SecurityYour post, scans and ID
How we protect your post, scans and ID
In short
Your mail scans and identity documents are kept outside the website in a secure store. They are only shown to your identity checked account through a checked download and every view is logged. Scans are kept for 12 months and then deleted. ID documents are deleted once they are no longer needed. Staff access is limited and logged, and card payments are handled by our payment provider so we never store your card details.
Where are my scans and ID documents stored?
Not in the website's public folders. Mail scans and identity documents are kept outside the website in a secure store, so there is no public web address that leads to them. The website only ever serves them through a checked download.
Who can see my scans?
You can, once you have signed in to your identity checked account. Each time you open a scan the download is checked against your account before anything is sent and the view is logged.
Our staff need access to your post to log it, scan it and flag anything urgent. Their access is limited to what that work needs and it is logged too.
How do you make sure my post is not given to someone else?
Every letter is logged under your personal reference the day it arrives, with who it is from, what kind of item it is and the date. Its scan is then only served to the account that reference belongs to. Knowing someone's reference is not enough to see their post, because scans are only shown after the account holder has signed in.
What is logged?
Each item that arrives for you, each time a scan is opened and each time our staff access your post or documents. That gives a record of who handled what and when, so if you have a question about a letter we can check what happened to it.
What do you hold and how is it protected?
| What we hold | Where it is kept | Who can see it | How long we keep it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mail scans | A secure store outside the website | You through your account. Our staff with limited and logged access. | 12 months, then deleted |
| Identity documents | A secure store outside the website | Our staff with limited and logged access | Deleted once no longer needed |
| Card details | Not held by us | Handled by our payment provider | Not stored by us |
How long do you keep my scans and ID documents?
Scans stay in your online mailbox for 12 months and are then deleted. Identity documents are deleted once we no longer need them. Paper originals of legal and official post are never shredded without your instruction. If you want a paper original, ask and we post it to you at the cost of postage with no handling fee. See mail handling for how post is handled from the day it arrives.
Do you store my card details?
No. Payments are handled by our payment provider, so we never store your card details. Please never send card details by email or through our contact form.
Is the website encrypted?
Yes. Every page is served over HTTPS, so what you type into our forms and your account is encrypted on its way between your browser and us. Please do not send identity documents through our contact form. We tell you how to provide them as part of your identity check.
How do I raise a concern about my data?
Use our contact form and choose Data protection request, or read complaints and data protection requests for how we handle them. Our privacy notice explains what personal data we hold and why.