Privacy Policy

YERO (Young European Radio Operators) respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we protect it, who may receive it and how long we keep it.

YERO aims to collect only the information that is reasonably necessary to operate the community, process membership applications, communicate with members and help keep the community safe.

1. Who we are

YERO (Young European Radio Operators) is a community for people interested in amateur radio, radio communications, electronics and related activities.

For the purposes of applicable UK data protection law, YERO is responsible for deciding how and why the personal information described in this policy is used.

If you have a question about this Privacy Policy or how your personal information is handled, you can contact us at:

Email: yero.radioclub@gmail.com

2. What information we collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with YERO. This may include:

• Your name
• Your preferred name or username
• Your age or date of birth where necessary
• Your email address or other contact details
• Your amateur radio callsign, where applicable
• Information supplied as part of a membership application
• Information required to administer membership
• Information relating to participation in YERO activities
• Communications you send to YERO
• Parent or guardian information where required by YERO's membership or safeguarding procedures
• Records showing that the required parental or guardian consent has been provided

We will not deliberately ask for personal information that is unnecessary for the purpose for which it is being collected.

3. Why we use your information

YERO may use personal information to:

• Process and review membership applications
• Manage YERO membership
• Communicate with members and applicants
• Organise meetings, events and activities
• Administer amateur-radio-related activities
• Confirm eligibility for particular activities
• Carry out safeguarding procedures
• Obtain and record parental or guardian consent where required by YERO
• Protect members and the wider YERO community
• Prevent abuse, spam, fraud or repeated applications
• Maintain appropriate administrative records
• Comply with legal obligations
• Establish, exercise or defend legal claims where necessary

We will not use your personal information for unrelated purposes unless we have a lawful reason to do so.

4. Our lawful bases for using personal information

Data protection law requires YERO to have a lawful basis for processing personal information. Depending on the circumstances, YERO may rely on one or more of the following:

Membership and contract

Where processing is necessary to process or administer membership, or to take steps at your request before membership begins, we may rely on the contractual basis provided by applicable data protection law.

Legitimate interests

We may process information where it is reasonably necessary for YERO's legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by the rights and freedoms of the individual.

Examples may include administering the community, communicating with members, maintaining appropriate records and protecting the community from misuse.

Legal obligation

We may process information where this is necessary for YERO to comply with a legal obligation.

Consent

Where consent is the appropriate lawful basis, we will ask for it clearly and for a specific purpose. Where processing is based on consent, consent may be withdrawn at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect processing that took place before consent was withdrawn.

5. Children and young people

YERO welcomes young people interested in amateur radio. We therefore take the privacy and safety of children and young people particularly seriously.

YERO requires a parent or legal guardian to complete a parental/guardian consent form for members under 18 as part of YERO's membership and safeguarding procedures.

This is a YERO membership and safeguarding requirement. It does not mean that UK data protection law automatically requires parental consent for every person under 18.

Where YERO relies on consent for an online service provided directly to children, we will follow the specific rules that apply to children's consent under applicable data protection law.

We will:

• Collect only information that is reasonably necessary
• Explain how personal information is used in clear language
• Take the best interests of children into account
• Use appropriate security measures
• Avoid unnecessary profiling or use of children's information
• Limit access to children's information to people who genuinely need it
• Keep children's information only for as long as necessary
• Provide appropriate ways for children and parents or guardians to exercise applicable data protection rights

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) states that there is no general UK GDPR minimum age at which a child can provide their own consent, except for specific rules concerning online services provided directly to children. In Scotland, children are generally presumed to have capacity from age 12, depending on the circumstances.

6. Parental and guardian consent

Where YERO requires a parental or guardian consent form for a member under 18, the form may contain:

• The young person's name
• The parent or guardian's name
• Contact details
• Confirmation of the relationship to the young person
• Confirmation of parental responsibility where appropriate
• Confirmation that consent has been provided
• The date consent was provided

We will collect only the information reasonably necessary for this process.

We will not request unnecessary identity documents or other sensitive information simply to obtain or verify parental consent.

Information collected solely to verify parental or guardian consent will be deleted when it is no longer reasonably necessary for that purpose, unless there is a separate legal, safeguarding or legitimate reason to retain it.

7. Special category information

YERO generally avoids collecting special category personal information unless it is genuinely necessary.

Special category information can include information about health, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, political opinions and other particularly sensitive information.

If YERO needs to process special category information, we will ensure that an appropriate lawful basis and applicable additional legal condition are in place.

8. Who we share information with

YERO does not sell, rent or trade members' personal information.

Personal information may be accessed by authorised YERO administrators, organisers or volunteers where they genuinely need it to perform their role.

YERO may also use service providers for purposes such as website hosting, email, membership administration, file storage or communications.

Where another organisation processes personal information on YERO's behalf, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that the processing is properly governed and that appropriate security measures are in place.

We may also disclose information where required by law, where necessary to protect someone's vital interests, or where necessary for safeguarding or another lawful purpose.

9. Discord and other third-party services

YERO may use third-party services, including Discord, to provide communications and community features.

These services are operated by separate organisations and have their own privacy policies and terms. Information shared directly with those services may be processed by them independently of YERO.

YERO does not control how an independent third-party service processes information that you provide directly to that service.

10. International transfers

Some third-party service providers used by YERO may process or store personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where UK data protection law requires safeguards for an international transfer, YERO will use an appropriate legal transfer mechanism.

11. How long we keep your information

YERO follows the principle that personal information should not be kept for longer than it is reasonably necessary.

There is therefore no single retention period for every type of information. The appropriate period depends on why the information was collected and whether there is a continuing reason to keep it.

In general:

• Membership information will normally be kept while it is required to administer an active membership
• Information from unsuccessful applications will normally be deleted once it is no longer reasonably required
• Parental or guardian consent records will be kept only for as long as reasonably necessary to administer and demonstrate the relevant consent or safeguarding requirement
• Communications may be retained where reasonably necessary for administration, safeguarding, dispute resolution or legal purposes
• Information that is no longer required will be securely deleted or anonymised where appropriate

We may retain certain information for longer where this is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, deal with safeguarding matters, or establish or defend legal claims.

YERO does not keep personal information indefinitely simply because it has been collected.

12. Keeping information secure

YERO takes reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against:

• Unauthorised access
• Accidental loss
• Destruction
• Unauthorised disclosure
• Unauthorised alteration
• Other unlawful processing

Access to personal information is limited to people who need it for legitimate YERO purposes.

Where appropriate, YERO uses access controls, passwords, secure storage and other reasonable security measures.

No method of storing or transmitting information can be guaranteed to be completely secure. However, YERO will take reasonable steps to protect the information it controls.

13. Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights under applicable data protection law, including:

• The right to be informed about how your personal information is used
• The right to request access to your personal information
• The right to request correction of inaccurate information
• The right to request deletion in certain circumstances
• The right to request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
• The right to object to certain processing
• The right to data portability where applicable
• The right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent

These rights are subject to legal conditions and exceptions and therefore do not apply in every circumstance.

To exercise a data protection right, contact:

yero.radioclub@gmail.com

We may need to verify your identity before providing personal information or making certain changes.

14. Complaints

If you are concerned about how YERO has handled your personal information, please contact us first so that we can investigate the matter.

You also have the right to complain to the UK's data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
ico.org.uk

15. Changes to this Privacy Policy

YERO may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our activities, technology, legal requirements or data protection guidance.

The latest version will be published on the YERO website.

Where a change is significant, YERO will take reasonable steps to make members aware of the change.

16. Contact

YERO - Young European Radio Operators
yero.radioclub@gmail.com

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, your personal information, a membership application, or your data protection rights, please contact us using the email address above.