Privacy Policy

Policy Definitions:

• ‘C.I.C’ means Vocal Communities, a registered Community Interest Company.
• ‘GDPR’ means the General Data Protection Regulation.
• ‘Responsible Person’ means Rebecca Thapa, responsible for data protection within the C.I.C.
• ‘Register of Systems‘ means a register of all systems or contexts in which personal data is processed by the C.I.C.

Your information and privacy

As a registered Community interest company who work with a range of communities and organisations, we understand the importance of maintaining your privacy. Vocal Communities’ mission is keeping your personal information secure and complying with data protection laws.

Vocal Communities are the data controller of any personal information about you. This means that we are responsible for complying with data protection laws. This privacy policy describes what personal information we may collect from you, why we use your personal information and more generally the practices we maintain and ways in which we use your personal information.

By providing your personal information to us, you acknowledge that we may use it in the ways set out in this privacy policy. We may provide you with further notices highlighting certain uses we wish to make of your personal information. We may also give you the ability to opt-in or opt-out of selected uses such as electronic marketing communications when we collect your personal information.

If you are registering other people on their behalf and are providing personal information, you must ensure this privacy policy has been drawn to the attention of those individuals and that you have permission to share their information with us.

From time to time we may need to make changes to this privacy policy, for example, as the result of government regulation, new technologies, or other developments in data protection laws or privacy generally. You should check the Fabian Society website periodically to view the most up to date privacy policy.

Our Privacy Policy is divided into 9 sections to help you concentrate on the area that you are interested in.

1. Data Protection Principles

The C.I.C is committed to processing data in accordance with its responsibilities under the GDPR.

Article 5 of the GDPR requires that personal data shall be:

1. Processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to individuals;
2. collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes and not further processed in a manner that is incompatible with those purposes; further processing for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes shall not be considered to be incompatible with the initial purposes;
3. Adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they are processed;
4. Accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date; every reasonable step must be taken to ensure that personal data that are inaccurate, having regard to the purposes for which they are processed, are erased or rectified without delay;
5. Kept in a form which permits identification of data subjects for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal data are processed; personal data may be stored for longer periods insofar as the personal data will be processed solely for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes subject to implementation of the appropriate technical and organisational measures required by the GDPR in order to safeguard the rights and freedoms of individuals; and
6. Processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security of the personal data, including protection against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction or damage, using appropriate technical or organisational measures.

2. General Provisions

1. This policy applies to all personal data processed by the C.I.C.
2. The Responsible Person shall take responsibility for the C.I.C’s ongoing compliance with this policy.
3. This policy shall be reviewed at least annually.
4. The C.I.C shall register with the Information Commissioner’s Office as an organisation that processes personal data.

3. Lawful, Fair and Transparent Processing

1. To ensure its processing of data is lawful, fair and transparent, the C.I.C shall maintain a Register of Systems.
2. The Register of Systems shall be reviewed at least annually.
3. Individuals have the right to access their personal data and any such requests made to the C.I.C shall be dealt with in a timely manner.

4. Lawful Purposes

1. All data processed by the C.I.C must be done on one of the following lawful bases: consent, contract, legal obligation, vital interests, public task or legitimate interests.
2. The C.I.C shall note the appropriate lawful basis in the Register of Systems.
3. Where consent is relied upon as a lawful basis for processing data, evidence of opt-in consent shall be kept with the personal data.
4. Where communications are sent to individuals based on their consent, the option for the individual to revoke their consent should be clearly available and systems should be in place to ensure such revocation is reflected accurately in the C.I.C systems.  

5. Data Minimisation

1. The C.I.C shall ensure that personal data are adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they are processed.

6. Accuracy 

1. The C.I.C shall take reasonable steps to ensure personal data is accurate.
2. Where necessary for the lawful basis on which data is processed, steps shall be put in place to ensure that personal data is kept up to date.

7. Archiving / Removal

1. To ensure that personal data is kept for no longer than necessary, the C.I.C shall put in place an archiving policy for each area in which personal data is processed and review this process annually.
2. The archiving policy shall consider what data should/must be retained, for how long, and why.

8. Security

1. The C.I.C shall ensure that personal data is stored securely using modern software that is kept up-to-date.  
2. Access to personal data shall be limited to personnel who need access and appropriate security should be in place to avoid unauthorised sharing of information.
3. When personal data is deleted this should be done safely such that the data is irrecoverable.
4. Appropriate back-up and disaster recovery solutions shall be in place.

9. Breach of security policy

1. In the event of a breach of security leading to the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to, personal data, the C.I.C shall promptly assess the risk to people’s rights and freedoms and if appropriate report this breach to the ICO.

END OF POLICY