Data Policy

Data controller

The Society for Renaissance Studies (SRS) is the data controller and has overall control for all of the data it processes.

Personal information

The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) defines personal data as information relating to a person which can identify that person. The regulations require us to ensure that 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
  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.

Why we need your data

We need to know your personal data in order to provide you with the services we offer: as council members, ordinary members, or as applicants for any of our grants and bursaries, or participants in our events. We will not collect any personal data from you that we do not need.

Privacy statement

The Society for Renaissance Studies (SRS) has created a privacy statement which describes fully how we manage and process data.

What do we do with your data?

All the data you provide will only be processed by the relevant SRS officers and stored on our secure servers.

Subject access request

If you wish to make a formal access request to see the data the SRS holds about you, please contact the society’s Data Protection Officer.

Your rights and how to make a complaint

If you believe that the information we hold on you is incorrect, you may request to see it and have it amended or deleted. If you wish to make a complaint about how your data has been handled you may do so by contacting the SRS’s Data Protection Officer.

Data Protection Officer

Hon. Chair, Prof. Jane Grogan

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, or you believe your data is not being processed in accordance with the law, you should contact the office of the Information Commissioner.

Disclosure

The SRS will never provide data to third parties unless one of the following conditions applies:

  • When you have given your permission to do so
  • When we are required to do so by law, by a court order or by a governmental department or authority
  • When we need to protect our own rights, property or safety, employees and students
  • the third party is acting as a contracted agent for the SRS (see article x of the privacy statement)

Details of how and when data may be exchanged with third parties are given in the core privacy policies listed below and in the privacy statement.

In the event of computer misuse data may be passed to computer security staff external to the SRS to aid in their investigations.

The SRS will never sell data to a third party.

Cookies

Most websites will put small text files onto your computer or similar device, which are known as cookies. A cookie is a small piece of information placed in your web browser or hard drive that can be used to identify website visitors and to analyse website traffic. This allows us to understand how people use our website and to improve visitors’ experiences.

Links to third party websites

You will find links to other websites on the Society for Renaissance Studies Website site. The SRS can accept no responsibility or liability for the content of other websites or any information you provide to third party websites. It is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with the privacy policies of other websites.

Automated decision making

The General Data Protection Regulations provide safeguards for individuals against the risk that a potentially damaging decision is taken without human intervention. There are no automated decision making processes at the SRS.

Version control

These statements are reviewed annually or more frequently should circumstances require it. They were last reviewed in January 2024.