Privacy Policy
Personal Data and the Reading Geological Society (RGS)
An individual’s confidentiality is protected by the Data Protection Act and, from 25th May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2016 (PECR). Personal information supplied by members to the RGS will be kept on file and stored securely. Unless requested otherwise, contact details of past members will be kept in a secure archive so that we can contact them concerning special events.
Paper copies of Membership Application forms will be destroyed once the member has left the society.
Members
The Membership Application requests some Personal Data and the applicant’s preferred means of communication.
Personal Data
This data includes title, name, address, post-code, telephone number (optional), and email address (optional). This information is required to provide the service that is expected by an RGS member. This data will be stored securely.
Photographs
Photographs sent to RGS for our use and publication remain the copyright of the owner but the owner grants a licence to RGS in perpetuity to publish, retain and grant licence to them providing this is lawful and within current regulations. Photographs of identifiable minors must have written parental consent supplied before they can be accepted.
Photographs of minors submitted and retained by RGS prior to May 2018, where written parental consent may not have been recorded, can be requested to be removed from the records by writing to the RGS Data Controller by post at our postal address as published on our website or by using the link Contact RGS
Access to RGS data
The RGS will not share members’ information with any other company or organisation, without the explicit permission of individual members, unless required to do so by law.
Members have the right to access a copy of the information the RGS holds about them (a subject access request) obtainable, subject to proof of identity, from the RGS secretary by using the link Contact RGS or by post at our postal address as published on our website.
Members have a right to object to the ICO (Information Commissioners Office) if they feel that the RGS is not handling their data in a satisfactory manner.
Communication
The RGS will ask members to provide their formal consent to receive their communications either by email or by hard copy through the post or at lecture meetings. These emails will not show recipients email addresses through the use of blind copy in the address book.
We will use a member’s personal data to send:
RGS Newsletter – for electronic copy, the email address will be used; if the member has no email then a hard copy will be posted to the address held on file or passed to members at meetings.
AGM(Annual General Meeting) and SGM (Special General Meeting) information - for electronic copy, the email address will be used; if the member has no email then a hard copy will be posted to the address held on file or passed to members at meetings.
RGS news - notices of lectures, field trips, geological news and geological events held by the RGS and other geological organisations will be circulated electronically to members who wish to receive communications by email.
Payments by Members and to Members will be made by cheque or cash or bank transfer.
Subscription information will be available on the website. Any change of subscription will be notified at the AGM.
Note: With the exception of notices for General Meetings (AGM, SGM) members can opt out of any/all of RGS communications at any time by contacting the RGS secretary by using the link Contact RGS or by post at our postal address as published on our website.
Website
Cookie policy: Cookies are small text files that your browser stores on your computer. The RGS does not use cookies for any purpose.
Contact via the website: the RGS is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. If you provide us with your name, email address or other details it will only be used by the RGS for the purpose of acting upon your inquiry, comment or the information you provide. It will not be shared with third party organisations outside the RGS. A record may be kept of your inquiry, suggestion or comment and used to make improvements to our organisation or the information that we publish.
Copyright: The website and its content are copyright of the RGS or licensed for use by RGS except where stated otherwise. Any reproduction or redistribution of content is not allowed other than as follows:
You may print or download content for your personal and non-commercial use only.
You may copy the content to other individuals for their personal and non-commercial use, provided that you acknowledge the RGS as the source.
Non-profit organisations may use the RGS material with permission. Where the RGS material is used, the source should be acknowledged, for example: Photographs copyright Reading Geological Society.
You may not, except with our permission, distribute or commercially exploit the content of the website nor post the content on another website.
Terms of use: The content of the website is for information and interest and while every effort is made to ensure that the information is accurate and up to date, this cannot be totally guaranteed. The links to other websites have been provided in good faith but the RGS has no responsibility for, nor has it any control over, their content and the RGS does not necessarily endorse any views expressed therein. The RGS is not responsible for the privacy policies or practices of third party websites.
Approved by the Reading Geological Society committee - April 2018.
To be
reviewed in 2023 or earlier if required.
To obtain a pdf copy of the RGS privacy policy use this link: RGS Privacy Policy