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Table of Contents
OARC Privacy Policy
Last updated: 2026-06-07 · Version 0.1 (draft)
OARC (the Online Amateur Radio Community, “we”) is committed to handling your personal data lawfully and transparently. This notice explains what we collect, why, and your rights under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
1. Who We Are
OARC (the Online Amateur Radio Community) is an informal, unincorporated collective of amateur radio enthusiasts running a Discord server and website. It is not a registered company or charity, but it acts as the data controller for the processing described in this notice. In practice this responsibility is held by the volunteers who administer the server and its services.
- Contact: [email protected]
- For data Discord holds about you as a platform, see section 5.
2. What We Collect
- Discord data — your Discord username/ID, server roles, messages, and
activity within the OARC server.
- Contact data — name and email, if you email us or sign up for a service.
- Technical data — IP address, browser type, and logs from our website and
wiki, for security and basic analytics.
3. Why We Collect It, and Our Lawful Basis
| Purpose | Lawful basis (UK GDPR Art. 6) |
|---|---|
| Running the community, membership, roles, moderation | Legitimate interests |
| Operating and securing our website, wiki and services | Legitimate interests |
| Archiving and analysing server activity (see section 4) | Legitimate interests |
| Optional emails / announcements you opt into | Consent |
| Meeting legal or regulatory obligations | Legal obligation |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have judged that our use is proportionate and does not override your rights. You can object at any time (section 7).
4. Discord, Bots and Analytics
The OARC server runs on Discord. Discord is the controller for the platform itself — see Discord's Privacy Policy.
Separately, we operate bots and tooling that retain and analyse server activity — for example message archives, per-user posting statistics, activity timelines, and linking activity across username changes. This is our own processing, used to run the community, support moderation, and produce community summaries. We rely on legitimate interests, retain this data for [retention period], and you may object or request erasure (section 7).
5. How Long We Keep It
We keep personal data only as long as needed for its purpose, then delete or anonymise it. Indicative periods: contact data [period]; website/security logs [period]; archived server activity [period].
6. Who We Share It With
We do not sell your data. We share it only where required by law, or with trusted service providers under contract (e.g. hosting). Some providers, including Discord, are based outside the UK; such transfers rely on appropriate safeguards (e.g. UK adequacy regulations or standard contractual clauses).
7. Your Rights
Under UK GDPR you have the right to access your data, correct it, request erasure, object to or restrict processing, request portability, and — where we rely on consent — withdraw it at any time. We do not carry out automated decision-making with legal or similarly significant effects.
To exercise any right, contact us at [contact email].
8. Cookies
Our website and wiki use only essential cookies needed to operate the site [adjust if you use analytics/non-essential cookies, which require consent].
9. Children
OARC is intended for users aged 13 and over. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13. If you believe we hold such data, contact us and we will delete it.
10. Complaints
If you have a concern about how we use your data, please contact us first at [contact email] and we will respond. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.
11. Changes
We may update this policy. Material changes will be noted here with a revised date and version above. ```
