Privacy and cookies

Personal Data The Costume Society is committed to protecting your personal information and being transparent about what information we hold. The purpose of this Privacy Policy is to explain how we collect and use any personal information you provide to us and how we communicate with you in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2016 (PECR).

What data do we hold and why?

Membership information – When you join The Costume Society we ask for basic personal information that may include your name, address, email address and telephone number. We prefer to have at least two items of contact information for members as this allows us to get in contact should there be an error in one. If you are subscribing using cheque, bank transfer or standing order we will also require basic banking information to manage the transaction. If you subscribe using electronic payment, PayPal will manage your data and share only the relevant information with us (see their Privacy Policy at paypal.com/ie/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-prev). Any information we request is required in order to provide the service that you would expect as a member of the organisation, namely: To send you either a hard copy of the Journal of the Costume Society twice a year, and to forward a hard copy of the society’s newsletter. To circulate AGM, conference, study day and other events information via the e-newsletter and special postal mailing from time to time. To inform you (by e-mail or post) when your subscription is due and if there is a change in subscription rates. Any such changes will be also be announced in the Journal, in the print newsletter and on the website. To email occasional items relevant to the focus of the organisation (see www.costumesociety/about-us ) that we think you may be interested in. To record your name as an attendee for an AGM, conference, study day or other event. Note: You can choose to stop receiving communications from the Costume Society at any time by contacting the Membership Secretary (membership@costumesociety.org.uk ) although members should stay informed about General Meetings (Annual or Special) and should recognize that they void their constituted rights if they opt out of notices about them (for the Costume Society Constitution see members section of the website.

Events administration information – When you make a booking to attend one of our events we may ask for basic personal information such as your name, work or personal address, email address, telephone number and social media handle. We may also ask for information of a more sensitive nature, such as dietary preference and access requirements. We request this information in order to be able to verify your booking, contact you about the administration of the event and ensure that we can adequately meet your requirements on the day. If you are paying for an event using cheque, bank transfer or standing order we will also require basic banking information to manage the transaction. If you pay online, Eventbrite will manage your data and share only the relevant information with us (see their Privacy Policy at eventbrite.com/support/articles/en_US/Troubleshooting/eventbrite-privacy-policy?lg=en_US).

What data do we share? We never sell data and we do not share your personal information with external parties without your explicit permission. Where we do share your information, it will be in the form of: A mailing list to our printer who distributes the hard copies of the Journal. A delegate list for a meeting (only if you have indicated that you wish to be included). Your name, organisation and social media handle on a badge at an event (should you choose to provide information for that purpose).

How do we keep data and for how long? Members of the Costume Society executive committee and our webmaster manage and have access to your information, in order to undertake their duties. We hold paper archives, including some historic lists of the names of past members, which are securely stored and managed by our Archivist. Obsolete paper material is securely disposed of. We keep your digitised information in a secure database for as long as it is relevant, namely: To manage your membership – we normally keep this information for the duration of your current membership (one year) plus an administration period of up to two years, in which we may contact you with reminders about lapsed memberships. In exceptional cases, we may retain your information for up to six years, under the statute of limitations, in order to manage unresolved financial matters. Until all of the administration associated with an event has been completed, which we would expect should be no more than one year, but which may extend to six years, under the statute of limitations, in order to manage unresolved financial matters.

Note: Should you wish to have your details removed from any of our databases before this period has elapsed for any reason, please contact our Membership Secretary (membership@costumesociety.org.uk). Any personal data you enter on our website is stored on a secure server and transmitted only over secure (HTTPS) connections. If you require any further information about the way that our website stores and uses data, please contact our webmaster.

Cookies – Our website uses cookies only where necessary. A temporary session cookie tracks the pages viewed during each visit, this expires when you leave the website. If you choose to use the “Remember Me” function on the login box, this will store a cookie containing your username and password locally on your computer. You can accept or decline cookies by changing the settings in your internet browser. If cookies are disabled, some features of the website may be affected. For further information on how to disable cookies, please see this external third-party website: www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies.

We do not collect search terms at all and do not collect IP addresses (‘your server address’) for statistical purposes. This is personally identifiable information which is now only stored temporarily for server administration and security reasons. External platforms We encourage you to take advantage of our digital communications mechanisms (Twitter, Facebook, and the e-newsletter) to keep informed about matters of interest. Signing up to these platforms is your decision and each platform has its own policies independent of the Costume Society. Our website has external links and we are not responsible for the privacy policies or practices of third party websites. We advise you to read any third-party policies and terms carefully. Your rights

You have the right to: Request a copy of the information we hold about you (this is a Subject Access Request) and to have any inaccuracies corrected. Request deletion of your personal information. Request that we restrict our processing of your personal information. Object to our processing of your personal information.

If you should wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact our Membership Secretary (membership@costumesociety.org.uk) with your request and proof of your identity (scan or post of copy passport and official correspondence with your address) and you will receive a response within 30 calendar days of your identity being verified. If you feel that the Costume Society is not handling your data in a satisfactory manner you also have a right to object to the ICO (Information Commissioners Office). The Costume Society is a registered charity (No.262401) run by volunteers appointed from it’s membership Tracking, cookies and personal data

All personal data is collected and stored in line with the General Data Protection Regulations 2018.

This data will be used for:

  • Completion and support of the current activity.
  • Web site and system administration.
  • Research and development.

This data is collected from all web users. Web access logs are used for statistical purposes only (eg to measure the use/performance of the site) except in the event of a security breach when they could be used for the purpose of tracing the breach.

Any personal information that you provide to us will only be used for the purpose stated at the time we request it. This information will not be disclosed to a third party except where authorised by you or as otherwise permitted by the General Data Protection Regulations.

Cookies

Cookies are a technology which can be used to provide you with tailored information from a web site; they can facilitate communication and interaction with the site; they allow site owners to measure visitor activity. You can reject or delete cookies using the settings in your web browser.

Our site uses the following cookies:

Name Description Expiration Type
anon Determines whether the user’s username is displayed in the list of currently logged in members. 1 year Functionality
csrf_token A security cookie used to identify the user and prevent Cross Site Request Forgery attacks. 2 hours Strictly Necessary
last_activity Records the time of the last page load. Used in in calculating active sessions. 1 year Strictly Necessary
last_visit Date of the user’s last visit, based on the last_activity cookie. Can be shown as a statistic for members and used by forum and comments to show unread topics for both members and guests. 1 year Strictly Necessary
remember Determines whether a user is automatically logged in upon visiting the site. 2 weeks Strictly Necessary
sessionid Session id, used to associate a logged in user with their data. 1-2 hours Strictly Necessary
tracker Contains the last 5 pages viewed, encrypted for security. Typically used for form or error message returns. Session Functionality
visitor_consents Saves responses to Consent requests for non-logged in visitors 1 year Strictly Necessary

Google Analytics

Our site also uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. Google Analytics sets cookies in order to evaluate your use of our site and to compile reports for us on visitor activity.

Google stores the information they collect on servers in the United States. They may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on their behalf. By accepting cookies, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.

Google’s privacy policy, and information on rejecting or deleting their cookies can be found at www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/.

E-mail enquiry form

We collect the following information:

  • Contact information
  • Details of your enquiry

In all cases this information will only be used for the stated purpose for which it was provided. No information is given or sold to any third party.

If you have any concerns regarding the data we hold about you, please contact us at the address below.

Grant or withdraw your consent for non-essential cookies

These cookies help us personalise content and functionality for you, including remembering changes you have made to parts of the website that you can customise, or selections for services made on previous visits. If you do not allow these cookies, some portions of our website may be less friendly and easy to use, forcing you to enter content or set your preferences on each visit.

These cookies allow us measure how visitors use our website, which pages are popular, and what our traffic sources are. This helps us improve how our website works and make it easier for all visitors to find what they are looking for. The information is aggregated and anonymous, and cannot be used to identify you. If you do not allow these cookies, we will be unable to use your visits to our website to help make improvements.

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