How we handle security, data and privacy.

Written for event organisers deciding whether to book us, guests connecting to one of our WiFi networks, and anyone with a technical question about how our service works. For the formal documents see our Privacy Notice, Data Protection Policy and Terms of Use.

Headlines

• We don’t inspect the content of your traffic. Ever.
• We log operational network data (DNS, protocol metadata, device counts) but nothing tied to your identity.
• All operational data is stored on site at events and mirrored to our secure servers in the United Kingdom. We don’t share it with third parties.
• Organiser, vendor, staff, public and EPOS traffic sits on isolated VLANs at events. They can’t see each other.
• Captive portal acceptance is held only while the event is live.
• We work in line with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Network architecture and isolation

Every event we cover is built around isolated VLANs. Organiser traffic, vendor card machines, public guest WiFi, EPOS lanes and staff networks each sit on their own VLAN with their own passphrase. They can’t see or talk to each other unless we explicitly bridge them.

Where you have particular sensitivity (e.g. payment processing), we add prioritised QoS, dedicated SSIDs and per-vendor usage logs so it’s clear what was used where. Public WiFi never shares a connection with EPOS or card terminals.

Encryption

• Captive portal. Served over HTTPS where the network configuration supports it. The terms-acceptance step happens over TLS.
• Private WiFi networks (organiser, staff, vendor). Secured with WPA2 or WPA3, per passphrase.
• Public guest WiFi at events. Often open by design so people can connect easily. The portal authenticates, it doesn’t encrypt the link. Please use HTTPS sites and avoid sensitive credentials on open networks.
• Administrative interfaces. All access to our network equipment uses TLS, with MFA on critical systems.
• Site-to-site VPN options available between event locations and customer offices on request.

DNS and how we handle traffic

Our networks use our own DNS resolver by default. We log the domain names devices look up. We use those logs to:

• Traffic-shape fairly across the network, so one device can’t saturate the link for everyone else.
• Maintain QoS for critical services like payments and ticket scanning.
• Detect abuse, scanning or bad-actor behaviour quickly.

The DNS log records the domain looked up and the time. It doesn’t record the content of any traffic and isn’t tied to your identity in our systems. If you use DNS-over-HTTPS to a third-party resolver, those queries don’t hit our resolver.

What we log

For the event WiFi service:

• Device MAC address and DHCP / IP assignment. Held only during the event.
• Captive portal acceptance. Held only during the event, then purged.
• DNS lookups via our resolver. Held up to 30 days after the event.
• Protocol metadata and remote endpoint addresses. Held up to 30 days.
• Aggregate technical metrics (concurrent device counts, device-brand mix, throughput summaries). Held indefinitely as anonymised technical data for future event planning.
• An optional email address you provide at the captive portal, if the portal is configured to capture one.

What we don’t log

• The content of your traffic. Messages, page contents, app payloads.
• Anything that identifies you as an individual beyond the optional captive-portal email.
• Persistent device fingerprints, browser tracking signals or cross-event linking.
• Anything we don’t need to operate, secure or plan the network.

Where data lives

Operational network data lives in two places only: on the network equipment at the event site, and mirrored to our secure servers in the United Kingdom. We don’t push it to third-party analytics, marketing tools, organiser systems or anywhere else. Internet upstream providers (Starlink for satellite, mobile carriers for 4G/5G backup) handle traffic in transit but don’t receive our operational logs.

Captive portal security

• The captive portal sets minimal session cookies required for the network to authenticate your device. The only other script it loads is Plausible, which is cookieless and anonymous. No tracking, no ad-tech, no session recording.
• The terms-acceptance form posts over HTTPS to the gateway.
• Your MAC address authenticates the device for IP assignment. After the event ends, the acceptance record is purged.
• If you tap “don’t accept”, your device isn’t allocated an IP and no record is kept.

Two-way radio recording

Radio hire comes with an optional channel recording service. Where the customer has contracted it, audio from the staff channels we operate is recorded for the duration of the event and made available to the customer’s nominated staff. Recordings are retained per the customer’s agreement (typically 30 to 90 days) and then deleted or returned.

Channel utilisation metrics (transmission counts, channel busy time, signal quality) are recorded for all radio operations as aggregate technical data and don’t identify individuals.

Where audio recording is in use, our Terms of Use require the customer to inform people using the channel as part of the pre-event briefing.

Sub-processors

The third parties involved in delivering the service:

• Starlink (SpaceX): satellite internet upstream.
• UK mobile carriers (EE, Vodafone, O2 and others): 4G/5G upstream for backup connectivity.
• enhost.uk: UK-based hosting and email infrastructure for the marketing website, internal tooling and business correspondence.
• Plausible Analytics (analytics.enst.uk): cookieless, anonymous visitor statistics for the marketing website and the captive portal.
• Microsoft 365 (Office 365): business email, document storage and productivity tools.
• Accounting software: for quotes, invoices and statutory records.
• Subcontracted engineers: bound by confidentiality, brought in for specific events.

We use Plausible Analytics on both the marketing website and the captive portal, for anonymous visit counts and nothing else. It sets no cookies, stores no personal data and cannot follow anyone across sites. No other third-party scripts run on either: no ad-tech vendors, no A/B testers, no marketing trackers, no session recorders.

CCTV footage, where we operate it

Where an event has contracted temporary CCTV, footage is held on the recorder on site and on our secure servers in the United Kingdom, and nowhere else. It is not uploaded to a camera manufacturer’s cloud, not processed by any third-party analytics, and never used to train anything.

• Every camera position has a written purpose, agreed before it goes up.
• Signage goes at every entrance and in covered areas. No covert recording, ever.
• Retention is agreed in advance and enforced. Footage is deleted on schedule unless preserved for a specific incident.
• Access is a named list. Every view, export and disclosure is logged with the reason.
• No facial recognition, no biometric processing, no automated identification.

The organiser is normally the controller for footage and we process on their written instruction. Full detail is in the Privacy Notice.

Business continuity

• Hot-spare kit on site. Access points, radios, switches and dishes ready for fast replacement.
• Redundant network paths. Primary satellite link with automatic failover to high-gain 4G/5G antennas.
• Resilient critical nodes engineered to ride through power transitions and short outages.
• On-site engineer through the live period of the event.

Incident response

If we become aware of a personal data breach that’s likely to result in risk to people, we’ll notify the ICO within 72 hours where required and inform affected individuals where the law requires. For service incidents during an event, the on-site engineer is the first point of contact and we escalate to our operations base immediately.

Reporting a security issue

Found something that doesn’t look right? Email hello@ukeventcommunications.co.uk with the details, or call +44 1482 693204 if it’s urgent. We aim to acknowledge security reports within one business day. Please don’t post details publicly while we’re investigating. We’ll keep you in the loop with what we find and what we do.

Compliance posture

• Aligned to UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
• Ofcom-licensed for the radio equipment we hire out.
• £5m public liability insurance (higher cover available on request).
• PAT-tested electrical equipment with current certificates.
• DBS-checked engineers available for events with safeguarding requirements.

We don’t currently hold ISO certifications. Our practices follow good industry standards. We’d rather be honest than overclaim.

Frequently asked

Do you read my messages or see what I’m doing online?

No. We don’t inspect the content of any traffic. We only see metadata (DNS lookups, protocol, remote endpoint), not what’s inside the connection.

Is the WiFi encrypted?

The captive portal is served over HTTPS. Private WiFi networks (organiser, staff, vendor) use WPA2 or WPA3 encryption. Public guest WiFi at events is often left open by design so people can connect easily. Please use HTTPS sites and avoid entering sensitive credentials on open networks.

Where do my DNS lookups go?

To our resolver. We log them at network level to traffic-shape fairly and detect abuse. We don’t tie DNS lookups to your identity in our systems.

What does the event organiser see about me?

Only aggregated, anonymised numbers. Concurrent device counts at peak, total bandwidth used in a zone, top device brands on the network. Never MAC addresses, never DNS logs, never your email.

Does Starlink see my browsing?

Starlink carries the encrypted traffic between our site and the wider internet, like any internet provider. They don’t receive our network logs. The HTTPS sites you visit see Starlink’s egress IP as your IP unless we’ve enabled a public IP for a specific use.

Where are your servers?

UK-based, for everything we control. Operational data is mirrored from event sites to our secure UK servers.

Are you ISO 27001 certified?

Not currently. We work to good industry practice but we’re not certified. We’d rather tell you the truth than tick a box. The team’s wider operations history covers critical-systems environments and we apply that posture here.

Do I have to provide an email at the captive portal?

No. The email field is optional and many event setups don’t even include it. Where the field is present, leaving it blank still gets you connected.

How do I get my data deleted?

Most of what we hold purges automatically at the end of the event. For anything kept longer (e.g. an email you provided), email hello@ukeventcommunications.co.uk or call +44 1482 693204 and we’ll handle it. See the Privacy Notice for full details.

Are vendor card payments safe on your network?

Card terminals and EPOS systems sit on their own VLAN with prioritised QoS and a private passphrase, isolated from public WiFi and from other vendors. Each vendor gets a usage log so you can see what was used.

What about radio recording. Can my conversation on a staff channel be recorded?

Only on channels we operate at the customer’s request, only when the customer has contracted the recording service, and only when the customer has informed channel users as part of the pre-event briefing. Recordings stay with the customer and are deleted per their agreement.

Get in touch

Security, privacy or trust questions: hello@ukeventcommunications.co.uk or +44 1482 693204