TechGirl - Privacy Notice 

HotTopics values your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. Our Privacy Notice outlines the measures we take to safeguard your data and how we use it. 

Company information:

Hot Topics Ltd, registered in England and Wales under registration number 08943709. Registered office address is First Floor, National House, 60-66 Wardour Street, London, England, W1F 0TA, United Kingdom.  We are registered as a data controller with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office. Our Data Protection Registration Number is ZA390305.

How we use your information:

Effective date of this Privacy Notice: October 10, 2026

This notice is for you if you’re applying to or taking part in TechGirl, Hot Topics’ mentorship programme for young women starting out in their careers — aimed at ages 18 to 20. It explains what information we collect, what we do with it, and the choices you have. It supplements our main Privacy Policy — and where this notice gives you more protection, this notice is what applies to you.

If anything is unclear, just ask: dpo@hottopics.ht

Who we are. TechGirl is run by Hot Topics Limited, a UK company. Full company details are in our main Privacy Policy; the person responsible for your information is our Data Protection Officer, at dpo@hottopics.ht.

Who can take part. TechGirl is designed for young women aged 18 to 20, and you must be at least 18 to join — we confirm your age before you’re invited to take part. If you’re a little older and the programme is right for you, you’re welcome to apply.

What we collect. What you give us on our forms — your name, date of birth, contact details, education or work situation, and your interests — plus anything you tell us about dietary or accessibility needs for an event, and photos or videos from events, only where you’ve agreed to that.

What we use it for. Running the programme (matching you with a mentor, organising sessions and events, programme communications), and looking after you at events (dietary and accessibility arrangements, deleted within 7 days after each event).

Sponsors, enrichment and your choices. Hot Topics is a sponsor-supported organisation, and sponsors help fund TechGirl. Your information is held separately from the main Hot Topics community, and we never sell it. Two things you should know and choose about:

Keeping your record accurate. We may keep the information on your record accurate and up to date using the data-enrichment service described in our main Privacy Policy (Section 10), which can add or update details such as your education or professional information. You can ask us to stop enriching your record at any time — just email dpo@hottopics.ht — and that doesn’t affect your place in the programme.

Sponsor opportunities. By applying you accept that TechGirl’s sponsors may receive your details (your name, contact details, education or work situation, and interests) so they can contact you about early-career opportunities, such as internships, roles, mentoring or events. We’ll tell you which sponsors are involved before your information is shared with them for the first time, and you can opt out at any point by emailing dpo@hottopics.ht. We don’t share your individual programme activity or anything you’ve told us in confidence, and sponsors must handle your information in line with data protection law.

We don’t profile you or score you, and apart from any sponsor contact you’ve opted into, you’ll only hear from us about the programme.

Your mentor. If you’re matched with a mentor, we share your name and contact details with them — with your consent — so the mentorship can happen, and you stay in touch directly. Every mentor is vetted by us and signs our code of conduct, which sets the standards for how they work with you, and we’ll check in with you from time to time. If anything about your mentorship ever feels wrong or uncomfortable, tell us — dpo@hottopics.ht or anyone on the TechGirl team. We can pause or end a match at any time.

Photos and videos. Only with your agreement, which covers using the images to document and promote TechGirl — on our website and social channels, including after you’ve finished the programme. You can withdraw at any time, now or years from now, and we’ll stop using your images.

How long we keep your information. While you’re part of TechGirl, and we delete it within 6 months of your participation ending — or sooner if you ask, though deleting everything means leaving the programme. If you apply but don’t take part, we delete your information within 6 months. Dietary and accessibility details go within 7 days of each event. Photos you’ve consented to are kept until you withdraw, and we keep anything the law requires us to keep.

Your rights. You can ask what we hold about you, have anything wrong corrected, withdraw any consent (photos, the mentor match, sponsor opportunities), object to enrichment, and ask us to delete your information — just email dpo@hottopics.ht. Our main Privacy Policy, Section 14, explains all your rights in full. If you’re unhappy with how we’ve handled anything, tell us — and you can complain to the ICO at ico.org.uk at any time.