What personal information we collect about you

Personal data is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable living individual. We only collect personal data that is relevant to the interaction you have with us and depending on that interaction, the personal information we may collect from you could include, but is not limited to, any of the following:

Identity and contact information, such as your name, postal address, telephone number, mobile number, email address and your communication preferences (including your preferences for receiving marketing from us)
We may collect your date of birth in order to verify you are an adult as some services we offer, such as animal adoptions, are not open to individuals under the age of 18. If you are a minor, we may require the name and contact details of a parent or other legal guardian and, where appropriate, the name and location of your school
Donation and transaction information, including details about donations you have made, tax details for Gift Aid purposes and other details of products and services you have obtained from us. (Please note, we do not store credit card information)
Images, photographs or videos if you volunteer or take part in an event with us
Technical information if you visit our website, such as your IP address, the device you use or your browser type and version
Usage information including information about how you use our website, products and services
Any other relevant information you share with us about yourself, such as your interests or affiliations with other charities including RSPCA branches, or that we obtain about you from publicly available sources.

Does the RSPCA process sensitive personal information?

Data protection legislation recognises certain categories of personal information as requiring particular care; that data is known as "special category data". Examples of special category data are health information and information regarding race, religious beliefs and political opinions.

We don't collect special category personal information unless there is a clear reason for doing so and we have a legal basis. Clear notices will be provided on application forms and communications which collect special category data so you will know what information we need and why we need it. Only those individuals with a business need to access and process that information will be able to do so.

Examples of where it would be appropriate for us to collect special category data:

where you are participating in a marathon or similar fundraising event, and we need certain information about your health in order to support you in participating in the event
if you apply for a job with us, we may collect information about your race or ethnicity, religious beliefs or sexual orientation for equal opportunities monitoring. We may also collect information about criminal convictions if it is appropriate given the nature of the role you are applying for. (We provide a separate HR data protection policy to all employees on induction setting out more information about this category of data, how it is collected, used and stored)
if you have disclosed such data to us through the course of your relationship with us.

We may also hold personal, special category and criminal offence data in connection with our investigation and prosecution of potential offences relating to the care, transportation and general welfare of pets and other animals.