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Let's talk about data

TheMixTheMix Posts: 3,040 Boards Guru
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Hey everyone :wave:

By now, you hopefully all know that we’ll soon be moving to new boards (if not, head over to this thread for more). We’re excited about the move, not least because it’s a great chance for all of us to talk about what we all want from this space :) If you haven’t taken our new boards survey yet, we’d love to hear your thoughts!

One of the topics we’d like to talk about is data. To be more specific, your personal data as a member of the community.

Now before you see the length of this thread and close it, think of it like this: looking after your personal data is a lot like eating kale. It might not be the most appealing thing, but it’s really good for you! Bear with it ;)

If you need an extra boost, try this as a relaxing soundtrack to your reading!
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A healthy serving of kale




Before we get going, let's quickly explain what we mean when we say ‘data’. We're talking about two things: personal data and sensitive personal data. Here’s what those terms mean...

What is personal data?
Personal data is basically any information that can be used to identify you. This includes things like your name, address, IP address, phone number etc.
What is sensitive personal data?
Sensitive personal data includes more personal info, like your gender, sexual preference, political or religious beliefs, medical info etc.
In this thread, we’d like to cover 2 questions:

1. What data does The Mix collect from you as a member of the community and how do we use it?

2. What are your rights around how The Mix’s collects and uses your personal data?

This is hopefully the start of a discussion – we’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic and are eager to have a conversation :yes:
We're @Aife, @Ella, @Emma_, @Gemma, and @JustV - the staff team here at The Mix.

Our DMs are monitored Monday - Friday (10am - 6pm) with limited cover on weekends. We have a great team of moderators looking after the community outside of those hours to check in on any reported posts.

We're not able to provide support on this account. If you need support urgently for any reason, please call 999, go to your nearest A&E or contact Crisis Messenger by texting THEMIX to 85258.

Comments

  • TheMixTheMix Posts: 3,040 Boards Guru
    1. What data does The Mix collect from you as a member of the community and how do we use it?

    As you probably know, we're big fans of anonymity here at The Mix. We believe that it should be as easy as possible to ask for support, no matter what the issue. We’ve seen that asking for lots of personal data can make it harder for people; how many of you would use chat or the boards if we asked you for your full name, address and phone number (for example)? What about a newbie?

    We want you folks to be able to get in touch with us and each other without having to give us too much personal data. So, we try to limit the amount of data we collect.

    What data do we collect?

    The data we collect depends on which community service you use:

    The Discussion Boards
    When you sign up for the boards, we ask you to create a username and password as well as provide an email address and date of birth. The system also records the IP addresses you use to register and log in.
    Group chat
    When you register for group chat, we ask you to create a username and password as well as provide an email address. The system also records the IP addresses you use to log in. You can also use chat as a guest, in which case, only your IP address is recorded.

    In the community, we don't record any sensitive personal data other than what you write on the boards or in chat. Boards posts are visible to everyone on the internet, but if you ever want a post deleted you can drop us a line via PM or email (info@themix.org.uk). Chat transcripts are stored privately on a secure server in the EU and only the staff team can see them. We don't share chat transcripts with anyone outside the community team here at The Mix.

    It's worth remembering that other parts of The Mix (e.g. the helpline and counselling service) record different data.

    Why do we collect this data?

    - Your username lets you use the boards or group chat without using your real name. It means you can be anonymous. We also use your username to work out how many people use group chat – this helps us adapt group chat to your needs and also helps us talk to funders.

    - Your password keeps your account(s) secure; only you have access and no-one else can post as you or read your PMs on the boards.

    - Your email address is used for resetting your password if you forget it and can be used to get boards notifications when people reply to your threads etc. It’s also what you use to log in to group chat (because you can change your group chat username). We may very occasionally send out emails to boards members with news about the community (like the new boards for example). You can opt in or out of these admin emails in your user settings.

    - Your date of birth helps us understand who is using the boards and keep things safe. For example, if we notice that someone is significantly over 25 (e.g. 35 or 40), we usually drop them a message letting them know that The Mix is really for people 25 or under and help them find an alternative place to find support. The same goes for someone who’s much younger than 13, as the boards isn’t the best place for young children.

    - Your IP address is recorded just in case we need to take some action against your account. For example, if an account is a spammer, we will ban the account and sometimes ban the IP address(es) it used (particularly if it’s from Russia or Pakistan – where most of our spam originates). It’s also used for bans from group chat. Banning people isn't something we like doing, but it's a useful way to keep the space safe.

    Apart from your username, only the staff team has access to your personal data and only you have access to your password(s).

    In very rare circumstances, we may choose to share some of this data with the emergency services if we believe someone is in immediate, life-threatening danger and we have enough information. You can read more about our confidentiality policy here.
    We're @Aife, @Ella, @Emma_, @Gemma, and @JustV - the staff team here at The Mix.

    Our DMs are monitored Monday - Friday (10am - 6pm) with limited cover on weekends. We have a great team of moderators looking after the community outside of those hours to check in on any reported posts.

    We're not able to provide support on this account. If you need support urgently for any reason, please call 999, go to your nearest A&E or contact Crisis Messenger by texting THEMIX to 85258.
  • TheMixTheMix Posts: 3,040 Boards Guru
    [FONT=trebuchet\ ms]2. What are your rights around how The Mix’ collects and uses your personal data?

    You may not know it, but as members of the EU, we’re all about to get some of the strongest data rights in the world! In May, there’s a new chunk of law being brought into force across the EU. It’s called the General Data Protection Regulation (or GDPR).

    These new laws mean that as a user of The Mix, you’ll have a lot of control over your own data.
    Note that these apply to every company and organisation in the world that collects your data (e.g. Facebook, Google etc.) and are still likely to apply even after the UK leaves the EU.


    Here are the key principles:

    1. Consent
    The Mix has to keep our terms and conditions simple and easy to read (so not like most!). It must also be as easy for you to withdraw consent as it is to give it.

    2. Data Breach Notification
    If The Mix gets hacked and/or our data is stolen, we must notify you of any risk within 72 hours.

    3. Right to access
    You have the right to know whether your personal data is being processed and how. You can also ask for a copy of all your personal data for free (to be delivered within one month).

    4. Right to be forgotten
    When your personal data is no longer relevant to its original purpose, you can ask us to erase it.

    5. Data portability
    You have the right to obtain and reuse your personal data for your own purposes by transferring it across different platforms/systems etc.

    6. Privacy by design
    The Mix must include data protection from the very beginning when designing apps, websites, platforms etc. We must make sure data is stored securely.


    Just one final thing to mention here. The new boards will be hosted on servers in Canada because the company that makes the software – Vanilla – is Canadian. Because The Mix is based in the EU and most of you are EU citizens, all those laws above still apply :yes:

    But it’s important to know that some Canadian laws will apply too. This means we can’t guarantee that your data won’t be accessed by the Canadian government or intelligence services if they legally get access to the servers (although this is highly unlikely).[/FONT]
    We're @Aife, @Ella, @Emma_, @Gemma, and @JustV - the staff team here at The Mix.

    Our DMs are monitored Monday - Friday (10am - 6pm) with limited cover on weekends. We have a great team of moderators looking after the community outside of those hours to check in on any reported posts.

    We're not able to provide support on this account. If you need support urgently for any reason, please call 999, go to your nearest A&E or contact Crisis Messenger by texting THEMIX to 85258.
  • TheMixTheMix Posts: 3,040 Boards Guru
    edited November 2018
    Pheww!! If you've made it this far, well done! You deserve a treat :)

    As we mentioned, we're keen to hear your thoughts. So if you have any questions, concerns or opinions, feel free to post them below! :)

    Finally, if this has piqued your interest in what data different organisations and companies collect about you, we'd thoroughly recommend this 8-day data detox. It'll take you on a journey through your data self and teach you how to start taking control of your digital life.

    Enjoy!

    Emma, Aife & Mike
    Post edited by TheMix on
    We're @Aife, @Ella, @Emma_, @Gemma, and @JustV - the staff team here at The Mix.

    Our DMs are monitored Monday - Friday (10am - 6pm) with limited cover on weekends. We have a great team of moderators looking after the community outside of those hours to check in on any reported posts.

    We're not able to provide support on this account. If you need support urgently for any reason, please call 999, go to your nearest A&E or contact Crisis Messenger by texting THEMIX to 85258.
  • Jacob101Jacob101 Posts: 687 Incredible Poster
    I made it to the end! That was actually pretty interesting though so im not moaning about reading all of that. You can kinda tell that Mike has written most of this because of the music to listen to, the picture of Kale and the amazing dolphin video, its certainly unique haha :):thumb:

    Edit: Been told that James actually wrote most of it.
    ''You were in the wilderness
    Looking for your own purpose
    Then you became a butterfly, a butterfly
    I knew you always would''

    - James Arthur (YOU)
  • independent_independent_ Community Champion Posts: 8,610 Legendary Poster
    I read this earlier and made it to the end too!! But like @Jacob101 I’m not complaining!! It’s a really, really interesting thread and good to know exactly how the data we provide is used.
    “Sometimes the people around you won’t understand your journey. They don’t need to, it’s not for them.”
  • MirabelleMirabelle Posts: 1,020 Wise Owl
    I made it to the end like Eleanor and Jacob and have nothing to complain about. The topic was a fascinating read, clear and concise. You guys must have spent a lot of time on it. What I appreciate the most was being able to review the Data Detox Kit.

    The Mix


    ~ Belle
  • SienaSiena Posts: 15,463 Skive's The Limit
    Thanks for sharing 👍Was wondering about the data you keep and stuff like last week
    “And when they look at you, they won't see everything you've been through. They won't see the **** that turned to scars that began to fade with time. They won't see the heartbreaking things that shook up and changed your entire world. They won't know how many tears you cried or even what it was you were crying about. They won't see how strong you had to be because you had no other choice. What they will see though is how compassionate you are because you experienced pain. What they will see is how kind you are because you experienced how cruel the world is. What they will see is how good you are because you've seen how bad things or people can be. The difference between you and your experiences are who you choose to be, despite everything that could have turned you cold and unkind.You are the good the world needs and the best of us.” ~ Kirsten Corley
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