What information we collect and how we use it
If you subscribe to our newsletter We add your name and email address to Free Cosmos’ newsletter mailing list, which is managed via Mailchimp. We are not using the platform for tracking in our newsletters, which means that we can’t identify how many or which users have opened mailouts or followed links.
If you make a donation Your name, payment and security details are held by the payment processor (e.g. Paypal). Your name, email address, postal address (the billing address of your card and/or your home address — if applicable — ), the last few digits of your card or bank account number, and the donation amount are then made available to us. We do not use this data for purposes other than processing your donation, and company accounting — which may involve sharing data with our accountant or the national tax authority .
If you contact us via email Your email address and message will be accessible to our small team of support staff and may be forwarded to the person or people in the organisation best equipped to respond. We adhere to strict internal privacy policies which comply with the GDPR. Your personal data are not subject automated decision-making, including profiling.
Your personal information is never shared externally, or used for purposes other than the above.
Legal basis for processing
In subscribing to the newsletter or contacting us, you are consenting to the processes as described on this page. The legal basis is article 6(1)(a) GDPR – Consent of the data subject. This consent can be withdrawn any time, however, this withdrawal shall not affect the legality of the processing up to the point of the withdrawal.
When making a donation, we process your data on the legal basis of GDPR 6(1)(c) – Processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation. We need to process and retain your data in order to comply with the law regarding company and charity accounting.
If you contact us, the processing of your personal data will be based on article 6(1)(f) – Legitimate interest and particularly the interest to provide adequate and quality service.
Retention periods
In all cases listed above, we retain your personal data until such a time as you unsubscribe or ask us to remove your details.
If you contact Free Cosmos via email, we reserve the right to keep your message indefinitely. This is to aid continuity and so that we can view any historic context which may have bearing on subsequent support mail, even if members of the support staff change. Support staff adhere to strict internal privacy and security policies.
We are obliged to keep records relating to financial transactions for at least six years following the end of the accounting period in which the transaction took place. We destroy our records after this point; if you require information on payment processors’ policies, please contact them directly.
How to unsubscribe from the newsletter
Every newsletter contains a quick and easy unsubscribe link in its footer.
When you unsubscribe from a newsletter managed via Mailchimp, your details remain on the list of past recipients. This is a measure to prevent circumstances such as a member of staff accidentally manually re-adding you. Mailchimp states: “As a compliance measure, subscribers who unsubscribe themselves can’t be deleted from your list.”
However, provided you are still a subscriber at the point when you contact us, on request your details can be permanently removed from the list – please contact us if you would like this to happen.
Your rights
• Right to access
• Right to rectify
• Right to erasure
• Right to restriction of processing
• Right to data portability
• Right to object
You may exercise them by contacting us on info@freecosmos.org
In addition, if you believe that we have mishandled your data or we didn’t respond well to your requests, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Authority of your county. However, do contact us first, so that we can try and help.