Privacy Policy

Your Personal Data and the IGRS

Privacy (and Cookies) Policy

Version no. 2

Effective date: 27th April 2023

1. Who we are

The Irish Genealogical Research Society (henceforth the IRGS) is a charitable membership organisation registered in the United Kingdom (Registered Charity No. 235886). You can contact us at:

Address: The Irish Genealogical Research Society, 18 Stratford Avenue, Rainham, Gillingham, Kent, ME8 0EP, UK

Email: info@irishancestors.ie

 

2. Why we have this policy

Your membership and support are extremely important to us. The IGRS needs to comply with current UK data protection legislation. We are the Controller of the personal information you supply to us when you join the Society, buy our goods or use our website and a privacy notice explains who collects the personal information, why we collect it, what we do with it and when it will be disposed of. It also gives details of how you can exercise your rights in relation to the information we collect and who to contact to do this (see section 1 above)

This policy will be reviewed regularly. If changes are made you will be notified by way of a news item on the website.

3. What type of information we collect

We currently collect and process the following information:

your name and contact details including email and postal addresses

your telephone number, should you wish to provide it

details about your transactions on our website and attendance at our events.

 

4. How we collect the information and why we do so

When you join the Society, we ask you to provide us with personal contact information to deliver the benefits of membership to you.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the lawful basis we rely on for process your information is consent. By supplying us with this information you are giving us your consent to use this data for the purposes set out in the following section.

You are able to remove your consent at any time by contacting the Honorary Secretary at the address shown in section 1 above (see also s. 8 below).

5. Cookies

Cookies are small data files that are sent from a website’s server to your web browser, from where they are stored on your device. Their purpose can vary, but they’re often used to help customise a website, help a visitor navigate the website, improve user experience or store a visitor's preferences and login information.

There are two types of cookie - essential (or strictly necessary) and non-essential (or optional). The Society uses only essential cookies on its website at present. Essential cookies are automatically placed on your computer or device when you access the website or take certain actions on it. These cookies are used to transmit the data online and to provide a specific feature or service that you have accessed or requested. They are strictly necessary to make the website function properly. Examples of essential cookies are

• Session cookies that keep users logged in as they navigate the website
• Persistent cookies that save customized preferences for the users
• Cookies that keep a shopping basket saved during the checkout process

6. What we do with the information we hold

Your name and email address - used to deliver regular newsletters and e-bulletins and keep you informed about the activities of the Society from time to time.

Your name and home address - used to send you our journal, The Irish Genealogist, annually.

When you activate your membership or purchase something from us via our website you create an online profile with a username, password and geographical location. We keep this information indefinitely so that you can still access your account, whether you are a paid-up member or not, so that you can renew membership at a later date or make purchases without having to create a new account each time.

We may also use your information to protect and promote our charitable interests and objects - this includes educational research, fundraising, and event marketing activities. However, we will not use personal data for direct marketing purposes e.g. of our talks and research projects if you ask us not to.We may use photographs of members, award winners and those contributing to fulfilling our objectivesin our publications and on our website, for educational, marketing and promotional purposes.

If you are not a paid-up member, we will not use the information we hold to contact you, except in the case of resolving problems and answering queries, nor is your information shared with any third party organisations, unless it is required in order to fulfil our obligations in the provision of member benefits.

We never confer permission on third parties to use your personal data for their own marketing purposes.

 

7. How do we store your information

All of your personal data is stored securely online

We do not hold any financial data regarding your membership. All such transactions take place securely beyond our systems either via Paypal, Stripe or other payment means, or via your own bank e.g. as either a standing order or a direct payment.

We do not store credit card details nor do we share financial details with any third parties.

8. Cancellation Policy and refunds

Should you choose to cancel or not renew your membership, we will retain your personal data for the reasons set out in section four above. However, you have the right to request changes to your personal data or ask us to remove it entirely from our database.

Membership fees cannot be refunded.

9. Your data protection rights

Your right of access – you have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information

Your right to rectification – You have the right to ask us to rectify information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete

Your right to erasure – you have the right to ask us to erase your personal information if you cancel (including by natural expiry or you resign your membership).

You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you.

Please contact us at the address shown in section 1 above if you wish to make a request.

10. How to complain

You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data.

The ICO’s address is:

Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF