Privacy, your data and the BIAA

The BIAA needs to gather and use certain information about individuals with whom the organisation has a relationship.

This document describes how your personal data will be collected, handled and stored to meet data protection standards and comply with the law. Furthermore, this privacy notice details your choices regarding the information you provide to us. These include the choice of which types of email communication you would prefer to receive from us. You can update your communication preferences at any time by clicking here.

If you would like to stop receiving email communications from the BIAA entirely, please click here.

The BIAA is committed to protecting your personal information and this policy applies to all data BIAA holds relating to individuals.

Privacy notice

Who we are

The British Institute at Ankara supports, enables and encourages research in Türkiye and the Black Sea region in a wide range of fields including archaeology, ancient and modern history, heritage management, social sciences and contemporary issues in public policy and political sciences. Founded in 1947, the BIAA was incorporated in the 1956 cultural agreement between the Republic of Turkey and the United Kingdom. The BIAA is one of the British International Research Institutes (BIRI). It has offices in Ankara and London, and a dedicated staff of experts from a wide variety of academic and cultural backgrounds

The BIAA is a registered UK charity (313940). We are also a registered company limited by guarantee in England and Wales (00477436).

BIAA and the law

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) follows the UK Data Protection Act 1998 and became UK law on 25 May 2018. It describes how organisations must collect, handle and store personal information. To comply with the law, your personal data must:

· Be collected and used fairly and lawfully.

· Be obtained for specific and lawful processes.

· Be adequate, accurate and relevant.

· Not be held for longer than necessary.

· Be processed in accordance with your rights as the data subject.

· Be stored safely and protected in appropriate ways.

The GDPR also grants you the right not to receive certain communications without consent, and the “right to be forgotten”. Under the GDPR the BIAA further undertakes:

· Not to sell or share your personal data with third parties.

· Not to collect personally identifying information (such as name and e-mail address) through its website except when you specifically and knowingly provide the information (for example, when you sign up for a newsletter, ask to be contacted or subscribe to services).

· To use information you provide solely for the stated purpose.

· That information used should reflect a ‘legitimate interest’.

What the BIAA collects

We may collect personal information about you when you engage with us via a number of channels, including when you apply for a grant; become a BIAA member; enquire about our activities and services; make a donation; sign up to receive emails or register for an event. We do not collect ‘sensitive’ personal data from you unless there is a legitimate reason for doing so.

Job and grant applicants

If you apply for a grant or for employment at the BIAA, we will only use the information you give us to process your application. If we want to disclose information to someone outside the BIAA, for example, if we need a reference, we will make sure we tell you beforehand, unless we are required to disclose this information by law.

How we may use your information

We may use your information for a number of purposes including the following:

· To provide you with the services, products or information you have requested or which we feel may interest you where you have consented to being contacted.

· To process donations we may receive from you.

· To provide you with information about our work or our activities.

· For internal record keeping, including the management of any feedback or complaints

· To tailor communications and messages to you.

· Where it is required or authorised by law

General Guidelines on the use of your data

The BIAA commits to the following:

· The only people to access data covered by this policy should be those who need it for their work.

· Your data will be kept secure whether it is held online or in paper form.

· Your data will be held in as few places as possible.

· Your data will not be purposefully disclosed to unauthorised persons, and safeguards are in place to avoid accidental disclosure.

· Your data will be reviewed and updated regularly, and deleted/shredded when no longer required.

Marketing purposes

We may contact you for marketing purposes (usually by e-mail) if you have agreed to be contacted in this manner for marketing purposes and do not opt out of receiving further marketing information.

It is your choice as to whether you want to receive information about our work and the ways you can get involved. You can update your communication preferences here, or by contacting our London Manager on 0207 969 5204 or biaa@britac.ac.uk.

Information sharing and disclosure

We may disclose your personal information to third parties if we are under a duty to disclose your personal data in order to comply with any legal obligation (for example to government bodies and law enforcement agencies), or in order to enforce or apply our rights (including in relation to our website or other applicable terms and conditions) or to protect the BIAA, for example in cases of suspected fraud or defamation.

Inappropriate website content

If you post online or send the BIAA any content that we believe to be inappropriate, offensive or in breach of any laws, such as defamatory content, we may use your personal information to inform relevant third parties such as your internet provider or law enforcement agencies.

Where we may store your information

For financial and technical reasons, we use the services of a supplier outside the European Economic Area (EEA), however we will ensure that your information is held in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation. By submitting your personal information you agree to this transfer, storing or processing at a location outside the EEA. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is kept secure and in accordance with this privacy policy.

Keeping your records

We keep records for as long as required to operate the service in accordance with legal requirements and tax and accounting rules. Where your information is no longer required, we will ensure it is disposed of in a secure manner.

Your ability to edit and delete your account information and preferences

All individuals who are the subject of personal data held by BIAA are entitled to:

· Ask what information the Institute holds about you and why it is held.

· Ask how to access your information and be informed of BIAA’s data protection obligations.

· Ask that your data be removed in part or whole from BIAA lists.

Personal data will not be passed on to anyone outside the organisation without explicit consent from you unless there is a legal duty of disclosure.

Requests will be dealt with within 30 days.

Changes to this privacy policy

We may update the terms of this policy, so please do check this from time to time.

Contact

We suggest that you contact us first about any questions or if you have a complaint in relation to how we process personal information. However, you do have the right to take any complaints about how we process your personal data to the Information Commissioner.

UK Information Commissioner Website