Institutional Commitment
Privacy Policy
The Society's canonical statement on how member and visitor information is collected, used, retained, and protected in the course of its scholarly and institutional work.
Effective 2026-06-27
Principles
Purposeful Collection
Information is gathered only where it serves a defined scholarly, administrative, or member-service purpose, and never as an end in itself.
Proportionate Use
Information is used in proportion to the purpose for which it was collected and is not repurposed beyond the member's reasonable expectation.
Durable Stewardship
Information entrusted to the Society is held under the same standard of care that governs the Society's scholarly and institutional records.
Member Sovereignty
Members retain the right to inspect, correct, and, where appropriate, request the removal of information held about them.
Scope and Application
This Privacy Policy governs the Society's treatment of information collected through its institutional website, its membership programmes, its scholarly correspondence, and any associated services operated under the Society's name.
It applies to members, prospective members, contributors, faculty, correspondents, and visitors. It is an institutional commitment rather than a description of any particular technical implementation.
Categories of Information
The Society collects only such categories of information as are necessary to fulfil its institutional purpose. These categories include identification information provided by members, correspondence directed to the Society, and information generated by the ordinary use of the Society's website and member services.
- Identification information furnished by members and applicants.
- Correspondence and submissions directed to the Society's offices.
- Records of participation in the Society's scholarly and editorial activities.
- Technical information necessary for the operation and security of the Society's website.
Purposes of Use
Information is used to administer membership, to conduct the Society's scholarly and editorial work, to fulfil obligations owed to members, to preserve institutional records, and to maintain the integrity and security of the Society's services.
The Society does not sell member information, does not lease it, and does not disclose it to third parties save where required by law, where necessary to deliver a service the member has requested, or where authorised under this Policy.
Retention
Information is retained for the period necessary to its purpose and, in the case of institutional records, for the period required to preserve the Society's editorial and historical continuity. Records pertaining to membership are retained for the duration of membership and for such period thereafter as is consistent with the Society's archival commitments.
Member Rights
Members may at any time request inspection of the information the Society holds about them, may request correction of inaccuracies, and may request removal of information that is no longer necessary to the Society's institutional purposes, subject to the Society's archival and legal obligations.
Security
The Society maintains administrative, organisational, and technical measures appropriate to the sensitivity of the information held. The Society's Security Policy describes the principles governing those measures.
Inquiries
Inquiries concerning this Policy may be directed to the Society's offices through the channels published on the Society's website.
Questions of Interpretation
Frequently considered questions
Revisions
- 2026-06-27Initial publication.