International Association of Geoanalysts’ Data Protection Policy
1. Introduction
It is the policy of the IAG to fully comply with the requirements of the UK Data Protection Act 1998 (As amended) and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that comes into force on 25 May 2018.
In compliance with the former, we make sure that information is:
- used fairly and lawfully
- used for limited, specifically stated purposes
- used in a way that is adequate, relevant and not excessive
- accurate
- kept for no longer than is absolutely necessary
- handled according to people’s data protection rights
- kept safe and secure
- not transferred outside the European Economic Area without adequate protection
As the IAG is a not-for-profit organisation, we are not required to register with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.
We will collect and store securely only those data needed for the operation of the IAG in support of its members as set out in our mission and aims and objectives. We will seek the permission of each individual to hold such data.
The data will be held securely on our main computer system and appropriate backup devices that are fully protected by appropriate security software. Access to these data is restricted to a very small number of individuals, including the Secretary and Treasurer of the IAG, who are fully aware of the need to comply with appropriate data protection regulations.
2. Scope
This document describes how the IAG collects and uses the personal information you provide. It also describes the choices available to you regarding our use of your personal information and how you can access and update this information.
The International Association of Geoanalysts, including its subsidiary IAGeo Limited and the Journal ‘Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research‘, which operates under a publication agreement with the IAG, recognises the importance of (a) protecting the personal information collected from its members and users of its services and (b) taking reasonable steps to maintain the security, integrity and privacy of any information it holds. By submitting your information to the IAG you agree to the practices described in this policy.
3. How the IAG collects information
The IAG may collect personal information from you in the several ways: (1) directly from your verbal or written input, such as information in membership applications, and information provided as part of IAG’s activities, including its GeoPT, G-Probe and other proficiency testing schemes; workshops, courses and conferences; sales of reference materials and any other product and (2) indirectly through information provided online via our website contact form and ScholarOne Manuscripts™, which is the online manuscript submission and management system used by ‘Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research‘.
4. Information you provide
The types of personal information that the IAG collects directly from you may include:
- Contact details, such as your name, e-mail address, postal address and telephone number;
- Payment information, such as a credit or debit card number;
- Educational, scientific and professional interests; and
- Comments, feedback, posts and other content you provide to the IAG, including through IAG websites.
Indirectly collected information may include:
- Contact details, such as your name, e-mail address, postal address and telephone number;
- Usernames and passwords;
- Tracking codes such as cookies;
- Internet Protocol (“IP”) addresses used to connect your computer to the Internet.
To access certain content and to make use of additional functionality and features of the IAG’s websites and services, we may ask you to register for an account by completing and submitting a registration form, which may request additional information.
If you choose to register and sign in by using a third-party account, such as a Facebook account, the authentication of your login is handled by the third party, and any personal information collected during that third-party login is not covered by this policy.
5. Information the IAG receives from other sources
The IAG may receive information about you if you use websites associated with the IAG, such as ScholarOne Manuscripts™.
6. Use of your information
The IAG may use your personal information to comply with any legal obligations, or for legitimate reasons in pursuing the Association’s not-for-profit aims and obligations, including but not limited to one or all of the following: providing direct marketing; modifying our services, products and communications; detecting fraud; investigating suspicious activity and ensuring the security of the IAG’s websites.
In addition, we may use your information in the following ways after obtaining your consent, if required:
- To provide you with information about products and services that you request from us;
- To provide you with information about other products, events and services we offer that are either (i) similar to those you have already purchased or inquired about, or (ii) entirely new products, events and services;
- To notify you about changes or updates to our websites, products or services;
- To allow you to participate in any interactive features of our service; and
- For any other purpose that we may notify you of from time to time.
Personal information will not be kept longer than is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected. This means that, unless information must be retained for legal or archival purposes, personal information will be securely destroyed when it is no longer required or, where applicable, following a request from you to destroy or erase your personal information.
7. Security
We will use appropriate safeguards to protect your data. Access to your personal data will be restricted to only those who need to know that information in order to perform their job function. The officers and associates of the IAG are instructed about the importance of maintaining the confidentiality and security of your information.
8. Disclosure in chat rooms or forums
Identifiable personal information, e.g. your name or e-mail address, that you voluntarily disclose and that is accessible to other users, e.g., on social media, forums, bulletin boards or in chat areas, that may be accessed via IAG websites, could be collected and disclosed by others. The IAG cannot take any responsibility for such collection and disclosure.
9. Cookies
Although the IAG’s websites use cookies, the IAG has no programme of gathering information for web-analytical purposes.
Websites associated with ‘Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research‘ including ScholarOne Manuscripts™ and Wiley Online Library may use cookies or similar technologies to analyse trends, administer the website, track users’ movements around the website, and to gather demographic information about their user bases. The use of cookies can be controlled at the individual browser level, but if you choose to disable cookies, it may limit the use of certain features or functions of websites.
10. Your rights
You have the right to make a written request to be informed whether or not we hold or process any of your personal information by e-mailing jmc@bgs.ac.uk. In your written request, you may:
- Request that we provide you with details of your personal information that we process, the purpose for which it is processed, the recipients of such information, the existence of any automated decision making involving your personal information, and what transfer safeguards we have in place;
- Request that we rectify any errors in your personal information;
- Request that we delete your personal information if our continued processing of such information is not justified;
- Request that we transfer your personal information to a third party;
- Object to direct marketing from us; and
- Object to processing for purposes of scientific, historical research and statistics.
The IAG will not use your personal information for marketing purposes, nor disclose your information to any third parties, unless we have your prior consent, which we will seek before collecting your personal information.
11. Third-parties
The IAG’s websites or services may include links to third-party websites. In using such links, please be aware that each third-party website is subject to its own privacy and data protection policies and is not covered by this Data Protection Policy.
12. Changes to the IAG’s data protection policy
This data protection policy is reviewed periodically, and the IAG reserves the right to modify it at any time without notice. Changes to policy will be posted on this page and will become effective on the date of posting. We encourage you to periodically review this page for the latest information on our data protection practices.
13. Recourse
Any comments, complaints or questions concerning this policy or complaints or objections about our use of your personal information should be addressed by directing your comments to the IAG’s acting Data Protection Officer, who is the Hon. Secretary of the Association.