Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Consumer Publications Uganda Limited respects the privacy of all voters, nominees, partners, visitors, and users of the Business Excellence Awards Online Survey Portal.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, protect, and disclose personal information when you access or use the Portal at https://vote.businessexcellenceawards.co.ug/.

The Portal is used to support voter registration, nominee browsing, online voting, survey participation, verification of voter accounts, and administration of the Business Excellence Awards.

By using this Portal, registering for an account, submitting information, or casting a vote, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

2. Who We Are

The Business Excellence Awards Online Survey Portal is owned and managed by Consumer Publications Uganda Limited, the organiser of the Business Excellence Awards. Consumer Publications Uganda Limited is responsible for conducting online voting, public surveys, nominee visibility, award-related engagement, and administration of the Business Excellence Awards.

For purposes of this Policy, “we”, “our”, or “us” refers to Consumer Publications Uganda Limited and the Business Excellence Awards Secretariat.

3. Information We Collect

a) Voter Account Information

When you register or use the Portal, we may collect:

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number, where applicable
• Password, stored in encrypted form
• Voter account status
• Email verification or OTP verification status
• Date and time of registration

b) Voting Information

When you vote, we may collect:

• Category voted in
• Nominee selected
• Time and date of voting
• Vote confirmation status
• Account or session details used to validate the vote

This information is collected to support vote integrity and prevent duplicate, fraudulent, or unauthorised voting.

c) Technical Information

When you use the Portal, we may automatically collect:

• IP address
• Browser type
• Device type
• Operating system
• Login activity
• Pages visited
• Date and time of access
• Cookies or similar tracking information

This helps us improve security, detect misuse, monitor performance, and improve user experience.

d) Nominee Information

For nominees, we may collect and display:

• Company or brand name
• Category of nomination
• Logo or brand image
• Company profile or tagline
• Public-facing business information
• Voting performance information for internal award administration

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information collected for the following purposes:

• To create and manage voter accounts
• To verify voter identity through email or OTP verification
• To allow users to browse nominees and cast votes
• To prevent duplicate voting, automated voting, fraud, or abuse
• To manage award categories and nominees
• To generate voting reports and administrative summaries
• To communicate important updates about the awards process
• To improve the Portal’s functionality, security, and user experience
• To comply with applicable legal, regulatory, and data protection obligations

5. Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data

We process personal data on the basis of your consent when you register, submit information, or vote; the need to provide the online voting and survey service; our legitimate interest in maintaining a secure, fair, and credible voting platform; and compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

The Portal may use cookies and similar technologies to keep users logged in securely, improve site performance, remember user preferences, monitor traffic and usage patterns, and protect the Portal from spam, abuse, and unauthorised access.

You may disable cookies in your browser settings, but some parts of the Portal may not function properly.

7. How We Share Information

We do not sell personal data. We may share limited information only where necessary with authorised Portal administrators, technical service providers supporting hosting, security, email delivery or system maintenance, award verification or audit teams where applicable, regulators or public authorities where required by law, and professional advisers where necessary for legal, audit, or compliance purposes.

All authorised parties are expected to handle data responsibly and confidentially.

8. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, disclosure, and destruction.

These measures may include password encryption, access controls, secure hosting, administrator restrictions, system monitoring, and regular review of Portal activity.

However, no internet-based system is completely risk-free. Users are encouraged to protect their login credentials and avoid sharing passwords or OTP codes with anyone.

9. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including voter account management, award verification, vote auditing, dispute resolution, reporting, and legal or regulatory compliance.

After the relevant retention period, data may be securely deleted, anonymised, or archived in line with applicable requirements.

10. Your Rights

Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to request access to your personal data, request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data, request deletion of your personal data where legally permissible, object to certain forms of processing, withdraw consent where processing is based on consent, and raise a complaint about how your data is handled.

To exercise these rights, contact Consumer Publications Uganda Limited / Business Excellence Awards Secretariat using the contact details provided below.

11. Children’s Privacy

This Portal is intended for use by persons who are eligible to participate in the Business Excellence Awards voting or survey process. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If such data is discovered, appropriate steps will be taken to delete it.

12. External Links

The Portal may contain links to third-party websites or platforms. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or security of external websites. Users are encouraged to review the privacy policies of any third-party platforms they visit.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the Portal, legal requirements, or operational practices. Any updates will be posted on this page with a revised effective date.

14. Contact Us