The Society’s Data Protection Policy

Your personal data – what is it?

Personal data relates to a living individual who can be identified from that data. Identification can be by the information alone or in conjunction with any other information in the data controller’s possession or likely to come into such possession. The processing of personal data is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This is an EU Regulation, which has the force of law throughout the EU. It is probable that Britain will continue to conform to this law after Brexit.

Who are we?

SOFFAAM is the data controller (contact details below). This means it decides how your personal data is processed and for what purposes.

How do we process your personal data?

SOFFAAM complies with its obligations under the GDPR by keeping personal data up to date; by storing and destroying it securely; by not collecting or retaining excessive amounts of data; by protecting personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access and disclosure and by ensuring that appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data.

We use your personal data only for the following purposes:

  • To administer membership records;
  • To manage our volunteers;
  • To maintain our own accounts and records (including the processing of gift aid applications);
  • To send you the Society’s quarterly magazine “Jabberwock”, in which we provide information on Society news, events and activities.

How do we share your personal data?

Your personal data will be treated as strictly confidential and will only be shared with other members of the Society in order to carry out the activities of the Society. Your personal data will not be shared with third parties unless there is a legal requirement to do so.

How long do we keep your personal data?

We keep your personal data for as long as you are a member of the Society. Specifically, we retain membership data while it is still current and Gift Aid declarations and associated paperwork for up to six years after the end of the tax-year to which they relate.

Your rights and your personal data

Unless subject to an exemption under the GDPR, you have the following rights with respect to your personal data:

  • The right to request a copy of your personal data which SOFFAAM holds about you;
  • The right to request that SOFFAAM corrects any personal data if it is found to be inaccurate or out of date;
  • The right to request your personal data is erased where it is no longer necessary for SOFFAAM to retain such data;
  • The right to withdraw your consent to the processing at any time;
  • The right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioners Office.

Further processing

If we wish to use your personal data for a new purpose, not covered by this Data Protection Notice, then we will provide you with a new notice explaining this new use prior to commencing the processing and setting out the relevant purposes and processing conditions. Where and whenever necessary, we will seek your prior consent to the new processing.

Contact details

To discuss all relevant rights; also to raise queries or complaints about the Society’s data management activities, please in the first instance contact the SOFFAAM Secretary, who is the Society’s Data Controller.

You can contact the Information Commissioners Office on 0303 123 1113 or via email https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/email/ or at the Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire. SK9 5AF.