This is the privacy policy of The Benevolent Confraternity of Dissectologists (‘we’, ‘our’, or ‘us’). Our membership and data protection office can be contacted via membership@thebcd.co.uk.
Introduction
This notice describes how we collect, store, transfer and use personal data. It tells you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you. In the context of the law and this notice, ‘personal data’ is information that clearly identifies you as an individual or which could be used to identify you if combined with other information. Acting in any way on personal data is referred to as ‘processing’. This notice applies to personal data collected through our website. We do not share, or sell, or disclose to a third party, any information collected through our website.
Data Protection Officer
We have appointed a data protection officer (‘DPO’) who is responsible for ensuring that our privacy policy is followed. If you have any questions about how we process your personal data, including any requests to exercise your legal rights, please contact our DPO via our contact form at https://www.thebcd.co.uk/contact-us/
Personal data we process
- How we obtain personal data
The information we process about you includes information:
- you have directly provided to us via our website
- Types of personal data we collect directly
When you use our website, we ask you to provide personal data. This can be categorised into the following groups:
- personal identifiers, such as your first and last names
- contact information, such as your email address
- account information, including your username and password
- records of communication between us including messages sent through our website and email messages
In addition, we may also process:
- documentation that confirms your identity, such as your BCD membership number
- Types of personal data we collect from your use of our services
By using our website and our services, we process:
- your username and password and other information used to access our website and our services
- information you contribute to our community, including reviews
- your replies to polls and surveys
- Our use of aggregated information
We may aggregate anonymous information such as statistical or demographic data for any purpose. Anonymous information is that which does not identify you as an individual. Aggregated information may be derived from your personal data but is not considered as such in law because it does not reveal your identity.
For example, we may aggregate usage information to assess whether a feature of our website is useful. However, if we combine or connect aggregated information with your personal data so that it can identify you in any way, we treat the combined information as personal data, and it will be used in accordance with this privacy notice.
- If you do not provide personal data we need
Where we need to collect personal data to verify your identity as a BCD member, and you do not provide it, we may have to stop providing a service to you. If so, we will notify you of this at the time.
The bases on which we process information about you
The law requires us to determine under which of six defined bases we process different categories of your personal data, and to notify you of the basis for each category we use.
If a basis on which we process your personal data is no longer relevant then we shall immediately stop processing your data. If the basis changes then if required by law we shall notify you of the change and of any new basis under which we have determined that we can continue to process your information.
- Information we process with your consent
When you browse our website or ask us to provide you more information about our business, including our products and services, you provide your consent to us to process information that may be personal data. Wherever possible, we aim to obtain your explicit consent to process this information, for example, we ask you to agree to our use of non-essential cookies when you access our website.
We continue to process your information on this basis until you withdraw your consent or it can be reasonably assumed that your consent no longer exists. You may withdraw your consent at any time by instructing us our contact page https://www.thebcd.co.uk/contact-us/. However, if you do so, you may not be able to use our membership website further.
- Information we process for the purposes of legitimate interests
We may process information on the basis there is a legitimate interest, either to you or to us, of doing so.
Where we process your information on this basis, we do after having given careful consideration to:
- whether the same objective could be achieved through other means
- whether processing (or not processing) might cause you harm
- whether you would expect us to process your data, and whether you would, in the round, consider it reasonable to do so
For example, we may process your data on this basis for the purposes of:
- improving our services
- record-keeping for the proper and necessary administration of the BCD
- responding to unsolicited communication from you to which we believe you would expect a response
- preventing fraudulent use of our services
- exercising our legal rights, including to detect and prevent fraud and to protect our intellectual property
- protecting your interests where we believe we have a duty to do so
How and when we process your personal data
- Your personal data is not shared
We do not share or disclose to a third party, any information collected through our website.
- Information you provide
Our website allows you to post information with a view to that information being read, copied, downloaded, or used by other people. For example, when you leave a review or post a message on our website, we reasonably assume that you consent for the message to be seen by others. We may include your username with your message, and your message may contain information that is personal data.
In posting personal data, it is up to you to satisfy yourself about the privacy level of every person who might use it. We do not specifically use this information except to allow it to be displayed or shared. We do store it, and we reserve a right to use it in the future in any way we decide. Once your information enters the public domain, we have no control over what any individual third party may do with it. We accept no responsibility for their actions at any time.
Provided your request is reasonable and there is no legal basis for us to retain it, then at our discretion we may agree to your request to delete personal data that you have posted. You can make a request by contacting us at https://www.thebcd.co.uk/contact-us/
Use of information we collect through automated systems
- Cookies
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer’s hard drive by your web browser when you visit a website that uses them. They allow information gathered on one web page to be stored until it is needed for use at a later date. They are commonly used to provide you with a personalised experience while you browse a website, for example, allowing your preferences to be remembered.
They can also provide core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility; record how you interact with the website so that the owner can understand how to improve the experience of other visitors; and serve you advertisements that are relevant to your browsing history. Some cookies may last for a defined period of time, such as one visit (known as a session), one day or until you close your browser. Others last indefinitely until you delete them.
Your web browser should allow you to delete any cookie you choose. It should also allow you to prevent or limit their use. Your web browser may support a plug-in or add-on that helps you manage which cookies you wish to allow to operate. The law requires you to give explicit consent for use of any cookies that are not strictly necessary for the operation of a website.
When you first visit our website, we ask you whether you wish us to use cookies. If you choose not to accept them, we shall not use them for your visit except to record that you have not consented to their use for any other purpose.
If you choose not to use cookies or you prevent their use through your browser settings, you may not be able to use all the functionality of our website.
We use cookies in the following ways:
- to track how you use our website
- to record whether you have seen specific messages we display on our website
- to keep you signed in to our website
- to record your answers to surveys and questionnaires on our site while you complete them
We provide more information about the cookies we use in our cookie policy.
Other matters
- Your rights
The law requires us to tell you about your rights and our obligations to you in regard to the processing and control of your personal data. We do this now, by requesting that you read the information provided at https://www.knowyourprivacyrights.org
- Encryption of data sent between us
We use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates to verify our identity to your browser and to encrypt any data you give us. Whenever information is transferred between us, you can check that it is done so using SSL by looking for a closed padlock symbol or other trust mark in your browser’s URL bar or toolbar.
- Data is processed in the UK
Our websites are hosted in the USA, but the data obtained from the website is only processed by us within the UK.
- Control over your own information
It is important that the personal data we hold about you is accurate and up to date. Please inform us if your personal data changes via our contact page at https://www.thebcd.co.uk/contact-us/.
At any time, you may contact us to request that we provide you with the personal data we hold about you. At any time you may review personally identifiable information that we hold about you, by signing in to your account on our website and viewing our membership list. To obtain a copy of any information that is not provided on our website you should contact us as above to make that request.
When we receive any request to access, edit or delete personal data we first take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting you access or otherwise taking any action. This is important to safeguard your information. If you wish us to remove personally identifiable information from our website, you should contact us to make your request. This may limit the service we can provide to you.
- Communicating with us
When you contact us through our website we collect the data you have given to us in order to reply with the information you need. We record your request and our reply in order to increase the efficiency of our response to you. We may keep personally identifiable information associated with your message, such as your name and email address so as to be able to track our communications with you to provide a high quality service.
- Complaining
If you are not happy with our privacy policy, or if you have any complaint, then you should tell us via our contact form at https://www.thebcd.co.uk/contact-us/.
When we receive a complaint, we record the information you have given to us on the basis of consent. We use that information to resolve your complaint. If you are in any way dissatisfied about how we process your personal data, you have a right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). This can be done at https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/. We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to talk to you about your concern before you approach the ICO.
- Retention period
Except as otherwise mentioned in this privacy notice, we keep your personal data only for as long as required by us:
- to provide you with the services you have requested
- Compliance with the law
Our privacy policy complies with the law in the United Kingdom, specifically with the Data Protection Act 2018 (the ‘Act’) accordingly incorporating the EU General Data Protection Regulation (‘GDPR’) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (‘PECR’).
- Review of this privacy policy
We shall update this privacy notice from time to time as necessary.
