1. Who we are
No Black Boxes is an educational organisation operating under Voight-Kampff Limited, a company registered in England and Wales. We run technology education courses and sell the NB3 Kit, a hardware and curriculum package for learning how modern technology works from first principles.
Our registered address is:
No Black Boxes / Voight-Kampff Limited
31 Oval Road, Second Floor North End Office
London, NW1 7EA
United Kingdom
For all data protection enquiries, contact us at: info@noblackboxes.org
2. What personal data we collect
We collect personal data in the following contexts:
Kit purchases (via Stripe)
- Name and billing address
- Shipping address
- Email address
- Payment information (processed and stored securely by Stripe, we do not store card details)
- Phone number (necessary for delivery)
Course applications and sign-ups (via Jotform)
- Name, age, and contact details
- Institutional affiliation or school
- Motivation statement and background information
- For under-18 participants: parent or guardian name and contact details
Newsletter sign-ups (via Jotform)
- First name and email address
Contact forms and direct emails
- Name, email address, and any information you choose to include in your message
Website usage (via Google Analytics)
- Pages visited, time on site, device and browser type
- Approximate location (country/city level)
- Referring website
- This data is anonymised and aggregated, we cannot identify you personally from it
3. How we use your data
We use the data we collect to:
- Process and fulfil kit orders, including shipping and customer support
- Manage course applications, selections, and communications
- Send newsletters and course updates to subscribers (you can unsubscribe at any time)
- Respond to enquiries and support requests
- Improve our website and understand how people use it
- Comply with our legal obligations
We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes.
4. Legal basis for processing
Under UK GDPR, we rely on the following legal bases:
- Contract, processing your order or course application requires us to handle your personal data
- Legitimate interests, running our website, responding to enquiries, and improving our services
- Consent, for newsletter subscriptions and for processing data relating to under-18 participants (parental/guardian consent is required)
- Legal obligation, where we are required to retain records for tax or regulatory purposes
5. Children and minors (under 18)
Our Build a Brain course is open to students aged 15–18. For participants under 18, we require explicit consent from a parent or guardian before processing the young person's personal data. We ask for this consent as part of the course registration process.
We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child under 13 without appropriate consent, please contact us immediately at info@noblackboxes.org and we will delete it promptly.
6. Third-party services
We use the following third-party services which may process personal data on our behalf:
Stripe
Payment processing for kit orders. Stripe is PCI-DSS compliant. Your payment card details are handled entirely by Stripe and never stored by us. See Stripe's Privacy Policy.
Jotform
Used for course applications and newsletter sign-ups. Data is stored on Jotform's servers in the EU. See Jotform's Privacy Policy.
Google Analytics
Used to understand website traffic and usage. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect anonymised data. You can opt out using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. See Google's Privacy Policy.
Vimeo and YouTube
We embed course-related videos hosted on Vimeo and YouTube. When you view an embedded video, these platforms may set cookies and collect data about your interaction. See Vimeo's Privacy Policy and Google/YouTube's Privacy Policy.
Discord
We use Discord for course community support. Joining our Discord server is subject to Discord's own terms and privacy policy. See Discord's Privacy Policy.
Proton Mail
We use Proton Mail for email communications. Proton Mail is end-to-end encrypted. See Proton's Privacy Policy.
7. How long we keep your data
- Order records, retained for 7 years to comply with HMRC requirements
- Course application data, retained for 2 years after the relevant course date
- Newsletter subscriptions, retained until you unsubscribe
- Contact enquiries, retained for 12 months after the enquiry is resolved
- Website analytics, aggregated and anonymised; no personal data is retained
When data is no longer needed, we delete it securely.
8. Your rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights:
- Right of access, you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- Right to rectification, you can ask us to correct inaccurate data
- Right to erasure, you can ask us to delete your data (subject to legal retention obligations)
- Right to restriction, you can ask us to limit how we use your data
- Right to data portability, you can request your data in a portable format
- Right to object, you can object to processing based on legitimate interests
- Right to withdraw consent, where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@noblackboxes.org. We will respond within 30 days.
9. How to make a complaint
If you have a concern about how we handle your personal data, please contact us first at info@noblackboxes.org and we will do our best to resolve it.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):
- Website: ico.org.uk
- Phone: 0303 123 1113
- Post: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Note on the Data Use and Access Act: The UK's Data Use and Access Act introduces updated requirements for handling data complaints, including clearer timelines and transparency obligations. We are committed to complying with these requirements as they come into force and will update this policy accordingly.
10. Contact us
For any questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal data:
- Email: info@noblackboxes.org
- Post: No Black Boxes, 31 Oval Road, Second Floor North End Office, London, NW1 7EA, United Kingdom
This policy was last updated in May 2026. We may update it from time to time, any significant changes will be communicated by email to course participants and newsletter subscribers.