We will only process personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so.
The basis for processing your personal data will vary depending on the activity we collected it for. In some occurrences, we may have more than one lawful basis for processing.
The information below summarises the basis on which we process personal information.
A summary of the legal basis used by ACCA are:
- Public interest: ACCA as a regulatory body processes personal data to protect members of the public and in the public interest. This includes, but not limited to, the maintenance of the Members Directory, Regulatory Activities, and Member Investigations and Disciplinary Actions.
- Contract: ACCA processes personal data which is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you may be a party to, or may want to enter. This includes, but not limited to, ACCA membership, examinations, career services and subscriptions.
- Legal obligation: ACCA processes personal data which is necessary to comply with its legal obligations. This includes, but not limited to, providing personal information to regulators, law enforcement agencies and statutory bodies.
- Legitimate interest: ACCA processes personal data in order to meet its legitimate interests as a professional association and regulator of Chartered Accountants. This includes, but is not limited to responding to general enquiries, supporting our students, members and partners, and improving our services relating to their Continued Professional Development, training and employment.
- Vital Interest: Where ACCA has a reasonable belief that an individual is at immediate risk of harm or threat to life, it may share your personal details with the emergency authority services. This legal basis will only be used in emergency medical situations.
- Consent: ACCA processes personal data where you have provided your consent to do so. ACCA only uses your express consent in certain circumstances (such as marketing communications). You may freely withdraw your consent for these purposes at any time with no impact to our service to you.
Administration of studentship and membership records
We will collect and hold personal data relating to members, affiliates and registered students in order to administer membership or studentship with ACCA and comply with our regulatory obligations. We will use this information to provide and manage your access to our student, affiliate, and member portals (myACCA).
In certain cases, it is also voluntary for members, affiliates and registered students to provide us with details of ethnic origin, in order for us to review equality or opportunity of treatment.
Training and examinations
We will use your information to administer courses and exams and to monitor the pass rates and performance of learning providers, as well as ACCA students. We may use sensitive information to determine your eligibility for special accommodations in order to provide you with assistance as part of the examinations and to comply with various equality and disability legislations. Please note that some examinations may be taken electronically and therefore may require the collection of additional information for the purpose of electronic processing.
ACCA works with third-party service providers to deliver online exam delivery solutions which feature remote invigilation whilst ensuring the security and integrity of our exams. As part of this exam delivery method, the capture of audio, video and biometric information may be necessary to allow third-party service providers to administer the exams, verify student identity, and remote invigilators to monitor students during the exam session.
This information will be used solely for the purpose of exam delivery and any subsequent ACCA disciplinary processes relevant to the exam. More details with regards to the data captured during exams featuring remote invigilation will be presented to students in the supporting pre-exam documentation.
Practice tests
ACCA self-study students and students studying with our Approved Learning Partners (ALPs) and tutors can undertake practice test papers, using our online resources. Practice test results will be retained by our service provider. These practice test results can be accessed by students, and our ALPs and tutors in order to assist their studies. We may use information from these practice test results to identify areas of improvement within our syllabus and exams. Practice exam results will not be shared with any other third parties.
ACCA Exchange
This is a service offered to employers and learning providers. It enables them to upload details of the ACCA students, affiliates and members whom they employ and/or are training and monitor examination status exam results, PER and CPD. ACCA requires such employers and learning providers to obtain your consent before including your details on this service.
ACCA Learning Community
We will use your personal data to validate your registration to ACCA’s learning community services.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and other courses
ACCA offers CPD training courses and other training events, online or offline, for both members and non-members and we will need your information, in order to administer such courses. We will use your information to establish and validate your work experience as part of your progression to membership.
ACCA Connect
We will use your information to respond to enquiries and assist you with your request. Your communications with ACCA, including online, by email, text message (SMS), via ACCA's customer contact centre (or otherwise) may be recorded and retained for training and record-keeping purposes. Records may be used to monitor the quality of the assistance given and to verify the matters discussed.
If you post or interact with us via social media, we may use your information, in order to contact you in relation to the query, we will not use this for the purpose of further marketing or communications, unless you give us your consent to do so. We may share information with our suppliers in order to assist you.
Communications (including marketing)
We use your information for marketing purposes and to send you relevant communications about our qualifications, our products and services and any other relevant events. We may use your contact details to send you registration or information packs, learning support and recruitment materials, surveys, questionnaires, invitations regarding ACCA-based consultations, details of ACCA courses and events or to notify you of any updates and changes to ACCA's products and services.
You will have the right to withdraw your consent for these at all times, and we will make this process as easy as possible.
We also use your information for custom audience social media campaigns, such as information about student exam dates, member subscription deadlines and other key events. This allows us to present you with the most relevant information to yourself across all our channels.
ACCA uses email management tools to manage our email communications and newsletters. We gather statistics around email opening and clicks using industry standard technologies including clear gifs to help us monitor and improve our e-newsletter and campaigns to ensure they remain relevant to you.
ACCA may also carry out mailings on behalf of third parties (without disclosing your details to such third parties), subject to obtaining your consent. Consent may be requested on your ACCA registration form or separately by ACCA. Please let us know if you do not wish to receive (or wish to change the way in which you receive) any of the above materials (see How do I get a copy of my data or update my preferences? below).
We will not pass your information on to other marketing providers and we will not sell your information to any third party.
Publications
We will use your information in order to manage subscriptions to ACCA's publications, including Accounting & Business, Accounting Link, Finance Matters, Student Accountant, and Teach Accounting magazines. Please contact ACCA if you wish to change the format in which you receive such publications, e.g. electronically or in hard copy (see How do I get a copy of my data or update my preferences? below).
We may also use information, which you explicitly provide to us when participating in ACCA campaign programmes, within internal and external publications to promote ACCA in the public and for advertisement purposes. We will always inform you when participating in public campaigns and will seek your explicit agreement prior to using your information. Examples of these are ambassador and leadership campaign programmes or interviews undertaken during public events.
Professional conduct
We will use your information for the purpose of enquiries, investigations and complaints relating to members, affiliates and registered students (or prospective and former students) and may disclose your personal data to third parties in order to investigate complaints and disciplinary matters. Please be aware that disciplinary hearings and outcomes may be made public.
Anti-Money Laundering and Sanction Checks
Where necessary we will use your information for the purpose of performing Anti-Money Laundering and Sanction checks on nationals of sanctioned countries (where applicable)This is required to satisfy the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 UK, and we may disclose limited personal data to a third party for the purpose of performing these checks on ACCA's behalf.
Regulation of firms
We will use personal information of nominated individual representatives of firms and other organisations as part of our regulatory activities, including monitoring purposes.
Partner relationship management
We will use personal information of nominated individual representatives of firms and other organisations as part of our partner relationship management activities, including accreditation and approved employers and learning partner’s applications.
Benevolent Fund
Certain additional information may be collected from members and dependants, who are beneficiaries of the ACCA Benevolent Fund. More information on use and disclosure of your data will be provided to you if you apply for the Fund.
Simpson Scholarship Fund
Certain additional information may be collected from existing students, who are applying to the Simpson Scholarship Fund. When you apply we will use this information to assess your eligibility for assistance with exam and student subscription fees. More information on use and disclosure of your data will be provided to you if you apply for the scholarship Fund.