Privacy Statement
Who is RNW Media?
RNW Media is an international digital media organization based in Haarlem, with a robust network of partners across Africa, Central America, the Middle East, and South and East Asia. Our affiliated training center, RNTC, is also part of RNW Media.
Thank you for your interest in our privacy statement. We understand the importance of privacy and strive to protect your personal data. This statement explains how we process and safeguard your information, as well as your rights in relation to it. If you have any questions or concerns after reading the statement, please reach out to our Data Protection Officer (DPO). Contact information can be found at the bottom of the statement.
RNW Media is committed to constructing digital communities for promoting positive change. Our aim is to empower and inspire young people to become active participants in creating a more inclusive society. To achieve this, we either develop or strengthen the capacity of our partners to establish online platforms and design content, engagement and moderation strategies that enable young people to engage in open and honest discussions about sensitive and often taboo subjects, such as pleasurable sex and civic participation. By providing access to information and amplifying their voices, we hope to enable young people to play a meaningful role in shaping the future of their communities.
Our approach to privacy is based on a fundamental philosophy of minimal data processing. We only use data to improve our programs and do so only to the extent necessary. The data we process is primarily based on a legitimate interest, such as analyzing the use of our content to optimize it and measure its impact. In some cases, such as conducting surveys, we may ask for your consent to process your data.
When you contact us through one of our online platforms, we will only use the information you provide to respond to your message or to initiate a related conversation at a later stage. We do not use this data for any other purposes.
Which data do we use
Analyses of our platforms
On our RNW Media platforms, including websites, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn, we provide users with the opportunity to share their thoughts, opinions, and questions about the content we publish. We use this information to determine which content resonates well with our audience. The data we collect includes information about the device and operating system you use, as well as details about your use of our website, such as the date and time of your visit and the topics you viewed. Additionally, we analyze reactions to our content, comments, and shares on our platforms and monitor discussions on other platforms to determine which topics are of interest to our audience. This enables us to create content that is relevant to local current events and to the needs of our users. We do this based on our legitimate interest.
Survey data/surveys
Your response to our surveys could be handled by us or our partners. We carry out surveys to determine and create engaging content that is relevant to local current events and workshops. We occasionally share the results and outcomes of the surveys with our online communities. The surveys serve as a means to evaluate the impact of our work and to report to partners and donors. We always ask for your consent before collecting your responses for a survey.
Surveys serve as a tool for measurement and can be used independently or as part of a larger campaign or ongoing evaluation of the impact of our work, referred to as the “measurement period.” If the survey is not standalone, we aim to measure progress and final results. When you provide us with your email, phone number or other contact information, we only use it for the following purposes:
To inform you about follow-up surveys within the measurement period, hoping for your continued participation
To measure any changes compared to previous surveys, so we can generate an anonymous aggregated report on the impact achieved
To inform you about the report at the end of the campaign
To contact you in case you have won a prize
The survey results are used for both internal and third-party reporting. You can find more information on this in the Reporting section.
Reporting
The purpose of reporting is to present an anonymous report based on aggregated data. “Aggregated” means that the data is combined and summarized based on related criteria such as age or gender, so that no individual data can be linked back to an individual. The data for our reports comes from our platforms and third-party sources. Our reports serve multiple purposes, including:
Reporting to our donors about the impact of our campaigns
Informing survey participants and beneficiaries* about the survey results
Encouraging potential and strategic partners to support our current and new projects
Improving our content and strategies by better understanding our target audience.
*Beneficiaries and partners are typically other (I)NGOs, the media and other parties that we inform and influence.
Customer Relationship Management
We collect and process contact details, such as the organization’s name and address, the name of the contact person, the email address, and phone number, of our potential and current partners for the purpose of building and managing partnerships, as well as for sales and funding of our platforms and services.
Contact Us
If you provide us with your contact information, we will only use it to communicate with you. This can occur if you reach out to us through email or telephone. If you contact us via social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, we will use the information only to respond to your inquiries.
Newsletter
If you choose to subscribe to our newsletter, we will register your email address. You can always opt-out of receiving our newsletter.
Photos and Videos
We take photos and videos at our events to showcase our work and share it on our websites and social media platforms. We also create commissioned photos for marketing purposes, and will always ask for your consent before using any photos and videos for marketing purposes.
Website Maintenance and Improvement
We use information about your visit to our websites to understand the popularity of our web pages, and how visitors find our site (such as through other websites or our newsletter). This information helps us analyze and improve our websites, publicize our channels, and monitor traffic performance. Please refer to our cookie policy for more information on how we perform this analysis.
Regular Business Operations
We process contact, payment, and communication information from our current and former customers for our regular business operations. This includes sending invoices, performing bookkeeping, and storing correspondence with customers on our email server and online workbooks.
Job Applications
When you apply for one of our job openings, we, or in some cases, a selection agency, will process your personal information. If a selection agency is involved, we will inform you in the job advertisement. We process your personal information based on your consent and store your job application and related personal information for a maximum of one year after the position has been filled.
Recipients of Data
We do not share any personal information with third parties, except when legally required to do so. We collaborate with specialized ICT suppliers and have established data processing agreements with these organizations. These processors can only process the personal information on our behalf and under our direct supervision, for specific purposes we have determined and with strict confidentiality.
If we work with independent contractors, temporary employees, or partners who do not act as processors, but rather fall under our direct authority, and it becomes necessary to exchange personal information, we will enter into a confidentiality agreement with them.
Data Storage and Retention
In general, personal data is stored for as long as necessary for its intended purpose. This determination is based on the type of personal information, the product or service for which we collected it, and what can reasonably be expected as a retention period from the perspective of the data subject. Personal information is stored on the servers of the cloud-based database management services we use, which are located in Europe. We believe in transparency and have provided some examples of such retention periods below.
Data on Our Platforms
To better understand user discussions and generate locally relevant content that is of interest to our users, we retain data for 5 years after the conclusion of a project. This allows us to conduct analysis and evaluate the effectiveness of our content.
Job applicants
When you apply for a job at RNW Media, we will only retain your personal data for the duration of the current hiring process, with a maximum retention period of 1 year after the process is completed. If we wish to keep your data for a longer time for potential future job opportunities, we will seek your explicit consent beforehand.
Your Rights
You have the right to access, correct, and delete any personal data we have about you. You can also request that we restrict the processing of your personal data, and object to it if you disagree with the processing. In certain cases, you may also exercise your right to data portability. We do not engage in any automated decision-making processes, including profiling.
If you are dissatisfied with the way we have handled your request, please inform us. We take your concerns seriously and will address them in accordance with legal frameworks. If you still have questions about how we handled your request, you have the right to file a complaint with the Dutch Data Protection Authority.
You can find their contact details here: https://autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl/en/contact-dutch-dpa/contact-us
Exercising Your Rights
Exercising your rights is a careful process that begins with your identification. To ensure your safety and prevent abuse, we need to verify your identity. Protecting your fundamental rights and freedoms with regards to your personal data is a top priority for us. To verify your identity, we may ask for additional information to confirm your identity.
Data Security
We take the protection of your data and personally identifiable information seriously, and maintain physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to help secure the privacy of your information when you use our websites. Our security technology is updated and tested regularly, and we take additional mitigation measures in cases where there are vulnerabilities for which no security patches are available.
Only employees who need to access your personal data to provide benefits or services to you are given permission to do so. Our employees are trained on the importance of confidentiality and the protection of your information.
Privacy Statement Updates
From time to time, our organization and services may change, and we may need to update our Privacy Statement accordingly. In case of any updates, we will announce them on our website. If the changes substantially alter the purposes of processing, and the processing is based on your consent, we will seek your approval for the new purposes before making the changes.
Contact us
If you have any questions, concerns or complaints or if you want to exercise one of your rights, please contact RNW Media:
RNW Media
Koepelplein 1C
2031 WL Haarlem
E: info@rnw.org