Privacy statement

MABS is funded by the Citizens Information Board.

The mabs.ie website is maintained by the Citizens Information Board, a statutory agency based at George’s Quay House, 43 Townsend Street, Dublin 2.

MABS provides or supports the provision of financial and debt advice.

This statement relates only to our privacy practices in connection with this website. You can find out more about data protection in MABS on our data protection page.

This statement describes how we will process any data we collect from you through this website. 

We have a separate Cookie notice, which gives you information about the cookies on our website so you can make an informed decision as to whether you accept or reject such cookies.

For the purpose of the Data Protection Acts 1988-2018, the data controller for this website is the Citizens Information Board. The data controller for the MABS helpline is North Dublin MABS (see below).

Collection and use of personal information

When you visit mabs.ie, a range of information is collected, including:

• IP address – this is the identifying address for your computer in Internet Protocol (IP) code, for example, 137.191.332.82
• Web browser and version
• Pages visited and the time of those visits
• Operating system
• Device or device type
• Search terms used
• The previous website address from which you reached us, including any search terms used
• External website addresses which you reach by clicking links on mabs.ie

If you use our call back form to request a call back from the MABS Helpline, you email address and your telephone number are collected along with information about the topic of your query.

What we use the information for

We use this information is used for statistical and reporting purposes, to improve the website and to enable a call back if you have requested it.

Third-party services on mabs.ie

The mabs.ie website uses Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager and Matomo.

This website uses Google Analytics to collect information about how visitors to mabs.ie use the website. We have set up the Google Analytics service with advanced privacy protections so that Google will not retain your full IP address and does not have permission to share any data collected. There is more information on Google Analytics in our ‘Cookies policy’. We will ask for your consent before we set Google Analytics cookies and we do not capture information about your visit via Google Analytics if you do not grant this consent.

We use Google Tag Manager to customise some of the data that is sent to Google Analytics. We do this to see whether the content is meeting user needs.

Google may store data on servers outside the European Union or European Economic Area. We have ensured appropriate safeguards are in place to protect the privacy and integrity of this data.

You can find Google’s Privacy Policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy.

This website also uses software called Matomo to collect information about how visitors to mabs.ie use the website. Matomo is hosted on a Citizens Information Board server.

Links on mabs.ie

If you click buttons or links to third party sites or services when you are on the mabs.ie website, you will be redirected to an external site, which has its own cookie and privacy policies over which we have no control.

Hosting

The mabs.ie website is hosted on servers maintained by the Office of the Chief Government Information Officer (OGCIO). 

MABS callback service

During the COVID-19 restrictions, MABS is providing a callback service. If you provide your contact details through the Request a callback page, your contact details and some details of your query may be viewed by officers from North Dublin MABS who manage the MABS Helpline. You can find the data protection notice for North Dublin MABS on the Request a call back section of this website.

MABS Helpline

Calls made to the 0818 07 2000 telephone number are managed by MABS Helpline Advisers working in North Dublin MABS.

Cookies

Mabs.ie uses cookies that are necessary to make the website work. You can also choose to set optional cookies. These cookies help us understand how visitors use the website and improve the use and functionality of the website.

You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking the ‘Manage Cookie Preferences’ link in the footer of every page on this website. We provide detailed information in our Cookie policy about the cookies we use and their purpose.

Glossary of technical terms used

Web browser

The piece of software you use to read web pages. Examples are Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari and Opera.

IP address

The identifying details for your computer (or your internet company’s computer), expressed in internet protocol code (for example 192.168.72.34). Every computer connected to the web has a unique IP address, although the address may not be the same every time a connection is made.