Privacy Notice — Autism Meetup

Autism Global
Version: 1.2-draft
Status: Work in progress. Autism Meetup is currently used only by staff and volunteer testers. This notice will be reviewed by a solicitor before public launch.
Last updated: 11 October 2026
Applies to: autismmeetup.com and the Autism Meetup community platform (chat, voice, video, events, files, and the Android app).
Does not apply to: Autism Global hosting, domains, WHMCS billing or shop orders (see the Hosting Privacy Notice). Paid event tickets are processed under the Hosting Privacy Notice.

Autism Global is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.

This notice sets out how we process the Personal Data we collect from you or that you provide to us in connection with Autism Meetup. Personal Data means information relating to you from which you can be identified directly or indirectly.

Please read this notice carefully.

Who we are

Autism Global is a company limited by guarantee registered in Scotland (company number SC618651). We are not a registered charity. Registered office: 22 Main Street, Coalsnaughton, Tillicoultry, FK13 6JH, Scotland.

Autism Global is the data controller for Autism Meetup.

Contact and data-protection complaints

Contact us about this notice, to exercise your rights, or to raise a data-protection complaint at:

• Email: privacy@autismglobal.co.uk
• Post: Autism Global, 22 Main Street, Coalsnaughton, Tillicoultry, FK13 6JH

You have the right to complain to us if you believe we have not handled your Personal Data in accordance with data protection law. Email or write to the address above. We will acknowledge your complaint within 30 days of receipt, investigate it, keep you informed of progress, and provide an outcome without undue delay.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), whether or not you have complained to us first.

ICO contact details
Website: ico.org.uk
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
Address: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF

What we collect

• Account data: display name, email, hashed password, optional profile fields and avatar you choose to add. We do not require a diagnosis.
• Community activity: messages in channels and direct messages (DMs), files you share, event RSVPs. Visible to other members according to room or channel settings. Direct messages are stored encrypted.
• Voice and video calls: call detail records (CDRs), which include extensions, numbers, start and end times and durations.
• Call recordings: only where everyone on the call agrees (see Call recording).
• Technical data: IP address, browser type, device information, and logs needed to run and secure the service. IP addresses are recorded in server logs.
• Android app: if you use the app, it may access the microphone and camera (for calls) and send notifications. We do not use Google Firebase for push notifications.

Special category data (including information about autism or other health information) is not required to join. Joining an autism community may itself indicate health information. If you share such information in a profile, message or elsewhere, that is voluntary. We process it only as necessary to provide the community space you have joined, or with your explicit consent for any additional stated purpose.

How we use it

We do not sell Personal Data. We do not use advertising networks or interest-based ads. We do not build public rankings from activity. We do not use solely automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects.

Some information (such as an email address and display name) is required to create an account. If you do not provide it, we cannot set up the account.

Call recording

Call recording is not currently in use. When it is, the following applies.

Calls (voice or video) can be recorded only if everyone on the call agrees. If any person declines, the recording does not take place. This mutual-consent rule is Autism Global policy. Recordings will be kept for 30 days, and participants will be able to download a copy during that period. Event recordings may be shared into channels under the same consent rules.

Who we share it with

• Other members, according to the visibility settings of the room, channel or event
• Service providers who host or support the platform, under contract (as sub-processors)
• Authorities when the law requires it, or to protect safety

A current list of sub-processors is available on request from privacy@autismglobal.co.uk.

Messages, calls and files are stored on servers we run in the United Kingdom. We do not transfer Personal Data outside the UK as a normal practice. If a transfer becomes necessary, we will use an appropriate safeguard (such as Standard Contractual Clauses or an adequacy decision) and update this notice.

Moderation and access

Authorised Autism Global staff and administrators may access messages, CDRs, IP addresses and other data where needed for moderation, enforcing the Acceptable Use Policy, investigating abuse, securing the service, or complying with law. Access is limited to those purposes.

How long we keep it

Retention depends on the type of data. Periods marked provisional are under review and may change; this notice will be updated when they do.

• Channel messages: 30 days (provisional)
• Direct messages: 30 days (provisional)
• Call detail records (CDRs): kept with no fixed end date
• Call recordings: 30 days (when recording is in use)
• Account data, profile, avatar and files you share: while the account remains open
• Technical and IP logs: retention periods are still being finalised and will be published here
• Backups: may hold copies of the above for a short additional period beyond the main retention window

After you ask us to close your account (see Your rights), we delete or anonymise personal data associated with it, subject to the periods above and any longer period required by law or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

Your rights

Your rights include:

• Access to your Personal Data
• Correction of inaccurate data
• Deletion (erasure)
• Restriction of processing
• Objection to processing based on legitimate interests
• Portability where it applies
• Withdrawal of consent (where we rely on consent)

Requests are usually free. Email privacy@autismglobal.co.uk. We aim to respond within one month (or longer if the request is complex, in which case we will tell you). We may need information to confirm your identity.

To close your account, email privacy@autismglobal.co.uk and we will close it for you. Messages you have already posted in shared rooms or channels will normally remain visible to other members, for the retention period above, unless we remove them at your request or are required to remove them.

You may also complain to the ICO (see contact details above).

Children

Autism Meetup is for people aged 16 and over, unless we have agreed otherwise with a parent or guardian. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 16. The ICO Children’s Code applies to services likely to be accessed by children under 18, and we apply its standards to members aged 16 and 17. If you believe we have collected data from someone under 16, email privacy@autismglobal.co.uk and we will investigate and, if appropriate, delete it.

Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect Personal Data. No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Cookies and similar technologies

We use strictly necessary cookies and similar technologies (including browser local storage) for login, session management and security, and to remember choices you make, such as the light or dark theme and your call audio device. Any non-essential cookies or similar technologies will be listed in the Cookie Notice and not set without a choice. Until the Cookie Notice covers Autism Meetup, this section is the full description.

Changes

Changes will be posted on this page and, at our discretion, notified by email. Check back for updates.

Appropriate safeguards

When we transfer Personal Data out of the UK (if ever required), we ensure at least one of the following:

• transfer to a country the UK has deemed adequate
• Standard Contractual Clauses approved for UK use
• supplementary measures where appropriate

Autism Global’s contact for our processing remains the address above.