When you are a member of the EPS, we process some of your data, like your name and address and email address. When you use this website, as a member or non-member, data is processed too. Here’s some information about the EPS use of data
Why we collect it
– We need to have a record of our members because some of our core membership activities – meetings, grant awards, prize nominations etc – have member-related restrictions. For example, members present research at our scientific meetings or contribute in a material way to the presentation, and non-members are sponsored by a member. We can only run the Society in the way we do if we retain and therefore verify member details supplied to us by members.
– We need to maintain Society records about membership subscriptions and payments, and this requires a record of subscription payments from members, or invoices as part of an award claim
- We collect your email address so that we can contact our membership about Society opportunities, events, and news (we normally restrict these emails to monthly messages, except when they are time sensitive messages that cannot be anticipated).
- We also send these regular but infrequent emails to a postgraduate mailing list, comprising postgrads who have asked to join the list and bearing in mind they are not eligible to become regular Society members.
– The EPS website uses cookies, which means small text files are placed on your computer known to the web server. These cookies allow us to optimise your experience when visiting our websites, because we can determine whether you have visited the website before and understand what software is being used to access our pages
The information we collect about you in this way may include the Internet Protocol (IP) address used, your browser type and version, the type of device used, and time zone setting, etc. We may also collect information about each visit you make to our website, including which website you were on immediately before you navigated to our sites, and how you have progressed through and from our sites – as well as content you have searched for or viewed on our sites.
When we collect it
– When you become a member of the EPS, following an application to the Society which is checked for qualification criteria and considered by members for approval at the AGM in accordance with the EPS rules
- When you register on the website to become a member, so as to access member-only web content. You need to actively request a login account for the website.
- When you use the Society website, we use cookies (see above). That means data is preserved so as to optimise your viewing experience.
What we do with it
-We compile information about members into the printed members handbook, which is also available in electronic form to registered members on our website
– We might sometimes need minimally to share your data with a partner Learned Society or equivalent in order to provide a core activity. For example, we may hold a joint meeting with another Society who organise events open only to members, and they need to verify members’ status. However, such “sharing” should be for the specific purpose on a Society-related event, the data should not be held longer than necessary for that event to take place, and we will contact you where possible (e.g. through our email messages) to inform you that we intend to do this, so you have the opportunity to tell us about your preferences.
– When new members join the Society, then an affiliated company such as the Journal publisher, may be provided with some of your membership data only so that they can offer you information about the Society Journal (e.g. Table of Contents information as an email alert). You can modify your privacy / contact preferences if you change your mind about receiving such information
– When members apply to the Society for small grants, or non members apply for a study visit supported by a member, we make applications available to committee members for evaluation, in order to arrive at decisions about whether we can support the application of not.
– We take your privacy seriously and we won’t sell or give away your membership data to another entity, e.g. for the purpose of another entity sending you marketing or third party product information. Cookie data is used for EPS review purposes only.
How we look after it
– We keep electronic Society information on encrypted devices, and we use secure cloud services for sharing information within the committee.
- Website information, including membership registration, is held online by the website provider
The Society holds digital archive material offline (e.g CD in a locked room) and paper copies of Society business in locked cabinets in a locked room.
Your rights
We only keep your data for as long as we need to. You can ask to have data deleted at any time. We need to retain basic information (e.g. that you were a member between certain dates, with paid / unpaid subscriptions etc) because this is relevant in case of re-application to the Society. If you have provided us with, for example, a report on a study visit or workshop, we cannot delete such information as preserving the record is likely to be a legitimate interest in the Society.
You have the following rights regarding your own data:
- To have access to your personal data
- To have inaccurate or incomplete personal data amended;
- To have your personal data deleted – this will only apply when there is no legitimate reason for the EPS to use your personal data;
- To restrict the use of your personal data;
- To request information so that you can provide them to other organisations;
- To object to automated decision making
- To withdraw consent when we have used consent as the basis for using your information.
This policy last reviewed: 12 June