Data Protection legislation provides a framework for all organisations processing personal data (data about living, identifiable individuals) to manage personal data securely and responsibly.

We process personal data about our visitors, customers and supporters and work to ensure that your data is managed according to these standards. This page gives further information on how your data is managed and how you can send an enquiry or make a complaint to us about how we look after your data.

How we manage your data

Information about how we manage your data can be found in our Privacy Policy. This sets out:

  • Who we are (our legal entities: IWM and the wholly owned IWM Trading Company Ltd)
  • What personal data we collect and how we collect it
  • How we use your personal data
  • How your data is stored and how long it is kept
  • Who you can contact (this information is also on this page below)

Who to contact if you have an enquiry about how your data is managed

Under data protection legislation you have several rights, including the right of access to your information, and in certain circumstances the rights of erasure, rectification, restriction of processing and the right to object to processing. 

You can contact us about these rights by:

  • Emailing our Information Governance Team at [email protected]
  • Contacting us via the Contact Us form and selecting ‘Data Protection and Freedom of Information Requests’.
  • Writing to the Data Protection Officer at: Imperial War Museums, Lambeth Road, London SE1 6HZ 

We may need proof of identify to process your request. This is to protect your privacy and ensure we are dealing with the right person. It also helps us if you can provide information about how you have been in contact with IWM, for example if you have been a visitor, bought a ticket or item in our shops or been sent marketing information. This helps us identify your data and process your request. 

Complaints

Making a complaint

If you have a complaint about how your data has been handled, you can contact us at [email protected] or via the Contact Us form. You can also contact us by post.

Please give as much detail as you can about your complaint. For example:

  • What happened and who you were in contact with
  • Details of any previous correspondence with us about the issue (so we can refer back to what happened)

It helps us if you make your complaint as soon as possible – ideally within three months (90 calendar days). If you wait longer, your complaint may be more difficult to investigate or may not be investigated at all. 

How we manage complaints

  • We will acknowledge your complaint as soon as we can (and always within 10 days)
  • We aim to answer your complaint within 30 calendar days wherever possible.  More complex complaints may take longer to resolve. In these cases we will keep you updated with progress and timelines 
  • We may contact you to ask for more information about what happened, especially in the case of complex complaints
  • When we respond we will provide a clear explanation of the outcome of the investigation 

If you are unhappy with the outcome, you can take the issue up with the Information Commissioner. Information on how to make a complaint can be found on the Information Commissioner's Office page.