Terms and conditions

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1This page and any pages it links to explains GOV.UK's terms of use. You must agree to these to use GOV.UK.
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3## Who we are
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5GOV.UK is managed by the [Government Digital Service](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/government-digital-service) (GDS) on behalf of the Crown. GDS is part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and will be referred to as 'we' from now on.
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7## Using GOV.UK
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9You agree to use GOV.UK only for lawful purposes. You must also use it in a way that does not infringe the rights of, or restrict or inhibit the use and enjoyment of, this site by anyone else.
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11We update GOV.UK all the time. We can change or remove content at any time without notice.
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13## Services and transactions
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15You can use GOV.UK to access online government services and transactions, for example [apply for Universal Credit](https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/how-to-claim) or [register to vote](https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote).
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17These can be managed by GDS or another government department or agency.
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19Some services have their own terms and conditions which also apply - read these before you use the service.
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21## Linking to GOV.UK
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23We welcome and encourage other websites to link to GOV.UK.
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25You must [contact us](https://www.gov.uk/contact/govuk) for permission if you want to either:
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27- charge your website's users to click on a link to any page on GOV.UK
28- say your website is associated with or endorsed by GOV.UK or another government department or agency
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30## Linking from GOV.UK
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32GOV.UK links to websites that are managed by other government departments and agencies, service providers or other organisations. We do not have any control over the content on these websites.
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34We're not responsible for:
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36- the protection of any information you give to these websites
37- any loss or damage that may come from your use of these websites, or any other websites they link to
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39You agree to release us from any claims or disputes that may come from using these websites.
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41You should read all terms and conditions, privacy policies and end user licences that relate to these websites before you use them.
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43## Using GOV.UK content
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45Most content on GOV.UK is subject to [Crown copyright protection](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/re-using-public-sector-information/uk-government-licensing-framework/crown-copyright/) and is published under the [Open Government Licence](http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/1/open-government-licence.htm) (OGL), which also sets out which content is exempt.
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47If any content is not subject to Crown copyright protection or published under the OGL, we'll usually credit the author or copyright holder.
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49You can reproduce content published on GOV.UK under the OGL as long as you follow the licence's conditions.
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51[Contact us](https://www.gov.uk/contact/govuk) if you want to reproduce a piece of content but are not sure if it's covered by Crown copyright or the OGL.
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53We make most of the content on GOV.UK available through feeds for other websites and applications to use. The websites and applications that use our feeds are not our products, and they might use versions of our content that have been edited and stored for later use ('cached').
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55We do not give any guarantees, conditions or warranties about the accuracy or completeness of any content used by these products. We're not liable for any loss or damage that may come from your use of these products.
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57The most up to date version of our content will always be on GOV.UK.
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59## Disclaimer
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61While we make every effort to keep GOV.UK up to date, we do not provide any guarantees, conditions or warranties that the information will be:
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63- current
64- secure
65- accurate
66- complete
67- free from bugs or viruses
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69We do not publish advice on GOV.UK. You should get professional or specialist advice before doing anything on the basis of the content.
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71We're not liable for any loss or damage that may come from using GOV.UK. This includes:
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73- any direct, indirect or consequential losses
74- any loss or damage caused by civil wrongs ('tort', including negligence), breach of contract or otherwise
75- the use of GOV.UK and any websites that are linked to or from it
76- the inability to use GOV.UK and any websites that are linked to or from it
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78This applies if the loss or damage was foreseeable, arose in the normal course of things or you advised us that it might happen.
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80This includes (but is not limited to) the loss of your:
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82- income or revenue
83- salary, benefits or other payments
84- business
85- profits or contracts
86- opportunity
87- anticipated savings
88- data
89- goodwill or reputation
90- tangible property
91- intangible property, including loss, corruption or damage to data or any computer system
92- wasted management or office time
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94We may still be liable for:
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96- death or personal injury arising from our negligence
97- fraudulent misrepresentation
98- any other liability which cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law
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100## Requests to remove content
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102You can ask for content to be removed from GOV.UK. We'll remove content:
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104- in order to comply with data protection legislation covering the rights and freedoms of individuals
105- if it breaches copyright laws, contains sensitive personal data or material that may be considered obscene or defamatory
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107[Contact us](https://www.gov.uk/contact/govuk) to ask for content to be removed. You'll need to send us the web address (URL) of the content and explain why you think it should be removed. We'll reply to let you know whether we'll remove it.
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109We remove content at our discretion in discussion with the department or agency responsible for it. You can still request information under the [Freedom of Information Act](https://www.gov.uk/make-a-freedom-of-information-request) and the [Data Protection Act](https://www.gov.uk/data-protection).
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111## Information about you and your visits to GOV.UK
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113We collect information about you in accordance with our [privacy policy](https://www.gov.uk/support/privacy-policy) and our [cookie policy](https://www.gov.uk/support/cookies). By using GOV.UK, you agree to us collecting this information and confirm that any data you provide is accurate.
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115## Virus protection
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117We make every effort to check and test GOV.UK for viruses at every stage of production. You must make sure that the way you use GOV.UK does not expose you to the risk of viruses, malicious computer code or other forms of interference which can damage your computer system.
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119We're not responsible for any loss, disruption or damage to your data or computer system that might happen when you use GOV.UK.
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121## Viruses, hacking and other offences
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123When using GOV.UK, you must not introduce viruses, trojans, worms, logic bombs or any other material that's malicious or technologically harmful.
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125You must not try to gain unauthorised access to GOV.UK, the server on which it's stored or any server, computer or database connected to it.
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127You must not attack GOV.UK in any way. This includes denial-of-service attacks.
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129We'll report any attacks or attempts to gain unauthorised access to GOV.UK to the relevant law enforcement authorities and share information about you with them.
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131## Governing law
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133These terms and conditions are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales.
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135Any dispute you have which relates to these terms and conditions, or your use of GOV.UK (whether it be contractual or non-contractual), will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
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137## General
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139There may be legal notices elsewhere on GOV.UK that relate to how you use the site.
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141We're not liable if we fail to comply with these terms and conditions because of circumstances beyond our reasonable control.
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143We might decide not to exercise or enforce any right available to us under these terms and conditions. We can always decide to exercise or enforce that right at a later date.
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145Doing this once will not mean we automatically waive the right on any other occasion.
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147If any of these terms and conditions are held to be invalid, unenforceable or illegal for any reason, the remaining terms and conditions will still apply.
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149## Changes to these terms and conditions
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151Please check these terms and conditions regularly. We can update them at any time without notice.
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153You'll agree to any changes if you continue to use GOV.UK after the terms and conditions have been updated.