All parishes must adhere to General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). This page gives advice and guidance on GDPR considerations when using different forms of communication.
General Data Protection Regulations give individuals more rights and protection in how their personal data is used by organisations.
Emails and GDPR
Mass electronic communications can be dependent on obtaining consent from all those on the circulation list. Where this is the case, parishes will need to make sure they have consent to communicate with those on their mailing lists before commencing with the communications.’
Online mass emailing platforms have the functionality to help you manage your mailing lists and have built-in sign-up forms, so that subscribers can give their consent to be contacted.
More advice can be found on our ‘Emails’ webpage.
Filming/photography and GDPR
It is important that churches follow GDPR guidelines for filming and photography.
Those appearing in film or photography will need to have given consent, as religion is a protected feature under GDPR. If no one from your congregation will be identifiable during filming or photography, then you don’t need to gain consent. However, if members of the congregation will be identified, they will need to give permission.
More advice and template content forms can be found on our ‘Filming and photography’ webpage.
Privacy Notices
Parishes will also need to produce a Privacy Notice to explain their data processing to people. This is a document that explains how your church will process, use and store someone's personal data. If you have a church website, it’s good practice to make your privacy notice available online.
Sight of a privacy notice isn't always required before filming; a verbal notice at the beginning of a service explaining that it's being recorded is sufficient. However, it's good practice to have a hard copy of your privacy notice on display in your church and available for those who wish to read it.
Further advice
Diocesan advice and guidance on GDPR
Advice on data protection and GDPR for parishes can be found on our website, linked below.
Advice on GDPR from the Church of England
The national Church of England Parish Resources website contains a wealth of advice and guidance as well as templates and a checklist to help parishes meet the Regulations.
