Thursday

21-05-2026 Vol 19

Privacy Policy

March 02, 2026 by Reuben Hellier

Effective date: March 02, 2026

Last updated: March 10, 2026

1. Who We Are

Democracy Volunteers Ltd is the data controller responsible for your personal data. We are a company registered in England and Wales (Company Number: 10271424) with our registered office at 8 Duncannon Street, London, England, WC2N 4JF. We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) under registration number ZA908759.

If you have any questions about this privacy notice or how we handle your personal data, please contact us at: info@democracyvolunteers.org

2. What Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data about you:

  • Contact Information: Your name, email address, postal address, and telephone number, collected when you contact us, sign up to volunteer, or make a donation.
  • Payment Information: When you make a donation through our website, your payment is processed securely by Stripe. Democracy Volunteers does not have access to your full payment card details. Stripe acts as an independent data controller for this payment data. Please refer to Stripe’s Privacy Policy for details of how Stripe handles your payment information.
  • Identity Documents: Copies of identity documents such as passports or driving licences, which we collect for the purposes of accreditation and, where applicable, to arrange travel (flights and hotel bookings) on your behalf.
  • Website Usage Data: Technical information collected through cookies and similar technologies when you visit our website, which may include your IP address, browser type, and browsing behaviour. Please see Section 9 (Cookies) below for more information.
  • Photographic Images: Photographs taken during our election observation deployments and other organisational activities in which you may be identifiable. Please see Section 13 (Photography and Images) for further details.

3. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes and on the following lawful bases under Article 6 of the UK GDPR:

  • To respond to your enquiries submitted through our contact form. Lawful basis: Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)) – it is in our legitimate interest to respond to communications we receive.
  • To process donations made through our website. Lawful basis: Performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b)) and, where applicable, compliance with a legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c)) for financial record-keeping.
  • To process accreditation applications and verify your identity. Lawful basis: Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)) – it is necessary for us to verify the identity of individuals we accredit.
  • To arrange travel (flights and hotels) on your behalf where required. Lawful basis: Performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b)) or your consent (Article 6(1)(a)).
  • To share photographs on our website and social media channels to document our work and promote our mission. Lawful basis: Consent (Article 6(1)(a)).

4. Who We Share Your Data With

We may share your personal data with the following categories of recipients where necessary:

  • Stripe: Our payment processor, which handles donation transactions securely. Stripe operates as an independent data controller for payment data.
  • Travel providers: Airlines and hotel operators, where we are booking travel on your behalf. We will only share the minimum personal data necessary to make these bookings.
  • Regulatory and accreditation bodies: Where required for the accreditation process or to comply with legal obligations.
  • Legal and regulatory authorities: Where required by law, regulation, or legal proceedings.

We do not sell your personal data to any third parties.

5. International Transfers

Where we arrange travel on your behalf, your personal data may be transferred to organisations outside the United Kingdom. Where such transfers take place, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with the UK GDPR, such as standard contractual clauses, adequacy decisions, or your explicit consent.

Stripe may also transfer personal data internationally as part of its payment processing operations. Please refer to Stripe’s Privacy Policy for further details.

6. How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected:

  • Contact enquiries: Retained for up to 2 years after your last communication with us, unless an ongoing relationship exists.
  • Donation records: Retained for 7 years in accordance with financial and tax record-keeping obligations.
  • Identity documents: Retained only for the length of an individual’s accreditation plus one year to allow for reaccreditation if desired by the data subject, or as long as necessary for travel booking purposes, after which they are securely deleted.
  • Travel booking data: Retained for up to 2 years following the completion of travel.

7. Your Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

  • Right of access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
  • Right to erasure: You have the right to request that we delete your personal data in certain circumstances.
  • Right to restrict processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
  • Right to data portability: You have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
  • Right to object: You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as our lawful basis.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at: reuben.hellier@democracyvolunteers.org. We will respond to your request within one month.

8. Right to Complain

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns before you approach the ICO, so please contact us in the first instance.

9. Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies. Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit our website. Please see full details of our cookies policy here.

10. Security of Your Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction, or damage. Identity documents are stored securely and access is restricted to authorised personnel only.

11. Changes to This Notice

We may update this privacy notice from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. We encourage you to review this notice periodically.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this privacy notice, or wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact us:

  • Data Protection Contact: Reuben Hellier
  • Email: info@democracyvolunteers.org
  • Post: Democracy Volunteers Ltd, 8 Duncannon Street, London, England, WC2N 4JF