TWFS - Privacy of data

Specific subjects:

Legal status
Finance & tax
Role of the Film Centre
Data Privacy
TWFS Constitution
Members’ responsibilities
The Committee
How we select films
Other activities
Some views

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Does TWFS hold personal data about its members?

Yes. We hold the information that you supply to us when you send in your application form, or additions or corrections that you later give us. We also hold information about when you join, when you renew membership, how much you have paid in subscriptions and when, your email address (if you have one), etc. We hold this solely to enable us to run the society and you to enjoy its benefits.

Must TWFS “notify” the Information Commissioner about the data that it holds?

No. Provided that they satisfy certain conditions, there is a specific exemption for not-for-profit organizations, and that’s what TWFS is. We have checked all those conditions and are satisfied that TWFS does not need to register with the Information Commissioner. (We still need to comply, of course - see above.)

Will TWFS release my personal data to other organizations?

Absolutely not! But ...

There is just one exception. We issue regularly to the cinema a list of members so that, if you have forgotten your membership card, they can verify that you are a member when you claim discount or buy a cinema ticket. That list holds just two pieces of information about you: your name and title, and your membership number. This reveals no sensitive, personal data, so we think this is reasonable.

There has now been a second exception: we gave exactly the same list to Goodfellows in May 2008, as they were offering a special discount to TWFS members during June.

We might, however, release your name and telephone number to other members of TWFS if this supports the internal purposes and activities of the society. (E.g. forming discussion groups.)

But what if a member asks you to give to him data on other members which would be useful for his charity or business?

We will not give it. Here is what we said in our news update to all members in March 2004:

“Your committee has discussed how we should treat requests to use our mailing list [i.e. your personal data] for advertising and has agreed, firstly, that only the committee shall have access to the full list with addresses. (Data Protection applies, of course.) We do not encourage but may be prepared to consider including in or with our normal mailings or programme notes others’ publicity material, but only where these conditions are all met:

from bona fide members of TWFS, on their own, not others’, behalf;
where the event being advertised is considered appropriate (e.g. no car boot sales, no MacDonald’s, no double glazing);
after consideration on a case-by-case basis by the committee (which will limit the number of occasions on which you receive such material);
on the understanding that the committee is simply including the material for your information, is not attempting to persuade you to take up the offer, and takes no responsibility for your decision or its consequences.

Can you assure me that you don’t retain my bank account or credit card details?

Yes.

Firstly, we cannot process credit or debit cards, so we do not accept them for payment of subscription.

Secondly, if you pay your subscription by cheque, we simply pay it into the TWFS bank. We have no interest in which bank you use, or your bank branch, or its sort code, or your account number, so we keep no record of them.

Do you comply with the Data Protection requirement that “personal data are not kept after the relationship between you [TWFS] and the data subject [the member] ends”?

Yes.

You should, however, note that that quotation, from the booklet, Notification Exemptions, mentioned at the beginning of this page, continues so: "... unless and for so long as it is necessary to do so for the exempt purpose."

We therefore retain personal information (your address, telephone number, email address, etc.) until we are quite certain that you have left the society. In practice this means that we will delete this data if you have NOT renewed or rejoined by mid-August of the following TWFS year. We then keep your name, membership number and dates and amounts of subscription payments but nothing more, just so that we have a minimal record of who has belonged to TWFS over the many years that we hope it will survive.

On your application form you ask for my telephone number and email address. Why? Am I going to be pestered by your spam?

No. Both are for what we consider to be necessary or at least useful communication.

Telephone number:

In case of queries or issues more easily resolved by phone. For instance, if someone has sent the wrong subscription, or expressed a forceful opinion that needs to be discussed, or simply asked a question, it is often most simply resolved in a brief telephone conversation. We avoid handwritten or typed correspondence to individuals, except for new memberships, renewals, newsletters and the AGM. It costs money and takes an awful lot of your voluntary committee’s time.

To contact you urgently if there is an unforeseen change that you may need to know about. For instance, in 2004-5 a distributor failed to deliver a film in time for the Monday night showing. On that occasion, committee members, at their own expense, warned by phone every single TWFS member who was not on email and whose phone number was on record.

Email address:

For the film reminder that we send out a few days before a film night.

For other news or information that may be of interest or advantage to members (e.g. the Goodfellows offer for June 2008).

In future we shall consider using email for missives that are currently posted.

We shall NOT pester, or flood your inbox. If you think that we are doing, email us, and we shall resolve it. (Most probably by phone or email!)

Privacy of Members’ Data