

Your personal data will not be used to make automated decisions about you or your rights. 

Where personal data have not been obtained from you

Your personal data may have been obtained by us from a Large Language Model. 

Your rights

You have the right to request information about how your personal data are processed, and to request a copy of that personal data. 

You have the right to request that any inaccuracies in your personal data are rectified without delay. 

You have the right to request that any incomplete personal data are completed, including by means of a supplementary statement. 

You have the right to request that your personal data are erased if there is no longer a justification for them to be processed. 

You have the right in certain circumstances (for example, where accuracy is contested) to request that the processing of your personal data is restricted. 

You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data.

International transfers

As your data will be shared with our IT supplier who provides Large Language Modelling services to us. It may be stored securely outside the UK. Where that is the case, it will receive equivalent legal protection through the use of a UK International Data Transfer Agreement.  

Complaints

If you consider that your personal data has been misused or mishandled, you may make a complaint to the Information Commissioner, who is an independent regulator.  The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: 

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

or 0303 123 1113, or icocasework@ico.org.uk.  Any complaint to the Information Commissioner is without prejudice to your right to seek redress through the courts. 

Contact details

The data controller for your personal data is the Cabinet Office. The contact details for the data controller are:

Cabinet Office
70 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AS

or 0207 276 1234, or https://www.gov.uk/guidance/contact-the-cabinet-office 

The contact details for the data controller’s Data Protection Officer are: dpo@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. 

The Data Protection Officer provides independent advice and monitoring of Cabinet Office’s use of personal information.

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