The Church of Scotland is the Data Controller.

We have an appointed Data Protection Officer (DPO), Alice Wilson, who can be contacted by emailing: privacy@churchofscotland.org.uk

In 2020 the General Assembly asked the Faith Impact Forum to carry out research on the legacy of slavery and the Church of Scotland, this work started in 2021 and the Legacies of Slavery Project Group was formed. This work is part of a larger inquiry by the Church's Equality, Diversion and Inclusion (EDI) Group into the current culture of the Church looking at how it embraces diversity and prevents discrimination, to identify what needs to be done to create ‘a church where all are welcome'.

The Legacies of Slavery Project group is collecting lots of different types of data. Some of this is historical, other data are contemporary. We are collecting data on historical individuals and events, present day church buildings, and some basic personal details such as contact details, for example email addresses and telephone numbers in order to keep in contact with people involved in the research process. Due to the subject matter, there is special category data involved (sensitive data) which includes religious beliefs and racial or ethnic minorities. We will also collect basic data of the Congregation and Presbytery (e.g. reference number of Congregation).

Historic and archival data is being collected from a wide range of sources, including original documents held at the National Records of Scotland (NRS) and the University of Edinburgh Library. We are also utilising data in the public domain from Historic Environment Scotland (HES), the Registers of Compensation Paid to Slave Owners digitised and augmented by the University College London (UCL) Centre for the Study of British Slavery, and data from ‘SlaveVoyages', hosted by Rice University, TX USA. All of these sources are in the public domain. Other key sources of historical data include Dr David Alston's website ‘Slaves and Highlanders' as well as published works by Scottish historians including Dr David Alston, Prof. Tom Devine, Dr Stephen Mullen and Dr Iain Whyte.

We will also be collecting data on individual church buildings directly from individuals, on behalf of congregations who choose to take part in this research. We are also looking for a small number of congregations to take part in group interviews on the topic historic slavery and the Church of Scotland.

The lawful basis for processing this data is GDPR Article 6(1)(a) "the data subject has given consent to the processing of his or her personal data for one or more specific purposes" As this is research, the data protection research exemption provisions in relation to special category personal data is the lawful basis. Under GDPR Article 9(2)(j) "processing is necessary for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes in accordance with Article 89(1) which shall be proportionate to the aim pursued, respect the essence of the right to data protection and provide for suitable and specific measures to safeguard the fundamental rights and the interests of the data subject" and Data Protection Act 2018 Schedule 1 Part 1(4) Research etc

The information is shared between members of the Legacies of Slavery Project Group, which included representatives from our partner churches in Trinidad and Tobago and Nigeria. It is important to note that the external bodies will not access any information which would identify an individual. The data is all held on the I Drive of Church servers and is not disclosed to anyone outside of the group.

This data will be used to inform a report given to the General Assembly in 2023 and will be published in the Blue Book. The report will be anonymised and not identify any participants of the research.

Data will be held for the life of the project at least two years from date of collection, so summer 2024 the data will be destroyed securely following Church procedures.

Data protection laws have a number of rights for individuals. This is detailed on our page on your rights and choices.

It's important to note that you can withdraw your consent at any time to do this please contact rknight@churchofscotland.org.uk Please note though that the report to the General Assembly will be anonymised.

Not all rights apply; some of these rights only apply depending on the lawful basis of processing the data. For this purpose only the right to object does not apply; however the rest of the rights do apply. If you want to exercise any of these rights you can do so either verbally or in writing. The Church will require proof of identity prior to processing the request. The Church are required to process the request without undue delay and must respond within one month.