Privacy Policy

The Forum is a collaborative network coordinated by the Roosevelt Institute for American Studies, working in partnership with institutes across Europe. For the purposes of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), the data controller is:

European Forum on US History (c/o Roosevelt Institute for American Studies)
Hofplein 16

4331 CK Middelburg

The Netherlands
Email: info@ushistoryforum.eu

Hosted activities and joint controllers. For some events, the partner institute hosting the session may act as a joint controller. Where this is the case, the event page or registration form will name that institute.

This Policy covers:

• Our website (ushistoryforum.eu) and associated pages (hosted on Google Sites).

• Registration forms (currently provided via Tally) and related communications.

• Hybrid/online event tools (e.g., webinar/videoconference platforms) and recordings where applicable.

• Our mailing lists and general correspondence.

We collect the following categories of data, depending on your interaction with us:

Website & systems

• Basic technical data from your device or browser (e.g., IP address, date/time, user agent) registered by our hosting providers for security and operations.

• Cookies or similar technologies strictly necessary to deliver the site and embed essential services. We do not set advertising cookies.

Event registration & participation

• Identification and contact details (e.g., name, email address, institutional affiliation, role/title, country).

• Session preferences (e.g., in-person/online choice) and logistics.

• Optional data you choose to provide

• Attendance information, and, if recorded, your audio/video and display name.

Communications & mailing lists

• Your email, preferences (e.g., subscription to updates), and correspondence history.

Speakers & collaborators

• Professional profile information (e.g., talk title/abstract, affiliation, headshot) for event publicity and archiving.

We do not intentionally collect special category data. Please avoid sharing sensitive personal data unless we explicitly request it for a specific, necessary purpose.

We process personal data for the purposes and on the legal bases below:

• Run events and manage registrations (confirmations, updates, access links, attendance management).
  Legal basis: performance of a contract; our legitimate interests in organizing academic events.

• Communicate with you about the Forum (including programme updates and future events) when you opt in.
  Legal basis: your consent (you can withdraw at any time).

• Publicize and document academic activity (event pages, programmes, speaker bios; where applicable, recordings or summaries).
  Legal basis: legitimate interests of the Forum and its partners in academic dissemination; consent when required for identifiable recordings.

• Website operation, security, and improvement (including basic logs and anti-abuse).
  Legal basis: legitimate interests; and legal obligations where applicable.

• Compliance with laws (e.g., responding to lawful requests).
  Legal basis: legal obligation.

We rely on consent when we ask you to join a mailing list or when we record and share identifiable participant contributions. Where consent is the basis, you may withdraw it at any time.

• We use only those cookies that are strictly necessary to operate the website and embedded services.

• We do not use third-party advertising cookies.

• If we introduce analytics or additional cookies in the future, we will update this notice and, where required, ask for your consent.

We share personal data only as needed for Forum purposes:

• Partner institutes involved in coordinating or hosting a session (for logistics, security, and reporting).

• Service providers (processors) who support our activities, for example:

  • Email: Microsoft 365 (Outlook).

  • Forms: Tally (EU-hosted form collection and administration).

  • Videoconference/webinar platform: Zoom.

  • File storage and collaboration tools used by organizers.

• Website hosting: Google Sites (Google provides hosting and acts as an independent controller for site access logs).

• Public dissemination: event programmes, speaker bios, and—where applicable—recordings or slides made available on our channels. We will make it clear when a session is being recorded.

We do not sell your personal data.

Our partner institutes are in the EEA or the UK, and we configure our tools to store and process data in the EEA/UK where available. We do not routinely transfer personal data outside these regions. Some service providers operate global infrastructure (for example, for support or network routing). If a limited transfer is necessary, we use appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), the UK IDTA/Addendum, or an applicable adequacy decision. We will update this notice if our approach changes.

We keep data only for as long as needed for the stated purposes:

• Event registrations & attendance: until the end of the academic year following the event + up to 12 months (to manage follow‑up and reporting), unless a longer period is required by law or clearly justified.

• Mailing list: until you unsubscribe. We keep minimal records of opt‑outs to respect your choice.

• Recordings and publicity materials: for as long as they remain relevant to our academic mission or until consent is withdrawn (where consent applies).

• Website/server logs: typically up to 12 months for security and operations.

• General correspondence: typically up to 3 years after the last interaction, unless needed longer for a specific reason.

Actual retention periods may vary depending on the session host’s policies; when a partner acts as joint controller, their policy applies alongside this one.

Under the GDPR (and UK GDPR), you have rights to:

• Access your personal data and obtain a copy;

• Rectify inaccurate data;

• Erase data (in certain circumstances);

• Restrict or object to processing (especially where based on legitimate interests);

• Data portability (for data you provided to us);

• Withdraw consent at any time, where processing relies on consent;

• Lodge a complaint with your national supervisory authority (e.g., Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens in the Netherlands, CNIL in France, ICO in the UK, or the authority where you live or work).

To exercise these rights, contact us at info@ushistoryforum.eu. We respond to requests within one month as required by law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.

• We announce in advance if a session will be recorded or photographed.

• If you prefer not to appear, you can keep your camera off and refrain from speaking on the mic; you may also use text Q&A anonymously, where the platform allows.

• Speakers and panelists may be asked to sign a consent form covering recording, distribution, and archiving.

• We will specify access controls and retention for any recording made available after the event.

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal data. While no system is perfectly secure, we work with reputable providers and limit access to those who need it for Forum purposes.

We may update this Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date above shows the latest version. Material changes will be highlighted on this page.

Questions about this Policy or your data rights:

European Forum on US History
Email: info@ushistoryforum.eu
Hofplein 16

4331 CK Middelburg

The Netherlands