Oldham Fire Service Data Privacy Rules 2026

Oldham households who click onto manchesterfire.gov.uk are now tracked by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority through Google Analytics, with details such as screen size, browser choice, and time spent on each page quietly logged. The fire service says every visitor's IP address is masked so the data cannot be traced back to an individual, and the raw files are wiped after 14 months.

The same system watches whether residents open email newsletters and which links they tap, information that can be seen by GMCA staff and shared with partner councils or suppliers. Officials insist the numbers are only used to check that safety advice loads properly on phones and tablets, and to gauge which safety campaigns hold readers' attention.

Most of the information stays on servers inside the UK, although cloud tools such as MailChimp and Google Analytics mean some data is held elsewhere in the European Economic Area. The authority promises that if information does leave the EEA it will be protected to the same standard required at home.

Cookies are dropped onto devices to remember repeat visits, but the fire service stresses these files contain no names, addresses, or other personal identifiers.

GMCA will release personal details only when the law demands it and says it never sells or trades data for commercial gain. Even so, residents should be aware that anything they email through the site travels over the open internet at their own risk, and the privacy promise stops the moment they follow a link to an outside site.