Privacy Policy
This policy explains what personal data GradTraders may process, why it is used, the lawful bases relied on, who may receive it, how long it is kept, and the choices and rights available to visitors.
1. Who This Policy Applies To
This Privacy Policy applies to GradTraders, the website gradtraders.com, its country-specific international gateway pages, forms, consent controls, emails sent by GradTraders and other website features that link to or rely on this policy.
For the purposes of UK data protection law, GradTraders acts as the controller where it decides why and how personal data is processed in connection with the website. Third-party providers may act as processors, independent controllers or joint controllers for their own services depending on the activity involved.
2. Information GradTraders May Process
The information processed depends on how a visitor uses the site. Simply reading public content generally involves less information than submitting a form, subscribing to updates, activating embedded media or following a commercial partner link.
Information You Provide
Name, email address, message content, subscription preferences and any other information you choose to provide when contacting GradTraders or requesting updates.
Technical & Security Data
IP address, browser and device information, operating system, request logs, approximate location derived from technical data, consent status and information used to maintain site security and performance.
Usage & Analytics Data
Page views, sessions, referral source, browser and device information, approximate geography, interactions and other analytics events where the relevant analytics consent has been given.
Preference Data
Website preferences such as a visitor’s selected language on a GradTraders international gateway and choices recorded through the site’s consent controls.
Commercial Referral Data
Referral or conversion information that may be associated with a commercial or affiliate link, offer or partner relationship where such reporting is provided to GradTraders.
Correspondence & Records
Emails, contact-form messages, consent records, unsubscribe requests and records reasonably required to manage enquiries, disputes, compliance and business administration.
3. Where Information Comes From
- Directly from you when you submit a form, send an email, subscribe to updates or otherwise contact GradTraders.
- From your browser or device when the site receives technical request information or stores permitted preferences and consent choices.
- From analytics and embedded-service providers where those services are activated and the relevant consent or other lawful basis applies.
- From commercial partners where referral, conversion or commission reporting is made available in connection with a disclosed partner relationship.
4. Why Information Is Used & Lawful Bases
UK data protection law requires a lawful basis for processing personal data. The basis can differ depending on the activity. GradTraders uses the following framework.
| Activity | Why the data is used | Typical lawful basis |
|---|---|---|
| Website operation, security and troubleshooting | Deliver pages, maintain availability, prevent misuse, investigate faults and protect the site. | Legitimate interests in operating and securing GradTraders; legal obligation where applicable. |
| Contact forms and enquiries | Receive, route and respond to messages and keep an appropriate record of correspondence. | Legitimate interests in responding to enquiries; steps at your request before entering a contract where applicable. |
| Newsletters, offers and requested updates | Send communications a visitor has asked to receive and manage subscription preferences. | Consent where required. Minimal suppression records may be kept under legitimate interests to respect an unsubscribe request. |
| Analytics | Understand audience, traffic, content performance and website usability. | Consent where non-essential analytics technologies are used. |
| Functional preferences | Remember choices such as a selected language on an international gateway and operate requested site features. | Legitimate interests in providing requested functionality; device-storage consent is used where applicable law requires it. |
| Embedded YouTube content | Display video or Shorts content when a visitor chooses to activate it. | Consent where required for non-essential third-party technologies. |
| Affiliate and commercial attribution | Attribute referrals, administer disclosed commercial relationships and reconcile commissions or partner reporting. | Legitimate interests in operating disclosed commercial relationships; consent where non-essential tracking or storage requires it. |
| Compliance, disputes and legal claims | Meet legal duties, maintain evidence, establish or defend claims and respond to lawful requests. | Legal obligation and/or legitimate interests, depending on the circumstances. |
5. Cookies, Local Storage & Consent Choices
GradTraders uses cookies and similar technologies, including browser storage, for website functionality, consent management, analytics, embedded content and preferences. A functional example is storing a visitor’s selected language on an international gateway.
Consent Management
GradTraders uses Complianz to manage cookie and consent choices. Non-essential categories are controlled through the site’s consent interface where consent is required.
Cookie Inventory
The dedicated Cookie Policy contains the current public inventory of detected services, purposes and storage items, including Google Analytics, YouTube and GradTraders functional gateway preferences.
6. Analytics & Embedded Media
Google Analytics
GradTraders uses Google Analytics to understand website usage and performance where the relevant analytics consent has been given. Analytics information can include session statistics, approximate geography, browser and device information and online identifiers used by the service.
YouTube
GradTraders embeds YouTube videos and Shorts. Activating embedded YouTube content can allow Google/YouTube to process information under their own privacy terms. GradTraders uses its consent-management setup to control non-essential embedded technologies where required.
7. Commercial Relationships, Affiliate Links & External Websites
GradTraders publishes independent editorial research alongside disclosed commercial relationships. Some links, offer buttons, QR codes or promotional routes may be affiliate or partner links. GradTraders may receive a commission or other commercial benefit if a visitor later signs up, purchases or uses a product or service through an eligible tracked route.
A third-party website is responsible for its own collection and use of personal data once a visitor leaves GradTraders or activates that provider’s service. Visitors should read the provider’s own privacy information before supplying personal information.
8. Who Personal Data May Be Shared With
Personal data is shared only where reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, where a visitor has chosen to use a relevant service, or where disclosure is required or permitted by law.
- Hosting, infrastructure, security and technical service providers that help operate and protect gradtraders.com.
- Analytics providers, including Google Analytics where the relevant consent has been given.
- Embedded-media providers, including YouTube/Google when embedded media is activated.
- Consent and cookie-management services used to record choices and maintain the site’s cookie inventory.
- Email and communications providers where needed to deliver requested messages or respond to enquiries.
- Commercial or affiliate partners where a visitor follows a tracked route or where referral/conversion reporting is necessary to administer a disclosed partnership.
- Professional advisers, insurers, regulators, courts, law-enforcement bodies or public authorities where disclosure is reasonably necessary or legally required.
GradTraders does not treat ordinary publication of an article, review or international gateway as permission to disclose a visitor’s contact details to a broker, prop firm or other commercial partner.
9. International Processing & Transfers
GradTraders is read internationally and uses service providers that can operate, store information or provide support from more than one country. As a result, personal data may sometimes be processed outside the United Kingdom.
Where UK data protection law requires safeguards for a restricted international transfer, GradTraders expects the relevant transfer mechanism to be used as applicable, such as a UK adequacy regulation, approved contractual safeguards or another lawful transfer mechanism. Visitors can contact GradTraders for further information about safeguards relevant to a particular processing activity.
10. How Long Information Is Kept
GradTraders does not keep personal data for longer than reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, security and dispute-resolution requirements. Where a fixed period is not appropriate, the criteria below are used.
| Record type | Retention approach |
|---|---|
| Contact enquiries and correspondence | Kept for as long as needed to answer the enquiry and maintain a reasonable business or compliance record. |
| Marketing subscriptions | Kept while the subscription remains active. A minimal suppression record may be retained after unsubscribe so the request can be respected. |
| Consent records and preferences | Kept for as long as reasonably necessary to operate the preference, evidence consent choices or meet compliance requirements. |
| Analytics information | Retained according to the site’s analytics configuration, consent status and the provider’s applicable retention controls. |
| Technical and security logs | Kept only for the period reasonably necessary for security, troubleshooting, abuse prevention and service operation. |
| Commercial, referral or commission records | Kept for the period reasonably required for attribution, reconciliation, accounting, tax, audit and legal-claim purposes. |
11. Data Security
GradTraders takes reasonable technical and organisational measures intended to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure. These measures can include access controls, website-security tooling, hosting protections, software updates, backups and minimisation of the information collected.
No internet transmission, website or electronic-storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Visitors should use appropriate care when deciding what information to send online.
12. Your Data Protection Rights
Depending on where you live and the law that applies, you may have rights in relation to personal data processed by GradTraders. Under UK data protection law these can include the following.
Access
Ask whether GradTraders processes your personal data and request a copy where the right applies.
Correction
Ask for inaccurate personal data to be corrected or incomplete information to be completed.
Erasure
Ask for personal data to be deleted in circumstances where the right to erasure applies.
Restriction
Ask GradTraders to restrict processing in circumstances provided by applicable law.
Portability
Request certain personal data in a portable format where the legal conditions for portability are met.
Withdraw Consent
Withdraw consent at any time where consent is the basis for processing, without affecting earlier lawful processing.
GradTraders may need to verify identity before acting on a rights request and may refuse or limit a request where applicable law permits or requires this. To exercise a right, email contact@gradtraders.com.
13. Automated Decisions & Profiling
GradTraders itself does not use personal data collected through the website to make solely automated decisions that produce legal effects or similarly significant effects for visitors.
Third-party advertising, analytics or embedded-media providers may use automated systems for their own purposes under their own privacy terms. Their processing is not a GradTraders eligibility, credit, trading or investment decision.
14. Providing Personal Data
Visitors are generally not under a statutory or contractual obligation to provide personal data merely to read public GradTraders content. If you choose to contact GradTraders, subscribe to communications or use a particular interactive feature, some information may be necessary to provide the service you requested.
15. Complaints & Supervisory Authorities
GradTraders would normally like the opportunity to address a privacy concern directly first. You can contact contact@gradtraders.com.
If UK data protection law applies, you also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Information about complaints and data-protection rights is available at ico.org.uk.
Visitors in other jurisdictions may also have the right to complain to the data-protection or privacy authority responsible for their location.
Contact GradTraders About Privacy
For a privacy question, rights request, consent query or concern about how information is handled, contact GradTraders using the options below.
16. Changes To This Policy
GradTraders may update this Privacy Policy when its website, services, providers, consent setup, legal obligations or data-processing activities change.
Material changes will be reflected by updating the date at the top of this page. Where a change requires a new consent or another specific notice, GradTraders will use an appropriate mechanism for that purpose.