Privacy Policy

Last updated: 22 February 2026

About this policy

  • We are Goo Ventures (sole trader), operating HowToBecomeAModel.co.uk
  • We collect your data solely to provide the email distribution service
  • We never sell your data to third parties
  • Your portfolio is sent to agencies as part of the service you paid for — this is the core purpose
  • You can request deletion of your data at any time by emailing privacy@howtobecomeamodel.co.uk
  • We use analytics cookies only with your consent (managed via our cookie banner)

1. Who We Are

Goo Ventures is a sole trader business operating HowToBecomeAModel.co.uk. Our business address is listed in the Contact Us section below.

As the data controller, we are responsible for your personal data. To contact us, see the Contact Us section at the end of this policy.

ICO Registration Number: [ICO Registration Number — to be added before launch]

2. What Data We Collect

We collect data in six categories:

Account data

First name, last name, email address, phone number.

Profile data

Date of birth, height, weight, bust/chest/waist/hips measurements, shoe size, dress size, hair colour, eye colour, gender, pronouns.

Special category data

Ethnic background — this is optional and requires your consent before we collect it. You may leave this field blank. If provided, it is used solely to include in your portfolio PDF sent to agencies. You may withdraw this consent at any time by emailing privacy@howtobecomeamodel.co.uk.

Portfolio data

Photos (up to 10) and CV/résumé file uploaded by you.

Payment data

We store only the Stripe payment intent ID. Stripe handles and stores your card details directly — we never see them.

Technical data

IP address, browser and device type — collected by analytics tools only if you give your consent via the cookie banner.

3. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your data under the following legal bases (UK GDPR):

  • Performance of a contract (Art. 6(1)(b)): Account, profile, portfolio, and payment data — necessary to provide the service you paid for.
  • Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)): Fraud prevention and site security.
  • Explicit consent (Art. 9(2)(a)): Ethnic background — special category data under UK GDPR. Collected only after you tick a dedicated consent checkbox at the point of data entry during registration. You may withdraw this consent at any time.
  • Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): Analytics and marketing cookies — only after you accept via the cookie banner.

4. How We Use Your Data

  • Generate your PDF portfolio
  • Send your portfolio to modelling agencies by email (the service you paid for)
  • Process your payment via Stripe
  • Send you a confirmation email
  • Analyse site usage and ad campaign performance (only if you consent to analytics/marketing cookies)

5. Who We Share Your Data With

Modelling agencies: Your PDF portfolio (name, contact details, photos, measurements, bio) is sent to agencies in our database. This is the core purpose of the service.

Stripe: Payment processing only — no personal profile data.

SendGrid: Email delivery — your email address and agency email addresses.

Google (GA4): Analytics — consent required.

Meta (Facebook Pixel): Marketing measurement — consent required.

PostHog: Product analytics — consent required.

Google Cloud Platform: All data at rest is hosted in europe-west2 (London, UK).

We never sell your data. We never share profile data with anyone other than the agencies you paid us to contact.

6. International Data Transfers

Some of our third-party processors (Stripe, SendGrid, Google, Meta, PostHog) are based in the United States. All transfers are covered by one of: the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA), the UK–US Data Bridge adequacy decision, or Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs). All data is stored at rest on Google Cloud Platform in europe-west2 (London, UK).

7. How Long We Keep Your Data

  • Account, profile, and portfolio data: 3 years from submission date, for customer service and dispute resolution.
  • Payment records: 7 years — required by HMRC.
  • Agency email delivery logs: 1 year for delivery monitoring.
  • Analytics data: Per the respective third-party platform's data retention policies. Consent-gated.

After the retention period, data is deleted or anonymised. You can request early deletion — see Your Rights below.

8. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to:

  • Access — request a copy of your personal data
  • Rectification — correct inaccurate data
  • Erasure — request deletion (“right to be forgotten”)
  • Restriction — limit how we process your data
  • Portability — receive your data in a machine-readable format
  • Object — object to processing based on legitimate interests
  • Withdraw consent — for ethnicity data or cookies, at any time; withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of prior processing

To exercise these rights, email privacy@howtobecomeamodel.co.uk. We respond within 30 days.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

9. Cookies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies. Analytics and marketing cookies are set only with your consent, managed via the cookie banner shown on your first visit. For a full list of cookies we set and how to manage your preferences, see our Cookies Policy. You can update your preferences at any time using the “Manage Cookies” button in the footer.

10. Children

This service is for people aged 18 and over, or for parents and guardians completing the form on behalf of an applicant. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 18 without parental consent. If you believe we have collected information from someone under 18 without parental consent, please contact us at privacy@howtobecomeamodel.co.uk.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The current version is always available at this URL. Please check back periodically for updates.

12. Contact Us

Goo Ventures (sole trader)

Peter House, Oxford St, Manchester M1 5AN

Email: privacy@howtobecomeamodel.co.uk