Nature of work - Central Government
Description of processing
The following is a broad description of the way this organisation/data controller processes personal information. To understand how your own personal information is processed you may need to refer to any personal communications you have received, check any privacy notices the organisation has provided or contact the organisation to ask about your personal circumstances.

 
Reasons/purposes for processing information
The Home Office leads on immigration and passports, drugs policy, crime policy and counter-terrorism and works to ensure visible,responsive and accountable policing in the U.K. The Home Office priorities are to:empower the public to hold the police to account for their role in cutting crime;free up the police to fight crime more effectively and efficiently;create a more integrated criminal justice system; secure our borders and reduce immigration;protect people's freedoms and civil liberties;and protect our citizens from terrorism.

The Home Office processes personal information to provide for the administration and effective handling of the actions required to work on the functions we lead on. This includes,but is not limited to, immigration including visa applications,nationality including citizenship applications and border functions (both in to and out of the UK) the administration of passports and civil registration actions;the assessment and collection of taxes, levies and other revenue which includes Value Added Tax, Customs Duties,Alcoholic Liquor duties, Hydrocarbon Oil Duties and Tobacco products duty; maintenance and development of DNA and other policing databases to assist in the detection,investigation and prevention of crime;data that is held and processed for policing and judicial purposes-in order to provide investigative policing which includes detection of crime,apprehension and prosecution of offenders and the maintenance of law and order;the protection of the UK and UK citizens from terrorism;personal information that is held and processed in order to support criminal and coronial proceedings relating to major historic enquiries;and personal information that is processed with regard to the prevention and detection of fraud.
We also process personal information to maintain our accounts and records including running our press office and to support, manage and train our staff. Personal information is also processed in order to undertake research, including social and ethnographic research, the commission of customer satisfaction and market research surveys into experiences of attitudinal and behavioural responses to crime and counter crime activities, immigration, passports and other areas. This information is about survey respondents and research participants. Where necessary or required this information may be shared with customers and clients, agents, service providers, survey and research organisations.
CCTV is used for maintaining the security of property and premises and for preventing and investigating crime. It may also be used to monitor staff when carrying out work duties. It includes office records of any person or company where criminal proceedings in relation to a customs offence are being contemplated, in progress or completed. For these reasons the information processed may include visual images, personal appearance and behaviours. This information  may be about staff, customers and clients, offenders and suspected offenders, members of the public and those inside, entering or in the immediate vicinity of the area under surveillance. Where necessary or required this information is shared with the data subjects themselves, employees and agents, service providers, law enforcement agencies, security organisations  and persons making an enquiry.

Type/classes of information processed
We process information relevant to the above reasons/purposes. This may include:
• personal details
• family, lifestyle and social circumstances
• financial details
• employment,education and training details
• goods or services provided
• market research opinions and comments
• visual images
• personal appearance and behaviour
• biometric information including images and fingerprints

We also process sensitive classes of information that may include:
• physical or mental health details
• racial or ethnic origin
• religious or other beliefs of a similar nature
• trade union membership
• political opinions
• sexual life
• offences (including alleged offences)
• criminal proceedings, outcomes and sentences
• legal proceedings, outcomes and sentences
• coronial proceedings, outcomes and sentences
• civil proceedings
• risk assessments, including possible future offences and behaviour
• immigration, nationality and travel histories
• criminal intelligence
• DNA samples and DNA profiles
• police investigation and case details

Who the information is processed about
We process personal information about our:
• our staff including volunteers,agents, temporary and casual workers
• customers, applicants and clients
• suppliers and services providers
• advisers, consultants and other professional experts
• complainants, correspondents and enquirers
• survey respondents and research participants
• relatives, guardians and associates of the data subject
• students and pupils
• offenders and suspected offenders
• victims
• witnesses
• organisations/agencies
• employers and sponsors
• members or supporters
• authors, editors, publishers and other creators
• members of the public
• those inside, entering or in the vicinity of areas under surveillance by CCTV
• individuals subject to terrorism prevention and investigation measures (TPIM) under the TPIM Act 2011
• governing bodies, regulators and accreditors
• DNA donors
Who the information may be shared with
We sometimes need to share the personal information we process with the individual themself and also with other organisations. Where this is necessary we are required to comply with all aspects of the Data Protection Act (DPA). What follows is a description of the types of organisations we may need to share some of the personal information we process with for one or more reasons.
Where necessary or required we share information with:
• family, associates and representatives of the person whose personal data we are processing
• employment and recruitment agencies
• current, past and prospective employers
• education, training establishments and examining bodies
• central government
• credit reference agencies
• suppliers and service providers
• debt collection and tracing agencies
• financial organisations and advisers
• healthcare, social and welfare advisers or practitioners
• employees and agents of the data controller
• business associates and other professional advisers
• local government
• UK police forces
• transport carriers
• persons making an enquiry or complaint
• fraud prevention agencies
• courts, tribunals and parties to legal proceedings
• survey and research organisations
• traders in personal data
• trade, employer associations and professional bodies
• security organisations
• voluntary charitable and not for profit organisations
• political & religious organisations
• ombudsman and regulatory authorities
• the media
• data processors
• private investigators
• foreign governments, police, law enforcement and immigration authorities
• foreign prosecuting authorities, ombudsmen and regulatory organisations
• foreign forensic service providers
• international bodies and organisations
• security services
Operation Resolve will appropriately share personal information in order to support ongoing judicial processes relating to the Hillsborough disaster.

Transfers
It may sometimes be necessary to transfer personal information overseas. When this is needed information may be transferred to countries or territories around the world. Any transfers made will be in full compliance with all aspects of the data protection act.