This privacy statement

The Protestant Church of the Netherlands, and the congregations that make up its congregations in it, places privacy and provide a secure environment. The church order states that the Protestant Church of the Netherlands and its congregations have a responsibility to help the world. This includes helping others, being involved with one another, and building a community. There is a church for all. Non-members of the church can also participate and receive pastoral care and diaconal assistance.

This privacy statement explains how personal data is used. This statement also provides information about the principles and goals of data processing in the church. This statement explains the processing of personal data. Data subjects are able to read it. It also describes what rights a data subject can exercise in relation to data processing and who the person responsible at the church is for that purpose.

Read also: right to be forgotten help

Information about the Dutch Protestant Church and its congregations

Specific rules (ecclesiastical), govern the organisation of the Protestant Church in The Netherlands and the congregations. Privacy protection is also affected by these rules. The General Data Protection Regulation grants churches the ability to handle data in compliance with church guidelines.

Local congregations make up the Protestant Church of The Netherlands. Each municipality and its deacons have their own legal personality.

Protection of Personal Data: Some General Measures

Your personal data can be handled legally and carefully. The municipality will ensure that you have the privacy rights and protection of your data by applying these privacy rules and securing it. Any person who has access to information within the church for the purpose of fulfilling his ecclesiastical function, is subject to the ordinance 4-2 regarding secrecy. To ensure that personal data is handled in a secure and responsible manner, the municipality has adopted a variety of policy measures. These policies are described in Appendix 1 which is located at the bottom this document.

Contact Information, Request Process, Your Rights

In order to comply with requests from data subjects and to ensure that appropriate and organizational measures are taken to comply with the privacy rules , the municipality has delegated the coordination of these safeguards to: To get in touch or to make a request in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation and the help with right to be forgottenContact:

Recital 78 in the General Data Protection Regulation

An individual or congregation of the Protestant Church in The Netherlands doesn’t process any personal data and therefore is not required to appoint one. You can request further proof from the Service Organization of the Protestant Church of the Netherlands.

Data subjects have the following rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (and the General Data Protection Regulation Implementation Act):

1. Data portability is a right.
   Right to access, receive or provide personal information collected pursuant to consent or execution of an arrangement in a digitally accessible format to another party
2. It is your right not to forget.
   You have the right to be “forgotten”. You can disengage yourself from the Church. However, the congregation must agree to your request for being forgotten as long as there are no legitimate Church interests.
3. Access right.
   Right of individuals to see their personal data processed.
4. You have the right to rectify and add.
   Right to modify personal data that you have processed. If it’s believed that the information is incorrect, it can be corrected provided it does not conflict with the legitimate interests or those of the Church.
5. Processing rights may be restricted:
   This is your right to receive less data.
6. This includes automated decision making and profiling.
   This is the right of a person to view decisions. You will receive a Church letter if someone has sent it to you, and not because some computer program sends one automatically.
7. You have the right to oppose data processing.
8. The right to lodge a complaint with the Dutch Data Protection Authority

If you have any questions regarding the rights mentioned above, contact the municipality at the address above. To be removed from Church Order, you must send an explicit request to your local consistory. 

Your request will be processed by the municipality. First, the municipality must determine if you really are who you claim to be and if your request is subject to any applicable law. The municipality must comply within one month of your request. Unless the circumstances warrant an extension to the maximum period of three months, You will be provided with a reasoned response to your request upon such an extension. Your request will be honored as soon as it is possible by the municipality. When complying to your request, congregations must take into account the privacy rights of others as well as the legitimate interests and activities the Church. Art 23 paragraph 1 preamble, and I gdpr case studies.